Chapter 4 #2
I was nervous to take a seat, because I still didn’t quite believe that we were only expected to do speed dating. I felt like any minute now, the aliens were going to reveal their true plans and attack.
Maybe they’d vaporize us with their guns, or perhaps they’d use something they found from our own planet to kill us.
Like releasing wild dogs or something.
I hesitantly took a seat across from one of the women I had yet to meet.
The voice made another announcement.
“Remember, when you hear the buzzer, males will move to the table to their left,” it said. “And females will remain seated. The game will not end until the full rotation has been completed. Begin now.”
There was a loud buzzing sound, which I assumed meant it was time to start, so I turned to the woman across from me.
She had a very thin, willowy figure, and she was quite pretty. Her features were very pointed and angular, even her eyes, which were a dark brown. Her hair was dyed a pretty dark green color, but it just made me think of seaweed.
The woman stared at me expectantly.
“I’m Liam,” I introduced myself. I’d never actually been speed dating before, so the only thing I knew about it was what I’d seen on TV. I assumed our names were a pretty good place to start. “What’s your name?”
“Annabelle,” the green-haired woman replied with a nervous smile.
She didn’t say anything more, and I realized I was going to have to do most of the legwork with these questions.
I glanced around again as I tried to come up with another one. I made sure to always keep half my focus on Annabelle and the other half on my surroundings.
Just in case.
“So, Annabelle,” I continued. “What do you do for work?”
“I work at a daycare,” she answered.
More silence.
I couldn’t tell if she was nervous because of the date, our situation, or if this was just the type of person she was in general.
Maybe I was wrong on all three accounts. Maybe she just didn’t really like me.
We sat in silence for a long moment.
“What do you do for fun?” I tried again.
“Read.”
I forced myself to contain the heavy sigh I wanted to let out.
What had the robotic voice meant by perfect match?
Because right now, I wasn’t feeling much of a connection going on here.
“What sort of things do you like to re--” I began, but I was cut off by the sound of the buzzer.
Oh, thank god.
I quickly stood up.
“Thank you for your time,” I said in as sincere a tone as I could muster.
“Yeah.” Annabelle gave me another small smile. “It was fun.”
Ah, so it was just her personality then and not some random grievance she held against me.
That was good to know.
I moved left toward the next table, which was another woman I hadn’t met before.
She at least seemed a bit more animated than Annabelle had.
I couldn’t really blame anyone for their lack of enthusiasm, because we had just watched two people die, and we were all being forced to participate in some sort of sick cosmic version of a dating game show.
But it would seem for now that as long as we followed the aliens’ rules, things ran smoothly.
So, I did my best to participate.
I still kept a watchful eye out for any potential threats or danger, but if there were any, then they certainly hadn’t made themselves known yet.
I learned my new date’s name was Claire, and she worked as a cashier at one of the malls in our city.
Claire had short, mousy-brown hair and eyes the color of sapphires. She was very petite and curvy, and even though I thought she was quite pretty, more than once I felt my eyes wander over to Sadie, where she sat talking to Tyler.
Claire was polite, and despite her obvious unease with the situation, she spoke to me with a good deal of enthusiasm. She asked me a bit about my work and upbringing, and she talked about her own passions for a good deal of time.
Claire was a Sagittarius, and she was very big into crystals, star signs, spiritual cleansing, and all that.
From where I sat, I could vaguely hear Annabelle to my right, and she was giving her current suitor even less enthusiasm than she’d given me.
It was comforting because it reconfirmed the fact that I hadn’t actually done anything to earn her loathing, and she was like that with everybody.
Before I knew it, the buzzer had gone off again, and it was time to move to the next contestant.
Sadie.
I eagerly sat down in front of her, and she gave me a small smile.
“You left me with the oaf,” she playfully chastised me as she threw a glance in Kyle’s direction.
“I apologize,” I said, and I tried and failed to hide my grin. “It won’t happen again.”
“It better not,” she warned as she continued to play the part of a stern woman.
“Cross my heart,” I said as I mimed the motion.
She gave a small giggle, and her eyes dropped shyly to the table.
“Are you sure you’re doing okay with everything?” I asked in a quiet voice.
She certainly seemed to be holding herself together pretty well, but looks could be deceiving.
