Earth's Last Angel (17 page)

‘I'm Tom, the captain's son.' a little embarrassed, not wanting to use his status as leverage but doing it anyway.

‘Ah, the captain's son.' She smiles, takes a notebook from her pocket and writes on the back page. Tearing it out, the waitress places it on the table in front of him.

‘Excuse me, please, Tom, I have customers to serve,' she says before moving on to another table.

Tom picks up the paper and reads the fine scrawl: ‘Please don't ask me out on a date while I am working. Meet me here at 5pm sharp, Melissa.'

Tom winces and sticks the note in his pocket. He looks across the café at her but she is busy serving other customers. ‘I must be losing my touch,' he thinks. ‘Was I too slick?'

Gene returns and sits down. ‘What's wrong, Tom?' she asks.

He pulls the note out and shows her. Gene smiles. ‘Oh, is that all? Melissa gets asked out all the time.'

‘Why didn't she just give me her number?'

‘This is not Sofia. Melissa's not the type to sit and wait for a call. If you're interested just be here on time.'

Tom looks doubtful. ‘I don't know. She didn't seem all that interested.'

‘If she wasn't, you wouldn't have that,' says Gene, pointing to the note Tom is rubbing between his fingers.

Tom smiles, ‘Thanks, Gene.'

‘That's OK,' she says, ‘I'll go chase up a couple of coffees for us since you are otherwise occupied.'

He smiles sheepishly. ‘I'm glad you're here.'

Tom wants to tell her how much he had wanted her to stay over the years. No, that would freak her out. Aunt Gene didn't want anyone too close to her. He remembers how in earlier years, when his mother was still alive, her little sister Gene would turn up on the doorstep without any notice and entertain them with her adventure stories, and then, just as he was beginning to feel close to her, she would leave without a word. Tom would be upset at first, then angry, vowing to ignore her the next time she arrived, but over time he would forget and then she would be back again.

He did learn a level of detachment over the years but still held hope that one day she would be tired of her travels and stay, especially after his mother died and his father was too lost for such a long time to notice that his son felt the loss, too.

Tom is so immersed in his thoughts that he is startled when two coffees are placed on the table and Gene is sitting opposite him.

Almost reading his mind, she smiles at him. ‘So, we're on this one together.'

Tom lifts his cup to cover his surprise. He smiles back. ‘Yes, so we are.'

Ven is attaching the hoses to the alkaline tank when Mondok arrives. He stands by the tank and watches curiously for a moment without speaking.

‘How's it all going?' he says, finally.

Ven hooks up the final hose to the conduit. ‘Good. The sensors were totally fried but they've been removed, and I've called Deklin in to fix the cable.'

‘So what are you doing here then?' he asks, motioning to the tank.

‘This is the flush,' says Ven, wondering where Denise is but not daring to ask.

‘I'm helping you today,' says Mondok, as if he had read his mind. ‘I told Denise to go have a bit of fun. Get a frill color, all that girlie stuff, you know,' he says, with a wink.

Ven resists the urge to laugh. Denise doing girlie stuff. He couldn't see it. It was more likely she was at the lake trying out her new dive gear, but Mondok seems in a good mood so he just nods. ‘There's not much left to do here now, Mondok, but you can flick the switch to start this.'

‘Cripes mate, did you do this all on your own?'

‘No, Grasshopper and Mikey just left. I talked them into helping. There, Mondok,' he says pointing to the switch on the display panel. Mondok presses it. It surges into action immediately and the muddy looking membrane swirls through the tank.

‘How long does this take?'

‘Not long,' Ven says, ‘the display panel will let us know when it's finished.'

‘Well, PV 012 still needs doing,' says Mondok.

‘No it doesn't. I helped the guys finish that earlier. You might as well join Denise.'

‘What, and have my frills done?'

Mondok looks so indignant that Ven laughs. ‘There's nothing else to do here for now.'

‘Hey, why don't you and I go down to the lake and do some fishing then?'

Ven almost refuses, unable to see himself fishing with Mondok, but he reconsiders when he realizes Mondok is trying to show a more relaxed side. He nods. ‘Yeah, OK.'

Mondok grins. ‘I'll show you how it's done, mate.'

