It was like this for nearly an hour, with Claire pleading her case to her parents. Somehow, word got back to them that Pansie, one of Claire's very best friends since high school, had been asked to be maid of honor. Naturally, the Browns, given their bigoted opinions and perspective, put thumbs down on their daughter's decision. It was completely out of the question. The idea, they argued, for Claire to even think of allowing "that disgusting dyke" into the wedding party. They even objected to inviting Pansie to the wedding as a guest.
"What will the family say?," asked father Howard. "What will the folks at church
say? That we allowed a homosexual person into our midst. No, Claire, I
think you can find someone else, someone more suitable."
"But," protested
Claire, trying not to sound too angry or upset (but she WAS upset and angry),
"Pansie has already said she'd do it, and I don't think it's so wrong of me to
ask a lesbian to be–"
"Don't use THAT word in this house!," mom Emily injected.
"It's bad enough you have to be seen in public with that woman, but what if she
brings her 'friend', what's her name..."
"Her name is Jody, Mama," said an
exasperated Claire.
"Well," said Emily, "we can't have people like that swarming
all over the church, spoiling the wedding..."
Claire become more incensed as her parents repeatedly objected. How can they do this to me? It's my wedding...Really I don't want this, but I do it for 'peace in the family.' She gathered all her courage and asserted herself.
"How would Pansie being my maid of honor spoil the wedding? Tell me one good reason why she can't be in my wedding?"
Howard and Emily Brown, exhausted of all rational arguments, merely
replied with a resounding "NO!" It was then uttered by Emily, "Let us hear no
more of this. If Van was here, I'm sure he would say the thing. Now..."
Emily
then suggested that Claire ask Van's sister Sally to be maid of honor. "She's a
good girl, Claire. Very pretty and quite sensible."
"But I don't know her,
Mama," said a clearly annoyed Claire.
Howard Brown shook his head, rose to his full height, saying, "Now look, Claire, it may be YOUR wedding, but WE'RE paying for it. Van deserves a formal church wedding, and he will get it, but only if YOU abide by our rules. Imagine what he'll say if his intended nearly spoiled his wedding day by inviting a homosexual!" He exited the room without further comment, leaving Claire alone in the kitchen with her berating mother.
Oooh! If there was a way out of this, I'd let them all have it! But no! I have to play the good obedient daughter, stick by their rules and whims, even though I know their wrong.
A dejected Claire brooded over her coffee and cake, burying her face in her hands. "What will I tell Pansie, Mama? I don't know how to face her..." Emily, not feeling a bit of empathy for her 'wayward' daughter, merely said, "Tell her the truth, Claire," then went on with other wedding plans. It was going to be another long day of arguing and head-butting, followed by another long evening with Van and his family. As the day wore on, Claire began to feel life not worth living. Not that she contemplated suicide, but she just felt that her life was never hers. It was always THEIRS and HIS. Not fully paying attention to her mother's ramblings about appropriate music and reception buffets, Claire thought of ways to get out of the house for a few minutes just to clear her head.
"Mama?," she said sweetly and demurely, "I need to take a walk, calm down.
I'll be back in a few minutes and we'll decide on a buffet menu. I like your
idea of having the reception at the country club rather than the hotel..."
Emily obliged her daughter, saying, "Don't be long, dear. We still have to
finalize the guest list then address the invitations."
Oh yes, the guest list, and another argument to go with it. If I know my folks, they'll make sure all my high school and college friends are NOT on that list. I might as well be dead than have all my cousins – including that obnoxious goody two-shoes Ruby – swarming all over me like flies around a dead horse.
°°°°°°
She wasn't two blocks from her parents' house when her cell phone went off. It was Pansie, wanting to know the latest. "They said NO, Pansie," said Claire. Pansie was understanding but confounded at Claire's passiveness in the whole deal.
"I thought they'd object to that. Claire, when are you going to buck up?
You're almost twenty-one, for Pete's sake. You can't let your folks run your
life forever."
