Savanah's Swan Song (Part 25)

After Angelina dropped her bombshell about robots conspiring against her, the conversation cooled with the breeze, which shifted from the north and ushered in a bank of heavy clouds.

“Are you ready to go back inside?” Angelina asked Savanah as a gust sent a napkin flying off the patio table and skittering across the wooden deck. 

No, Savanah wasn’t ready to go back inside.  She needed more time to digest Angelina’s words.  They were certainly more consequential than that puny garden salad she served for lunch.

“So, your replicant took that embarrassing picture of you on the plane?”

“Yes,” Angelina said, spreading her beach towel across her trunk-like thighs.  “When I got stuck in the aisle, they just laughed.  Had it been a case of three girlfriends partying too hard, you might chalk it up to drunken indiscretion.  But they weren’t my friends.  They couldn’t even get drunk.  The only attention they paid me all night was to make sure I was eating or drinking something.  Otherwise, I was a third wheel.”

“One that they planned to pop.”

Angelina gave a wry smile.  “You’re starting to see the bigger picture.” 

“Since they’re not still overinflating you, I assume something changed.”

“It did.  It took far too long, but I finally found my backbone beneath my blubber and kicked Maggie out.” 

“Where is she now?”

“Living with my replicant at my home in Hollywood Hills.” 

A shiver shot through the singer that had nothing to do with the dropping temperature.  Savanah imagined she felt like Angelina must have felt coming back on that plane from Vegas.  Shocked, bewildered…and more than a little afraid. 

“Can’t Concurrent Technologies—"

The fat actress waved off the plumpening superstar.  “It’s better this way.  We have an understanding.” 

“Aren’t you worried they'll return to finish the job?”

“What?” Angelina scoffed.  “Murder me?”

Savanah nodded.

“That’s the one thing they’re implicitly programmed not to do.  Jesus, didn’t you read the owner’s manual?”

Savanah had not.  She didn’t even know that there was one.  Yet another thing Chad had kept from her.

“No,” Angelina continued. “They’re living their lives and I’m living mine.  Everyone’s happy.”

Angelina might have been an award-winning actress, but even she couldn’t sell that last line.  Noticing Savanah’s dubious expression, she doubled down--

“I’ve lost over 100 pounds and feel more like myself every day.  I’ve got another 100 pounds or so to go before I’d want anyone to see me anyway.”   

“What happens then?”

“That’s when I’ll call Concurrent Technologies,” Angelina said proudly.  “Inform them that their services are no longer required.”

Assuming you don’t get that call first, Savanah thought.