Mason awoke the next day ready for work. As he prepared for work he still was not sure if the previous day had been a dream. Had he gone on a date? One did not date a compandroid, but he was certain that he had been out on a date with Marina. It had been wholesome, innocent, and pure. They had hugged, he had waited to make certain that she got in the house safely and had then made his way home. The whole experience had been exhilarating and fun.

Mason noticed that he was under close scrutiny as he walked to his 2CV. The scent of mint brought back memories of the perfume that Marina wore. The neighbor’s mint garden was no substitute for Marina, but he appreciated the reminder. He was acutely aware of his neighbors as he climbed into his car. They no doubt expected the encounter with a seemingly perfectly replicated female to have caused him to change into the primordial cave dweller of lore. “Let them keep watching.” he thought as he backed the French car out of its space. With a quick shift of gears he was on his way. He was going to meet Teddy at the Cafe for coffee and from there they would commute in.

To his surprise, Mason found that the cafe was crowded. Thankfully Teddy had secured a table and soon after arrival Mason found himself seated and waiting to place his order.

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“I do not think that I have ever seen this place so busy.” he observed.

“I am told they have a new hire.” Teddy replied.

“People are this excited over a new hire?”

Before Teddy could answer Marina emerged from the kitchen in a waitress dress and apron. She carried a tray with coffee cups and breakfast pastries. She glided up to the table and placed the coffee and pastries on the table.

“Marina! I didn’t expect to see you here!” Mason stated happily.

“I learned that they needed help. I also helped the owner’s compandroid tweak the recipes. Please try them and tell me what you think.” she replied.

Mason picked the pastry up, bit into it, and found that it tasted radically different. Normally the “fresh baked” pastries tasted very bland and commercial. Now they tasted rich and almost home baked.

“This is really good.” he proclaimed.

“Thank you! The recipe only needed a little tweaking. It’s the personal touch that makes the difference.”

“I think it is the Marina touch that makes the difference.” Mason replied. Marina blushed.

“I did not know that compandroids could blush.” Teddy began. “If we get a steady diet of this kind of cooking the whole down will go deviant.” he added witch a chuckle after tasting the pastry.