After the girls had chatted away for 23 minutes and 36 seconds, J-289 interrupted them. "Owner, my auditory sensors detect your mother's car approaching."
Zoe leapt to her feet. "Mom's coming home."
"I don't hear a car outside," Karyn noted.
"J-289 can recognize the sound of Mom's engine from all the way down the street. I figured out I could give it a standing order to give me a heads-up when it hears it."
"Handy."
"Kinda, I guess. Better put your top on. Who knows how my mom'll react if you said hi in your bra." She paused. "Then again, maybe it would be interesting to see."
Karyn laughed as she retrieved her blouse.
At Zoe's command, J-289 went down to the front door and waited. Soon, it could hear the family car being parked and footsteps clicking on the driveway. Opening the door, it greeted, "Welcome home, Mrs. Gibson and Mikey."
The youngest Gibson child rushed past to his room with a barely heard "Hi."
Mrs. Gibson, though, took the time to answer more directly. "Thank you, J-289. Is Zoe home?"
"Yes, Mrs. Gibson. Karyn Wells is here also."
Mrs. Gibson smiled as she stepped inside. "Oh, that's nice. She's such a sweet girl. Is there a reason why she's here?"
J-289 took the woman's coat and bag, putting them in their places in the closet. "From what I have ascertained, she is here for a casual visit, Mrs. Gibson."
Just then, Zoe came down the stairs followed by Karyn. "Hey, Mom. Karyn's here."
"So I've heard. Hello, Karyn. I see you've met J-289. Isn't she wonderful?" Watching the robot straighten the line of coats and jackets before closing the closet door, she remarked, "We've really got to give her a real name, though. J-289 is such a mouthful."
"Mom, J-289's an it, not a her," Zoe corrected. "And besides, it doesn't need a name. It's a machine."
"I know, honey. I know. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I can't call anything resembling a person walking around my house an it. To me, she's as much a guest as Karyn. In fact, I'm thinking of getting her some clothes. I know she doesn't have any private bits, but she's got enough anatomy where it counts. What do you think, J-289?"
J-289 tilted its head, processing the question. "I cannot formulate an opinion on the matter, Mrs. Gibson. Though I was designed to accommodate most garments for aesthetic purposes, excessive clothing may interfere with my temperature control functions. A more minimal covering would be recommended to allow proper heat dispersal."
"Hm, well, I'll come up with something. Why don't you help me make dinner, and then we can see if I have anything suitable for you in my closet."
"Understood, Mrs. Gibson," the drone responded, following her into the kitchen.
Karyn leaned over to Zoe. "Why does your robot call your mom 'Mrs. Gibson' and you 'owner?'"
"'Owner' is part of its default settings. I never told it to call me anything else. Unlike Mom, I don't really feel the need to be on a first name basis with an appliance. It's the same reason I call it J-289 instead of some silly pet name."
Karyn chuckled. "Does Zelda agree with you?"
"She calls it Valentine."
"Figured as much."
