After everyone was situated, Ethel led me down a long hallway to a room. Once in, I could see one wall was a one-way mirror peering into a bedroom with a large bed in the middle. A chair was positioned next to it. After she told me to sit and wait, she left. Looking around the room, I noticed an array of electronic recording equipment stacked on one wall. Nearby was a workstation with several monitors and video controllers. Looking into the bedroom, I couldn’t identify any camera locations.
Motion in the other room caught my attention. Yuri followed Ethel into the bedroom. I could hear them speaking. I remained silent, unsure if the sound was two-way.
Ethel instructed, “Yuri, position yourself on the bed so your lower leg is next to the chair. I’ll bring in one of the sons and he will touch your calf and identify you as his mother or not. Both of you will be wearing your blindfolds. I’ll be in the next room observing through the window to make sure there is no cheating. Any questions?”
“No, I guess not. How long will he be touching me?”
Ethel replied, “He has two minutes to raise one of his arms. After the bell rings, he may continue to touch you. If you become uncomfortable with the situation, raise your hand and I’ll halt the process.”
Yuri was silent as Ethel left and brought in Kaito. He was already wearing his mask and had been briefed on the way. Ethel exited and entered the room where I was seated. She grinned and said, “It’s soundproof in here. Don’t say anything when I click on the microphone to talk to them.”
She hit the button and announced, “Okay, begin.”
Kaito touched his mother’s calf. Within seconds he raised his right arm and removed his hand. Not able to contain myself, I mocked, “What an asshole. His mom is hot. He could have caressed her leg for at least the two minutes. I never did like him.”
Ethel snickered, “Yeah, he’s a prick. He doesn’t bother to hide his disgust toward his mother. It took a lot of persuading to invite them. I had to promise him I’d convince Yuri to release his trust funds early. He said as soon as she does he’s moving to his Dad’s place. They deserve each other. Kaito was nice to her last week, to convince her to come. Of course, it helped that I waived the fee for her. She didn’t want to participate, but hoped he might have changed and it would improve their relationship.”
This outcome appeared to be the exact opposite of the program’s intention. “Wasn’t the objective of the program supposed to join mothers and sons, not to separate them?”
“I do what’s best for their relationship, even if it results in ending their current status.”
Before she could leave, I asked, “Ethel, are these video recorders? Are there cameras in the room?”
She replied, “Yes, everything is captured to an SSD. The cameras are hidden well, aren’t they? Using the peripherals enables one to produce a high-quality movie. I don’t do anything with the videos unless I need to review them if I missed something. An extra eye is helpful.”
She left to escort the couple out of the room and re-entered with Lexi. After briefing her, she brought in Mike. Once she was back with me, she directed him to proceed. I chuckled, “You know he’s gay, right? Their relationship isn’t going to advance beyond the normal mom and son relationship.”
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