By Marlene Kern Fischer of Thoughts From Aisle Four

When her husband, Mike, brought home the virtual personal assistant named Alexa, his wife was initially unconcerned. Mike, who had received Alexa as a holiday gift from someone at work, set up the voice-controlled unit in their bedroom thinking it would be the most useful spot for her.

At first Alexa ignored him and refused to answer any of his questions, which amused his wife, who suggested that perhaps “she was playing hard to get.” But Alexa soon warmed up and began responding with enthusiasm to Mike’s inquiries about the weather and news. She even played his favorite songs. The wife later stated that she realized trouble was brewing when she heard her husband “laughing at Alexa’s jokes.”

Finding herself uncomfortable with having another woman in their bedroom, the wife (who wished to be known as “Michelle”) requested that her husband move Alexa to another room. But Mike refused, saying he needed Alexa to wake him up in the morning and help him get ready for the day. Michelle couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being replaced by something that resembled a hockey puck.

She noticed that her husband started coming home from work a little earlier than usual and would race upstairs to speak to Alexa. She heard him telling her about his day and humming along to the songs she played for him.

Michelle’s intuition turned out to be correct. A few weeks later her husband left her, taking Alexa with him. Mike stated that he felt he was more compatible with her and liked the fact that he could get her to stop speaking when the ballgames were on.

Michelle said she wanted to share her story as a cautionary tale for other women. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she would ban Alexa completely; however, she strongly recommended keeping her out of the bedroom.

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About the Author

Marlene Kern Fischer is a wife, mother of three sons, food shopper extraordinaire, lifelong writer, blogger and college essay editor. She graduated cum laude from Brandeis University with a degree in literature. Her work has been featured on CollegiateParent, Kveller, Grown and Flown, the Erma Bombeck Writers’s Workshop, Her View From Home, Beyond Your Blog and Better After 50. You can read more of her work on her blog: Thoughts From Aisle Four.