Chapter Text
“21 days.”
“Did you know that's how long it takes for eggs to become ready to hatch? In my time taking care of the Holland Trio, I’ve learned that caring for children…is ironically a lot like caring for animals. My owners said so as a joke when I first came home…boy, were they right.”
...
Lenny would wave goodbye to her two friends as they got on the trolley to head home from the elementary school. She, meanwhile, was waiting for one of her owners to show up. Mr. Logan always had to run into town in the morning for supplies and whatnot and to pick up one of the workers at the farm. She always found it admirable how he made sure his loyal employees would always have a way to and from work, a safe ride. Most nights, the worker stayed for dinner with them.
She also appreciated the timing, which was very efficient for her routine. She and the kids would be dropped off near the trolley stop, allowing them to walk to school to chat with their friends. She would be picked up and head to work with Mr. Logan or work around the house if needed. While she was doing such, Ms. Tiffany would go and pick the kids up in the afternoon. Ms. Tiffany had always loved to do that personally, allowing Lenny a small break between chores and starting dinner.
...
Once she arrived home, she would wave Mr. Logan and the worker named Johnny off to work at the farm. ( Of course making sure they both took their lunch boxes that she had prepared that morning. ) As she walked into the kitchen, she would spot Ms. Tiffany writing away in a notebook that threatened to fall apart. “I dare say, you will let that poor thing turn into dust before you get a new one.” Lenny would chuckle as she started a pot of coffee.
“Hah! If I had a computer that I could just tote around it would be so much easier. I’ve got so many numbers and statements stapled into this old thing.”
“How about you pick up a new notebook, or better yet, a binder this afternoon and I’ll copy all of the important things into the new one?”
“Eugh, that would save me a ton of time…but that doesn’t give you much of a break, does it?”
“Tsk, tsk.” Lenny would playfully scold as she poured the coffee into a worn mug with paint stains from the kids, “Don’t lecture me on working when you’re more of a busybody than me.” She would say as she placed the mug in front of the counter and turned the handle to Tiffany, “Besides, office work is something I don’t indulge in very often, I think it might be a fun change.”
“Well…at least let's do takeout tonight then! The kids have been wanting to try that new Thai restaurant, Tristy even looked up the menu and found something he can have.”
“Only if you insist.”
...
Once Ms. Tiffany was settled into her office with coffee and brunch, Lenny would step outside into the warm sun and give a light sigh. She had missed it during the past few weeks as storms continued to rage on almost every day. Out in the yard, she saw many of the chickens she cared for pecking away at the ground as they searched for their treat of the day. She would grab a wicker basket she kept by the door and trot down the back porch stairs towards the yard. Carefully timing herself once she reached the gate. Making sure all of the chickens weren’t within running distance before allowing herself in, as she personally didn’t feel like chasing down the rascals… again .
She was soon greeted by many feathered friends who scittered over, thinking she had snacks for them. Lenny would snort and reach into her basket where she had thrown some dinner scraps in the night before, the ends of some zucchinis and skins off the kids’ apples. Grabbing the handful and tossing it away from the coop purposefully, watching as the chickens rushed away from her to indulge in their treasures.
She would resume walking over to the coop, opening the door to one of the nesting boxes, grabbing the few eggs inside, and making sure to leave behind the decoy. She had read once that leaving a decoy egg encouraged the hens to lay in more specific spots…she did still find the occasional egg in an odd place. Most notably, on top of the coop once. She still admired how the hen somehow got it to balance on the roof…
She would walk to the next nesting box, opening the door and glancing in, and was greeted by an upset crowing and a quick pecking to the face. She would back up quickly and huff. “Hey! Don’t act that way, Gertrude!” She would scold, setting the basket down.
The chicken, Gertrude, was in for a rude awakening as Lenny reached into the box and grabbed her, and pulled her out. Lenny watched with a scowl as the hen made all sorts of attempts to escape. “Those eggs are your rent!” Lenny reminded and set the hen on the ground. “Get!” She scolded and pointed.
Gertrude, on this day, accepted defeat and would hurry off to try and peck any remaining scraps. Lenny watched before grabbing the egg…out of the box and rolling her eyes. “All that over one egg? Dramatic.”
After checking that the watering buckets were clean and full, and checking to make sure the feed buckets were working and stocked, she would leave the pen and make her way back to the house. Storing the fresh eggs in her container on the counter and placing her basket back outside.
...
She heard the arrival of the kids and Ms. Tiffany a few hours later while she was cleaning up one of the kids’ rooms. Having just finished washing all the bedclothes and dusting. She glanced up as she saw Ainsley run into the room. “Ah! Lenny! Ma said we’re gonna try the new restaurant!”
“I know. Very exciting, hm? What are you getting, Ains?”
“I’m gonna get the-!” Ainsley would pause for a moment, “The uh…you know, I don’t know what they sell.”
Lenny would laugh, “I grabbed a menu from them the other day, they had them up for grabs at the library to spread business. Go check the drawer beside the fridge.”
