The Big O and all of its settings and characters are owned by Cartoon Network, Sunrise, and Bandai Visual.
THE BIG O Presents:
THE MEANING OF HEAVEN'S DAY
Forty years ago, the City lost its memory. Humanity was lost in darkness. No one could remember their friends, their loved ones or their own names. In the chaos that followed, the Paradigm Company emerged as the dominant power, as both God and State. The anniversary of the day they assumed custody of humanity is known as Heaven's Day.
"Why don't you like Heaven's Day Roger?" A slender teenage girl asked the man behind the desk. The petite teenager was dressed in a reddish black dress that had a white ruffled collar and formal white cuffs. A set of black stockings and shiny black shoes completed her ensemble. Her red pageboy haircut was immaculate, her bangs broken by a black barrette.
"I thought we went through this last year," Roger replied as he looked up from his book. Unlike the girl he wasn't a teenager, but appeared to be in his mid-twenties. His broad shoulders and trim waist indicated both strength and agility. His jet-black hair, strong jaw and high cheekbones on his boyish face made him the definition of 'tall, dark, and handsome'. He was clad in a black suit consisting of black double-breasted jacket, matching trousers, shoes and gloves. His shirt was crisp and white and his black tie was bisected by a gray stripe. "You know how I feel about Paradigm. What's the matter with you, Dorothy? I thought androids had better memories than that."
"You never made your reasons clear," the girl said in her calm quiet voice. "I don't see the connection between the Paradigm Corporation and Heaven's Day. They seem to have nothing to do with each other."
"What are you talking about?" Roger put down his book and gave the little android his full attention. "Heaven's Day has everything to do with Paradigm. It's an excuse to get consumers to spend more so the company can raise their profit margin before the fiscal year ends. The holiday commemorates the day they took over. For crying out loud, the whole 'giving to the people' thing is just to make sure the unwashed masses keep their hands out instead of making them into fists."
"What about the tradition where you give presents to the one you love?" Dorothy asked. Once again, Dorothy seemed to have gone out of her way to prove that she was a real girl and not just an unfeeling machine. Trust her to focus on the romantic angle. When a boy watches a movie he wants to know who could beat whom in a fight. When a girl watches a movie she wants to know about the characters' relationships.
"Romance is a great way to part fools from their money," Roger retorted as he leaned back in his easy chair. "I believe the expression is 'sex sells'."
"Sells what, Roger?"
"You name it," Roger shrugged. "Lots of advertisements are suggestive or have some racy flair that has nothing to do with the product. I wouldn't be surprised if a company tried to market a toilet cleaner with a low cut evening gown." Against his will, he imagined Dorothy cleaning the toilet wearing a slinky black dress. He was able to hide his shame but not his smirk at the hilarity of such an absurd image.
"What does the tree stand for?" Dorothy asked.
"What tree?" Roger wrenched himself away from the image of Dorothy's slender arms clad in opera gloves holding bottle of cleanser and a toilet brush.
"The Heaven's Day tree," Dorothy continued. "What does it symbolize? The donations represent charity and the gifts some kind of economic exchange. What does the tree stand for? It doesn't seem to fit."
"They probably threw that in just to assure us that there will always be wood to build houses out of," Roger guessed.
"What about the holly wreaths?" Dorothy asked.
"I don't know," Roger shrugged. "Their way of letting us know that there is still plant life, even in the middle of winter."
"Fruits and vegetables don't send that message?"
"Fruits and vegetables are perishable," Roger explained. "They don't make good decorations. Trees and holly last longer."
"Will we be getting a tree this year Roger?" asked the persistent android.
"Have a fire hazard in the house?" Roger shrugged. "Sure, why not? Everybody else is homeless these days, why not us too?"
"There's no need for sarcasm Roger," Dorothy said. "I was only making the suggestion in order to cheer things up around here. You've been depressed ever since we returned from Electric City."
"No I haven't," Roger gave a fake chortle.
"I see. So excessive drinking and making curt remarks is a sign of happiness then." Despite her artificial origin Dorothy was no slouch when it came to sarcasm.
"It's a pity you don't understand human emotions better," Roger sneered, but he suspected that Dorothy understood them perfectly well. "Do androids really have such a hard time comprehending a person's feelings?"
"I understand a person's feelings better than you do it seems," Dorothy replied.
"Really? I didn't know androids even have feelings like humans do," he smirked.
