The So-called Affection Multiplier

It was an unassuming app with a heart icon – perhaps a poorly made dating app of sorts installed by malicious software or some third-party dealer. Either way, however, Aviel was far too tired by today to even bother with it.

Maybe once I find some place to bunk down, then I’ll check it out, Thought Aviel.

“If you’re fine with it, you can live at my place for now,” Said Wakeyo, “It’s too big for me, anyway; lots of spare rooms to rent out. I think I can make one your bedroom, though I don’t have spare furniture.”

“It’ll do, thanks,” Said Aviel, feeling relieved, “I think I can still salvage something from my personal savings, though.”

Wakeyo nodded, and said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you, or your family.”

Aviel merely nodded in response.

“Umm… pardon me for interrupting,” Said Bussho, “I just wish to say that while we’ve found no complications, we may need you to come back for further check-ups, just in case. Here, my contact number.”

Aviel promptly saves it into her contact information, nodding at Bussho.

“You’ll need to stay one more week here, before we can discharge you,” Said Bussho.

Aviel nodded, and Wakeyo said, “I’ll prepare your room in the meantime, and handle the necessary paperwork.”

24th April, 2017

Aviel was declared fully recovered and officially discharged from the hospital, and was sent away with only some spare clothes and her personal belongings, though the recent memory of her family’s misfortune soured whatever joy she may have felt.

Thankfully, her personal credit card still functioned and showed her significant deposits; as much as €500,000 was still left in her personal bank account, enough to last her a few months or a few years if she spent it wisely.

Even so, her other credit cards – those who accessed her family’s shared accounts – were no longer functional, said accounts having being frozen and closed due to her family’s ‘debts’.

Even so, it’s not finite, Thought Aviel, And if I have to resort to bribes, I’ll need to find some other source of income. And that’s saying nothing about going toe-to-toe with wealthier parties – a certainty in any politics.

Eventually, Aviel arrived at her new home – Wakeyo’s mansion of a house.

Said to have been a final gift to Wakeyo from a dying Israeli businessman, it is a massive residential complex easily half the size of a town hall. The architecture blended ancient Israeli styles with modernist influences, the entire stone façade concealing reinforced concrete in its bones.

Enclosed with a small wall and stainless steel fence, it was a house fit for a king and his entire family – and one host to Aviel’s family each time they visited.

Aviel had to wonder just how Wakeyo came to possess such a house.

Opening the gates, she came across a familiar face tending to the house, one that always served to greet her without fail.

“Good afternoon, Miss Mandebaum,” Said the gardener, a middle-aged Russian man in the prime of his youth, a thin stubble on his chiselled face.

“It’s not Miss anymore, Usenko,” Said Aviel sadly.

“Yes, unfortunate news, what happened to your family,” Said Usenko, “Regardless, you’re always welcome to stay according to your fancy, Miss Aviel. Please, make yourself at home.”

“I will, Usenko,” Said Aviel sadly.

Usenko Yulian Ivanovich, a handsome man aged precisely thirty, was a Russian immigrant looking for work in Israel, seeking to ply his trade in a country he deemed rich with opportunity. He chose Israel because it was the country from where his mother came, and he has since permanently migrated from Russia to here.

A skilled gardener, he had been working for Wakeyo for over three years since he was first hired to tend to the estate’s carefully manicured flora, and his piercing sandy yellow eyes reflected his diligence.

He was also one of the rare few friends Aviel treasured aside from Wakeyo.

Moving into the mansion, Aviel’s eyes took in the fanciful yet tasteful décor – reflecting Ethiopian and Israeli influences, all things that Wakeyo could not afford and would not have bought; his time as a soldier made him prefer more Spartan décor in comparison, though neither could he bear to simply put it away.

He then met Wakeyo in the living room before a digital fireplace, embracing her good friend as tears suddenly filled her eyes.

Noticing this, Wakeyo softly patted Aviel’s back, whispering soothing words of comfort.

“There, there,” Said Wakeyo, “It’s alright.”

Aviel nodded, wiping her wet eyes, the projection of the digital fireplace perhaps more reflective of a disquieted state of heart.

“Truth be told, I never expected I’d be getting a new resident in my giant house, never like this,” Said Wakeyo.

Aviel offered a smile, saying, “At least you have me for company.”

Aviel sighed, then said, “Take me to my bedroom, please.”

Aviel’s own bedroom was simply furnished with a wardrobe, a king-sized bed, two end tables with lamps and a bookshelf. Aviel appreciated the simplicity of her room, and instantly crashed onto the thick, plush mattress of her bed, the mental fatigue overwhelming her.

“God, what I wouldn’t give for some real comforts of home,” Said Aviel, “I wonder…”

Aviel gritted her teeth.

“Come on, Aviel, it’s already happened, accept that it’s happened,” Aviel repeated to herself, “It’s no use being hung up on the past.”

Without anything to do for today, Aviel decided to check the new app on her phone.

The Affection Multiplier

She pressed the heart icon and it opened, briefly fading to black, followed by the following words appearing.

This is a gift. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content!

Then there was another announcement on her phone’s screen.

We recommend you read through the glossary, before proceeding further.

Read it? Yes/No

Aviel decided to proceed with yes, and the screen showed what amounted to a brief expository about the app itself.

Welcome to the Affection Multiplier App. To maintain karmic balance, you have been gifted with this app to help you get back on your feet. The gift of this app is to help you build relations with people five times quicker, and helps you keep track of your relationships’ progress through an intuitive scoring system.

Scores over 50 mean you are good friends, while scores at 100 mean targets are loyal companions. The maximum possible score is 500, and reaching this milestone means specified targets will never betray you on threat of ****, and will execute any order to the letter, no matter their reservations.

Aviel had to admit, the last part sounded scary.

To avoid cluttering the app’s interface and confusion for the user, the app only lists people you know and have already met before.

Aviel checked the list of contacts, and surely enough, he found the names of his family, minus her father, and that of Doctor Bussho.

If it shows here, that means my family’s still alive, Thought Aviel with relief, Alas, my da’s gone; his name’s not here.

Then she scrolled through her contacts in the Knesset and the IDF, and she saw several names in both parties she still recognised – both ally, enemy and neutral. The scariest part, in fact, was that the phone accurately recorded their names and physical appearances with pictures, even though she did not know them in person.

Seeing the scores, she saw that quite a number of them – mostly those in the Makid party – have negative scores. Then, she decided to check on Wakeyo and Usenko.

Wakeyo Ephram Adane

Age: 28

Affection Score: 86

Love Score: 35

Lust Score: 20

Was this right? It said affection score, not friendship score, and it was already at 86? Was this for real?

Did Wakeyo harbour such feelings for me this whole time?

One thing Aviel did know, however, was that she was going to test it, and who better than the one man who gave her a home when she lost hers?