The Solar Wind

by Laura E. Collins

  The next morning Ava found Nick first thing and told him she had the credits to buy the hard drive. Nick assured her that he could deliver it to her tomorrow. Finally Ava felt some relief that her dull, silent evenings would soon be at an end. Nick arrived before noon on Saturday with the hard drive. Everything went very smoothly. It took him all of twenty minutes to install it and sync it with the personal monitor and the wall mounted one. Once he determined that everything was working well Ava thanked him, paid him and he was on his way. She liked Nick, he was always pleasant at work and more importantly knew what he was doing. As soon as he was out the door she ran to the computer and started loading channels on her wall mounted monitor. It was nice to finally have some noise to fill the void. She sank onto the couch and took a deep breath.

  Chapter 7: The Club

  Into the next week Ava settled back into her usual routine and things seemed to return to normal. She no-longer dreaded coming home after work. It had been five weeks since she last heard from her friends on the Andromeda. Ava wondered if they were ever coming back. Flu season seemed to be in full bloom which kept Ava’s schedule booked and also caused her to work late each evening, which she didn’t mind. Another week had already passed by. The clinic was due for its annual safety inspection on Friday which meant that it would be closing early at noon. Ava completed her work and not knowing what to do with her free afternoon off, went home for lunch. She didn’t feel much like working out today. After eating, doing laundry, and cleaning the entire apartment, Ava decided to stretch out on the couch and rest. It was not long before she fell asleep.

  A noise startled her and pulled her out of strange dream. “beep beep, beep beep.” It took Ava a moment to realize it was her telephone, she seldom received calls. Ava got up slowly and went over to it.

  “Hello?” Ava’s voice sounded mildly groggy.

  “Hello Ava.” She recognized his smooth voice instantly.

  “Wesley. . . hi.”

  “Are you O.K. Ava? You sound tired.”

  “No, I’m fine. I was taking a nap that’s all.” She looked at the clock, already 6:30pm. She had slept for 2 hours.

  “I’m sorry that I woke you. We just got in.”

  Ava didn’t know quite what to say to him. He had been gone for almost a month and a half. Part of her was elated to be speaking with him and part of her felt hurt that he had been away so long without so much as a message. She hesitated and then he spoke again.

  “I’m sorry it’s such short notice, but the crew and I are headed out for some dinner tonight and I wondered if you would like to join us?”

  Ava glanced at herself in a mirror hanging nearby. She had changed out of her work attire into some old clothes after she got home to do her chores. She didn’t look anywhere near ready to go out. Perhaps they were starving from their long journey, she didn’t want to hold them up just because she needed to freshen up. “Unfortunately I’m not ready to go out right now. If you guys are hungry now you should probably go without me.”

  “How much time do you need? I doubt it would take you long to improve on perfection.”

  “Ha ha ha, very funny” She chuckled. It appeared he was not going to take “no” for an answer tonight.

  “I’ll come for you around 7:15 p.m. Will that be all right?”

  “Okay, I’ll be ready. I’ll see you soon then.”

  “See you soon.”

  As soon as she hung up she rushed off to the bathroom to quickly shower and blow out her hair. She re-applied her makeup and wandered over to her small closet and chose some casual shiny black slacks, black boots, and a silver v-necked sweater. Ava glanced in the mirror once more; she was satisfied with her casual appearance. She didn’t know why, but she was suddenly a little nervous about seeing him again. Two quick knocks on the door signaled his arrival. Ava pushed the release next to the door and it slid silently open. He stood there as she remembered him; calm and serene gazing at her.

  “It’s so nice to see you again. How are you?” He seemed to look her over as if he were checking to see if she was okay.

  “I am well, thank you. It’s good to see you. You’ve been gone so long, I was beginning to wonder what happened to you.” She smiled shyly at him. She wasn’t sure if she should hug him or not. She had not hugged him in the past and decided against it now.