"I know, Pansie, but it's so damn hard to get them to understand that–"
"How can you positively argue with people so close-minded? Claire, for what it's
worth, I think you should call off the wedding, give this Van guy the heave-ho,
and get on with your life."
"But I'm afraid."
"Afraid of what? Good Lord, girl! You need to get it together. Assert yourself!
What happened to the NEW Claire who changed so much once she hit college? Honey,
and I'm saying this for your own good because I love you as a sister: Stand up
to your folks, and get your life back on track."
OK, so Pansie told some truths: Claire was being mousy, timid, afraid of
upsetting her parents any more than need be. Then what Pansie said, "What
happened to the NEW Claire?" Well, Claire could answer that with, "She got
killed last year when her parents found out she was in danger of turning her
back on the 'proper and right' values."
Pansie understood that she wouldn't – couldn't – be in the wedding. No sweat,
she said, but her concern wasn't for losing a place in the wedding party, it was
for Claire. She said things that Claire knew she had clamped down on everything
she held dear, throwing away her newfound independence only to be shackled by
her parents and fiancé's shallowness and provincialism.
Right then and there, on the way back to her folks' house, Claire decided to
get in her car and go home. At least, in the quiet of her own apartment, she
could relax, get her head together, and devise ways out of the whole mess. She
never went inside the house; she already had her keys and purse with her. She
would simply phone her mom, offer an excuse that she wasn't feeling well and
decided to go home. So what if Mama and Dad say, "But we still have a wedding to
plan!" Wedding? What wedding?
On the drive back to her apartment, Claire finally decided to call off the
nuptials, give Van his walking papers, then make plans for HER life. This was
her life, right? Didn't she have that right to change her mind? Didn't she have
the maturity and foresight to turn away from a future that was doomed from the
beginning? Claire decided to do just that: break off with Van, cancel the
wedding, and go back to school even if it was on a part-time basis. She wanted
to earn that degree, and that career in law, she so desperately sought. Maybe,
and she had enough money to do it, she would leave town altogether, relocate to
where she could finally be out from under her folks' thumb. Claire remembered
reading in Ann Landers' column long ago about a young woman who was in a similar
situation. The lady's family made her life so unbearable that she decided to
move across the country, divorce herself from her oppressive family and give
herself a fresh start. That's what I'll do, thought Claire, as she wheeled into
her driveway. Just close out my bank accounts, take that money and pack up, and
relocate somewhere so I can at least have a life of my own.
Getting out of her car, a newly empowered Claire noticed a peculiarly glittering object in the driveway. She bent down to pick it up, only to have the object tremble in her hand as if it had powers of its own. A bit frightened but curious, Claire examined this unusual piece. It looked like a quartz crystal rod of the most beautiful shade of lavender. It was a little hefty, filling Claire's small hand; it had to be a good three to five pounds. She tossed the crystal about, wondering who lost this gorgeous item. Thinking it could've been dropped by one of the neighbors, Claire took it inside, reminding herself to post a notice on the building's Lost and Found board.
Once inside, she had a mind to call her mother but decided against it. Like magic, or dumb luck, the phone rang. Isn't this about right? I even can't make the simplest decisions on my own. It's as if they have radar that detects my every move...
Damn it! If I don't get it together, move away from their nagging and browbeating, then nothing will ever go right for me.
°°°°°°
In her private quarters, Commander Aarien smiled with satisfaction as she closed the ornately carved black box that held one of her most prized possessions. Getting those odd vibes again, Aarien took the treasure from its box, placed it in the special virtual transporter, then sent it on. It should be there by now, thought Aarien, and with careful vigilance I should be able to pinpoint exactly where we should land... Aarien, feeling happiness return at last, summoned her captain. If indeed this planet, now identified as "Earth", was the place to seek out new energy sources, all the better. But it wasn't entirely resources Aarien was seeking. She wanted something else, and she would make that known to Darelia in time.
Going to her private grooming area, Aarien
studied her reflection in the mirror. Here was a woman of incredible beauty and
vivaciousness. She was tall, buxom, platinum blonde-haired. Aarien's eyes were
of the most startling steel blue, conveying at this moment a playful, joyous
mood. A high-achieving woman, Aarien graduated top of her class at Edev's
military academy.
