In Time to Love

by Gloria Martin

  “Every place you go in this city, there is either a stationing garage underneath the building, or it will be on top of the building,” I told her, and she nodded as she took in the information. We exited the garage by way of elevator up to the market. It was clear to tell that Anna was human because of her eye color and also because of her height and the pendant she wore around her neck. Eyes and whispers followed her as if she were some sort of remarkable figure.

  “This is like a Super Target meets Costco…” Anna commented as she seemed oblivious to the stares. She retrieved a holding cart and we began to make our way through the market. “You know they have Rolarian fashion on Earth, but it’s not quite the same as what’s really here,” Anna said as we strolled through the clothing section of the store. Anna got something from every section of the store, mostly clothing and supplies for the house, and some human grade food as well.

  “You know I heard that humans can build up a tolerance for the food here, just like we can for the altitude and eventually even the temperatures,” Anna commented as we stood in line for her to pay for her purchases.

  “Yes, but it is very difficult and not exactly safe either. I would not experiment if I were you Anna. Neither with the food or withstanding the temperature here. Technically it is fall in Rado, but on Earth it would be as cold as the Antarctic outside of the winter season, without the snow of course,” I reminded her the dangers of experimenting with trying to force her body into adapting to Rolar.

  “I know, I know…I was just…musing I guess,” Anna said.

  When it came her turn to pay for her items, I noticed that she did not turn her translator on to speak with the item handler. Anna spoke surprisingly well Mandarolian, and the item handler explained to Anna that they ship her items to her home so she doesn’t have to worry about hauling everything out to her transporter.

  “Wow that’s convenient, you know they should do that back on Earth,” Anna said as we left the market. “So where are we going to next? To eat right?” she asked, and I nodded.

  “Yes, I know of a restaurant nearby that you might like. They serve human grade food that is prepared just as Rolarian food is prepared. You will be able to experience all the unique flavors without becoming sick,” I told her, and she smiled excitedly.

  “Oh that sounds fantastic!” she said as we got into her transporter. I entered the destination into her mapping system and then we were off.

  “So after we eat what are we going to do?” she asked me, and I chuckled.

  “Well seeing as after we eat it will be the equivalent of ten p.m. here, you must go back to your home and rest, so that you can get acquainted with the timing difference,” I told her, and she deflated in her excitement.

  “Who needs sleep,” she mumbled, and I found myself laughing again. She smirked at me and I quickly sobered myself.

  “You need it, don’t worry I will be by early tomorrow so that I can give you a proper tour of the city,” I said, and she nodded, her excitement returning.

  “I can’t wait, then after tomorrow what are we doing?” she asked me, and I couldn’t help but compare her excitement to that of a child’s.

  “Then you get acquainted with your workplace. You will be working in the human embassy for Rado correct?” I asked her, and she nodded.

  “Yep, as a counsellor, they wanted to stick me in a hospital, but that would’ve been ridiculous as I was hired for delegates and officials and such,” Anna said.

  “I’m sorry I don’t follow?” I said, and she glanced at me and smiled a bit bashfully.

  “Sorry, I’m a psychiatrist and I help people through difficult times. Mentally, you know?” she said.

  “So you are an emotion physician,” I clarified and nodded slowly.

  “Yeah, essentially,” she laughed, and I had to respect her for her trade. It took the strongest individuals to help others deal with troubles they could not handle.

  *****

  Anna

  Jasiah’s expression was thoughtful after I told him what I did for a living. I wonder what he thought of me, then I wondered why I was wondering what he thought of me.

  “You are quiet,” Jasiah observed, I hadn’t spoken or asked a question for the last few minutes and I smirked. He had definitely already picked up that I was chatty.

  “I was just thinking,” I said.

  “I hope you don’t take this offensively, but I was wondering how someone who talks so much could be a professional listener,” Jasiah said, and I burst into laughter.

  “That is a really good question, really I force myself to shut up,” I said, and Jasiah looked at me questioningly.

  “Shut up?” he asked, and I laughed.

  “Yeah, be quiet,” I said, and he nodded in understanding. “Is there another way to say be quiet here? Like colloquially?” I asked, and he nodded and smirked.

  “It translates into shut down,” he said, and I glanced at him wondering if he was serious.

  “You’re kidding,” I said.

  “No, it is the truth,” he replied shaking his head.

  “That’s a coincidence,” I said laughing, and Jasiah nodded.

  “Yes as is the way our languages developed so similarly. In my studies of Earth, I often wondered if all the planets in the galaxy with intelligent life have similar languages with words that have similar meanings. Then I wonder what if we were to figure a way to travel to other galaxies, would things be completely unfathomably different,” Jasiah mused, and I smiled. It was clear to see that Jasiah loved exploring space for a living.

  “Probably, who knows, another galaxy could be composed of completely different elements than the ones found in ours. So if there are different elements, then who knows what stemmed from that,” I said, and Jasiah nodded.

  “That is exactly my thinking,” he said and smiled at me.

  “Why are you looking at me like you’re surprised?” I asked, and he chuckled.

  “When I first met you I did not think we would…” he searched for the right words to say, and I filled in the blank for him.

