Maid—To Order

In a near‑future where the Foundation regulates who may marry, a meticulous scientist named Herb Cornith finds himself tangled in a bureaucratic love‑match. After years of genetic and psychological testing, his personal file lists a set of absurd requirements for the perfect partner—down to the ability to wiggle ears and perform sleight‑of‑hand tricks. When the office clerk presents a candidate who meets every criterion on paper, Cornith balks at the tiniest discrepancy: a half‑ounce under the prescribed weight.

The story unfolds in a witty, slightly absurd tone, blending hard‑science details about rockets and atomic drives with the petty negotiations of a matrimonial interview. As Cornith debates the minutiae of a potential wife’s measurements, the narrative satirizes the quest for engineered perfection in a society racing toward the stars. Listeners are invited to watch a careful mind grapple with the strange balance between personal standards and the pressures of a world that designs its citizens like blueprints.