by Andrew Gates
“Yeah, just… keep that part quiet though. I don’t want everyone at school knowing what happened,” Iris explained.
Dan nodded.
“Of course.”
He picked up his drink and took another sip as a holographic ball bounced right through his chest and out the other side, traveling above Iris’s head. Iris instinctively ducked.
“I have to say,” he continued as he put his drink back down, “you’ve changed a lot.”
“What do you mean?” Iris asked, glad that the conversation was finally going in a different direction.
Dan paused for a moment as he searched for the words.
“You know… how long have we been working together now? A few months, right? That’s not a long time. But I remember the first time I met you, you were like such a kid,” he explained.
Iris tried to think back to the first time they had met. She remembered sitting awkwardly in the chair/desk during the first day of orientation, feeling so embarrassed. Everything Dan did or said made her blush. Playing the age-guessing game did not help with Iris’s immaturity either.
“What do you remember from the first time we met?” Iris asked, curious to know how Dan viewed her back then.
He laughed at the question.
“What do I remember? Oh, I remember you were very nervous and giggly. Let’s put it that way. Whenever I said anything, you’d smile and giggle. It was great! I actually loved it. You reminded me of the way the girls in class behave.”
“But now I don’t?” Iris asked.
Dan shook his head.
“No, now you don’t. It’s like I said, you’ve changed.”
For some reason, when Dan said the words this time, it felt more powerful. I’ve changed, Iris realized. I’m growing up.
She remembered the dark border and seeing her reflection in the glass.
“Well…” Iris began, not quite knowing how to continue, “I’m glad you think so, but you were quite the kid too.”
“What do you mean? I was trying to be nice!” Dan responded.
“How about the age game?” Iris reminded him.
Dan laughed again.
“Ah, I forgot about that. Yeah, I did make you guess my age, didn’t I? Grey made fun of me for that.” The memory seemed to amuse him. “But I’ve always done stuff like that. That’s very Dan typical behavior.”
“Dan typical behavior?” Iris repeated.
Dan laughed again.
“Yep.”
“And is the phrase ‘Dan typical behavior’ also Dan
typical behavior?”
Dan raised his glass.
“I guess it is now,” he answered, taking another sip.
Iris noticed she was far behind on her drink. Dan was already halfway through his green milk bomb, but she had only taken two sips of her beer. She hoped he did not notice and quickly took several large sips of her beer just to catch up. The bitter taste of the beer was a lot to take in all at once. Clearly this was not the type of drink to have quickly.
Why did I just do that? She wondered as she placed the glass back down on the counter.
“Hey, it’s okay if drinking isn’t really your thing,” Dan responded, clearly noticing that Iris was trying to catch up.
Whoops. He noticed.
“Oh no, it’s just been a long time since I’ve gone to a bar… or had a beer,” she answered. “I’m fine here.”
“Are you sure?”
Iris nodded.
“Yeah, it’s okay. Tell me more about your Dan typical behavior,” she joked.
Dan sighed jokingly and smiled.
“Okay, you’re going to make me regret saying that line, aren’t you?”
Iris was surprised how comfortable she felt teasing him. She felt remarkably at ease making conversation with Dan, even when the subject matter was not her favorite. Nothing seemed forced or drawn out for the sake of filling time.
This is going really well, Iris told herself.
“It’s okay to act young sometimes. I wasn’t trying to make fun of you. It’s just funny,” she explained.
“It is,” he agreed, “especially in a school without much young staff.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that,” Iris added, surprised nobody had brought this up so far. “I’m 30 and probably the youngest teacher there.”
“Well, I think there are a few people younger than you, but you’re right. You’re on the younger end of things,” he explained. “I think Harrison is just the type of school teachers want to stay at for a long time. People don’t tend to leave.”
“Why do you think that is?” Iris asked.
Dan adjusted in his seat again.
“Well, I think it’s because of a few reasons. Like you said, the school tries to do a lot of innovative things, go against the norm, you know? Like your surface history course. I think a lot of teachers really like a school that encourages totally different ways of teaching. We’re doing things no other school has done before,” he explained.
“And what’s the other reason?”
“Well, I also think we’re just a good community. Aside from Hope, the teachers really seem to get along,” he added.
Iris laughed so hard she almost fell off her seat.
“Good to know I’m not the only one who hates Hope,” she said, stabilizing herself. “I didn’t realize other teachers had the same opinion.”
“You didn’t?” Dan asked, surprised. “No, we all do. I guess it’s not something we talk about during work. Hope is… Hope likes to incite people. This whole thing with the surface history is a great example. Granted, there are other teachers who share her opinion, and rightfully so. What you’re doing with your class really offends a lot of parents. But whereas the other teachers oppose it for legitimate reasons, I feel like Hope just wants to add fire to the controversy. She lives for this type of shit, if you excuse my language.”
“What type of shit?” Iris asked.
“You know, causing problems. Being a bitch. That type of thing.”
Iris laughed again, although this time under control.
