by Pierce, SJ
“Something funny, Rayer?” Mona snapped as she slid open her desk drawer.
“Nothing’s funny. Just reading an amusing email, is all.” Someone needs their Midol.
Mona slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “That’s what I thought.”
After she disappeared around the corner, Alyx wondered what could possibly make someone so bitter. Only one chance at life and you walk around as if it’s a huge inconvenience, she thought and shook her head. What a waste.
“Can you break away for an hour?” Cindra asked as she rested on the corner of Alyx’s desk.
“Let’s make it the rest of the day,” she moaned and closed her eyes.
“That good, huh?”
She leaned into her friend’s ear. “Mona’s been in rare form, grumpier than usual… if that’s possible.”
Cindra gestured as though she hung herself with a noose, and they laughed quietly. “HD1 today, right?” Cindra asked. “Nothing a good hotdog can’t fix.”
“Sounds good. Let me grab my purse.”
The elevator doors opened, revealing a cabin filled to the brim with employees from other floors, shoved in like a herd of cattle. Alyx offered an apologetic smile. “We’ll wait for the next one,” she said and pushed the button again.
“Gotta love lunchtime rush,” Cindra sneered.
The elevator to the left of it came open with a ding, this one surprisingly empty, except for a man who stood motionless in the back, left corner. He wore a black suit and a matching wide-brimmed fedora that sat atop his shaved head, and his grey eyes stared fixedly at the wall in front of him without bothering to so much as cast a glance at the girls as they stepped on. Alyx greeted him with a cheerful “hello” anyhow.
“Did you scare everyone else off?” Cindra asked in an attempt to break the tension, but received nothing in return.
On the awkward ride down to the lobby, Alyx’s stomach churned with unease, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood to attention. The unfriendly man behind them stared a hole through the back of their heads, and Cindra’s uncharacteristic silence indicated that she must have sensed it too. By the time they reached the ground level, they burst through the elevator doors as soon as they opened and hurried toward the lobby as the man crept behind them in slow, measured steps.
Alyx wanted so badly to turn around and take another look at him but didn’t want to be too obvious. Nobody’s presence had ever affected her that badly.
After exiting the double doors, she heard the mysterious man’s footsteps take a right as they went left. “What was with Creepy McCreeperson?” Cindra asked.
Alyx composed herself with a deep breath so her discomfort wouldn’t reveal itself. “Who knows?” That almost sounded convincing.
Cindra laughed it off as they walked. “He’s probably from the Engineering firm on twenty. They have the personality of a wet mop.”
* * *
HD1 was abuzz with eager patrons who had filed into a tight line at the hostess’ podium, waiting to be fed. Alyx wafted the promising scent of butter-toasted hot dog buns and fresh-cut waffle fries to her nose. “I love that smell,” she said with a deep sniff and swallowed to keep the salivating to a minimum. After only a few minutes of waiting, a hostess with multiple piercings seated them at a high-top table in the center of the trendy restaurant.
“I guess that’s what we get for not coming early this time,” Cindra said as she glanced at the coveted booths by the window.
The hostess stuck her bottom lip into a pout, exposing the other side of her barbell piercing. “Sorry, girls, you want the usual today?”
“You know us so well,” Alyx replied and looped her purse over the back of the chair.
“I’ll tell your waiter. Its Gavin today,” she said and left to seat the next customers.
With the mention of his name, Cindra’s face lit up like a sparkler. “Thank you, Amber!”
Alyx crossed her arms. “Will you get his number already?”
“It’s complicated,” she replied, and her eyes dropped to the table.
“You’re a cute girl. He’s definitely a cute guy. I’m having a hard time seeing the complication here.”
“I know. I just need some time.”
Alyx cocked her head while studying her friend. She had always wondered why such a cute, funny, sociable girl wasn’t enthusiastic about dating. It didn’t make sense, especially as boy-crazy as she was. “I've known you over a year now, and you have yet to go on one date. Not one.”
