Maggie's Story (Intergalactic Matchmaking Services)

by Ava Louise

  “That’s good to know.”

  The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened. Maggie followed Daxon out of the small lift and turned left when he did. He immediately turned right into a huge room with what appeared to be narrow padded exam tables lined up on the left. There were five of them, each surrounded with different machines and wall panels.

  Maggie watched as a tall male, dressed in similar clothing as Daxon, approached. The only difference in their clothing was the new person’s tunic was a deep green.

  “Who do we have here, Daxon?” asked the smiling male. He extended his right hand to Maggie. “Hello, I am Marko of the Starza clan, the head of the Medical Department.”

  “Hi, I’m Maggie Cline. It’s nice to meet you,” replied Maggie with a smile. So apparently Nordonians did know how to smile, she thought. She looked at his scalp and the various sized stars that were tattooed round his skull. There appeared to be a large one at the crown of his head.

  Daxon spoke up finally. “Ambassador Pacer would like for you to look at Maggie’s arm and see if you can help it heal faster.” He frowned as he looked at Maggie’s hand in Marko’s.

  “Certainly. Just follow me, Maggie. What happened to your arm, if you do not mind my asking?” Marko did not seem concerned with Daxon’s frowning, so Maggie chose to ignore the security chief, too.

  “I was attacked by three gang members, and one of them stomped on my arm, breaking it. This and a mild concussion is what I came away with.” Maggie followed the medic to one of the beds and hopped up onto it when he patted the bed.

  “Well, we shall just take a scan of it and see what we can do for you,” he replied with a smile. Maggie noted how he spoke formally, too, just like Daxon and Pacer. Whoever taught them English must have been a formal person, too, she realized. Or perhaps it was a computer program? She would have to try to remember to ask someone this question. She liked the way their voices had an almost-Scottish-sounding brogue to it. She’d always been a sucker for an accent.

  Marko ran a small hand-held scanner over her arm and then scanned her head, too.

  “The mild concussion should not be a problem for you; it was definitely mild. The arm I can help heal, too. We just need to submerge it in the healing tank for a little while.” He walked away, presumably to get the necessary items to fix her up.

  “Sounds great. Need me to do anything?” she asked.

  “No. We will just remove the cast you are wearing with this laser, then we will place your arm in this tank here. The gel in the tank will help with the healing. You will need to keep your arm in place for about fifteen minutes.”

  The medic proceeded to put action to his words. Using a different hand-held device, he cut away her cast. The weight of her arm, free of the cast and still broken, made her arm ache painfully. He slid a tank filled with a clear gel over to the side of her bed.

  “Just lift your arm and place it in the tank, Maggie.”

  Maggie did as instructed. There was an immediate relief when she submerged her broken arm into the tank. The gel inside the tank closed around her injured limb. It felt like cooling Jell-O-O. She sighed deeply as the ache was soothed away. She looked at both of the Nordonian males and said, “Thanks. This already feels better!”

  “So, Maggie, tell me about yourself. What brings you to our starship?” asked Marko with a smile.

  “Well, I can’t work for a couple of weeks, so I thought this would be the perfect time to visit.”

  “What do you do on Earth?” he asked.

  “I teach first grade children. They are about six to seven years of age.”

  “What made you decide to consider Nordonians for a possible mate?”

  From the corner of her eyes, Maggie could see that the security chief was also paying close attention to her answers. “I figured, why not? I haven’t had much luck on my own, so I thought I would try the matchmaking service. Finding out about aliens was a shock, that’s for sure!”

  Marko smiled at Maggie. “I imagine it was.”

  Maggie figured the pain pill she had taken earlier had loosened her tongue. She didn’t normally talk about herself very much. “I’ve always wanted a relationship like my parents had. They were meant for each other. They built their marriage on love, trust, and faith. Not a religious faith, but a faith built on knowing they could count on each other. My father never had to worry that my mother would do something he would disagree with while he was gone from home. He was in the Army. He always said you have to have faith in your spouse that they can handle whatever pops up at home while the soldier is away. I don’t see that sort of closeness in most people these days, though. The divorce rate is so high. It’s hard to believe I will ever be able to find that kind of closeness for myself, especially after my last relationship.” Maggie couldn’t stop the frown that came to her when she thought of her ex-boyfriend.

