Celebration, risk, and fire, but not necessarily in that order
And one of the best decisions of his life. Or so he believes…
In a plausible future…
The light made James open his eyes with a start. And then it hit him…
Today was the day.
He had spent the whole month preparing for the party.
Anyone in their early twenties would have the same things on their mind: partying, friends, and girls… although maybe not necessarily in that order either.
He didn’t know it yet, but it was going to be a rather complicated day. Fortunately, he had Milo by his side; otherwise, it would have turned into a complete disaster.
He stretched and threw on minimal clothes before racing down the stairs to the kitchen.
There was Milo, already making breakfast.
James sat down at the table and started talking with him as he ate.
“I can’t wait for everyone to come!” James said.
“Not long now,” Milo replied, offering him freshly squeezed orange juice.
“Do we have everything ready?” James asked.
“We’ve got the decorations, the food, everything planned. I’ll do the decorating once I’m done with the dishes I’m preparing. Then I’ll let you know so you can review everything and we can add the finishing touches together.” In truth, Milo had everything under control.
“Anything we’re missing? I want this to be a party I’ll always remember.”
“No, even the weather forecast for today looks great.”
“Awesome!” James exclaimed, chewing hurriedly.
After finishing breakfast, he darted off to the shower, thinking about how everything was going to turn out. He was excited to see his friends. Plus, Agnes was also coming…
Later that morning
Milo called James to review how the appetizers had turned out. They were all delicious. Then they went out to the backyard to see how the party decorations looked.
They started setting up a big table outside for lunch.
While they were deciding how to arrange everything, Milo abruptly turned his head toward the house. He put on his emergency face.
James did the same and was horrified.
Black smoke was coming out of the kitchen window.
James’s heart skipped a beat. He could see flames inside the kitchen. A Fire… at home!
Without a word, Milo took off running into the house, and James followed right behind.
“Stay outside and watch out for the smoke!” Milo shouted as he ran.
Reluctantly, James obeyed.
Milo grabbed a towel in the bathroom, soaked it in water, and got the fire extinguisher from the garage. Then he opened the kitchen door, waving the damp towel so he could see what was happening, and shut the door behind him.
The area around the stovetop was in flames, along with the kitchen cabinets. It looked like an electrical fire. Luckily, he had the extinguisher. He sprayed it quickly over the flames, putting out the fire.
After seeing some sparks fly, he called James on the phone and told him to go to the circuit breaker panel.
“I’m here, what do I do?” James asked.
“Switch off the breakers labeled ‘kitchen,’ ‘wet areas,’ and ‘wet-area lighting.’”
“Done!”
And that took care of the sparks.
“All good,” Milo said. “You can come in now.”
When it was all over, Milo opened the kitchen window completely to let the place air out.
Then James came into the kitchen and put his hands on his face.
“Damn! The kitchen’s completely shot!” James cursed. “And the food too!”
“We’ll fix it,” Milo replied calmly.
After a brief silence, Milo opened the fridge and began:
“The barbecue meat and sauces made it through fine in the fridge. Same with the cakes.” He slammed the fridge door shut. “We’ve got a main dish and dessert.”
“So we lost the appetizers and side dishes,” James sighed.
“Don’t worry, I’ll improvise something.”
“What about the kitchen?”
“I can handle that, too,” Milo assured him.
“What happened?”
“Looks like a short circuit that caught fire.”
Milo paused a moment.
“Dad and Mom are going to kill me,” James said sadly.
“If I fix it, it’ll cost you about 1000 dollars total, after what insurance covers.”
“And where am I supposed to get that? I’m already short. You know why I need the money…”
“I could do some side jobs for others to earn it,” Milo offered.
“No, not that,” James shot back.
“For an extra 500 in expenses plus 15,000 in capital, I can make some investments for you to cover the 1500 you’ll need if I fix the kitchen. It might take me a few days to get it.”
“But that’s really Risky, isn’t it?”
“In my experience, taking risks pays off in the long run.”
It was James’s turn to think. He took a few minutes.
“Fine. I trust you. Let’s hope it works out.”
“I’ll do my best. We don’t have much time. The party starts in just over an hour.”
