High Flyght – Chapter 28

Marcelo and I step out of the autocab in front of a tiny restaurant with the name Il Pirata cut from shiny gray metal bolted to the door. Attached to the sleek, dark glass doors is a sign that reads ‘Closed for Private Party,’ and the sweet sound of music thumps across the sidewalk. From the front window, I can spot the people inside, and I press my fingers to my lips to keep my emotions in check.

My family came out for this party. Mom and Dad sit at a table, drinking wine and eating crusty bread. All my aunts and uncles and most of my cousins mill about in fancy dresses and suits while restaurant employees whisk pizzas to tables, fill empty glasses, and light candles along the bar.

In the crowd, Skylar is animated as she talks to her mom, using big hand gestures and exaggerated facial expressions. She’s no doubt recounting our fire drama since her mother is just staring open-mouthed and slowly shaking her head. At another side table, Lia charms one of my male cousins, and Carlos stares into space.

Ken and Jinzo appear as the crowd parts, and they’re both talking to Ken’s parents and his older brother.

“Looks like everyone made it,” Marcelo says, flexing his arm and pulling me towards him. “Jinzo asked his family to come, but it was short notice. You’ll be seeing them soon, anyway.”

Gus joins Ken and Jinzo, and I’m delighted by how these three men have gotten along in the short span of time I’ve given them together. They’re happy and relaxed. Their shoulders are not up around their ears, and their smiles come easy.

Deep down, I’m afraid of ruining the moment. Everyone here is so happy… Well, except maybe Carlos, but yeah, they’re all having a great time without me. It would be easy for me to walk away right now and not come back.

“Summa cum laude, Ms. Vivian.” It’s like Marcelo can hear my thoughts, and he didn’t even ingest any Rio plants. He’s just psychic that way. “It’s an achievement worth celebrating.” He turns to face me. “It’s worth taking a night off to sit with friends and family. To eat and enjoy the wine. We still have a long way to go in front of us. One night will not hold us back.”

He’s right, of course. I don’t need to deny myself this evening just to show how dutiful I am.

I give him a short nod, and we step forward into the restaurant.

A smattering of applause escalates into a thundering crescendo. I’m not a shy person, but I’ve spent most of my life digging in the dirt and hiding out in greenhouses or spending my spare time with my nose in a book, so this is attention I’m not used to. I drop my head and smile at Marcelo from the side. Lifting my head to make eye contact with everyone is impossible. The sweet smell of roasted tomatoes, hot grilled cheese, and fresh basil perk me up, and I get over my stage fright in time to greet my mom and dad as they approach.

“Ah, my Vivian. I’m so proud of you!” Mom says, cradling both my cheeks in her hands.

“Thanks, Mom,” I mumble through rubbery lips. Don’t cry, Vivian. I just got my makeup done for this!

Dad leans in for a kiss on the cheek. “Not only did you do well in school, but I’m truly proud of the way everyone here has been talking about you for the last hour or so.” Dad looks around at the crowd. “They all say you’re brave and determined and fair. Jinzo and Ken… and that new man? Wasn’t he Mom’s nurse at the hospital?”

“Yeah, Gus? I needed a medic for the ship.” I lean past Mom and Dad to see the guys on the other side of the room. They catch me looking at them and start to head over.

“Yes, Gus. He said, ‘Vivian is a treasure. You must be proud.’ And I am.” Dad’s smile is enough to make me happy for the rest of my life.

“See? Look at this, Vivi. Your mom is up and at ‘em and doing well,” Jinzo says, turning his smile on Mom. “Can I get you anything?”

“Oh, no. No, thank you.” Mom actually blushes, and I raise my eyebrows at Jinzo over the top of her head. “I’m going to get more wine in a moment.” She clears her throat and gestures for Ken to come closer. “Vivian, I want you to know that I apologized to Ken earlier. It was wrong of me to judge him by actions that took place many years ago and by his family, not by him.”

Ken’s smile is relieved and sweet, and he sidles up to Mom like an old friend.

“You know, we only met Ken’s mom and dad once before he proposed, so I didn’t have much time to get to know them. It’s been a joy to talk to them today, to hear that they’re all behind you, one-hundred percent.”

I glance over my shoulder at Ken’s dad and brother talking to Juliana, Ken’s mom. She waves to me, and I smile back.

When I turn around, Mom and Ken are holding hands, and Jinzo and Gus are beaming. Dad’s face falls, though, and I brace myself. Bad news always comes when he looks like this.

“I’m sorry, Vivian, that we won’t be able to hold a wedding for you and your first.”

“Oh, Dad.” I try to hush him quickly before his mood permeates the group. “Please don’t worry about it. We… We’re not sure when we’re going to have time for anything and —”

“We still haven’t signed the contracts,” Jinzo interrupts. “Vivian would like to do that on Ossun soon. Perhaps we can all have dinner together when we do that.”

