by J. M. Hagan
Jack claimed a room on the second floor with a King sized bed and white silk sheets. He dropped on it. Spread out his arms and legs like he was making a snow angel. Then bounced up and down a little.
“…Excellent.”
Then came the moment he’d been anticipating for days. His stomach grumbled when he caught a whiff of the restaurant on the ground floor. They were greeted at the door and seated at a table.
The large round tables were draped with white cloths. They sat together and there was still a whole side of the table unused. Claudia and Jeriko should be here. This feels like our last supper in a way. Jack swallowed at that thought.
Maybe one hundred other guests, if not more, were sitting down to eat, chat, and drink. The chatter was amazing. He was hearing all kinds of languages from groups. Even some humans were speaking in strange tongues. He guessed it was the languages of their home worlds. Jack understood it. He still spoke in English to his friends, including Cane, when nobody else was around.
Jeriko couldn’t seem to wrap his head around it. He called English dumb.
Definitely would be more fun with him around. Jack could feel it. He was missing out on something. No way are they gonna go for a meal. Claudia is probably dancing on top of some bar already. I’m sitting here. With the refined lot. He looked to the door when someone came in, hoping it would be a tall blonde wearing a black dress. Her cheeks shimmering like gold in the candlelit doorway. Damn. Not so lucky. It was a retired couple.
He noticed Malora staring from the corner of his eye. “Yo?” he asked, leaning in to hear her clearly over the chatter that was creating a pleasant, if altogether dull, atmosphere.
“I say we give ourselves a little reward,” she said, grinning at him. “Let’s order some drinks.”
When the waiter came they ordered some cocktails. He’d no idea what was in them. Malora had chosen, and he trusted that she would make a good choice. Five minutes later, when they arrived, and he took his first sip, he regretted not asking; it was more bitter than lemon, and stronger than tequila.
“Definitely only having one of those,” he said, feeling it burn on its way down his chest.
Anderson and Siena shared a bottle of wine. The waiter opened it at the table, then filled both their glasses before setting the bottle back into the ice bucket.
The waiter went on to serve Cane. He’d gotten a big bottle of crisp looking cold beer. A damn thing of beauty to his eyes.
“Hey. Waiter.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Bring me one of those. Can’t say I’m too fond of this,” he said, throwing Malora a disapproving glance.
“Don’t be such a girl,” she joked.
The waiter bowed his head slightly. “Very good, sir. Should I take that back, or would the madam like it?”
Jack waved his hand before she could answer. “Take it back? No thanks. The beer will help me get it down.”
The waiter grinned. “Enjoy, sir,” he said, then walked to get his beer.
“You think he was mad that I asked that?” he whispered.
Malora smiled. “Probably. It’s busy in here, and he did spend his time making them for us.”
“Oh. It’s okay, though. I’m still drinking it. C’mon. You saw him smile.”
Malora shushed him. Rolled her eyes. Jack knew when he turned he’d see him. The waiter approached with a single beer on the tray and put it down in front of him.
“Thanks.”
“My pleasure. Your food will be along shortly.”
Jack took a small drink. “Damn. Tasty.” Then a bigger drink. As it iced his throat and bubbled on the way down, he found himself thinking of home. A hot summer’s day he’d spent in the backyard.
Telling ya, Jack, nothing beats an ice cold beer when you’re in sun like this.
I know, right? This shit is golden.
First day I met your Ma – it’d been sunny like this. Even warmer, I think. Back then, Jack, your Dad didn’t so much have a dad bod, but thee bod.
Okay. Whatever you say, tubby.
Don’t slap my belly, ya wee prick!
Sorry. But it’s funny how it jiggles.
Well, it’s not my fault, Jack. My super-fit physique went to pot, fuck’s sake, the instant I discovered Mexican food. Triple cheese pizzas. Big Macs. List goes on.
And on. And on. And on.
