Chapter 10: Caressa at Dinner

Michyle sat patiently in the living area as Chara brought his wife to him. Still tense from her reaction to the ship he held back and waited for her. When her eyes turned in his direction, he was relieved by the bright smile she displayed against the backdrop of anxiety on her face. Michyle smiled and stood to take her by the hand.

"Hey." She offered first.

"Oh, hey," Michyle replied awkwardly.

"I am so sorry."

Michyle shook his head. "Don't even worry about it. How are you feeling?"

"Better," she told him. "But, I am even hungry."

"Great," Michyle said feeling more and more relieved. He turned to Chara, who stood silently by. "Chara, thank you so much for your help."

"My pleasure. Do you want me to return this evening or in the morning?"

Caressa answered for herself. "I will call, but, I don't think I will need you this evening."

"Of course." Chara nodded to Michyle and Caressa, and left the suite.

"Not quite the wedding night I had imagined." Caressa smiled, embarrassed.

"What did you imagine?" Michyle took his seat again and pulled her down beside him.

"Well, I can't say exactly. But, I didn't think I would be sick." Caressa admitted.

"We have the rest of our lives to make up for it. How do you feel now?"

"Hungry." Caressa said again, feeling her stomach growl a little.

"Come on, I'll make you a sample plate of my most favorite dishes. We can share." He was glad to see her smile even brighter. He stood pulling her up with him and guiding her to the dining table. She took a seat, patiently waited, and asked questions as he worked.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Caressa asked.

Michyle laughed. "I will be honest. The technology on this ship is amazing. The food really cooks itself. All you have to do is put in the basic ingredients and the machine does the rest."

"So, even I could do it," Caressa said.

"Of course you can, if you like. But, you will not have to. I don't mind doing it. I like to cook."

"I see," Caressa said.

Caressa could feel herself getting use to the hum of the ship. She still didn't like it, but the more she breathed in and out, the more the humming seemed to become a normal part of her awareness.

"Would you like a drink?" Michlye asked.

"Sure, what do you have?"

"Well, anything you like. Juice, wine, liquor…" Michyle listed.

"Surprise me," Caressa said and saw the outline of Michyle's beautiful smile.

"I have just the thing."

She listened to the clatter as Michyle made his way around the kitchen and prepared a mixed drink. He placed it in front of her once he was finished and she quickly took a sip.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed, sitting back and sipping more. "What is it?"

"A Michyle special."

She took another sip and felt the alcohol in the drink seep into her veins and soak into her brain.

"So, you were brought up on Earth, by the Universal?" She asked remembering that there was so much they hadn't been able to talk about before getting married.

"Yes."

"But, you were never a solider?"

"No, I was smart enough to dodge that fate. I took to math and science easily and before I was ten, I was working out equations in nano-physics. Soon I was adopted by Sovereign Benhot of the Rieza colony of Mars. He saw the advantages of a child with so much brain power."

Caressa caught a touch of bitterness in his voice.

"Does that make you angry?" she asked.

"Why would that make me angry?"

"Well, my aunt and uncle sort of adopted me. But sometimes, I feel, well, I know if I had not been my father's child, with an inheritance they could use, they would have sent me to Earth as well," she admitted. "Who knows what would have happened to me?"

They both let the thought hang in the air for a moment.

"Most relationships are symbiotic," Michyle said. She listened as his clattering came to an end and he pressed the timer. She heard him pour himself a drink before taking a seat across from her. The combination of his presence so close once again, along with the alcohol in her system made her catch her breath.

"It does not make me angry," Michyle finally answered her question. "Maybe a little sad. They had three children of their own. So, I was always an outsider. My brain was, for lack of a better term, an equalizer."

"You are a scientist businessman. Where did you go to University?" She changed the subject.

"On our colony, Rieza. We have the top nanotech education in the System."

"Is that right?" She took another sip of the drink and felt a bit dizzy.

"Yes, that is right."