Bati

by Nikki Clarke

  “Mm!” She chews slowly, lapping up the bits of sauce around her mouth. It’s kind of gross. No one should enjoy food as much as she is right now.

  “Since when do you like spaghetti?” When we were kids, our mother couldn’t get her to touch the stuff. She said it looked like worms.

  I sit across from her and pick up a slice of garlic bread from a plate in the middle of the table. Mina’s eyes shoot over to me on a scowl.

  “Since fifteen minutes ago,” she mumbles around the fork that can’t get the sauce soaked noodles into her mouth quick enough.

  “Hm, that’s weird,” I return, honestly. This whole Lyqa business didn’t take long to become a regular thing in our weird ass family, but Amina eating an entire pot of spaghetti is not something I’ll ever get used to. I’m getting a stomach ache just watching her.

  “You’re an asshole,” she says again. Little bits of spaghetti fly out of her mouth when she talks. Her eyes stay glued to the fragments of noodle for a second too long for it not to be weird.

  “I know.” I do.

  “He saved KJ.” She pauses for real, even though her hand wavers with the urge to bring it to her mouth.

  “I know.” I will never forget the moment Kwarq rolled Bati’s limp body over to reveal a scared but alive KJ wrapped in his arms. I will also never forget how hard my heart was beating until Kwarq confirmed that Bati was still alive.

  “He cares about you, Tee.”

  “I know,” I admit again. “This whole thing just threw me off. I like him, I do. I wasn’t expecting to feel that way, you know.”

  “Tee, come with us. Hang out on Lyqa. Get to know him.”

  I really want to say yes. “I don’t know about taking my son to an alien planet,” I return instead. It’s not a complete cop out.

  “Ugh, I hate when you act like this.” Amina sneers and looks away from me. She must be over her hunger because she drops the fork to the plate with a clatter and pushes everything across the table to the other side.

  “Like what?”

  “Like you don’t want to do anything.”

  “Just cause I don’t want to go to an alien planet with you and your tall ass boyfriend?”

  “First, he’s my husband. And, no, cause you act like there’s a real reason for you not to go. There’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s safe there. Probably safer than it is here. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. You’re only saying no to be ornery.”

  Amina is mad. Like big mad. She snatches up the plate from the other side of the table and rushes it over to the trash like it’s contaminated, her head pulled back on her neck, her face a grimace. I stand and follow her to the sink where she’s rinsing off the plate. I wrap my arms around her from the back, rocking her back and forth playfully.

  “Did you just call me ornery?”

  “Yup.”

  “What am I, eighty?”

  “You act eighty. You’re the only person I know who would get a chance to go to another planet and say no.”

  “So, now, I’m a bad person because I’m suspect about dragging my son off to a whole ‘nother alien fucking planet? Can’t I just be a good parent? Damn.”

  Amina turns to me, and her face is a blank mask of gtfoh.

  “Seriously? That’s what you’re going to go with? ‘I’m trying to be a good parent’? Your son would like officially be a fucking astronaut, okay? He’d be fucking Jean-Luc Picard. He’d be Captain James T. Kirk. He’d be fucking Spock.”

  “Spock is a Vulcan,” I return dryly, and she huffs out a lungful of air and rolls her eyes.

  “Then he’d be goddamn Geordi La Forge. You know what the hell I mean. Either way, he’s four. Nothing’s going to happen there, and if worst comes to worst, the Lyqa can do that Men in Black mind erase thing on him, and he’ll be fine.”

  I stare at my sister. Five minutes ago, I wasn’t even considering going to Lyqa, and now I am, mostly because of Bati. And the chance for KJ to be Geordi fucking La Forge. Amina always knows just what to say to make me consider something, so I shouldn’t be surprised when I hear myself saying:

  “Fine, but only because you said we can get there and back in the blink of an eye. If this was some epic, stasis necessary journey through space, you and that fine Lyqa could kiss my ass. I can always dress KJ up as Geordi for Halloween.”