“We can’t all have handsome, successful boyfriends,” she quipped.
Alyx bent down to meet her friend’s stare, unaffected by her snippy tone. “You probably could if you would take a chance!”
She smiled half-heartedly in return. “We’ll see. But speaking of handsome boyfriends, how’s Ben?” she asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject. “Oops, I mean Benjamin. He’s away at that medical conference, right?”
Alyx swatted across the table. “Yes, and you really need to stop that! He’s a great guy. A little pretentious maybe, but a great guy.”
“You don’t have to defend him to me, girl. He treats you like a princess. Color me jealous.”
“He emailed me just before lunch,” Alyx said as her gaze moved toward the window. “His flight arrives early Sunday morning. We have dinner plans for our one year anniversary that night, but he won’t tell me where.”
“Oh! Do you think that means…” Cindra squealed, bouncing in her chair.
It took Alyx a moment to realize what she meant, and mortification flushed her cheeks, her chest tightening. Her gaze snapped back to her friend’s smiling face. “Oh god, I hope not!”
Taken aback by her immediate protest, Cindra’s expression soured.
“I love him, and all,” Alyx insisted in an attempt to recover, injecting the statement with as much sincerity as possible, “but I’m just not ready for that yet.” I need to get better at my recoveries today. With that thought, she realized her nerves hadn’t completely settled since running into the strange man at their building.
“So which part are you not ready for… being married to a rich surgeon, or waking up in his loving arms every morning?” she asked with a tinge of bitterness.
“I’m just not ready,” she shot back.
“Understandable, I guess,” Cindra conceded. “But if he dumps you, make sure and give him my number.”
Alyx flung a napkin at her. “Like you would know what to do with it.”
“How are my favorite girls?” Gavin asked in his raspy voice as he tossed coasters onto the table. His electric green eyes studied Cindra for a slice of a second and refocused on the glass bottles as he sat them on the table. “Amber told me y’all wanted the usual. Here is your Diet Coke, Alyx, and Cindra, an Orange soda.”
Cindra flashed her mouth full of perfect white teeth. “You’re the best.”
He pressed the tip of his pen to the notepad and brought it to his face to conceal his blushing. “You girls want an appetizer today? We have a new one on the menu… fried pickles fresh from the-“
“Ooh we’ll take it!” Cindra interrupted.
“Ok then, your orders are coming up!” he said and scurried to the kitchen.
Alyx leaned over the table with narrowed eyes. “Have you eaten fried pickles before?”
“There’s a first time for everything,” she declared as she brought the bottle to her lips.
“That’s exactly the point I was trying to make earlier.”
She stuck out her tongue in response, dribbling orange fizz onto the collar of her blouse.
* * *
Frederick went home after his lunch meeting, so Alyx had an uneventful rest of the day minus a few appointment schedulings for current clients. The clock on the computer read half past three. Yes! She locked the computer screen, grabbed her bags, and made her way toward the elevators.
After rounding the corner, she saw Cindra still sitting at her desk, staring at her monitor inten
tly. “You realize salaried employees don’t get paid overtime, right?” Alyx teased, resting her chin atop the edge of her cubicle wall.
Cindra rubbed her forehead with pinched eyelids. “I know, after I finish this report I’m gone. I’ll see you tomorrow at eleven thirty, your place.”
Alyx continued on her way. “See you tomorrow. Looking forward to it!”
“Have fun sweating like a pig!”
Alyx made her way to the lobby where Deborah typed away on her keyboard behind the receptionist desk. “Say hey to my Benjamin,” Deborah said as she spotted her by the elevators.
“Will do. His plane comes in late tomorrow night.”
She peered over her glasses. “Going to dinner, I presume?”
By the way Deborah’s eyebrows rose suggestively as she grinned, it was apparent that she knew something, and was quite pleased that she did. Alyx’s face went pale as her chest tightened again, but she kept her smile firmly planted. Maybe Cindra’s instincts were more accurate than she first assumed. All she could muster in response was a polite nod.
