CHAPTER 7: MOURNING
A frantic cry came out of the nursery room. Paulo and Arlene quickly rushed towards the room. They saw Isabella wailing and crying her eyes out, Baby Angela held close to her chest. Paulo came to her aid.
“What is it, honey? What happened to Angela?”
“She’s…She’s dead! Our baby is dead! Oh God, Paulo, our little daughter is dead!!” Isabella wailed. Paulo was horrified. He took Angela and felt for hr pulse. He tried to resuscitate her but in vain; she had died way too long to be brought back to life again. Arlene stood there staring innocently at her parents.
“What going on, Mama? What’s the matter, Paulo? Is there something wrong with Baby Angela?”
The Santonios didn’t answer her, but Isabella came over to her and reached out for her, hugging her close. Arlene hugged her back, feeling the warmth of her Mama’s body on her. She felt so comforted and relieved to have her Mama in her arms again. Isabella then let her go abruptly and ran into her room, sobbing.
“What is wrong with Mama, Paulo?” Arlene asked.
“She’s…She’s upset, sweetie,” Paulo laid his hands on Arlene’s shoulders. “I have to tell you this, Arlene. Angela…Angela is…is dead. She’s dead. She just…died in her sleep.”
“Oh no. No, no, no, it can’t be!” Arlene shook her head, her face full of denial.
“Yes, Arlene. Angela is gone now. You…Can you hold Angela for a moment while I call the doctor, OK?”
Arlene nodded as she took Angela in her arms. Kitty hugged Arlene’s arms tight as she sat down with the cold body of the baby in her arms.
“Oh no. Arlene, is she really dead? Is she really gone?” Kitty asked sadly.
“Yes, Kitty. She’s dead,” Arlene replied coldly as she rocked the baby to and fro as if rocking her to sleep, as if she was still alive. She lowered her voice when she added, “Good and dead.”
Kitty failed to notice the cold tone on her voice, just as he failed to notice the cold smile on her face.
Isabella lay on her bed all day, her eyes swollen with all the crying. Many friends and relatives came to wish their condolences to the Santonios but Isabella was deaf to their words. She was so devastated that she didn’t even attend the burial ceremony of their Baby Angela.
During the funeral tea party, Arlene didn’t mind helping Paulo with the hosting of guests. Everyone said their condolences to Paulo and added more on Arlene. She was dressed by Paulo in an elegant black for this occasion, and Arlene made Kitty join in the funeral by tying a black bow tie on his neck. Most of the attention was on her now.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Arlene.”
“You must be devastated. You only had Angela for a while and you didn’t even get to be her sister.”
“There is always another time.”
“Yes. Your Mama is still young. You’ll get another chance.”
“Silly woman! Nothing can be her lovely baby sister’s substitute!”
“I’m so sorry for you, Arlene.”
Arlene remained silent throughout the whole tea party, showing how sad she was. She slowly went away from the crowd and slipped upstairs. She and Kitty moved slowly towards Isabella’s room and, as expected, saw her on the bed staring into space. Arlene tiptoed to her bed and crawled up the bed towards her dearest Mama.
“Mama? Mama, are you OK?”
Isabella didn’t reply. She continued to stare at nothingness. It was expected.
“Mama, it’s alright. I’m still here with you. I’ll be with you always,” Arlene said as she brought Isabella’s arm around her shoulder. Arlene snuggled herself into Isabella and caressed her cheek. Isabella didn’t as much as flinch at her touch.
“I love you, Mama. I will always love you. I will always be your little girl.”
Tears began to flow out of Isabella’s eyes as she began to hug Arlene tight. And finally, after all the baby’s incident and her death, Arlene finally smiled sweetly as her aquamarine eyes began to sparkle innocently again.
She finally had her place as her Mama’s little girl in Isabella’s heart once more.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Mommy's Little Girl-Chp6
CHAPTER 6: KILLING
Isabella was rushed into the ER immediately. The doctor treating Isabella told Arlene to call Paulo before rushing into the ER with the other doctors and nurses. Arlene didn’t do it immediately as she was told. She walked around the area like a lost kid for a little while and watched the patients, doctors, nurses and attendants go by before walking casually towards the counter to borrow the phone to call Paulo.
Paulo came within 10 minutes or so. He propped Arlene on his knees and waited anxiously for the results. Things were pretty hectic in the ER. With the doctors’ instructions and the nurses’ encouragement, Isabella pushed her baby out into the world while breathing heavily through the oxygen mask. As soon as the baby was born, the doctors quickly put in the oxygen mask for the baby and warmed it by rubbing it gently with clean white towels. They put the baby into the incubator and then tended to Isabella.
“Doctor…how’s my baby…?” Isabella asked weakly.
“She’s alright, Mrs. Santonio. She may have to be in the incubator for a while but she’ll be fine, don’t worry,” the doctor replied kindly. “Congratulations, you have a baby girl.”
Isabella burst into tears of joy when she saw her little premature baby doing perfectly well in the incubator. The doctor allowed her to touch the little baby before taking her to the nursery. Paulo was informed about the good news and he was thrilled. He laughed aloud as he held Arlene and Kitty high in the air.
“This is so great! You have a baby sister! Isn’t it great?!”
“Yes, Paulo, it is great,” Arlene smiled through her aquamarine eyes innocently.
“Come, let’s go see your Mama,” Paulo said as he carried Arlene in his arms towards Isabella’s room.
In her room, Isabella was sleeping. Paulo hushed Arlene and walked in quietly, trying not to make a sound. They sat as soundlessly as possible beside her bed—they didn’t want to wake her—but in the end she still opened her eyes, smiling as she said, “I’ve already awaken a long time.”
“Congratulations, Mrs. Santonio,” Paulo said playfully as he pinched Isabella’s nose.
“Congratulations to you too, Mr. Santonio,” Isabella grinned as she pinched him back.
“Where is the baby?”
“She’s being taken care of by the nurse. They’ll bring her in tomorrow.”
“How did you fall down? Arlene told me she found you at the bottom of the stairs and…”
“I must’ve lost my footing or some sort. We just waxed the stairs a few days ago. It’s still quite slippery.”
“You had me worried there, Isabella,” Paulo said as he stroked his wife’s hair. “If it weren’t for Arlene, I wouldn’t know you were in trouble.”
“At least I’m OK, thanks to Arlene,” Isabella smiled gratefully at her little mecha-child. “And the baby’s perfectly fine. There’s nothing more to worry about.”
“You rest, OK? I’ll come back tomorrow,” Paulo kissed Isabella and got ready to leave. “Arlene, say goodbye to Mama. We’ll come visit her tomorrow.”
“Bye, Mama,” Arlene kissed her cheek. Isabella kissed her back.
“Bye. And thank you.”
Arlene smiled as she took Paulo’s hand and left. Paulo walked into the nursery, taking Arlene with him, looking for his daughter. Finally he saw her in one of the incubator bearing the tag of Mr. and Mrs. Santonio. The nurse who was taking care of the baby greeted him in a friendly matter.
“She is a real fighter, isn’t she, Mr. Santonio?”
“Yes, she is. Just like her mother,” Paulo replied as he stared lovingly at his own daughter in the incubator.
“And this must be her big sister?” the nurse stroked Arlene’s coffee-coloured hair. Arlene smiled and nodded. “What is your name, little girl?”
“Arlene. Arlene Santonio.”
“She’s beautiful! And a heroine too for helping out her mother. You’re going to be a big sister now, and you’ll be more than a great hero to your little sister sooner or later,” the nurse complimented on Arlene before turning to Paulo. “Mr. Santonio, I believe your baby needs a name.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Paulo replied. “What do you think we’ll name her, Arlene?”
“I don’t know. She’s like an angel, I can’t decide,” Arlene replied innocently, her eyes staring blankly at the baby.
“That’s it! Angela! An angel with an ‘A’ at the back. She will be called Angela Santonio! Good work, Arlene!” Paulo replied happily as he clapped lightly on Arlene’s back.
Arlene didn’t answer. She just stared blankly at Baby Angela with no expression at all.
For the next few days, Paulo and Isabella’s family and relatives came to visit Isabella and her new baby. They seemed to forget all about the issue of Arlene being a mecha as soon as they met Baby Angela. In fact, they forgot about her existence completely. Only when they’re away will Arlene have any chance to be with her Mama.
“Everyone loves Little Angela, don’t they?” Arlene asked, staring at the baby in her incubator.
“She’s so pretty, of course everyone loves her. I love her too,” Isabella replied as she sat beside Arlene. When she saw Arlene’s blank face, she quickly added, “Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. You and Angela are both my prized little girls. Nothing can change that.”
“Am I? Am I really your little girl?” Arlene looked at her, her aquamarine eyes sparkled with hope.
“Yes, Arlene. You and Angela are my little girls,” Isabella smiled and hugged Arlene close to her.
Arlene’s eyes became blank once more.
“Welcome home!!!”
