Melissa entered the courtroom for the sentencing hearing calmly. Alan had been sitting right behind her on the front row every day of the trial. It was the closest she had been to him without a glass wall in the way since she had been arrested. Her parents had also been there. Most of the time, Helena and John were there too. She scanned the room and spotted Gina in the back with her camera crew, then her eyes moved forward and she noticed the empty chair next to her father. Alan wasn't there. Her steps faltered.
Her attorney put his hand on her elbow and guided her to the table. She sat with a bit of discomfort. As her pregnancy continued, sitting had become more and more uncomfortable. She settled her skirt around her. Helena had picked out the clothes she was to wear for the trial and they were typically conservative. She was wearing a navy blue business suit today, the skirt straight and barely above her knee, the suit jacket was full in the front, a maternity cut. The beige silk blouse tied at the neck and the tie tucked down into the jacket. The outfit was hot, she could feel the silk sticking to her back, arms and neck as she began to perspire. Where was Alan?
The judge walked in and she had to stand again. The pumps Helena had bought her were also conservative, but comfortable. From sitting at this desk all day every day, her ankles tended to swell, even in the morning. She barely heard the formalities and had to resist the urge to turn and reach out to her parents, ask them where Alan was.
The judge droned on. All she heard was the verdict, repeated by the judge: guilty as charged. Then the sentence: twenty years in a federal penitentiary.
Melissa stood, looking down at the table. She shuddered. Twenty years? Her attorney had said that they would be lenient; at least he'd said that at first. When the prosecution began checking her background, finding out how she obtained the property in the Bahamas, who had last owned it, the attorney had stopped talking about first offense and benefits of her actions. He'd suggested they cut a deal and give over some information about the former owners of the island, but she didn't have any. She had never done anything illegal, and didn't know anything that would be of use to anyone.
Twenty years without Alan? Of course, he would raise their baby, but she would never see the baby's first steps, hear his first words, walk him to school on his first day. Melissa leaned her hands against the table, unsure whether she would pass out or throw up. At this moment either was completely possible. The door behind her banged open and she heard a high-pitched noise. She turned, along with everyone else in the room and saw the two bailiffs next to the door crumple. Alan stood between them holding a stun gun from Alpha. He aimed to the right of the courtroom and shot again, bringing down the bailiff by that door and started up the center aisle toward her. She pushed the attorney aside and moved to the aisle, ready and willing for whatever Alan had in mind. She saw movement in the corner of the courtroom behind Alan, a fourth bailiff, standing among the camera crews. He was drawing his gun.
With a shout she placed her hands on the railing and vaulted over it. She landed in front of Alan and swung him around so that her body was between him and the court official. She never heard the gun go off, but the kick in her shoulder made it feel like it had just exploded. Alan shot over her and the fourth man crumpled. The force of the bullet pushed Melissa against Alan. She could see her father standing just behind Alan. He smoothly took the stun gun from Alan. It almost looked as if they had practiced the move. Alan scooped Melissa into his arms. She couldn't feel her left arm. It hung away from her. Through a haze of pain she heard her father say, "Go, son."
Alan moved into action. Melissa closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the feel of Alan's body close to hers, breathing in his scent, which seemed combined with an odd metallic smell that she found vaguely familiar but couldn't quite place.
She didn't really notice the journey out of the Federal Building, but felt the sunlight on her face as they walked into the open air. She opened her eyes and saw an Eagle blocking traffic in the middle of the street. Helena stood in the open doorway. As soon as they were aboard Helena closed the doorway and Melissa heard her say, "put her over here." She thought she heard her mother say, "Go, John! Now!" Then things became very fuzzy. She felt as if she were looking down on the scene from above.
Helena pulled out a medical kit as Alan gently laid Melissa on the table. Blood continued to drip from her fingertips, but the wound didn't' appear to gush. Helena handed her father a pressure bandage and he rolled Melissa onto her side, pressing the thick material against the hole in her shoulder. There was no exit wound.
"Helena?" Alan's anguished voice seemed to come from far away.
It was Robert who answered. "Let her work, Alan," he said gently. We're doing everything we can. Don't you have an Eagle to fly?"
Alan nodded and headed forward, still covered in Melissa's blood.
When Helena began cutting the suit coat and blouse away from the wound Melissa began to scream. Susan had found blankets in a cabinet and covered her daughter. She knelt by Melissa's head and stroked her cheek, speaking softly to her. Robert looked through the medical kit and pulled out an anesthetic. He showed it to Helena who nodded then he administered it to Melissa.
Helena probed gently in the wound. A screen flickered to life and Alan's face appeared. He said nothing, but Melissa knew he could see and hear them through the open link.
"Alan," Helena called. "Talk to Melissa."
Alan quickly complied. "Mel, honey. We're not going to let them put you in jail."
"What have you done?" she gasped. "Who's going to look after my baby if we're all in jail?"
"No one's going to jail, Mel," John replied firmly. "We'll leave Earth forever before we let that happen. You and Alan are going to raise that baby together."
Melissa's father placed an IV in her arm. It must have included a sedative because her eyes were drooping as the medication began to take effect. "Alan, I love you," she said as she began to lose consciousness.
"Mel? Love?"
"It's the pain medication I gave her, Alan," Robert said. "She's all right."
Melissa wasn’t unaware but could no longer move or respond. She wondered if she was paralyzed.
"Oh my God." Helena probed the wound, sorting through tissue, bone chips and metal fragments. "John," she called, knowing he was still listening. "Have you decided where we're going yet?"
"Right now, just away."
"John, I need a complete operating theatre or she's going to lose the use of her arm and shoulder."
John shook his head, "Helena, how can we?"
"We’ll take her to Alpha," Alan interrupted. He held up a data disk and leaned forward to insert it. “I have all the data here to use the jump drive.”
Jump drive. The term seemed to echo in her mind and she tried to struggle. Just the thought of going through the jump drive made her nauseous again. She couldn’t possibly do that while pregnant. She felt bad enough all ready. She tried to call out, move her hands, shake her head, anything!
She struggled out of the dream. She flailed her arms, feeling the bile rise in her throat. She felt Alan’s strong arms around her, helping her to lean forward. There was an airsickness bag at her lips and she stopped fighting to keep it down.
There was a stewardess there with a damp cloth at their elbow. She took away the used bag and Alan helped Melissa clean up, speaking softly and calmly to her. Her shoulder and arm tingled where the circulation had been stopped as she slept, leaning against Alan.
“I never get airsick,” she grumbled softly, embarrassed.
“You’re not airsick. It’s just a bit of morning sickness. We should have spent a day or two in Hawaii.”