Shut up! Didn’t have that stuff back home, when I was a wee lad. We used to eat spuds every day of the week. I’d never even seen a banana ‘til I was about nine. Tell ya how bad it was – we only had one phone in our street. It was in our house, too. Neighbours used to come and give us twenty pence to call their family. Wee Mary up the street. She was the worst for it. Used to use the bloody thing all day. Sit for hours, with my Ma bringing her tea and all.
You’ve told me all this shit before, Dad. But you never mentioned this squatter before. Was she old? Usually, when you call a woman, wee, they’re old.
Aye. Bout ninety. Full of beans, though.
Eugh. Old lady farts! I’d have kicked her out the second she –
Not like that! Beans – means energy. Ya dick! She was good craic, wee Mary. We’d always have the front door open. My Ma and Mary would talk on the phone at the same time to her family. They’d all have a good gossip. My Da used to shout at them for cackling. Was good craic, Jack. Different times. Worlds all going too fast now. People are in a hurry to get somewhere they aren’t ready to reach yet. Think about all those bombs they make. Maybe, if they’d put more money into helping young people grow, world wouldn’t be so crazy.
You usually wait until your third beer before you get all philosophical. Not that I mind. You’re actually not all that hard to listen to when you talk about all that stuff.
Ya wee lick. What are you looking?
Twenty dollars. Gonna need more beer, if we keep drinking this fast. It’s only noon.
No chance. There’s enough beer there. You could do with drinking less sometimes. Wee beer, here and there, nothing wrong with that.
A wee beer? You’re planning on drinking at least five cans. You always do.
Aye. That’s a wee beer. I’m fine with five.
Yet another reason why you lost the bod…
“What are you smiling at?” Malora asked, pulling Jack back into the moment. His cheeks reddened a little. He’d been light-years away, and he wasn’t sure for how long. Cane and Anderson were talking about something they both seemed interested in across the table, and Siena was listening like she was engaged.
He chuckled. “I was thinking about my Dad,” he admitted, scratching his forehead.
Malora drank with her straw, the corners of her mouth curling. “Really? Tell me about it.”
Jack waved his hand. “Nothing worth talking about.”
“C’mon,” she nudged him with her shoulder, “if it’s funny, I wanna hear.”
“It wasn’t exactly funny. Just…thinking about him makes me laugh sometimes. He was fun to be around, I guess. I loved pushing his buttons – his reactions were always funny. I just…hope he knows how much I respected him…even if I did behave like a gobshite at times.”
Malora smiled at him. Jack looked into her deep blue eyes and they stared for a moment. He felt the corners of his mouth rise. All the chatter fell away. Nothing else existed but her face. Right then, the waiter came along with their starter platter.
Jack ate his fill with his starter and main course but decided to opt out of dessert. He went for another beer in place of it and Malora done the same. The others were done drinking, though, and they decided they would retire to their rooms. Most of the restaurant had cleared by then and they sat together in a candle lit corner upon a luxurious sofa.
“If everyone else is going to bed,” said Malora, “then we might as well…”
“Not everyone is heading to bed,” said Jack. “I’m still here.”
Malora giggled. “Yeah…okay,” she said.
Jack flickered his eyes to the side. As
an impulse came over him, he tucked in his bottom lip. He got up holding his drink. Then he acted like he’d just walked over and stuck out his hand.
“Nice to meet ya. I’m Jack Murphy. Your name is?”
Malora tried to frown but wound up laughing. “Malora. Nice to meet ya.”
“Mind if I sit?”
She motioned her head and he let go of her hand to sit down next to her.
“Thanks. So, Malora, where are you from?”
“Lots of places. I’m a spacer.”
“Always lived in space?” he asked, nodding his head with a slight grin.
Malora rolled her eyes. “Yes. Except for a year which I spent living on Bandora.”
Jack had a sip of his drink. “What brought you there?”
Her head tilted to the side. She scratched behind her neck briefly. The humour was gone, but her eyes remained bright. “My Dad got a job working for my Uncle. They…” she paused, turning slightly his way before taking a drink, running some hair behind her ear with a hand. “…they worked mostly transport. The journeys were pretty short, just a few hours, there and back, each day. I didn’t see much point in going with him everywhere, so he rented me an apartment in the town. Dad, he always stayed on the ship.”
