Elsewhere(46)

And a week later, again.

And a week later, again.

"Do you think it's odd that in all the rime we've spent in cars we've never made it to the backseat?" Liz asks.

"Now who's speaking in code?" Owen replies.

"Answer the question. Do you think it's odd?"

"It's not that I don't feel anything for you, Liz, because I do." Owen pauses. "I'm just not sure it would be right."

"Why?"

"I'm older than you, for one."

"Only two years," she says.

"Only two years and a lifetime or so. But it's not just that I'm older than you." Owen takes a deep breath. "I've been here before. And the truth is, intimacy doesn't have all that much to do with backseats of cars. Real intimacy is brushing your teeth together."

Owen takes off his jacket. Liz looks at his "Emily Forever" tattoo, which for some reason makes her realize that a long time ago, Owen had sex with Emily. Suddenly, Liz notices that the tattoo seems to be brighter and more vivid than ever before. It almost looks like it's glowing.

"Owen," Liz asks, "what's with the tattoo?"

"Oh, I got it when I was sixteen, back on Earth. It was stupid really."

"No, I mean why is it so bright?"

Owen looks down at his arm. "I know. It's odd, isn't it? I used to think it would fade and go away, but it's only gotten brighter and brighter."

"You could tattoo my name on your arm, if you want," Liz adds.

"I could, but tattoos don't really work in Elsewhere. They're gone almost as soon as you put them on," Owen replies. "It's not worth all the pain."

"Don't you understand? It's the gesture?"Liz jokes.

"If I'm to understand you correcdy, you would have me endure hours of pain and suffering for a gesture?"

"Yes," Liz deadpans, "I want to see 'Liz For Now' tattooed on your ass."

"On my ass?"

"Yes, on your ass. It's only nine letters total. It shouldn't hurt too, too much."

"You're a sadist," Owen says.

"I thought I was being very kind, actually. I wasn't even going to make you write 'Elizabeth.' "

"How generous," he says.

Liz takes Owen's arm in her hands and studies the Emily tattoo up close. Liz thinks, He once loved someone enough to tattoo her name on his arm.

"It wasn't a big deal," Owen says. "I was young and stupid."

"Did it really hurt so much?" Liz asks.

Owen nods.

Liz takes the tattooed arm and presses it to her lips. She kisses the arm and then she bites it.

"Ow," Owen says. .

So this is love, Liz thinks.

Arrivals

If we were to read the book of Thandi, it would tell of a long-forgotten spelling bee (forgotten by everyone but Thandi, that is) where a little girl spells e-c-h-o and at the last crucial moment adds another e to the end; and it would tell of Thandi's first love, an overweight boy named Slim who began dating Thandi's second cousin Beneatha the week after Thandi's funeral; and it would tell of the way a bullet in the head changes everything, how long after it heals, colors look different and smells smell different and even memories are different; and it would tell of a father she never knew, a father who now lives in Elsewhere, a father whom Thandi has no desire to see. But because this is not Thandi's story, we join her on a rather unremarkable day. For her, at least.

At the station where she works, Thandi receives her portion of the arrival names each day after lunch, around one o'clock. She doesn't need to read them until the five o'clock broadcast, so she uses the four extra hours to go over each name's pronunciation. The extra practice is, for the most part, unnecessary. Thandi rarely makes a mistake; she has a natural ability for pronouncing even the most foreign names. And yet, on this particular day, Thandi stumbles over a simple, phonetic, easily pronounceable name and decides to call Liz about it.

"The name of that woman Owen was married to on Earth? What was it again? Ellen something?"

Thandi hopes she misre-membered the name.

"Emily Welles." Liz knows the name as well as she knows her own. "Why?"

"Emily Welles. That must be a pretty common name."

"Thandi, what are you getting at?" asks Liz.

"No point in beating around the bush, Liz. Her name was on today's arrivals list. She'll be here on tomorrow's boat."

Liz's heart beats very quickly, and she can't speak.

"It doesn't necessarily mean anything," Thandi says.

"No, I know. Of course not. You're right." Liz takes a deep breath. "I wonder if Owen knows. He hasn't watched the broadcasts for years."

Liz decides to meet Owen in person. It is difficult to see him during the day because of all the time he is out to sea. He sometimes docks for lunch, though, so around two, she takes a chance and waits for him at the wharf.

Owen smiles when he sees Liz.

"Now this is a surprise," he says, embracing her.

Liz had intended to tell Owen about Emily right away, but she can't quite bring herself to do it.

"Is everything all right?" he asks.