Page 10 of Chaos Theory

TEN

I’m the one who suggests we go to Phelan’s, the usual haunt for after-work drinks.

I struggled to pick an appropriate venue for an unexpected meeting about a difficult robot with a good-looking, somewhat mysterious engineer.

A restaurant would be way too date-like, and most cafés close frustratingly early for a city that’s supposedly cosmopolitan.

It’s drink or die in this town, as Shane says.

Once Josh ran a few tests on Kobi, he was very eager for us to talk freely, but not on company property.

Maybe he didn’t want to risk being overheard by Kobi, who seems to have supersonic auditory abilities.

So I find myself leading Josh to the local pub almost on autopilot, as if my footsteps were pre-programmed.

‘Do you come here often?’ Josh asks with a smile, holding the door open for me. We enter the bar to the soft hum of sober chitchat, its cadence pleasingly muted by the red velvet banquette seats and the occasional red velvet curtain.

A photo taken on a night out here circulated around the office recently.

Me and Shane seated very close together, our upper bodies discreetly hidden by one of these red drapes, only our legs visible.

Of course I knew my hope of keeping our dalliance a secret was na?ve, but at least most people have refrained from openly asking questions about it, allowing us all to continue in the shared pretence that it isn’t really happening.

‘Only every Thursday,’ I reply now cheerfully, ‘with the work crowd. Spent many a long night in here and suffered the consequence the next morning.’

‘Why not go drinking on Fridays instead?’

‘Thursdays are for work friends. Fridays are for real friends. And for dates.’ I don’t know why I added that last bit.

There must be a disconnect between my mind and my body.

I’m too used to coming here to relax and have the craic.

Josh is not my new work colleague, up for some flirty banter , I remind myself.

It’s Kobi who’s my new colleague , I think with a twinge of disappointment.

‘I love how the Irish don’t let work get in the way of their drinking,’ says Josh.

On second thoughts, maybe he is up for some banter .

I lead him to the high wooden bar, polished to a dull sheen by generations of elbows seeking support.

‘I’m kidding, of course. Now, what can I get you from this fine establishment? ’

I nod at the barman. I don’t know his name, but I know him well enough to feel like I owe him an explanation for being here unexpectedly on a Tuesday evening, and with this stranger in tow.

Maybe he thinks I’m on a date. A low-effort date, because I’m wearing my usual office garb of dark jeans, a plain top with a scoop neck and a casual suit jacket.

He probably thinks Josh is out of my league – tall, handsome, clothes that look like they were selected with care.

Josh makes an executive decision and sits on one of the upholstered high-back chairs at the bar.

I follow suit. By now I’ve figured out how to climb into one of these chairs in one smooth movement – not an easy feat for someone only five foot two.

I wonder if the barman remembers the time I hit my chin on the bar when I tried to jump down gracefully in a hurry.

Shane nearly spilled his drink laughing.

Although he did offer me the ice from his Jameson and ginger – a kind gesture.

‘Jameson and ginger, please.’ I regret the words even as I hear them. Whiskey before 7pm? And on an empty stomach? Unless ginger ale counts as food. ‘I hope I’m not reinforcing all those Irish stereotypes you Americans seem to believe.’

‘Jameson and ginger sounds good to me.’ He seems very relaxed. Like a friendly golden retriever. I notice that he’s not in a rush to talk about Kobi. And neither am I.

‘Can I ask how you ended up here?’ I gesture vaguely at our surroundings. ‘I mean, in Ireland?’ I want to ask many more questions but instead take a sip of my drink, which has appeared in front of me miraculously quickly.

‘Sure.’ He takes a gulp from his own squat tumbler and exhales.

His hands look large and capable. ‘If you want the short version, I grew up in Portland, Oregon, got a scholarship to MIT, went to Silicon Valley, where I worked for a few tech companies. Met Ron Tron at a conference, met an Irish woman at the same conference, moved to Dublin. Ron put me on the Kobi project when I arrived.’

I feel myself deflate just a little at the words ‘Irish woman’. But why should I care? I suspect that my mind is reaching out for anything that could provide a handy distraction from the current major stressor in my life: The Kobi Project.

‘And when was that?’

‘About three years ago.’ Another slug of whiskey. ‘Man, that tastes good.’

I get the sense that he’s holding back. Time for a little McGettigan probing . ‘So, things are going well then?’

He smiles into his glass. ‘Yes.’ The smile fades. ‘Actually, no. Well…let’s just say things are not exactly on the trajectory where I thought they’d be by now. I’m a little bit behind schedule.’

‘Schedule? You mean work-wise?’

‘Not just work. Life, too. You know the way you have a life schedule, a plan for how your life is going to go?’

Just like I suspected, Josh is a grown-up. A man with a plan, literally. ‘Er…kind of? ’

He laughs. ‘I forget not everyone does this. My ex was always telling me I overplan.’

‘Your ex? The Irish woman you met at the conference?’ My mind races to download and process this new information. ‘I’m…sorry?’ But I’m vaguely aware that some small part of me has perked up.

‘It’s fine. I’m sorry – TMI, am I right? Must be the whiskey talking.’

I look down at Josh’s glass. It appears to be empty already. The Irish aren’t the only ones who like a drink.

‘I’m gonna switch to Guinness,’ he says. ‘Want one?’

‘Sure.’ Fair enough, we do like a drink.

