Suri’s Sure Thing – Chapter 2

The shuttle doors open, and the cool, humid air of winter hits me right in the face. Well, at least the sun is still shining like I saw it only a few hours ago. I take a deep breath, center myself, and slowly walk forward. I was only on board the Shōnagon for two days, but it was enough to make me a little lightheaded upon returning to solid earth. The pills I pop every day in orbit help me acclimatize to gravity each time I return. Still, there’s always a short adjustment period. Hopefully, it doesn’t last more than a few hours.

I grab my bag from the baggage claim area and step out into the public space at the transport hub. A blur of golden fur comes bounding towards me, and I only have a spare moment to brace myself before Finn bowls right into me.

“Hi hi hi hi hi hi hi! Oh, Suri! Hi hi hi hi hi!” His paws reach for my waist, and his tongue is a blur of pink. I press my eyes and lips closed and just let him lick me. Hold your breath, Suri! This may take a moment…

“Hey, Finn,” Erik calls out, “take it easy, boy. She just got here.”

I pull in a quick breath and tip my face back. “It’s okay. I’m happy to see him.” And I am. I’m always happy to see my Finn.

“I missed you. I missed you so much. You were gone forever,” he says, swirling around my feet. He’s nimble for a giant golden retriever.

Someone walks past with a monkey on his shoulder and smiles at us both. Several people outside the gates on the tarmac hold up protest signs. They’re there every day, so I just ignore them now. But the bold red letters of ‘STAY OUT OF SPACE’ and ‘CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME’ are hard to miss. Sigh. They want the impossible. We already have it good here, but we can’t sustain our home if we don’t find more land on other planets.

A few lonely-looking younger women stop next to us and smile at Finn too.

“Your dog is so sweet. He obviously loves you a lot,” one young woman says. “Can I pet him?”

Finn’s tongue lolls out of his mouth to the side. “Sure, sure. I love pets. Loooooooove them.”

I nod as the two young women come forward to pet him. I tip my head to the side, and I can see the nearest woman doesn’t have the star tattoo behind her left ear that indicates she has the animal translation chip. My guess is the other one doesn’t either.

“Are you both on the teams going to Hikoboshi?” I ask as Erik approaches with his dog, Tsuki. Tsuki also loves to be petted, so she comes and sits next to Finn, accepting the love of these two young women.

“Yeah, we’re both on the first wave. Only another week to go.” Her voice sounds excited, but I can tell from the lines around her eyes she’s nervous.

People who go on these missions to the far-off Hikoboshi system don’t have the animal translation chip on purpose. They applied for these missions when they were young. When the I.A. chose them, it became a part of their employment to not carry the proprietary technology on them. The only problem is that we can only insert the chip between the ages of six and twenty-five. Once you’re too old, you can never get it. It’s a lifelong choice never to pair with an animal of our world.

Personally, I can’t imagine not being paired with Finn. He is the utter joy and abandon that I lack. I’m buttoned-up, logical, and serious. He’s foolish, silly, and a little brainless. We love each other to death, even with all that fur.

“We’re all so excited for you,” I tell her as she scratches Finn behind the ear. “I really hope the mission goes well.”

She stands up and bows. “I do too. I just hope we find something.”

These missions may be for naught, but we have to try. We only have this one continent, and with the indigenous population, plus everyone who came here from Earth, we’re running out of space. When Terrans came here to Orihimé thirty years ago, they found a backwards and frightened culture of Japanese immigrants from Earth — immigrants who arrived here over 400 years ago during the Exodus. Now that everyone is integrated, we’re going to try to connect with the Hikoboshi system, another place where more of Japan migrated in the Exodus. Terrans who left Earth during the Exodus are scattered throughout the local area of the galaxy, but finding them is difficult. We’re lucky to know of Hikoboshi because of journals passed down through the generations.

“Good luck,” I say, bowing and smiling.

The young women head off, and Erik steps up beside me. “That always gives me the chills,” he says, reaching out for my bag. “They’re so willing to put their lives on the line for us.”

I rub the goosebumps from my arms. “You know, most days I’m excited about the missions, but today? I just feel dread.”

Erik peers up at the sky. “It’s the weather, Suri. It’s too bad you didn’t land a few hours earlier. It won’t be sunny for much longer.” He tips his chin at the horizon and the oncoming dark clouds.

“I saw it from space.”

“Well, aren’t you special.” His voice is dry, and he rolls his eyes. I can only laugh. Because yeah, that statement sounded awfully precious.

Finn circles my body, rubbing his coat against my legs over and over. He’s gentle about it, but his need to be close can be overwhelming. I take a deep breath and come to my knees so I can hug him.

“Hey, buddy. I guess you really missed me?”

“All the time, Suri. Yeah, yeah.” He rests his head on my shoulder. “I don’t like when you’re gone. It’s boring at home without you.”

“I know. And I’m sure Mom doesn’t let you chase the cats.”

“She’s no fun. I’m good with cats. Let’s play?”

“Maybe later. I’m beat. Let’s walk instead.”

Erik waits patiently, his hands clasped behind his back. His dog, Tsuki, a Shiba Inu, is just as quiet and patient as he is. I think it must be some kind of sign that I’m paired with a silly and dopey dog when I’m so serious. The gods are trying to tell me something.

“Time to head home?” Erik asks, hefting my bag onto his shoulder.

Yarra’s smirk flashes into my head, and my chest tightens as I look at Erik. Here he is, showing up with my dog, ready to walk me home and spend time with me. And, suddenly, after years of us being like this, it doesn’t feel right.

I’m taking advantage of him and his kindness, aren’t I?

