I took in the familiar sight of the kitchen, where my step-dad often prepares ingredients for dinner. His collection of a fryer, a grill, and a smoker enables him to cook most anything within reason. Some of my favorite things, not counting the pork loin and the chicken tenders, are grilled pork chops, a thick porterhouse steak, and baby back ribs.

  My ears perk up at the sounds of barking, prompting my mother to head into the living room to collect her dogs. A pair of dachshund siblings named Blue and Bonnie.

  Blue is the elder sibling that has white fur with splotches of tan on his back and tan colored ears. He is so named because of his one blue eye, with the other being brown.

  Bonnie is the younger sibling. She is a dapple dachshund with gray and black fur, and despite being smaller than her brother, she more than made up for it with her sassy attitude, especially since they often play-fight.

  Typically, the dogs are kept in their kennels whenever my folks are out or sleeping in the bed so that they don't make a mess, so naturally, I can imagine they’re feeling restless. It isn't long before I hear the sounds of scampering paws hitting the floor as they come bounding up to greet me after catching my scent.

  They then slid to a halt as they looked up at Alice and began to growl at her, barking aggressively before darting back around the corner, poking their little heads out while baring their teeth, their lips quivering. Huh… that was new.

  Sure, the dogs would sometimes bark at strangers for a bit, but they had never once shown aggression like this. Even my folks looked a bit confused by their behavior.

  It took me a moment before I remembered something from a movie. More specifically, the Terminator series. I recalled this bit where it was explained that dogs were used to identify the iconic disguised machines.

  I'm not one hundred percent certain how that worked, but perhaps animals can somehow recognize that machines, in this case, Alice was ‘human shaped’ but could smell or sense that she wasn’t human. Hopefully with some time and patience, the dogs will get used to her presence once they figure out she isn't a threat.

  “Okay, let's go in there.” I spoke, pointing towards my grandmother's sitting room where she typically watches TV for most of the day. Given her lack of presence, I can only guess that she must be visiting her sister. At least I got a reprieve from having to give her the whole story about Alice, especially since my grandmother is, and I mean no insult to her, practically illiterate when it came to most forms of technology.

  Whenever she had trouble with the internet, her Wi-Fi connection, or anything tech-related, I was her go-to person for troubleshooting, but I digress.

  Alice silently obliged as she began to push me towards the indicated room, her eyes glancing in the direction of the dogs who were still growling at her. Was she upset at their rejection? Was this the first time she had made contact with animals? I'm not sure, and I chose not to question it or agitate the dogs further.

  My grandmother's TV room was pretty sparse. It had a reclining chair in the corner by the window, a small coffee table sitting next to it with a lamp, and her TV sat atop an old dresser.

  Alice set me next to the table, which also put me directly in front of the television. I picked up the remote and twirled it in my hand, feeling glad that I now had access to my own shows and streaming services instead of having to rely on the hospital's standard TV.

  I glanced at my Android caretaker who was now standing in the corner, patiently standing nearby and waiting for further instructions whenever I needed her.

  My mother came in and approached me as she spoke “I think you'll be needing this back.” She then presented me with my old wallet. It was a simple brown leather color, showing signs of wear and tear from years of use and being kept tucked away in my pocket. There seemed to be a few new scars as well, likely made during the crash.

  “I clean forgot about that. Much obliged.” I spoke gratefully as I accepted it, briefly flipping it open to check the contents. Most fortuitously, all of my belongings were still present and accounted for. Driver's license, debit cards, insurance, et cetera.

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  I then snapped it shut and set on the table next to me, as I did so, my mother was looking at me intently before she asked “So what do you plan on doing now?” Her tone being a mix of concern and curiosity.

  “Probably buy a nice plot of land somewhere. Build a nice home to live in. Something with a pool. Live out a nice, quiet, and peaceful life. That sort of thing.” I answered truthfully, as I tried to make a rough blueprint of my dream home inside my head.

  I had no intention to live extravagantly in an enormous mansion with a garage full of fast cars, and whatnot. I had no desire to live in the spotlight and attend fancy parties either. Nope. A quiet life with minimal stress, or no stress at all suited me just fine.

  “What about later? After that thing is gone?” My mom asked while gesturing towards the Android.

  “I'll figure something out.” I answer in a noncommittal manner since I didn't feel like putting too much thought into it at the moment. Besides, it was still three months away. I had plenty of time to think on it… later.

  My mother accepted my answer and planted an affectionate kiss on my forehead, reminding me to give her or Dickie a holler if I needed anything. I could only nod and say a quick ‘Thank you’ as she closed the door most of the way, leaving it cracked open about an inch or so in case I did need to call out.

  I turned on the TV and used the remote to click on one of my favorite streaming services. Now that I was wealthy and no longer had to work, this left me plenty of time to catch up on my shows, movies, and maybe pick up some that I never got a chance to enjoy.