  “Have similar ideas? Or things to talk about?” I offered, and he nodded with a sheepish smile.

  “Yes, precisely,” he admitted.

  “Well see it’s because you lightened up and relaxed. I have to admit I thought it would be impossible to get along with a veritable silent pillar,” I said, and Jasiah laughed, a real laugh that was chocolatey and smooth. I wondered if everything about him was as sexy as his looks.

  “Yes, I believe so. This is our destination here,” Jasiah pointed to a restaurant storefront, and I spotted the garage symbol on the corner and went to park. The restaurant reminded me of one you would find on Earth, on the ground floor with outdoor seating and all.

  “I like it here, it reminds me of home,” I said, and Jasiah nodded as he glanced around the place once we were inside.

  “Yes, to a native it is definitely different,” Jasiah said and we found a table near the window. There was electronic ordering through a touch screen in the table.

  “You guys don’t have waiters here, huh,” I asked Jasiah, and he shook his head.

  “No, servers only come by once we’ve ordered,” he said, and I tapped the unobtrusive screen at the corner of the table to scroll through the menu. The dishes were pretty foreign to me, so I gave up and looked at Jasiah with faux helplessness.

  “Can you pick something for us to eat? I have no idea what to order,” I said, and he smirked.

  “Of course,” he scrolled through the menu and tapped a few things before he sat back on his side of the booth.

  “So what did you order?” I asked, and he shrugged.

  “You’ll see,” he said, and I laughed.

  “I hope you aren’t trying to poison me,” I said and I was surprised that he took the comment as a joke.

  “Of course not, you will like it, you’ll see,” he said and gave me a genuine smile that made me feel all warm on the inside.

  *****
<
br />   Jasiah

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the sour expression on Anna’s face as she tried what I ordered for dessert. A sort of citrus confection, which she would know as ice cream.

  “That’s sour, dessert is supposed to be sweet!” she exclaimed.

  “Here dessert is supposed to cleanse the palette really, and freshen the mouth,” I chuckled as she took a long drink of water.

  “Mint ice cream can do that for you, it’s cold and refreshing, this is something else,” she said, and I laughed at her again.

  “This is cold and refreshing as well,” I said. She nodded her head as she readied to say something.

  “To the extreme! It’s too cold and too refreshing,” she said, and I smile as I shook my head at her.

  “So are you ready to go? I’m sure you have many things to sort out at your living quarters with all you bought from the market,” I told her, and she nodded.

  “Yeah you’re right, but don’t we have to pay?” she asked, and I waved dismissively.

  “I already took care of it, come, I’ll see you home,” I said. We went back to her residence where all her market goods were waiting just inside her foyer.

  “Do you need help with all of this?” I asked her.

  She nodded and gave me a jokingly desperate look.

  “Yes please, I’ll drown in all of this without help,” she said.

  “You just might,” I chuckled.

  She picked up two handfuls of bags and I followed her lead and walked with her to the kitchen.

  “If you don’t mind me asking…how come you chose to leave your home planet for Rolar?” I asked.

  She shrugged slightly as I helped her sort through some of the things she bought so she could put them away.

  “Well I had a good job on Earth, but I’ve always been curious. I’ve always had an explorer side to myself and figured it would be an awesome adventure. To be born on Earth and die on another planet…that’s epic I think,” she said, and that only made me more curious of her.

  “So you had no family on Earth, people that would miss you?” I asked.

  “I have friends, but they all know my nature. Of course I’ll miss them and they’ll miss me, but there are ways to keep in touch,” she shrugged, and I nodded.

  Creating satellites that would operate between two different solar systems was no easy feat for our people and the humans alike. But the project was the first where our kind worked together and made something for the better of both planets, it is what sparked such good relations between Rolar and Earth.

  “You are young, surely your parents would rather you be close to them, at least on the same planet,” I said, and Anna gave me a strange look before she chuckled to herself.

  “Ah, my parents are…well passed. I grew up as an orphan and had no other family,” she said, and I realized that she hadn’t wanted to speak about family.

  “I apologize, I should have realized that…that is terrible,” I floundered over my words. Anna smiled at me in amusement and put her hand on my shoulder.

  “It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” she said and rubbed my arm. I was sure that the gesture was second nature. Humans are more affectionate beings than Rolarians, it is in their nature to make connections with one another. That is not entirely the case on Rolar so her touch caught me unawares. She went back to putting her things away, oblivious of my tensed reaction. She only noticed when she turned back to me.

  “Are you—oh my goodness. I’m sorry, I forgot…ah, you guys don’t really like to be touched, huh?” she said.

  “It is not exactly a social normalcy to do such passing gestures, or to shake hands and the like,” I shrugged. She nodded, her expression contrite.

  “Yeah I read about that, only with family and such. I’m sorry,” she said, and I inclined my head towards her.

  “It is alright,” I said. I knew she was still adjusting, but that was a very evident point about Rolarian culture. “Where will the rest of these bags be unloaded?” I asked, and she looked into each thin linen bag.

  “My room, yeah these are just clothes and toiletries and such,” she said.

  “I will take them there for you,” I said picking the remaining bags up.