...
As the family ate, Lenny would sit down in the home office and start to recreate records for the binder she had asked Tiffany to get. Once she found a rhythm, she found it rather enjoyable. Lenny enjoyed the quiet away from the busy dining room, though she did faintly hear Mr. Logan asking about where she was.
“Oh, you know her, she’s working on something as always.” Tiffany would chuckle, “We’re so chaotic that office work is calming to her.”
Lenny would give a small laugh at that comment and return back to her focus. Finding herself finished after about two hours, she left the binder on the desk for Ms. Tiffany to check over in the morning.
She would walk out to the living room where the twins were arguing over some show, Tiffany was watching them like a referee to make sure they didn’t get into a fight, and Tristan was the only one actually watching TV.
“Aha! Lenny, tell Ainsley that the Boston Hornets won the last game!” Andy said as he spotted her walking over, perking up in his seat.
“They did not!” Ainsley would scoff and cross her arms. “Lenny doesn’t even like the Boston Hornets!”
“...What sport are we talking about..?” Lenny would chuckle softly, making the twins give an annoyed groan as they sank into their seats in defeat.
“Latest from Sterling Robotics!-” The TV would start, making Lenny glance over curiously. Though she would look away after a moment and start speaking to Ms. Tiffany, “I made sure to record your show, they aired a surprise new episode last night.”
“Ah! Thanks, I totally forgot they were gonna do that.” Tiffany said, glancing up once she realized the twins were done fighting for now.
“It’s no problem, I figured you might have with the new chickens coming into the houses this week. Was it ten or eleven houses?”
“Thirteen. Logan’s got it on rotations; he knows the schedule. I just call the slaughterhouse when it’s time.”
“Ma! Don’t call it that!” Andy scoffed, “They are ‘meat processors.’” He said with a wide smirk.
“That’s just what she called it when we were babies so we wouldn’t cry, you dingbat.” Ainsley huffed.
“I still remember explaining to you three that we had both meat and egg chickens!” Tiffany chuckled, leaning back in her seat. “And then you forced me to let you keep some of the egg-layers in the yard.”
“They do make good eggs, though,” Lenny said, smiling. “And Layla likes the company.” She added, looking at the family dog, who was asleep with her head in Tristan’s lap. Lenny noted how…focused Tristan was on the TV but didn’t acknowledge it for now.
“Yeah! Layla likes the idea of eating them!” Andy chuckled, which received a scoff from Tiffany, who returned to her book.
“Layla is a good dog.” Lenny said, “Albeit, you’re onto something, Andy, but…she knows her yes and no’s.” She said as she sat down with them, crossing her legs at the ankle. “What’s so interesting on the tele, Tristy?” She asked, reaching over and petting Layla.
Tristan would make a face before glancing at Lenny, “Since when did Sterling make ‘refurbished’ nandroids?”
...
Lenny stared at the television that entire night, waiting for the commercial to replay. Hours upon hours of waiting. She hoped…she prayed that Tristan misheard the commercial.
Just as she was starting to find herself dozing off from boredom…
“Latest from Sterling Robotics-” She would snap to attention, anxiously gripping the fabric of her apron as she stared at the television. She stared so hard that it seemed that she was scared it would run away if she broke eye contact with it.
…
“Is it on? ”
“Oh, perfect! Just give me a thumbs up when you’re ready to start! ”
“Hi there! My name is Kitty, a Sterling-Certified Refurbished Nandroid. I am one of the first nandroids to be a part of Sterling’s new program designed for the refurbishment of nandroids resold to the company. Now you might be thinking, ‘why would a nandroid be sent back to Sterling?’ Not to fret, my dear viewer, some owners simply find they have no need for a nandroid after their child reaches a certain age of self-sufficiency. Or, if a nandroid’s owner realizes their environment is not safe for a nandroid, they can return her to Sterling for a partial refund, no questions asked.”
“My previous name was Annabeth, but due to my owner’s health, I was no longer able to care for him alongside his dog. So I was returned to Sterling to be refurbished and repaired to be like new for my new owners! With a new name, and soon to be a memory wipe, I’ll be as good as new!”
“Nandroids who undergo refurbishment often have different aspects of colors than the baseline nandroids you might be used to seeing. This is because it makes us easier to identify to law enforcement in case of an emergency dealing with previous owners trying to reclaim us. Not to worry, dear viewer, the different colors also help us become unrecognizable to our old owners, but it is simply a safety precaution as it also allows children who are under the charge of a baseline nandroid to recognize the difference between a childcare-certified Nandroid and a nandroid equipped for a customized job!”
Lenny felt a pit in her stomach as a blue-haired nandroid chatted to the camera like this wasn’t some awful prank. A refurbished nandroid…what on earth was Sterling thinking?
“Thanks for viewing a preview of one of our newest advancements at Sterling Robotics! As always, stay curious!” and with that, the screen cut to another commercial…
Customized nandroids…safety precaution for children…a memory wipe? A family no longer needing their nandroid…?