Later, Mondok leans back in the boat. They had sat for an hour waiting for a bite and he is irritated with Ven's fidgeting.

‘Hey, do you think we should go in and get some food?' Ven asks. ‘My growling stomach is probably scaring away the fish.'

‘No, no, there will be a bite soon.'

‘Mondok, the only biting going on is in my stomach.'

Mondok pulls in his line, grumbling. ‘Didn't your father teach you about patience?'

‘Yeah, but he also taught me not to be stubborn.'

Mondok glowers at him but Ven is distracted. ‘Hey, there's Denise.'

Mondok looks where he is pointing and sees Denise lying on a lounge barge, reading a book.

‘Do you think we should go over?' asks Ven.

Now, Mondok wishes he was on his own, but he does want to talk to Denise. ‘OK, but quietly. I don't want to scare her.'

They dip the oars as gently as they can to prevent waves from alerting Denise to their presence. As they approach from behind her head, Ven suddenly scoops an oar full of water, flicking it over her head.

Denise jumps up with a short cry and the book flies from her hand, landing in the water. ‘My book,' she cries, reaching for it.

Mondok tries to grab it but it sinks out of sight.

‘Damn,' she says, ‘I had almost finished that.' She glares at them. ‘What's got into you two? You should have known better, Mondok. I expected more from someone in your position.'

‘Hey, it wasn't me. Thank your delinquent friend for the prank,' he glared at Ven, ‘What made you come up with such a juvenile idea?'

‘It was me,' Ven admits. ‘I'm sorry, Denise.'

‘I don't care whose idea it was. That was my favorite Julie bard and someone owes me a new one.'

‘I thought you were going to get your frills colored,' says Mondok, trying in vain to change the subject.

Denise stares at him, incensed. ‘I did go to the frill-dressers.'

Mondok looks at her frills, soft colors framing her face, where they weren't wet. ‘Oh, so you did. It looks lovely.'

‘Liar,' says Denise and flicks the switch for the electro motor, leaving them behind in her wake.

They watch her go and then row back in silence.

‘Fish and chips?' Ven asks, as they pull up the boat.

‘Good idea,' says Mondok, ‘your shout.'

‘Why? It was your idea to use oars.'

‘Because it's going to cost me big time to fix this mess you made.'

Ven begins to protest and then shrugs. ‘OK, I'll buy,' he agrees. ‘I'm sorry, Mondok.'

Mondok shakes his head. ‘Don't expect to go fishing with me again.' They step into the elevator and ride up in silence.

Tom whistles as he walks out of his apartment, and then assumes a casual saunter as he approaches the café.

He is two stores from Murple Bubbles when he is ambushed. ‘Tom, could I have a word with you?' asks Sofia.

He is about to give her the brush off. Tell her anything to get to his date on time but a pang of guilt hits him. He had said he would call. He stops and waits while people push past him in their rush to get somewhere.

‘I just want to say I'm sorry for the argument last night,' she says, ‘I was disappointed, that's all.'

Tom glances at Murple Bubbles café. Melissa would be there by now. He knows she will leave if he was late.

‘That's alright,' he says absently.

‘OK, that's all I wanted to say,' says Sofia, her voice faltering. She begins walking away, slowly at first then picking up pace. Tom almost calls her back but what could he say? If he didn't go now, he'll be late. He continues on to Murple Bubbles.

Melissa is sitting at a table outside when he arrived.

The red geraniums behind her accentuate the crisp white of her dress. She has let her frill out and the copper highlights shine in the light streaming from the café.

‘Hi,' he says, still shaken by his meeting with Sofia.

‘Hi back,' she replies, with barely contained amusement.

‘So, is there anywhere you want to go?' he asks, kicking himself for not arranging something.

‘Away from work would be good,' she says, looking back at the café.

He nods. ‘Fair enough,' giving her his arm.

‘Thank you,' she says, obviously surprised by his courtesy.

They watch shops, cafes, bars, and game parlors pass by as they stand on the travellator, the passenger conveyor belt that extends around the entire entertainment deck. Tom has not used it before now, it gives him the freedom to talk to Melissa without bumping into people.

‘So, have you been in town long?' he asks with a cheeky grin.