The elevator dinged mercifully, rescuing her from Benjamin’s nosey aunt. “Have a good weekend,” she said as she stepped inside.
“I’m sure you will too!”
Deborah had worked for the firm ever since Frederick founded it ten years ago. When he hired Alyx on as an assistant, Deborah took a liking to her instantly, as most people did, and immediately tried to play matchmaker with her nephew, Dr. Benjamin Forbes. The first few times Deborah offered to give Benjamin her number, Alyx gently turned her down, but she inevitably gave in. Mostly because she’d had enough of the others in the office attempting to pair her with their sons or family members, wondering why such ‘a pretty young girl’ was single.
Alyx didn’t know much about Benjamin at the time other than the fact that he was, according to Deborah, ‘a handsome young surgeon’ -- young, meaning thirty-five. Before they met she had often wondered how a man of his position would need assistance finding a date, but come to find out, that wasn’t the case. Deborah dished one afternoon at lunch that she had grown tired of her sister’s constant complaining over the airheads her son brought home, so in other words, she was meddling, which ended up being a good thing.
After a few phone calls to get to know each other later, Benjamin came to pick Alyx up from her apartment for their very first date. She had to admit, he challenged her resolve not be taken with him right away. He stood at an imposing six foot five inches tall with broad shoulders, deep blue eyes that sat under his meticulously groomed eyebrows, blonde hair that he combed to the side, and a smoldering smile that formed a dimple on his chin. But she reminded herself as he opened the door for her to sit into his convertible Mercedes Roadster to reserve her final judgment for the end of the date.
His restaurant choice for their first dinner together was the Sundial in midtown that rotated atop the Westin hotel. When they pulled into the hotel parking lot in his sporty car, she teetered on the conclusion that he tried way too hard to be impressive, and despite his good looks, had nearly written him off before they stepped foot into the building.
Benjamin took to her instantly, however. It could have been because she was the only woman he had dated that he could have a decent conversation with that didn’t revolve around clothes and other superficialities, but it also helped that she was stunningly beautiful and didn’t appear as though she knew it. When he dropped her off at her apartment that evening, he admitted that those were some firsts for him.
Needless to say, he didn’t immediately sweep her off her feet, but something about him planted itself inside of her, and she agreed to go out with him again. After their first three dates, she came to enjoy his company rather immensely, which led to an intense like, and eventually what she thought was love. They were upon their one year anniversary this Sunday, and she had wondered if something grandiose lingered up his sleeve, which his aunt just partially confirmed.
As Alyx stepped onto the elevator, another momentary fear crept in that the same man in a black suit would be in there, but thankfully, the empty cabin revealed otherwise. She shook it off and pressed the button for the ground floor. When the elevator re-opened, she took a right to head for the gym. Her afternoon routine of lifting light weights and running on the treadmill helped her maintain her slim physique and eat pretty much anything she wanted, like hot dogs for lunch.
She reached for the long, brass door handle to the gym and paused. For the first time ever, all she wanted to do was go home and rest, thanks to the tiresome affects of her long, arduous work week. Her four inch heels screeched on the floor as she turned, and she walked as briskly as she could in them to her car.
When she opened the car door, invisible waves bellowed from inside, distorting the air in front of her as though she had opened an oven door. Ugh! She leaned into the car to roll the windows down and allow the muggy Georgia heat to escape. After it was bearable, she slung her bags inside and went on her way.
Ten blocks and numerous pedestrians later, she parked her car in the small parking lot beside the three-story brick complex that she had lived in for the past three years, retrieved her bags, and headed through the white, wooden entry door. She climbed the stairs to the top floor, pulled out her keys, and entered her modest one bedroom apartment – number 301.