  “Tiani said she’d come!” My shoulder’s flinch when Amina squeals this out as we walk back into the living room. She’s really happy about this. Like really happy. She rushes over to Kwarq and takes his hands before jumping awkwardly up and down with what can only be described as giddy delight. He smiles down patiently at her as she dances her rollie little self around the hallway. I frown at this strange display of excitement.

  “It is the babies. All of her emotions are heightened,” Kwarq says with an apologetic shrug.

  Right. Creepy Lyqa pregnancy. Amina’s little hallway celebration is the weirdest thing ever, and I’ve just agreed to go to a planet with a bunch of these people. Granted they are nice. They’re probably the nicest people I’ve ever met. It wouldn’t be too bad for KJ to be around a bunch of nice people. And since Amina has assured me that nothing will try to eat him, I guess I can do this.

  “K, come here, baby.”

  My son, who is still playing with his cars on the floor, gets up and walks over to me. This kid hasn’t even batted an eye at the five ginormous aliens in our house. I guess when you’re as little as he is, these differences don’t matter. Maybe that’s a good lesson to learn at his age.

  I bend down and pull him against me. I’ve been trying not to make a big deal about his whole brush with death. Once he was okay, he carried on as usual, so I resisted the urge to hold on to him for dear life like I want to. But now that he’s in my arms, I can’t help but lean in to smell his sweet little cap of curls. My baby. I don’t know what I would have done if he’d been hurt.

  With the group of Lyqa standing behind him, it’s almost like he has his own personal bodyguards. I wouldn’t bet my life on a lot of stuff, but I’d bet my life that they won't let anything happen to him on Lyqa.

  “Hey, buddy. We’re going to take a trip. What do you think about that?”

  The moment I say ‘trip’ KJ looks up from his toy car with wide excited eyes. Then he turns and points a finger up at Bati.

  “Is he coming?”

  I follow his hand. Bati looks down at KJ, but not at me. I gently take hold of his wrist and bring it down to his side. I’m really going to have to teach this kid that it’s rude to point.

  “Uh, yeah, he’s coming.”

  KJ smiles. “Good, I like him. He’s my friend.” He bounces out of my arms and over to Bati before taking the Lyqa’s large blue-black hand in his own. He smiles up at his rescuer and does his own giddy little dance, which triggers a round of chuckles from the others.

  I ease back to my feet and clasp my hands in front of me, sending up a silent prayer that this not be the biggest mistake of my life.

  “Well, I guess I better go pack.”

  BATI

  It takes all of me not to shout with joy when Tiani announces she and KJ are coming to Lyqa. I know she has only agreed to please her sister, but a small part of me hopes that perhaps she has come to feel differently toward me.

  Something has changed. The edge of resistance I have felt from her since we met has lessened. She’s still nervous, but the few times our gazes cross, she smiles tentatively. Even as my hope cultivates, I try not to put too much faith in it.

  “How shall we divide our travelers?”Ah’dan’s smile is mischievous.

  He and Kwarq returned to Lyqa to exchange our transports for larger pods. The new pods can each hold five travelers, which I’m sure is no coincidence.

  “Can I ride with you?”

  Taini’s sister LaShay steps forward and takes hold of Ah’dan’s arm. He scowls down at her, but does not move away. I heard Amina scolding him to accommodate her. This is his attempt.

  “If you
must. Tiani, which would you like to take?”

  “I want to ride with Bati!” KJ bounces away from his mother and grabs my hand. I smile down at him, but I’m sure to return my expression to a neutral one when I look at his mother.

  “I do not mind keeping an eye on him if you would like to travel with Amina and your mother.”

  “Oh, I mean, I can ride with you guys. If that’s okay.”

  She’s nervous, and again that little bit of hope surges through me. The desire to sweep her up against me and kiss away all of her anxiety makes me root myself to the spot. It takes everything I have to turn back to Ah’dan.

  “We four shall ride with you then.”

  His smile widens. I ignore it and lift KJ into the pod. The pod hovers several feet off the ground. It will be impossible for the humans to enter on their own.

  Before I can assist her, LaShay launches herself over the edge of the opening and lands heavily on her stomach. A loud whoosh of air erupts from her mouth, followed by a cackle.