“You had your own place?” he asked, surprised. I never got to have my own place. Well, aside from Europa.
“Yeah.”
“How old were you?”
“Nineteen.”
“Man, I would’ve killed to have my own place at nineteen. You party much?”
Malora’s nose took a crinkle. “No. My father doesn’t approve of drinking,” she told him with a coy grin.
Jack laughed. He crossed his arms at his chest and sat back. “So, what did you do?”
“I studied history and navigational systems online and earned a degree,” she said.
“I didn’t know that,” he said.
“Well, how could you? We’ve just met,” she said, keeping with the joke scenario.
“Yeah,” said Jack, his eyes flickered with courage. “So, what’s your first impressions?”
“Of what?”
“Of me.”
Malora held his eyes. “Charming…in a way.”
“I call it the Jack Murphy way,” he said. Malora gave a small smile. Their eyes locked in a deep a stare. The blues of her eyes were like a still image of crashing waves. Jack brought his eyes to his drink and had a sip.
“Where’s your family from originally?” he asked her.
“Rovia,” she said. “Back before it was only rich people who could afford living there. That was a long time ago…three hundred and forty years to be exact. What about you?”
“Well, I grew up in a country called America. Dad was from Ireland, though. Mom was from Boston in America. Whole lot of Irish people emigrated there a few hundred years ago…and I don’t know the exact number…but she was still part Irish. I’m just glad I wasn’t ginger. It’s an Irish trait.”
“Most people would look fierce with red hair. But you’d be one of the strange looking ones.”
“Gee. Thanks. Now I’m really glad,” he told her, giving a few breaths of laughter with a humble smile. “Where did you get that humour from?”
“Dad,” she said.
Jack bobbed his head with a grimace. “I kinda got some of mine from my Dad. But my Dad, he’s just an odd guy.”
“In that case, you got it all from him.”
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” he told her.
“Good,” she said, giving a genuine smile. Her elbow reached to rest on the cushions lining the back of the sofa. “My Dad…he’s a good guy. But he’s his own worst enemy. He always made sure he saved for my future. But he never saved for his own. He blew everything on gambling, drinking, having fun. I know he’s happy out there. But I can’t help worry for him sometimes. Being reckless can get you killed in the galaxies. That’s why I became a Starman. I wanted to help people who were good like my dad, but just kinda…lost…”
*
Jack lay in bed and stared up. His mind racing. He gave up on sleeping almost an hour ago. Every now and then he checked the time on his PDP. That led to some gaming. He’d been playing a new platformer. Whip. He was this little stringy guy who had to negotiate his way through a maze of hooks and cutting blades.
Well, it’s getting late. And this definitely won’t help me sleep. He set his PDP back on the bed side table. Flipped his pillow to the cool side. God damn, Jack, go to sleep. Big day tomorrow…yep. Big day.
Jack kicked off his covers and went out of his room. He went down to the drink’s cabinet and fetched himself a spirit on the rocks. Went out to the balcony and stared up at the lonely pixels.
Earth was so far away he couldn’t see it from here even if he knew where to look. But it didn’t make his fight seem less significant. Viewing Earth as it really was, a small planet, all alone, unprotected from the dangerous elements in the universe, helped give him the strength he needed to carry on. A big enough meteor could end it all in a blink. A single ship could enslave the entire planet from orbit. He squeezed his fist and leant on the rail, stared out at the vibrantly coloured city and prayed for strength, guidance…and maybe even some luck.
“Jack…”
He turned. Malora was in the doorway. She came out to the balcony with a drink in her hand and slid the door shut behind her. She was wearing grey underwear and a matching vest top.
He fought to keep his eyes level. “Couldn’t sleep?”
She came over and leant on the rail next to him. He turned back to the city, the gentle wind guiding her scent to his nose, lavender, honey.