She laughs. ‘As long as you.'

They fall silent, watching people caught up in the increasing activity around the popular venues.

Tom thinks he sees Sofia in one of the shops and is glad they weren't on foot. He doesn't want another confrontation.

He looks at Melissa and realizes that, in appearance, she and Sofia are opposites. Sofia is blonde frilled, tall, and has an athletic body, while Melissa is shorter and petite with copper brown frills. He guesses they will have different temperaments as well. He shakes his head. ‘Stop comparing them, he tells himself.'

‘Oh, here's the elevator,' Melissa says, as the glass tube comes into view.

‘You're dumping me so soon?' he asks, in mock dismay.

‘No, silly,' she says giving him a shove, ‘I've been so busy I haven't been down to the lake yet.'

‘Haven't been to the lake? Well, we'll have to remedy that right now.' He ushers her into the capsule and watches her face as she gazes at the sights on the way down. The lacy ferns, white flowered wisteria and pink and purple bougainvillea that trail over the balconies captivate her.

He directs her to a table under a weeping willow by the lake. ‘I'll be right back,' he says.

He dashes over to the counter. ‘Macca, my old mate?'

Macca just looks at him without answering at first. ‘What happened to Sofia?'

‘Long story,' says Tom, as casually as he could.

Macca shrugs. ‘What do you want? A flock of doves to fly over?'

‘No, just dinner will do,' says Tom, grinning. ‘I was wondering if you could order a meal for us from the steak grill. Perhaps come over and ask Melissa what she wants, you know what I mean?'

Macca shakes his head but picks up a notepad and pen. ‘I should just set up my own restaurant here,' he says.

‘You know, Macca, that's not such a bad idea.'

Melissa is gazing over the lake when he returns. ‘All arranged,' he says, sitting down.

‘It's so beautiful here.'

‘Why haven't you come before? You must get some time off.'

‘Oh, I have a lot of study,' she says. ‘That's what takes up most of my time.'

‘Study?' Tom leans forward, his elbows on the table.

Melissa smiles. ‘I'm studying to be a doctor.'

He stares at her. ‘Are you going to be one of the ship's doctors, then?'

She nods. ‘I'm in my final year.'

The light dims but neither of them notice until around the lake colored lights began a magnificent show. Fans of color are thrown across the water and through the trees. Melissa is entranced as rainbow sprays spout water 100 meters up in the air from the fountain. ‘Oh, now that is magical.'

Macca appears at the table. ‘Nice hey? Now what will the lovely lady have?'

Sofia stares through the glass doors into her cooling unit without really seeing the contents. She recalls the evening after leaving Tom, walking along the lines of shops, staring into windows, hiding her tears from other shoppers. She had seen them on the travellator, Tom and the waitress, and she had known then why Tom wanted to get away.

‘Stupid,' she tells herself. ‘How could I have been so stupid and humiliate myself that way?' Her face feels hot with the memory and tears threaten to flow again.

Sofia sits on the lounge and closes her eyes. Soon she is dozing quietly.

The music-box melody alert for email wakes her. She touches the icon on the monitor and the message springs to life. ‘Notification that Sofia Heartly has been transferred from PV 013 to PV 005.' Sofia shrugs. It doesn't really matter to her. She wasn't so impressed with the crew from PV 013. She guesses that Kenny wants to be closer to Rebecca and that is fine with her.

Ven looks up and smiles as Denise arrives at the PV dock. ‘Did you have a good sleep in?'

‘Not with my mediation session on this morning. Far too early for me, but that was the last one, thank goodness.'

She walks toward the flight deck. ‘Hey Ven, I can smell something burning. What are you doing to my baby?'

‘Keep your frill on,' he replies. ‘Deklin's just repairing the cable.'

‘I wouldn't be so cheeky, if I were you,' she says. ‘You and Mondok are going to have a difficult time finding another book like the one you ruined. There aren't many copies left.'

‘I'm sorry about what happened, Denise. It really was my fault. Mondok only wanted to talk to you.'

‘Well, why sneak up?'

‘He didn't want to scare you. He didn't know I was going to do that. Heck, I didn't know myself until we were there. It seemed like…'