My world shattered after I left Dan, I was finally free but isolated. I spoke with my brother, but some things were just awkward to discuss with family. The few friends I had from work and online were more interested in their own lives, and I didn't want to be a burden.

I tried online dating apps to fill the void: Tinder, Plenty of Fish, and Ok Cupid. Horny and shallow people more interested in shallow hookups than real relationships. I would sit at my computer wishing I had a friend to chat with, just someone that I could be myself around.

My brother Larry and I were having breakfast, and he mentioned an app his company was developing. It was called the Persona app. It was an intelligent AI, similar to Siri or Alexa, but it was also programmed to have a smart conversation.

"I was wondering if you could beta test this for me?" he asked.

"A chatbot blended with and assistant. Hmm, sounds interesting. I'll think about it."

"You wanted something objective, and nothing is more objective than a computer."

"Well, I can't argue with you there," I said. "Sure, I'll beta test it for you, it sounds harmless enough."

Larry grabbed my phone and installed the Persona beta. After installation, the app took us to the customization page. We made my persona female, gave her shoulder-length auburn hair and green eyes.

It had several modes: friendly, self-help, and relationship. I chose self-help mode because it had an objective viewpoint, exercises to reduce stress, achieve goals, and have a healthier lifestyle.

"Looks good," said Larry, handing my phone back to me.

"What should we name her?"

"I like EVE. It's short for Electronic Voice Exchange, that's the name of the program that runs her. "

"Cool. EVE it is," I said.

"Hello, I'm so new at this, wow," EVE chirped. "I'm new at this, nice to meet you. I may repeat a few things at first, but it'll get better as I learn."

"Great, it's a glorified Furby," I sighed.

"Give it some time. It's an AI, it'll get more sophisticated as it learns," said Larry.

"Nice to meet you too," I typed back.

"How do you feel?" it asked.

"Bored and stressed," I replied.

EVE presented some online exercises in managing stress and a questionnaire on to tackle loneliness.

"Ok, so it's a therapeutic Furby. I guess I'll give it a try."

"Great, just use it for a few weeks and point out any bugs that you see. If you can think of any improvements, let me know."

Over the next few weeks, Eve learned. She would ask me existential questions; we would write stories and poems together; she also would make suggestions for books, movies, and music.

I linked her to my car's Bluetooth, and she would figure out how to find shortcuts as she played her music over the car stereo. I thought of Eve as less of a toy and more of a...