Page 99 of The Genius
Her question served as a trigger and the reason spilled out of me. “Because when I was an assistant teacher at the experimental school, we went on a fieldtrip to the Motherlands and we visited Advanced Technologies. There were sex-bots, and the boys and male teachers talked about them with such excitement.”
“So?”
Popping my eyes, I squeezed my hands. “I was right there, Mom.”
“Yes?”
“And none of them had ever shown any interest in me. They would rather have sex with a dead thing than…” I couldn’t say it.
“Than you.” My mom finished the sentence for me.
I looked away, my shoulders drooping and my mind racing to the obvious conclusion that I’d never been brave enough to admit to myself. This project had always been about Marco. He had hurt my pride that day when he had praised the sex-bots and at the same time seen right past me. I wanted to create a natural sex-bot to prove that men would prefer a real woman over a fake one.
“Shelly?”
Slouching over the table, I hid my face by placing my hands on my forehead.
“Shelly, are you okay?” My mom sat down next to me and stroked my back. “You were a teenager back then. We are all self-absorbed and concerned about what others think of us in those years of our lives. But now that you’re older you can laugh about it, can’t you? It’s not like you’d want to have sex with an Nman anyway. It was just a prick to your pride.”
In a slow movement, I turned my head and looked at my mom. “I have had sex with an Nman.”
Her eyes grew wide.
“Not just once but several times.”
“Honeyyy…” Her face fell in a look of deep pity.
“You don’t have to look at me like that. I’m not sick.”
My mom wasn’t stroking my back anymore. “I didn’t say you were sick, but clearly you’re stressed. I want you to go to a place of reflection. This isn’t you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” My voice was low but my tone firm.
“Shelly, I’m concerned for you.”
I swung my hands around the kitchen. “You always taught me that different is good. You were right, Mom. Sex is different and at the same time it’s amazing.”
“Is that why you want to stay in the Northlands? So you can havesex?” The way her upper lip lifted when she said the last word made me shake my head. I had come here to tell her that I was pregnant and that I’d be moving in with Marco, but she wasn’t ready to hear it.
“Shelly, please don’t go back to the Northlands.” My mom’s voice broke and tears welled up in her eyes as she squeezed my hand. “Please.”
“I’m going, Mom. It’s the right thing for me and I’ll be okay.” I moved over to comfort her.
Sheana cried in my arms. “What if one of them hurts you while having sex?”
“Mom, I’m not having sex with random men. Only one, and I trust him.”
Using the heels of her hands, Sheana dried away tears. “Just promise me one thing.”
“What is that?”
“Don’tmarryan Nman like all those other women have. I know that you’re smarter than that, but I want you to promise me, Shelly.” Her tears kept falling.
I loved my mom, and I wanted to take away the pain that I’d caused her. Kissing her on the cheek and hugging her tight, I whispered the words that would calm her: “I promise I won’t marry him.”
CHAPTER 22
Welcome
