applepie

Chapter 1

Arabella surveyed her appearance in the mirror as she began to tuck one last curl into the tight knot at the back of her head. She was a lovely girl with black hair that cascaded to her waist in curls when left unbound. She had a heart shaped face with a pert nose, but her lips were just a little too full for her face to be truly stunning. The most unique thing about her appearance was the large aquamarine eyes that stared out at you as if they could look right to your soul. Without such unique eyes, fringed by thick black lashes Arabella would have been merely attractive, but those eyes made anyone who looked upon her think she was a great beauty.

With her hair firmly secured Arabella turned to collect her travel bag. As she did so it was impossible to miss the bareness of the room. Not three days before the room had been filled with ornate furniture and tokens of her life. Now, the large canopy bed that had been draped in silk the color of the night sky had been tucked away in a storage unit with all her other worldly belongings to await her return. The few personal items of importance, like the picture of her mother, sister, and niece were already stowed aboard the shuttle so as not to be forgotten at departure.

This would be Arabella’s last journey the duration of which was expected to last six months. The company for which she worked had made it possible for an early retirement at the very young age of thirty. It helped that the last twelve years of Arabella’s life had been devoted to the design and manufacture of spacecraft that were at the leading edge of technology. Not only was Arabella a gifted engineer, but she was also well skilled in the programming of onboard computers as well as piloting deep-space craft. Today was actually the final step in the design process for the newest Ara space craft, a line fully engineered and tested by Arabella. The newest model was the Ara X. The craft was capable of reaching the closest galaxy in only a single week. Other spacecraft models required at least a month to travel the same distance. Arabella had managed to cut the time that it would take to make the same journey by devising a way to actually create small tunnels through space. The Ara X would actually move through a series of these tunnels, from one visible landmark to another at four times the speed the shuttle would normally fly. In laboratory tests the technology had been perfected and now all that was left to do is test the working equipment in the spacecraft.

Arabella left her apartment building with bag in hand. She had one final stop before she went to the space station. She had agreed to meet with her coworkers for lunch at a restaurant only two blocks down from her apartment. It was a deceptively shabby place called Mary Lou’s which served some of the best home cooking that Arabella had ever tasted. She was a regular at Mary’s store so when she arrived there was already a table waiting.

“Hey there Bella” called Mary Lou, the restaurant’s namesake. She was a delicate looking woman with hair the color of golden honey. Many people expected that she would be an elderly woman who looked motherly, so they were surprised to see that she was very young and modern looking. Arabella had always thought she looked like a fairy princess with her blond ringlets, cornflower blue eyes, and petite frame. Though she looked like a princess, Mary had the temper of a dragon. Arabella had lost count of the times that she had seen Mary forcing men out of her diner for taking liberties with herself or her servers. She chuckled softly to herself at the memory of her forcing a man three times her size out the door brandishing a bat to ensure that he left the premises.

“How are you today Mary? Is business good?” Arabella smiled and waved. She was already moving towards the table with four of her coworkers.

“You know it is. Who could resist some of Mary Lou’s cooking?” This prompted a giggle from Arabella who was one of the people who couldn’t resist Mary’s food. She ate dinner at the diner more than she did at her home. Then Mary asked, “Aren’t you leaving today for some sort of test flight?”

“I’m just stopping by for lunch, and then I’m off to the space station. Besides, you didn’t imagine that I would leave without coming to tell you goodbye. I’ll be gone for six whole months this time, and I just have to have my fix of your fried chicken and fudge brownies before I go.” Arabella shared one more smile with Mary Lou before refocusing her attention on the people before her.

Arabella’s regular table in the corner was filled to overflowing her closest friends who also happened to be her coworkers who were creating a spectacle for the other patrons. There were four of them. Three of her guests were men and one was a woman. The woman was Larissa who was more commonly known a Rissa. She was the epitome of WASP breeding with hair so blond it seemed to be made of spun silver, and eyes as blue as the ocean. Her hair was cropped close to her head and currently worn in a multitude of spikes strewn across her head. She looked as if she should be a runway model for a French designer, so it seemed incongruent that she was clothed in baggy jeans and a simple black tank top and even more so that she was a brilliant scientist. The men sitting on either side of her were identical twins Castor and Pollux. Their mother had named them for the twins of Gemini, the constellation they were born under, and they fit the profile. They were as different as day and night, two opposite sides of a coin. Castor was outgoing and vivacious, while Pollux was much more shy and subdued with his emotions. They each shared red hair and green eyes, bestowed on them by their Irish father, and both were very conscious of their physical fitness. It wasn’t uncommon to hear them complain if they found themselves with stomachs that appeared to be less than perfect washboards. Next to the twins, the final person at the table seemed to be very unremarkable. He was neither tall nor short, and neither fat or thin. He was a bespectacled black man who seemed to always speak in monotone much to the frustration of those around him. This was Aiden, one of the kindest men Arabella knew, and he one of the greatest minds ever employed by VegaTech. Aiden was a mathematical genius who could calculate the necessary thrust to place a specific craft into orbit within his head. It was Aiden who had calculated the necessary measurements that made the Ara X reality rather than just a dream.

