wordsforhire

Sarah twirled her spoon like a top on the mahogany table that was pressed against a wall.  She sighed as the metal spoon’s clatter was muffled by the thick wood.  How could I have been so stupid? She thought as she pushed herself away from the table and walked towards the kitchen sink.  A pile of dishes nestled themselves amongst the muck leftover from the dinner she spent hours preparing the night before.  Even with the modern dishwasher dishes were not Sarah’s favorite chore.  Sarah tilted her head to one side in a defeated manner: she would have to make sure her kitchen was clean before her husband got home—he was already upset with her for not having them finished before bed last night.  She wiped the sweat from the back of her neck.  She hated living in Alabama even more than she hated doing dishes—especially during the hottest month of the year.

“Mom!” Michael cried, bursting into the room with tears on his face.

“What is it, Michael?”  Sarah knelt to her six year old son’s level.  She brushed his hair back thinking that he needed to go to the barber soon—his hair was getting ridiculously long.

“Michelle says there are aliens out there!”  Sarah’s heart quickened.  Had the soldiers found out?

“Tell me it’s not true, mom!”  He sobbed.  Everyone knew what it meant to actually see an alien.  When the strange species attacked nearly four years ago they had made a pact with the humans: as long as humans obeyed the aliens’ laws then all humans could live in peace; however, if a human were to cross paths with an alien death would be the immediate result.  No one could figure out why the silver creatures had agreed to this but all complied willingly—life was an invaluable treasure all wished to keep.  After the invasion all of the silver creatures disappeared but all humans could feel their presence.  Sarah always felt like they were still around: as if the humans were in a sort of fish bowl being watched by the aliens.

“Hush Michael, it’s not true.”

“But how do you know, mom! You haven’t even gone to look!”  Sarah resigned herself to be pulled by Michael to the window.  Michelle kept her eyes glued to something beyond the line of trees that was the boundary between their yard and an untamed forest.

“They’re out there, mom.  Watching us…”  Michelle’s twelve year old innocent eyes suddenly grew up.  “What did we do to make them watch us?”

“I…I’m sure it’s a mistake.”  Sarah knew exactly what might have caused the aliens to target this house.  She swallowed hard trying not to think about what she might have brought upon her family.

*    *    *

“Charlie! Stop Charlie! You’re going to make me pee!”

Charlie laughed as he tickled his captured female even more.  She snorted and he fell next to her, laughing himself.  It was such a human action but Charlie always felt a little like a human when he was with her.  It was a sort of giddy feeling, to feel human.  He enjoyed the rush of emotion that hit him every time he saw her.

Charlie crawled to Sarah, snuggling his face into her neck.  She shuttered at his cold touch but soon wrapped her arms around his body.  They lay together in silence enjoying the warm sun that managed to filter through the trees.  “I love you.”  Charlie whispered into Sarah’s neck.

Sarah was shocked at this exclamation of emotion from Charlie.  She didn’t know how to respond.  Charlie looked up when she hesitated.  “Was I wrong to say that?  I apologize if I was…too forward.”

“It’s just that…” Sarah twisted her wedding ring around her finger.  It was a habit she couldn’t shake: whenever she was nervous the ring was twisted.  Charlie gently grabbed her hands.

“Why are you nervous?  There is no reason to be nervous.”

Sarah smiled with guilt.  Charlie was so observant.  “It’s just that I thought you couldn’t feel emotion.”  She finished.  She had always been able to be more open with Charlie than with her own husband.  Of course at first—when they had first come across each others’ paths—she was frightened and then their relationship just turned to awkward conversation but before long they were able to touch comfortably.  Sarah smiled at Charlie as she reminisced over their past.  “I love you, too,” she said pulling his face to hers and kissing him when she realized she really did love this alien.

*    *    *

Michelle screamed which caused Sarah to turn around.  Her heart stopped before she realized that Charlie was standing in front of them.  “Michelle, stop.  He’s a friend of mine…”  Sarah walked over to Charlie giving him a quick embrace.  She looked back at her mortified children.  They had been taught to avoid these aliens at all costs and now they watched with mouths agape as their mother hugged one of these creatures.

“Mom?”  Michael stepped sheepishly towards his mother.  “Why’re you hugging him?”

“Michael, baby, it’s okay.  He’s a friend.”

“Sarah, I need to talk to you…alone.”  He looked warily at her children.  He knew she had kids but he hadn’t ever seen them and he felt awkward with them staring at him as if he were some sort of imposter.

“Don’t mom!”  Michelle yelled when Sarah made to leave the room.

“It’s all right, Michelle, I’ll be fine.”  Charlie and her left the room and entered the kitchen.

“Charlie, tell me who my daughter saw was you, please tell me—”

Charlie interrupted Sarah with a passionate kiss.  “I have to leave.  We can’t be together anymore.” He said as he pulled away.  He couldn’t make eye contact with her, he felt too guilty.

Sarah wanted to cry and deny what Charlie was saying but she knew the truth.  Not only was she married, Charlie was one of them—he was a different species and their love would never work.

She gave a small nod to let him know she understood.  “Will they come after me?”

“No…I have committed the greater sin, here.  I let myself be seen by you…I let myself be touched by you.  They will forgive you and your ignorance…  I have to lead them away, though.  I don’t have much time.

“Know that I love you, Sarah, with all the love I can hold within me it is all for you.”

Sarah nodded again as tears began to fall down her cheeks.  Charlie wiped them away with a silver appendage.  “Don’t cry for me.  I will be all right.”

“But I’ll never know that!”  She choked out.  She crumpled to the floor, hoping Charlie would pick her up and tell her this was all a bad joke.  After she cried for some time she looked up to see a pile of dishes that needed to be cleaned.