
Rollo
Rollo, as I’ve named “him”, arrived yesterday.
I remember thinking: “I hate vacuuming, and now I have a robot to perform that icky task for me!”
It’s even internet enabled, so I can use my smart phone to have it vacuum when I’m at work.
I remember thinking: “Brilliant!”
I read the instructions, and charged his battery overnight as the manual recommended.
The next day I fired it up and he dutifully bonked into things as he learned the room.
The next day I vacuumed again, thinking: “The more I use him, the quicker he’ll learn the shape of my house.”
This was when I named him.
I saw him rolling along sucking up dust, debris, and dog hair, and the name “Rollo” just sort of came to me.
It fit.
At first, it was great. It vacuumed
the house while I slept…Kept the house clean…All that…Great, right?
Then, I discovered that a bank
statement I’d been checking was missing. I vaguely recall dropping it on the
floor, then the phone rang…I forgot about it.
Soon after, money began disappearing from my bank account…At first it was
just a little bit. I almost didn’t notice. Then money began disappearing from
my account a bit faster. Before I realized it there
were hundreds of dollars missing…
I
put a hold on my account. The bank swore that I’d taken the money out myself!
But,
I did no such thing!
After
a few more days, a package arrived at the house…
It
was a second robotic vacuum cleaner!
And,
it was then that I figured out that the vacuum had used its internet connection
to order another; a second robo vac.
From then on, the first one, Rollo sat in the corner all day, while the new one buzzed around the house…vacuuming…and I’d swear that the first one…”Rollo” looked charged and…happy. I didn’t name the second one.
…And I watched him very carefully.
