Robobaby

By: Valarie Umar

"Honey," his wife called from upstairs.

"What is it?" he politely asked.

"Has the baby swing came in yet?"

The husband stood in thought. He had been so busy taking orders from his wife

since they had the baby, that he forget something as simple as checking the mail.

Then the doorbell rang.

"I'll go check now," he said.

He walked to the front door and there was a large mysterious box sitting on the

porch. Assuming it was the baby swing he brought it inside. The box was much

bigger than expected. He studied the box.

"I think the swing is here," he called to his wife.

She waltzed down the stairs with the curlers still in her hair.

"Well, open it," she said holding the baby in her arms.

The husband opened the box and suddenly a robotic baby swing hopped in

front of the couple and began to introduce itself.

"I am Robobaby."

The husband and wife looked at each other and then their baby began to cry.

"It's okay, it’s okay." the wife said, trying to calm the baby.

"Let me help, I am Robobaby, I take care of baby."

The wife stared at the robot and back at her baby.

"How can a robot baby, or whatever you are, help my baby stop crying," the wife

said.

Robobaby hopped over to her and insisted she set the baby on its swing. The

wife looked over at her husband and then put the baby inside Robobaby’s swing.

Robobaby began swinging the baby back and forth on the swing, popped a

pacifier in the baby's mouth and soon enough the baby was falling asleep.

"I put baby to sleep, I take care of baby," Robobaby chanted.

The husband and wife looked pleased then went upstairs for a much needed

nap. Robobaby was the best thing that could have happened to them, they

thought. Days and days went by and Robobaby had been taking care of

everything. It was changing diapers, making bottles, burping the baby, bathing

the baby, playing and hugging the baby, everything the two new parents were to

be doing. The wife had begun to feel sad, she missed holding and caring for her

baby and the husband knew it.

"I think it's time for us to take care of the baby, he said to her, Let's get rid of

Robobaby." The wife agreed and they went downstairs to face the robot.

"Good day, I take baby a bath now," it chanted, heading towards the bathroom.

"No, wait...we will take our baby a bath... we no longer need you," the wife

replied.

She reached over to retrieve the baby from the robots swing.

"I am Robobaby, I take care of baby," it said.

"We want our baby back," the husband demanded.

He grabbed the baby from the swing and it began to cry.

"Baby is crying, I will help baby," Robobaby continued.

As the husband tried to calm the baby, Robobaby was in the background

insisting to take care of the baby. The wife suddenly began to sing a lullaby she

sang to the baby when she'd put it to sleep. As the husband rocked the baby in

his arms the wife sang. Then at that moment, the couple discovered that

together they were amazing parents and the only thing they needed Robobaby

for was to show them that.

"Robobaby is no longer needed, parents have learned to love and care for baby,"

the robot said, in a loud robotic voice and then it transformed into a lifeless,

basic swing.

The husband and wife looked confused for a moment and then they looked at

each other and couldn't help but smile.