01-23-2025, 08:35 PM
It was dark outside now, and there was a slight chill in the air. The garden itself was a picture of late twentieth century decay. Plastic grass, a couple of picnic tables, a swing for the kids, and a rubbish skip tastefully hidden behind a broken fence and the piece de resistance, a string of yellowing fairy lights where half didn't actually work.
Just as I remember it...
Mike appeared a few seconds later with a pint in each hand, and a packet of nuts hanging from his lips.
“Here you go girl. Get your laughing gear round that.” He said straddling one side of the bench.
“Thanks.” Replied Maz taking a sip.
“So, “ Began Mike. “Where you been all these years? I bet you've seen some places.” He asked taking a swig of his larger.
“One or two.” She began, but he interrupted her waving his hand in the air.
“Which ones? Can you point to them?.” Then as an after thought, he got up again and came back with a large blanket that pub supplied for cold evenings like this. He laid it out on the ground and settled himself down on it. “Come on. Lay down her, and then you can point at them easier.”
Maz wasn't too sure about this. Mike patted the ground next to him, and she reluctantly settled down next to him.
It had been years since she'd looked up at the stars. Especially from Earth, so it took her a brief moment to reacquaint herself with what she was looking at. After all, when you have a three quarter million tonne starship with a bottomless resource of star charts. You tend to get a little lazy.
“Okay.” She said. “See that one up there, the bright one?”
“Yeah.”
“That's Sirius. The dog star. It's actually two stars.”
“And you've been there?”
“Yep.”
“Anywhere else?”
She pointed to a slightly different part of the sky. “You see Orion in the sky?”
“Yeah”
“Look above him, and you can just see Zeta Tau.”
“What's there?”
“A Tellarite colony?”
“The Pig people.”
Maz turned and looked at Mike. “The Pig people? Really?”
“I'm a butcher by trade. Only saying what I see.”
“They wouldn't see it that way.”
“Sorry.” He said genuinely. “Anywhere else?”
Maz rattled off a dozen more places, pointing to each of them in the sky before Mike then asked out of the blue; “Why did you leave?”
“You know why.” She replied. “This place is too small. I wanted to do more with my life than stay here forever.”
“And you've been to all those places...” He pointed up. “Was it everything you expected?”
There was a long pause before Maz replied quietly. “No.”
They'd been laying there for a while, and a silhouette of the barman appeared at the door. “Oi, Casanova, if you and your young lady have finished out here, I'd quite like to get to closing up for the night.”
“I'll walk you home.” Said mike standing up and assisting Maz back up.
“It's only up the hill.” She said.
“Yeah, but I'd still like to make sure you make it back with your honour intact.”
“Right...” She laughed as she drained the remainder of her pint.
The walk took only a few minutes. “The keys under the pot.” She said stooping down to pick it up.
“I'll be seeing you then.” Said Mike.
“Yeah.” Said Maz looking at him a little awkwardly as she took a step toward him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Got to go back definitely now, first thing.
“Right.” He replied now almost as awkwardly. “You got to go. Again.” And began to turn away back down the hill.
“Mike.” Said Maz. Mike turned back to her. And she grabbed him by his collar and pulled him down so she could kiss him more firmly while fumbling with the lock to the front door...
Just as I remember it...
Mike appeared a few seconds later with a pint in each hand, and a packet of nuts hanging from his lips.
“Here you go girl. Get your laughing gear round that.” He said straddling one side of the bench.
“Thanks.” Replied Maz taking a sip.
“So, “ Began Mike. “Where you been all these years? I bet you've seen some places.” He asked taking a swig of his larger.
“One or two.” She began, but he interrupted her waving his hand in the air.
“Which ones? Can you point to them?.” Then as an after thought, he got up again and came back with a large blanket that pub supplied for cold evenings like this. He laid it out on the ground and settled himself down on it. “Come on. Lay down her, and then you can point at them easier.”
Maz wasn't too sure about this. Mike patted the ground next to him, and she reluctantly settled down next to him.
It had been years since she'd looked up at the stars. Especially from Earth, so it took her a brief moment to reacquaint herself with what she was looking at. After all, when you have a three quarter million tonne starship with a bottomless resource of star charts. You tend to get a little lazy.
“Okay.” She said. “See that one up there, the bright one?”
“Yeah.”
“That's Sirius. The dog star. It's actually two stars.”
“And you've been there?”
“Yep.”
“Anywhere else?”
She pointed to a slightly different part of the sky. “You see Orion in the sky?”
“Yeah”
“Look above him, and you can just see Zeta Tau.”
“What's there?”
“A Tellarite colony?”
“The Pig people.”
Maz turned and looked at Mike. “The Pig people? Really?”
“I'm a butcher by trade. Only saying what I see.”
“They wouldn't see it that way.”
“Sorry.” He said genuinely. “Anywhere else?”
Maz rattled off a dozen more places, pointing to each of them in the sky before Mike then asked out of the blue; “Why did you leave?”
“You know why.” She replied. “This place is too small. I wanted to do more with my life than stay here forever.”
“And you've been to all those places...” He pointed up. “Was it everything you expected?”
There was a long pause before Maz replied quietly. “No.”
They'd been laying there for a while, and a silhouette of the barman appeared at the door. “Oi, Casanova, if you and your young lady have finished out here, I'd quite like to get to closing up for the night.”
“I'll walk you home.” Said mike standing up and assisting Maz back up.
“It's only up the hill.” She said.
“Yeah, but I'd still like to make sure you make it back with your honour intact.”
“Right...” She laughed as she drained the remainder of her pint.
The walk took only a few minutes. “The keys under the pot.” She said stooping down to pick it up.
“I'll be seeing you then.” Said Mike.
“Yeah.” Said Maz looking at him a little awkwardly as she took a step toward him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Got to go back definitely now, first thing.
“Right.” He replied now almost as awkwardly. “You got to go. Again.” And began to turn away back down the hill.
“Mike.” Said Maz. Mike turned back to her. And she grabbed him by his collar and pulled him down so she could kiss him more firmly while fumbling with the lock to the front door...