The Afterlife of Alice Watkins 1

by Matilda Scotney

  Alice mustered a confidence to her voice she didn’t altogether feel. It had been enough, just saying goodbye to Patrick. All these emotions. All these new beginnings. Her ‘vacation’ had been such a whirlwind of new experiences, she barely had time to catch her breath. Principal Katya, so kind and generous, needed an answer Alice hoped would be sufficiently convincing.

  “Yes, I’m looking forward to meeting her. I think it will be nice to have a home.”

  Principal Katya watched her over the rim of her teacup. There was bravado in that reply. Alice looked out over the gardens, chiefly to avoid meeting Principal Katya’s unblinking gaze, a gaze which had become a time honoured skill, developed for the sole purpose of reading a person’s reactions.

  “If you find you are not happy, Alice. Please contact me. You may come back here, and we will see what will make you happy.” Principal Katya reached over and took Alice’s hand, to reassure her she may belong here if she chose.

  “That’s very kind, Principal Katya, thank you, but I’m sure Mary is as nervous about meeting me as I am of her.”

  “Well, you have two days of your vacation left to do exactly as you please.” Principal Katya, back in cheerful mode, patted her hands on the table. “After breakfast, you do what you wish. No crochet today. Just go and play. If you need a shuttle, speak to a steward and one will be ordered for you.”

  Alice asked Chef for bread to take down to the ducks at the lake, much to the amusement of Statesman Mellor, who joined her on her walk in the garden, engaging her in a discussion about plants and flowers and distracting her thoughts from of all the goodbyes she was having to endure and the reality that soon, there would be more.

  Throughout the afternoon, Alice enjoyed links from both Principal Hardy and Dr Grossmith and later, after she dressed for dinner, took a call from Amelia, who, true to her word had left a message each day.

  “You look fabulous. New clothes?”

  “Yes, Principal Katya and I went shopping. Well, shopping here in my suite.”

  “Suite? My goodness, sounds grand.”

  “It is, Amelia. It’s beautiful here and I’m being treated like a queen. I have clothes and things of my own now and the day after tomorrow, I meet my new family.”

  “Wow, how come?

  “They did some sort of profile, genetics, DNA. There were thousands of matches, but one matched me in a way most of the others didn’t. She’s coming here and has agreed I can stay with her if I like.”

  “That’s brilliant. Where does she live?”

  “In the Calamities.”

  “Which ones?”

  Again, not a hint of judgement.

  “Principality 19. It’s my home country. Australia.”

  Amelia nodded. Alice still thought of her home country by name.

  “A proper home and being established may be just what you need.”

  Alice agreed. “I’m tired of saying goodbye to people. Dr Grossmith, Kelly, you, Patrick this morning and soon, Principal Katya…”

  “Whoa, back up. Statesman Patrick?”

  “Yes. We spent the day together yesterday, swimming at a pool in the Tabernacle grounds then we archered, played archery, um, I’m not sure what they call it, but it was good fun. He’s very sweet.”

  “I see. Good fun? Sweet?”

  “I can’t imagine what you mean, Amelia. He’s just a friend. Talking of friends, I haven’t heard from Kelly.”

  Amelia shook her head and pulled one of her many faces. This one was her puzzled face.

  “Did you expect to?”

  “Well, yes, she said she would try to keep in touch.”

  “Ah, yes,” Amelia realised what had happened. “Kelly had your cells. Once they’re removed, she forgets everything about you. KELA is designed like that. You were a bit special, perhaps she thought the truth might upset you.”

  “Have you heard from her?”

  Amelia reluctantly admitted she had. “But she didn’t have a KELA procedure with me. My surgery was more routine. I was born with three kidneys.”

  “Three kidneys?”

  “Yes, I know, bizarre, but they all worked until two of them failed, both at the same time, then the third one got lonely and started failing as well. Dr Clere grew two replacements and Principal Hardy removed the extra kidney. I had to stay on the station longer because my body was used to functioning with three kidneys and they had to be sure it was ok with one less. Kelly Ann stayed with me for a few days because I only needed observation. You had KELA carers before Kelly Ann, she was assigned to you after she left me.”

