Part 26 - What bombs?
April 1st 2007 09:19
In front of the dishwasher Je slumped, crying.
“I can’t do it any more,” she blubbed.
Hu was helping her clear away the breakfast dishes, “What can’t you do?”
“I can’t be a woman any more!”
Hu didn’t drop the plate she carried but instead gently lay it on the bench then knelt in front of her friend. “What do you mean? Is this a sex thing?”
“Yes of course it’s a bloody sex thing! I can’t be this sex any longer!”
“OK, so change,” unperturbed Hu returned to her work.
Smeary tears wet Je’s face, “What about La?”
“He won’t mind. Perhaps he can be the woman for a change?” she picked up a bowl of saccharine and wiped the bench under it.
“That’s the problem! I don’t want him to be a woman!” she screamed with a fresh stream of crying.
Hu gasped and dropped the bowl, saccharine granules spilled onto bench and over the floor. She held the sides of the counter for support and slowly turned to look at Je. At length she said, “Do you mean to tell me that you’re a ...” the word wouldn’t come.
“Yes,” sniffled Je, “I am.”
“But I’ve known you all my life. How could you be one of them without my knowledge?”
“I’ve kept it a secret from everyone by keeping it a secret from myself.”
“We’ve crossed the void between galaxies, been locked up in a space ship for half a lifetime and I never suspected you were like that.” The strength had drained from her limbs and she sat on the floor beside her friend.
“So what do you think?” Je asked tentatively.
“I think it’s wonderful, my best friend is a homocrosssexual and she came out to me!” She looked sternly at Je, “Or should I have said, ‘He came out’?”
“No, still ‘She’. I haven’t done anything about it yet, I don’t know about La.”
Holding Je’s hand, Hu rubbed it gently, “Why did you choose to be female in the first place?”
“Family pressure mostly, my mother and grandmother were both women. I was the youngest child and my brothers were all boys. It seemed the right thing to do at the time; it certainly made my mother happy. Then when the strange things happened the other day, the fire and flying and stuff; it started me thinking. We’re so far away from home, and our home’s been destroyed and all of my family is dead. It seems less important now to make my mother happy.”
“We are your family, we always have been.”
“I know, but I’m married to La, a man and he may not want me to be a man too.” From the ship’s intercom La’s voice interrupted her next batch of crying.
“Five minutes until this century’s spiritual meeting. That’s five minutes, I don’t want anyone turning up late. I’m talking to you Ru, no claiming time allowance for adjustments in the local solar system’s rotation and showing up three months late. So, that’s the spiritual meeting in five, no sorry, four minutes in the Spiritual Centre.” His voice cut out with a sniff.
Getting to her feet Hu said, “Come on Je, perhaps you’ll learn something at the spiritual meeting that will help you work out what you need to do."
The Spiritual Centre was a large, subtly lit room with mostly purple walls and an occasional hint of gold. There was no ornamentation or furniture. The four friends stood, squared off, while La recited his latest musings.
“Oh, friends, we have no worries, we have no complaints. Life is simple, simple, simple and we are happy, happy, happy, let us rejoice, rejoice and rejoice.”
“Is that it?” Ru looked at La with wide eyes and open mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve had a hundred years to prepare a sermon and that’s what you come up with, happy, happy, rejoice, rejoice? I could have done better in my sleep!”
“You miss the context of our purpose,” said La, “we are here for the simple things. We are not here for complexity or stress so the sermon I give must be equally simple. It took me long nights to cut out the words that weren’t simple and free,” he was about to continue but the floor shuddered under his feet and he lost his train of thought. “What was that?” he asked, “Did anyone else feel it? Je?”
She wasn’t listening. La’s speech about simplicity and happiness got her thinking about her situation. La turned to Ru, “Any idea?”
“None,” said Ru. The floor shuddered again, and another four times in short succession.
“It feels like 6 molecular missiles fired one after the other,” Hu said slowly, fearing she might be right. “But that’s not possible because we don’t have any weapons on board.”
“Oh no!” shouted Ru and sprinted from the room.
“Ru, what have you done?” Hu called after him; then ran after him.
“I wonder what that’s all about?” sighed La. He took Je by the hand, “Come on old love, how about we go back to our room for a bit of quick fun before lunch?” Her hand was different, less soft. He stopped walking and looked closely at his wife; something was new, “What’s up?” he asked, “Have you done something different with your hair?”