The Santonios were greeted cheerfully as Isabella came home with Baby Angela. The family has received news that Baby Angela was already full-term enough to be taken out of the incubator and taken home. Paulo told Arlene to inform everyone in the family so that they can throw a small welcome party. Arlene was hesitant to do so but after much coaxing from Kitty (“Mama will be upset if you don’t do it”), she finally obliged to his orders. The friends and relatives came and while Paulo took Isabella to the hospital to fetch Angela, Arlene helped out with the decorations and the food.
As soon as Isabella got home, the whole place was cheerful and bright. Everyone fussed about Baby Angela and drank to her health over and over again. Arlene was left with the serving of food and it was obvious that neither Isabella nor Paulo noticed Arlene when she was walking around helping with the food or when she actually sat right in front of her Mama trying to grab her attention with her winning smile and sparkling aquamarine eyes. It was obvious that her eyes had lost her shine and attraction when she noticed those loving eyes Isabella used to show on her were shown on Baby Angela.
Finally, she didn’t bother to serve or help out with the chores anymore. She didn’t want to join in the celebration altogether. She slowly slinked upstairs and locked herself up in her room. Kitty came to her and snuggled himself in Arlene’s arms, as usual.
“What are you doing up here? Why aren’t you with Mama and Papa downstairs playing with Baby Angela?”
“They have forgotten about me. They have Angela as their new little girl. They don’t want me anymore,” Arlene said grudgingly, holding Kitty close to her chest.
“That is not true, Arlene. You are still Mama’s little girl no matter what. She will never forget you.”
“She has now.”
“Maybe it’s for a while. She’ll start noticing you as soon as Angela grows up to be as big as you.”
Arlene didn’t reply.
The door of the nursery room creaked open. Silent footsteps were heard as someone walked on the carpeted floor into the room. She walked slowly towards the baby cot which Baby Angela slept on. She stared intently at the sleeping baby, looking so innocent, lovely and cute. She reached over and turned off the baby walkie-talkie. The click of the walkie-talkie reached the sensitive ears of the baby and woke her up.
Before Baby Angela could cry, hands reached out towards her face, one hand pinching her nose and the other pressing tightly on her mouth. Baby Angela struggled to move and shake the hands that were suffocating her but the hands were much stronger. The hands continued to pinch her nose and pressing her mouth shut quite hard—it doesn’t take too much force to hold down a baby. After much struggle, the baby stopped moving. The person who held Baby Angela down pressed down hard again for a minute or so until she was sure that the baby was completely immobile.
Slowly she let her hands go. She stroked the baby’s head and pulled the blanket over her, tucking her in as if she was still sleeping. She lowered her head into the cot and kissed the baby’s forehead. Before she turned on the baby walkie-talkie, she whispered into the lifeless baby’s ear:
“There can only be one Mama’s little girl.”
Isabella was rushed into the ER immediately. The doctor treating Isabella told Arlene to call Paulo before rushing into the ER with the other doctors and nurses. Arlene didn’t do it immediately as she was told. She walked around the area like a lost kid for a little while and watched the patients, doctors, nurses and attendants go by before walking casually towards the counter to borrow the phone to call Paulo.
Paulo came within 10 minutes or so. He propped Arlene on his knees and waited anxiously for the results. Things were pretty hectic in the ER. With the doctors’ instructions and the nurses’ encouragement, Isabella pushed her baby out into the world while breathing heavily through the oxygen mask. As soon as the baby was born, the doctors quickly put in the oxygen mask for the baby and warmed it by rubbing it gently with clean white towels. They put the baby into the incubator and then tended to Isabella.
“Doctor…how’s my baby…?” Isabella asked weakly.
“She’s alright, Mrs. Santonio. She may have to be in the incubator for a while but she’ll be fine, don’t worry,” the doctor replied kindly. “Congratulations, you have a baby girl.”
Isabella burst into tears of joy when she saw her little premature baby doing perfectly well in the incubator. The doctor allowed her to touch the little baby before taking her to the nursery. Paulo was informed about the good news and he was thrilled. He laughed aloud as he held Arlene and Kitty high in the air.
“This is so great! You have a baby sister! Isn’t it great?!”
“Yes, Paulo, it is great,” Arlene smiled through her aquamarine eyes innocently.
“Come, let’s go see your Mama,” Paulo said as he carried Arlene in his arms towards Isabella’s room.
In her room, Isabella was sleeping. Paulo hushed Arlene and walked in quietly, trying not to make a sound. They sat as soundlessly as possible beside her bed—they didn’t want to wake her—but in the end she still opened her eyes, smiling as she said, “I’ve already awaken a long time.”
“Congratulations, Mrs. Santonio,” Paulo said playfully as he pinched Isabella’s nose.
“Congratulations to you too, Mr. Santonio,” Isabella grinned as she pinched him back.
“Where is the baby?”
“She’s being taken care of by the nurse. They’ll bring her in tomorrow.”
“How did you fall down? Arlene told me she found you at the bottom of the stairs and…”
“I must’ve lost my footing or some sort. We just waxed the stairs a few days ago. It’s still quite slippery.”
“You had me worried there, Isabella,” Paulo said as he stroked his wife’s hair. “If it weren’t for Arlene, I wouldn’t know you were in trouble.”
“At least I’m OK, thanks to Arlene,” Isabella smiled gratefully at her little mecha-child. “And the baby’s perfectly fine. There’s nothing more to worry about.”
“You rest, OK? I’ll come back tomorrow,” Paulo kissed Isabella and got ready to leave. “Arlene, say goodbye to Mama. We’ll come visit her tomorrow.”
“Bye, Mama,” Arlene kissed her cheek. Isabella kissed her back.
“Bye. And thank you.”
Arlene smiled as she took Paulo’s hand and left. Paulo walked into the nursery, taking Arlene with him, looking for his daughter. Finally he saw her in one of the incubator bearing the tag of Mr. and Mrs. Santonio. The nurse who was taking care of the baby greeted him in a friendly matter.
“She is a real fighter, isn’t she, Mr. Santonio?”
“Yes, she is. Just like her mother,” Paulo replied as he stared lovingly at his own daughter in the incubator.
“And this must be her big sister?” the nurse stroked Arlene’s coffee-coloured hair. Arlene smiled and nodded. “What is your name, little girl?”
“Arlene. Arlene Santonio.”
“She’s beautiful! And a heroine too for helping out her mother. You’re going to be a big sister now, and you’ll be more than a great hero to your little sister sooner or later,” the nurse complimented on Arlene before turning to Paulo. “Mr. Santonio, I believe your baby needs a name.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Paulo replied. “What do you think we’ll name her, Arlene?”
“I don’t know. She’s like an angel, I can’t decide,” Arlene replied innocently, her eyes staring blankly at the baby.
“That’s it! Angela! An angel with an ‘A’ at the back. She will be called Angela Santonio! Good work, Arlene!” Paulo replied happily as he clapped lightly on Arlene’s back.
Arlene didn’t answer. She just stared blankly at Baby Angela with no expression at all.
For the next few days, Paulo and Isabella’s family and relatives came to visit Isabella and her new baby. They seemed to forget all about the issue of Arlene being a mecha as soon as they met Baby Angela. In fact, they forgot about her existence completely. Only when they’re away will Arlene have any chance to be with her Mama.
“Everyone loves Little Angela, don’t they?” Arlene asked, staring at the baby in her incubator.
“She’s so pretty, of course everyone loves her. I love her too,” Isabella replied as she sat beside Arlene. When she saw Arlene’s blank face, she quickly added, “Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. You and Angela are both my prized little girls. Nothing can change that.”
“Am I? Am I really your little girl?” Arlene looked at her, her aquamarine eyes sparkled with hope.
“Yes, Arlene. You and Angela are my little girls,” Isabella smiled and hugged Arlene close to her.
Arlene’s eyes became blank once more.
“Welcome home!!!”
The Santonios were greeted cheerfully as Isabella came home with Baby Angela. The family has received news that Baby Angela was already full-term enough to be taken out of the incubator and taken home. Paulo told Arlene to inform everyone in the family so that they can throw a small welcome party. Arlene was hesitant to do so but after much coaxing from Kitty (“Mama will be upset if you don’t do it”), she finally obliged to his orders. The friends and relatives came and while Paulo took Isabella to the hospital to fetch Angela, Arlene helped out with the decorations and the food.
As soon as Isabella got home, the whole place was cheerful and bright. Everyone fussed about Baby Angela and drank to her health over and over again. Arlene was left with the serving of food and it was obvious that neither Isabella nor Paulo noticed Arlene when she was walking around helping with the food or when she actually sat right in front of her Mama trying to grab her attention with her winning smile and sparkling aquamarine eyes. It was obvious that her eyes had lost her shine and attraction when she noticed those loving eyes Isabella used to show on her were shown on Baby Angela.
Finally, she didn’t bother to serve or help out with the chores anymore. She didn’t want to join in the celebration altogether. She slowly slinked upstairs and locked herself up in her room. Kitty came to her and snuggled himself in Arlene’s arms, as usual.