"I suppose you're right," the girl replied. "Human emotions are a mystery to me. They don't seem to make sense. I suppose I should be grateful that I don't have to feel them."
"What?" Roger raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? I was just joking back there. Trying to get a rise out of you. After all we've been through you mean to tell me that you really don't have emotions?"
"That's right," she said. "I don't have emotions and that makes me very sad."
Roger gave her a strange look before grunting and rolling his eyes.
"Based on your attitude, I assume you don't have any special plans for Heaven's Day," Dorothy said.
"I hadn't made any plans, why?" Roger asked.
"I would like to celebrate Heaven's Day this year," the girl quietly announced.
"What brought this on?" Roger asked with a mocking laugh. "Since when do you want to celebrate Heaven's Day?"
"Since I've never had one." Despite Dorothy's neutral tone, there was something sad about that matter-of-fact statement. "Last year we exchanged gifts during the disaster with the giant tree but that hardly qualifies. I would like a better Heaven's Day this year."
"Not gonna happen," Roger said. They glared at each other, but it was pointless for a human to get into a staring contest with an android. All she had to do was override the randomizer that governed her blinking and she could outstare a statue.
"You blinked," the redhead announced. "That means we're going out and getting a Heaven's Day tree this year."
"What?" Roger raised an eyebrow. "Since when?"
"Those are the rules," she said. "You chose to enter a staring contest to resolve the argument, and you blinked first. We buy a tree Roger Smith."
"I didn't… nuts," Roger muttered as he rose from his chair. "Okay. I'll agree to go get your stupid tree on one condition. I want to see your smile."
"My smile," she repeated.
"Yes," Roger nodded as he put his hands on his hips. "When you sang for your father at the Nightingale you had the most beautiful smile. I've never seen you smile since then. If I have to endure Heaven's Day, I want to know that it's worth it. If we go out and get a tree, I want to see you smile."
"You haven't given me a reason to smile," Dorothy countered. "If you wanted to see me smile so much, you could stop acting like a selfish louse and act like a gentleman once in a while."
"Excuses, excuses," Roger smirked. "You can't do it, can you? You can't smile at all can you? There's only a bunch of programs running in you, there's no heart or soul in there at all is there?"
"I could smile if I had a reason," Dorothy offered. "Perhaps a happy Heaven's Day will do."
"We'll see," Roger smirked. "Get your coat. I'll fulfill my part of the bargain if you can fulfill yours."
"Very well."
"Now who's the louse, Dorothy?"
"Do you even have to ask Roger Smith?"
Soon they were in a parking lot filled with evergreen trees that had been harvested to brighten up the holiday. A snowflake or two would float down from the sky every few minutes but it still wasn't really snowing. "We should have bought an artificial tree," Roger muttered. "Then I wouldn't be freezing my tail off out here."
"Just because I'm a manmade girl doesn't mean I want a manmade tree," Dorothy said. "If you're cold, you should wear a hat."
"And mess up my hair?" Roger shook his head. "I can tough it out for a little while. How about that one?" he pointed at a tree in front of them.
"It's asymmetrical," the girl said. "It won't do."
"They're all asymmetrical," Roger muttered. "They're natural trees. If you want a perfect tree you'll have to get one made of metal."
Dorothy turned to face him. "Do you consider replacements that are made of metal improvements on the living things they were based on?"
"What?" Roger blinked. "Back the truck up a sec. What are you talking about?"
"You said that a replacement that was made of metal was perfect," the girl explained. "Does that mean that you prefer metal versions over the living ones?"
"Well yeah," Roger shrugged as he blew on his gloved hands before putting them the pockets of his heavy overcoat. "The artificial version is perfectly symmetrical. It's always just perfect and it will be around to cheer up the house year after year…" His voice trailed away. "We're talking about trees, right?"
"Of course."
"Good. How about you Dorothy? Do you prefer the natural or the artificial?"
"I prefer the natural," the girl said without hesitation. "Even if it isn't perfect, each one is unique. There will never be another one exactly like it. No one can take credit for a natural one. Each one is a work of art. Some exquisite, some shoddy, but each one unique and to be treasured for the short time it is on this earth."
"We're talking about trees, right?"
"Of course Roger," she said without blinking. "What else would we be talking about?"
"I don't know," he muttered under his breath. "How about that one?" he pointed to a three foot tree. "It's cute and little. It should be easy to manage. It's nice and portable. We could put it on the table or on the piano if we wanted to."