She leaned back against her seat feeling drained, exhausted. “No. It wouldn’t have made any difference.” Tears welled in her eyes and she rubbed her shoulder. She leaned away from Alan, against the bulkhead.
Alan took over massaging her shoulder. With his other hand he pulled her legs into his lap and pulled off her shoes, massaging swollen feet.
“I won’t be able to get them back on,” she said with a sigh, trying to wipe her eyes and keep the tears from falling.
“I’ll carry you, if I need to. Or you can walk barefooted. We only have an hour or so before we land. Then you can get some sleep.”
“It’ll be mid morning—“
“It’ll be time to get some rest. And something to eat. Are you hungry.”
“No,” she said petulantly.
“Really?”
“No,” she admitted. “I’m starving.”
“OK. We’ll take care of that soon.”
Melissa nodded and shifted again, trying to find a comfortable position. “Maybe we should have waited and visited your parents after the baby was born.”
“Maybe, but we’re almost there now. You’ll be ok once we get on the ground. I’d already intended for us to stay in Sydney for a day or so to adjust.”
“I really feel like crap, Alan.” Melissa murmured sleepily.
“I know, love, I know.”
They endured the last hour of the flight and managed to get Melissa’s shoes back on. Alan already had reservations at the Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbor. Melissa dozed in the cab and Alan ordered room service while they were at the front desk. Melissa sat wearily in a chair and let Alan take care of the details. She didn’t even care what she ate. All she really wanted to do was lie down.
Alan led her to the elevator and into their room. The living room of their suite had a view of the harbor and the famous bridge, but Melissa wasn’t in the mood to admire the view. She stripped wearily for a shower. By the time she was done, the food was there. Alan helped her into a robe and even cut her broiled chicken for her into bite sized pieces. She ate mechanically feeling almost numb. She felt like crying and didn’t know why.
“Hey, what is it?” Alan asked, sensing her mood.
“I don’t know,” she sobbed, leaning against him. “I had a bad dream.”
He pulled her into his arms. “You just need some sleep.”
“It was awful Alan. I was going to jail. And I got shot. And we were going to go through the jump drive again.”
He smoothed back her hair. “No, we’re not. We’re staying right here. Come on, let’s get you in bed.” He led her to the bedroom and tucked her into the bed.
“Aren’t you coming?” she asked groggily.
“Later. I have a few things to do first.”
“Some honeymoon, huh?”
“We’ve barely gotten started. Wait until we get home. It’s peaceful and quiet, with a beautiful view of the mountains. We can ride if you want, or just sit on the porch and snog all day.”
Her eyes kept blinking as he talked and he continued to speak soothingly to her.
“Won’t your parents mind if we sit on the porch and snog,” she asked, almost asleep.
“Love, my parents are nothing like your parents. They’ll expect us to sit on the porch and snog.”
She chuckled. “Sounds like the perfect place to spend a honeymoon.”
“Go to sleep, love.”
“Yeah…” her voice trailed off and she finally slept.
She woke once. The bedroom was dark and Alan was sleeping soundly beside her. She stood up and made her way to the bathroom, then headed back to bed. Alan curled around her and murmured something that sounded vaguely like ‘I love you’. She sighed and fell right back to sleep again, and when she woke again she felt much more like herself.
It was light again, and Alan was no longer in bed with her. Her stomach rumbled threateningly—it felt horribly empty. There was a glass of ice water and soda crackers on a plate next to the bed. She reached over and ate the dry crackers, which were fresh and crumbly and were exactly what her stomach needed. When she got up she could smell food from the other room of their suite, and she even felt like she could face the thought of food. She pulled on her robe and headed toward the door.
Light streamed in the window. Alan sat at a small table by the window, sipping a cup of coffee and reading the paper. “Well, feeling better?”
“Much.” She joined him at the table and selected a piece of toast. She looked at the small pot of jam. “Strawberry?”
“I know it’s your favorite.”
“Thank you.” She covered the toast with jelly and put two sausage links on her plate. There was orange juice and a tall glass of milk as well as a coffee cup waiting to be filled.
“How long did I sleep?”
“About twenty-one hours. Good thing I didn’t plan to leave Sydney today. I was beginning to think you’d decided to sleep through the entire honeymoon.”
She smiled and shook her head, “No, I don’t intend to. I certainly don’t want to.”
Alan slid out of his chair and knelt beside her. “I know that.” He put his arms around her waist and rested his cheek against her satin covered belly. It was tight, and just beginning to bulge. She had given up wearing jeans the week before, although she didn’t quite need maternity clothes yet. “This is temporary, love. We’ll make it through this.”
She moved her fingers through his blond hair. “I know. I just… didn’t expect the mood swings.” She sighed. “Right now, I want to tear your robe off and screw you. But the mood may not last until we get to the bedroom.”
“Then let’s not go to the bedroom,” Alan resolved the problem, pulling her down to the floor next to him.
“Don’t we have a plane to catch?” she asked as she kissed his neck.
“I’m flying it. It won’t leave without me.” He covered her mouth with his and silenced her protests. He pulled back her satin robe and moved his hands down her body.
To her delight, he was also wearing only a robe, and her hands found easy access to his body. “Oh, Alan,” she moaned pulling him into her.
“See love,” he whispered as she moaned again. “We’re having a wonderful honeymoon.”
They spent the afternoon exploring Sydney, and picking up a list of things his father had emailed him that he needed, including a couple of cases of lager. The Carters lived in a remote area south of Sydney that had been cut off by road since Breakaway. They were mostly self-sufficient, but Geoff Carter used his small plane to fly in the things they needed. Phone lines were out as well, but they had a portable generator and Geoff had rigged a windmill to it to conserve their supply of gasoline. He had also just purchased a global satellite phone, which they could now use with their modem to reach the outside world. Alan had been unable to reach him by phone when they had returned home, but had finally reached him by email.
They took the supplies to the small plane Alan had chartered. They would leave in the morning. Mel felt better the longer she was on the ground and the farther away she was from that nightmare. Alan knew she was nervous about meeting Geoff and Elizabeth Carter, but he knew that once she was there, she would love the place.
They wandered the city in the afternoon, seeing the sights. Then after dinner Alan took his wife to bed and gave her a full body massage, relaxing her completely. He entered her slowly, lovemaking a continuation of the massage. She whispered his name softly, “Alan, mmm, that’s so good.”
“It gets better every time, love.”
The following morning Alan made sure Melissa had a good breakfast, then they packed an assortment of healthy snacks for her to eat on the plane, and took along a six pack of bottled water. They flew south from Sydney along the coast. Alan let Mel take the controls for a while, and both enjoyed the flight. Melissa liked flying, and the day gave her a bit of confidence. They rode the edge of a cold front and the ride got bumpy a couple of times, but she didn’t get sick. At some point that Alan seemed to know well, they moved away from the coast and crossed a range of low mountains and followed a valley for a while. The ground below them was lush and green.
