The Man Who Sold Mars (15 page)

“Not any more.”  That was done and my
hand was inside feeling the warmth of her skin.  With silence and heavy sensual
breathing, she acquiesced and I went further.  About to lose herself in the
moment, she struggled for professionalism.  “What’s her name?”

“Huey.”

“Huey’s a boy’s name.”

“I know.  By tradition, ships are
considered female, but they can have male or female names.  You see that even
amongst human names.  Men and women are both named Lesley.”

“That one’s common.  But you don’t see
women named Robert.”

“Remember—“

“Oh yeah.  So, why Huey?”

“Because there are three of them.  If one
breaks down, I can’t call Triple A.”  I pantomimed talking on the phone. 
“Hello, Triple A.  Yes.  My Mars lander broke down.  Can I get a tow?  You’ll
send someone out right away.  Great. They’ll be here in a year or so.  Ok. 
Thanks!  See you soon.”

She laughed.

I continued.  “All the space suits have
remote piloting access of the landers and the Mars Transit vehicle via deployed
satellite relays.  If the suit's intact, the wearer's alive.  So . . .”

“Ok, but why Huey?”

I imitated Donald Duck.  “Because those
are my nephews.  Huey, Duey and Luey.”

She just watched me in a puzzled silence.

I laughed.  “OK.  So, I need to work on
my Donald Duck.”

She was nonchalant.  “Oh.”  She thought
about the humor in it and burst into laughter.  Three squat little landers and
the three squat little ducklings.

“Those are cute names, but I think you
should rename them.”

“To what.”

“I think . . .”  She paused to think
about it.  “How about George Carleton, Kevin Fay, Gardner Semet, and Michael
Hemmingson.”  Playfully, she added.  “And of course my nemesis Tatyana Fedorova.” 
Then returned to serious.  “They helped you make all this possible.”

I kissed her.  “You left off someone very
special to me.”

She blushed.

“But you gave me five names for three
ships.”

“Oh.”

“You made a very good point about me
memorializing my friendships.  I’ll name the satellites we deploy after them. 
Hmmm.  I can probably license the naming rights to some too.  The
Miller
Lite
Satellite.”

“Always thinking of business—”

I quieted her when I slid my hand
underneath the cup of her bra.  “There are different kinds of business.”

She gently slid my hand out and held it. 
“Let’s stick to the business at hand.”

“I was.”

She laughed.  “You know what I mean. 
Naming the landers.  We’ll call this one the Tatyana Fedorova.”

“The other the Selena Luce”

“And who will the third be named after.  If
it’s another woman, you’re dead.”

I was silent.  There was only one choice
and thinking about it made me sad.  I started to tear and tried to speak.  “You
know . . . it’s . . . it’s . . .”  My tears flowed with an abandon.

To distract me from my sorrow, Selena
launched a surprise attack and started tickling me and laughing outrageously I
tried to get away.  Realizing I couldn’t.  I launched a counter offensive,
tickling her, while in vain she tried to get away.  Laughing and tickling we
collapsed on the floor, her on top of me.  The laughing stopped and the love
burned through.

A tear rolled down my cheek.  She brushed
it away and kissed me.  “I love you.”

“You should.  You’re a highly intelligent
woman of discriminating taste.”

“And despite that, I love you.”

We laughed and kiss.

She glanced back at the control panel.  “Which
of these buttons closes the door?”

I pointed.  “That one.”

She reached over and keyed it and the
entry port to Huey—-Tatyana Fedorova closed.

“I feel another first coming on.”

I grinned as she removed her blouse and
laughed.

I asked, “What?”

“Nothing.”

“What?”

“Nothing.  I was thinking of a phone call
Tot and I had.”  She tossed her blouse aside and kissed me.

Within a private room in Pounel, Cebu’s
most exclusive and finest restaurant.  My cadre of friends: Tatyana, Selena,
George, Gardner, Kevin, Hemmingson & his princesses and I enjoyed a night
of fine dinning and even finer company.

As we prepared for desert I tapped on my
wine glass, its subtle metallic tones drawing everyone’s attention to me. 
Their eyes on me, I spoke.  “The time has come to talk of many things—“

Quoting from Louis Carol’s
The Walrus
& The Carpenter
Hemmingson drew laughs with the rhyme.

“Of shoes and ships

And sailing wax

Of Cabbages

And kings?”

Still laughing, I said.  “Well, yes &
no.  The time has come that I hand over the reigns of power.  I’ve been
studying for the mission and directing the operations of YSR and I’m at –well
past the point that I can no longer do both.”

Selena joked, “That’s because space is a
jealous—“ she paused and without a doubt was thinking of our relationship just
as Tot was and in unison without having noticed the other and not bothering to
hide their anger in bitter words said, “Mistress.”

The group fell silent at this private
moment—moments, made too public.  Hemmingson shot a quick, tense, nervous
glance at his two friends, book marking him and they beamed back, each taking
one of his hands, indicating they were very happy as they were and he relaxed.

Not knowing what to say, thrown off by
the unexpected moment.  Unexpected at the time and place, but knowing this day
or one like it was on the way, I just stood searching for a solution and
vocalized my pause ”Ahhhh—“

I could see it was coming, my own personal
Armageddon.  Selena glanced at me, finished her wine in a gulp and Tot watched
and studied me as she drank with slow measured sips.  No doubt they were each
thinking the same thing.  Those glances told me as they always did something I
was not going to like was coming.  And I found myself wishing I was on Mars or
someplace further.