"It's too small," Dorothy said. "That one is much taller," she said as she pointed out a tree that was over seven feet. "It's much more masculine, more appropriate for the home of Roger Smith."
"When I go out to buy a tree, I don't ask myself 'is it masculine?'" Roger sneered.
"When was the last time you bought a tree?" Dorothy asked.
"Good point," he grunted. "So you like a guy with a big tree?" he teased.
"You can't very well respect a man with a tiny tree," Dorothy replied. "Besides, I like this one. It radiates a power and a majesty that is appropriate for someone who pilots a megadeus."
"It also radiates a hefty price tag and is going to be a lot of trouble setting up and taking down," Roger countered.
"None the less, the tree suits you," Dorothy said. "It is powerful and masculine and has a sense of style."
"Instro has an artificial tree in his bar," Roger offered. "It's easy to set up and looks like the genuine article."
"Instro's tree is missing something," Dorothy said. "It lacks a virility and organic quality that your tree possesses."
"My tree?" Roger smiled at the little android while raising an eyebrow. "I haven't even bought it yet. We still talking about trees here?"
"Of course Roger, it's Heavenstime," Dorothy said without taking her eyes off the tree. "What else would we be talking about?"
"I have no idea," he chuckled as he gestured to the man selling the trees. "We'll take this one."
"I can't believe you talked me into this," Roger said while they drove home with the massive tree tied to the roof of their long black Cadillac. "Do you know how many ornaments it's going to take to cover this monstrosity? You'd make a good negotiator."
"I learned from the best," she said without taking her eyes off the road.
Roger was horrified when he got home. Standing in the hangar that housed the massive six story robot known as Big O was a tall gangly old man wearing an archaic tuxedo with a starched collar. The elderly fellow's sparse white hair didn't cover his balding pate, but he did sport a magnificent handlebar mustache. A black eyepatch covered his left eyesocket. It wasn't the presence of the old man that disturbed Roger when he got home though. It was the pile of boxes and packing crates that was stacked as high as the old man's eyeball.
"Norman?" Roger asked when he and Dorothy got out of the car. "What's all this?"
"The decorations that Miss Dorothy ordered have arrived Master Roger," the old man said in a surprisingly gentle voice. "It appears that this year we're ready to celebrate the holiday."
"Do we really need all this stuff?" Roger protested. He stopped and looked at the tree tied to his car. "Okay, I admit it's a really big tree, but surely we don't need this many decorations do we?"
"The extra decorations are for the rest of the house," Dorothy said.
"Well I hope you're not expecting me to pay anyone to put that stuff up," Roger grunted. "It's bad enough having to pay for that junk in the first place."
"Don't worry about it," Dorothy said. "I can put up the decorations after you go to bed. I don't have to sleep like you and Norman do. I only need an hour or so to cool off and reboot my systems."
"How much is this garbage going to set us back anyways?" Roger asked.
"Nothing we can't afford sir," Norman assured him. "Not to worry. We still have that check from the Paradigm Corporation."
"Thank God," Roger muttered. "Every time I tell them I won't take another job from them I'm proven wrong. Looks like this time won't be any different." With that he turned and trudged off to the elevator.
"Ho-ho-ho," Norman muttered. "Looks like Master Roger isn't feeling the Heaven's Day spirit this year."
"Does he feel it any year Norman?" Dorothy asked him.
"Generally no, but I was hoping with your presence things would be different now."
"I'm working on that," Dorothy said. "Let's set up the tree."
Roger ignored the seven foot tall tree in his upstairs parlor the best he could, but the next morning it was impossible to ignore all the Heaven's Day decorations that covered the interior of his home. Roger lived in a white skyscraper that used to be a bank building, and it had a lot of floors, and each floor had been decorated for the season. Wreaths of holly were on both sides most of the doors. Little metal angels decorated his shelves and counters. Ribbons of tinsel lined his walls. Statues of reindeer and elderly men in colorful and archaic winter gear were arranged in corners. Crystal snowflakes and silver bells hung from the walls. Strings of Heaven's Day lights adorned not only the tree, but also the windows and the edge of the wall surrounding the rooftop patio. All in all, Dorothy had converted Roger's somber and tasteful home into a garish tribute to Heaven's Day and all of its store-bought glory.
"Dorothy!" he barked as he surveyed the parlor while still in his pajamas. "R Dorothy Wayneright! Get in here!"
"Yes Roger?" Dorothy asked as she entered. In addition to her somber reddish black dress she had added a red felt conical hat with fluffy white trim.
