6pm.
My alarm goes off for the hundredth time and I clamber out of bed. The light of
long-dead stars illuminates my cabin. Three weeks on this cruise and I never
shut the curtains before sleeping – my mind’s usually elsewhere. There’s a pair
of trousers at the end of the bed that I grab. They’re not mine, but she was
about my size.
It’s
almost 7pm by the time I make my way down to the lounge and take my usual seat
at the bar. Pravit’s in tonight, just my luck.
“Nice
to see you bright and early, Miriam.” he says, “The Usual?”
“If
you please”, I say, and he slides an already mixed glass of ginger ale and
bourbon my way.
“That’ll
be 2600 Marks.”
I
reach into my pocket for my purse but only find a lighter. I knew she was
covering something with all that perfume.
“On
your tab, then.”
Ignoring
my looming debt, I take a sip and look around the lounge for the final time.
The ceiling stretches a mile high, dotted with light fixtures worth more than
my life; they stretch down to bathe the whole room in gold. All around I see
the richest people alive bragging about things that would get most people life
inside.
I
won a lottery I didn’t even enter to get on this cruise; it would be an
understatement to say I feel out of place here. Half the people pretending I’m
not there when I’ve bothered to strike up conversation has only made me hate
their guts all the more. The people that haunt the casino are more my speed.
I’ve made a few friends amongst the staff like Pravit and a few… night-friends
too.
At
the centre of the lounge a woman plays at a marble-white grand piano right out
of a holograph. Every night of this cruise I’ve stopped by the lounge to hear
her play. She’s about my age but has ten times the class. Her dresses shimmer
in the golden light and there’s never a silver hair out of place. I don’t know
if she works here or is another guest, but she plays for hours and never
missing a note. Freestyle, old standards and covers of radio favourites all
flow from her fingertips when she plays. Occasionally she sings along with a
voice like silk.
“She
caught your eye again?” Pravit asks from behind me, scaring me out of my skin.
“I
don’t know what you’re on about,” I say through my glass as I take a strong
swig. “Another please.”
“Say
what you want, but your eyes can’t lie,” he says, pouring another glass without
breaking eye contact. “That’ll be 2600 marks.” I’ve already forgotten about my
purse; I scramble for it again.
“I’ll
put it on your tab. How about I give you her favourite drink free of charge
since it’s the last night?” Before I can say no, he’s poured a strawberry
daquiri into a cocktail glass and pressed it into my hand. “Go get her.”
All
but forced to my feet, I inch over to the piano with a glass in either hand. I
down The Usual and leave its glass on an empty table as I pass. My head swims
as I approach.
“Hi
there,” she glances up at me, continuing to play, “is that for me?”
I
nod like my head isn’t heavy with poetry and set the daquiri down. I stay put
until she finishes her song and realises that I wasn’t a waitress slipping her
a complimentary drink. The room is full of conversation but as she sips her
drink, it feels silent. She turns to me. She’s waiting for me to speak.
“Erm…
Howdy. I’m Miriam,” I trip over every other word. The alcohol’s kicking in
fast. “I’ve heard you play a few evenings and uhh… wanted to just show my
appreciation before the cruise ends.”
My
suit constricts me like a cobra as she looks me up and down. She lifts her gaze
to take another sip, giving me a second to breathe. I should probably say
something.
“So,
uh… what’s your name? I’m Miriam.” Wait I already said that.
“Kira.
I spotted you at the bar most nights. Guess you’re a fan?” My cheeks flush red.
“Of drinking?” I go redder.
I’ve
got her until she finishes the drink but she’s already halfway down. What do I
normally say?
“Where
are you from?”
“I
was born in New America, but you probably guessed from my Martian accent,” she
takes another sip, “You sound like you’re from Europe. Is this your first time
off of Earth?”
“It
is. I won a ticket. Well, my mum won a ticket for me.”
“How
interesting.” I’m losing her. “And what do you do day-to-day?”
“For
a living? Deliveries, window cleaning, dog-walking… whatever will pay the
oxygen bill, you know?”
Her
face pales. She was definitely asking about hobbies.
“I
see. That must be difficult for you, Miriam.”
“Just
my life. There’s about five apps I keep open at all times so I can scoop up
whatever’s closest.”
“I
see. My father invested in a few of those,” her drink is almost drained, “Have
you heard of Scryp?”
“The
one that paid out its own currency?”
“That’s
the one. He liked to remind me that Scryp paid for my piano lessons. Even after
the crash…”
Her
glass is empty but we’re still talking. Maybe I can steer us in a more positive
direction.
“Do
you like to play the piano?” She’s played every single night for the last three
weeks, of course she—
“Not
really.”
“It
reminds me of my father, his … expectations,” she traces the rim of her glass.
“But music can delight people, so I play all the same. Just to see you smile.”
She looks back up at me.
“My?
I mean, me?”
She
giggles. How much redder can I turn before Pravit calls the medic bay?
“I
meant in general, but I’ve noticed you – the girl in the suit leaving the bar
with a different woman at her side every few nights. You caught my eye, but I
didn’t want to be another fling. So, I sat here and played my siren song.”
“What
do you want now you’ve lured me in?”
She
puts the glass down and stands up, her purple eyes level with mine. I bring my
arms over her shoulders and smile.
“I
have some ideas.” We lean in and kiss.
***
6am.
I wake up in an unfamiliar room. I also didn’t have my key so went to her
cabin. It’s lit up like a shop window and smells like a bouquet. I hear a
shower. She’ll be out in a few minutes, and we can decide what comes next.
No
use speculating. I get up and fish my clothes out of the pile on the floor.
There’s a knock at the door and a slip of paper slides in from underneath.
It
reads : “Thank you for your custom, Miriam Jain. A charge of 340,000 Marks has
been credited to your account.”
Did
I really drink that much?
Underneath
is scrawled : “Miriam, Kira rang first thing and offered to pay your tab.
Up to you. Love, Pravit.”
A
new day dawns and for once I’m not alone in the dark. I pull back the blinds
and see the Moon as we roar back home.