“Nah,” she replied, taking a sip. “I’m too hot.”
Jack eyed her athletic frame and smirked. Yep.
“Couldn’t get comfortable.”
“Best part is when you flip the pillow to the cool side,” he observed, having endured many a sleepless night, especially in summer.
“It’s literally the only good part. To be honest, though, it isn’t just the heat. It’s tomorrow…”
Jack furrowed his brow as he swept his eyes back to the city. “Yeah…tomorrow,” he groaned. Six months – every single day he’d been thinking about tomorrow.
“You worried?” she asked. Her blue eyes shimmered in the neon glow of the city.
Jack crinkled his mouth. “I just hope I don’t screw up,” he admitted, holding her eyes. “You know, I really was just an ordinary guy before, Cane, took me off my world.”
Malora held his eyes for a moment longer. Then she turned her lips to her drink, ice cubes hitting the side of the glass. “I can’t imagine what your life was like before,” she said. “I’ve been on the move since the day I was born. Hopping from one system to the next. That’s why I loved Bandora so much. I felt like I was a part of something there. A community.” Her eyes dipped and she forced herself to brighten. “So, you travel much on Earth?”
Jack sniggered. “Nah. I’d never even left my country,” he said, and she was surprised.
“They have air travel though, right?”
He nodded, grinning at himself. “Yeah. I always meant to take a trip to Ireland…see where my Dad grew up with my own eyes.”
“But you never went? Maybe you should make a to-do list, like mine.”
“Not a bad idea. How many things you got on it?” he asked, taking a drink.
“A lot…I add something to it almost every day.”
“Off the top of your head – what’s the thing you wanna cross off that list the most?”
She showed white teeth as she smiled. Her cheeks bashful, her nose crinkling as she stood off the rail uncomfortably. “I can’t tell you that,” she said. “It’s personal.”
Jack shook his head at her. “Don’t worry. This isn’t an interrogation. How about…I tell you one thing I wanna do, and you tell me one thing you wanna do? Deal?”
Malora nodded. “Okay. I’ll play along. You first.”
&n
bsp; “Climb a mountain,” he said, spreading his hands. “A really big mountain.”
“Learn to fly a hovercar,” she joked.
“Become a famous movie star.”
She tilted her head playfully. “Become a famous Starman,” she rebuked, and he smirked.
“Don’t worry, something tells me you will be, someday.”
She was finished her drink. Malora stood up straight and crossed her arms, feeling the effects of the night wind. Her skin was morphing to goose flesh.
“Don’t let what we were joking about yesterday throw you off your game, Jack,” she said, and he itched the back of his head recalling the embarrassment of his white lie being uncovered in front of everyone. “You’ve been doing a great job leading us.”
His eyes flashed with a mix of pride and relief. “Thanks,” he said, a sincere curve forming in his brow. “It means a lot.”
*
The door to his room opened gently…
Someone came inside, shut the door behind them. Jack strained his eyes to see who it was in the dark. Then swallowed when he realised...
“Malora?” he whispered.
She came on over and sat on the side of his bed. “Still can’t sleep,” she whispered. “How about you?”
Jack sat up. He had a fair idea why she was here, but he didn’t let it excite him. “Nah. Just been thinking…”
Malora turned her head his way. In the silence, he felt his heart beat pick up. She found his hand in the dark, slid soft fingers between his. This moment had been building between them for months. He knew it would come if he just waited…
She climbed onto him a moment later. Her wet lips sealed over his and she kissed him softly. Holy shit, I needed this. It’s been so long, I thought the only way I’d get laid was if I crawled up a chicken’s ass and waited. The moment he got into it, his hands went to her hips. She roved her tongue over his, and his hands went into her vest and caressed the soft skin of her back.
Malora pulled away. Took off her top and tossed it. “Was I on your to-do-list?” whispered Jack and she giggled.
He pulled her back to him and kissed her, feeling her warm breasts against him, rolled them around and got on top. She purred, caressing his arms while he kissed his way down her naked body.