“You couldn’t have said it better.”
Iris took another drink of her beer. She was starting to like the taste now.
Time passed. Awkwardness turned to normalcy, nervousness turned to confidence and minutes turned into an hour. With the date going so well, it was easy to forget how magnificent this place was. Iris turned around in her seat and stared out into the open room, watching the holograms change and move. As she watched the dancing colors, two Navy men entered the bar. Their clean white shirts stood out against the black interior of the room and reflected the colors projected from the holograms. They walked together right through a glowing chessboard of light with pieces moving across the board.
The Navy. What are they doing here? Iris hoped they were not here for her.
Without saying anything, she casually motioned towards Dan. He turned, took a quick look at the men and turned back around.
“Don’t worry, they’re not coming for us. They’re probably just getting a drink after work. It’s a Saturday afternoon.”
Dan was probably right, but Iris could not help but worry. This was the first time she had blatantly broken a major law. She started to feel nervous again.
The two men took a seat at the far end of the bar. They were so far away Iris could barely see them, but that did not make her any less tense.
“I don’t know… I mean, it looks like you’re right. But what if they see us? You know?” she asked.
Iris placed her hand on his.
“Hey, I get it. Like I said, if you feel nervous we can bail. Is that what you want to do?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“I think we’re fine. We’ve been here for… oh wow, over an hour now,” Dan said as he checked his pod. “If someone wanted to stop us, it would have happened already. It looks like they’re just here for a drink. But if you want to go, we can go.”
Iris stopped for a mo
ment to think. She turned to the counter again, took another sip of her beer and placed it back down. Her bottle was finally empty.
“I think we should go,” she finally said.
Dan nodded.
“Okay,” he said, “we’ll go.” He turned to the bar and raised his hand for the bartender. “We’ll take the bill.”
Dan quickly paid for the drinks and took one last sip of his second green milk bomb. He acted very hastily for someone who thought the Navy men were just here to have drinks. Iris assumed he was just being quick about it to make her feel comfortable.
Iris stood up from the chair and suddenly remembered that she was wearing a dress. She wiggled her legs around to get a feel for it one more time as Dan got ready to go.
“Thanks for coming!” the old man behind the bar said to them as they walked out.
Dan waved back as they exited the large room and reentered the busy traffic outside.
“Thanks for that,” Iris said as they entered crowded district. “I know it was silly. You’re right, they were probably just here to drink, but I-“
“Hey, it’s fine,” Dan interrupted. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’re nervous. I am too.”
“You are?”
Dan smiled.
“For a few reasons, yes,” he answered.
Iris could not help but jump to conclusion when he said that. She smiled.
He must really like me, she thought.
“Come on,” Dan continued, “let’s take a walk.”
Iris could feel the air blowing through the ducts as she walked underneath a large fan. It felt refreshing but the wind was a bit much. She covered her hair with one hand, trying to keep it from flying up, and held onto her dress with the other. She could hear Dan laugh as they walked along together.
“You’re having fun, aren’t you?” she asked as they walked away from the bar. The crowd around them seemed heavier now than it did when they first arrived.
“It’s just funny to watch you in that dress. I can tell it’s not your style,” he said. “I mean… it fits you very well. I didn’t mean to say it doesn’t look stylish on you… I just meant…”
“It’s okay, I know what you meant,” Iris interrupted. For the first time it seemed like Dan was the nervous one and Iris was under control. This amused her. “You’re right,” she continued, “I don’t usually wear clothes like this. I did at the start of the school year just to make a good impression. But it’s not really me. Not really Iris typical behavior.”
Dan nodded approvingly at her joke.
“Well, I think you look nice,” he said.
Iris could not help but smile like a schoolgirl again. Dan was saying all the right things.
“Thanks,” she replied, “I think you look nice too.”
Though the crowd around them was large, it seemed to be thinning out as they walked further and further away from the hologram bar. Iris felt much more comfortable with fewer people around.
Most of the bars and clubs around them seemed inviting, which was unusual for a colored zone. Trashy bars and strip clubs were the typical norm in the station. Iris heard this area was a bit more upscale than the rest. She was glad to see this was true.
The two of them walked for almost 20 minutes, just wandering without any destination. Iris was not usually one to wander, but today it did not bother her. With each step, they moved further and further from the center of the district, but that did not stop the vast sea of bars on every corner.
Often Iris or Dan would point out something interesting that they saw, be it a funny sign or person walking along. But sometimes there were holes when neither of them said a word. They both simply looked around and took in the sights around them. As much as Iris felt comfortable talking to Dan, she was surprised how comfortable she felt in silence too.
The crowd was much thinner now as the two of them approached the edge of the colored zone. They could see the yellow halls ahead of them with power scooters zooming by in both directions.
“Are we going to the transition zone?” Iris asked.
Dan stopped. Iris followed suit.
“I guess not,” he responded. He searched around, wondering where else they should go. His gaze stopped on a small bar, small enough to walk by and not even notice. “Want to go here?” he asked, pointing towards it.
