The Alien Way of Life - English Version

4. Esary

Earth, New York, 04.11.2059

It wasn't yet midnight, but darkness had already fallen in the apartment. This meant that her parents were either out or had gone to bed early. So, she tiptoed through the apartment to the kitchen. There were two refrigerators, one for food and one for apple spritzer. She grabbed a bottle and headed to the southern part of the apartment, where it was 40 degrees and the floor was made of sand with large and small stones scattered around. The ceiling depicted the starry sky of Tarumanus. Here were her and Ségouin's bedrooms and a shared chill-out area, complete with a bookshelf and a mirror where Ségouin covered his greenish spots every morning.

Exhausted, she lay down on one of the stones, which was shaped like a couch. She had to digest both the day and the pizza. Tomorrow was another school day, then finally the weekend. Too bad they couldn't spend it in Leipzig with their friends.

"GuMo* Mouse" Esary came in and stroked her thin hair. She hissed with a satisfied smile, and both aliens reached out their hands, their palms touching.

Esary lay down on another stone so that they were perpendicular to each other, head to head.

"Why is it so hard for humans to clearly express what they want?" she pondered.

Esary thought for a moment. "You know, I've been thinking about writing a handbook for communicating with this species and I've realized I'm still a bit lost... I think the problem is that many of them often don't know themselves because they don't seek inner dialogue enough to understand themselves."

Lyra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that makes sense... I went out for pizza with Darian today, and he's sending mixed signals."

Esary sighed. "I understand, Mouse... what do you wish for from him?"

Lyra thought for a moment, but nothing came to mind. "I think he doesn't really interest me... but he's just there, and I'll see what happens."

Esary remained silent, and Lyra continued to ponder. Then came the realization:

"I think behind it all is the desire to find friends in this city."
She wasn't satisfied with the realization.
"I think I'm just not in the mood for this crap."

Esary started to stroke her hair again, which calmed her down.
"Do what you think is right. Sometimes it's worth fighting for friendships, but sometimes it's easier to let go... Maybe you'll find something between you and Darian that goes beyond a means to an end."

She considered it. "Yeah, maybe I'll think of something."

Esary pondered whether to offer her again that she and her father Harold wouldn't mind if they went back to Leipzig; many friends would welcome them. But it knew that despite everything, this was not an option for her. The worry that her little Ségouin would get lost in this city was too great.

"President Ishikawa considers your father the best man to be an ambassador for AWAL in the UN and the USA during this time of global upheaval, and unfortunately, she's right."

Lyra looked at him. "You want to go back too?"
Esary nodded. "Yes, back to Leipzig and also to Tarumana... I've thought about getting you a sick note a week before Christmas, and then we'll have extended holidays in Leipzig."

Now Lyra grinned at the thought. "Dude, that would be awesome!"
She looked at the large photo on the wall, showing her family together with friends in a small basketball venue in the south of Leipzig. They would be back soon.

Esary stroked her once more. "But now it's bedtime."

But Lyra was already snoring. Esary went to her room to get her green and white teddy bear and sat it beside her. The teddy bear put on its reassuring 'don't worry, I'll watch over her' face.

Esary went through the sand and listened at Ségouin's door; he was snoring too. So, it didn't need to go in and initiate an end to the gaming session, much to Ségouin's and his team's chagrin. So, it left the southern area, grabbed another apple spritzer, and went to the shared bedroom with Harold.

He wasn't there yet - but it was sure they would be together later tonight.

Actually, there was still a serious work-related topic that they both needed to discuss. But Esary felt a distinct exhaustion - it was probably better to address the issue after breakfast.

So, it lay down in their shared bed and waited for the most handsome man in the galaxy.

----------

* GuMo - in Leipzig we say GuMo as a regular greeting at every time around the day. Originaly it is short for "guten Morgen" - "Good Morning" but because GuMo is a cute greeting we use it the whole day.