She saw her new friends only occasionally as they were out on various missions during the week, however they usually docked at Orionis at least once or twice a month. They had given Ava their messaging accounts that they could access from their PCDs and also their ship when it was in range so that they would be able to keep in touch with one another. Ava joined one of the workout facilities on Level 4 to kill time after work when she was most lonely. The memberships were free and it made it possible for Ava to be around people.
Ava had been dreading Wednesday this week for a long time. It was the anniversary of Nathan’s death and she started having difficulty handling it emotionally. She had tried many things to cope with the loneliness. She checked out a few affordable clubs that piqued her interest to see if she could belong. The writer’s club mostly consisted of people who wrote dark depressing poetry. The karate club frowned on Ava for not having enough stamina. Ava found the online gaming community even more isolated and lonely. After that Ava decided to give her search a rest and just stick with her workout class for the time being. On Wednesday Ava went to work, which fortunately, was always busy. The clinic always seemed to be a reliable relief to escape the isolation. Afterwards she went home. As she changed out of her work attire Ava glanced at her wedding photo on her dresser, the only one that she had brought with her. It had now been one year since she traveled to be with Nathan during a sudden illness, only to be too late. As she looked at the two happy smiling people in the photo the sadness took over. She had to get out, she didn’t want to be alone tonight.
Ava grabbed her wrist wallet and practically ran out the door. As she walked she debated where to go. Ava and Naomi were becoming good friends although Ava had never told her or any of the crew about Nathan. She wished she could talk to someone now, preferably Naomi, about it. Naomi was married, she would understand. It was a long shot, but perhaps The Andromeda was docked. Ava decided to find out. New residents were not allowed to travel until they had lived on Orionis for at least six months. In fact, they weren’t even permitted anywhere near the hangars that housed the incoming and outgoing ships. However, anyone could observe the ships and check the docking records from the public observation deck. Ava gazed around the hangar and then finally to the large monitors with the green letters and symbols. No Andromeda. Ava meandered slowly back to The Square. She stopped by a kiosk and bought a small bag of popcorn, a popular snack on Orionis. She wandered to a small bench nearby and sat down. Ava leaned over with her elbows on her knees and stared at the ground, mindlessly popping one kernel at a time into her mouth, chewing slowly each time. She observed the blur of footwear passing by anonymously until she noticed one pair of black boots approaching her slowly. As the boots came nearer Ava looked up and saw him.
“Wesley?”
“Hello Ava. How are you this evening?”
“I’m okay, thank you.” She was surprised to see him. “I didn’t know you were on Orionis today.”
“May I?” He gestured to the bench. Ava scooted over and he sat down next to her. “Yes, I stayed behind this week to negotiate some new contracts with Orionis. We’ve been working steadily for them for some time now. I maintain an apartment up on Level 3 for instances such as this.”
“You mean your crew is out there with your ship doing a mission without you? Aren’t you worried that something might happen to them?” Ava tilted the bag of popcorn towards Wesley, who retrieved a small handful of kernels. He must really have faith in them, she thought.
He laughed softly and sincerely. “I’d trust Andre with my life. He knows that ship as well as I do. There’s nothing to worry about. They will all be back Friday night as scheduled. You should go out with
Ava had been dreading Wednesday this week for a long time. It was the anniversary of Nathan’s death and she started having difficulty handling it emotionally. She had tried many things to cope with the loneliness. She checked out a few affordable clubs that piqued her interest to see if she could belong. The writer’s club mostly consisted of people who wrote dark depressing poetry. The karate club frowned on Ava for not having enough stamina. Ava found the online gaming community even more isolated and lonely. After that Ava decided to give her search a rest and just stick with her workout class for the time being. On Wednesday Ava went to work, which fortunately, was always busy. The clinic always seemed to be a reliable relief to escape the isolation. Afterwards she went home. As she changed out of her work attire Ava glanced at her wedding photo on her dresser, the only one that she had brought with her. It had now been one year since she traveled to be with Nathan during a sudden illness, only to be too late. As she looked at the two happy smiling people in the photo the sadness took over. She had to get out, she didn’t want to be alone tonight.
Ava grabbed her wrist wallet and practically ran out the door. As she walked she debated where to go. Ava and Naomi were becoming good friends although Ava had never told her or any of the crew about Nathan. She wished she could talk to someone now, preferably Naomi, about it. Naomi was married, she would understand. It was a long shot, but perhaps The Andromeda was docked. Ava decided to find out. New residents were not allowed to travel until they had lived on Orionis for at least six months. In fact, they weren’t even permitted anywhere near the hangars that housed the incoming and outgoing ships. However, anyone could observe the ships and check the docking records from the public observation deck. Ava gazed around the hangar and then finally to the large monitors with the green letters and symbols. No Andromeda. Ava meandered slowly back to The Square. She stopped by a kiosk and bought a small bag of popcorn, a popular snack on Orionis. She wandered to a small bench nearby and sat down. Ava leaned over with her elbows on her knees and stared at the ground, mindlessly popping one kernel at a time into her mouth, chewing slowly each time. She observed the blur of footwear passing by anonymously until she noticed one pair of black boots approaching her slowly. As the boots came nearer Ava looked up and saw him.
“Wesley?”
“Hello Ava. How are you this evening?”
“I’m okay, thank you.” She was surprised to see him. “I didn’t know you were on Orionis today.”
“May I?” He gestured to the bench. Ava scooted over and he sat down next to her. “Yes, I stayed behind this week to negotiate some new contracts with Orionis. We’ve been working steadily for them for some time now. I maintain an apartment up on Level 3 for instances such as this.”
“You mean your crew is out there with your ship doing a mission without you? Aren’t you worried that something might happen to them?” Ava tilted the bag of popcorn towards Wesley, who retrieved a small handful of kernels. He must really have faith in them, she thought.
He laughed softly and sincerely. “I’d trust Andre with my life. He knows that ship as well as I do. There’s nothing to worry about. They will all be back Friday night as scheduled. You should go out with
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