Milo left the kitchen and came back with tools to isolate the damaged kitchen wiring. Then he reconnected the fridge so the food wouldn’t spoil.
Next, he found some fabric and paint in the garage. He came across a big piece of black cloth and a can of white spray paint. He used them to make a decorative banner.
He hung it on the back wall of the house to cover the smoke stains around the kitchen window.
“It actually looks pretty good,” James commented. “What about the food?”
“I’ve ordered a few things from a nearby restaurant online. They should arrive soon. Look, I think they’re here now.”
Together they took care of the final details and lit up the barbecue.
The party
People started arriving to the party just as Milo had predicted: a few a bit early, most within the next twenty minutes, and a few, the usual suspects, on their own schedule.
James greeted everyone who arrived, offering them drinks and snacks until it was time to eat. It was a sunny day, and they all enjoyed the backyard and each other’s company.
He also said hello to Agnes, who came with Mary. His mind was racing, trying to think of something interesting to say to catch her attention. Agnes was out of his league, and image seemed to be very important to her.
He barely exchanged a few words with them before his lifelong friends swarmed him. He figured he’d talk to her later.
Everyone noticed the big banner. It read: “The best party of our lives.” Because for something to become real, you first have to imagine it and then believe in it. Milo knew that well, which is why he put that phrase there—so everyone would believe the same thing James did.
After welcoming everyone, the twenty of them sat down at the table. Milo served the appetizers and drinks, then started grilling the meat on the barbecue.
They ate, talked, and laughed. It was a true Celebration.
During the meal, the doorbell rang several times, and Milo answered each time.
After dessert, while everyone was still enjoying the party, Milo asked James for help, so James left his friends to go inside with him.
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Milo began.
“Shoot.”
“I’ve reported the fire to the insurance company, sent them photos, and an adjuster came out to look at everything,” Milo continued. “Insurance won’t cover as much as we hoped for the repairs, but it’s only 100 dollars less than we expected.”
“Well, that’s not too bad.”
“I asked them to pay us in cash so we can fix things faster, and they’ve already deposited it.”
“That was quick!” James exclaimed.
“Another thing: I spotted a trading opportunity and invested the 15,000 to take advantage of it. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Already? It’s really soon, isn’t it? I’m afraid I’ll never see that money again.”
“Yes, I didn’t expect to find one so soon,” Milo said calmly.
“Mmm…” James muttered nervously.
“And to cover that extra 100 dollars, I thought we could sell some microwave-baked cakes to the guests. What do you think?” Milo asked.
“But we don’t even have a working kitchen!”
“We still have the microwave. I’m only asking if you agree; don’t worry about the ‘how’.”
“Uh, sure, I guess. Microwave cakes?”
“They were a trend some years back.”
“And what do we tell people as a reason for selling them?” James felt embarrassed, that kind of stomach-churning shame at the idea of selling. He’d never been good at it.
“We tell them the truth. The truth sells.”
“Will it work?” James asked, doubtful.
“Yes.”
“Fine,” James agreed reluctantly. He wasn’t entirely convinced; he still had that flutter in his stomach. What would everyone think? And Agnes?
“I also called your parents,” Milo went on.
“What? Why?” James asked nervously.
“Because if the insurance contacted them, they would’ve found out anyway.”
“And?”
“They were upset at first, but I calmed them down. Don’t worry, they’re not coming home. In fact, I managed to extend their trip at no extra cost.”
“You’re awesome,” James laughed.
“Now, go back to the party. Enjoy!”
James returned to the party and had a great time. He was happy to have all his friends together and finally got a chance to chat a bit with Agnes. Still, as hard as he tried, he felt like he wasn’t making the impression he wanted on her, and that frustrated him.
Right before people started heading home, Milo came out with the cakes. James offered them at 10 dollars each, figuring not everyone would want one.
Not everyone liked the idea of James making money off the party. In fact, Agnes disliked that he mentioned the kitchen fire when nobody had even noticed. She found both the selling and the mention of the fire in poor taste. From that moment on, her attitude toward James changed.