  “Is it okay to ask what happened?” asked the medic.

  “He cheated on me with another woman. I admit, I’m not much on sharing my guys with other women!” said Maggie, with a chuckle. She tried her best to laugh about it. Crying about it sure wouldn’t help anything at this stage; she had cried more than enough tears at the time. Besides, the jerk wasn’t worth her tears.

  The gel in the tank was starting to make her arm tingle quite a bit. It felt like she had her arm submerged in a huge glass with a dissolving Alka-Seltzer in it. “Is the tingling in my arm normal?” she asked.

  “Yes, that is a good sign. It means the bone is healing. I am sorry to hear your last relationship went so poorly. We Nordonians believe in monogamy, as our research says most humans do, too. So how are you enjoying your stay with us so far? Are there any questions I might be able to help with?”

  The medic seemed genuinely interested in her answers. This went a long way in comforting Maggie; she was starting to fear most of the Nordonians would be stern and unsmiling like the security chief. Though she didn’t miss the fact that he was listening closely to her answers. She wondered if she dare ask the medic what was really on her mind.

  “Umm … well … I do have a question. I meant to ask Claire, but forgot with all the chaos from the last couple days.” Maggie could feel her cheeks reddening. How embarrassing to be her age and still blushing, she thought. “Are … are we … I mean humans and Nordonians, actually compatible? Physically, I mean?”

  The medic stared at her a second before finally realizing what she was asking. With a smile, he finally replied, “You mean sexually, correct?”

  Sliding a glance to Daxon, Maggie blushed harder. “Yes,” she answered in a small voice. “Sorry, I’m just not used to talking about sex with anyone.”

  “Not a problem, Maggie. And, yes, we are compatible with humans. Nordonian males are just like human males, except perhaps a little larger than average. You understand? Everyone is individual, but functionally speaking there are no differences in our races. Genetically speaking we are almost identical.”

  There was no way Maggie was going to ask him, in front of the security chief, if their coloring continued everywhere. She decided that was something she could find out on her own at a later date.

  Maggie heard a small chime sound from the panel attached to the tank of healing gel. The medic grabbed a small towel and pulled her arm from the gel, wiping away the excess goo as he spoke. “There you go, Maggie. How does that feel? It should be almost as good as new, with only a slight tenderness or soreness for a day or so.”

  She flexed her arm and her fingers. There was a bit of tenderness, but nothing serious. “Wow, that’s amazing! Thanks, Marko. It was nice meeting you. And thank you for answering my questions.”

  “My pleasure. Just take it easy for a couple of days and let me know if you have any other issues.”

  “I will,” she promised. She climbed down from the exam table and looked at her guide. “Now where to? Any chance we can find something to eat?”

  CHAPTER 15

  Daxon looked down at Maggie. He was gl
ad to hear that she was feeling better and that Marko had been able to heal her arm.

  “Of course. Follow me. We can eat in the eating hall. It is on this same level.” He proceeded out of the Medical Bay and turned to the right. Maggie rushed to follow him, trying to match his long strides.

  “Will there be other Nordonians there as well?” asked Maggie.

  “Yes, there probably will be,” said Daxon, frowning slightly. He wasn’t sure why the question bothered him. Why should he care if she wanted to talk to other males? He couldn’t help recalling how she blushed when she asked Marko about their compatibility for sex. Nordonians did not blush; he found it to be an attractive trait in Maggie.

  “So tell me about yourself, Daxon. How old are you? Do you like your job? Are you looking for a human mate, too? Or did the ambassador ambush you with me … like I think he did.”