“I can’t do it any more,” she blubbed.
Hu was helping her clear away the breakfast dishes, “What can’t you do?”
“I can’t be a woman any more!”
Hu didn’t drop the plate she carried but instead gently lay it on the bench then knelt in front of her friend. “What do you mean? Is this a sex thing?”
“Yes of course it’s a bloody sex thing! I can’t be this sex any longer!”
“OK, so change,” unperturbed Hu returned to her work.
Smeary tears wet Je’s face, “What about La?”
“He won’t mind. Perhaps he can be the woman for a change?” she picked up a bowl of saccharine and wiped the bench under it.
“That’s the problem! I don’t want him to be a woman!” she screamed with a fresh stream of crying.
Hu gasped and dropped the bowl, saccharine granules spilled onto bench and over the floor. She held the sides of the counter for support and slowly turned to look at Je. At length she said, “Do you mean to tell me that you’re a ...” the word wouldn’t come.
“Yes,” sniffled Je, “I am.”
“But I’ve known you all my life. How could you be one of them without my knowledge?”
“I’ve kept it a secret from everyone by keeping it a secret from myself.”
“We’ve crossed the void between galaxies, been locked up in a space ship for half a lifetime and I never suspected you were like that.” The strength had drained from her limbs and she sat on the floor beside her friend.
“So what do you think?” Je asked tentatively.
“I think it’s wonderful, my best friend is a homocrosssexual and she came out to me!” She looked sternly at Je, “Or should I have said, ‘He came out’?”
“No, still ‘She’. I haven’t done anything about it yet, I don’t know about La.”
Holding Je’s hand, Hu rubbed it gently, “Why did you choose to be female in the first place?”
“Family pressure mostly, my mother and grandmother were both women. I was the youngest child and my brothers were all boys. It seemed the right thing to do at the time; it certainly made my mother happy. Then when the strange things happened the other day, the fire and flying and stuff; it started me thinking. We’re so far away from home, and our home’s been destroyed and all of my family is dead. It seems less important now to make my mother happy.”
“We are your family, we always have been.”
“I know, but I’m married to La, a man and he may not want me to be a man too.” From the ship’s intercom La’s voice interrupted her next batch of crying.
“Five minutes until this century’s spiritual meeting. That’s five minutes, I don’t want anyone turning up late. I’m talking to you Ru, no claiming time allowance for adjustments in the local solar system’s rotation and showing up three months late. So, that’s the spiritual meeting in five, no sorry, four minutes in the Spiritual Centre.” His voice cut out with a sniff.
Getting to her feet Hu said, “Come on Je, perhaps you’ll learn something at the spiritual meeting that will help you work out what you need to do."
-o0o-
The Spiritual Centre was a large, subtly lit room with mostly purple walls and an occasional hint of gold. There was no ornamentation or furniture. The four friends stood, squared off, while La recited his latest musings.
“Oh, friends, we have no worries, we have no complaints. Life is simple, simple, simple and we are happy, happy, happy, let us rejoice, rejoice and rejoice.”
“Is that it?” Ru looked at La with wide eyes and open mouth.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve had a hundred years to prepare a sermon and that’s what you come up with, happy, happy, rejoice, rejoice? I could have done better in my sleep!”
“You miss the context of our purpose,” said La, “we are here for the simple things. We are not here for complexity or stress so the sermon I give must be equally simple. It took me long nights to cut out the words that weren’t simple and free,” he was about to continue but the floor shuddered under his feet and he lost his train of thought. “What was that?” he asked, “Did anyone else feel it? Je?”
She wasn’t listening. La’s speech about simplicity and happiness got her thinking about her situation. La turned to Ru, “Any idea?”
“None,” said Ru. The floor shuddered again, and another four times in short succession.
“It feels like 6 molecular missiles fired one after the other,” Hu said slowly, fearing she might be right. “But that’s not possible because we don’t have any weapons on board.”
“Oh no!” shouted Ru and sprinted from the room.
“Ru, what have you done?” Hu called after him; then ran after him.
“I wonder what that’s all about?” sighed La. He took Je by the hand, “Come on old love, how about we go back to our room for a bit of quick fun before lunch?” Her hand was different, less soft. He stopped walking and looked closely at his wife; something was new, “What’s up?” he asked, “Have you done something different with your hair?”
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