Maddie had insisted, else she wouldn't have been anywhere near the dangerous substance. But how could she deny her daughter? Especially when she had already missed out on so much.
She stared at the water with apprehension and dread, cringing at the thought of getting anywhere near it, but she had promised. Maddie was bouncing excitedly beside her as the tub filled, unable to believe that her mother was to be the one supervising her for once. Her father had never been comfortable with the task, always awkward and blushing and never able to partake in her imaginative adventures. Digit at least played with her, but even that couldn't compare to her mother. Her excitement masked her observance of the woman's fear, and it was only when she was happily splashing around in the water that she sensed the tension in the room.
Motherboard was torn between bliss and fear as she watched the child playing in the water. She kept her distance from the tub, choosing to lean against the sink on the far side of the room, but found herself curious as to what the water felt like. Was it cool, or soft? What was wet anyway? But her fear kept her away, her knowledge of electricity and computer parts making her wary.
"Mommy?" Maddie called, grabbing her attention. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, sweetheart, I'm just thinking," she replied, trying to hide her fear.
"Then will you play with me?"
"O-of course," she stuttered, anxiety going up another notch. She stiffly moved beside the tub, lowering herself to the floor and sitting ramrod straight, the tension collecting in her back. "What game were you thinking of?"
"Mermaids and sharks!"
"What?"
Maddie rolled her eyes, picking up one of her dolls.
"Molly is the mermaid and she's swimming with her friends. Chester is the shark," she held up a small rubber shark," and he's hungry so he chases her around. You're Chester."
She held out the toy expectantly, and Motherboard desperately tried to ignore the trembling in her fingers as she accepted it. Maddie dove into the game, dunking her doll under the water and spinning her around. Her mother held the little shark by its fin with two fingers, gently bobbing it along the surface of the water, cringing back anytime the little girl created waves.
"Moooooommmmmy," Maddie whined after a few minutes, "you're not doing it right. He's supposed to chase her under the water!"
She grabbed her mother's hand, forcefully shoving it under the surface, oblivious to her terror. Motherboard waited for the painful electrical shock, the feeling of her hand refusing to respond to her will and the glitching of her system, but it never came. Instead, she was surprised to find that the water did absolutely no damage, and that she could feel it against her synthetic skin. It was pleasantly warm, liquid in a way she'd never known before, and thinner than the cryoxide that cooled her processors. She wasn't entirely sure if she liked it, but she was definitely fascinated by it.
Grinning now that she knew she wasn't in danger, she happily complied to her daughter's rules, leaning over and getting into the game, which quickly progressed from a simple imaginative chase to violent splashing. Waves of water rolled across the tub, splashing against the walls and flowing over the sides. The floor was drenched, as well as the two occupants of the room. Maddie was laughing, hair plastered down her back, and Motherboard had never felt quite so happy as to be less than presentable. The game ended when she fully leaned into the tub and grabbed the child, tickling her mercilessly. Squeals of laughter echoed off the walls, the happiness in the room almost tangible.
"Okay, okay, I think that's enough for now," Motherboard chuckled, lifting her out of the water.
She wrapped her in a towel, noticing how the little blonde hadn't stopped smiling.
"I love you, Mommy," Maddie said happily, beaming up at the woman.
"I love you, too, baby," she responded, brushing back some of the child's wet hair.
Sitting on the floor, soaked and nearly breathless, she knew that this was what she had been missing in her life.