Melissa had been in this area of Australia before, skiing at Mount Thredbo with a rather eccentric lover she had traveled with shortly after she graduated from college. She knew Alan didn’t like to hear about her previous lovers so she didn’t mention this to him. But they had traveled by car. She had never flown into the area before. She thoroughly enjoyed the view.
The drive from Sydney had only taken about four hours before Breakaway. But although Australia was geologically stable and had missed the worst of the earthquakes and volcanism that had wracked the rest of the world, the coastal areas had experienced a host of tsunamis. The atmospheric disturbance caused by the tidal shock had sent hurricanes far into the interior in latitudes that had never experienced hurricanes. Bridges that had been in place since the advent of the automobile were washed away. Whole sections of highway had been washed away by mudslides or buried under rockfalls. Air travel was the first to recover. The Carter’s tree plantation had survived in tact. They were just far enough inland for the worst of the winds and rains to miss them. Also, they preferred to be as self sufficient as possible in the first place. Although they had been out of contact for several months, then ran out of certain staples such as flour and sugar before Geoff deemed it safe to fly to Canberra for supplies, they had been in relatively little danger.
Alan flew the small plane low between two mountains. Ahead Melissa could see a small valley with a meadow, and a freshly mowed airstrip, a small hangar at one end with a faded windsock attached to the roof. The hillsides to each side of the valley contained pine trees planted in long rows. There were separate fields in about five different stages of development from seedlings to trees ready for harvest.
On the far side of the small hangar was a path leading around a small pond and up a gentle rise to a small house. It wasn’t a showplace, by any means, but appeared to be a comfortable, sturdy wooden dwelling. A recently harvested garden was between the pond and house. A small four-wheel ATV left the house with two small dogs chasing along next to it. Alan wagged the wings, circled once and descended to land. The ATV was by the hangar as they taxied up. Alan reached over and released Melissa's seat belt and gave her a wink and a quick kiss. Then he opened the door and stepped out, reaching back to help her down. She reached back for her leather jacket. The sun was shining, but there was a brisk wind blowing down the valley from the south—remainder of the cold front they had just flown through. It was early winter and a chilly day.
"I love that jacket on you," Alan said with a grin.
"It won't fit me much longer," Melissa warned.
He shrugged. "It'll fit you again," he said philosophically. He turned as his father approached. The two men met in a bear hug.
"Good to see you, mate!" Geoff Carter said in a voice that sounded much like his son's. "We thought we'd lost you." He hugged Alan again, and then turned to Melissa. "And here's our new daughter!"
"Dad, meet Mel," Alan said, by way of introduction.
Melissa hesitated slightly, wondering if she should shake his hand or hug him. Geoff Carter decided for her, stepping forward and pulling her into a gentle hug and kissing her softly on the cheek. He leaned back and looked at her with merry blue eyes. "Welcome home, Mel."
"Thank you..." She loved his eyes. They were much like Alan's. Geoff was in his late fifties, no taller than Alan, tanned and lean, with the muscular look that only comes from working outside, and cannot come from a gym. He was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt with a demin jacket, blue jeans and workboots. His hair was past thinning, and he wore it cut so short you could hardly tell where he still had hair. Melissa liked him at first sight.
"Call me Dad. And Mum is waiting at the house, so we'd better get going. Alan, your dirt bike is in the hangar, mate. I've got it all tuned up for you. And Mel can ride behind me on the ATV." He reached in and pulled out the two suitcases. "We'll put these in the basket behind us and come back for the rest of the supplies later. Did you bring the beer?"
"Yes sir, I did."
"Mel, we've got another dirt bike if you'd rather take that," Geoff said.
"No, I'll ride this time, thanks."
"All right, let's get moving. Beth cried for two days when the moon blew, then another two days when we found out you were all right. I'm under orders to get you to your mother straight away. We can come back and secure the plane in a bit."
"Right." Alan replied with a grin. He helped Melissa onto the large ATV seat, gave her another quick kiss then headed for the hangar. By the time Geoff had the ATV started she could hear the whine of the motor bike and Alan burst out of the hangar with the front wheel in the air. He circled around them, winked at Mel and sped on ahead.
"Ever ridden dirt bikes, Mel?" Geoff shouted over the engine as they headed up the path.
"A couple of times. But only on tracks, never really off-road." She noticed Alan avoided the path and jumped a small rock wall that set off the garden and shot a rooster tail of dirt as he bumped across the bare dirt of the garden.
"You can use the four-wheeler while you're here if you'd rather use that than a bike."
"Thanks. Alan said you had horses."
"You ride?" They were still shouting, and going faster than Mel would have had she been driving up the winding path. Father and son both seemed to like speed. Her arms were firmly around her father-in-law's waist.
"Yes."
"We have a couple of old nags. Spoiled rotten, they are. Expect apples every day this time of year. Never do a lick of work, but they're well broke. You can ride them any time you want."
Melissa didn't have time to answer. Alan had skidded to a stop in the front yard ahead of them, barely missing a line of rose bushes that had been pruned back for the coming winter. There were climbing roses on the rails to the porch. The house was a t-shape. There was an open porch facing north to look across the meadow with steps coming down to the ground. The porch turned and faced west as well. The west side was screened in and there were several pieces of wicker furniture on the porch as well as an iron daybed with a brightly colored crazy-quilt comforter on one end.
Geoff brought the ATV to a stop next to the dirt bike and helped Mel dismount. She checked the khaki's she was wearing for grease, and found none. She was wearing a navy blue plaid oxford shirt. It was a maternity blouse, with plenty of room, but she could still tuck it inside the slacks for now. She had packed knowing she would be here for a month and her body would be constantly changing during that time and there were no nearby stores should she need something larger.
Beth Carter was standing by the front door and came quickly down the steps as Alan swung off the bike. Alan lifted her off the ground and kissed her soundly. She held him tightly then pushed back and slugged him in the arm. "Do you know how worried I've been?"
"I'm sorry, Mum. It's not like it was my fault." Alan leaned forward with a grin and kissed her cheek again.
"Of course not," she said with a smile. "But I wish you'd find something a bit safer to do now."
"I have," he promised. "I've got a groundside job as a design engineer. I'm going to make spaceships for others to fly now."
"And not go traipsing around the universe?"
Alan looked back at Mel and held out his hand for her. "I want to see my baby grow up," he said seriously.
Melissa stepped forward nervously and Beth hugged her. "And you’re Melissa. Welcome home, my dear."