“What are you doing up here? Why aren’t you with Mama and Papa downstairs playing with Baby Angela?”
“They have forgotten about me. They have Angela as their new little girl. They don’t want me anymore,” Arlene said grudgingly, holding Kitty close to her chest.
“That is not true, Arlene. You are still Mama’s little girl no matter what. She will never forget you.”
“She has now.”
“Maybe it’s for a while. She’ll start noticing you as soon as Angela grows up to be as big as you.”
Arlene didn’t reply.
The door of the nursery room creaked open. Silent footsteps were heard as someone walked on the carpeted floor into the room. She walked slowly towards the baby cot which Baby Angela slept on. She stared intently at the sleeping baby, looking so innocent, lovely and cute. She reached over and turned off the baby walkie-talkie. The click of the walkie-talkie reached the sensitive ears of the baby and woke her up.
Before Baby Angela could cry, hands reached out towards her face, one hand pinching her nose and the other pressing tightly on her mouth. Baby Angela struggled to move and shake the hands that were suffocating her but the hands were much stronger. The hands continued to pinch her nose and pressing her mouth shut quite hard—it doesn’t take too much force to hold down a baby. After much struggle, the baby stopped moving. The person who held Baby Angela down pressed down hard again for a minute or so until she was sure that the baby was completely immobile.
Slowly she let her hands go. She stroked the baby’s head and pulled the blanket over her, tucking her in as if she was still sleeping. She lowered her head into the cot and kissed the baby’s forehead. Before she turned on the baby walkie-talkie, she whispered into the lifeless baby’s ear:
“There can only be one Mama’s little girl.”
Mommy's Little Girl-Chp5
CHAPTER 5: JEALOUSY
After the almost-drowning incident, Isabella was warned by her husband not to go out unless it is really, really important. Isabella tried to occupy herself by knitting clothes and sewing a quilt for the baby. Arlene sat and watched as she did it. Soon she found herself helping Isabella out by knitting tiny socks for Isabella.
“What do you hope this baby will be, Arlene? A boy or a girl?” Isabella asked while she sewed the rose pattern on one of the column of the quilt.
“I hope it would be a boy,” Arlene said, smiling her ever sweet smile. “What do you think, Kitty?”
“A boy too,” Kitty replied, mending his own torn foot.
“That makes 3 against one,” Isabella chuckled. “Your Papa wanted a girl…Oh!”
“What is it, Mama?” Arlene asked, stopping her knitting.
“Your little sibling just kicked. You want to feel it?”
Arlene nodded and went near Isabella’s bulging tummy. The baby kicked again, sending Arlene into all smiles. She stroked Isabella’s tummy and asked, “Mama, will you still love me?”
“Of course I will, silly!” Isabella laughed gingerly as she stroked Arlene’s coffee-coloured hair. “Why do you ask?”
“Nothing, Mama. It’s just that you often get upset when I do wrong stuff and…”
“I feel bad about that too. It’s my first time with all these things. I hope you can bear with me, Arlene.”
“I will, Mama,” Arlene kissed Isabella’s cheek and hugged her lovingly.
“You will always be my little girl, no matter what.”
“I love you, Mama.”
Isabella was cleaning up Arlene’s room, taking out most of the toys she had for her. She put them all in a box and hollered for Arlene.
“Arlene! Come and help Mama with this stuff!”
Arlene appeared with Kitty in her arms and was quite surprised to see her toys all stacked up in the box.
“Mama, what are you doing with my toys?”
“I’m going to put them in the nursery room for the baby. I know most of these toys are for girls, but they can still be played with. Your baby sibling won’t really know the difference.”
“Mama, these are my toys. You gave them to me because I’m your little girl,” Arlene tried to protest but was stopped firmly by Isabella.
“Now, Arlene, you have to leave some space for your baby sibling too. Besides, you have Kitty with you and he’s a Super Toy, and Mama’s not taking all of your toys, just some that you might not need. These toys look better when your baby sibling is playing it, OK, sweetie?”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’ and no more arguments, or else I’ll be very unhappy. Is that clear, young lady?”
Arlene nodded without a word as she helped Isabella carry the box of toys into the nursery room. It was the nursery room Isabella and Arlene, with a little help from Paulo, spent days decorating. It was what every baby dreamed of having. The colour of the curtains were soft and soothing to the touch, the cot nicely equipped with an auto-rocking motion, pretty dolls everywhere and a new Super Toy sitting in the cot waiting and ready to be turned on anytime. Arlene looked around the nursery and stood there and watched as Isabella arranged the toys neatly at its places. She saw the look on Isabella’s face as she planned and made everything right. It had those same loving eyes she came to recognize ever since she was activated, but they looked slightly different.
Those eyes were reserved for the baby.
Isabella got up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty. Paulo was working night-shift tonight, so it was only her and Arlene in the house. She moved cautiously out of bed and wore her furry slippers. Winter was quite cold at this time of year—not even the heater was hot enough to counter the cold.
She walked down the stairs. Her very pregnant belly was making her move quite slowly. As she was almost down to her last three steps, she suddenly stepped on something slippery. She lost her grip and slipped, falling heavily onto the floor. Painfully, she tried to get up but gasped in horror when her 6-month-old belly was beginning to twinge in pain. The pain gradually became stronger and more extreme. She began to burst in tears when she saw blood flowing out between her legs.
“Arlene! Arlene, help me! Please help me, oh my God, please! Help me~!!”
Unknown to her, Arlene was just upstairs, sitting out of sight and peeping from the banisters. She just sat there without moving an inch, watching Isabella as she lay on the marble floor, clutching her stomach hard and crying, more blood flowing out of her. She made no attempt to go downstairs to Isabella’s aid or rush to the telephone to call for an ambulance. She just sat there and watched, her aquamarine eyes sparkled like jewels in the night.
“Mama is in trouble. Hurry up and help her,” Kitty urged as he tugged at Arlene’s nightgown.
“Later,” Arlene replied shortly, her face creasing into a tiny smile.
After the almost-drowning incident, Isabella was warned by her husband not to go out unless it is really, really important. Isabella tried to occupy herself by knitting clothes and sewing a quilt for the baby. Arlene sat and watched as she did it. Soon she found herself helping Isabella out by knitting tiny socks for Isabella.
“What do you hope this baby will be, Arlene? A boy or a girl?” Isabella asked while she sewed the rose pattern on one of the column of the quilt.
“I hope it would be a boy,” Arlene said, smiling her ever sweet smile. “What do you think, Kitty?”
“A boy too,” Kitty replied, mending his own torn foot.
“That makes 3 against one,” Isabella chuckled. “Your Papa wanted a girl…Oh!”
“What is it, Mama?” Arlene asked, stopping her knitting.
“Your little sibling just kicked. You want to feel it?”
Arlene nodded and went near Isabella’s bulging tummy. The baby kicked again, sending Arlene into all smiles. She stroked Isabella’s tummy and asked, “Mama, will you still love me?”
“Of course I will, silly!” Isabella laughed gingerly as she stroked Arlene’s coffee-coloured hair. “Why do you ask?”
“Nothing, Mama. It’s just that you often get upset when I do wrong stuff and…”
“I feel bad about that too. It’s my first time with all these things. I hope you can bear with me, Arlene.”
“I will, Mama,” Arlene kissed Isabella’s cheek and hugged her lovingly.
“You will always be my little girl, no matter what.”
“I love you, Mama.”
Isabella was cleaning up Arlene’s room, taking out most of the toys she had for her. She put them all in a box and hollered for Arlene.
“Arlene! Come and help Mama with this stuff!”
Arlene appeared with Kitty in her arms and was quite surprised to see her toys all stacked up in the box.
“Mama, what are you doing with my toys?”
“I’m going to put them in the nursery room for the baby. I know most of these toys are for girls, but they can still be played with. Your baby sibling won’t really know the difference.”
“Mama, these are my toys. You gave them to me because I’m your little girl,” Arlene tried to protest but was stopped firmly by Isabella.
“Now, Arlene, you have to leave some space for your baby sibling too. Besides, you have Kitty with you and he’s a Super Toy, and Mama’s not taking all of your toys, just some that you might not need. These toys look better when your baby sibling is playing it, OK, sweetie?”
“But…”
“No ‘buts’ and no more arguments, or else I’ll be very unhappy. Is that clear, young lady?”
Arlene nodded without a word as she helped Isabella carry the box of toys into the nursery room. It was the nursery room Isabella and Arlene, with a little help from Paulo, spent days decorating. It was what every baby dreamed of having. The colour of the curtains were soft and soothing to the touch, the cot nicely equipped with an auto-rocking motion, pretty dolls everywhere and a new Super Toy sitting in the cot waiting and ready to be turned on anytime. Arlene looked around the nursery and stood there and watched as Isabella arranged the toys neatly at its places. She saw the look on Isabella’s face as she planned and made everything right. It had those same loving eyes she came to recognize ever since she was activated, but they looked slightly different.
