Singularity: Chapter 2-Cheslie (Part 2)

The commons was busy with activity, people talking, playing games, making new friends, and falling in love. It was the type of place that Cheslie rarely saw in Inner-London. She thought that it must be the natural light that streamed through all the buildings in the city. It just made people happier. Sarah bought Cheslie a cup of tea, and they found a couple of nice soft chairs near a window.

“Either you’re really distracted today, or you really don’t like me. I’m hoping it’s the former, but I suspect the latter. Can I have a second chance?” Sarah started

Cheslie was taken aback by Sarah’s honesty, but she appreciated that even though she was nearly twice her age, she didn’t treat Cheslie like a child. Maybe there were some redeeming qualities about her after-all. She immediately sipped at her tea to hide the startled look on her face, and burned the tip of her tongue in the process. She couldn’t hide behind the cup forever. Unfortunately, the only thing that came to her mind was, “I’m sorry, the trip over was so stressful, and I wasn’t expecting anybody to be with Elliot when I got here.”

“It’s ok, Cheslie, a lot of people dread ICBM travel. But I can tell that you’ve got more on your mind than that. I’m sorry Elliot didn’t mention I’d be with him, but it was a last minute thing. He was on his way over to the station when I ran into him on the street. We had some details to talk about, so I walked with him. I offered to let him meet you by himself, but he said that he really wanted you to meet me, so I stayed and waited with him.”

“I feel terrible for the way I’ve reacted. I would really like to know more about you, since you know my brother so well, and I know almost nothing about you. Tell me a little more about the mysterious Sarah.”

“Well, let’s see, the short version is, I was born and raised in Lower Chicago where I lived with my mom and Grandma. I have only traveled to Europe one time in college, I like reading and strawberries. I got my PhD from Harvard in Environmental Manipulation, and now I’m here in New Washington, doing what I love.”

“Well, I can see why Elliot likes you so much, you guys are perfect for eachother.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said you’re perfect for eachother. Elliot told me he had a big announcement. I had suspected that he was going to tell me he had fallen in love. I have to admit that I was a little surprised when I met you, because you’re so much older than him, but now I can see what he likes about you.”

“Oh Cheslie, I’m sorry for the confusion, Elliot and I aren’t together. Elliot is a wonderful young man, but our friendship is not romantic at all. I’m his professor, we have been working together on an independent research project studying the planetary conditions required for atmospheric formation. “

“Wait, you’re Professor Angler?”

“That’s me, Sarah Angler. Elliot never calls me Professor Angler anymore now that we’ve been working on this project together, we’ve become more friends and colleagues than a student and teacher. But I can assure you that this big announcement has nothing to do with a romantic involvement with me. Believe me, if I were ten years younger, I would probably feel much differently about Elliot. I won’t give away his secret announcement, though, you’re going to have to wait for him to tell you later.”

Cheslie felt guilt, shame, and disappointment hit her all at once. She felt guilty for all the bad thoughts she’d had about Sarah, shame for the way she’d treated her. Oddly, it was the disappointment that was strongest. She was surprised, but she was hoping that her suspicions were right. But all that was out the window now, with Sarah’s revelation.

“I feel terrible, Sarah, I haven’t been very friendly to you today. I started thinking on the train about what Elliot’s announcement would be. I assumed it was romantic in nature, and when you were at the station with him, that connected all the dots in my mind, and I have to admit that you weren’t the type of woman I was expecting, so that threw me off balance. I know how terrible that must sound, and I’d really like to make it up to you, Sarah, and I’d like for us to be friends.”

“Don’t even worry about it a second longer. Let’s just move past it. How about if you tell me an embarrassing story about Elliot?”

“Wow, I thought you’d never ask. So many to choose from, it’s hard to pick just one.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

By the time Elliot joined Sarah and Cheslie, they were laughing almost to the point of tears. Elliot was happy to see that they had warmed to each other. He was worried about Cheslie’s mood earlier, but that appeared to be gone now. Sarah was the first to look up as Elliot approached. “Cheslie informed me that you prefer to be called Elli-Belly. How come you never told me this?”

“You can’t believe everything she tells you, she’s a known liar.” Elliot smiled at his sister.

“Liar is a little harsh, don’t you think? You know, Elli-Belly, when I got here on the train, and I saw Sarah, I had thought you guys were dating. Sarah has cleared that all up now, and everything is great. Of course, that means I still don’t know what your secret is.” Cheslie said, with a slight grin peaking out of the corner of her mouth.

Sarah put a hand on Cheslie’s shoulder, “You really should tell her, Elliot, I think she might explode soon, I can feel the pressure building in her.”

Elliot pulled up a chair and sat down. He wasn’t sure how he could tell his sister what he was about to tell her. He was a little frightened of it himself, and he didn’t want her to be afraid for him. He decided that it would just be easier to just tell her flat out, without dancing around it. “Cheslie, Sarah has been asked to join the Artemis program as an atmospheric researcher, and she has decided to take that position.”

Cheslie touched Sarah’s arm, “You didn’t mention that, Sarah, that’s great, congratulations.”

Elliot hesitated before saying, “She’s asked me to be her research assistant, too.”

“Wow! That’s fantastic, Elliot, this is like a dream for you. I’m so excited! When do you start, will you be moving?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty exciting. But the thing about where I’ll be is a little complicated. I’ll be here in New Washington for the next few months, but they are going to be training Sarah and me for space travel. I’ll be travelling to the space station and the Armstrong Moon Base to do some outer atmospheric studies. It’s been a while since they’ve sent anybody to the moon base, but they have a team there now testing it for usability, and the signs are good.”

Cheslie’s face dropped at that announcement. Suddenly she was scared for Elliot. She remembered when he went to New Washington for the first time. She was so worried that she would never see him or hear from him, and that was scary, but this is a whole new thing. He’ll be on the moon. That’s even further away than New Washington, and there’s no bullet train connecting Inner London to the Armstrong Moon Base.

Elliot could see Cheslie’s fears, and put his arm around her, “I know Ches, I’m a little scared too, but the only reason I agreed to this is because I see how important this could be to changing the Earth for the better. This could be my opportunity to make a difference, and fix the problems that are ailing our planet. This wasn’t an easy decision, but I think it’s the right one, and I’ll never have this kind of opportunity again. I already told Dad, but I wanted to tell you face to face.”

“I trust you Elliot, but I’ll miss you. I hope you’re right about this.”

Cheslie didn’t sleep that night, she just stared at the ceiling of Elliot’s apartment, thinking about all that Elliot would be experiencing in his new project. The rest of the weeks in New Washington they spent seeing the sites, chatting about the old times, and by the end, Cheslie considered Sarah to be a true friend. When the three of them walked to Union Station for Cheslie’s train home, she had a sinking feeling that she might never see them again. She hugged them both as they left her at the platform, and she found her seat on the train. She was able to hold back the tears until the train left the station, but as the electromagnetic coils began to accelerate the train towards Inner-London, her eyes began to well up with tears, and she could no longer hold back. The tears flowed the whole trip, and Cheslie didn’t notice once the terrifying ride home.