  Daxon blinked at the flurry of questions. He wasn’t used to talking about himself to anyone. His limited contact with females was usually with the pleasure women at a couple of rest stations they had stopped at. By human standards, he would probably be considered very inexperienced, he thought.

  “I am forty of your human years. That is young for a Nordonian. Yes, I like my job quite well. No, I am not looking for a human mate. I do not think it will be possible to find a soul mate with another race. Yes, the ambassador did ambush me, as you so put it. Did that cover all of your questions?”

  “Yeah, that covered them, thanks. Do you ever smile? What do you do for fun?” She could not resist pushing him. There was just something about him that seemed like a huge red button needing someone to push it.

  Daxon was surprised by her question. “Of course I smile. Doesn’t everyone smile? And I like to read for fun. Sometimes I watch the human media feeds that we get up here. Usually I end up confused by your society, though.” He was not completely comfortable admitting his confusion, but he could not see any harm in admitting it, either.

  “Well, I haven’t seen you crack a smile, yet. I suppose I could keep working at it! What exactly confuses you? I’d be happy to help explain anything I can,” offered Maggie playfully.

  “Are you serious about getting to know someone on our starship? Or are you just using us for a break from your current troubles?” asked Daxon. His eyebrow ridge was raised questioningly; it looked like he doubted she would answer honestly. He did not want to see any of his friends hurt by this program. Before she could answer, however, they arrived at their destination. “Here we are. This is the eating hall.”

  There were a large number of tables with benches on all four sides. To one side there was a bank of panels which Maggie could see other Nordonians operating. They would tap a few things on the screens, wait a few seconds, then open a hatch and withdraw a tray of food. They would then take their trays to one of the tables.

  “This looks a lot like the cafeteria at the school,” replied Maggie. “But before I eat, let me answer your questions. Yes, I am serious and No I am not using you. The timing happened to work out this way. If at the end of my two weeks there is someone interested in me and I am interested in them, then it would be a serious consideration for me. I do not appreciate the implication that I am only using you. That is not who I am!”

  Maggie turned her back to Daxon and looked around quickly, then turned back to him. “Dammit! I can’t even walk away from you because I would get lost!” She stomped over to the nearest empty table and sat down, placing her head in her hand.

  Daxon was unsure what to do now. He had not meant to make her angry, he just wanted to keep his crew safe. It was his job after all. He knew he needed to calm her down, but apologizing did not come easy to him. He saw that several of the males in the room had watched his exchange with Maggie and were currently frowning their displeasure at him.

  He approached the table slowly and sat opposite her. She raised her head as he settled in the seat. Drawing a deep breath, he said, “I apologize for upsetting you. I am only trying to keep the well-being of my friends and crew members in mind. It is not easy seeing them hurt when one of the human females comes up here, then decides she cannot make a commitment to one of them.”

  “Well, it isn’t fair to judge us all by the actions of a few. Keep an open mind and you may be pleasantly surprised!” She didn’t seem to stay angry with Daxon, so he was hopeful they could move past the moment. “So what do you eat up here? If it isn’t something I am familiar with, I’ll let you pick and tell me what it is.”

  “We have included several items from your culture. We thought it would help us adjust to humans if we knew more about what you ate. I like something you call pot roast.”

  “Ah, a human classic. That is fine, or I will try something you are used to eating. All I ask is that it be dead and thoroughly cooked. No living food, please,” Maggie said with a shudder.

  Daxon could not help but smile at the exaggerated shudder Maggie gave.

  “Ohmygosh! You can smile! See, it didn’t hurt at all, did it?” Maggie laughed as she teased him.

  “I told you I smile,” Daxon replied, continuing to smile at her teasing. Maybe being Maggie’s guide would not be too taxing on him after all, he thought. “Let me grab a variety of dishes and see what you like. I will even get pot roast to make sure you have something you like. Be right back.”

  Daxon rose and went to the nearest panel not in use. He made his selections, then waited for the program to supply their meal. Picking up the laden tray, he headed back to the table where Maggie awaited him. He explained what each item was after her initial question of, “Is it meat, fruit, or vegetable?”

