Siege of Area 51 ✓

8. Chris

August 1st, 2019

It's been a while since I wrote in this thing. But it always seems to find its way back to me right around the time another woman walks into my life. I still remember that day Steve told me there was someone who showed up last minute for the tour and I had the last shift. It was a snowy day on the slopes and I was looking forward to calling it in early. I mean Netflix isn't going to watch itself, and when you're a failed entrepreneur in his late twenties, spare time is a cheap commodity.

So I head back out and get my gear on and waited. Five minutes later, here comes a gorgeous woman with straight black hair in a neat ponytail. And her big brown eyes just drew me in as she walked up to me. Thankfully, my well repeated standard greeting actually came out of my mouth, before she caught me staring: "Hi, I'm Chris. I'll be your guide today." She returned my greeting and said Rosario was her name.

We made it through in record time and I could tell it wasn't her first time skiing. I made a comment about how well she'd done, and she smiled as she said, "I ski quite a bit at home." I asked her where home was as I could detect the slightest hints of what sounded like a Hispanic accent when she spoke. When she said, "Nicaragua," I was surprised. Trying my best to not sound ignorant and uncultured, I said, "I didn't know it snowed there. I thought it was a little too warm for that."

Rosario went on to say that it doesn't know there now, but in a few decades it will. I didn't know if she was pulling my leg, so I asked her how she knew that. She told me that she was from the future and she came back to the present to hopefully prevent something catastrophic from happening. "You said that with a straight face—" She cut me off and said, "it's the truth."

I dared her to prove it. She gave me her room number and said, "come by at eight," and left me there wondering what in the hell just happened.

Part of me wanted to write her off as being crazy and leaving it there. But the other half was saying I'd regret not hearing her out first. So I did what she asked. I show up at eight, sharp and knock on her door. A few minutes later, she opens the door, pulls me in and then looks around outside before closing it. "Here's the proof you requested," she said, showing me this thing on her desk that she calls a computer. The thing's the size of a SIM card and projecting a screen in midair. If it were anatomically possible, my jaw would have hit the floor.

She spends the rest of the evening explaining the mission she was on. She talked about the volcano, the aliens, etc. By the end of it, she told me about the plan and the money, and just like that, I was in. I reached out to a few old contacts from college, Ashley, and Matt (both of whom actually graduated). Then I called up my old friend from Nevada, Mitch. Once things got rolling, Mitch got Josh on board to help Matt, and then I gave Daisuke a ring. I met him in my brief (and failed) attempt to get an office set up in Japan for my business.

In the months that followed, Rosario and I worked together getting everything in place for the Storming of Area 51. I've never met anyone more dedicated to their work. I gave her my bedroom for the times she was around and slept on the couch. I'd usually also remember to grab her some coffee before I went to bed. She preferred no sugar and no cream. When her hectic schedule would allow, we'd go catch a movie, and I made her dinner a few times. I even tried making her some Arroz con Pollo once. She said it tasted good, but I think she was being more than generous with that comment.

And here I am waiting for her to appear in my living room again so that we go free some aliens from Area 51. Sometimes I still can't believe it. I honestly wonder if she knows how I feel about her. If she does, she hasn't shown it. I've been beating myself up trying to think of the right time to say something. Only it always feels like it's the wrong time. But the fact remains that I'm running out of time. I'm honestly not sure if I can deal with the regret of not knowing how she feels.