Those eyes were reserved for the baby.
Isabella got up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty. Paulo was working night-shift tonight, so it was only her and Arlene in the house. She moved cautiously out of bed and wore her furry slippers. Winter was quite cold at this time of year—not even the heater was hot enough to counter the cold.
She walked down the stairs. Her very pregnant belly was making her move quite slowly. As she was almost down to her last three steps, she suddenly stepped on something slippery. She lost her grip and slipped, falling heavily onto the floor. Painfully, she tried to get up but gasped in horror when her 6-month-old belly was beginning to twinge in pain. The pain gradually became stronger and more extreme. She began to burst in tears when she saw blood flowing out between her legs.
“Arlene! Arlene, help me! Please help me, oh my God, please! Help me~!!”
Unknown to her, Arlene was just upstairs, sitting out of sight and peeping from the banisters. She just sat there without moving an inch, watching Isabella as she lay on the marble floor, clutching her stomach hard and crying, more blood flowing out of her. She made no attempt to go downstairs to Isabella’s aid or rush to the telephone to call for an ambulance. She just sat there and watched, her aquamarine eyes sparkled like jewels in the night.
“Mama is in trouble. Hurry up and help her,” Kitty urged as he tugged at Arlene’s nightgown.
“Later,” Arlene replied shortly, her face creasing into a tiny smile.
Mommy's Little Girl-Chp4
CHAPTER 4: ANGER
Isabella was down to her 5th month in her pregnancy. Arlene helped her out in any way she could, from doing the dishes to preparing her hot chocolate just the way she liked it. Slowly she found herself doing all the chores in the house. She didn’t mind. Anything for her dear Mama.
One day, when Arlene was doing the dishes, she accidentally dropped one of Isabella’s best china. It fell onto the marble floor before Arlene was able to catch it and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Needless to say, Isabella went into one of her mood swings and yelled at her profusely for ruining her china. Arlene was quite taken aback by her sudden outburst that she didn’t know what to say to pacify her.
Another time, Isabella complained (in one of her mood swings) that Arlene smelled weird. Arlene was surprised because she knew she couldn’t sweat or anything. But to please her Mama, she looked everywhere for something to get rid of the alleged ‘smell’. Soon she found Isabella’s perfume on her dresser and emptied it of its contents to make herself smell better. Unfortunately, her method was pretty ludicrous and Isabella flipped her gourd when she found out about it. She scolded her loudly, “How could you waste out all my perfume?! This is Mama’s favourite perfume and you finished it!! It’s very expensive, don’t you know that?!”
“I…I just wanted to make you happy, Mama,” Arlene tried to explain herself. “You said that I smelt weird, so I…”
“Do you have to do exactly everything I say?! If I told you to jump off the cliff, would you do that?! Are you loco?”
“I’m sorry, Mama, I’m really sorry…”
Isabella’s slap on her cheek stopped Arlene in her words. Arlene widened her eyes in shock as she stared in disbelief at Isabella. ‘Why did she slap me?’ she thought. ‘Why did she hurt me?’
Isabella realized what she had done and apologized, “I’m sorry, Arlene. Mama’s really sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I’m sorry…”
She held out her hands to hug her, but Arlene retreated back to her room in a flash. She locked the door behind her and rushed to hug Kitty, mumbling, “Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe…”
“What’s going on, Arlene? What happened?” Kitty asked in surprise.
“Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe…” Arlene continued to mumble, ignoring Isabella’s apologizes outside her room.
“You are safe, Arlene. You are safe. Tell me what happened. Did Mama hurt you?”
“Mama hit me. Why did she hit me? I just want to make her happy,” Arlene was close to tears.
“It’s her mood swings. It’s not her fault. She couldn’t help being angry. She’s not in the state to control her feelings.”
“Why? What’s going on with Mama?” Arlene asked.
“She’s having a baby, Arlene. You know that. She is having a little bit of pressure. It’ll go away soon. Once the baby’s born, she’ll be alright.” Kitty replied kindly. “I’ve seen that happen before to Isabella’s mama.”
“You mean if Mama gives birth to the baby, she’ll stop being so suddenly angry?”
“I guess,” Kitty replied.
Isabella couldn’t help feeling guilty towards being angry over a measly little bottle of perfume. She never hit Arlene before and she didn’t expect herself to do so. She was quite afraid at how her mood swings got her into. After all, this was her first pregnancy she had ever had.
So, to compensate on her sudden outburst, she took Arlene and Kitty out on a boat ride at a nearby park. They had a great day at the lake and laughed and joked as they had there picnic on the boat. Moments later, Arlene noticed a dragonfly on the water. She was fascinated at the colour of the dragonfly and at the way it didn’t even sink when it stood on water that she wanted to catch it and have a good look at it.
She didn’t realize that she was standing on the boat, making it rock from side to side. Isabella told her to sit down but she was too engrossed in getting the dragonfly. She wanted to impress both her and her Mama by catching the insect so much that it took her a while to notice that she and Isabella was falling into the deep lake. Arlene and Kitty was sinking quite fast down to the water and saw, while she was sinking, Isabella struggling to stay above the water. Surprisingly, Arlene didn’t attempt to swim towards her and help her. She just continued letting herself sink into the depths of the lake below until she felt arms pulling her up to shore…
When her eyes came into focus, she found herself on a white bed in a hospital, holding Kitty by her side. She got off the bed slowly and walked out of the ward, looking for her Mama. She saw Paulo at the counter asking for Isabella’s room. Paulo noticed her and asked, “Hey, Arlene. Are you OK?”
“Yes, Paulo. Where is Mama?” Arlene asked.
“That’s what I’m looking for. Come, follow me.”
So saying, he took her hand and led her to Room 77. There, a doctor was treating her.
“How is she? How’s the baby?” Paulo asked worriedly.
“Both the mother and child are fine, but I have to keep her here for a day or two, just to make sure,” the doctor replied before leaving the room.
“I’m sorry, Mama, I didn’t mean to…” Arlene leaned near Isabella’s bed, begging for forgiveness with her ever sparkling aquamarine eyes.
“It’s alright, Arlene. It was an accident,” Isabella smiled weakly as she stroked her coffee-coloured hair.
“Do you need anything to drink, Mama?”
“No, sweetie, but you can help your Papa get a cup of coffee, OK?”
“OK, Mama,” Arlene smiled and left to the vending machine to get Paulo his coffee.
“You can swim, Arlene. You are programmed to swim. You know that,” Kitty said quietly to Arlene as she poured the coffee into the plastic cup. “Why didn’t you swim up to save Mama?”
“I just want her baby to be born faster…so that she won’t be angry anymore.”
Isabella was down to her 5th month in her pregnancy. Arlene helped her out in any way she could, from doing the dishes to preparing her hot chocolate just the way she liked it. Slowly she found herself doing all the chores in the house. She didn’t mind. Anything for her dear Mama.
One day, when Arlene was doing the dishes, she accidentally dropped one of Isabella’s best china. It fell onto the marble floor before Arlene was able to catch it and it shattered into a thousand pieces. Needless to say, Isabella went into one of her mood swings and yelled at her profusely for ruining her china. Arlene was quite taken aback by her sudden outburst that she didn’t know what to say to pacify her.
Another time, Isabella complained (in one of her mood swings) that Arlene smelled weird. Arlene was surprised because she knew she couldn’t sweat or anything. But to please her Mama, she looked everywhere for something to get rid of the alleged ‘smell’. Soon she found Isabella’s perfume on her dresser and emptied it of its contents to make herself smell better. Unfortunately, her method was pretty ludicrous and Isabella flipped her gourd when she found out about it. She scolded her loudly, “How could you waste out all my perfume?! This is Mama’s favourite perfume and you finished it!! It’s very expensive, don’t you know that?!”
“I…I just wanted to make you happy, Mama,” Arlene tried to explain herself. “You said that I smelt weird, so I…”
“Do you have to do exactly everything I say?! If I told you to jump off the cliff, would you do that?! Are you loco?”
“I’m sorry, Mama, I’m really sorry…”
Isabella’s slap on her cheek stopped Arlene in her words. Arlene widened her eyes in shock as she stared in disbelief at Isabella. ‘Why did she slap me?’ she thought. ‘Why did she hurt me?’
Isabella realized what she had done and apologized, “I’m sorry, Arlene. Mama’s really sorry. I don’t know what got into me. I’m sorry…”
She held out her hands to hug her, but Arlene retreated back to her room in a flash. She locked the door behind her and rushed to hug Kitty, mumbling, “Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe…”
“What’s going on, Arlene? What happened?” Kitty asked in surprise.
“Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe, Kitty. Keep me safe…” Arlene continued to mumble, ignoring Isabella’s apologizes outside her room.
“You are safe, Arlene. You are safe. Tell me what happened. Did Mama hurt you?”
