Feeling Machinery

Inside a prosthetic body there may be life and opportunity for Melissa. Can he feel? Can he love? Can he love her?

Feeling Machinery

 

  

                I go to knock on his door but my hand stops half way. What am I doing? I turn around to go back to my room when his door opens. He stands there looking both surprised and confused. How is that possible for a man of his type?

    “Melissa?” he says surprisingly, “I was just about to come talk to you”

    “Yeah, I was just about to knock on your door so i could talk to you…”, my voice trails off because how could I explain why I am standing awkwardly outside his door.

    He gestures me to come inside so I do. I go and sit on a chair by his bed. “What was it that you wanted to talk to me about?” he says as he sits on the edge of the bed.

    “I don't know, I couldn't sleep and I guess I just needed to talk to someone”. I can't help but notice how he is smiling and has an open and inviting look on his face.

    “Well, I would certainly enjoy your company anytime. You are always welcome to come talk to me.”

    I get up and sit next to him, “Ever since we left I can't help but think about you”. Realizing what just came out of my mouth I quickly try to explain myself, “I mean I...I guess…” I can't get the words out.

    “I understand, it's confusing” he says and kind of blushes, “I just would like you to still like who I am.”

    “I do like you for who you are, it's just…” I reach out and put my hand on his cheek, “do you even feel that”. I can feel the stumble of a beard, how is that possible?

    “I deeply wish that I could” he says as he looks away. My hand falls away and I put it in my lap.

    We Sit In Silence for two minutes. Completely silent. In breaking the silence he only says three words, “I love you”. But how can he love me? How? My mind cannot wrap around the idea. He completely turns to me and now puts his hand on my cheek, “From the moment you were introduced to me in Santa Monica I knew you would be special to me, it's only until now that I didn't know how special you would be to me.”

I place my hand on his cheek and lean in to kiss him. It feels so real to me, every movement he makes in that moment feels real. But for Liam, I know he can't feel a thing. I swing my leg around his waist so I am completely in his lap.

I pull away, “But how? If you can't even feel my touch, how can you love me?”

“Inside I am still human” Liam guides my hand to his chest, “somehow I can find it within myself to feel something. My body is prosthetic but my mind is not, I still have a brain.”

“But no heart” my own heart in this moment breaks as I say this. He gets a look of utter sadness, as if his own heart broke. I get off him and stand in front of Liam.

“Do you love me?” he asks in such away as if every emotion he has was put into those four words. Tears start streaming down my face. “I love you as much as I am capable of” I respond. He looks confused but I know he understands. I start walking towards the door, it was a mistake coming to his room.“Please do not leave” I can hear him say behind me.

    I look behind me, he is now laying down and staring at the ceiling. How can I leave him like this? I go and lay next to him.

I put my arm over his chest, not only to comfort him but to feel for a heartbeat. I feel nothing. Closing my eyes I think about every gear and wire in his body, every electrical charge and every metal and plastic part he has. Every gear is silent. The only thing I can hear is the sound of his breathing. The only thing I feel is his chest moving up and down. He is like a human, except there is no heartbeat.

Author's Note

Please comment what you think of this story and what you think the true meaning is :)

Reviews

[Carol Cashes]

This is a good story line. Some of the language might be misleading as to who is the machine: " “I love you as much as I am capable of” I respond." Wouldn't that be for him to say? Unless you meant to mislead until the final paragraph...
Again, I really liked the story line. Some sci-fi is hard for me, but I understood this one clearly.
A good read, thanks.

[Norah]

Definitely a piece that I can relate to. Everybody tells me it's gonna be okay and to never be sad about anything, just let it go and it makes me angry because, they don't really know how it is for me.