The sign read Home of the Heavens. It was an odd name for a bar, but Iris had no reason to say no. It’s better than Home of the Damned.
“Sure!”
As they started walking towards the Home of the Heavens, Iris felt Dan’s hand brush against hers. She glanced down, wondering if he was trying to hold her hand, but instead he took a step away.
“Sorry,” he said, “my bad.”
Iris was relieved. If they were a legal couple she probably would have accepted his hand, but given the circumstances this was neither the right time nor place.
“It’s okay,” she responded as the automatic doors slid open to let them in.
The interior of this bar could not have looked more differently from the hologram bar. The space was tight and the walls were white and plain. Fortunately, there were not many patrons at the bar either so Iris and Dan were able to easily position themselves at the counter.
“Well, this is different,” Dan said jokingly.
“Sure is.”
“Well, I hope it’s okay,” he replied, looking around.
Iris smiled. She was just happy to be here with him.
“No, it’s great. Looks nice,” she answered.
Dan turned towards the woman behind the bar, a young Sub-Saharan looking lady in her early twenties wearing a white shirt.
“Excuse me, can I see your drink menu?” he asked. The woman nodded and directed him to the countertop itself. Looking down, Iris noticed that pods were placed inside of the counter, like a touchscreen table. “Oh, thanks,” Dan said back to her, “do you have any special cocktails today?”
“Cocktails?” the woman replied. “No, sir we don’t serve alcohol here. Juice, soda, that sort of thing.”
Dan looked up at her in surprise.
“No alcohol? In the entertainment district?”
The woman shook her head.
“That’s why we’re on the edge. We’d never survive in the center of the colored zone. We’re Home of the Heavens here,” she explained. “Nothing ungodly in this establishment. Here you can still visit the district but remain free of sin.” She eyed the two of them up as she said this. “Unless you’re not free already.”
Clearly that was meant to be a jab. Nobody else might have been able to tell that Iris and Dan were on a date together, but this young woman was not like the others.
“Alcohol does not go against the Faith,” Dan argued.
“It does not, but its results do. In moderation the Lord Beyond Both Seas would have no qualms, but in excess there comes gluttony, greed, indecency, misbehavior,” she paused for a moment, examining Dan and Iris curiously, “fornication.”
Dan pushed himself away from the bar.
“Unfortunately people don’t come to the entertainment district for moderation,” the bartender continued. “It’s always about excess. It’s about sin.”
“I’m sorry, but I feel like I am unwelcome here,” Dan stated quite bluntly.
The young woman placed her hands in the air defensively, as if to suggest she said nothing wrong.
“Oh no,” she replied, “I meant nothing by it. Feel free to stay if you’d like, but don’t bring any trouble with you.”
Iris looked around at the other customers in the bar. There were not many, perhaps a dozen at most. Most of the patrons were older. All were dressed conservatively.
“This might not be our scene,” Iris explained quietly.
Dan nodded his head.
“Yeah, I think you’re right.”
The two of them turned away and walked out of the bar, trying not to draw any attention. As they exited, Dan turned to face her.
“Sorry about that,” he said, “that was my suggestion.”
“No, you didn’t know. It’s okay.”
“I guess we walk back where we came from. The other way is just yellow,” Dan suggested.
“Actually, I wouldn’t mind walking there. I don’t need a bar tonight. We’ve had our fun. Let’s just walk and talk.”
Iris’s answer made the science teacher smile. He nodded his head and walked off towards the yellow transition zone as an older man walked out of the bar behind them.
“Hey you!” he hollered towards Iris as they walked towards the yellow halls.
Iris made the mistake of turning around to face him.
“You’re not together, are you?” The man must have been in his 70s, with a big round chest and a long white beard.
“Just ignore him,” Dan said, trying to move her along. Iris turned and walked with him.
“You will never exist together!” the man shouted as they walked further and further away. “They will stop you. You can never live together, never have a child and never have a life! You will live in sin for eternity!”
At first Iris ignored the man’s warning and continued on. But as they walked a bit further his words slowly infected her mind like a poison. By the time she was out of earshot, it hit her. What the hell am I doing this for? Even if all the next dates went just as well as this, they would never be allowed to live together. Isn’t that the whole point, after all?
She felt her eyes begin to water. Oh no, now I’m crying, she thought to herself.
Dan quickly noticed her crying and placed his arm around her shoulder.
No you fool, she thought to herself, don’t draw attention to us!
“It’s okay,” Dan said as they approached the transition zone. “It’s okay. Come on, we’ll find a corner near the wall where we can sit down and just get away.”
Dan led her into the zone and stopped at the corner of yellow and colorful walls. He let go of her as she collapsed against the wall. Dan followed.
The old man was nowhere in sight.
“Why are we doing this?” Iris asked.
“Well… I don’t know. You seemed to think it was a good idea. And I certainly have been having a good time,” Dan replied. “Have you?”
Iris nodded, wiping some mucus from her nose.