“I thought I was just doing one song, and you were going to help me pick which one it would be.”Rita ignored me. I looked at Trip and Halle, and t...ey both just smiled at me. I threw my hands up and let out a long breath. Clearly, I’d been set up. It wasn’t worth fighting Rita about this. I’d opened my big mouth and said I would do whatever she wanted. Now that I thought about it, why else would I be learning all four songs?“Time is money, people,” Rita said, clapping her hands.“Come on, Trip.. We chatted and joked on the way to Goa. I came to know that Archana stated in Kolkata and completed her 10+2 exams after studying in a girl’s school. Archana joked about how the girls in their school lusted for boys.By evening, we had reached Goa. We drove to a five –star hotel to check in for the night. But the receptionist told us that there was only one suite which was empty. Manjula immediately agreed and paid for the room. I was surprised as I did not know why she was getting so. . OK.”“What did he say, Gerry?”“Let’s say he’s not best pleased. I think his actual words were if I didn’t fucking well fix these fucking fembots he’d find a new way of fucking just for me and any of the rest of the team that might survive this.”“Graphic. Did he have any helpful suggestions? Or was it just a sort of ‘if they don’t kill you, I will’ incentive?”“Yeah, more that. He wanted to know why the laws of robotics* weren’t kicking in.”“So, you hadn’t told him you’d been tinkering with. Both of themlook back at me. "You too missy," my mom proclaims staring straight atme. "What? I can't go out like this," I protest. "Oh darling, of courseyou can. You look adorable and those flats fight perfectly. You couldwalk for miles without them causing any issue," she tells me, clearly notabout to let off on this unusual and uncalled for punishment. "Oh, can wewalk mom?" my sister pipes up. All I can think is, 'What the fuck.' Herteasing me that morning was nothing compared to the horror.