  She led me to the biggest bedroom where I deposited the bags on the floor near the bed.

  “Tomorrow I will return around nine-thirty in the morning to give you the tour of the city,” I informed her, and she nodded with a smile.

  “Great! I can’t wait, let me walk you out,” she said and followed me to the foyer.

  “Thanks for helping me out tonight,” she said, and I gave her a bemused look.

  “It is what I signed up for,” I said.

  She waved her hand dismissively. “I know, but you didn’t have to, so thanks,” she said.

  I inclined my head slowly and simply took her thanks.

  “It was my pleasure, I will see you tomorrow Anna,” I bid her a good evening and then left her for the night.

  *****

  Anna

  It had taken me a long while to get to sleep the night before and when I finally did, it only seemed like a few hours had passed before Jasiah was ringing my doorbell. I hurried out of bed in my pajamas, a tank top and boy shorts, to open the door. There he was standing, tall and unbelievably gorgeous. He was dressed in dark pants that resembled jeans and a casual green pullover accompanied by a blazer.

  “You…” Jasiah was looking down at me with a loss for words. I then realized that I made yet another Rolarian faux pas, but the look on his face was priceless. He didn’t know what to say, so of course, I couldn’t help but laugh. Which only perplexed him even more.

  “I was in bed, I overslept…I’m so sorry, come on in,” I said while still giggling. Jasiah didn’t say anything, he simply stepped inside and shut the door firmly behind him.

  “I don’t have to tell you that this is an indecent way to answer the door do I?” he eventually said. I had begun walking to my room and hadn’t realized he was following me.

  “No you don’t. I just…I was asleep and jumped up to answer the door is all,” I stopped in the hallway that lead to my bedroom, and Jasiah nodded.

  “I told you that you had to adjust to the time here,” he said, and I shrugged.

  “That’s going to take a while for my body to adjust to,” I said. His eyes roamed my body yet again, and everywhere his gaze touched made me tingle a bit. “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Of course,” he said, and I gestured in between him and I.

  “How do people on Rolar find partners or get married if it’s not the custom to touch anyone or to be familiar with someone you don’t know. What if you want to know that person?” I asked.

  Jasiah sighed and responded. “Well that is a variable. If you meet a stranger on the street and are attracted to them, it is perfectly acceptable to speak with them. Then it is much like on Earth, you go out, become more familiar with that person until they are no longer a stranger to you. Then is it acceptable to touch them and answer the door half…undressed”

  “Gotcha, okay well, I’ll go get ready,” I said, and he nodded before he turned around to go sit in the living room or something. I hurried to shower and change and brush out my hair. I should have set an alarm or something, but I was too fascinated with Rolarian TV and the computer was a whole other world, literally. I fell asleep with my new Rolarian laptop in bed and never thought about setting an alarm.

  “Okay I’m ready, well actually not yet, I’m starving. Is there any equivalent to coffee here?” I called out to Jasiah as I looked around the kitchen for something quick to eat.

  “Yes, but it would be too strong for you. We can pick up morning meal while we explore the city, I know of a place,” he said as he stepped into the kitchen, and I smiled.

  “That sounds perfect, let’s go.”

  I was already excited to go tour the city. Just looking out my window at the bright silver streets and white buildings I was in awe. I follow
ed Jasiah out to the hallway, down the elevator, through the lobby, and to the street.

  “We will be doing much walking today,” he said, and I pointed to my comfortable yet stylish walking shoes. I couldn’t part with my Nikes when packing up to leave Earth. I figured I might make a fashion statement on Rolar. “Interesting shoes,” he mumbled, and I laughed lightly.

  “Yep, they get the job done,” I said, and he led me down the busy sidewalk.

  “The city is grouped into several areas. This is the residential area, just past is the section of the arts. You will find music halls, dance, theaters, art galleries and such. It’s a good place to truly submerse yourself in Rolarian culture,” Jasiah continued explaining the different sections of the city, there was even a night life section with actual clubs and such. I wondered again how dancing worked...but then figured a Rolarian wouldn’t just dance with a stranger.

  “So mainly couples and good friends and such go to clubs, no one goes by themselves,” I asked Jasiah, and his eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry not clubs, ‘dance venues.’”

  “Yes, it is not custom that a Rolarian will go to a social gathering with strangers, they may as well leave,” he said, and I laughed. It was definitely going to be interesting making friends on this planet.

  “So which section are we going to first?” I asked Jasiah, and he pointed ahead at an ornately crafted building. It reminded me of the Met, but only with a Rolarian feel.

  “We are going to appreciate some art,” he said, and I smiled at him excitedly.

  “I was hoping you’d say that!” I enthused and without thinking, I took his hand and hurried him forward into the building.

  “Wait Anna, we must check in,” Jasiah said and pulled on my hand as I was about to bypass the entire front room to go through the glass doors. I could see people milling around in the room beyond, admiring various art. Jasiah pulled me to his side and surprisingly didn’t let go of my hand, even as I realized that I grabbed his hand without thinking. Jasiah paid our way to get into the gallery and once we stepped through the doors he glanced down at our hands and then let mine go.