  “I’m sorry about that Ava. We had some lengthy assignments to complete. We’ll tell you all about it at dinner.” He stepped in closer to her and gently touched her right earlobe. He had noticed she was not wearing her earrings but he didn’t say anything about it. “I missed you,” he said softly. Ava was taken by surprise when he gently embraced her. She returned the hug and closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t hugged anyone since she said good-bye to Alexis before she left Earth all those months ago. The nerves that had been plaguing her seemed to melt away. It felt good to be held by someone and she could not think of anyone else she would rather be held by right now. She opened her eyes as he released her.

  “We’d best be going. I hope you like spicy food,” he said with a smile. And then they were off.

  The crew waited patiently for them outside of the restaurant on Level 5 talking and laughing as usual when they arrived. Everyone seemed to be as Ava remembered; happy, healthy, and hungry. Always hungry. Naomi came over and gave Ava a quick hug before they were invited in by the seating hostess. After they were seated Wesley and Naomi began telling Ava about their assignments over the past several weeks. They had many pick-ups and deliveries from Earth and a few other stations and back. Aside from Orionis and Earth, they seemed to do a lot of business for Capristine, also referred to as “Capri” for short, one of the newest and sought after stations in orbit. Ava had hoped this would be the station she would be assigned to live on as it was known for its younger population and lively entertainment scene. She hoped to visit there someday.

  After dinner Wesley walked Ava home. Ava decided not to tell Wesley about the ordeal with her computer. It was already over and there was nothing that needed to be done now. Instead they talked more about some of his past missions and what some of the other stations were like. He seemed very knowledgeable about the universe and the ins and outs of space travel. It made sense, after all it was his job.

  “We’ll be heading out again on Sunday afternoon. But we should be back the following Saturday morning. I don’t think we’ll have any more lengthy assignments for a while.”

  “I’m glad for that. I miss all of you when you are gone. Besides, my pseudo friends from the gym are nice, but we don’t really hang out,” Ava admitted.

  She went to her combination aerobics/strength training class three times a week. Most of the participants were women, however there were a few young men in the group as well. Ava found the class a nice way to increase her physical endurance, especially since physically she had felt incredibly unconditioned when she first arrived on Orionis. Ava recognized one of the young men in the class as the young man that was on The Solar Wind with her as the small group made their migration to Orionis. She only knew his first name, which was Sam. He had recognized her too and occasionally talked to her. He even asked her out once a month ago and she had turned him down, although she sensed that he remained interested. Ava also did not feel like telling this to Wesley. He probably would not be thrilled to learn that someone else had taken an interest in her. They chatted a few minutes at her door and then hugged again before their time together was over. Tomorrow, he promised, they would all go to a show.

  Orionis did not have a blooming theatrical or entertainment scene, however Level 8 had a small theater that hosted everything from occasional plays, movies, and even comedies. Tonight the group would be seeing a popular comedian and then heading to “Lotus” to dinner for some Mediterranean fare. The plan excited Ava. She hadn’t ever seen a comedian perform on stage before. The comedian was a great success. The house, as usual, was not sold out as shows were expensive. It didn’t matter though, the crowd that had
gathered laughed and cheered happily. Ava felt relaxed. She found herself having a great time and could not remember the last time that she had laughed so hard. It felt good to let go of some of the tension. Dinner tasted equally exciting. Wesley and his crew never failed to introduce Ava to something new. In fact, it seemed that they enjoyed, and sometimes were amused, watching her reactions from the new experiences. At the end of the evening Wesley walked her back to her quarters. He stayed a few minutes inside and they chatted on her couch. Every time she saw him she felt a little more comfortable with him. Tomorrow he would leave again and she would be alone. It was a cycle she would never get used to.

  On Monday Ava reflected on her life over the past year as she walked to work. Today was her birthday, she was now twenty-six years old. Despite her tribulations over the past several months, she was proud of her accomplishments with her new life. As Ava walked into the office and past the front desk, Mary, one of the secretaries stopped her.