"What have you done to my house?" he demanded. "It looks like a shopping mall!"
"I've decorated it for the holiday season," Dorothy said. "I've been at it all night."
"It looks horrible!" Roger grunted. "Take it down right now!"
"You really are such a louse Roger Smith," the girl said. "Are you really so heartless as to deny an orphan girl her Heaven's Day?"
"You know I think I am," Roger muttered as he looked around the parlor.
"Very well," Dorothy said. "If you really feel that way I'll take everything down and donate it to some needy families. After all, I'm only an android. It's not like I matter. I'm not a real girl so I don't need a real Heaven's Day. It's not like I have any feelings or hopes that you're crushing or anything. I'll just spend Heaven's Day like I spend every day: Wondering if I had feelings if I'd be able to cry…"
"That's an impressive guilt trip," Roger said. "You'd make a good mother."
"Yes, it's a pity that it's impossible for me to bear children," Dorothy said.
"I wish there was something I could do about that," Roger said with a gentle smile.
"It doesn't matter as long as you try," the girl replied quietly. "Are you really going to take away my Heaven's Day decorations, Roger Smith?"
"Not until I see the bill you racked up for this stuff," Roger sighed. "Then it all goes into the fireplace. Until then I guess it won't hurt to keep it up."
"Thank you Roger," Dorothy said. "I understand that it's a big sacrifice."
"You don't know how big," Roger grumbled as he walked out of the parlor.
At breakfast Dorothy made an announcement. "For Heaven's Day we should have a traditional turkey dinner."
"Um, why?" Roger asked. "It's not like you actually eat or anything. Why do you even care anyway?"
"Because it's the traditional meal for the holiday," Dorothy said. "I want us to celebrate Heaven's Day in the traditional manner. It doesn't matter if I don't actually eat anything. Would you sell my shoes if I lost my feet?"
"Fine," Roger sighed. "I'll get a turkey. We'll need something to eat that day anyway and it makes good leftovers."
"Good," Dorothy said. "It might be nice if you knew how to cook a turkey too."
"How come?"
"Because I think it would be nice if Norman got the day off," Dorothy announced. "He spends all of his time taking care of us and it would be a nice gesture if we could take care of him for one day. After all, he is family, isn't he Roger Smith?"
"What?" Roger sputtered.
"Why thank you Miss Dorothy," Norman smiled from where he was standing behind Roger's chair. "That's very thoughtful of you."
"It sure is," Roger muttered through grit teeth.
"Don't make such a big deal out of it Roger," the little android dryly scolded. "You're determined not to enjoy Heaven's Day anyway. I just thought it would be nice if Norman got to."
"That's very sweet of you Miss Dorothy," the old man said warmly.
"You're really taking over around here," Roger snorted at the android girl. "That smile better be so big that you can see it from Paradigm Headquarters! Why are you giving me things to do anyway? I thought you wanted to have fun."
"I am having fun," she said calmly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get my shopping done," she added as she rose from the table. "I should be home soon. I'll see you later."
"What the?" Roger sputtered. "Get back here!" he called as she left the room. "What's going on here?" he asked Norman after she had gone. "She's not even my girlfriend! Why am I giving in to her ridiculous demands?"
"Why indeed sir?" the old man asked innocently.
"It's not like I'm in love with her or anything," Roger insisted.
"Perish the thought sir," Norman assured him.
"I mean, just because she wants a Heaven's Day and I want to see her smile, that doesn't mean anything," Roger continued. "It's just a bet."
"And a very sporting one it is too," the old man nodded.
"I miss the days when I was in charge around here," Roger sighed. "Remember? In my own house, I was the lord of all I surveyed. It was great."
"Good times, sir," Norman nodded sympathetically.
"Now I have to make so many compromises that I might as well be married," the younger man grumbled.
"To Miss Dorothy?" Norman smiled brightly. "I'm sure she'll find that a capital idea, Master Roger!"
"Don't push it, Norman."
"Speaking of things Miss Dorothy will find capital sir, why do you suppose she's gone shopping?" the old man asked carefully.
"To buy some Heaven's Day pudding I guess," Roger shrugged.
"No, we've already bought that," Norman shook his head. "I was under the impression that she was going to buy a gift."
"But on Heaven's Day, you only buy presents for the one you love," Roger protested.
"That's what I've always understood sir," the old man nodded. "So who do you suppose she's planning to give a present to?"
The color drained out of Roger's face. "I don't suppose last year you told her it was my birthday?"