Melissa smiled and managed a thank you. The pair acted like she and Alan had come here to stay. It seemed like a nice place, but her home was on the other side of the world.
Beth was a beautiful woman in her fifties. She barely seemed old enough to be Alan's mother. She was just a bit shorter than her son, with shoulder length blonde hair which she wore pulled back with a headband. Unlike her husband who was deeply tanned she had a peaches and cream complexion with just enough freckles across the bridge of her nose to look pleasing. She wore jeans and leather loafers and a bulky red sweater. "Come in, you two. We'll get you settled in your room. Have you had lunch yet? I've just put a kettle on for tea, and we have some roast beef for sandwiches."
Melissa's stomach growled. "That would be lovely."
They walked into a large living room with a fireplace at the west end and an open kitchen at the east end. A hallway led off the northwest corner of the room with bedrooms to the left and right down the hall. Beth led them to the left. She explained that they had moved the double bed from the room the girls used to share into Alan's old room. The room was at the end of the hallway. It was paneled with thick pine boards on walls and ceiling, and also had polished wood floors with a few throw rugs scattered around the floor. Beth pointed out the bathroom next door. It was small, with a small shower stall and no bathtub. She explained that they had recently installed a solar water heater, so there was plenty of hot water. Alan's room had windows to the north and east and a door on the west side that opened onto the screen porch.
The double bed made the small room a bit crowded. Above the bed hung an assortment of model airplanes from WWI bi-planes to SR-71 Blackbirds. There was even a small model of an Eagle hanging over the desk in the corner of the room. The desk held a computer and this room was obviously used as an office by Alan's father, with file cabinets next to the desk, a telephone and a small copier. There was a bookcase full of old books, an eclectic collection of classics and old science fiction that had been at least a decade old when Alan was born. Melissa remembered that Alan had spent summers here as a child but had never lived here permanently. He'd grown up in Sydney and Los Angeles while his father had been an airline pilot.
The views from his windows were beautiful. Beth had pulled back the curtains and let the sunshine in. The room was cozy and warm from the sun coming in the north window. There was a thick quilt covering the bed and an extra afghan at the foot of the bed. It looked like a room she could relax and be comfortable in.
Alan and Geoff brought in the suitcases and Beth shooed Geoff back out to let them get settled after pointing out the chest of drawers she had emptied for them. Melissa sank down on the bed.
"See? That wasn't so bad?" Alan said, knowing she was nervous.
"They seem very nice."
"They are nice. Now, let's throw these clothes in the drawers and go get some lunch."
"Right now, lunch sounds better than unpacking. I'll do that while you and your dad are emptying the plane after lunch."
"All right, love. Sounds like a plan."
Melissa shed the leather jacket and took Alan's hand and he led her from the room.
Melissa concentrated on food while Alan got caught up with his parents. She let news about people she'd never met wash over her. One of Alan's sister's had recently had a baby and would be coming to visit with her several children next week. She and her husband lived in Canberra and Geoff would be flying there to pick them up in a few days. Geoff also asked Alan to ride with him along the road as far as the flooded out bridge to see if they could get the electrical wires back up. The electric company had finally gotten things repaired as far as the main road, but the poles on private property were still on a waiting list. Geoff didn’t care so much about the road, but with Alan’s help, they should be able to restore power to the house and farm.
After lunch she retreated to their room to unpack then succumbed to the attraction of the double bed. She had only intended to lay down for a minute, but when she woke up the sun was low in the west and the afghan had been pulled over her. She hadn't even heard Alan come in and cover her up.
She got up and was about to head to the living room when she heard voices through the door to the porch so she cracked the door and found Alan and Geoff on the porch, each with a bottle of beer.
"I told you she'd be awake in time for dinner," Alan said with a smile. He was sitting on the daybed and held out his hand for her.
"Jet lag and morning sickness together is a bad combination. I remember when your mum was expecting you and I took her with me to L.A. the first time. Believe me, Mel, you're doing better than she did."
Melissa smiled, a bit embarrassed by her seemingly antisocial behavior so far. "Thanks...Dad." She sat next to Alan and leaned against him.
"Dinner will be ready soon. We like to get that out of the way before sundown. Then we'll light a couple of kerosene lamps until time for bed. We keep power for cooking and refrigeration and things like that."
Alan nodded. "We'll be fine with that, won't we Mel."
"Considering that I can't seem to stay awake, it shouldn't bother me a bit."
"I'll go see how Mum is doing with dinner. Shouldn't be much longer." Geoff drained his beer and took Alan's empty bottle with him too.
Alan lay back on the day bed and pulled Melissa into his arms. "Feeling ok?"
"A bit disoriented and groggy, but not sick."
"Good." Alan nuzzled her neck and moved his hand down her body. He moved back and looked at her. "Are you wearing a bra?" he asked.
"Yes, why?"
"I think you're trying to impress my parents!" Alan pulled her shirt tail out of her pants and moved his hand underneath, fingers exploring her skin.
"Well, I don't want them to think you married some slut. What are you doing?"
"I'm fondling my wife," Alan said, with a laugh. "Love, you've spent most of the last twenty years trying to convince your parents that you are a slut-- even though I know better."
"What if your dad comes back out here?" she asked when he didn't quit.
"Who cares? Mel, I've already knocked you up, remember? I'm sure he knows I've touched your breast before." His thumb moved up to rub her nipple. "What happened to the girl who wanted it in her father's office during the party next Thanksgiving?"
Melissa laughed and pressed against Alan. "I guess I don't need to do that sort of thing any more."
"I was looking forward to it," Alan murmured into her ear.
"Liar. You chickened out last time." She gasped as Alan blew into her ear and nibbled at her ear lobe.
Melissa relaxed and kissed him, shifting so he could more easily move her bra aside.
"I love you, Melissa Carter," Alan murmured.
"I love you, too, Alan Carter," she responded. Alan's hands roamed over her body and she enjoyed his attention.
It seemed no time at all before the door opened up and she heard Alan's father say, "All right you two, break it up and come to dinner." The door closed quickly again and Alan helped her to sit up. They straightened each other up and headed for dinner.
Sleep came easy to her that evening, tucked safely in Alan’s arms under the thick warm quilt. She liked being in this room where he had been a little boy. As they drifted off to sleep she asked him to tell her about the models that hung above her. They had been gifts from his father. He would be away for days at a time when Alan was little, and always brought Alan back a model airplane, something different each time. At first, when Alan was six or seven, they would sit down and make the models together. When Alan grew older, he would save up some of them to bring here, to his grandparents. There wasn’t much to do here, and his grandmother let him keep a table on the porch for whatever work was in progress. The ones he had made here, his grandfather had hung in his bedroom, which had always doubled as an office.
