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I stand and do as he says.
Later that evening, I lie in bed physically sated, and talk to Wyatt until I yawn a goodnight and put my head down to sleep. As I drift off, I wonder drowsily if this is the reason Wyatt and I never cut that cord. These long, intimate and sexy calls have been my lifeline for the past three years on Mars, but soon, they’ll have to stop. Once I’m on Krovatia, there will be no more Wyatt at the other end of the line.
Chapter 10
Wyatt
“Do two sets of each of these exercises every day,” I say. “It won’t take long, at most ten minutes of your time. Now that we’ve achieved mobility in your shoulder joints again, it’s really important to start building up some strength there.” I smile at Abby, a novelist who has been seeing me for her frozen shoulder these past few weeks. “I find it easy to do them while I’m watching the latest episodes of Melinda’s Game.”
“Wait a minute,” she exclaims. “You watch Melinda’s Game?”
I shrug my shoulders. “My wife’s name is Melinda, so that’s what got me initially intrigued. One episode in, and I was hooked.”
She shakes her head disbelievingly. “Color me surprised. Ok, I’ll do my best to remember the exercises.” She gets off the massage table and starts to put her shoes back on. Suddenly, she stops and looks up. “Hang on. You do these exercises too?”
I grin. “I do! The work I do can be hard on my shoulders too, so I find it useful to do these regular strengthening exercises.”
She drops her gaze to my torso. “Well, Wyatt. You’re looking good on it. Shame you’re married,” she adds with a wicked grin.
I don’t correct her. “So Abby,” I continue, “I’d like to see you again in six weeks’ time to check on your progress. Shall I book you in for your next appointment?”
“Sure.”
I take out my communicator and open my appointments app. A minute later, we’re all done, and Abby has left. I stretch my arms over my head with a grunt. It’s 6 pm on a Friday and time for me to go. Quickly, I sanitize the table and wash my hands. There’s a knock on my door and Lisa, a fellow chiropractor in my practice, pokes her head in. “You heading out?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“Just got one more appointment.”
I frown. There are three of us working here full-time and two others part-time, but tonight, there’s just the two of us left in the building. “You want me stay put? I don’t like the idea of you being here on your own.”
“Nah, it’s cool. It’s one of my regulars, Nessa Brown.”
“Sure?”
“Sure.”
“Ok, I’ll have the security feed on my communicator anyway, just for my peace of mind.”
She smiles. “Go enjoy your weekend Wyatt. I’ll be just fine. You heading to the cabin?”
“Yes, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been there.”Since, I was there with Mel, I add silently.
“Have fun.”
“Will do.” With a final wave and a smile, I head out to my car parked just a half block away. Overhead, the sky is humming with the sound of drones whizzing to various destinations. As ever, looking up at them, I wonder how on earth such busy air traffic can be maintained without collisions. On an intellectual level, I know. We have a state-of-the-art drone traffic system that ensures with incredible precision, that no two drones can ever collide, but on an emotional level, I still feel that fear and worry whenever I look up at the busy sky. I know I’ve been scarred by my personal experience. The image of that other drone coming straight at us is seared in my memory, stuck in slow motion. We were lucky, emerging unscathed from our crashed vehicle. The passengers in the other drone, not so. It was our accident, and many others, that precipitated the change in safety regulations, so I guess our trauma was not in vain.
The skies may be busy, but the streets are not empty either. There are enough people still wedded to their cars to maintain a healthy amount of traffic on the roads, though nothing like how it used to be a few decades ago. I get into my electric car and start the engine with a press of a button. It responds beautifully, purring like a happy cat. I stroke my hand affectionately over the gleaming wooden trim on the steering wheel. This pretty piece of equipment set me back by thirty thousand dollars, but it’s worth every cent. I love it. It’s my pride and joy—and another thing I would have hated to leave behind had I gone to Mars with Mel.
Yes, I’m that guy. The one who couldn’t leave his car, couldn’t leave his job, couldn’t leave his friends and family, couldn’t overcome his fear of flying… the one who let the love of his life slip through his fingers.God damnit, Mel, why did you have to go?
Last night, the two of us were lonely and missing each other like crazy. I was just about to cave in and call her when she got there first. Then we had mind-blowing communicator sex and talked late into the night. That’s how it’s been for us the last three years. We’ve maintained a piecemeal relationship, little crumbs here and there followed by long periods of drought. What the fuck am I doing, hankering after crumbs? Enough already.
With a determined exhale of my breath, I start the car moving. My overnight bag and fishing gear are already packed in the trunk, so I don’t need to head home first. I dictate a quick text to my brother on my communicator.
Me:On my way out now.
Dylan:Ok, see you soon. We just got here.
