Maggie's Story (Intergalactic Matchmaking Services) (11 page)

There were a large number of tables with benches on all four sides. To one side there was a bank of panels which Maggie could see other Nordonians operating. They would tap a few things on the screens, wait a few seconds, then open a hatch and withdraw a tray of food. They would then take their trays to one of the tables.

“This looks a lot like the cafeteria at the school,” replied Maggie. “But before I eat, let me answer your questions. Yes, I am serious and
No
I am not using you. The timing happened to work out this way. If at the end of my two weeks there is someone interested in me and I am interested in them, then it would be a serious consideration for me. I do not appreciate the implication that I am only using you. That is not who I am!”

Maggie turned her back to Daxon and looked around quickly, then turned back to him. “Dammit! I can’t even walk away from you because I would get lost!” She stomped over to the nearest empty table and sat down, placing her head in her hand.

Daxon was unsure what to do now. He had not meant to make her angry, he just wanted to keep his crew safe. It was his job after all. He knew he needed to calm her down, but apologizing did not come easy to him. He saw that several of the males in the room had watched his exchange with Maggie and were currently frowning their displeasure at him.

He approached the table slowly and sat opposite her. She raised her head as he settled in the seat. Drawing a deep breath, he said, “I apologize for upsetting you. I am only trying to keep the well-being of my friends and crew members in mind. It is not easy seeing them hurt when one of the human females comes up here, then decides she cannot make a commitment to one of them.”

“Well, it isn’t fair to judge us all by the actions of a few. Keep an open mind and you may be pleasantly surprised!” She didn’t seem to stay angry with Daxon, so he was hopeful they could move past the moment. “So what do you eat up here? If it isn’t something I am familiar with, I’ll let you pick and tell me what it is.”

“We have included several items from your culture. We thought it would help us adjust to humans if we knew more about what you ate. I like something you call pot roast.”

“Ah, a human classic. That is fine, or I will try something you are used to eating. All I ask is that it be dead and thoroughly cooked. No living food, please,” Maggie said with a shudder.

Daxon could not help but smile at the exaggerated shudder Maggie gave.

“Ohmygosh! You can smile! See, it didn’t hurt at all, did it?” Maggie laughed as she teased him.

“I told you I smile,” Daxon replied, continuing to smile at her teasing. Maybe being Maggie’s guide would not be too taxing on him after all, he thought. “Let me grab a variety of dishes and see what you like. I will even get pot roast to make sure you have something you like. Be right back.”

Daxon rose and went to the nearest panel not in use. He made his selections, then waited for the program to supply their meal. Picking up the laden tray, he headed back to the table where Maggie awaited him. He explained what each item was after her initial question of, “Is it meat, fruit, or vegetable?”

As they worked their way through the selections, other Nordonians wandered over, looking for an introduction to the newest human female among them. Each put in their opinion of what the best food choice was, bringing more and more samples of foods from not only Nordo, their home planet, but from other worlds, too. Soon the small table was overflowing with trays and plates with the various offerings. Some things Maggie would just look at and say, “No way … that looks gross!” Once she made her mind up that way, there was no changing her opinion. Daxon concluded that she may be stubborn to a degree, but she knew her mind and seemed open to trying most new things.

Many of the males would try to encourage Maggie to try their offerings of new foods, but she always looked to Daxon for assurance before actually agreeing to try something new. He liked that she trusted him so soon after meeting him. Her trust in him made something in his chest warm.

The various Nordonians asked her questions about life on planet Earth. It was apparent they watched a lot of the news programs from Earth. Unfortunately, they seemed to think that only horrible things happened on Earth. Maggie had to explain that news programs reported on tragedy and disasters more often than the feel-good stories that were also out there.

Daxon waved over another male that entered the eating hall. “Maggie, this is Denot of the Rion clan. He is my childhood friend and also the ambassador’s youngest son.”

Maggie turned to greet the newcomer. “Hi, Denot. It’s nice to meet you.” She waved her hand at him as he sat next to Daxon.

Denot was only slightly smaller than Daxon in height, but just as solidly built. He had inherited his mother’s dark gray eyes and skin of light green and light purple. The bird-like tattoo on his skull was almost identical to his father’s tattoo.

“So what is this I hear about you bringing aboard a pet?” asked Denot. Obviously he had been speaking to his father. “What is it and do I get to see it?”

Maggie laughed as she saw Denot had caught the attention of the other Nordonians at their table.

“Her name is Mamzell and she is my cat. I’ve had her for about three years and she is my constant companion.” Maggie wasn’t sure how to explain a cat to someone that had not seen a real one before. Surely they had seen cats in the media, though. Holding her hands a little above the table, she said, “She is about this tall, this long, not including her tail, and is covered in a light tan fur with black legs, head and tail. And, yes, you may meet her if you like, but she isn’t the biggest fan of strangers. Except she seems to really like Daxon for some reason.”

“Well, there is no accounting for taste. I believe that is one of your Earth sayings?” said Denot with a laugh.

“Hmmph,” said Daxon. “Then the cat should love you Denot. Maggie talks to her, too. Although I am still trying to understand talking to an animal that cannot communicate with you in return.”

“What?! I understand her and she understands me. Maybe not in the conventional way … but we get along just fine, thank you.” Maggie could not hold back the laughter at Daxon’s dubious expression.

“But why talk to the pet if it cannot talk back to you in the same language?” asked Daxon. He was having a difficult time understanding the whole concept of keeping a pet.

“Because she is always there. We live together. It’s just like with a child; they aren’t born talking, at least human babies aren’t, and we still talk to them. They understand what we say in some sense, if not the exact words, then the tone of our voice conveys our emotions. The same goes with pets. Not everyone talks to their pets like I do, I admit, but I’m not going to live with a pet and ignore it. Mamzell is a part of my life and I’m a huge part of hers. Usually it’s just the two of us. She isn’t used to having a lot of people around her.”

