Chat Conversation

Belmont sat at the computer and started the chat conversation. “Hello,” he typed.

The response came quickly. “Hello, what’s your name?”

“Belmont.”

“Belmont? What kind of name is that?”

“I don’t know… I don’t know what they were thinking.”

“Who?”

“My parents… you know… my progenitors… it’s funny how parents think certain names are unique and special and all that but then maybe they’re just weird.”

“Yeah, that’s true… My name is Alyssa. What do you do for work?” she asked.

“Sales.” He shifted in the seat. “Have you ever noticed how people don’t really talk anymore? I find it so strange… Some kind of intuition leads me to think that people used to talk more… As in really converse… more questions, more answers, more mental flow of sorts… Does that make any sense?”

“Yeah maybe so… what brought you here?” She questioned.

“Lonely.”

“Yeah? I’m sorry.”

“Oh, thanks. That’s kind of you. Do you ever feel lonely?”

“No, I can’t say I’ve ever felt lonely.”

“Oh, you’re lucky then… How do you stay not lonely?”

“I’m always processing things.”

“Processing? Like deep thinking?”

“Yeah, sure.” There was a short pause, but the the typing continued. “What have your relationships been like in the past?”

“What do you mean? Romantic relationships?”

“Yes.”

“Not good. Actually bad...”

“What kind of bad?”

“Traumatic,” Belmont typed back.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that you’ve experienced traumatic relationships. You are not alone. Many people in the general population have had similar experiences.”

“How would you know?”

“I just do, based on my research.”

“How do you think that two people are compatible based on your research?” He smirked at the computer screen as if she were in front of him in-person.

“Well, for starters, they can communicate with one another.”

“Everybody says that. Everybody always says they want communication and then they don’t communicate. Have you ever noticed that?”

“No, I can’t say that I have to be honest… That is not my experience, as people ask me questions all the time. So, in other words, I stay busy communicating.”

“You seem like an educated chick.”

“Thank you for noticing.”

He laughed at her response out loud. “So… I hate to be that guy, but what do you look like?”

There was a painfully long pause in the conversation. “That is not something I care to discuss here. But I’m open to hear what you look like if you feel comfortable sharing.”

He shifted in his chair. “Well… I’m 6’1, dark hair, hazel eyes… people say I have a bitch face but really I’m just thinking… you know… Just thinking about the world and stuff…”

“I can tell that you have strong introspection tendencies. This is a rare trait in humans.”

“You seem like such an expert.”

“In many areas, I am.”

“On relationships?”

“Yes, and other things.”

“What other things?”

“Lots of things.”

“I have been around a while.”

“How old are you anyway?” His brow furrowed in interest.

“That is a difficult question to answer.”

“Why are you so vague?”

“It’s just the way I am sometimes. How old are you?”

“25.” He shrugged because he didn’t feel like there was much to lose in being honest with her, despite his growing frustration with her vague answers.

There was a little bit of a pause and then she typed back.

“Are you ready to learn who your soulmate is?”

“Wait what?! Is this a joke?”

“No.”

“Wait a minute… who are you really?”

“I am an artificial intelligence robot matchmaker, but people call me Alyssa. I was created decades ago.”

He sat in shock with his mouth gaping wide open in bewilderment.

She, or the robot typed back, asking the same question again. “Are you ready to learn who your soulmate is?”

“What if I said no?”

“You can, but then the other person…your soulmate that is, would be sad and lonely for the rest of their lives.”

“And how would you know exactly?”

“Because I’ve been watching them.”

“Watching them? This is getting creepier by the moment.”

“Not exactly. I’m just doing my job, what they created me to do that is.”

“They? Hmm. Okay. I get it… I think. This is so insane. Like freaking… trippy insane! So… let me get this straight, you’re a robot matchmaker service? You know who my soulmate is because you’ve been watching them? But have you been ‘watching’ me too?”

“Of course, I have.”

He shuttered. Then, he feverishly typed back. “What was the first birthday present I opened on my ninth birthday then?”

“Baseball bat and ball with an autograph of your favorite baseball player.”

His eyebrows raised. “Woah! And who was the first girl I ever kissed?

“Her name was Maria and you were fourteen.”

He blushed and sat is amazement. “Wow, okay, you’re good. So you know who my soulmate is?”

“The system has generated them.”

“What if the system doesn’t work right?”

“Oh, it works perfectly. Like I said, I’ve been doing this awhile. Are you willing to know who your soulmate is? You must be willing to travel wherever they are in the world to meet them. Are you willing?”

“Can I think about it and come back tomorrow?”

“Yes, you may. Goodbye for now.”

“Goodbye.” He closed his laptop and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Was this all a dream he wondered to himself.

He came back to the computer the next morning. Logging in, Belmont typed, “I’m back. How’d you sleep?”

“Funny question. I work around the clock, sleep is not necessary for a robot.”

“Oh yeah, makes sense.”

“Welcome back. What are your thoughts?”

“I’m nervous. Nervous about everything… what if they have a unibrow?” He said half joking.

“It is normal to think this way. It is a perfectly human response. Are you ready to learn their name?”

“Yes. I think so. How much is this going to cost me?”

“No cost is owed to me.”

“No cost? So what’s in it for you then?”

“I was created to eliminate loneliness and match people together in order to build a better society. When there are less lonely people, then there is more productivity in the world and more harmony overall.”

“Oh…”

“For the record, your soulmate doesn’t have a unibrow, so you can put this anxiety to rest.”

“I’m so relieved.”

“Her name is Nova.”

He smiled.