  “Well that isn’t what was supposed to happen,” she jokes and drops back to the ground, prepared to attempt again.

  “Let me help you.” Ah’dan’s tone suggests he does not want to help at all. LaShay turns with a smile and raises her arms so he can grab her by the waist. His expression is neutral as he lifts her and settles her easily into the craft.

  “Thanks, boo,” she croons with a wink. Ah’dan shakes his head.

  “I do not know what that means.”

  “You will,” she returns with another sly smile. It is obvious to everyone that she has developed some kind of affection for him. I hope she is not disappointed when she learns that Ah’dan has already been leht.

  I expect Ah’dan to help Tiani in next, but he walks around the craft and climbs into the operator’s seat, forcing me to assist my lehti.

  I turn to find her watching me. That same nervous energy is vibrant between us.

  “You don’t have to help me. I can try to get in myself.” She steps to move around me, and I cut her off, taking gentle hold of her waist.

  “Do you think I would deny myself the opportunity to touch you?”

  I don’t know why I tell her this. Why I reveal myself in this way, but when her eyes flare with desire, and not annoyance as I expect, I flex my hands and pull her closer.

  “Bati?”

  “Yes, Tiani?”

  “I—”

  I wait. I do not know what she wants to say, but just being this close to her is enough for me. It has been less than five hours since we were together in the kitchen of her house, but it feels as if between that time and now, galaxies have come between us. I savor the moment of closeness.

  She stares up at me. I am aware of everyone waiting in the craft behind us. When she continues to look at me without speaking, I lift her—she weighs nearly nothing—and settle her into the craft. I walk around to sit on the opposite side, across the isle from her. As long as she is here, I will take advantage of her proximity and be as close to her as I can.

  Chapter 7

  TIANI

  There’s a reason I don’t go on roller coasters. I hate that feeling. That moment of weightlessness. That second when your body defies gravity. Lyqa space travel might be quick, but I still have the urge to puke the second after Ah’dan warns us to close our eyes and blips us to Lyqa.

  “Ugh.” I press my eyes tighter shut and lean forward in my seat. My stomach rolls like little waves crest back and forth inside of it, and I swallow hard around the acidic taste of tomato that rises to the back of my throat.

  “It will ease in a moment.”

  A large, warm hand rests gently over my back and begins to rub slow circles between my shoulder blades. A little jolt of excitement runs through me at the contact, and when I turn my head to peer at him, Bati’s bright blue eyes are creased with concern.

  “Mommy has a weak stomach,” KJ supplies from the seat next to him. I tried to get him to sit next to me, but he insisted on sitting next to his new best friend. Apparently, if someone saves you from being hit by a car once, you forget the woman who pushed you out of her vagina.

  “It would seem she does, but it is up to us with strong stomachs to help those with weaker ones.” Bati moves his strokes lower on my back. The warmth and movement of his hand counters the rolling in my belly, and it actually starts to ease a bit.

  After another moment, I clear my throat, take one final deep breath and sit up. Bati pulls his arm back across the short isle.

  “Thank you,” I mumble, more embarrassed than ever at how much of a jerk I was to him. He’s really the sweetest guy I’ve ever met.

  “Of course, Tiani.” Those sparkly blues linger on my face for a moment before he turns to lean his head down to KJ and point out the window.

  “This is my home. It is called Lyqa.”

  KJ braces his hands on the armrests of his seat and pushes himself up to peer over the edge of the window.

  “Woooow!”

  I haven’t looked around yet, but KJ’s wide eyed look of wonder, makes me turn my head to the square window to my right.

  “Holy shit.”

  “Ooo, mommy, you cursed.”

  “Sorry, baby.”

  Holy shit. I’m on another planet.

  Lyqa is beautiful. The ground below us is lush and green. Above us, the sky is a blanket of glittering stars. They twinkle in purples, pinks, and greens. A sea of precious stones—diamonds, emeralds, amethyst, sapphires. Like someone took a handful of pixie dust and tossed it into the sky.

