A Spaceman

Chapter 13--A really incredible town

"Why do you always want to meet in such weird places?"

"Shhh, keep your voice down, act like we aren't talking to each other."

"I really can't do that when we're sitting at a table for two people."

"Keep your head down, then."

"Why are you so convinced you're always followed?"

"Because I usually am followed," I say, leaning my head to look around the bar. No sign of him. good.

"Back to the meeting in weird places, thing. I could take strip club, but a drag strip club? Really, I'm glad I did not know that was a thing before now," she rolls her eyes.

"Shh, neither did I, the idea is that if somebody, at random, who wants to destroy my life is following me, then they would be content about seeing where I went in and not feel the urge to follow me in to see what I'm doing," I say, taking a drink of my mineral water. I really want a drink. But I need to stay sober. "Just go on, it's fine, it's over, we're here now. I'm very sorry, I owe you flowers and chocolates and whatever."

"Yes, you truly do, though I'd settle for a bit of sanity. I was going to ask how you've been but there's a very large dead spider pinned to your lapel so I'm going to assume your day isn't going well," she says.

"No," I manage, after leaping like a suitably small girl over the dead spider which I threw to the floor with no masculinity whatsoever. "I'm not even going to think about how he did that."
"Who? This person you think is the antichirist?" she asks. She doesn't believe me. Few people do.

"Or our savior trying to trick us, there's that---how drunk was I when I told you that?" I ask, realizing I don't usually say those things when I'm not drunk.

"Extremely," she says, tiredly, taking out her tablet.

"Okay good to know, don't let me get that drunk again—"

"I won't after that, it was disturbing," she says, dryly.

"How are you doing? You look well?" I ask. I'm shit at talking to women. That should be obvious by now. "How are the kids?"

"I am thank you. They're fine. Doing well in school," she says, tapping on the tablet, to pull up pictures I assume. "I was going to send you these but you'd said not to---that was also when you were very drunk."

"No, I meant that—any communication could be intercepted, this alone is dangerous," I shouldn't take these risks but I do. I can't help it. I need to see him. "How is he?"

"Alexander is fine, looks more like you every day, he's getting as tall as me," she says, smiling at the mention of her son.

"Good, I suppose—that's good," I say, "Not looking like me but you know—whatever---what field is he doing in school?"

"Don't be cross---"

"You didn't let him go to the Academy," I say, leaning across the table. She did I know she did.

"He got a full scholarship, he begged me for weeks---James don't," she says, as I slam the table with my fist.

"I asked you never to let him near that place," I hiss, "One thing, I ask you one thing."

"He's made for it---you can't be angry, it's only because he's like you, he wants to fly, go to space---I asked him not to, I don't want it any more than you, believe me," she says, "I couldn't have anything happen to him."

"No, you've got to pull him out---do something---he'll die," I say, shaking my head, my voice cracking. 

"He could. He could die walking across the street---James it isn't fair to hold him back just because we're afraid for him," she says.