Page 24 of Argen Mate
Chapter Twelve
Zoey
I pushed back my chair and jumped up. “Excuse me, I need to go to the gym and punch something.”
I ran down the aisle between the two rows of tables and out the exit to the gym at the end of the corridor. After everything we had been through and now this! I was either going to break down and cry in front of everyone or start breaking things.
In the changing room, I shucked off my clothes and took a clean tank top and shorts from the dispenser and put them on. I also took out a pair of punching gloves and put them on. Out in the gym, I found a free punching bag and started hitting.
It didn’t help much because even as I punched it furiously, angry tears streamed down my face. I just kept hitting, while crying and trying to work out the anger and frustration I felt. The damn Alliance didn’t know what was best for me! They damn well were not going to tell me where I could live and with whom!
Punch…punch…punch. Damn them! Damn them! Damn them! Punch, damn, punch, damn, damn…
Then when I couldn’t punch anymore, I just stood there and cried. I couldn’t lose Argen, I just couldn’t!
I turned to go back to the change room, and I was sobbing by then. I didn’t bother to change, I just took my clothes and went back to my quarters…alone.
I felt better after my shower but I was still feeling drained, so I laid down for a nap. I drifted to sleep remembering a few days before while we were still at Deng Yar.
We went to the food processor in mess hall and got our food, a casserole of meat and vegetable and fruit-flavored tea and took our usual seat at the back corner table. As I started to eat, I felt less tired. Sitting across from Argen for third meal was what I needed to perk me up. I had been so worried for the last couple hours because he was overdue. Just sitting there looking at him was pretty sweet.”
“What?” he asked, eyebrows raised. Apparently, he realized I was staring at him, and I was. I had been more scared than I realized waiting for him to get back.
“I-I’m just worried something’s going to happen on this mission. I will be so glad when it’s over,” I said, trying really hard not to cry.
“Don’t I’m coming back to you no matter what,” he said.
I was counting on it.
“What happens when we get to Farseek?” I asked.
“We might get to see our new house on the family farm. Each of my siblings and I had one built. I got to see mine when I was on leave before I was taken.”
“But they built a new one?”
“I put a request for it in case we made it back. I don’t know what we will get, though.”
“Are we going to settle or are we going on another mission when the Dreads get back?”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want it to be over, but I don’t want to quit while we know there are more people out there. Some of them might be going through what you did,” I said.
Argen gave me an affectionate smile. “Then I guess we decide when we find out if Command is going to make another run at it. There are still thousands missing. We can treat our time there as a leave.”
“That sounds good---but have you thought about after the missions.”
“Eventually, I’ll probably run shuttles in the system to freighters and passenger ships in orbit.”
“Well, that sounds boring.”
Argen laughed. “Well, I can’t be going off into the far sectors and leave you home alone to raise our offspring.”
“I don’t think I would like that,” I said. “If you’re going off to the far sectors, I want to go with you.”
“That’s just it. We can’t take children on the Dreads, and I wouldn’t want to even if we could. So, I have to make a choice. But, sweetheart, it’s not that hard a choice.”
“But if there is a chance we could find your Mom or your brothers and sisters, shouldn’t we try?”