“Mama hit me. Why did she hit me? I just want to make her happy,” Arlene was close to tears.
“It’s her mood swings. It’s not her fault. She couldn’t help being angry. She’s not in the state to control her feelings.”
“Why? What’s going on with Mama?” Arlene asked.
“She’s having a baby, Arlene. You know that. She is having a little bit of pressure. It’ll go away soon. Once the baby’s born, she’ll be alright.” Kitty replied kindly. “I’ve seen that happen before to Isabella’s mama.”
“You mean if Mama gives birth to the baby, she’ll stop being so suddenly angry?”
“I guess,” Kitty replied.
Isabella couldn’t help feeling guilty towards being angry over a measly little bottle of perfume. She never hit Arlene before and she didn’t expect herself to do so. She was quite afraid at how her mood swings got her into. After all, this was her first pregnancy she had ever had.
So, to compensate on her sudden outburst, she took Arlene and Kitty out on a boat ride at a nearby park. They had a great day at the lake and laughed and joked as they had there picnic on the boat. Moments later, Arlene noticed a dragonfly on the water. She was fascinated at the colour of the dragonfly and at the way it didn’t even sink when it stood on water that she wanted to catch it and have a good look at it.
She didn’t realize that she was standing on the boat, making it rock from side to side. Isabella told her to sit down but she was too engrossed in getting the dragonfly. She wanted to impress both her and her Mama by catching the insect so much that it took her a while to notice that she and Isabella was falling into the deep lake. Arlene and Kitty was sinking quite fast down to the water and saw, while she was sinking, Isabella struggling to stay above the water. Surprisingly, Arlene didn’t attempt to swim towards her and help her. She just continued letting herself sink into the depths of the lake below until she felt arms pulling her up to shore…
When her eyes came into focus, she found herself on a white bed in a hospital, holding Kitty by her side. She got off the bed slowly and walked out of the ward, looking for her Mama. She saw Paulo at the counter asking for Isabella’s room. Paulo noticed her and asked, “Hey, Arlene. Are you OK?”
“Yes, Paulo. Where is Mama?” Arlene asked.
“That’s what I’m looking for. Come, follow me.”
So saying, he took her hand and led her to Room 77. There, a doctor was treating her.
“How is she? How’s the baby?” Paulo asked worriedly.
“Both the mother and child are fine, but I have to keep her here for a day or two, just to make sure,” the doctor replied before leaving the room.
“I’m sorry, Mama, I didn’t mean to…” Arlene leaned near Isabella’s bed, begging for forgiveness with her ever sparkling aquamarine eyes.
“It’s alright, Arlene. It was an accident,” Isabella smiled weakly as she stroked her coffee-coloured hair.
“Do you need anything to drink, Mama?”
“No, sweetie, but you can help your Papa get a cup of coffee, OK?”
“OK, Mama,” Arlene smiled and left to the vending machine to get Paulo his coffee.
“You can swim, Arlene. You are programmed to swim. You know that,” Kitty said quietly to Arlene as she poured the coffee into the plastic cup. “Why didn’t you swim up to save Mama?”
“I just want her baby to be born faster…so that she won’t be angry anymore.”
Mommy's Little Girl-Chp3
CHAPTER 3: SHOCK
For months, Paulo and Isabella Santonio had a great time with Arlene. They went out quite a lot to show off their new child in the family to the public. Of course, they didn’t reveal her true identity, and they didn’t want to bother about the details either. To them, Arlene was a great kid and a lovely angel, a pride and joy to the Santonio family.
Although Arlene couldn’t eat, she loved sitting at the table watching the Santonios eat. She would be fascinated by the variety of dishes she see at every meal. Sometimes it would be mash potatoes and gravy with grilled chicken, sometimes it would be steamed fish, sometimes it would be pasta or lasagna and other times there would be mushroom soup. Isabella has done a great job of being a housewife.
But somehow, people found out about Arlene. There was one time when Paulo and Isabella were invited to Paulo’s cousin’s wedding, and of course, they brought Arlene along to show her off to their relatives. They dressed her up real nice for this occasion. At the wedding, everyone was marveled by Arlene’s angelic beauty.
“She is so beautiful!”
“I just love her hair. And her eyes, oh! They are so sparklingly pretty!”
“She’s such an angel!”
“Where did you get her? She’s adorable!”
“You wouldn’t mind if I kidnap her now, would you?”
All the grown-ups were impressed at Arlene, and the Santonios were even prouder. But the children were not impressed. They came up to her when the grown-ups were not looking and asked, “Where do you come from?”
“I come from my home, from my Mama,” Arlene replied in an as-a-matter-of-fact way.
“No,” one of the boys said. “I mean which adoption agency did you come from?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you have a birthday?” A girl asked.
“No, not that I recall.”
“OK, at the orphanage, when do you celebrate your birthday?” Another boy asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Then what is it that you do know?” Another girl asked exasperatedly. “What is it that you do remember?”
“Well…a bird. Like a peacock or some sort,” Arlene replied, stretching out her arms to show what she meant.
“Does it look something like this?” the first boy asked as he showed her a work pass with the Cybertronics logo on it. Arlene nodded. Suddenly all the kids gasped and backed away from Arlene.
“Mom, she’s not an ordinary girl! She’s a robot! A mecha! She’s from Cybertronics!” the first boy exclaimed as he rushed towards his mother.
“Don’t be silly, boy. She’s a nice little girl just like you kids,” the mother coaxed him. The Santonios were beginning to worry a little. “If she’s a robot, she wouldn’t feel this.”
To prove her point, the mother took a fork and poked Arlene’s hand. Arlene gasped and ran behind Isabella, clutching her sleeve tight, muttering, “Keep me safe, Mama. Keep me safe, Mama. Keep me safe…”
“That’s because she has DAS,” another girl said. “My Daddy works at Cybertronics and he said all mechas are equipped with DAS!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, sweetheart,” her mother said. “Why would they want to equip a little girl with DAS? Ignore them, Isabella. She’s a bit obsessed with mechas lately, no thanks to her father.”
The grown-ups laughed, including the Santonios, who were getting a little nervous. They had to look for an excuse to get out of there before everything got worse.
“Then why doesn’t she eat like the rest of us?” Another boy said as he took a piece of the wedding cake. “If she really is an orga, she can eat this!”
“Oh, kids!” the mother said exasperatedly. “Humour my son, Arlene. Eat the cake. That’ll slow down his imagination.”
Arlene looked at the other kids who were stuffing cake and drinks into their mouths, then at the Santonios and then back at the cake the boy held out for her. She came out from behind Isabella and took the cake.
“Can she eat?” Isabella asked Paulo, worried.
“I don’t know,” Paulo shrugged.
Arlene took a bite from the cake without hesitation. It turned out alright at first, but after she finished the cake, something horrible happened. Her face started to slant on the right side. The skin began to sag until it exposed a little of the metallic mainframe of her face (just like what happened to David). Not only that, the skin of her fingers that touched the cake became loose and was sagging from the mainframe of her hand. Isabella shrieked and rolled up Arlene’s sleeve and was horrified to see the skin of her shoulder peeling off from the metal socket.
The Santonios quickly rushed her out of the house and towards Cybertronics before their relatives become more horrified and start asking them questions.
“Arlene, you’ve been a bad girl. Food is meant for orga, not mechas like you.”
The scientists has opened up Arlene’s stomach and taken out the components, washing away the cream and cake off them. Isabella held Arlene’s hand dearly.
“Will she be alright?” Isabella asked, worried.
“She’ll be perfectly fine. We just have to clean this mess up and fix her arm and face and everything will be a-OK,” one of the scientists grinned as he continued washing the components. “We had a similar case on David, but your Arlene is much serious. Maybe it’s because of the enzymes of the cake that disrupted the cords and functions of her arm, but she’ll be alright. Don’t you worry a thing.”
“Yeah, Isabella. You shouldn’t worry about Arlene. She’s just a mecha, she won’t go wrong…” Paulo tried to coax Isabella but was shot back with an angry glare.
“Just a mecha? Just a mecha? Paulo, she is a child! Our child! Our little girl! You cannot just treat her like some accessory! You brought her in, then you have to have responsibility over her too. She is Arlene, our child!”
“OK, OK. I get the point, Isabella. I will not treat her like an accessory again. I promise,” Paulo held up his hands in surrender.
“It’s OK, Mama,” Arlene said, her aquamarine eyes looking at her. “I don’t feel anything, really.”
“I know, Arlene. I know that,” Isabella smiled at Arlene. Arlene smiled back.
“I love you, Mama.”
“I love you too.”
Isabella rushed to the toilet to puke again. It was the 5th time this morning and she has been doing that for the past 2 months. Arlene was worried. As Isabella had her head buried in the toilet bowl, Arlene responded by going up to her and thumped her back.
“I’m alright, Arlene. There’s nothing to worry about,” Isabella said weakly.
“Shall I call a doctor, Mama?” Arlene was still worried.