Kicking off her shoes just inside the door, she dumped her bags onto the dark hardwood floors that shone from the thick coat of polished lacquer. As she pattered down the short hallway to the bathroom, she stripped off her work clothes, leaving a trail of pooled fabric. She turned the nozzle to let the hot water steam, and as she waited, craned her neck over her shoulder to look in the mirror at her back. The scar resembling a three-peaked Celtic knot surrounded by a circle on her left shoulder blade had faintly tingled ever since their encounter with the strange man in the elevator. Her nose crinkled as she rubbed the raised, fleshy symbol with her fingertips. So unusual, it’s never done that before.
Pushing the uncomfortable memories of when she was branded with it from her mind, she stepped into the ceramic tiled shower.
After washing, she twisted her wet hair into a towel and slipped on a pair of baggy, grey fleece pants and a white tee. She strolled to the kitchen and stared into the refrigerator she had adorned with pictures of her and Benjamin, and pulled a Tupperware container of leftover pasta from the bottom shelf. While the container warmed atop the spinning glass plate, she eyed the wine rack beside the fridge and bit her bottom lip. It didn’t take long for her contemplation to turn into resolve, and she snatched the red merlot. With the wine bottle and glass in hand, she hurried to the living room and sank onto the leather couch to get a head start on the wine before her pasta was ready.
The TV flickered on, and she scrolled through the scheduled programs for the night. One for Eighteenth-Century England was slated to come on the History Channel at nine o’clock. Occasionally, they had something on that particularly interested her, and this was one of them. For now, she would settle for a reality competition of some kind.
The microwave’s shrill, uniform beeps alerted her that the meal inside was properly heated, so she grabbed her steaming dinner and nestled into a chair at her high-top dining table with her glass of wine. As she twirled the pasta around the prongs of her fork, her phone chimed. A text from Jessica awaited her in the inbox. Hey, Alyx! Ran into Cindra at the store and she said you guys were busy this weekend. We should try to get together in a few weeks. Miss you guys!
Alyx grinned and messaged back. Sounds good. We’ll get together soon! Miss you too.
Jessica worked at Bachman and Yorkshire until two months ago when she went into business for herself as a cake decorator. On occasion, she would send cupcakes and other treats to the office, such as petitfors or cake pops to remind them she still existed. Regretfully, Alyx’s schedule had been a little busier on the weekends, and that didn’t allow for a ton of extra friend activities.
Remembering their last ‘girl�
�s night out’, Alyx scrolled through the pictures on her phone of them singing “Pour Some Sugar on Me” at a Korean karaoke bar during the summer. Her cheek rested against her palm as she reminisced. What a fun night.
* * *
The cable box read nine o’clock. After eating dinner, cleaning the apartment, and three glasses of wine later, she settled onto the couch just in time for the program to start. Her head buzzed from the alcohol, but she watched attentively as it went over the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign with a nostalgic look in her eyes, as though she watched a home video hoping to see her favorite parts. This was for a reason, however – this wasn’t Alyx’s first time on Earth. It was her third. During her second lifetime, Alyx lived in eighteenth century England, also known as the Victorian era, which she adored the most.
Alongside her brethren, Alyx’s birthplace resided in the darkness that dwelled between the heavens and the stars, and much like the unusual scar on her shoulder indicated, their creation served a distinct but vital purpose. Her superiors sent her to Earth and ordered her to blend into society until they summoned her to capture her Marked. And if they didn’t summon by the time her Marked passed away, her soul would ascend back into the darkness as it had done twice before.
None of her kind lived longer than three life spans, so this was Alyx’s last time to walk amongst the humans, which saddened her in a way, but also provided a small sense of relief. She loved Earth and the humans that inhabited it, but she also wasn’t sure if she could handle living through another. She learned that life was full of joy, but also loss and heartache. Another lifetime of that might be too much, and apparently her superiors had anticipated this.
She often wondered, however, what it would be like when her soul departed for good. They never mentioned during their briefings what would happen once their three lifetimes were up, and the unknown disquieted her from somewhere within. Despite its ups and downs, life on Earth was all she knew, and she had become quite good at it.