  About a hundred yards away, in the open night space, a vaporous swirl of smoke spreads into a large black hole. A second later, a pod appears from the gaping hole, bobbing, suspended in the bright night sky. It creeps slowly forward and drops behind a row of pods lined up before some kind of floating tollbooth.

  “Do you see this shit, Tee!” LaShay’s geeked voice sounds out behind me. I was starting to wonder if she was conscious back there, but apparently she was just rendered speechless for a moment. That’s shocking in itself.

  “Ooo, Auntie Shay, you cursed.”

  Shay snorts out a laugh. “Boy, please, you might as well cover your ears now.”

  “Shay…” I warn.

  “I’m only kidding, but you gotta admit that this shi—stuff—is pretty awesome. And to think, you weren’t even going to come.”

  She’s right. I would have been pissed if I had missed this. When I was kid, I used to lay out on our back patio and stare up at the sky, trying desperately to drown out the sounds of my parents yelling in the house, the boys yelling down the block, the occasional loud, suspicious pop. I would focus on the few stars that were visible in the sky and imagine being somewhere else. Anywhere else. Now, there’s an entire world in front of me that I never could have imagined.

  A giddy flutter replaces the queasy roll in my stomach. I’m on an alien planet. My son is Geordi LaForge and I’m fucking Nyota Uhura.

  “You have a beautiful smile, Tiani.”

  My head swivels over to Bati. From across the short isle, his eyes sparkle enough to rival anything outside of the window.

  “Thank you,” I manage to push out on a nervous breath. I am smiling. Actually, I’m grinning like a cat. This is amazing. It’s so great that I can’t even pretend like being here with Bati doesn’t make it better. It’s almost like all of the nervousness I felt about being attracted to him has lifted away, and without thinking, I reach across the isle and lay my hand over his, giving it a little squeeze. He jumps, his skin twitching beneath my palm.

  “I’m so sorry about before.” The shame at my behavior is so intense that it’s no wonder I’m not pulsing bright pink. “I shouldn’t have treated you like that. And thank you again for saving my son.”

  “My lehti, I have told you, you do not have to thank me, but I would save him everyday if it meant you are happy.”

  That does it. Like a billion years of fucks that I’ve let go of come rushing back to me. My throat clo
gs around a ball of emotion, and before I know it, I’m pulling my hand back to cover my face as a rough sob jerks through my body.

  “I’m sorry.” This is what I mean to say, but it comes out as something else. Some strange warble of sound and snot. I try to take a deep breath, to stop whatever is happening, but I can’t. It’s coming up from my gut, like a pot boiling over. It burns its way up my throat. I can’t believe I’m crying on a spaceship.

  I hear Bati move next to me before I’m being lifted and settled into the cradle of his lap. He’s warm and hard but there is a comfort here. I press into it, wrapping my arms around his middle and nestling my head into the space below his shoulder.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper again. My throat is raw. I don’t know how long I’ve been crying, but everything around us is quiet. I let myself believe for a moment that we’re alone. That it’s just the two of us. Me and Bati, chilling on a spaceship.

  “Why is Mommy crying?”

  KJ’s worried little voice snaps me out of my moment of self-pity.

  “She’s overcome, KJ. She’s overcome.” I roll my eyes at Shay’s dramatic, if accurate, assessment of the situation.

  “What’s overcome mean?”

  “It means your mommy is so happy to be here that instead of laughing and being happy, her brain got confused and she started to cry. I mean, I almost cried, too. Didn’t you?”

  The teasing in Shay’s voice serves its purpose. KJ laughs.

  “No, I didn’t cry. I’m a big boy.”

  “Big boys can cry. In fact, I think I see a tear right there!”

  KJ squeals, and I smile into Bati’s chest. That girl is a great aunt, man.

  “Is she well? We are almost at the transport center.”

  Ah’dan peeks around from his place in the front of the pod. His light yellow eyes are creased with concern. He looks down to me and then back up at his brother.

  “We are fine,” Bati returns and pulls me a little closer to him. I don’t pull away. It feels too good to pull away.

  A few minutes later, the pod, which has been hovering forward at steady intervals, comes to a smooth stop. I feel a light pat on my butt where Bati’s hand rests.