Arabella took a seat at the table and was immediately bombarded by the conversation around her. It seemed that Castor and Pollux were arguing over who knew the most on black hole theory, and Aiden was mumbling to himself about the calculations and whether or not the systems derived from them were suitable for testing. Rissa was sitting back watching the commotion and she gave Arabella a secret smile as she sat. It was an inside joke between the two of them that at any gathering of the friends Aiden would be focused in his own little world of math and the twins would find something to argue over.

“So, are you ready to make your flight today?” Rissa asked as the others continued with their own discussions.

“Of course I am. This is it for me and then I’m off to a life of leisure and fun. I think my first stop after retirement is going to be some nice warm beach with crystal clear oceans.” Arabella sipped her drink and watched the others for signs that they were going to end their discussions soon. It was always an amusement to see them in a setting outside of work; because it was plain from the other patron’s expressions that they thought the entire table was crazy. She assumed that between Aiden’s talking to himself and the twins yelling about gravitational forces and neutrinos that they did seem pretty odd.

The waitress approached the table and the twins stopped their argument so that everyone could place their order. As promised, Arabella ordered Mary’s exceptional fried chicken, creamed corn, and garlic mashed potatoes. She also placed her order for dessert, knowing that she would be sure to save room for the heavenly fudge brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The waitress read back the entire order for the table to be sure that she had everyone included, and then she sauntered off to give the ticket to the cook.

At the table, Pollux asked Arabella about her apartment. He was curious to know if she already had someone lined up to rent, or if she was still looking. “If you need someone to take over the rent while you are gone, Castor and I would be happy for a new place. Our contract has just come up, and we are looking for somewhere new to live that is closer to the office. Your place would give us a chance to look for something else in the interim and we will be happy to take over any payments for you.”

“I haven’t found a tenant, so if you wish move in immediately. Rent is paid through the month and it will come due again in three weeks on the fifth.”

“Perfect, so we will move in later today before we have to go in to the office,” Castor said. He looked pleased to have delayed really searching for an apartment. All they had to do is move their things and transfer their bills. That was much easier than spending the time calling and visiting dozens of places.

Aiden took on a serous look and said, “We sure are going to miss you. It isn’t going to feel the same without you in the office with us when you leave, and it will seem even stranger when you leave permanently.”

“Well, Vern is still trying to talk me into staying, but retirement will be nice. Besides, it doesn’t mean that I’m not going to see everyone. I’m sure we will all see plenty of one another, just now we won’t have to see each other everyday at work also.”

“Even still, what will we do without you? How are we going to fill your shoes when none of us are willing to put the time and energy into the company that you have?” Rissa asked. “We all know that both you and Vern spend most of your time at the office working. I know that I’m not willing to work hundred hour weeks when there are so many other things to do in life.” She smiled as she said everything so Arabella didn’t take offense at the implication that she had nothing better to do.

The truth was Arabella didn’t have anything else in her life that meant much. She had her family, but they lived almost two thousand miles away, and she didn’t go out to visit often. They disapproved of her relationship with Vern and assumed it to be something more than what it was. Actually, everyone thought that the relationship between the two of them was something it wasn’t. No one was able to believe that they were not a couple merely really close friends with more of a paternal bond than anything. Long ago the two of them had learned to ignore the gossip and not let it have any impact on their personal and professional interactions. They chose to leave their connection as a mystery for others, but he was a huge part of her life.

As the food arrived, the five friends became silent to enjoy their meals. It was almost an entire thirty minutes before anyone spoke again which was a testament of the Mary’s quality recipes. The first to speak was Rissa.

“So, I guess this is really goodbye. Well, I should say bon voyage, since it isn’t really forever. I just can’t believe that after you return there will be no return to work and the regular routine of things. For me this is really the end of an era since you have been the leading designer for the last decade.”

“I guess it is goodbye. It will be hard for me to walk away from VegaTech after I return home, but I think it is time I find some new things to do. I’ve spent the last twelve years working insane hours and never taking a break. It is time for me to enjoy some of the wealth I’ve accumulated and find what the good things are in life.” Arabella looked at her watch and realized it was time to bid everyone farewell. She stood and found that her eyes were misted with tears as she began to say goodbye. “It is only six months and then I will be seeing all of you regularly,” she sniffled a little and waved one last time.

On the way out the door, Arabella paused to tell Mary Lou, “See you in six months. I’ll be coming strait to you for my first meal. I don’t know what I’m going to do without your cooking while I’m gone.”

“Have a safe journey, and I’ll be waiting with a fresh pan of brownies when you get home Bella.”