  “According to Kelly, hearts can take up to three years to grow but kidneys only take a month. I learned a lot from her.”

  “You still have me, Alice. And Patrick and Principal Katya. You’ve only been back in the land of the living for a few years and only a few months with walking and talking properly. There are other friends out there waiting for you to find them.”

  “It’s disappointing about Kelly. I never had friends before and I suppose I don’t want to part with even one.”

  “Well, I’m being reassigned later this week. Recuperation officially over I’m glad to say.”

  “Will you be on Earth?”

  “I will. Not sure where yet, I can list preferences, but I haven’t decided.”

  “How is Tyro Drake?”

  Amelia grinned. “He’s gone home. He’s six years younger than me, Alice, people will talk!”

  Amelia promised a visit when she settled into her new assignment and hearing from her cheered Alice. It was sad about Kelly, but it wasn’t in Alice’s power to change the workings of this world.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Principal Ryan stepped from the elevator onto the senior officer’s deck early after spending the night in stellar mapping. He never kept track of the hours he spent there but he was tired enough to realise he’d probably overdone it. Thankfully, there was plenty of time to shower and sleep before he was due back on the bridge. Patrick was back on board so there was no need to rush.

  Principal Ryan’s presence on the officer’s deck coincided with that of a young woman, evidently hurrying to leave Patrick’s quarters, jacket undone and fruitlessly striving to pin up her hair as she stepped through the portal. Principal Ryan recognised her as a member of the engineering crew but she didn’t see him. He stood still, almost causing her to bump into him, recovering herself with the selfsame look of horror he witnessed when encountering Dr Langley in the auditorium.

  “Engineer McIntyre.”

  He kept his chin level with the floor, his eyes fixed downwards at her, his face stern.

  Upon finding him barring her escape, she dropped her arms to her sides, her hair sliding down in an untidy knot to her shoulder. Principal Ryan appraised her dishevelled appearance with a disparaging up and down movement of his eyes. She knew he permitted no-one to be out of uniform anywhere on the ship other than their assigned deck and at leisure in designated areas. She took a deep breath to calm herself but faced with him grim and unsmiling, stammered out whatever came into her head.

  “Principal Ryan, I’m so sorry I…” and she glanced toward Patrick’s quarters. Then quickly zipped up her jacket. “I’m late for duty, I…”

  He kept her there a moment longer, just for sport she thought accusingly, allowing her to act pathetic, disregarding her attempts to explain and allowing her to squirm her way through a blush. Then he stood aside and watched her scamper past with a mumbled,

  “Thank you, Principal Ryan.”

  He started back towards his quarters. McIntyre was just Patrick’s type. Tall, athletic, long dark hair, though he wouldn’t have considered her rather quiet nature to have appealed to Patrick. This wasn’t an isolated incident. Female crewmembers were relatively frequent visitors to Patrick’s quarters, but at least the others had the decency and respect for protocol to adjust their uniforms properly when they left. He would mention McIntyre’s transgression to Patrick later.

 
Later in the day, he and Patrick stood together, observing the proceedings out on the space dock.

  “I see you spent yesterday in engineering, Patrick.”

  “I didn’t get back until the afternoon. I intended coming up to the bridge, but I made the mistake of checking in on engineering first and, I’m afraid, there I stayed.”

  “You didn’t spend long with your family.”

  “Most of the day, Ryan. I’ll see them again. Mother will hound me if I don’t, but she’ll come up to the ship as she usually does, anyway. She sends her regards to you and said she saw your parents at the Tabernacle during winter. Is your father still ill?”

  Ryan never discussed his personal life.

  “Yes, recovering though, my mother tells me.”

  The short answer as predicted.

  “Are you going to the surface, Ryan?”

  “Yes, soon. I’ll stay with my parents until the cotillion. I can’t leave here until Statesman Junnot arrives.”

  “She has big shoes to fill. Hennessey was an incredible asset.”