Not that Edev, a world far from this star system, ever needed a standing army or
war machines. Edev was a peaceful planet that not once suffered violent
conflict, not even little spats that could escalate into raging wars. The
planet's leaders saw to that, preferring to preserve peace by example, not
force. The Edevians did suffer, recently, a minor rebellion that was quickly
quelled. Seemed a small faction didn't like living under the "love freely, live
peacefully" dictum, so they staged a short-lived rebellion that resulted in
tragedy. Aarien's unit was called to the scene of the mutiny, and they quickly
subdued the mob, but the regained peace came with a price. Aarien's lover was in
that same unit, although the commanding officer objected. But it was to be an
easy quelling of a riotous, mutinous mob. What possibly could go wrong? Plenty.
What greeted the troops was a raging mob armed with incendiary devices and laser pistols. Aarien, not really wanting to cause the riot to escalate into a full blown battle, took immediate control. The Edevian militia swooped down on the unruly mob, quickly bringing order through highly effective maneuvers. The mob's leader, realizing that his followers were outnumbered, immediately put down his arms, telling the others to do the same. All right, most cooperated, but there was one in the crowd who thought he could get in one last shot. Quietly and stealthy making his way through the crowd, the renegade took aim and fired at the militia. People scattered as the blast of laser erupted from the man's pistol. The mob's leader at once subdued the traitorous shooter, and he saw the results of that man's rashness. Blessedly no one was seriously injured, but there was one casualty.
The lover, sensing certain danger to Aarien, got in the line of fire, shielding the commander. Aarien, rushing to her mortally wounded lover, mourned the loss of one so tenderly devoted. What a calamity! Of all things she didn't want to happen, Aarien wracked herself with guilt. If she had put her foot down, ordered her lover not to accompany her on this mission, then they would still be together. But life went on, with or without the love of her life. Now, several months after the tragedy, Aarien, still depressed over a love lost, summoned the courage to go on with her life.
This planet we're approaching, this Earth, may hold keys to that absolution Aarien so desperately sought. Emerging from her grooming area, and dressed in her specially designed uniform, Aarien sat at her desk, tracking the precious item she sent via the virtual transporter. Ah, so it landed there! Good! Aarien was all smiles as Captain Darelia entered the commander's quarters.
"You're in a good mood, Commander," said Darelia, thankful that Aarien
finally snapped out of that eight-month depression.
"I am, Darelia. And I have good news." She indicated the empty box, and
drew her captain's attention to the tracking monitor. Darelia was surprised, and
a trifle upset.
"You sent 'Imyn's Crystal' down there? Whatever for?"
Aarien was not fazed by her captain's reaction. She simply replied, "Call it
curiosity. I just wanted to see if it works on this planet as it did for me..."
"But this planet is NOT Edev!"
Darelia quickly composed herself and apologized for her outburst. "I'm sorry, Commander. Please forgive my insubordination."
Aarien smiled. "I'm not angry with you, Darelia. It's just..."
She noticed the blip on the monitor screen growing and beeping madly. She nodded, saying, "Captain, this is the place. We land...,"
She pointed to the map on another monitor, "...here. Have my private shuttle ready. We leave for this place – Now!"
°°°°°°
Claire, tears of joy streaming down her face, drove towards downtown. For once, she had done something right with her life. All she wanted was to get out as soon as possible. What spurred Claire to take charge of her life once again? Another angry session with her parents which was more than she could bear. That phone call...Why did Mama have to call?!
Emily Brown, highly upset, berated Claire for not returning home to finish wedding plans. She told Claire that she as being very ungrateful, stubborn, and downright disrespectful. "We didn't raise you to be this way, Claire," was the litany Mama repeated over and over. So Claire, in the throes of her own anger and rebellion, told her mother a few truths, and that the wedding was off. She continued her tirade, for once airing her grievances of being forced to live a life not of her choosing. She never loved Van; she hated the fact that she had to drop out of college; she hated that Pansie could not be in the wedding. On and on Claire went, verbally damning her parents and fiancé.
