"Here," said Wilma, "try this." She handed me a floral patterned, ankle length skirt.
Once Wilma had crossed the border from Arizona into California, she thought it would be necessary to celebrate by stopping at the closest mall to look for clothing. She had only ever seen me in the one outfit Quincy had given me and was starting to think I was homeless before John had taken me in. In a way, I probably was homeless. I certainly wouldn't call the lab I was activated in, home.
"Do I look like someone who would wear that?" I asked, making a face at the skirt.
"I'm just trying to figure out your non-existent style," she shrugged. "But you are right. You aren't the flower-print type."
"A T-shirt and jeans would be fine," I said, holding up an army green T-shirt with a v neck cut and right-breast-pocket.
"But its so.. Old Navy," she said wrinkling her nose.
"I like Old Navy, Will," I said, laughing at the face she was making. "I don't like the designer stuff like you do. Good thing too, because I can't afford it."
"Don't worry about the cost." said Wilma. "I want to get you two outfits that you can mix and match. What kind of person would I be if I took my homeless friend out and made her buy her own clothing.
"Not homeless," I corrected, sticking my tongue out at her, as Wilma grinned.
Purring, Jillian rubbed against my leg. It was amazing how much Wilma could get away with. The store had a no pets policy, but once Wilma had told the clerk that Jillian was her well trained working pet for emotional support, the cat was huffily welcomed into the store by the staff.
Looking up suddenly, I saw a familiar figure approaching us rapidly. As John swiftly strode towards Wilma and me, a plummeting sensation in my gut caused me to freeze in place, looking on with horror. Seeing my shocked expression, Wilma turned around to see John. She moved quickly, blocking me from John by standing directly in front of me. John stood tall, his dark, bulky arms by his side. The expression on his face was not anger, as I expected. Instead, his big, dark brown eyes displayed relief. How had he found me so quickly?
"Can't you take a hint?" chided Wilma. "She doesn't want to be with you anymore. Find yourself another girlfriend. Get lost, stalker."
"What?" said John, confusedly. "Oh," he waved her comment aside. "Ana, I need to talk to you."
"Anything you want to say to her, you can say in front of me, buddy," she said staunchly.
"He was never my boyfriend," I confessed to Wilma.
John's eyes widened and he shook his head just enough to indicate what he didn't want me to say.
"I'm going with Will to her house in California, John," I said forcefully. "This is my choice and you can't stop me. "I trust Wilma, and anything you need to say, you can say in front of her."
Our discussion was starting to attract unwanted attention from other shoppers.
"I don't want to stop you," John hissed. "We can't talk here."
"This way," beckoned Wilma, gesturing us towards the fitting rooms.
The clerk had stepped away from the front desk, leaving the way to the fitting rooms unblocked. Wilma shimmied underneath the fitting room furthest from the door and unlocked it from the inside. Gathering inside, John closed the door behind the three of us, and the cat.
"What is this about, Stanton," asked Wilma, arms crossed.
"AzTech is not satisfied with the data I gave them," John said directly to me, ignoring Wilma. "They say more tests are required to replicate your data."
"I'm not going with you."
"I know. I'm not asking you to. AzTech just cares about staying on top and all the money that includes. They don't care about the immoral applications of what they are trying to do. I want to go with you. I want to study you more, out of personal interest.
John realized what he said and his face flushed crimson.
"The information I gathered doesn't tell even half of your whole story," he spoke quickly. "I don't want to make another android. I just want to know more because I've never met a puzzle that I couldn't solve."
"Anyone care to explain this to me?" spoke Wilma testily.