  “Agreed, but it was Junnot’s posting until she mangled herself and Hennessey knew it was temporary. On another matter,” Ryan swung briefly towards Patrick before returning to his previous position. “I saw Engineer McIntyre leaving your quarters this morning, half in and half out of her uniform.”

  “I was still asleep when she left, I didn’t see her.”

  “She seemed uncomfortable about meeting me in the corridor. You may need to remind her of protocol, Patrick.”

  “McIntyre’s scared of you, Ryan!” Patrick laughed. “Anyway, she’s reassigned to the Magellan for her next tour of duty.”

  “I’d like to go and look over the Magellan myself,” Ryan said, McIntyre’s uniform breach requiring no further discussion.

  “It’s only a shell. Half of it’s in space dock, the other half is still in the shipyard.”

  “Even so. It would be interesting. Where is McIntyre assigned?”

  “Shipyard for now, on the engineering team.”

  “She won’t have uniform concerns there.”

  Patrick grinned to himself. Ryan was such a stuffed shirt.

  Alice stilled the anxious little worm wriggling around inside her and busied herself with getting ready to meet Mary Greer. When the register announced a message, she thought it would be Principal Katya to tell her to come to the great hall, but it was Patrick.

  “Good morning, Alice. I just wanted to wish you luck for today, not that you’ll need it. You seem to be wowing everyone wherever you go! Even Principal Katya’s picked up a few of your sayings.”

  “Hello, Patrick. It’s lovely to hear from you. Which sayings has she picked up?”

  “I heard her say, ‘I love it,’ often. You say that.”

  “I didn’t realise.”

  “Well, you do. I find it endearing.”

  “I didn’t realise that either.”

  “You’re gorgeous! Don’t ever change. Alice, I must go, this was just a quick call. I can’t wait to see you again.”

  The registry flickered off. But he had lifted her spirits in caring enough to call.

  She saw the automatrans from the window, a different vehicle entirely from a shuttle and only big enough for two people, she knew these ships were high altitude and flew incredibly fast. This one had Tabernacle markings and came to rest a little out of her view. It was time to meet her new family.

  Principal Katya stood with Alice on the steps of the Tabernacle. The woman who alighted from the automatrans stood in much the same way as Alice had on her first day here, her back to the Tabernacle and looking out over the lake. Like most people here, she was taller than Alice, with short greying hair and wearing khaki-coloured pants with a white blouse, her jacket thrown casually over her shoulder, presenting, even without having seen her face, the air of someone entirely comfortable in their surroundings. Alice stepped down and made her way towards her, checking that Principal Katya was walking alongside, seeing her apprehension, Principal Katya took her arm.

  As they drew near, Mary Greer turned and smiled broadly at Alice. Possibly 70 years old, perhaps a little more, with a youngish, unlined face. Her eyes, the same green as Alice’s were misty with unshed tears.

  Alice felt a baffling connection to her so when Mary raised her arms, without a moment’s indecision, Alice went into them, as though this moment, this belonging, had waited for her all her life.

  “Alice? Alice, I am so happy to meet you. I’m Mary Greer,” she said, laughing through her tears. Her voice, educated and pleasant had a familiar accent. Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she apologised, “I’m sorry for blubbering, I’m an old softie, it’s just that since I knew about you, since Principal Katya asked me to come here, that you might be part of my family, I have so longed for this day.”

  Any fears Alice had about meeting Mary and moving to the Calamities were dispelled in those first few seconds. Mary Greer was family, of that there could be no doubt. Alice’s face set into a smile she was certain would be permanent.

  Principal Katya kept her distance while Alice and Mary embraced, looking for all the world like a family reunion, but she silently praised Principal Hardy’s vision of a family for Alice and her own cleverness at bringing these two people together.

  “A happy meeting, I think,” she said, finally, her face lit with the happiest of smiles. “Alice, you have an Aunt Mary”.

  “Aunt?” Alice looked at Principal Katya.

