I’m burning up! I’m sweating. The guilt I’m feeling over Doña passively fulfilling a request I didn’t exactly make is overwhelming. This feels like a breach of privacy. That said, I am curious as to what’s in those messages. I nervously fidget while Doña Pantalla makes her way to the phone and starts the message playback.
beep “First message,” the handsome voice declares.
“YOU’VE SOILED ME!!” a shrill, excited voice says. “AHHH HHAHHAHHAHAHAHAAAHHAAAA!!!” click
beep “Second message.”
“Waaaterrrrr would be niiiice,” a dry, gentlemanly voice says. click
beep “Third message.”
“Oh, I can’t wait to hear your singing voice again,” I hear a sultry voice say. “Come and see me again tonight, hm?” click
beep “End of messages.”
“...Your garden speaks to you!?” I say excitedly.
“Haha, you catch on quick,” Doña Pantalla laughs.
“That sounds pretty useful. Most of the time, anyway,” I muse out loud.
“Now, what would you say if I said that it bothered me, and I want to use my phone again in a more normal fashion?” Doña Pantalla asks. She looks at me directly, her smile less pronounced but nevertheless still there. She sees my face fall in disappointment and confusion, shuffles back to her seat, and gives me her full attention while I figure out how to answer.
So it is a test. It’s a little difficult to tell how serious she is about this. What a gift this is. Why would you want to throw such a beautiful gift away?
“What is it about the situation that bothers you? Are you the one that takes care of the garden?” I ask.
“It’s just kind of noisy and time consuming, you know?” Doña Pantalla casually sips some of her coffee, crosses her legs, and looks back at the phone. ”It’s not as hepful as you’d think. It’s like if I suddenly learned how to listen to birds, and I just hear their inane talking all day.”
Hm, yeah. I guess it’s novel for me, but if I’m busy enough it’s not terribly helpful except for being amusing, assuming I have plenty of my own company to deal with. Still, those plants have gone through the trouble to reach out to her. I’d hate for them to lose that connection. I mean, they can still speak the way they normally do non-verbally, but I wonder if there’s a way I can preserve the richness of this relationship in a way she can appreciate...oh!
“Yes, I can see why that would be a problem,” I start. “What do you think of connecting the vine to a grid of lights and hanging it up on the wall? If we make sure each light can support multiple colors, you can learn over time what the colors mean, and which plants use which lights. You’ll be able hear from all of your plants easier, quicker, and quieter. Even if that doesn’t work for you, you’ll still have a decorative piece for your home that can be an interesting talking point for guests. There’s a hardware store not far from where I live. I could try rigging something up for you and see what you think,” I propose.
“Oh? That’s an idea,” Doña Pantalla responds, somewhat dismissively. She gives me a sly smile. “Why not just swap out the cord? That seems easier.”
I lean forward in my seat. “You have such a beautiful garden, though. I don’t know how the vine got connected to the phone in the first place, but the fact that they communicate with you shows to me the bond that you’ve built with them. Gardening is hard work, after all. The lights give them another way to express themselves. A way to show appreciation or ask for attention. Besides, since they’re lights you can just unplug it whenever it’s too much, and the connection doesn’t get severed.” Regardless of whether this is a test or not, I really do want this garden to continue to be heard.
“Hm, that’s true,” she agrees. Doña Pantalla drops her laid back posture in favor of the more confident one she introduced herself with. “I like your solution. It’s creative, solves the problem, and shows respect and appreciation for both the garden and myself. Your customer services are as good as they say, especially since you understand that the customers you serve involve more than just the client that comes to you.” For the first time since we’ve met, she smiles wide enough to show her teeth. “...Would you be interested in working for me?”
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