  “Good morning Ava, there was a package delivered for you a few minutes ago. I signed for it and put it on your desk.”

  “Thank you Mary.” It was early and Ava wasn’t expecting a package. It was probably something work related. “Did you have a nice weekend?”

  “It was very nice, thank you.”

  “Have a good day, see you around,” Ava smiled at her and continued to her desk. She liked Mary, she was always friendly, helpful, and pleasant.

  Ava arrived at her desk and saw a large, thick envelope sitting on her keyboard. Ava thought it strange to see an envelope as most transactions were strictly electronic in nature on Orionis due to limited resources. Paper products were recycled and rarely used. The envelope did not contain any information as to who the sender was. Ava opened it and inside found metal box with a small sealed envelope underneath. Ava decided to open the box first. She gasped as she recognized her grandmother’s earrings immediately. Her mouth dropped open, she could hardly believe it. They were exactly as they were a little over a week ago, except they had been thoroughly cleaned, most likely by the dealer, and in perfect condition. Ava quickly set the earrings down, grabbed and opened the unmarked envelope. The small note inside in large elaborate cursive writing simply read “Happy Birthday Ava” and was signed “W.” She couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t said anything to Wesley about what had happened to her with the computer incident during his long absence. She didn’t even know how he knew it was her birthday. He had spent a lot of money to buy her earrings back for her and now he was gone for the week, she wouldn’t even be able to thank him until Saturday. As confused and flattered as she felt, a wide smile spread across her face. She put her earrings back in her ears where they belonged and started her day feeling much happier.

  The week passed by quickly. Ava could not wait until Saturday to see Wesley again and thank him. She also wanted to quiz him about how he knew she had sold her earrings, where they were, and how he knew it was her birthday. On Thursday Ava went to the gym as usual. Sometimes Ava found that her workouts seemed to drag on forever, and other times they seemed to pass quickly. Thankfully, tonight was one of those nights. Afterwards as the class disbanded Ava chatted a few minutes with some of the women. Apparently some of the single people in the class were getting together on Friday to go to “Labyrinth”, a club on Level 8. Ava had heard of it. It had a popular reputation and people went there for its mystical ambiance, mood lighting, interesting drink menu, and synthetic musical sounds. Ava actually wanted to go. She was invited but decided to think more about it. As she turned to go to her locker, Sam approached her.

  “Hi Ava.”

  “Hi Sam.” Sam appeared to be around twenty four or twenty five. He was tall, perhaps around six feet with a lean muscular build. He had dark brown eyes and short medium brown hair. He seemed to have been blessed with charming manners and a pleasant smile. Overall Ava found him to be a calm, laid back sort of person. In the few conversations that they have had she knew that he did some type of mechanical/industrial work on Level 6.

  “Several of us are going to Labyrinth tomorrow night, would you like to come?”

  “I’m thinking about it.”

  “You should come. I’ve heard the drinks there are amazing. They are also going to have a live band. Besides, wouldn’t it be nice to hang out with some friends instead of being alone on a Friday night?”

  “Who exactly is going?”

  “I’m going, as well as Keith, Amber, Kelly, Alicia, and Travis, Caitlin, and Bret. It should be a good group. We’re meeting around ten.”

  Ava hesitated. What would be the harm as long as there was a nice sized group? She didn’t want to find herself in a date situation with Sam. She was not interested in him in that way. She sensed something about him that seemed a little too “nice.” With that many people “dating” wouldn’t be an issue and she did want to try and make more local friends since her only close friends were in town on the weekends, and not even every weekend.

  “Okay I’ll go. I’ll meet you guys there tomorrow night.”

  “Great, we’ll look forward to seeing you. Have a nice evening.” He smiled at her and went on his way.

