Page 39 of Malliko
My body stiffened.
“Don’t worry,” she said and pushed gently at my shoulder. “I find it charming because it makes you more approachable. More human.”
“Good. Because I’m trying to be as human as possible.”
Clara laughed and spread out her arms. “Come give me a hug, big fella. I’m so happy we met and became friends. I like you.”
I hugged her tight and enjoyed the way her black hair tickled my nose. “I like you too.”
Releasing our hug, she smiled at me and walked backward a few steps before turning and unlocking her car. I stayed and watched her drive off with a last wave of her hand.
Clara calling me her friend had surprised me. I was here to study humans and hadn’t considered that they would get attached to me. For a moment, I wondered if I was potentially hurting her by allowing her to develop friendly emotions toward me. Quickly, I dismissed that notion since I’d been upfront about only staying for a limited time.
My time with Clara today had been very informative and I had a number of things that I wanted to research and understand. For a start I needed to understand what made one zone more comfortable than another and how these comfort zones were divided.
CHAPTER 12
Idiotic Idioms
Malliko
“A comfort zone is not a physical place, Malliko. You’re not listening. It’s a mental thing but it can relate to a physical environment. If for instance, I couldn’t get myself to leave my apartment then my home would be my comfort zone.”
I stood in the doorway between Tania’s apartment and mine. Her place had a lot more plants and decorations but otherwise looked the same.
“That’s as confusing as the ego thing. But it’s not just that. On my first day with Clara, she said that she didn’t date because she was trying to avoid having her heart ripped out. That sounds quite gruesome.”
Tania flopped down on her couch. “She was speaking metaphorically. You didn’t think humans ripped out each other’s hearts literally, did you?”
“I read that they did in the olden days in ritualistic sacrifices.” Tilting my head, I explained, “Hearing Clara say that she was afraid of that particular thing made me uncertain if there was something I missed.”
“You’re talking about a different era of humanity. Human sacrifices haven’t been used for ages. She was referring to the emotional pain.”
I stood leaning against the doorframe and, finding the topic interesting, I took the chance to clarify something that had been on my mind. “There’s a woman at Go2Match called Lucinda and this morning she said something that confused me. She askedif she could be my partner in crime at the company run. What crime do you think she’s referring to?”
Tania picked up a magazine and opened it. “It’s a saying, Malliko. She wants to team up with you at the company run. My guess is that she’s probably hoping to bang you after.”
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but Tania stopped me. “Bang means to have sex. Lucinda wants to have sex with you. Just…” She sighed. “I can’t teach you the meaning of all the idiotic idioms and metaphors that humans use. Most of them don’t even make sense to those of us who were born here. Just look them up and remember that if you’re going to a company run then you need to turn up in running gear. There should be some in your closet from one of the previous researchers who was here.”
“Are you always this rude?” I asked Tania out of curiosity.
She lowered the magazine and asked, “Why do you say that?”
“I’m talking to you and giving you my full attention while you choose to not even look at me.”
Tightening her lips, Tania hesitated before she said, “Do you want me to be honest?”
“Of course.”
“I’m not trying to be rude on purpose. I think it’s because you sort of remind me ofhim.”
“Who, your father?”
“No.” Getting up, she threw the magazine on the sofa and walked aimlessly around, moving a plant and picking up a cup. “I told you there’s been other researchers. Most of them have been Eidrons and one was…” Tania stopped by the large window and stared up into the sky. “Well, he was special.”
I didn’t move but listened as she lowered her voice. “It’s been almost four years since I saw him.”
“You miss him.” I felt sympathy for her strong emotional attachment to the researcher she was talking about.
