whatever it was he’d been about to tell me. He wore a pair of those FreeMars jeans and a white shirt that hugged his body sweetly. In that moment, I hated him for looking so good and yet not being with me.
I left the office and headed for the cafeteria, numbly moving down the corridors, ignoring the throngs of students, letting them knock into me. I didn’t care. Let them move out of my way. They didn’t, so by the time I got to the cafeteria, my shoulders felt pretty bruised. Battle-wounds, I said to myself. As bruised as my heart. The tenterhooks were still dragging away the flesh of that organ. Maybe it would get so bruised it would turn blue.
*****
“You what?” Mei roared, standing up and punching me in the arm—on an already sore muscle—and then she slapped me. One thing I was used to about Mei, was that she had a bit of a temper. It flared, then died down quickly. She sat back down and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “That gorgeous guy, right? The one you said is an android?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Him.”
“So that’s why you chewed out Hans? I know he can be an idiot, but really, Hans? He’s gorgeous. And rich.” Mei took a bite of veggie pizza.
“Not just because of that, Mei. I mean, it’s just the culmination of a lot of things that I’ve been thinking about. And feeling. And I did learn a lot from Hemingway, even though we were only together, what? A week? A week and a half?” I stirred the bowl of bisque in front of me. My appetite left at the first bite. It tasted sour.
“You just don’t lash out at the good-looking guys, Retta. There are only a few in the colony. The rest look like apes.”
“That’s just because of the limited gene pool,” I muttered. I brightened at an idea that suddenly occurred to me. “But what if humans and androids crossbred? Don’t you think that would make everyone better looking?” I leaned forward so I could say it quietly to her. The noise in the cafeteria was as loud as a rocket engine, but still. I was cautious.
Mei gasped. “Retta! You can’t say stuff like that. It’s forbidden!” she paused, then giggled. “But, I think you’re right. The offspring would be like Venus and Adonis had children!”
I shifted on the plastic bench. “Yeah, I know. I’m right.”
“So how far did you guys go?” Mei asked, finishing off her pizza.
“Shut up,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want to think about it. He claims he left me because society won’t accept us , and he doesn’t want to drag me through the viciousness he deals with and that we’d deal with.”
She nodded, her dark eyes studying my face. “But you don’t believe him?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.” Then I told her how I saw him in the office and he tried to tell me something, but didn’t, and then ran off.
“Well, that’s a good sign, I think.” She began twisting a strand of black hair around her finger. “But it could also be a bad sign.”
“Yeah.”
“So, what will you do?” she asked, blinking and dropping the strand of hair. She leaned forward across the narrow table.
“Nothing. I mean, I’ve been trying to figure more out about the divide between humans and androids. But that’s about it.”
“Expound.”
“Well, you know, when androids became more human-like, there were these huge debates on Earth over whether or not to make them able to procreate,” I began, then launched into the rest of the things I’d been learning.
It wasn’t much, but it was refreshing to have someone else interested in it. Hemingway didn’t care anymore. Who knew what he was up to. But Mei was willing to listen and it helped me to have someone acting as a sounding board. It made my thoughts coalesce. I had some ideas forming in the back of my mind as I talked. When I finished filling her in, I knew what I needed to do. The question was, should I invite Mei into my new scheme or not?
11: Red Heart
We went over it. There were two options.
I left the office and headed for the cafeteria, numbly moving down the corridors, ignoring the throngs of students, letting them knock into me. I didn’t care. Let them move out of my way. They didn’t, so by the time I got to the cafeteria, my shoulders felt pretty bruised. Battle-wounds, I said to myself. As bruised as my heart. The tenterhooks were still dragging away the flesh of that organ. Maybe it would get so bruised it would turn blue.
*****
“You what?” Mei roared, standing up and punching me in the arm—on an already sore muscle—and then she slapped me. One thing I was used to about Mei, was that she had a bit of a temper. It flared, then died down quickly. She sat back down and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “That gorgeous guy, right? The one you said is an android?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Him.”
“So that’s why you chewed out Hans? I know he can be an idiot, but really, Hans? He’s gorgeous. And rich.” Mei took a bite of veggie pizza.
“Not just because of that, Mei. I mean, it’s just the culmination of a lot of things that I’ve been thinking about. And feeling. And I did learn a lot from Hemingway, even though we were only together, what? A week? A week and a half?” I stirred the bowl of bisque in front of me. My appetite left at the first bite. It tasted sour.
“You just don’t lash out at the good-looking guys, Retta. There are only a few in the colony. The rest look like apes.”
“That’s just because of the limited gene pool,” I muttered. I brightened at an idea that suddenly occurred to me. “But what if humans and androids crossbred? Don’t you think that would make everyone better looking?” I leaned forward so I could say it quietly to her. The noise in the cafeteria was as loud as a rocket engine, but still. I was cautious.
Mei gasped. “Retta! You can’t say stuff like that. It’s forbidden!” she paused, then giggled. “But, I think you’re right. The offspring would be like Venus and Adonis had children!”
I shifted on the plastic bench. “Yeah, I know. I’m right.”
“So how far did you guys go?” Mei asked, finishing off her pizza.
“Shut up,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t want to think about it. He claims he left me because society won’t accept us , and he doesn’t want to drag me through the viciousness he deals with and that we’d deal with.”
She nodded, her dark eyes studying my face. “But you don’t believe him?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.” Then I told her how I saw him in the office and he tried to tell me something, but didn’t, and then ran off.
“Well, that’s a good sign, I think.” She began twisting a strand of black hair around her finger. “But it could also be a bad sign.”
“Yeah.”
“So, what will you do?” she asked, blinking and dropping the strand of hair. She leaned forward across the narrow table.
“Nothing. I mean, I’ve been trying to figure more out about the divide between humans and androids. But that’s about it.”
“Expound.”
“Well, you know, when androids became more human-like, there were these huge debates on Earth over whether or not to make them able to procreate,” I began, then launched into the rest of the things I’d been learning.
It wasn’t much, but it was refreshing to have someone else interested in it. Hemingway didn’t care anymore. Who knew what he was up to. But Mei was willing to listen and it helped me to have someone acting as a sounding board. It made my thoughts coalesce. I had some ideas forming in the back of my mind as I talked. When I finished filling her in, I knew what I needed to do. The question was, should I invite Mei into my new scheme or not?
11: Red Heart
We went over it. There were two options.
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