  Ava collected her belongings and made her way home. She was happy about tomorrow night. Since her friends from the Andromeda weren’t due back until Saturday she enjoyed an opportunity to go out on a Friday night. With nine people from her class going she sensed it would be a fairly safe outing. The next evening after dinner Ava showered and readied herself for the club. She didn’t own many going out clothes so she kept her attire fairly simple; her favorite black boots, black slacks, and a draped neck white satin short flutter sleeved shirt. She let her dark shiny hair fall in its normal simple state. Normally Ava would add some tasteful drama to her makeup when she went out with Wesley and her other friends. Tonight since she was meeting with a few friends from the gym she kept her makeup muted and simple.

  Ava made her way easily to the club. Level 8 bustled with activity in the club district, which was normal for a Friday night. Labyrinth certainly was not much to look at on the outside. The entire front was flat and black with one simple large door in the center. High above the door a few spotlights projected the club’s name “Labyrinth” in scrolled writing on the black wall. She presented her ID at the entrance and proceeded into the door with several other people. Dim electric blue lighting spotlighted the stage where the techno band played. Strategically aimed spotlights provided the rest of the visible light. A small dance floor occupied the space below the stage. Small tall cocktail tables were scattered throughout the room for standing occupancy only with spotlights aimed down at the tops of the tables. The walls were lined with couches and lower tables. Finally a bar took up almost the entire back wall. Despite the club being packed with people, Ava easily located her friends from the gym immediately congregating by one of the small couches near the left wall. She noticed a few of them were already drinking however they all seemed happy and excited to be there. Sam and Alicia were sitting next to each other on the couch talking and laughing. Ava approached Caitlin and Bret and joined in their conversation. Soon everyone was there. Being the odd one out, Ava circulated through the mini social circles forming within her group until she ended up talking with Sam and Alicia. After a few minutes Ava parted with the group to get a drink at the bar. She didn’t like to drink much, usually only having one as they were expensive.

  While she waited in line at the bar a new band took the stage. They were very loud with a driving synthetic dance beat. Many people took to the dance floor immediately. As Ava turned to go back to the couch where her friends were, she noticed there was a new crowd in the space. She looked around and saw through the waves of moving bodies that some of her group had migrated to the dance floor, some had disappeared, and some were at the bar. Sam tapped her on the shoulder and motioned for her to come to one of the small standing tables with him.

  “I’m not much of a dancer, how about you?” He asked half shouting to be heard over the no
ise. He sipped casually on his drink, which was full to the brim.

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “Apparently Alicia loves to dance.” He smiled as he pointed to her, she smiled and waved as she noticed them watching her. She motioned to Ava and Sam to join her, but they declined.

  Sam continued to make small talk with Ava as she enjoyed her drink. She wondered whether or not some of the others were ever coming back from the dance floor. She had wanted to avoid being alone with him. He asked her all about her transition to life on the station, how her job was going, and what she liked to eat. She answered his questions honestly but did not elaborate on any details and politely inquired about his life and adjustment to life on Orionis. He seemed pleasant enough, perhaps a little too eager to converse with her. He even seemed a little nervous. She suspected it was because he had asked her out before and she politely declined him. Ava finished her drink and set her glass on the table. The music slowed and Alicia returned to their small group, sweaty and out of breath.

  “Would you like a drink Alicia?”

  “Yes, that would be great, thanks Sam.”

  “I’ll be right back, don’t let them take my drink, I’m not done yet,” he pointed to his half empty glass on the table and walked away.

  “Okay,” Alicia said.

  “Did you have fun out there?” Ava asked Alicia.

  “I love to dance. Sometimes it’s just good to get out and relieve some stress at the end of the week.”

  “I know what you mean,” Ava glanced at the bar but did not see Sam.

  “This club is fabulous. Too bad is has gotten a bad reputation lately.”

  “A bad reputation? How?”

  “I’m not sure exactly, just that a few months ago there was a report of woman being victimized here.”

  “How?”

  “I think she met someone she barely knew and ended up leaving with him. The next morning she woke up not remembering a thing. She couldn’t press charges because she wasn’t sure what actually happened to her. It’s sad really.”