“Yes and no,” she said with a little shrug. “I’m relieved that nothing has happened to us so far, but I’m scared that it can change at any minute.”
I understood that feeling completely.
“I think as long as we do what they say, we’ll be alright,” I assured her, though I wasn’t entirely certain myself.
Sadie nodded, and then her worried expression smoothed out.
“In that case, we better put our all into this date,” she lightly teased. “What can you tell me about yourself, Mr. Davis?”
“I feel like I’m in a job interview,” I joked.
Sadie’s smile grew wider.
“Maybe I should be more specific,” she amended. “You’re a mechanic, right? What do you love so much about being a mechanic?”
I’d heard similar questions over the years, but I’d never heard it quite phrased like that before.
I’d been asked things like, why did I choose that career path, or why I was so interested in cars… but I’d never been asked outright what I loved about being a mechanic, and it made me really stop and think.
“I guess, I love the simplicity of it all?” I finally admitted.
“Simplicity?” Sadie’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief. “Maybe I’m just ignorant, but how in the world is being a mechanic simple?”
“I’m not saying the job itself is simple,” I chuckled at her response.
“But everything is more straightforward. Every piece has a specific purpose, and they all fit together to do their individual jobs, as well as balance the other pieces. And it isn’t just cars, either.
When something goes wrong with the car or machine as a whole, I just find what isn’t working, and I either fix or replace it, and then the entire thing works again.
I’ve found it’s much easier to fix a car problem than it is to deal with all the other problems in life. ”
“I guess I’ve never thought of it that way before.” Sadie nodded in understanding. “When you explain it like that, I can understand why you enjoy it so much.”
“What about you?” I asked. “What do you love about being a conservator?”
Sadie pursed her lips as if she, too, hadn’t really ever thought about it like that before.
“I guess I love the idea of taking something old or damaged and bringing it to life again,” she finally said.
“Even some of the uglier art pieces that aren’t really to my tastes.
Somebody created that, and it was important to them at the time, and now I can fix it, and maybe it will mean something to someone else who sees it.
People say art and history are timeless, and thanks to my job, I can participate in truly making it so. ”
She spoke so passionately about her job, and yet I could hear the humility in her voice. She spoke in a more reverent tone when she referred to the people who originally created the artifacts and pieces of art.
And she seemed to refer to her own skill at being able to preserve or restore those pieces as mere luck on her part, rather than the talent and skill it truly was. Like she merely got lucky landing her job, rather than the years of school and training it had no doubt taken her to qualify.
“Well, I think what you do is pretty incredible,” I said sincerely. “I know I certainly wouldn’t have the patience or skill to do what you do.”
“Ditto,” she replied with a smile.
“What else do you like to do?” I asked.
Even though we’d been neighbors for several years, I truly hadn’t had much interaction with Sadie other than the polite greetings and passing conversations about work.
This wasn’t exactly the date I had in mind whenever I thought about asking her out, but I did enjoy this opportunity to get to know her better. Sadie seemed so kind, genuine, and sincere.
I felt very comfortable around her.
“Oh, well…” She suddenly looked shy again, and I saw a slight blush bloom across her cheeks. “This might make me sound really old, like a grandma, but I enjoy reading, as well as things like cooking, sewing, and knitting.”
She peeked up at me like she was waiting for me to start making fun of her, but I was impressed.
“That’s really cool,” I assured her, and she visibly relaxed. “Those are really good skills to have.”
“Thanks,” Sadie said with a relieved look on her face. “Anyway, enough about me. What about you? What other things do you do besides work?”
I didn’t get a chance to reply because the buzzer went off at that exact moment.
I felt a rush of disappointment. Had the time seriously already passed? I wasn’t sure what the time limit was between buzzes, but we hadn’t possibly already reached the limit, had we?
I guess time truly did fly when you were having fun, or at least when you were in good company.
A quick glance at Sadie’s expression told me she was just as disappointed as I was, and I flashed her a regretful smile before I stood up.
I also gave her a meaningful look that silently conveyed a message.
Later, I promised her.
Then I moved to the next table.
I sat down in front of a blonde with incredibly tanned skin and startling gray eyes. She was tall, thin, and looked like she could be a model.