“No, thanks, Arlene,” Isabella replied after puking for a few moments. She then looked up, caught her breath and said, “Arlene, do Mama a favour and get that rectangular box in Mama’s dresser. The one with red and blue stripes.”
“OK, Mama,” Arlene replied and dashed towards Isabella’s room. She rummaged through her dresser and found the rectangular box. When she turned around, she saw Kitty standing at the door.
“What happened to Mama?” Kitty asked.
“I don’t know, Kitty, but she asked me to get her this,” Arlene said as she showed Kitty the box. Kitty took the box and had a look. He widened his eyes and passed it back to Arlene with a silent sigh. Arlene noticed it at first but she was too worried about her Mama to ask him questions. She rushed towards Isabella and handed her the box.
“Be a sweetie and go play with Kitty. Mama need some time alone, OK?” Isabella stroked Arlene’s coffee-coloured hair and closed the toilet door behind her. Arlene stood in front of the door for a few moments before walking towards her own room to be with Kitty.
“What do you think happened to Mama?” Arlene asked as she picked the stuffed cat up.
“Something that was thought wouldn’t happen,” Kitty replied, mending his tail that was a little torn.
“And what is that, Kitty?”
“You’ll see.”
Soon Arlene heard Isabella coming out of the toilet. She took a peek and saw that Isabella was all smiles. She dashed to the phone and made a call. From Arlene’s data in her brain, she noticed that she was making a phone call to Paulo.
Later that evening, Paulo came back home again in all smiles as he hugged Isabella happily. Both of them almost cried happy tears as they laughed and thanked God. Arlene was quite ignored throughout their joyous discussion.
“This calls for a celebration!” Paulo exclaimed enthusiastically. “Isabella, Arlene, put on your best dresses! We’re eating out tonight at the most expensive restaurant!”
Isabella giggled as she ushered Arlene upstairs to change. As Isabella looked at Arlene’s cupboard to choose a nice dress for her to wear, Arlene asked, “Mama, why is Paulo so happy? Why is everyone so happy?”
“I’m sorry, Arlene,” Isabella laughed apologetically and took Arlene’s hands. “I got so excited that I forgot to tell you this news.”
“Tell me what news, Mama?”
“Well, first I want you to remember that no matter what happens, you are still my little girl.”
“Yes, Mama. I know that,” Arlene replied with her sparkling eyes staring back at her.
“You know about Mama being lonely before you came here?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“From now on, Mama will never be alone again. I will be entertained every single day by you and the new baby.”
Kitty muttered an ‘Uh-oh’ and climbed behind Arlene’s bed.
“New baby? Mama…?”
“Yes, Arlene, Mama’s pregnant. You’re gonna have a new brother or sister.”
For months, Paulo and Isabella Santonio had a great time with Arlene. They went out quite a lot to show off their new child in the family to the public. Of course, they didn’t reveal her true identity, and they didn’t want to bother about the details either. To them, Arlene was a great kid and a lovely angel, a pride and joy to the Santonio family.
Although Arlene couldn’t eat, she loved sitting at the table watching the Santonios eat. She would be fascinated by the variety of dishes she see at every meal. Sometimes it would be mash potatoes and gravy with grilled chicken, sometimes it would be steamed fish, sometimes it would be pasta or lasagna and other times there would be mushroom soup. Isabella has done a great job of being a housewife.
But somehow, people found out about Arlene. There was one time when Paulo and Isabella were invited to Paulo’s cousin’s wedding, and of course, they brought Arlene along to show her off to their relatives. They dressed her up real nice for this occasion. At the wedding, everyone was marveled by Arlene’s angelic beauty.
“She is so beautiful!”
“I just love her hair. And her eyes, oh! They are so sparklingly pretty!”
“She’s such an angel!”
“Where did you get her? She’s adorable!”
“You wouldn’t mind if I kidnap her now, would you?”
All the grown-ups were impressed at Arlene, and the Santonios were even prouder. But the children were not impressed. They came up to her when the grown-ups were not looking and asked, “Where do you come from?”
“I come from my home, from my Mama,” Arlene replied in an as-a-matter-of-fact way.
“No,” one of the boys said. “I mean which adoption agency did you come from?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you have a birthday?” A girl asked.
“No, not that I recall.”
“OK, at the orphanage, when do you celebrate your birthday?” Another boy asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Then what is it that you do know?” Another girl asked exasperatedly. “What is it that you do remember?”
“Well…a bird. Like a peacock or some sort,” Arlene replied, stretching out her arms to show what she meant.
“Does it look something like this?” the first boy asked as he showed her a work pass with the Cybertronics logo on it. Arlene nodded. Suddenly all the kids gasped and backed away from Arlene.
“Mom, she’s not an ordinary girl! She’s a robot! A mecha! She’s from Cybertronics!” the first boy exclaimed as he rushed towards his mother.
“Don’t be silly, boy. She’s a nice little girl just like you kids,” the mother coaxed him. The Santonios were beginning to worry a little. “If she’s a robot, she wouldn’t feel this.”
To prove her point, the mother took a fork and poked Arlene’s hand. Arlene gasped and ran behind Isabella, clutching her sleeve tight, muttering, “Keep me safe, Mama. Keep me safe, Mama. Keep me safe…”
“That’s because she has DAS,” another girl said. “My Daddy works at Cybertronics and he said all mechas are equipped with DAS!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, sweetheart,” her mother said. “Why would they want to equip a little girl with DAS? Ignore them, Isabella. She’s a bit obsessed with mechas lately, no thanks to her father.”
The grown-ups laughed, including the Santonios, who were getting a little nervous. They had to look for an excuse to get out of there before everything got worse.
“Then why doesn’t she eat like the rest of us?” Another boy said as he took a piece of the wedding cake. “If she really is an orga, she can eat this!”
“Oh, kids!” the mother said exasperatedly. “Humour my son, Arlene. Eat the cake. That’ll slow down his imagination.”
Arlene looked at the other kids who were stuffing cake and drinks into their mouths, then at the Santonios and then back at the cake the boy held out for her. She came out from behind Isabella and took the cake.
“Can she eat?” Isabella asked Paulo, worried.
“I don’t know,” Paulo shrugged.
Arlene took a bite from the cake without hesitation. It turned out alright at first, but after she finished the cake, something horrible happened. Her face started to slant on the right side. The skin began to sag until it exposed a little of the metallic mainframe of her face (just like what happened to David). Not only that, the skin of her fingers that touched the cake became loose and was sagging from the mainframe of her hand. Isabella shrieked and rolled up Arlene’s sleeve and was horrified to see the skin of her shoulder peeling off from the metal socket.
The Santonios quickly rushed her out of the house and towards Cybertronics before their relatives become more horrified and start asking them questions.
“Arlene, you’ve been a bad girl. Food is meant for orga, not mechas like you.”
The scientists has opened up Arlene’s stomach and taken out the components, washing away the cream and cake off them. Isabella held Arlene’s hand dearly.
“Will she be alright?” Isabella asked, worried.
“She’ll be perfectly fine. We just have to clean this mess up and fix her arm and face and everything will be a-OK,” one of the scientists grinned as he continued washing the components. “We had a similar case on David, but your Arlene is much serious. Maybe it’s because of the enzymes of the cake that disrupted the cords and functions of her arm, but she’ll be alright. Don’t you worry a thing.”
“Yeah, Isabella. You shouldn’t worry about Arlene. She’s just a mecha, she won’t go wrong…” Paulo tried to coax Isabella but was shot back with an angry glare.
“Just a mecha? Just a mecha? Paulo, she is a child! Our child! Our little girl! You cannot just treat her like some accessory! You brought her in, then you have to have responsibility over her too. She is Arlene, our child!”
“OK, OK. I get the point, Isabella. I will not treat her like an accessory again. I promise,” Paulo held up his hands in surrender.
“It’s OK, Mama,” Arlene said, her aquamarine eyes looking at her. “I don’t feel anything, really.”
“I know, Arlene. I know that,” Isabella smiled at Arlene. Arlene smiled back.
“I love you, Mama.”
“I love you too.”
Isabella rushed to the toilet to puke again. It was the 5th time this morning and she has been doing that for the past 2 months. Arlene was worried. As Isabella had her head buried in the toilet bowl, Arlene responded by going up to her and thumped her back.
“I’m alright, Arlene. There’s nothing to worry about,” Isabella said weakly.
“Shall I call a doctor, Mama?” Arlene was still worried.
“No, thanks, Arlene,” Isabella replied after puking for a few moments. She then looked up, caught her breath and said, “Arlene, do Mama a favour and get that rectangular box in Mama’s dresser. The one with red and blue stripes.”
“OK, Mama,” Arlene replied and dashed towards Isabella’s room. She rummaged through her dresser and found the rectangular box. When she turned around, she saw Kitty standing at the door.
“What happened to Mama?” Kitty asked.