“I can take my bag,” I say, reaching out my hand.

The wind picks up, and Erik’s messy hair flies out from behind his ears. His hair is always a bit of a nightmare, frizzy and wavy when it’s humid and in his face when he least wants it to be. I remind him to get it cut often, but he forgets unless I drag him to the salon myself.

“I’ve got it. It’s fine,” he replies, surprised. “Do you want to take the long way around? I was thinking we could stop to get coffee.” Tsuki huffs and mumbles at him. “Yes, I know. I’ll buy you both treats.” He rolls his eyes. “The dogs have become addicted to the handmade treats from Café Domina. I’m afraid I’ve been spoiling them both in your absence.”

“I don’t know, Erik. I’m a little light on funds right now.” I’ve told no one else about Tilli’s debt. I’m sure she would be mortified if Erik knew, and if he’s ever noticed I’m without money all the time, he’s never said anything.

“My treat,” he says, an amiable smile taking over his face.

I shouldn’t accept, but…

“Um, sure. Coffee is good. I’m beat, and I still have the family dinner in front of me.”

“Then let’s do the gym tomorrow instead of today,” he suggests. “I think we’re both due to lift heavy this time. You shouldn’t do it when you’re too tired.”

I push aside Yarra’s smirk and remind myself that Erik and I have been friends for years. This is what friends do for each other. They treat each other to coffee. They spot each other at the gym. It’s natural.

Erik falls into step beside me, the dogs at our heels. “How was your shift? Catch any quality issues?”

“A few. Not many. It was a good shift. Harris found fewer issues than I did.”

“I always wonder if there are truly no errors or if you just didn’t find them.”

I scoff. “For shame. I always find all the quality issues. I have a clean sheet, my friend.” I blow on my nails, and he laughs. People on the street turn to look at him as we walk by.

“Funny, funny,” Finn says behind me. “Erik always laughs.”

“He does.”

“Does what?” Erik asks, but I wave him off. The thing about the animal translation chip is that you can only understand the animal you’re paired with. So he can only understand Tsuki, and I can only understand Finn. And communication between animals is rudimentary.

“How was work for you this week?” I ask as we turn on the street to Café Domina.

“Same.” He sighs. “Not good. Everyone wants to find time on the schedule. It’s like they want us to produce hours and days out of thin air. We already work twenty-five hours a day, every day. I don’t know what else we can do.”

Erik is a project manager for the Interstellar Agency. He schedules for the teams doing computer and database work. He’s never been into space, and he never wants to. He prefers being on the ground.

“Well, obviously, you’re going to have to perform black magic and open up another dimension to make it all work.”

“Obviously.” Erik opens the door to the café for the dogs and me.

We choose a table, and the dogs lie down underneath. Erik places my bag on the extra chair. “The usual?” he asks.

Yarra’s smirk appears in my head again. Yes, we spend enough time together for him to know my usual coffee order — black with salt. He likes his sweet with a splash of cream.

“Yeah,” I say, clearing my throat, “of course. And —”

“A croissant? Sure.” His smile prefaces a laugh. “I’ll see if they have any.”

Tsuki sits up and puts her paws on my leg, reaching up for some scratches. Her fur is short and thick. It reminds me of a carpet, and I love to sink my fingers into it.

“What’s wrong?” Finn asks. He can always tell when I have something on my mind.

“Nothing. Just thinking of something Yarra said.”

I relax when Erik returns with the coffees and a croissant for me, a muffin for him, and treats for the dogs.

“So, you’re still going to work on the night of the ball instead of attending?” he asks, before sipping on his mug.

I look over my shoulder to make sure no one is spying on me. I feel like he’s reading my thoughts.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. I never bought a dress, and I gave away my invite to Tilli.” Tilli’s old enough to attend the ball, and she’s so popular, I figured she would find a date in no time. She’s borrowing a dress from a friend. “I’m sure she’ll have a great time.”

I cradle the mug in my hands. I wish it was summer. I’m not a fan of the cold.

“She’ll probably tear up the town and leave behind several broken hearts.” Erik knows Tilli well enough. She’s the wild child. Well, one of them. “She asked me to go, but I declined.”

I nearly spit my coffee all over the table. But, instead, I half choke on it and cough into a napkin. She also has a crush on Erik. I’m not surprised by this.

“She’s a cute kid but not my type.” His gaze is piercing over the lip of his mug.

Shit.

It’s like someone has flipped a switch, and I’m questioning everything now. Every look. Every gesture.

When I glance back at him again, he’s his usual contemplative type, staring out the window, lost in thought.

I’m imagining things.

We continue our conversation for another ten minutes, Erik telling me all about the usual guys at the gym, his parents who live across the continent, and work. He’s been busy, and he’d rather be home reading. “I’d rather be hanging out with you,” he says, a shy smile on his face. “And the dogs, of course.”

I swallow the last of my coffee and try not to read into that.

My mini-tab vibrates in my shoulder bag, and I sigh as I reach in to grab it.

“It’s my dad.” I hold up the screen and accept the call.

“Suri, your shuttle landed forty-five minutes ago, and you’re not home yet.”

Annoyance buzzes in my chest. I’m twenty-seven years old, and I still get treated like I’m a teenager. “Yes, Dad. I stopped to have coffee with Erik.”

“Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Can you please be home soon?”

I hold back a sigh. “Sure. We’ll finish up now.”

“Thank you, dear.”

He hangs up, and I let go of the sigh as I dump my mini-tab into my bag.

Without a word, Erik busses our plates and mugs, grabs my overnight bag, and signals to the dogs it’s time to go.