"I don't recall doing so sir," his butler replied.
"Last year she bought me a tie," Roger groaned.
"How very sweet sir," Norman sighed in a fatherly fashion. "It seems that Miss Dorothy has developed something of a crush on you."
"Now wait a minute!" Roger held up his hand. "Last year you told me it was her birthday! I'm not falling for that again."
"Did I sir?" Norman frowned in concentration. "I have no recollection of doing so but if you say so it must be true. But returning to our present dilemma, how do you think Miss Dorothy will feel if she gives you a present and you fail to reciprocate?"
"Norman, I'm not giving her a present just to spare her feelings," Roger growled.
"I didn't expect you to sir," the old man assured him. "I was merely speculating on our young ward's behavior, that's all."
"I'm going out," Roger sighed as he turned and left the room. "I really hate Heaven's Day."
It wasn't long before December 24th, Heaven's Day Eve reached the Smith household. Dorothy had hung oversized socks over the fireplace, despite Roger's insistence that there was no Santa Claus.
"They're just decorations Roger," the young android told him. "Although I think it would be a good idea for you put your name on one so that Santa will know which stocking to put the lump of coal in."
"Ha-ha," Roger muttered dryly.
"We should sing Heaven's Day hymns," Dorothy announced.
"Please Dorothy, I've heard enough of them already," Roger moaned as he sat on the couch. "Do you have to…?"
"It's tradition," Dorothy said as she turned and marched to the piano near the Heaven's Day tree. "Heaven's Day is a time to forget about rules and focus on traditions."
"I see you've made up your mind," Roger snorted as Norman served him some egg nog.
Dorothy sat behind the piano and started to sing as her fingers danced upon the keys. "Jingle Bells… Jingle Bells… Jingle all the way…"
"No!" Roger barked. "Anything but that!"
Without skipping a beat, Dorothy played a different tune. "Fro…sty the Snowman… was a very happy soul…"
"Spare me," Roger snorted.
Dorothy changed the tune again. "You better watch out. You better not cry. Better not pout. I'm telling you why…"
"God! No!" Roger howled.
Dorothy closed the cover on the keys and stared at Roger. "Roger Smith!" She raised her voice in an attempt to convey anger. "It is painfully obvious that you have allowed me a Heaven's Day only to sabotage it so that I will find it as unpleasant as you do. If you think that acting like a spoiled child will prevent me from asking for a Heaven's Day next year you are sadly mistaken."
"What are you talking about?" Roger protested. "I'm not…" he stopped and frowned in thought. "I guess you're right," he admitted sheepishly. "I didn't even realize I was doing it. I'm sorry if I'm not feeling the spirit Dorothy. I guess I just can't get into something that was created to celebrate the day Paradigm took over that's all."
"Heaven's Day is about more than the Paradigm Company Roger Smith," Dorothy announced.
"What?" Roger gasped. "You're kidding."
"I'm not," Dorothy said in a quieter voice. "I can't explain why, but I get the distinct feeling that the dead girl I was based on celebrated Heaven's Day too."
"How is that possible?" Roger asked. "Heaven's Day wasn't even invented back when she was alive."
"Perhaps Heaven's Day was celebrated before everybody lost their Memories," Dorothy suggested. "I can't explain why, but somehow I know that the original Dorothy Wayneright always liked this time of year. I was hoping I would too."
"I'm… sorry… Dorothy," Roger apologized grudgingly. "You can sing your hymns. I just wish there was a Heaven's Day song I haven't heard before."
Dorothy started playing a gentle tune. She started singing in a hauntingly beautiful voice. "A…ve… Maria… Gratia plena… Do…mineus tecum… Be..nedi…cta tu… In mulie…ribus. Et bene…dictus. Fructus ve…ntris tui, Jesu. San…cta Maria, Sancta Mari…a, Mari…a, Ora pro nobis… Nobis peccato…ribus. Nunc et in ho…ra, in hora mortis nostrae. Ah…men… Ah…men…"
When she finished, both Roger and Norman sat in awe for a minute before they applauded.
"Bravo Miss Dorothy!" Norman cheered. "That was enchanting!"
"That was lovely," an awestruck Roger agreed. "Where did you learn to sing that?"
"I don't know," she replied as she closed the cover over the keys. "I assume I know the song from that dead girl's Memories."
"Those words," Roger stammered, "what do they mean?"