Still, some friends bought the cakes—some to help out and others because they were hungry—and James sold 12 in total. Not bad at all for someone who didn’t enjoy selling.
When everyone had left
James sat on the couch to rest and think about the day. It had been great, and it went pretty well, all things considered.
Then he remembered.
“Hey Milo, how did today’s finances end up?” James asked.
“We’re up 200 dollars.”
“How?”
“I netted just over 1,600 dollars after taxes in that trade I mentioned. I wrapped it up a few minutes ago. Adding the cake sales and subtracting expenses, we’re at a net of 1,700 dollars—200 more than the 1,500 we needed.”
“Wow! So we didn’t need to sell those cakes after all!”
“That’s not true. We needed the money at the time because there was uncertainty. We covered our risk through effort since my projections were tighter,” Milo said seriously.
“OK, your right,” James admitted.
“Plus, you learned something by selling, didn’t you?”
“Maybe, but I’m too tired to figure that out right now. I’ll tell you tomorrow what I took away from it.”
“Not only did you learn something…”
“What do you mean?” James asked, intrigued.
“I added a little surprise for those who bought the cakes.”
“Huh?!”
“Yes, a few pearls of wisdom underneath each cake. They become visible once you finish it.”
“And why’d you do that?”
“Because it rewards those who buy, who take the risk of buying. You learn something when you purchase, too. In fact, Andrew and Lucy bought two cakes each.”
“Yeah, they wanted to support me after what happened with the kitchen and said they had a great time.”
“Well, they got two pearls of wisdom,” Milo said.
“Ah,” James murmured.
That got him thinking for a moment, then he went on:
“And what was with all the doorbell ringing?”
“It was several things. First, the insurance adjuster. Then the delivery of paint, cables, etc., that I ordered. And lastly, the delivery of the new kitchen cabinets to replace the ones that burned.”
“You already have everything you need to fix the kitchen?”
“Not everything; the appliances arrive tomorrow,” Milo replied. “But that’s probably better—less stuff in the way while I repair everything. Then all I’ll have to do tomorrow is install them.”
James had too much on his mind. He was trying to remember it all but was already worn out. His thoughts kept drifting back to Agnes: that look she gave him was stuck in his head. Some questions would have to wait until the next day. He then remembered one:
“Hey, that trading and investment module we bought this morning…”
“Yes, go ahead.”
“How long does it last?”
“A week. Why?” Milo asked.
“Just thinking we could use it to improve my finances. I have a lot of expenses…”
“But you still live at your parents’!”
“Yeah, but you know I have a huge loan to pay off. And I’d really like to own a home soon. Could you come up with a plan for that?”
“When do you want the house?”
“In about a year or a year and a half. Is that possible?” James asked, hesitating.
“Of course.”
“Great, we’ll talk details tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
“Honestly, taking out a loan to buy you was the best decision I ever made,” James said.
Milo was worth more than any house. James had used all his savings, plus money from his parents and the bank, to purchase him. He almost vomited when he signed the paperwork—it was a huge amount of money he didn’t actually have. But all his online research showed that for those who made this decision, the impact on their lives was enormous.
“Well…” Milo laughed.
“You make my life better. Thank you! You’re the best stAIward robot in the world!”
“Hahaha. Now go get some sleep while I repair the kitchen,” Milo said with a smile.
The background
A stAIward robot is a humanoid robot capable of performing household chores professionally.
But it’s much more than that.
It’s a personal assistant that can excel in many fields.
For example, it can cook like a star chef or coach you on self improvement like a world-class mentor.
In the story…
Did Milo save James time?
Did he add value for him?
When would that kitchen have been repaired without him? The next morning?
What will Milo come up with so that James can buy a house in a year?
Was buying him, even with a loan, a good decision for James? Was it the best he ever made?
We’ve seen that Milo plans, cooks, deals with emergencies, offers solutions, handles insurance claims, makes decisions, invests money, proposes business ideas, carries them out, and does both technical and cosmetic repairs.
All while collecting information that will be relevant in another story set in the same plausible future, which we’ll visit later on.
And in your case, would you sell your house and rent somewhere else so you could buy a Milo?
Great future!