The following day Alan and Geoff zoomed off on their dirt bikes shortly after breakfast. Beth asked Mel if she would like a tour of the farm while she fed the chooks and their other animals. The two Australian sheepdogs had bounced along after the dirt bikes. Beth didn’t appear to be concerned. She donned a wide brimmed straw hat that was waiting for her and they stepped out of the house. An elderly sheltie moved slowly off the sunny front steps then returned to his spot immediately once they passed into the yard. Melissa followed her around the yard, learning that chooks were chickens. They had their own little shed to sleep in, but were let out to wander during the day. Beth shooed them out of their house, scattering a scoop of corn for them to peck at. Then she collected the eggs they had laid that morning, carefully placing them in a small basket.
They moved behind the house to a board fence and put a hand full of sweet feed in a bucket and tapped the fence. Two horses moved out of the woods. They were large bay draft horses with big feet and wide backs. They picked up the pace when they saw the feed bucket. Beth reached out and petted them on the nose and nodded when Melissa looked to her for permission.
“We don’t ride them much,” Beth said. “Just enough to keep them broke in. Their ancestors worked the plantation. This is a mother and son. Geoff complains about them constantly, but he really spoils them.”
“They’re beautiful animals. My mother shows thoroughbreds in Texas.”
“These aren’t show quality or anything, just old family friends.”
“How did you come to live out here? Alan told me he grew up in Sydney and Los Angeles. This is quite a big change from two large metropolitan areas.”
As they wandered around the yard, feeding livestock, milking the cows, greeting the dogs who arrived back as enthusiastically as they left, having tired of following the dirt bikes, Beth told Melissa some of their family history. Mel enjoyed listening to Alan’s mother. She had always been intrigued by how people got where they were and chose what they wanted to do with their lives.
Geoff was born here, and grew up here. His father and his grandfather both flew—his grandpa in World War One. Geoff went off to Duntroon after he finished school. His roommate was Beth’s brother, Jake. The first weekend they had a pass, Jake brought Geoff home with him. Beth was still in school, barely seventeen while Geoff was nineteen. Beth said they took one look at each other and knew they were going to be together forever. Geoff spent every leave he got with Beth. He took her to her senior dance and they got married the week after she graduated. They moved to an air base in Western Australia. Then through Geoff’s training and duty stations, other bases around the country. The bases were remote, but they had each other, and Geoff was flying so they were happy. He flew for the Air Force for four years. Alan was born during that time. Then Geoff got out of the service and began flying for commercial airlines. He flew overseas routes, which paid well but kept him away from home much of the time. Alan’s sisters were born around this time. They were four and six years younger than Alan.
Summer vacations were spent here on the tree plantation. Geoff would take his vacation all at once and come with them. The family was always happiest here. When Alan was about ten, Geoff was offered a job that would be based out of Los Angeles. It was more money, and the flights weren’t as long, so Geoff would be home more often. They felt that would be better for their family, so they moved to the States, returning for vacations every year to the farm. Alan finished high school in America and went on to the Space Force Academy. He wanted to fly.
Geoff was his parents’ only surviving child, and they were elderly by this time. When Alan’s sister Laura finished high school, Geoff’s parents said they would have to sell the farm if Geoff didn’t want it. It was too remote and too much work for them. No matter where they had lived, the farm had always been home. They couldn’t bear the thought of losing it. In fact, both had dreamed of returning there someday to live permanently. Geoff had enough years to retire from the airline, and they had ample savings to help support his parents. Tracy, Alan’s youngest sister, finished her last two years of school in Melbourne, living with her grandparents, who had purchased a small house there.
“So, here we are. It is remote. But Geoff and I have always been quite self-sufficient. As long as we have each other, we have very little need of other companionship. The girls both visit regularly. Laura is married and lives in Canberra. They have three children, and she works as a sound engineer for a talk radio station there. Her husband is the station manager. Tracy is divorced, and works for a sporting goods company as a buyer. She travels a lot, and is quite happy. They had no children, and parted on fairly friendly terms.”
Beth and Melissa had retreated to the house by mid-day. Beth made brownies, using some of the sugar and cocoa that Alan had brought. Melissa paged through old photo albums showing pictures of a small tow heade boy and two younger girls in various places, including here in this room at Christmas time, and on a white sand beach. Later pictures showed a more recognizable young Alan, riding horses, standing with the swim team in high school, golfing in college and standing in a flight suit next to a T-38 trainer.
For lunch they had small sandwiches and large brownies with a tall glass of fresh milk. Afterwards, Beth insisted that Melissa nap.
“I shouldn’t…”
“You should,” Beth insisted. “That baby growing inside you is using up a lot of energy. Take a nap every day, and you let Alan spoil you. You’ll be busy enough soon trying to keep up with the little tyke.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Melissa admitted.
“I’ve been there before. And with the next one, it’s almost impossible to find enough time to sleep. At least it sounds like my son intends to be around to do his share of the work.”
“He’s very enthusiastic about being a father,” Melissa said with a smile.
“Good. He should be. He’s always been a good boy. I know you two will be very happy together.”
“We already are,” Melissa said with a smile as she left for the bedroom. She did like her mother-in-law and was beginning to see what a nice relaxing place this could be.
The sound of a ringing telephone woke her up. The phone next to the computer was ringing as well as one in the kitchen. She padded into the living room, feeling well rested. Beth was talking on the telephone and smiling.
“Venison steaks. And that pineapple dish Alan likes, with the cheese. And baked potatoes.” After a beat she laughed. “Then I’ll have it ready when you get here, love. Hurry home.” She hung up the phone.
“They’ve got the phone lines and the electrical lines all hooked up. They’ll be back in about an hour.”
“And they’re hungry, I take it.” Melissa said.
“Starved.”
Melissa set about helping get supper ready for the returning men.
The following day was warmer. The cold front had moved past and the day was going to be clear, sunny and the perfect temperature for a picnic. Beth packed a lunch in an old set of tooled leather saddlebags and Geoff and Alan saddled the two horses. The horses did need to be constantly convinced to keep going. They seemed surprised that someone actually wanted them to work a bit. But they were amenable.
Alan led them south through the valley. They followed a small stream that wound its way along the valley then split into two. They followed the left fork upstream between two hills. The creek was a small cataract of tiny falls, and there was a path beside them. Alan explained that they ran the small herd of cattle here in the summertime then moved them to closer, lower pastures in the winter. The valley widened out, with tall gum trees covering the slopes along here. They had left the plantation trees behind and were now traveling though native vegetation. The tall light barked eucalyptus, commonly called gum trees, whispered in the breeze above them.