“Kevin!  More wine?”  George deflected the
tension.

“Certainly.”

Gardner gulped down his full glass and
presented it to George.  “Me too.”

Kevin made a circular motion as he
pointed at a tray of delicacies in front of Hemmingson.  “And some more of
those things too.”

With great haste, Hemmingson passed them
to him.  “Enjoy.”

My four friends had created a diversion
so that they didn’t have to acknowledge the intimate moment, while given me a
chance to regroup.

Hemmingson placed the crowning touch on
their acts and handed the situation back to my control.  “What are you sleeping
three hours—“

Gardner added, “Three hours a week.”

I laughed, “Ok moms.  Anyway.  The
responsibility for Chairman of the board and Chief Executive Officer of Young
Stellar Resources Group will be split by George and Selena.  Selena will keep
us human and compassionate.  George hardboiled and business minded always on
the objective.”

Beyond happy, Selena beamed.  “Thank
you.”

George shook his head no.  “Thank you. 
But, I don’t want it.  I will be extremely busy with other things.  I will
however retain my seat on the board of directors.”

I nodded my ascent to him, “Thank you. 
Gardner Chief Executive officer Young Sea Resources and Kevin Chief Executive
of Young Stellar Resources.”

Kevin started to speak, but Gardner beat
him.  “Kevin and I would like to switch.”

Kevin agreed.  “Yes.  We knew this day
was coming someday and want to work where our true interests lie.”

“Done.”  I glanced from the two.  “Tot
will remain in charge of operations for Young Stellar Resources Group and will
also have a seat on the board of directors.”

“Thank you.”

“You’ve earned that seat.”

Selena toasted her.  “And more.”

So did George.  “Most certainly.”

And Hemmingson, Kevin and Gardner. 
“Here, here.”

I glanced at Hemmingson, sandwiched
rather comfortably between his two princesses.  “Mr. Hemmingson—“

“I like it where I am.  On the board of
directors and head of lasciviousness, intelligence and retribution.

We laughed.

I playfully saluted him and said, “As you
wish Mr. Hemmingson.”

“Did I say lasciviousness?  Just
checking.”

Tot still laughing said, “I think you’ve
cornered the market on that.”

As free as I could be to dedicating
myself to training for my mission to Mars—for there were still things regarding
YSR that required my attention and no doubt always would—I increased my
commitment to that task, training alone and in groups with the other astronauts
at the YSR Philippine space compound, Eden.

I reacquainted myself to high speed, high
altitude flight through the jet training program, underwent high gravity
training, and studied, and studied.

In my beyond luxurious apartment, in
Eden, designed and decorated by Selena, who beside me on the couch was
engrossed in her own reading, deciding we needed a break, she lay down her
book, kissed me and together we made tender love.

Later, continuing my training, I
underwent zero gravity training, and underwater extra vehicular activity
training.

And afterwards, studying in my apartment,
Tot holding index cards, drilled me in rapid fire succession on emergency
procedures.  Successfully answering them, Tot congratulated me by tossing them
in the air, grabbing me and together we made torrid love.

And so the studying and study breaks
continued.

I flew the Mars transit vehicle.

And made love to Selena in her bed.

I performed space suited underwater extra
vehicular activity, space suited intra vehicle repairs, on simulators I flew
the Prometheus – the Mars Transit vehicle into orbit around Mars and the Mars
lander – to Mars, simulated flying the lander into a Prometheus docking bay and
made real love to Tot in her shower.  She kissed me, then held me like her life
depended on her not letting me go and said,
“
Я
люблю тебя.
Без тебя мне
не место на
земле.
”

At the time I
didn’t know
t
hat she said
,
“I love you.  Without you I have no place on Earth.”
.  But I knew what she felt and I told
her how I felt. “I love you too.
”

She smiled, started to tear and I kissed
her.

We broke and held one another under the
warm water.  She kissed me again. “
Ты
судьба моя.
You are my
destiny.”

Selena sat reading a tome on art history,
while I took a break from a technical manual to massage my eyes.  Smiling, she
began to massage my neck.  “Se, that feels good.  Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.

“When are Patricia and Catherine
arriving?”

“In a couple of months.  I would have
loved to have brought Patricia here from the beginning, but I didn’t want to
interrupt her schooling.  I’m flying back to visit next week.”

I wiped at my nose, felt something wet
and kept my hand there hiding it.  I knew what it was.  “Please hand me a
tissue.  My nose is running.

Selena handed me one.  I carefully wiped
my nose, tightly crumpled the tissue and placed it on a stand beside me,
blocking Selena’s view of it with the base of the light.

She continued massaging my neck.  “Hon,
you know, we need to build schools and housing and parks and everything, so
that people can come here and make a life, not just an occupation.”

“Aren’t you the Chairman of The Board and
Chief Executive Officer?”

“Yes.”

“Than Madame Chairman, this lowly
employee thinks that is a fine, fine, fine idea and you should make it so.”

“Done.”

The tension of the uncrumpling tissue
launched itself onto the floor and both Selena and I watched the bloody spots
on it unfurl.  She glanced at me just in time to see a drop of blood fall on my
shirt.

“You’re bleeding.”

She handed me a tissue.  

Knowing way more than I wanted to let her
know, I said.  “Really?”

I accepted the tissue from her and rose
to look in a mirror as I wiped my nose.  “It’ll stop.”