  “From what we can tell, Alice, and we are not exactly certain, Mary’s line matches with the Watkins line. As your uncle was Martin Watkins, I thought she might be best suited as an aunt.”

  Mary laughed. “Well, I am never going to be anyone’s mother. Aunt will do nicely.” Then she looked to Alice for her agreement. “Mary is fine if you prefer.”

  Alice was speechless, lost somewhere between sheer happiness at meeting her family and bewilderment at the instant connection to Mary. Principal Katya waved away the worry about titles as a thing that would happen naturally, but Alice loved the idea.

  “Aunt would be wonderful,” she found herself babbling, “though we never said ‘aunt’, it was always auntie. Aunt was someone to be feared. Someone strict!” Alice brought her excitement under control. This aunt would be neither fearful nor strict.

  “Auntie it is. I love it,” her choice of words catching Alice by surprise. “Or Mary. Or both!”

  Principal Katya positioned herself between the two women and linked arms.

  “We will have tea. You two have much to talk about. Mary?”

  “Yes, Principal Katya?”

  “If you and Alice wish to stay for a few days before you return home, you are most welcome.”

  “That’s kind of you but I’ve left Jane alone and she is longing to meet Alice, our new niece.” Mary looked over to Alice, making sure she knew that she now belonged with her and Jane.

  Alice felt like a child, to be handheld as she walked through a new place. She had been offered a family of her own, people to love who wanted and welcomed her. She felt no fear at being led because really, she didn’t know the way and this time, she held no resentment.

  As Mary and Principal Katya chatted, looking over crochet designs and discussing hamburgers and pudding, Alice speculated, without a trace of her natural caution, about her new life with an Auntie Mary and Auntie Jane of her own to love.

  Principal Katya decided that they would return to Auntie Mary’s farm in the automatrans, making the flight above the ocean faster and less dull. To say goodbye to Principal Katya and Statesman Mellor was hard for Alice but knowing she had only to say the word and she may visit anytime, made the parting so much easier. Principal Katya kissed Mary and Alice both and waved until the automatrans had risen so high, she became a little speck on the grass.

  Alice expected awkwardness when she first met Mary, but it was as though they had known each other for years and though the journey to Principality 19 was relati
vely short, she had so many questions, she wasn’t aware of time passing. Mary told her all about the location of her new home and Alice listened with interest.

  “We used to call that area Tasmania,” she said. “But I’ve never been there.”

  “It’s beautiful, trust me.”

  Alice did trust her.

  “Tell me about Auntie Jane.”

  “Well, she and I are both medical doctors, or rather we were, we’re the same age, 73 and retired for many years. As we live in the Calamities, we didn’t like to spend too much time apart, so we didn’t apply for extensions.”

  “Principal Katya said that was why Jane couldn’t travel with you today. I know that people from the Calamities, or couples, have to travel separately.”

  “That’s right, but we seldom go anywhere anyway,” Mary said with a smile. “We’re happy and comfortable where we are. Jane and I have been together for 40 years. She has a problem with her voice; she doesn’t speak so much but she listens well!”

  “Where does Jane come from?”

  “Principality 19, descended from the original inhabitants.”

  “She’s aboriginal?”

  “Why yes, Alice, that is the old term. Of course, there must have been many in your time. The last wave of plague took a terrible toll on her race, as it did on many.”

  It hadn’t occurred to Alice that Jane was aboriginal.

  “In the 1800s,” Alice’s words came tumbling out, dispossessed of her control over her voice, “the settlers drove all the indigenous tribes from Tasmania. There was such racism and mistrust of the native people, the settlers took all their lands and completely displaced them, driving them off Tasmania and onto the islands. Never to return.”

  Mary was horrified. “That’s barbaric. I didn’t know that.”

  “No”, Alice said to herself, as her thoughts once more became her own, “neither did I.”

  They’d left Principality One in the early evening, just as the sun set. When the automatrans came to a smooth stop, Alice was amazed to see that same sun rising over the Earth. She had lost an entire night in less than an hour. Mary saw her looking at the sky