The sun was warm and they stopped where the creek widened out. There was very little underbrush. The gum trees grew close to the water here. Alan spread out a quilt under the trees and pulled out a bottle of water and a bottle of beer and set them in the stream to keep them cold. Melissa hobbled the horses and allowed them to graze. She joined Alan on the blanket and he pulled her into his arms. She pushed him down onto the quilt and rolled on top of him, straddling him and kissing him hungrily. Alan’s hands moved under the shoulder straps of her denim overalls and moved down her back, searching for the bottom of her pink t-shirt.
She helped him by reaching up to unhook the latches on the overalls. She sat up and threw the straps back, and he pulled the t-shirt off her. He grinned and enjoyed the sight above him. “No bra today, I see.”
“It didn’t seem necessary.”
“I’m glad,” he smiled running his hands up and down her torso until she leaned down to kiss him again.
They worked their way out of their clothes, taking their time, enjoying the feel of each other’s body. Alan noticed the firmness in her abdomen that seemed to increase daily now. He pulled back and grinned at her and she nodded her assent. He kept wondering how long their love life would continue to be this active, but would follow her lead. He entered her slowly and brought her to climax. She screamed as she came and clung to him with her arms and legs. The sound was absorbed by the trees around them. He slowly pulled out of her, watching her savor the sensation. Neither of them had much of a history of staying with a lover long. He was finding it surprisingly satisfying to know what she liked and be able to deliver it. He rolled off of her and settled his body against hers. He murmured into her ear, “you like?”
“Mmmhmm, very much,” she said softly, eyes closed, body relaxed.
He liked to watch her this way, recovering from their lovemaking, obviously satisfied. “You know, you’ve fulfilled one of my teenage fantasies, coming here with me like this.”
She laughed softly. “You said much the same thing on that Eagle that time, flyboy. I take it that most of your teenage fantasies involved coming in exotic places?”
He smiled at the pun and nuzzled her neck. “With a beautiful, sexy blonde usually. Although I had the occasional fantasies about red-heads and brunettes too.”
“I can accommodate the red-head ones, but I look awful as a brunette.”
“No problem. I really prefer blondes.” He gently stroked her breasts, fingers kneading her nipples.
“You know, I should put you in charge of preparing my nipples for the baby.”
His reaction was immediate, and she could feel him grow hard against her hip. “For the baby? You’re going to nurse him?”
“Well, that’s what the equipment is for. I might as well use it.” She reached down and stroked him. “You seem to like the idea.”
“What do I have to do?”
“They should be massaged daily to toughen them up. So when the baby suckles he doesn’t wear them out.”
“Like this?” he gently tugged at her nipple.
She turned and placed her lips next to his. “Harder, flyboy.” She squeezed his own hard member.
He pressed his lips to hers and concentrated on the massage, thinking what a turn on it was to be asked to do this every day for her.
They heard a rustling and Alan looked up. He grinned. “Look, love.”
Melissa turned her head to see about a dozen kangaroos foraging through the leaves nearby. She turned slowly to get a better view.
Alan murmured softly into her ear. “Look, that one has a joey in the pouch, just like you.”
A small head protruded from the pouch, then a large foot as the baby wiggled. He eventually wiggled his way completely out of the pouch and followed his mother around with his odd hopping gait. The small herd headed up the hill, completely ignoring the two humans who had invaded their territory. Alan and Melissa exchanged smiles and her stomach growled. They both laughed.
“Must be lunch time,” Alan said, sitting up. She nodded her agreement. Alan pulled on his jeans while she stepped back into her overalls. She didn’t bother to put on the t-shirt, just fastened the straps. She rolled up the legs and stepped barefooted over to the creek to retrieve their drinks. Alan watched her, enjoying the view through the side of her overalls as she bent over. She turned in time to catch him staring at her and she winked at him.
“You look fantastic,” he said. She grinned, bowed and pirouetted giving him quite a view. Her tanned skin looked terrific against the blue overalls.
She rejoined him on the quilt, sitting tailor fashion in front of him. He traded her a sandwich for a beer. She unwrapped the sandwich and looked at it suspiciously. “This isn’t that vegemite stuff is it?”
“There’s nothing wrong with that vegemite stuff,” Alan said with a laugh. “But no, this is tuna salad.”
“It doesn’t look like tuna salad,” she said, examining it closely.
“My mother’s tuna salad is different. But you’ll like it, I promise.”
Melissa took a bite of the best tuna salad sandwich she’d ever eaten. There were some unusual spices, and the tuna was so fine and smooth it was more like a paste. “That’s incredible. I’ve never tasted anything like it.” She began to eat more enthusiastically.
“It’s her secret recipe. Maybe you can worm it out of her, seeing how you’re in charge of feeding her favorite son now.”
Melissa laughed and licked her fingers. “You’re her only son. Didn’t she teach you or your sisters?”
“Not me. I’m great at ordering out. And can occasionally cook something on the grill. But past opening a can, I’m afraid I’m hopeless.”
“And your sisters?”
“Well, my sisters… Tracey’s ok. But Laura… I don’t want to prejudice you, but I feel I should warn you that I’m not one of her favorite people, nor is she mine. We don’t get on well.”
“But she’s your sister! How can you possibly not get along?”
“We’re not like you and Helena, love. You two accept each other, no matter how different. Laura tends to criticize differences. I’ve never been what she thought I should be.”
Melissa leaned over and caressed his cheek. “You’re exactly what I want you to be, flyboy. In every way.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. “Good. I don’t give a damn what Laura wants me to be anyway.” He reached out to caress her breast behind the bib overalls when they heard a small splash by the pool. They both turned, Alan’s hand squeezing her slightly.
“What was that?”
“Let’s go look. Gently,” he warned. “I hope it might be a platypus.”
“You think so? I’ve always wanted to see one.”
“They’re very shy. But we might just have a chance.” He motioned her to follow him and crept quietly toward the water’s edge. Alan led her down by a rock than leaned out over the water and crouched down. She leaned over behind him. There was a dark shape at the edge of the water. It looked like a wet black rat. Until it moved. Melissa saw the distinctive bill rise out of the water. She gripped Alan’s shoulder and leaned farther forward. The tiny animal turned away from them and slipped into the water with a flip of its beaver-like tail.
Alan stood and they exchanged grins. “There you go, love. Not a sight everyone gets to see in the wild.”
“That was wonderful, Alan! Have you seen them before?”
“Never had. Although Granddad always insisted they were out here. You brought me luck.”
“Maybe you’ll even get along with your sister this time.”
Alan laughed and led her back to the quilt. “Don’t count on it.”