“I don’t know, Kitty, but she asked me to get her this,” Arlene said as she showed Kitty the box. Kitty took the box and had a look. He widened his eyes and passed it back to Arlene with a silent sigh. Arlene noticed it at first but she was too worried about her Mama to ask him questions. She rushed towards Isabella and handed her the box.
“Be a sweetie and go play with Kitty. Mama need some time alone, OK?” Isabella stroked Arlene’s coffee-coloured hair and closed the toilet door behind her. Arlene stood in front of the door for a few moments before walking towards her own room to be with Kitty.
“What do you think happened to Mama?” Arlene asked as she picked the stuffed cat up.
“Something that was thought wouldn’t happen,” Kitty replied, mending his tail that was a little torn.
“And what is that, Kitty?”
“You’ll see.”
Soon Arlene heard Isabella coming out of the toilet. She took a peek and saw that Isabella was all smiles. She dashed to the phone and made a call. From Arlene’s data in her brain, she noticed that she was making a phone call to Paulo.
Later that evening, Paulo came back home again in all smiles as he hugged Isabella happily. Both of them almost cried happy tears as they laughed and thanked God. Arlene was quite ignored throughout their joyous discussion.
“This calls for a celebration!” Paulo exclaimed enthusiastically. “Isabella, Arlene, put on your best dresses! We’re eating out tonight at the most expensive restaurant!”
Isabella giggled as she ushered Arlene upstairs to change. As Isabella looked at Arlene’s cupboard to choose a nice dress for her to wear, Arlene asked, “Mama, why is Paulo so happy? Why is everyone so happy?”
“I’m sorry, Arlene,” Isabella laughed apologetically and took Arlene’s hands. “I got so excited that I forgot to tell you this news.”
“Tell me what news, Mama?”
“Well, first I want you to remember that no matter what happens, you are still my little girl.”
“Yes, Mama. I know that,” Arlene replied with her sparkling eyes staring back at her.
“You know about Mama being lonely before you came here?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“From now on, Mama will never be alone again. I will be entertained every single day by you and the new baby.”
Kitty muttered an ‘Uh-oh’ and climbed behind Arlene’s bed.
“New baby? Mama…?”
“Yes, Arlene, Mama’s pregnant. You’re gonna have a new brother or sister.”
Mommy's Little Girl-Chp2
CHAPTER 2: ACTIVATION
Arlene has been in the Santonio family for about 2 weeks now. She had a curiosity about everything, and like David, she followed Isabella everywhere she goes, watching her every move, absorbing data on Isabella and tried to help out in the chores she was doing. And she always had that smile on her face that was so loveable, Isabella just couldn’t ignore.
Later that night, after the Santonio couples were asleep, Arlene continued her normal routine of chit-chatting with Kitty.
“Are there no other children in this house? Why is it always so quiet in here?”
“Because Isabella couldn’t have children. Neither can Paulo. They were both not of the capacity to produce.”
“Will they ever have children if their capacity were to be increased?”
“Don’t be silly, Arlene. It is impossible for an orga to increase body capacity. They are not mechas like us. They are human, people of flesh and blood.”
“I understand. It’s just that this house is too quiet.” Arlene shrugged as she climbed up to bed, taking Kitty with her.
“It will not be quiet for long, I can tell you that,” Kitty said as he huddled himself in Arlene’s arms.
“Why?” Arlene was curious.
“Let’s just say you’ll be much better off letting things happen by themselves.”
Arlene stared at Isabella as she makes her hot chocolate. She stared really intently as Isabella scooped the chocolate powder into a small pot of boiling water and stirred it in a certain rhythm. She was absorbing data again, as usual.
“It’s almost bedtime, Arlene. Why don’t you go and wait for me in your room?” Isabella said when her hot chocolate was done.
“Can I stay here and watch you drink?” Arlene asked.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because you seemed lonely,” Arlene replied as she giggled gingerly, sending Isabella into smiles.
“What’s so funny?”
Arlene didn’t reply. She just giggled mysteriously. Her voices sounded like wind chimes—so soothing, so lovely yet it penetrates the heart and soul. Then, as suddenly as she started, she stopped giggling and looked at Isabella with her sparkling aquamarine eyes.
“Alright,” Isabella said after a momentary silence, “you can sit with me and watch. Just don’t make me spill or anything.”
“Yes, Isabella.”
So as Isabella sipped her hot chocolate, Arlene sat beside her, watching her every move. Isabella held out her hand and pulled Arlene close to her chest, feeling the mecha-child’s body heat on her. Even for a mecha-child, Cybertronics did a great job in making her as realistic as possible, and that includes her body temperature. If she hadn’t known that Arlene was a mecha, she could’ve sworn that she was a real girl. They made her so life-like and so real that through time, Isabella began to think that she was really flesh and blood, and that she was her true daughter. She stroked Arlene’s hair that was soft as silk and gazed into her aquamarine eyes. She had fallen in love with this mecha-child.
After she finished her chocolate, she brought Arlene to her room and changed her. As she tucked her to bed, Arlene suddenly responded, “Read to me.”
Isabella was caught unexpected. She had always wanted to tuck children of her own into bed and read stories to them until they fall asleep, and now Arlene was actually giving her a chance to do so. She began to love Arlene even more.
“Alright, Arlene,” Isabella said as she took out a book entitled ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. As she read to Arlene, Arlene listened intently to every word, and giggled at the funny noises Isabella made when she imitates the voices of the characters. When she finished reading, Arlene was staring in space. It was as if she had gone into a trance. Isabella assumed that this was the way mechas sleep and kissed her forehead before retiring back into her room. As soon as she left, Kitty climbed up to Arlene’s bed without Isabella’s knowing and chit-chatted silently with her.
Isabella finally made her decision.
“Is this a game?” Arlene asked, her aquamarine eyes gazing at her intently.
“Yes, well, sort of.”
Isabella was holding the maroon plastic folder in her hand, staring at the form inside. She took it out slowly and followed the instructions written on the form. She laid her fingers on the activation button behind Arlene’s neck and asked, “Am I hurting you, Arlene?”
“No, Isabella.”
“I’m going to read some words and you have to listen to every word I say. Look into my eyes while I’m doing it. Can you do that, Arlene?”
“Yes, Isabella.”
She fingered on Arlene’s neck, trying to find the tiny bulge that is Arlene’s activation button. When she found it, she pressed it and started reading the sequence of words in the form.
“Yogurt, metal, dolls, titanium, rabbit, sugar, spice, Mercedes, Arlene, Isabella. Arlene, Isabella.”
A few seconds later, Arlene’s smile faded into a look of surprise. Her mechanism was slowly activating itself. Isabella put her hand down and looked at the form, hoping that she didn’t do anything wrong with reading the sequence of words. When she tried to contemplate if she has made a mistake, she heard Arlene’s tiny voice calling her.
“Mama? Mama…”
Isabella looked up and gasped. Arlene was staring at her with a pair of aquamarine eyes full of…love?
“What did you just call me?” Isabella was close to tears of joy.
“Mama,” Arlene repeated herself.
“Oh, Arlene…” Isabella held out her arms to hold her. Arlene immediately got off her chair and held Isabella tight.
“I love you, Mama…”
Arlene has been in the Santonio family for about 2 weeks now. She had a curiosity about everything, and like David, she followed Isabella everywhere she goes, watching her every move, absorbing data on Isabella and tried to help out in the chores she was doing. And she always had that smile on her face that was so loveable, Isabella just couldn’t ignore.
Later that night, after the Santonio couples were asleep, Arlene continued her normal routine of chit-chatting with Kitty.
“Are there no other children in this house? Why is it always so quiet in here?”
“Because Isabella couldn’t have children. Neither can Paulo. They were both not of the capacity to produce.”
“Will they ever have children if their capacity were to be increased?”
“Don’t be silly, Arlene. It is impossible for an orga to increase body capacity. They are not mechas like us. They are human, people of flesh and blood.”
“I understand. It’s just that this house is too quiet.” Arlene shrugged as she climbed up to bed, taking Kitty with her.
“It will not be quiet for long, I can tell you that,” Kitty said as he huddled himself in Arlene’s arms.
“Why?” Arlene was curious.
“Let’s just say you’ll be much better off letting things happen by themselves.”
Arlene stared at Isabella as she makes her hot chocolate. She stared really intently as Isabella scooped the chocolate powder into a small pot of boiling water and stirred it in a certain rhythm. She was absorbing data again, as usual.
“It’s almost bedtime, Arlene. Why don’t you go and wait for me in your room?” Isabella said when her hot chocolate was done.
“Can I stay here and watch you drink?” Arlene asked.
“Why would you want to do that?”
“Because you seemed lonely,” Arlene replied as she giggled gingerly, sending Isabella into smiles.
“What’s so funny?”
Arlene didn’t reply. She just giggled mysteriously. Her voices sounded like wind chimes—so soothing, so lovely yet it penetrates the heart and soul. Then, as suddenly as she started, she stopped giggling and looked at Isabella with her sparkling aquamarine eyes.