  As they worked their way through the selections, other Nordonians wandered over, looking for an introduction to the newest human female among them. Each put in their opinion of what the best food choice was, bringing more and more samples of foods from not only Nordo, their home planet, but from other worlds, too. Soon the small table was overflowing with trays and plates with the various offerings. Some things Maggie would just look at and say, “No way … that looks gross!” Once she made her mind up that way, there was no changing her opinion. Daxon concluded that she may be stubborn to a degree, but she knew her mind and seemed open to trying most new things.

  Many of the males would try to encourage Maggie to try their offerings of new foods, but she always looked to Daxon for assurance before actually agreeing to try something new. He liked that she trusted him so soon after meeting him. Her trust in him made something in his chest warm.

  The various Nordonians asked her questions about life on planet Earth. It was apparent they watched a lot of the news programs from Earth. Unfortunately, they seemed to think that only horrible things happened on Earth. Maggie had to explain that news programs reported on tragedy and disasters more often than the feel-good stories that were also out there.

  Daxon waved over another male that entered the eating hall. “Maggie, this is Denot of the Rion clan. He is my childhood friend and also the ambassador’s youngest son.”

  Maggie turned to greet the newcomer. “Hi, Denot. It’s nice to meet you.” She waved her hand at him as he sat next to Daxon.

  Denot was only slightly smaller than Daxon in height, but just as solidly built. He had inherited his mother’s dark gray eyes and skin of light green and light purple. The bird-like tattoo on his skull was almost identical to his father’s tattoo.

  “So what is this I hear about you bringing aboard a pet?” asked Denot. Obviously he had been speaking to his father. “What is it and do I get to see it?”

  Maggie laughed as she saw Denot had caught the attention of the other Nordonians at their table.

  “Her name is Mamzell and she is my cat. I’ve had her for about three years and she is my constant companion.” Maggie wasn’t sure how to explain a cat to someone that had not seen a real one before. Surely they had seen cats in the media, though. Holding her hands a little above the table, she said, “She is about this tall, this long, not including her tail, and is cov
ered in a light tan fur with black legs, head and tail. And, yes, you may meet her if you like, but she isn’t the biggest fan of strangers. Except she seems to really like Daxon for some reason.”

  “Well, there is no accounting for taste. I believe that is one of your Earth sayings?” said Denot with a laugh.

  “Hmmph,” said Daxon. “Then the cat should love you Denot. Maggie talks to her, too. Although I am still trying to understand talking to an animal that cannot communicate with you in return.”

  “What?! I understand her and she understands me. Maybe not in the conventional way … but we get along just fine, thank you.” Maggie could not hold back the laughter at Daxon’s dubious expression.

  “But why talk to the pet if it cannot talk back to you in the same language?” asked Daxon. He was having a difficult time understanding the whole concept of keeping a pet.

  “Because she is always there. We live together. It’s just like with a child; they aren’t born talking, at least human babies aren’t, and we still talk to them. They understand what we say in some sense, if not the exact words, then the tone of our voice conveys our emotions. The same goes with pets. Not everyone talks to their pets like I do, I admit, but I’m not going to live with a pet and ignore it. Mamzell is a part of my life and I’m a huge part of hers. Usually it’s just the two of us. She isn’t used to having a lot of people around her.”

  “Do all humans keep pets,” asked one of the other Nordonians. “I do not recall any of the other humans that visited us having pets.”

  “No. Some people don’t like having to clean up after them. Some people are also allergic to pets with fur. It’s an individual thing. And cats aren’t the only thing people keep as pets.” Maggie counted off on her fingers, “There are dogs, snakes, turtles, lizards, fish, birds…just to name a few!”

  Many of the males were staring at Maggie in disbelief. Daxon no longer felt so alone in not understanding the whole concept. There were plenty of requests to see the cat and just as many comments about how strange the whole idea was.