episode 1 – everyone has secretsA young woman’s poignant proclivity battle, with exacerbating employment, strains her loyalty and psychological limits.
A young woman’s poignant proclivity battle, with exacerbating employment, strains her loyalty and psychological limits.
Personal Turmoil
ON a visit to her parents’ two-story home not far away, Serena hears the shouting rants from a distant room. Ignoring the disturbance, her mother, Doris, sits prim and proper in an armchair. The daughter positions herself uneasily on the sofa.
“It sounds like he’s getting worse,” Serena says. “Is Father hitting you?”
“No, nothing like that. He just needs to let off steam. Speaking of which, let me get you some tea.”
While Doris shuffles to the kitchen, Serena notices her childhood drawings of modest princesses on the living room walls. The innocence of these drawings contrasts sharply with the more provocative ones she has hanging in her apartment.
Moments later, her mother, wearing an apron, returns with a tray of tea and store-bought cookies, a notable contrast to home-baked treats from childhood.
“Here we go, Sweetheart. Let me turn on some music…. That’s better.” In denial of any problems, the mother continues, “You should come over for dinner sometime.”
Serena’s tears run into her teacup while straightening her frown. “I’m too busy for that. But call me anytime you need to talk.”
Serena regains her composure in her small car when the brief visit ends. She pulls out her phone to check her social media feeds before posting the positive comment, “Visited my parents today,” with heart emojis.
Trending Now
A new app is making an impression on the youth who drive the success of social media. InvisiApp encrypts conversations with AI, empowering people to say things they normally wouldn’t in public.
Serena uses InvisiApp to talk about her feelings for boys. She only mentions what her closest friends know, so they are mutual followers.
Happy with the program, she applies for a job in response to an advertised opening. During the interview, she wears a knee-length skirt and buttons up her blouse to appear professional. The questioning is intense, but she makes a good impression.
User Secrets
Within days, she begins as a customer service representative while training for Quality Control Monitoring. AI categorizes conversations that employees who sign an NDA can monitor.
Before donning headphones behind cubicle walls in a super secret room, she asks, “What’s the purpose of listening?”
Her trainer responds, “It’s a safety net in case someone is using the app to talk themself from jumping off a bridge.”
“You’re exaggerating. Right?”
“Possibly. If something similar comes up, how would you respond?”
“Shouldn’t we notify the police?”
“That would be a violation of user privacy.”
“Then how do I handle someone in that situation?”
“The AI will present two response choices for you to select or override. Use your best judgment. Is that a problem?”
“Not unless neither option is wise and I can’t think of a better response.”
“In that case, you can transfer the session to a manager.”
Serena appreciates the salary increase, so she doesn’t balk at the challenge, hoping the example is extreme. Soon, she is inundated with flagged chats.
People confess infidelity and heinous crimes to assuage their consciences. After her first shift, Serena feels amoral for listening, but she takes consolation in her role of improving the user experience.
At home, she undresses before eating Chinese food at her kitchen table. It’s consoling to have a shy neighbor peer from a distance in admiration.
With goosebumps in this uninsulated one-bedroom apartment devoid of living room wall decorations, Serena recalls some of the day’s chats.
A religious woman was too ashamed to confess to a priest that her daughter was not her husband’s child. An elderly man shares the details of his racial bigotry during an era when it was popular. A mother explains that she shoplifted to feed her children.
Without being specific, a man asked if God would forgive what he did to his daughter. The AI responses focused on forgiveness, but Serena was tempted to ask for more specifics. She doesn’t feel worthy to monitor people’s personal lives.
Bad Habits
During a hot shower, Serena thinks about how horrible she’d feel if someone judged her proclivities.
Frequently, she’s walked by her living room window in various stages of undress. More than once, she ordered food at a drive-thru window, bottomless. In denial of the answer, she asks herself, ‘How could I be an exhibitionist—when no one has a clear view?’
Serena buries her behavior beneath her pillow during the cold night. Though she doesn’t let it define her public persona, her bedroom walls display provocative childhood drawings with recent racy selfies.
Lately, she’s been adding publicly available photos that her parents wouldn’t approve of.
While dozing off, she stares at the images, intensifying her longing for companionship—at times, even a reckless one.
Continued…
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