‘So,’ he says after he’s ordered. ‘Let’s talk about Kobi.’

I deflate again. I don’t look at him, but I decide to be honest. ‘I can’t pretend the last two days have been easy.’ Honest but understated.

‘I know. And I appreciate it. We appreciate it.’

I glance sideways up at him. ‘We? You and Kobi?’

‘I meant me and Ron, and everyone at RoboTron.’

‘Are you sure – is Ron sure – that this is really a good idea? You must know that I really don’t know what I’m doing. In spite of whatever JP has said.’

He speaks softly. ‘Ron thinks this is a good idea. He doesn’t always let me in on his rationale, but he seems to have an understanding with JP, and both of them want to make this work.’

I stare at the Guinness settling beside the beer taps. I like that it can’t be hurried. A phrase surfaces in my mind. ‘Arigata-meiwaku,’ I say.

‘Excuse me?’ says Josh. ‘Is that Irish?’

I half laugh. ‘Japanese. I had a friend in college who was obsessed with all things Japanese. She was always saying this phrase. She was fascinated by it. It means the feeling you get when you have to act grateful because someone did you a favour, even though you didn’t ask them to do you that favour, and in fact the favour has caused you a lot of trouble. ’

Josh laughs gently. We both watch as the barman fills up the rest of the pint glasses and places our drinks in front of us.

‘I’ll drink to that,’ says Josh.

I clink my glass against his. I’m remembering a classic television ad for Guinness that featured a man surfing through rolling waves.

I steal a glance at Josh, notice his mouth as he licks the cream from his upper lip.

It’s a wide mouth, to accommodate all those glossy white-paint teeth.

He still looks more like a surf instructor than an engineer.

Things don’t always seem how they really are , I tell myself.

Maybe Josh has somehow also seen this ad, because the next thing he says is, ‘Robots like Kobi…AI…it’s a tide that’s coming in, Maeve.

At first it comes in little ripples across the sand.

Makes little indentations. No big deal. But eventually those ripples become waves, and the waves get stronger.

They get so strong that they wash away everything in their path.

So my question to you is – do you want to get washed away, or do you want to surf the wave? ’

I picture him up on a surfboard, holding a pint, not spilling a drop.

I turn towards him in my chair. ‘Honestly, right now I feel like I’m drowning.’

He turns to face me. ‘Well, then let me teach you to swim.’

I laugh nervously, trying not to picture both of us on the beach, laughing in the surf. No, Maeve, it would not be sunny , I tell myself sternly, remembering the reality of Irish beaches. You’d both be freezing.

‘AI is coming for every industry,’ he says. ‘It’s already coming for manufacturing. For farming. For healthcare. The big stuff. The important stuff. AI is right now fighting cancer, saving the lives of pregnant women, figuring out new materials to combat climate change…’

He runs his fingers through his hair. Josh’s intensity is kind of energising.

I almost feel it vibrating from him – the passion, the interest. I sometimes get like this too.

True, my interests tend to wax and wane, but that’s just because I haven’t found the exact right thing yet.

Josh sounds like he’s found the exact right thing.

Still, I try not to get swept away. I’m already a strong swimmer. I can push back a little. I think about Jen. ‘Saving the lives of pregnant women? If anything, Kobi is doing the opposite – increasing everyone’s blood pressure. All he’s done so far is make our lives worse. Sorry to be so blunt.’

He holds up his hands. ‘Fair enough, what you’ve seen so far is not exactly game-changing. But you haven’t seen what I’ve seen. And I’m sorry Kobi went a bit rogue. He’s only improvising because he’s not in his natural environment right now. He’s out of his comfort zone.’

‘He’s not the only one,’ I say.

‘Okay, let me ask you another question. Where do you see yourself in the future?’

I squirm in my chair, consider all the sarcastic, noncommittal answers I would give if it were Shane asking me. On a tropical island sipping rum punch. Or: Far away from you, anyway.

But Josh’s question is sincere. He definitely has a five-year plan, maybe even a ten-year one. His whole life mapped out. Do I want that? I have to admit I’m getting tired of the not knowings, the starting overs, the endless beginnings…

‘I don’t know,’ I answer honestly. ‘Somewhere…exciting, but not volatile, you know? A little bit stable, but also different and interesting.’

His voice gets louder. ‘Then welcome to the world of robots!’ He throws his arms out, missing his pint glass by inches.

‘A whole new world is opening up before you. I don’t think you realise what a head start you’re getting in the industry.

Most people your age wouldn’t get anywhere near a robot of Kobi’s calibre.

They’d be messing around with rotating arms for years.

But if you can work with Kobi, and help him get better, you can walk into any job in robotics you like. ’

Josh is like the tide. Strong, powerful, hard to resist. ‘But I don’t know anything about robots,’ I say weakly. Plus, I’m not sure I even like Kobi, let alone want to devote my life to him.

‘Ah. That’s why we have the fast track, Maeve. That’s why I’m enrolling you in an MIT e-learning course. Introduction to Robot Relationship Management. I wrote some of the course material so I’ll be able to get you in, no problem.’

I do like a good course, it has to be said, but this is all happening very fast. ‘Wait. You said a few minutes ago that things were not on the trajectory you expected. What did you mean by that?’

‘Ah, just that Kobi had a bit of a setback a few weeks ago. He’s fine, but he’s still a work in progress. But he has so much potential. And, if I’m not overstepping to say so – so do you.’