Page 115 of I Think I’m in Love with an Alien

“More personal. It’s about connection and reflection. We affirm each other’s value, contributions, and dreams. And to have your artistry acknowledged on that day of days… There can be no greater honor.”

Jen’s eyes gleam in the waning light. The elders have left the pond. “We have nothing like that here. Maybe we should.”

“Perhaps.”

“Okay, so you were working on a project for that? How old were you?”

“Young. It was my first Affirmation Day after coming to majority.” She moves her hands in a gentle gesture that tells me she’s listening but she doesn’t want to interrupt. I continue, “I tried so hard to find the inner guide that Oona was always talking about. The one that would help me create beauty or find the hidden images in the stone.”

“It didn’t work?” she guesses.

“In the end, all I could do was rebuild a machine. One that had been discarded. I reconfigured it to a more pleasing aesthetic and called it ‘The Resurrection.’ It was about bringing something dead back to life, giving it purpose again. But when I unveiled it…”

“Tam.” Just my name. Then she touches my side. Warmth eases through me, making the confession less painful.

“They saw only a refurbished device. I tried to explain: it was more than that, it was a metaphor. But…my piece was disqualified. Oona was so disappointed I didn’t take the challenge seriously. That I didn’t even try.”

The pain is stunning, even now. Oona was gentle in their judgment, inexorable in their pitiless assumptions. As I know all too well, weary disappointment can be the most cutting weapon in a loved one’s arsenal.

“But that was your best.” Somehow she knows.

Jen knows that whatever living impetus exists in others that allows them to breathe life into colors and shapes, I lack that spark. On my homeworld, that’s practically the same as being born without a soul, at least as my people reckon them. It’s a human word, but it applies to the spirit of creation too.

“Things like that are considered super creative here. People make art out of scrap metal, trash, whatever they can fuse together. Just because they didn’t get it on Tik…” She tries to say the name of my world and fails. “Anyway, you’re wonderful. Just as you are.”

I bask in the realization that none of that failure matters. Not to Jen. Because I am complete in her eyes.

Group Chat

November 24 | 13:35

Stargazer: Hey, crew! Everyone set for 🦃 day?

Jeneticist: Yep, we just finished packing.

Seeker: I’m looking forward to seeing everyone.

SquidHead: Me too! I can’t believe it’s been so long since Space Con.

JazzyPlum: I’m bringing my violin.

FarfromHome: I am looking forward to hearing you perform.

Stargazer: Should we bring anything?

FarfromHome: No, I wish to provide hospitality. Simply arrive safely.

[a few hours later]

SquidHead: I’m heading to the airport.

JazzyPlum: I wish I could get there that fast.

Stargazer: Ugh, I’ll be the last one to arrive. I’m on the train. And I don’t know how I’m getting to Rancho FFH from town.

Jeneticist: We can pick you up if you tell me what time you’re arriving.

Seeker: Good idea, Jen.