Farm day

Our two machines, Charles and 03, were walking in the direction of a farm. The reason? Because three other machines that are friends of Charles reside on that farm: Palmer, River and Harold. They, in addition to working in agriculture and livestock, are also dedicated to the production and sale of ornamental plants. That is the main reason why they visit them, to buy some plants for Charles's garden.

The androids stopped at the door of the farm, where the robot in charge of plowing the harvest soils, Palmer, was already waiting for them. Or rather, he hoped, since he was quite surprised to see 03.

-Palmer, my friend!- Charles greeted, hugging the machine and patting it on the back. The opponent could not reciprocate the hug, since his model does not include arms.

-Hello, Charles. Who is your friend? - The farmer responded, directing his gaze towards 03.

-He is 03, my partner. I thought they could meet-

03 only approached two other machines a little and raised his right hand in greeting.

-Hello-

-Hello...- Palmer greeted, with notable confusion in both his face and tone. Romantic relationships between machines? That was new.

-Well... let's move on, River is already waiting for you-

03 and Charles nodded and followed the little farmer robot inside. They passed by some small vegetable crops and then entered a large greenhouse where River was, in charge of watering the crops and giving water to the animals. There was also Harold, who harvests the crops and, from time to time, the chickens' eggs. But he was asleep in a chair. River and Charles greeted each other with a hug. Later, Charles introduced 03, who greeted River with an awkward handshake.

-Hey, Palmer!- River called to his partner, who was leaning on one of the small columns that supported the greenhouse.

-Hm? - The farmer responded, looking up a little bit from the ground.

-Why don't you give our new friend a little tour of the farm while Charles and I discuss the plants?- Palmer let out a small sigh.

-Alright... Let's go zero six - He said and then headed towards the other exit of the greenhouse.

03 directed his gaze towards Charles while subtly pointing to the door where Palmer was standing. He just nodded, indicating he could go.

-If you need me, I'm here- 03 gave a thumbs up, his eye made a “^” expression, and he headed to Palmer, while Charles and River went to see the plants.

-Do you think they get along?- Charles said curiously.

-No- . . .

The two machines left the greenhouse to start the tour, they didn't walk far until they reached the first stop.

-This is where we have the aromatic plants-

Large plants of rosemary, lavender, basil and a few other species were there, it was quite beautiful to tell the truth. 03 went to one of the large wooden pots in which those silver were stored and crouched down in front of it to see its contents better.

-I like this one - He said while delicately grabbing a leaf from that plant.

-That is a cilantro plant, humans used it to season their food-

-Hm- 03 tore off that little leaf that he had in his hand.

-HEY, DON'T DO THAT!-

The android jumped a little from fright, such a reaction from the opposites was not seen coming.

-Sorry- His apology was not entirely sincere, because he did not understand why something so simple under his eyes angered the farmer so much. Palmer let out another sigh, this time reflecting anger.

-Anyway, let's see the cereals-

Palmer headed towards where the grain crops were, 03 stopped and went behind him. The cereal stoppage was no big deal. They looked at the large crops of wheat, oats and corn for a bit, this time 03 made sure not to tear off any leaves.

-Zero six...- Palmer said in a dry tone, trying to get the other machine's attention.

-Uh, it's three... Zero three - The android responded, raising three of his fingers.

-Yes, sorry, can we continue now?-

-Uuh, yeah, I guess-

Their last destination before finishing the tour was the animals, there were more places to visit, like the vegetables they saw when entering the farm, but Palmer wanted to go ahead of them to get rid of that task, being a guide is not something he can do well. As they headed to the cow corral, which was the closest corral, 03 thought about maybe making conversation. The entire ride had been silent or awkward, so what better way to break the ice than to ask a few questions to get to know the farmer better?

-So what are you supposed to be?-

-What do you mean?- Palmer turned a little to see the other robot.

-Oh, you know, what did they build you for?-

-To plow the soil before cultivating-

03 blinked twice.

-... You don't know what it means, do you?-

03 scratched the top of his head a little.

-My database is not very extensive…-

-It is a practice that is done before sowing. Let's continue, we're almost done-

After not so long, they finally arrived to the cow's corral.

-This is our cow, we used to have more, but they died from an infection-

-Hm... I'm not a big fan of furry creatures, but I like this one- 03 said, approaching the animal to pet it a little. -What's it called?-

-It doesn't have a name-

-Why not? Charles's furry creatures have names - The robot turned to look at the opponent.

-Do you have cows?-

-Oh, no, they are the other type of furry creatures, the little ones-

Palmer just stared at him in confusion, having no idea what he was talking about.

…

-I'm going to call you Carlita-

-Let me know when you're done so we can continue - Palmer said, as he headed to the end of the corral to wait for 03.

The android nodded and looked back at the cow, now called Carlita. 03 stared at Carlita for a few seconds. Both the machine and the animal were making eye contact, which was interrupted by the same cow, which turned around and walked a little inside the pen, passing by the door.

At that, 03 had an idea.

Without saying a single word, he approached that small door and opened it. Carlita is not stupid and realized this, heading towards the outside of the corral. Palmer is no fool either and realized about this too.

-WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?-

-She looked sad in there, so I freed her!- 03 said with emotion, while caressing Carlita's neck.

-MOOO-

-You see? She's happier now!

-SHE CAN'T BE FREE, HE WILL EAT ALL THE CROPS!-

-In that case, I'll just take her out for a walk for a while so she can stretch her legs- 03 said and then turned around and started walking with Carlita towards the same direction they came from.

-WAIT, COME BACK HERE...ugh... at least he didn't saw the chickens...- Palmer said to himself in a low voice. He then proceeded to follow the other machine. . . . -So... Some dahlias, a climber, a jasmine and a cactus?-

-Yeah!-

-It would be 150 pesos-

Charles took his wallet out of his pants pocket and took a look at it.

-I have 100 and a fur ball-

-Works for me- River responded, shrugging his shoulders.

-CHARLES! Look at this!-

03 excitedly entered the greenhouse with Carlita. Behind him came a very tired Palmer, as 03 was walking much faster than his small, rusty wheels could tolerate. River and Charles approached the machine and the animal.

-I see you made a friend - Charles said, laughing.

-Her name is Carlita!-

-Nice to meet you, Carlita-

-MOOO-

-Are you going to return her to her corral?- Palmer said, already frustrated with the situation. Once those two leave, he plans to take a long nap.

-Don't worry, I'll return it,- River interrupted. -You take Charles and 03 to the exit, they were already leaving-He continued and then gently grabbed Carlita by her collar and took her to her corral. But not before turning around and greeting his guests with his hand.

-Bye, Carlita!- 03 said as he watched River take her away.

-See you, River!- Charles said.

Palmer sighed once more.

-Come on, guys,- the farmer said as he headed to the exit of the farm.

Charles grabbed the bag with his plants with one hand and the 03 hand with the other, and then followed Palmer together. . . . River and Palmer returned to their rest area, and 03 and Charles were already on their way home. It was a peculiar day for the four of them, but especially for Palmer and 03, who despite their notable differences have a small thought in common.

“I hate that guy.”