Dad looks at Jinzo and me then he leans into my ear. “Have you made Jinzo your number one?” he whispers, and I nod, trying to keep the silly smile from my face. “And Ken is fine with that?”

I nod again and echo his prescient words. “He feels he doesn’t need to be number one.”

Dad looks over at Jinzo whispering with Mom. “Interesting. What about Cressida?”

I shrug. “I’ll figure that out later.”

“Lots to consider,” he says, still musing.

I touch his arm and kiss him on the cheek. “Not tonight.”

Taking Jinzo by the hand, we circulate through the crowds together while Ken and Gus talk with my parents. I introduce him to my cousins, aunts, and uncles, and I glow with pride over how well he makes small talk and compliments people in all the right ways. It’s moments like this when I understand why Cressida does not want to let him go. He’s in his element here, talking and listening, an extrovert to my introvert. If anything, he was underutilized as part of Cressida’s network. To her, he was a fourth or fifth consort at best. To me, he is someone I rely on.

But these network rankings? I’m not sure how into them I am. Though we need to rank our networks to give precedence to how decisions are made, I don’t ever want any of the guys to feel less than or left out. I want them to feel like they matter, like they’re everything to me.

I draw Jinzo away from the crowd to catch my breath. He grabs two glasses of red wine and hands one to me. “Shall I get you some pizza?”

“Yes, in a minute.”

I turn to face the crowd, lean my side into Jinzo’s side, and drape my arm over his shoulder. He pointedly scans down my slinky gown and admires my deep cleavage.

“You’re radiant tonight,” he says, his voice catching on the last syllable. He angles to me and tries to kiss me on the cheek. I turn my head and let my lips linger with his before meeting him for a real kiss. My smile is devious as I take a kiss that I wouldn’t typically display in public. I inhale and enjoy the sparks of joy that zip through me as his lips claim mine. He raises his hand to my cheek, and my body melts.

Something jostles me from behind, wine spills from my glass and splashes my hand. I disengage from Jinzo with an audible smack and turn to apologize to the person who bumped into me. We are taking up a significant portion of the walkway from the kitchen to the dining area, and we’re kissing and not paying attention. But I can’t identify whom to apologize to. They must have been in a hurry.

“Sorry,” I say, looking around and shaking my hand off. Jinzo grabs a napkin from the table near us.

“I don’t know who you’re apologizing to,” Skylar says, approaching us. Her smirk is turned up to one-hundred-and-fifty percent. “People really should suck face in public more often. We’re all too uptight.”

“Ha.” I finish wiping myself off and set the napkin aside. “You look fabulous tonight. Love this silver on you.”

“Thanks,” she says, skating her hand down her ample curves. Two men from the bar watch her every move. “So, Jinzo.” She lightly punches him on his shoulder. “How long do you think it’s gonna take to fix my ship, Mr. Mechanic?”

“Your ship is in good hands with my family,” he says, returning my glass of wine to me. “My sister will be here in a few days to fly us to the yards.”

Skylar narrows her eyes. “You really trust her to fly the Amagi?”

He leans forward. “She has a Class Four pilot’s license.”

Skylar only has a Class Two license, and she desperately wants to make it to the top of her profession. Class Five, the top pilot’s license in the Duo Systems, is her goal. She’ll be rated to fly anything, from skips to giant military cruisers, at that level. Classes One and Two can fly smaller ships and can land or take off from any spaceport with an AI. Classes Three, Four, and Five can land or take off on their own, and they’re licensed for tricky space maneuvers and tons of other stuff I know nothing about.

Skylar’s eyes twinkle. “Your sister has a Class Four license?” When Jinzo nods, she whistles low. “I can’t wait to meet her.”

“And yes, I’ll take good care of the Amagi. She’s my home now too. I’m sure we can get her fixed up and running like new in a week or two. I’ve already sourced a lot of what we need and had Inventory set parts aside, so they’re ready to go when we arrive at the yards.”

“Good.” She smacks him on the arm and then turns to me while jerking her thumb at him. “I’m glad we hired this one. Let’s eat!”

The party hits its stride as everyone sits to eat, pulling slices of pizza to their plates, trails of melting cheese stretching like spiderwebs. I dig into plates of olives, roasted artichoke hearts, and handmade pasta with aged cheese and cracked black pepper. I could die happy right now. Not only is the food amazing, but everyone is cheerful, laughing and talking, the wine is flowing, and I feel at peace for the first time in weeks.

After eating, I grab some breadsticks and a gin and tonic and sit with Carlos and Lia.

“Enjoying the food?” I ask, watching Lia inhale pasta.

“It’s great! I need to learn how to make pasta and hand-pulled noodles. I hear there’s a giant teaching kitchen on the Lee home ship. I think I’ll check it out while we’re there.”

“What about you, Carlos? What will you do when we reach the shipyards?”

He finishes a slice of pizza, and according to the discarded crusts on his plate, he’s eaten a whole pie, maybe more.