"After all, Mama," she screamed into the phone, "it's MY LIFE! I'm old enough to call my own shots! If you and Dad don't like it, TOUGH!" She informed her folks that she was moving within the week, no more kowtowing to their narrowness, their bigotry, their pettiness.
"I'm NOT the docile child anymore, Mama! I'm a grown woman who can take of herself, thank you very much! AND..."
Claire got her last licks in before slamming down the receiver. No way were her parents or Van getting their way this time. It was all or nothing, she told them. There will be NO wedding, NO engagement party, NO more orchestrating her life to suit their needs.
"Either let me live my life as I see fit, or say GOODBYE and never see me again!"
After she hung up, Claire's heart raced, her breathing became labored. She
trembled from head to toe. No, she wasn't afraid for her health, in fact, she
felt wonderful. At last, all the pent-up turbulent feelings came roaring out.
She felt drained but relieved that finally she said what had to be said. Pansie
was right: Claire had let the "new" Claire die thus resigning herself to live
under her parents' iron thumb, to marry a man she didn't love, to renounce her
hard-won independence. Now, at last, she was free. She surveyed her apartment,
knowing that she would have to pack before the week was out. But for now she
wanted to get out, find a nice hotel room to spend the weekend in peace before
she made formal moving plans.
Claire packed a few clothes and other belonging, and, without thinking, grabbed
the crystal, got into her car, and drove to the nearby ATM. She withdrew a hefty
sum from her checking account then called the hotel downtown to make room
reservations. At least Mama and Dad did do something right --
"Save for a rainy day," was what they endlessly said to her from kindergarten
onwards.
"Well," she muttered to herself as she took the cash, "it's been pouring
for me, so...Let the Sunshine in!"
The drive downtown was going to be longer than usual, what with the one major
thoroughfare closed off due to street repairs. So Claire took a favorite "short
cut", actually a detour down a darkened, seldom traveled road along the river.
She normally wouldn't drive this way after dark, but she didn't care. During the
trip down the winding road, Claire noticed that odd crystal, now dangling from
the rear-view mirror, began to pulsate with an eerie light.
"What the hell...?"
She pulled over, stopped the car, then picked up the crystal. She felt the thing vibrate in her hand, sending radiant warm into her body. At once Claire felt relaxed, calm, newly empowered. Was this thing responsible for me screaming at Mama and Dad like that? Does it hold some kind of power, because if it does, it sure got me to buck up and tell my folks "Enough is enough!" Smiling, Claire returned the crystal then continued her journey. Switching on the radio, she even sang and bounced rhythmically with each and every tune. That was another thing missing from Claire's young life: good old rock and roll. It was -- according to her folks -- subversive and dangerous. She laughed as she espied the street lights ahead signaling the end of this long, curving, deserted road.
"Thank God for that. Now, turn left on the parkway and I'm free!" Claire sensed the crystal glowing again. Now what?, she thought. The gem's light seemed to be pointing upwards, so Claire, slowing down the car, glanced up at the sky. She thought what she saw was a falling star. "Not two in one week!"
She pulled over again, her curiosity getting the best of her. Getting out of
the car, she watched the star grow brighter – and larger. Trembling with fright,
Claire didn't move a muscle; she was that scared and mesmerized all the same.
The "star" turned out to be no star, but a spaceship of sorts. At least that was
what it looked like to a now terrified Claire.
Is this real? Am I dreaming? I only read about this...people having close encounters...
Down the spacecraft came, finally landing in a wide grassy spot not far from where Claire stood. Her eyes were now on the crystal, still suspended from the car's mirror. It glowed and hummed frantically, as if it sensed approaching danger – or doom. Still rooted in her spot, Claire watched as the craft settled, its many lights beaming brilliantly. After several minutes, the hatch opened. Claire, her heart beating so fast she feared it would burst through her chest, watched in awe as whoever — or whatever — manned that UFO emerged.
TO BE CONTINUED...Go to chapter 3
Copyright©2004 by Pepper Shriver* (PRP)
*My pen name
:-)