Forgot to Post this Before Heading off to USC Football Game

“Here, this will probably fit you.” Ofelia thrust a gray and black jumpsuit at Larissa as she began to set up the equipment.
“What the hell is this?” Larissa held out the offending garment. The top was completely gray except for The Hope’s name and logo, an anchor, embroidered on the right side. Somewhere about the waist, it faded into black all the way down to the socks, which were attached to the end of the legs.
“it’s the ship’s uniform… you know, the one my mom wears all the time. We have to wear it every time we make a visual report…that’s once a week.”
“Yeah. But her’s has a waist. This one’s ugly as sin.”
“Captain’s prerogative to alter the uniform. I suppose you can guess why most other people choose to leave theirs in the back of a closet somewhere. But for official business, we wear them.
“What if we don’t? It’s not like they’re going to tell us to turn around and come back. It’’s not like they can tell us to come back. We’re on our own and it will be at least ten years before someone from The Crosby can give us a reprimand.”
“Are you my apprentice or not?”
“I just thought we might change things up.”
“Put it on, or you’re not making the communiqué with me.” Larissa rolled her eyes, but complied.
“I look like a monkey in a space suit.”
“Everyone on Earth is probably wearing them now. We were the cutting edge of technology and fashion when we took off for the outer regions of known space.”
“That was twenty years ago.”
Ofelia had finished setting up. The screen behind the chair listed all the proper numbers. The Hope may have been one of the first deep space colony ships, but now there must be thousands. The proper serial numbers would ensure the message got to the right place without too much delay… well, more than the twenty years it would take the message to travel through space.
This time, Ofelia put two chairs in front of the camera.
“Now, today is more of a trial run. An introduction… so you should be more seen and not heard.”
“Gotcha.” Larissa smoothed out her gray top, shook all of her braids into order, and sat primly in one of the chairs. Ofelia nodded, sat down, and pressed the record button.
“This is The Earth Colony Ship Hope reporting our regular weekly visual. Ofelia Clovelly and new apprentice Larissa Washington reporting.”
“Hi there, and just let me tell you what an honor it is to talk to all you little Earthbound people there on Earth. Ow. You just stepped on my toe.”
Ofelia tried to keep smiling.
“Forty six days until touchdown. Captain Clovelly has selected Chief Engineer Jack Crosby to take charge of the landing…”
“Jack? You mean that little shrimp who plays around in the engine room all day? Ow! You stepped on my foot again.”
“Look, Larissa, what happened to being seen and not heard?”
“I didn’t mean to mess it up… but you’ve got to admit that he’s pretty short.”
“He may be short, but he’s long on brains, and he’s the one person I trust to get this big hunk of metal down to the planet safely. So stop knocking him, okay?”
Larissa looked contrite. “Okay. Can we start over?”
“Yes, I think that would be a good idea.”
“Okay, let me get it.”
Larissa popped out of her chair and pushed the big green button.
“You just sent it.”
“No, I restarted… see?”
“It reset because you just sent the previous message.”
“Well, we can just get it back…”
“No… it’s gone… off on its twenty year voyage to Earth, where someone is going to think we’re a bunch of flippin’ idiots.”
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”
“No, it’s mine. I’m not exactly thinking clearly today.”
“I did notice you’re kind of red. Are you coming down with something.”
“No, I probably shouldn’t have had the three whiskies.”
“Three? It’s not even midday yet.”
“It’s a long story. I was upset because Doc Martin called me a lesbian.”
“What an ass!”
“You’re telling me. But his wife wanted me to yell at the bar owner but once I got there he poured me a drink and… we talked.”
“About what?”
“Nothing in particular. Oh, jeeze. I just realized this thing is still recording. Let me just push…”
Perhaps it was fate, or perhaps it was just alcohol, but Ofelia pushed the big green button.
“Did you just do what I think you did?”
“Uh huh.”
“Okay, maybe we should get you a cold shower and some lunch,” Larissa put her arm around Ofelia, and led her meekly back to their new cabin.