“Alright,” Isabella said after a momentary silence, “you can sit with me and watch. Just don’t make me spill or anything.”
“Yes, Isabella.”
So as Isabella sipped her hot chocolate, Arlene sat beside her, watching her every move. Isabella held out her hand and pulled Arlene close to her chest, feeling the mecha-child’s body heat on her. Even for a mecha-child, Cybertronics did a great job in making her as realistic as possible, and that includes her body temperature. If she hadn’t known that Arlene was a mecha, she could’ve sworn that she was a real girl. They made her so life-like and so real that through time, Isabella began to think that she was really flesh and blood, and that she was her true daughter. She stroked Arlene’s hair that was soft as silk and gazed into her aquamarine eyes. She had fallen in love with this mecha-child.
After she finished her chocolate, she brought Arlene to her room and changed her. As she tucked her to bed, Arlene suddenly responded, “Read to me.”
Isabella was caught unexpected. She had always wanted to tuck children of her own into bed and read stories to them until they fall asleep, and now Arlene was actually giving her a chance to do so. She began to love Arlene even more.
“Alright, Arlene,” Isabella said as she took out a book entitled ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’. As she read to Arlene, Arlene listened intently to every word, and giggled at the funny noises Isabella made when she imitates the voices of the characters. When she finished reading, Arlene was staring in space. It was as if she had gone into a trance. Isabella assumed that this was the way mechas sleep and kissed her forehead before retiring back into her room. As soon as she left, Kitty climbed up to Arlene’s bed without Isabella’s knowing and chit-chatted silently with her.
Isabella finally made her decision.
“Is this a game?” Arlene asked, her aquamarine eyes gazing at her intently.
“Yes, well, sort of.”
Isabella was holding the maroon plastic folder in her hand, staring at the form inside. She took it out slowly and followed the instructions written on the form. She laid her fingers on the activation button behind Arlene’s neck and asked, “Am I hurting you, Arlene?”
“No, Isabella.”
“I’m going to read some words and you have to listen to every word I say. Look into my eyes while I’m doing it. Can you do that, Arlene?”
“Yes, Isabella.”
She fingered on Arlene’s neck, trying to find the tiny bulge that is Arlene’s activation button. When she found it, she pressed it and started reading the sequence of words in the form.
“Yogurt, metal, dolls, titanium, rabbit, sugar, spice, Mercedes, Arlene, Isabella. Arlene, Isabella.”
A few seconds later, Arlene’s smile faded into a look of surprise. Her mechanism was slowly activating itself. Isabella put her hand down and looked at the form, hoping that she didn’t do anything wrong with reading the sequence of words. When she tried to contemplate if she has made a mistake, she heard Arlene’s tiny voice calling her.
“Mama? Mama…”
Isabella looked up and gasped. Arlene was staring at her with a pair of aquamarine eyes full of…love?
“What did you just call me?” Isabella was close to tears of joy.
“Mama,” Arlene repeated herself.
“Oh, Arlene…” Isabella held out her arms to hold her. Arlene immediately got off her chair and held Isabella tight.
“I love you, Mama…”
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Mommy's Little Girl-Chp1
Published: 05-21-03 Completed: 11-11-03CHAPTER 1: MEETING
“Is Project Arlene complete?” Prof. Allen Hobby asked as he went into the construction lab.
“Yes, Prof. Hobby. She is ready to be tested,” his colleague replied.
“Good. Do we have a suitable candidate?” Prof. Hobby came near to his secretary who was clicking away in the computer. She nodded and double-clicked on an icon.
“This one is suitable. His name is Paulo Santonio. He just worked here as a security guard and he and his wife are infertile. Chances are they won’t be able to have kids ever.”
“He’s a perfect candidate. Bring him in and I’ll talk to him,” Prof. Hobby smiled. The secretary nodded and went out of the office to find Paulo.
“Let’s hope this project won’t be lost again like David.”
“Isabella! Isabella! I have a surprise for you!”
Isabella Santonio came to her husband’s call. He sounded terribly excited. Usually he would come home weary and quiet after a long day’s work at Cybertronics. When she came to the living room, her husband was waiting for her near the front door.
“What is the matter, Paulo?” Isabella asked. It was really rare to see her husband who just got back from work in all smiles.
“Isabella, this is wonderful,” Paulo said enthusiastically. “Stand there and don’t move. I have a surprise for you.”
Paulo rushed to the front door and waved his hand at the heat-sensor. The door opened and revealed a little girl about not more than 10 years old. She had beautiful sparkling aquamarine eyes and her coffee-coloured hair reached her waist. She had rosy cheeks and a brilliant smile. She was a perfect little girl. She was beautiful beyond words, like a fairy that has just descended from the sky. She wore a pink nightgown decorated with little cloth roses.
“Hello, my name is Arlene. Pleased to meet you,” the girl smiled her brilliant smile and walked towards her. Isabella was quite taken aback by Arlene. She touched her hair and cheeks and felt her hands. She looked into Arlene’s eyes in wonder. She was so adorable. She was everything a parent wants.
“Isn’t she beautiful?” Paulo asked, his eyes shining with hope.
“Can I talk to you for a second, Paulo?” Isabella gestured her husband to the room.
Paulo obliged. He expected that his wife would scream at him or some sort. He tried to explain, “Now I know what you’re trying to say, but listen to me. She’s perfect. She’s beautiful. She…”
His explanation was cut short by Isabella’s sudden hug. Isabella was in tears of joy, “She is beautiful, Paulo! She is the most beautiful child I have ever seen! Where did you get her? Which adoption agency did you go? How did you get an adoption like this so fast? The last time we applied for adoption, it took us six months to actually hear a rejection from them…”
“She’s no ordinary child, Isabella. She is a robot. A mecha.”
“A mecha? You mean a mecha-child? But…but she felt so real…!” There was a small sign of disappointment in her.
“Yes, Isabella. The company I work for had made this prototype and gave her to us as a test subject. I heard that they have a boy version of it being tested by another family. I think he’s called David. Anyway, they knew about our condition and they chose us to be the test subject. Isn’t it great?”
“Paulo, she is a robot. How can I have a robot as a child? What would people think?”
“She’s no ordinary robot, Isabella. She is a mecha that can love. She is programmed to love people and she would definitely love us unconditionally, Isabella. Aren’t what all parents wanted, to be loved by their own children without the children asking for something in return?”
“But Paulo, she is not real. I want to have a child who I can watch him/her grow up and have a career and go have a family and…”
“It is temporary. If you don’t like it, you can just return her to Cybertronics, no questions asked. Besides, she will keep you company until we can get a real child. Arlene can be our new child’s playmate or a toy or some sort. We can throw her back to my company any time you want.”
“Paulo, you make it sound like she is some kind of accessory! She is a child! A mecha-child, maybe, but still a child!”
“Just think about it, OK, Isabella?” Paulo did a puppy-eyed pout which his wife loved the most. “Don’t do anything until you’re ready. If you are, you can activate her with this sequence of words they given me. Be very sure about this.”
“…OK, Paulo. I’ll give it a try. I’ll see how it turns out before I activate her,” Isabella took the plastic folder and put it into her dresser. “She is…just…so real…”
That night, before bed, Arlene asked Isabella to dress her up. Isabella undressed her bellybutton shirt and jeans and put her on the nightgown she wore when they first met. She looked so much like an angel. Isabella’s heart couldn’t help melting for her.
“Am I in need of sleep now?” Arlene asked.
“Yes, Arlene. It’s late. You should get some rest,” Isabella replied.
“But I can’t sleep. I’m not programmed to sleep. But I can be really quiet.” Arlene had that smile again. She was so loveable. Isabella sighed at upon seeing her. Slowly she stood up.
“You wait here, Arlene. I have something for you.”
“Alright, Isabella.”
Isabella went into her closet and took out a tall and wide cylinder box from among her shoe boxes. She brought it to Arlene’s room and put it on the floor. Arlene responded by sitting down in front of the box.
“I have a present for you,” Isabella said as she took out the content of the box. It was a huggable-sized stuff cat. It had every feature of a cat and almost looked like it too. Isabella fingered with the power switch on the cat’s butt and turned it on. The cat opened its yellow eyes and dwindled for a while before sitting upright.
“This is Kitty. It used to belong to me when I was a kid and have been with me until I was too old to play with dolls anymore. It’s a Super Toy. Kitty, say hello to Arlene.”
“Hello, Arlene,” Kitty greeted her in a teenage boy’s voice with the same Mexican slang Isabella and Paulo had.
“Hello, Kitty,” Arlene greeted him back.
“I’m going to be in bed,” Isabella said as she got up again, taking the box with her. “I’m quite tired. If you want company, you can talk to Kitty.”
As she closed the door behind her and peeked through the rough stained glass of the door, she saw Arlene taking Kitty onto the bed and started a hushed conversation. She couldn’t help feeling dazzled at the way Arlene actually had fun talking the Super Toy.
“She is so real…”
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