"I don't know," the girl said as she rose from the piano to stand before the Heaven's Day tree. "I only know that they're in a language that hasn't been spoken since long before the original Dorothy Wayneright was born. I only know that the song honors the mother of someone who died to save the entire world."
"Did I hear the word 'domineus' in there?" Roger asked timidly.
"Yes," the girl replied. "So you see that Heaven's Day isn't something you can dismiss lightly Roger. Heaven's Day was celebrated before Paradigm took over and the holiday concerns you directly. I would respect the season a little more if I were you. The real purpose of Heaven's Day is to help us remember something important that we have forgotten. It's not about sales and presents and decorations as you seem to think it is. The Paradigm Company wishes to hide it with its crass commercialism, but the true meaning of Heaven's Day still exists underneath the ribbons and the holly and the bells. The true meaning of Heaven's Day is that before everyone lost their Memories someone died to save the world and that he had a mother who loved him very much. Just like we should all love each other very much. That's why the people of Paradigm give alms to the poor and give presents to the ones they love. It's so that one who died didn't die for nothing. We should all love each other, just as his mother loved him."
"Wow," Roger finally said after a stunned silence. "I can't remember you ever saying so much at one time. Put a lot of thought into this have you?"
"I suppose I remember what that dead girl knew because Heaven's Day was celebrated the same way before the event that took the world's Memories," Dorothy said. "The decorations and hymns were reminders." She walked behind the piano and opened the bench to pull out a long flat box covered in garish red paper and tied with a shiny gold ribbon. "This is for you Roger," she said as she walked back in front of the tree and held up the box. "Happy Heaven's Day."
"For me?" Roger asked as he rose from the couch. "You shouldn't have!" He took the package from her and looked at it. "Dorothy, you know what it means when you give someone a present don't you? Aside of giving to the poor, you only give a present to the one you love!"
"I guess there's no accounting for taste, is there Roger Smith?" she retorted.
Roger sighed before choking back a laugh. "Well I guess it's a special day after all Dorothy," he chuckled as he pulled a tiny box wrapped in green paper tied with a silver string out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he offered it to her. "My Heaven's Day gift to you."
"I don't want it if you're just giving it to me to reciprocate Roger," the girl warned him. "You should only give someone a Heaven's Day present if you mean it."
"Like you said, there's no accounting for taste," he winked.
"Thank you Roger," she said as she took it from his hand. "I shall cherish it."
"Why don't we open our presents right now?" Roger suggested.
"Yes, let's," she agreed.
They tore the paper off their gifts. Roger held a long flat box of thin white cardboard. The imprint of 'Blum's' the most expensive clothing store in the city was on the lid. When he opened the box he pulled out a black scarf made of thick silky cloth. "What's this?" he smiled.
"It's a scarf, Roger," the girl explained. "You refuse to wear a hat even when it's snowing. This will keep you warm and it's very stylish and goes with all your suits. I put a lot of thought into it." She held a tiny jewelry box in her hand. "I see you bought me jewelry."
"Go ahead, open it," he smiled.
Inside the jewelry box were two diamond earrings.
"Why Roger, they're beautiful," she said.
"What can I say?" Roger shrugged. "They're tiny and white and beautiful, as well as hard and unyielding. When I saw them I thought of you. I just had to get them."
"They're wonderful Roger, I can't wait to wear them," the girl said.
"Oh dear," Norman drawled lazily from where he was sitting on the couch. "Who could have hung that mistletoe up on that light fixture? It's directly above your heads. Dear me, how inappropriate."
"What the?" Roger glanced up to see the sprig of mistletoe above them. "With all the other decorations I didn't even notice! Did you hang that up Dorothy?"
"It wasn't me Roger," the girl said.
"Norman," Roger growled.
"Well tsk, tsk, I wonder how it got up there?" Norman said as he leaned back on the couch. "Dear me, how risqué. Are you planning to honor all the Heaven's Day traditions Miss Dorothy?"
"Yes, if Roger will," the girl said.
"Sure it's just a tradition after all," Roger blushed before he leaned in, gently held her face in his hands and gave her a kiss on the lips.
When they parted, it wasn't abrupt or forced. Dorothy knew exactly when he was pulling back, and released him as if they had rehearsed it.
Roger smiled down at the little android before gasping in surprise. "Dorothy! Are you smiling?"
Dorothy was looking up at him with an adorable smile on her innocent young face. "Of course Roger. For once you gave me a reason to."
"Happy Heaven's Day Dorothy."
"Happy Heaven's Day Roger."
MERRY XMAS