Chapter 15: Looking Down on Myself

“Exactly who are you, young woman, and why are you here? Do you have any concept how much trouble you are in? How much trouble your presence causes us, ME in particular?”

“Please don’t toss me out the airlock. Let me come with you, I’ll do anything you want.”

“You will do anything I want? Excellent! First, stop crying, and second, tell us your name.”

“I’m nobody, nobody you would know or care about. Really, nobody knows me. I’m a useless nobody going nowhere, and that’s why I want to come with you. You’re going somewhere. I want to go too!”

“Do you have a name?” Stubborn silence.

“Do you know the difference between flotsam and jetsam?”

She shakes her head no, still silent, but a response. A negative response.

“Look here, young lady. I don’t have the patience for playing adolescent games. You say you’ll do what I ask, and my first requests meet with defiance. This intolerable situation can not, will not continue. The difference between flotsam and jetsam? Flotsam is debris adrift with unknown origins. Jetsam was jettisoned, cast away deliberately, tossed overboard into the sea. Right now, you appear to be flotsam. Explain how you come to be here and give us a name to refer to you by, even if you have to invent one.”

“You can call me Flotsam, if you wish. Please? Don’t turn me into jetsam, please?”

“Milly? Karen? Faye, Maarta? Seize her.” These are the strongest, biggest women in the crew.

“NO, NO, LET GO OF ME! DON’T SHOVE ME OUTSIDE!”

“OOH, I’m tempted! Ladies, please escort THIS, ahem MISS Flotsam to the shower. After she’s clean, see if you can find her something fresh to wear. When she’s dressed, and fed, lock her in a cabin. You’re right, there’s none to spare. Lock her in sickbay temporarily.” This is real captains work. Solving personnel problems.

“My bag! Wait, my bag!”

A blue knapsack is on top of the individually bagged pharmaceuticals inside the crate. Plucking it out, I examine the backpack book-bag. U of M is in faded letters on the bag, and mean nothing. Unzipping to peer inside excites screeches of protest, howls of outrage from Flotsam. It’s stuffed with, I presume, drugs. Bags of pills and bottles of a reddish muddy liquid nearly fill the knapsack.

“After she bathes, do a body cavity search and run a fine comb through her hair, checking for hidden needles and razor blades. After she dresses, cuff her wrists with some nylon wire ties. We have a potentially dangerous druggie in custody. Be careful. For the immediate future, we will consider Flotsam confirmed AS dangerous, and an unknown danger. Take no chances with her.”

Mulling over the problem of Flotsam while nursing a mug of strong coffee, I’m pleased when Marshall joins me, sits next to me. Her gentling hand on my forearm and her concern for me in her face, eases some of my fugue.

“What am I to do, Marshall? Can’t take her back, and it’s dangerous, maybe too dangerous to keep her aboard. Wish I could dump her out at the next gas station along the road, with a handful of change to call somebody to come get her.”

“Wow! That revives ancient memories, you shouldn’t even have. Where and when is the last time you saw a coin pay phone?”

“Never, except in old movies, Aunt Marshall. You’re right, they haven’t existed for a hundred years or more.”

“Keep your hopes up. Nobody has passed this way before, at least none of our kind. Maybe there IS a truck-stop or something similar just up ahead. If there isn’t, maybe we ought to stop and build one, you think?”

“I’m beginning to understand why Gruncle Iron was so successful. Also, why he loved you so much.”

“Flatterer. I’m too old for you, Mark, I know.”

“You sure don’t look it.”

Marshall elected her cyborg body to appear as she did when at age seventeen, she married Ricky Collins.

“You are very sweet. Is it really possible, you do have a thing for older women?”

Marshall makes a show of expectantly sucking in her breath. We laugh together, and I didn’t deny it. Why is that, I ask myself, amazed at myself, and blushing because of the realized answer.

“You shouldn’t tease him, Marshall. Captain knows what he’s doing.” Milly says, sitting down with us.

Karen, Faye, and Maarta arrive right behind her and also take seats. Across the table from us.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Aunt Milly.”

“What do you think he’s doing, Mama?” Marshall asks with a grin.

Milly swings her head slowly about, eyes searching, not finding.

“Where are the rest of the men folk? Only one man running off with all these hand picked women to a new world? Seems obvious to me, Captain ain’t looking for just crew, he be plannin on havin a regular harem! He know what’s in his heart. I reckon I do too. Don’t you?”