“Do all humans keep pets,” asked one of the other Nordonians. “I do not recall any of the other humans that visited us having pets.”

“No. Some people don’t like having to clean up after them. Some people are also allergic to pets with fur. It’s an individual thing. And cats aren’t the only thing people keep as pets.” Maggie counted off on her fingers, “There are dogs, snakes, turtles, lizards, fish, birds…just to name a few!”

Many of the males were staring at Maggie in disbelief. Daxon no longer felt so alone in not understanding the whole concept. There were plenty of requests to see the cat and just as many comments about how strange the whole idea was.

As Daxon listened to his companions around him, he watched Maggie’s interaction with them. She seemed to be genuinely interested in them as a whole. Perhaps she
would
be able to find someone to mate with after all. That thought had Daxon’s stomach suddenly tensing. He wasn’t sure he liked the idea of her being with anyone else. Without realizing it, he had started thinking of her as being there for him. He looked at her and saw that she had dark circles under her eyes. He suspected that meant the same for humans as it did for Nordonians, exhaustion.

Daxon’s deep brogue interrupted the conversations at the table. “Maggie, perhaps we should return you to your rooms? If I am not mistaken, you are looking tired.”

“Oh, thanks. You’re trying to say I look terrible, right?” teased Maggie.

“No! I just want you to rest and get well. It was only this morning that you had a broken arm.”

That brought forth more questions from the males gathered around their table. Without answering any of the new questions, Daxon rose and held his hand out to Maggie to help her rise. She waved goodbye to everyone and followed him from the eating hall. Overall, he would say this was a good experience. It definitely left him in a more positive mood regarding the matchmaking program.

“Thank you for a wonderful time. It was fun trying new foods and meeting so many people. But you’re right; I’m very tired. I think I need to head to bed and cuddle with Mamzell.”

“Cuddle?” queried the security chief.

“Yes. It means to snuggle up close, maybe hugging. Seeking comfort from the close proximity of someone…or in this case, Mamzell.” Maggie rested her head on the wall of the elevator. It would appear the long day was definitely catching up to her.

Daxon walked her to her door. After disengaging the lock, he entered behind her. “Let me show you how to use the communication panel, in case you need something tonight. Otherwise, I will see you in the morning. Would you like a tour of the starship tomorrow?”

“Sure, that would be great. Thanks.”

Daxon showed her how to activate the communication panel and how to enter his room number and to activate it by voice. While he was showing this to her, the cat was rubbing itself up against his pants legs. He found he no longer minded the cat
shedding
on his uniform. At least, not too much.

Daxon glanced down into Maggie’s eyes. He liked the deep green color of her eyes. Nordonians did not have green eyes. They were so expressive, like a window into her emotions. He found he wanted to touch her, to hold her. He reached out and cupped the side of her face with his right hand, enjoying the feel of her hair on his fingers.

“Good night, Maggie. Sleep well,” he said as he went to the door. With one last, lingering glance at her, he exited the suite of rooms.
Well, this is most unexpected
, he thought.

CHAPTER 16

Maggie woke the next morning to the alarm on her cell phone going off. She had forgotten to turn off the setting. Now that she was off work for a bit, there really was no need to get up so early, but it was such an ingrained habit she decided to get up anyway. Mamzell was sleeping next to her pillow, in her usual spot. Not even a strange bed could make the cat give up her preferred spot.

Leaving Mamzell to her sleep, Maggie gathered up her clothes and headed for the bathroom. With a little experimentation, she learned the shower operated just as the sink did. When she stepped into the cubicle, there must have been sensors that detected her presence. Water shot out of several locations along the walls and ceiling. She quickly washed her hair and body, not sure how long the water would run. After a quick rinse she exited the shower, the water turning off as soon as she was out.

Using a towel found in the cabinet, she quickly dried off and wrapped up her wet hair. She finally recalled that she had forgotten to ask about using her electrical items. Letting her hair dry naturally would just lead to wild-woman hair, but she didn’t know what else to do for now. Perhaps Daxon would show up soon and she could ask him. For now she decided to just comb out the tangles, rewrap her hair in the towel and get dressed.

When she had taken care of Mamzell’s litter box and food needs, she headed to the living area. Perhaps this would be a good time to test her arm, she figured. Hopefully she could get some crocheting done while she waited for Daxon to show up for the tour of the starship. She wondered if Claire would be able to help her distribute her scarves and hats to the homeless in Seattle. She didn’t know where to go in Washington since this was her first winter in the state. Then again, she wasn’t really in Washington any longer and there were no homeless people onboard the starship, but a hobby was a hobby. It kept her hands busy.

After a little while, Mamzell wandered out of the bedroom and wanted to help with the crocheting. This was one of their regular routines—Maggie crocheting, Mamzell insisting on helping with the yarn, and then the inevitable “wrestling match.” As Mamzell settled onto Maggie’s lap, she would periodically reach out a paw very slowly and try to pull the yarn toward herself.

“Knock it off, little lady,” said Maggie. She pushed the offending paw back down, but knew it wouldn’t be long before the move was repeated.

“
Mrawr
,” said the cat. The paw slowly stretched up again and hooked the yarn.

“I don’t need your help, thanks anyways.” Maggie repositioned the yarn trying to give herself more room to crochet without the cat helping.

“
Mrawr
.” The paw was faster this time and actually managed to pull the yarn from Maggie’s hand.

“I’m warning you. I don’t want to wrestle; now cut it out.” Mamzell decided to listen for once, and settled in to nap.