“I’ve got mysteries to figure out, Captain, and I’m hoping to consult with experts at the shipyards when we get there.”

“Like what?”

He wipes off his mouth and sits back to rub his belly. “There was no real reason for Ai to fail so quickly. She was stable for months before you came on board.” He realizes what he’s said and holds up his hands. “Not your fault, of course. It’s just the timing is weird. I wonder if we picked up a virus when we were in Ossun port or… I don’t know.” He shrugs. “It’s the strangest thing I’ve ever come up against. Even my hacker friend couldn’t figure it out. But my goal is to salvage the old drives, move Ai over to a new system, and run her in beta mode so I can access her memory. She’ll never be a whole AI again, but I have to figure out what happened so I can’t let it ever happen again.”

He’s right. We can’t have another fire and meltdown. Our next AI has to last.

“Whatever you need, Carlos. You just let Jinzo know.”

“I’ll be careful, Captain. I understand funds are tight.”

Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. I don’t have solid numbers yet, but after our meeting today at Flyght, I’m feeling better about our finances going forward.

Carlos’s eyes flit to a spot behind me, and when I turn, Gus is approaching with a gift bag.

“I hope I’m not interrupting.”

I push to the side and pull a chair out from the table for him to sit.

“Oh, thanks.” He smiles as he sits down and looks around. “You have a real nice family here, Vivian. Everyone has been so kind and supportive. I may be a little drunk, though.” He chuckles, his eyes watery and red. “Anyway, I have a small graduation gift for you.”

He hands me the gift bag, and I set it on my lap. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s not that heavy. When I look at him again, his eyes are directed away, a little embarrassed. Lia smiles at me and jerks her chin at the gift.

“Should I open it now, Gus?” I dip my head to catch his eye. He recovers quickly, sitting back and resuming his professional nature.

“Sure. It’s nothing, really.”

I reach into the bag, and my hand meets soft fabric. It’s a hooded sweatshirt from Ossun Agricultural University (Ossun Ag, for short), my alma mater. It’s big and roomy, perfect for a person like me who enjoys bumming around my home in something comfortable.

I hold it up with a smile. “Thank you! I love it.” I crush the sweatshirt to my chest and hug it. “It’s perfect. I’ll wear it all the time.”

He seems relieved. “I’m glad you like it.”

I want to give him a kiss on the cheek or a hug or something, but he’s already set the boundary between us. Still, I see it cracking, wearing down, in every interaction we have. So I reach out and squeeze his forearm because I can’t not do something. I have to touch him. It’s a primal need so strong, my chest hurts from denying it.

This time, he doesn’t shrug me off, doesn’t pull away. This time he returns the gesture by placing his hand on my knee and giving it a little squeeze. My ears ring with the contact as brief as it is. Within a blink, it’s like we had never touched each other.

What was there? Or was there nothing?

I don’t know yet.

Ken stands up from the main table and clears his throat as he taps on his glass with a knife. The murmur of the room quiets, and everyone’s heads turn to him. A few of my girl cousins titter behind their hands, charmed by Ken’s smile and good looks. He’s mine, ladies.

“I think it’s time for a little speech.” A few people at the table chuckle and smile. “Six years ago, I was this awkward and way-too-confident-for-my-own-good nobody sitting in an Econ 101 class with no one I knew, when in walked Vivian, and I saw her for the first time.”

Ken chuckles and shakes his head. “I’ll never forget that moment. She was laser-focused on her goal. Get to class, get a seat, get an education. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she had on black knit pants with holes in the knees and squeaky athletic shoes. Oh man, I had no idea girls could dress or act this way. In my head, they were all in the smartest of clothes and knew exactly what they were doing at all times. I had so little experience talking to girls. I went to an all-boys school on Rio, and we were sure we were doomed and would never be able to make conversation with a woman.”

A few men in the crowd, cousins of mine, raise their fists in solidarity.

“So imagine my surprise when Vivian glided across the room, plopped into the chair next to mine, and started talking to me. Me! Sure, she complained about the breakfast she’d had that morning…”

The whole room erupts in laughter, and even I laugh as I remember the awful rice porridge I had eaten that day.

“But she was talking to me. And as the class went on, I saw her taking notes and listening and asking smart questions, and I just knew I had to stick by her. She was my ticket to understanding economics. But it also turned out she was my ticket to understanding life. Life, love, and so many other things.”

He raises his glass. Everyone raises theirs to match.

“Tonight, let’s all drink to Vivian. She’s smart. She’s capable. She has a heart of gold.” He pauses to meet my eyes from across the room. I inhale and hold my breath. “She’s ruthless enough to handle just about anything life throws at her, and she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

I press my hand to my heart as everyone turns to raise their glass to me. Carlos hands me a glass to join in.

“To Vivian!”

We all toast and drink.

To me.

Enjoy this moment, Vivian.

Because tomorrow, we get back to work.