  I peruse through my library of shows and movies that I purchased digitally over the years, wondering what I should start with. Heh, gosh. It's kind of funny… I now have all the free time in the world, and I don't even know where to begin spending it. Weird, huh?

  “What would you like to watch, Alice?” I questioned my caretaker out of politeness. If she could read a book, then why couldn't she watch or enjoy a movie too?

  Her eyes flicked towards me before she began to stare straight ahead again. Either she didn't have a preference or didn't know how to respond to my question. I decided to take it as her way of saying ‘You decide’.

  “You can sit down.” I stated while gesturing towards my grandmother's empty recliner chair. Again, she gave no response. Her silence made me wish I could see inside her mind and figure out what she was thinking or feeling.

  I sighed to myself as I considered what I wanted to watch first. Perhaps something nostalgic? I had already watched the classic animated iteration of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ the other day… how about Disney's Cinderella? That was always a good one.

  Truthfully, I always considered myself young at heart and always enjoyed a good classic Disney movie since they were all a major part of my childhood growing up. They got me through some rough times.

  The movie played as I watched it in silent contentment, I almost had to suppress myself from quoting off certain lines or singing along with the songs as it played. After a while, the credits began to play, signaling that it was time for me to shut it off and move onto another film.

  “Why do humans have dreams and wishes?” Alice questioned me out of the blue, snapping me back to reality as I had once again forgotten about her presence after becoming engrossed in the film. Not just from her lack of presence, but because I usually spent my time alone at home whenever I wasn't hanging out with my folks.

  I pondered over her question for a moment before answering “All sorts of reasons I guess, but I think mainly people have dreams or wishes because they believe that achieving them will make them happy or make things better for them.”

  “Does achieving one’s wish bring happiness?” Alice asked me, in a robotic tone of voice.

  I scratched my cheek as I answered as honestly as I could “Not always, but that doesn't mean it can't hurt to try. You see, everyone has different wants and needs. A lot of people fail to realize that what they ‘want’ isn't what brings them real joy. If you ask me, happiness is a choice in some aspects. There are people in the world who are practically destitute but can live a joyful and fulfilling life. I guess it's kind of a ‘case-by-case’ kind of thing.”

  “Does simply believing in one's dream make it come true?” The Android caretaker asked me, her head tilting ever so slightly that it was almost imperceptible.

  “Let me try and put it like this: In reality, we don't have ‘Fairy Godmothers’ to help us along. Most times, we gotta put in the work ourselves. Sometimes we need a little help from our friends and family. Or in my case, it's a matter of sheer dumb luck. Regardless… I don't think there's much point in pursuing a dream if you don't believe in it. Not believing in your dream is kind of like not believing in yourself.” I answered her to the best of my ability.

  Alice seemed to straighten her posture and laced her fingers together as she stared down at the floor. From what I could tell, she seemed to be contemplating my words.

  “Believing in yourself…” She parroted to herself, making me raise an eyebrow. I wanted to ask her why she was asking these questions, or what she was thinking about but refrained from doing so. Especially since she seemed pretty deep in thought despite the fact her face remained placid.

  I bit the inside of my cheek before slowly turning back towards the TV to leave her to her musings. I once again found myself contemplating what to watch next… that is until my mother came into the room and informed me that dinner was ready. That we were having steak and French fries.

  I chuckled appreciatively at what I assumed to be a ‘Welcome back’ meal made for me and gave her my thanks. I also made mention that she and Dickie should think about where they would like to eat out so that I could treat them myself later in return.

  Alice was about to grab my wheelchair to push me towards the kitchen/dining room, but I stopped her by holding up my hand. “It's okay Alice. I need to practice rolling myself around.” I spoke to her, making her slowly nod as she observed me in silence.

  I grabbed one of the wheels and turned it so that I could properly orient myself and begin heading towards the door. I then tried turning both wheels at the same time to make myself move forward.

  It was difficult for me to find a proper groove since this was new to me, but I figured that it would get progressively easier with practice. As I slowly rolled forward, my mother watched me with a small mix of pride and apprehension as I tried to maneuver myself.

  Inch by inch, foot by foot, I eventually made it towards the dining room table where my step-dad and the served meal was waiting for me as both my mom and Alice followed behind me.

  My mother took her seat at the table as Alice stood off to the side in a corner yet again. As I picked up my knife and fork to begin cutting into my steak, I thanked Dickie for the meal and cast a glance towards the Android… even now, she seemed to be off in her own world. Quietly contemplating our conversation.

  First she asked something about a book, and then about a topic from a movie. If I didn't know any better, I'd say that much like her namesake, she must be brimming with curiosity. How very… intriguing.