#

Right before Lia awoke, she dreamed about Rex in a way that she’d never dreamt about Tyler. It was hot, hard and primal. It was need and pleasure and passion all coming together in a blazing fire of movement and shattering bright light. Had she finally, at twenty four, met a man that she actually wanted? And what kind of sense would it make if he didn’t want her? This was going to require more thinking.
Lia woke up feeling tight, and very unsatisfied. She had no idea how long she had napped, but she was still in the ugly gray uniform. She shucked it off, finger combed her hair and then headed out to the common room where she could hopefully find something to settle her stomach.
“Wow. You look like you were run over by a train.” Jack said from the couch where he had looked up from his retro Earth game just long enough to take in her appearance. “Just thought I’d drop by and see your new pad.”
“You know, Jack. Why don’t you just be a good little engineer and go off and build a time machine, so I could start this day over.”
“Roger. Any other orders, princess?”
“Galactic Peace?”
“Now that’s asking for a lot. I might just have to charge you for that one.”
“What’ll it cost me?”
“I’ll settle for dinner. News spread fast and I’m afraid to go home.”
“Thought you were excited at the prospect of lording your promotion over your brother.”
“That’s before I really thought it through. Tyler’s going to think that I, the worthless younger slacker brother has A. made off with his job and B. made off with his girl.”
“You haven’t made off with his girl.”
“Oh, but he is entirely the type of guy to punch first and ask questions later, and I’m the type that likes my nose right where it is.”
The door chirped and Larissa came in, laden with a large basket. In her red knitted poncho, she looked a bit like Little Red Riding Hood.
“I couldn’t see spending our first night in our new apartment eating cardboard, so I rounded up a few goodies!”
Larissa began pulling things out of her basket: a jar of Teriyaki sauce, a bag of real rice, carrots, string peas, tofu, and two peaches.
“I’ll get the pan!” Jack was already in the kitchen setting up the burners and a pot of boiling water.”
“Oh, by the way,” Larissa added as she placed a cutting board in front of Ofelia, “Viola wants to see you tomorrow.”
Nothing was free onboard a spaceship. Viola had only given Larissa all the fresh vegetables to get Ofelia’s favor. Ofelia would have a riot on her hands if she tried to return them now. Ofelia accepted the knife and the three of them calmly and systematically made dinner. Just as they were about to sit down, the door chirped.
Jack shot into Ofelia’s bedroom. “If it’s Tyler, tell him I’m not here.” When Ofelia hesitated, Larissa opened the door.
“Good evening, Captain Clovelly, would you like to come in?” Kathryn held a huge black mass in her arms.
“I think you forgot something,” she said as George let out a yowl to announce his displeasure. She dropped him gently to the floor and he ambled over to Ophelia and rubbed against her leg.
“I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to take him.”
“He’s your cat.”
“Would you like to join us for dinner?” Larissa prompted. She’d already set another place at the table. Jack’s face drooped, probably at the prospect of having to split the peaches four ways instead of three.
Even with the extra person, there was plenty of food to go around. It wasn’t until halfway through the dinner that Ofelia realized that her mother would be eating alone every night from now on. As busy as she seemed to be, she had always made a point of being home for that one hour. Ofelia had actually been rather inconsiderate not thinking about how her mother would feel about her moving out. Perhaps because it often seemed the ship came first in her mother’s priorities, Ofelia hadn’t realized how much effort her mom had shown throughout the years to carve out that hour.
“You’re welcome to have dinner with us any time,” Ofelia said suddenly. Her mother simply nodded.

#
Viola Romanov was quite different from her sister, even though they were identical twins. While Juliet’s advice tended towards, “suck it up and bear it,” Viola was more empathetic in her manner.
“I’m quite worried about Jack. I know he’s smart as a whip, but I don’t think your mother realizes how sensitive he can be… and this job is going to heap tons of criticism on him, no matter how good a job he does.”
She dug her trowel into the dirt and dropped a few seeds in. Even though there machines to do this kind of work, Viola still preferred the hands on technique. Her long gray hair threatened to escape from the simple clip she used to hold it out of her eyes. The Sisters Romanov, as they were often called, were two of the oldest people on board. The Crosby Earth Colony Company had wanted young childbearing couples to fill the ship, but when two of the most eminent doctors in their respective fields volunteered to join the mission, they couldn’t be turned away.