The next few days were wonderfully idyllic. They slept late; she napped every afternoon and ate wonderful food cooked by Beth. She and Alan took a couple of dirt bikes out once, but she wasn’t very sure of herself on them, and they didn’t go far. Alan seemed to be able to sense when she wanted his affection, and they made love frequently, late at night, early morning, and in the middle of the day. The first time he had grinned at her over the lunch table and excused them to the bedroom she had been a bit embarrassed, but Geoff and Beth didn’t seem the least bit concerned. They truly seemed to expect his son and new wife to want to be alone together. This was quite different from their first visit to her parents’ place where her father had insisted they sleep in separate bedrooms and even did a bed check. And she didn’t think this had anything to do with whether they had a marriage license or not.
Beth and Geoff were avid card players and they taught Mel how to play a game called “sheepshead” which Beth said she had learned from her German grandfather as a child. It had some similarities to bridge and was fast-paced and fun. They partnered her with Geoff and she quickly came to learn his system. Soon they were regularly beating Alan and Beth.
Melissa woke one morning to the sound of an airplane engine. Alan was sprawled face down beside her still soundly sleeping in the same position since he’d rolled off of her in their pre-dawn lovemaking. It was very nice being here together like this, and she knew she was going to regret returning to their busy life, where they had to get up and go to work every day. This was the most they had ever been able to be together, and it was wonderful. Even on Alpha there had been schedules to keep and deadlines to meet, and Alan had worked hard to get the Eagle fleet ready to return them to Earth. She resolved to make certain they had some time to themselves on a regular basis to enjoy each other the way they were now. Alan’s new job was demanding and challenging, and he wouldn’t want it any other way, but she didn’t want it to interfere with their life together, which she hoped would last for many many years.
Alan opened one eye as the plane buzzed the house. He sighed. “That’s Dad, on his way to get Laura and the kids.”
“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”
“Not counting the time I was on Alpha, nearly three years.”
It was odd trying to count in just how long Alan and the others on Alpha had been gone. When they had left, she and Alan had been the same age. Now Alan, and her twin, were both nearly five years older than her. But they had found that the longer it was since their return, the easier it was to simply leave out those five years of time as not existing. They both knew it had happened. Alan had been away for a long time, but the time had not passed the same for her, or those who had remained on Earth.
“Maybe she’s changed,” Melissa suggested.
“Not bloody likely,” Alan sighed. He pulled his wife into his arms, his mind returning to more immediate matters. His hands roamed over her body. “Let’s see if you’ve changed,” he suggested.
“Since a few hours ago?” she laughed.
“You can never tell,” he said, bending to his task, using hands, lips and tongue and effectively ending the conversation.
With only a few minutes exposure, Melissa learned why Alan had not looked forward to seeing Laura, and knew she would always pray to keep any visits with her brief. Physically, Laura resembled her mother. They had similar features and coloring. But Laura out-weighed her mother by more than fifty pounds. She refused to ride either dirt bike or ATV to the house, and slowly strolled up the path. Geoff brought the two older grandchildren on ahead on the ATV, and the five year old girl and three year old boy were obviously delighted to see their grandmother, as she was thrilled to see them. She ushered them into the house to a plate full of cookies, asking the girl questions about school and friends and soaking up the child’s answers and laughter.
Alan walked down the lane to greet his sister and she let him carry the baby the rest of the way. Laura arrived breathless, climbing the steps to the porch and taking a seat with a puff. Alan had never seen this nephew, who had been born just at the time breakaway had occurred. Melissa smiled at him, thinking how natural he looked holding a baby like that. He appeared to be perfectly at ease with the tiny child. Much more than Melissa felt she would be. Alan grinned back and introduced her to Laura and his nephew Darren.
“We were going to name him Geoffrey Alan, but felt that Alan should have the chance to name his son that, so we didn’t,” Laura explained to her new sister-in-law before even saying hello.
Geoff joined them on the porch. “We told you at the time that Alan could decide what to name his own baby when the time came. Right now, they don’t even know if it’s a girl or a boy.”
“Yes, and also at the time, we had no idea when Alan would decide to settle down,” Laura said.
Melissa realized that by speaking two sentences, Laura had managed to insult Alan’s lifestyle and also be able to claim credit for naming their child. And if they didn’t decide to name the baby after his father and grandfather, it would not only be a slap in the face to Laura, but to Geoff as well. Alan was right, this wasn’t going to be fun.
During the rest of the day Laura managed to insult Alan at every opportunity. She disapproved of his choice of professions, and was outraged that he was planning to make his home in Florida.
“But you’re an Australian! Why can’t you come home to work now?”
“My job is in Florida. That’s where the aerospace industry is.”
“But why can’t you make these space ships here? Stewart says that we need to encourage different kinds of industry here to keep our best people from leaving the country.”
“Oh, Laura, honey,” Geoff drawled. “The world just doesn’t work like that anymore. And the space effort is going to take a global participation.”
“You’re as bad as Alan, Dad, with all that global village nonsense.”
Laura began a tirade against the space program and it’s international agenda. Her views were punctuated frequently with “Stewart says…” Mel found herself despising Stewart without ever having met him.
The children were actually kind of cute. They obviously adored their grandparents and were used to visiting here. They made themselves at home, knew the names of the dogs, and followed their grandparents around, virtually ignoring their mother and she seemed to simply abdicate all authority over them to her mother.
It was late that night when Melissa finally lost her temper completely, however. She and Alan had retreated to their bedroom as soon as seemed polite after dinner. She was tired and fell asleep quickly, but they both woke up shortly after midnight, hungry for each other. They were both nearing climax when they heard a knock on the door.
“Ignore it,” she whispered in Alan’s ear, too close to quit now.
“Yeah,” he agreed, without losing his concentration.
The knocking grew louder and more insistent. “Alan, I know you’re in there,” Laura’s voice sounded. “Alan!”
Alan moaned and released. Melissa simply relaxed, annoyed at Laura, and not in the mood to continue. Alan rolled off of her and reached over to turn on the light by the bed. He glanced at the door and back at his wife. “Honey…” he started.
“Later,” Melissa said, smiling to let him know she wasn’t upset.
Alan stood and headed for the door. Pulling on the robe Melissa had hung by the door for him to use to go to the bathroom he opened the door. “Laura, what is it?” he growled.
“Are you aware that I have children just down the hall trying to sleep while you two are carrying on in there?”
“Oh, come on, Laura, we can’t possibly be waking them up!” Alan exclaimed.
“Not yet! but I don’t want them asking questions about what you’re doing.”
“Look, Laura, we’re not bothering the kids, or mum and dad, what’s up with you?”
“You come down here with your pretty wife, and are suddenly Mum and Dad’s darling again, you can’t do anything wrong as far as they’re concerned.”
Melissa had heard enough. She stood and joined Alan by the door, pulling on her own robe. “Look Laura, I don’t know what your problem is. But Alan and I didn’t manage to conceive by Immaculate Conception like you obviously did. And we find we like having sex. We like it a lot. And it makes me very cranky to have someone interrupt us in the middle. So why don’t you just go on back to bed and we’ll try to keep it down, ok?” Melissa pushed the door shut on Laura’s surprised face.
Alan leaned against the wall trying to keep from laughing out loud. He pulled his wife into his arms and held her tight. He put his lips against hers and kissed her softly, and then he drew her back to bed. “That, was inspired love. But it’s not going to exactly make brownie points with Laura.”
“I wasn’t trying for brownie points, flyboy. I was trying to get you back to bed.”
“Now that we’re here, what did you want me for?” Alan said with a laugh and a twinkle in his eye.
Melissa reached over and turned out the light. She took his hand in hers, moving it between her legs. “I think you know what to do next,” she whispered into his ear suggestively.
“I’m sure I’ll figure out something.”
The next morning Alan rose early. He and his father took the children fishing. Still queasy, Melissa remained in bed until midmorning, not looking forward to breakfast or the repercussions of her sister-in-law. She eased down the hall toward the kitchen. As she reached the doorway to the kitchen she overheard the irrational rantings of Laura.
"And she slammed the door right in my face! Can you believe that?"
"Laura..." Her mother tried to interject but her daughter was out on a tangent waving her hands wildly as she spoke.
"Travel agent my ass, I bet she the only thing she knows about travel is how to say orgasm in 6 languages. And that hair of hers, I'm sure it's blonde right out of the bottle."
Melissa stood and listened to the ranting of this mad woman. She could hardly believe that this lunatic was related to Alan.
"And Mom, you know what else? I wonder if that child she's carrying is really Alan's!"
The last remark pushed Melissa over the edge and she bolted from the doorway into the room. She moved right into Laura's space and slammed her hand on the table.
"Listen to me you hard hearted ice bitch, you can say anything you want about my career or my hair but you will NOT and I repeat NOT say one word about mine and ALAN's child."
Laura and her mother sat back stunned into silence by Melissa's display.
"I thought I was going to have two new sisters. I never dreamed anyone related to Alan could be such a back-stabbing narrow-minded crone.” Melissa felt the tears coming that seemed to show up so much easier that they ever had before. She turned and dashed out the front door before Laura could see them. She certainly wasn’t going to cry in front of that bitch.
She fled blindly from the house, not certain where to go. She wished Cake were nearby. She wished Alan were here. She had no idea where he and Geoff had gone to go fishing. She wanted to go home.
There was a bench underneath a gum tree a little way up the hill from the chook house. It offered a peaceful view of the valley below. Melissa sat on the bench and buried her face in her hands. She let lose the sobs that she had held back in the house.
Laura hated her. She had expected some distrust, but to hear her speculate that the baby she carried wasn’t Alan’s had devastated her. Alan had been nothing but wonderful and honorable and loving. He had trusted her, and given her the freedom to love him without trying to change her in any way.
When she felt someone put an arm around her she immediately thought first of Alan. But it was Beth who drew her into a maternal embrace and let her cry.
“Alan told us how close you and your sister are. Laura doesn’t live up to your expectations of a sister.”
“I—don’t know what I expected. I didn’t really think much about it. It never occurred to me---”
“Laura was always my problem child. She was always outdone by either her clever older brother or her pretty younger sister. And she was ever the pessimist. Every cloud had a darker lining for her.”
“Alan told me they didn’t get along.”
“No, they never have. Nor was it Alan’s fault. He was always a happy child, and at four years older than Laura, he was quite protective of her when she was little. But his successes, his ease with academics and sports seemed to antagonize her. And as he grew up and his horizons expanded, he found it easier and easier to ignore her and avoid her.”
“Why did she want to come see him, then?”
Beth shook her head. “I’m not quite certain. And her outrage that he’s planning to live in the states surprised me. I’m not even sure Laura knows what she wants. Don’t get me wrong, Melissa. I love my daughter very much. And her little ones are wonderful, and I love having them around as often as possible. But I think she’s still jealous of Alan, whose life is always more exciting, more colorful than hers will ever be.”
“I apologize for my outburst. But Alan is just so wonderful to me. To hear her think so poorly of him-- I just couldn’t stand it. I don’t really care what she thinks of me.”
Beth patted her shoulder. “I hope you and Laura can find a way to get along, at least a little. I know her antics last night were annoying, and the things she said about you this morning were downright insulting.
“Now, you need some food. Let’s go back to the kitchen and get you something to eat. The best thing you can do with Laura is pretend this morning never happened. Are you up to that?”
Melissa smiled. “Right now, I’ll do just about anything for food.”
Beth laughed with her. “I thought that might be your reaction.” She stood and took Melissa’s hand and they headed back to the house.
Laura and her clan left the following morning. Melissa and Alan both breathed a sigh of relief. When she woke from her nap that afternoon Melissa heard voices out on the porch.
Alan and his mother were sitting in the swing together. The afternoon was warm and Melissa had cracked the west window to let in some fresh air.
“Anyway, it was good to see my niece and nephew again. It seemed so odd that they’d changed so little. I still get a little disoriented about the difference in time.”
“Was it awfully hard Alan? Being on the moon? You’ve hardly mentioned it.”
“There were times it was boring enough to lead to despair. Other times the dangers led you to lose hope. And I missed Mel so much… Then the fourth year we were there, some – being—made it possible for her to connect with me. After that, I knew she was coming to try to rescue us. That made it easier.”
“The last email you sent us, before it happened. You told us a little about her. I wondered if you might be serious about her. You hadn’t mentioned a particular girl to us since you were a teenager.”
“Yeah. I had fallen for her then. That week we spent in Houston together. I found myself thinking that a job on Earth where I would be home nights could be really nice. When she got to Alpha, and we decided to marry, it just seemed so right. But sometimes I’m afraid she won’t want to stay with me. She’s been so independent.”
“I have the feeling it’s one of the things you love about her.”
“It is. One of the many things. Mum, she’s so full of life and energy. She has this amazing capacity to be happy. Even when she was on Alpha with me, waiting for us to get things ready to return. She didn’t like being in space, or the jump drive, but she pitched in, got things done, and found ways to enjoy herself.”
Beth laughed. “Laura has always been my pessimist. And you are my hedonist.”
“Perhaps. Being with Mel is a lot of fun, no matter what we’re doing.”
“I just want you to be happy, Alan.”
“I am Mum, I really am.”
Melissa lay beneath the soft afghan and stretched luxuriously. Alan was happy. And she was too. Despite Laura, they were truly having a wonderful holiday.
Maureen J. Long
July, 2000