“I get my fill with medical books,” Emmett scoffed. “Who has time to read, these days?”
“I used to say the same thing,” Birdie retorted. “You’ve gotta make time. But I understand. I would never be talked into reading the stuff you read, my dear,” she smirked.
“And I wouldn’t waste my breath asking you to attempt to grasp the concepts,” he returned the smirk.
“Thanks!” she playfully smacked his shoulder, making him laugh. She looked back out the window as they drove through the dirt roads. There was something distinctly different about the buildings, though Birdie couldn’t quite place exactly why. They seemed as though they simply grew out of the earth, blending in to an extent, yet built in a way that seemed mechanical. A lot of the structures had what looked like copper gears adorning the foundation. It reminded Birdie of the steampunk jewelry Sinese’s wife liked so much…
Other than the atypical architecture, things seemed fairly normal. There were a couple of joggers out, and someone riding a bike. A woman was walking a huge German Shepard around in her lawn. It was a little strange not seeing any kids. “Can I ask you guys something?”
“Shoot,” Reesy replied, glancing in her rear view at her.
“Why would it be so bad to raise kids here?”
The car grew quiet for a little while. Then Emmett decided to answer. “It’s not that it would be bad. But you’ve gotta consider the fact that once you’re here, you can’t leave. It’s best that a person has the chance to live a full life out in the world. Free, and all of that. You get a lifetime out there, just like any other person. Then you come here. You get a second life, and it’s everything you need. Anything you want, really. Just as long as it’s here.”
“No one’s had kids here in over twenty years,” Reesy added.
“Why?”
“Who would want to have their child taken from them and raised somewhere where you don’t get to see them again, until they die?” Emmett asked, as an answer. Birdie thought about that for a long while, allowing her gaze to fall back out the window. Em and Reesy shared a long glance in the rear view mirror.
As they got further into the island, Birdie saw a larger number of people. There were a lot of walkers, and an almost equal amount of people on bicycles. Little shops adorned the area, alongside diners and cafes. She was quick to notice the lack of motor vehicles.
“I take it there aren’t many cars here,” she commented.
“Not many,” Emmett replied. “This is an electric car. There are maybe a couple dozen on our part of the island. Mostly emergency response vehicles.”
“Can you imagine getting a gas tanker in here?” Reesy smirked.
“No outsiders visit the island?”
“Rarely. Not this part of it, anyway,” Emmett told her. “We’re self-sustaining, here. Everything is solar, wind or water powered. We grow our own food.”
“On occasion, we can get a food-run brought back from outside the island,” Reesy told her. “Words of wisdom: ration your chocolate.”
“Hoard your chocolate,” Emmett added. “Maybe I should’ve also gotten you some chocolate…”
“We’re here,” Reesy said a bit shortly, as she parked. Emmett made a sound similar to a squeal, clapping his fingers together.
“What are you so excited about?” Birdie asked, smiling and giving him an odd look.
“Oh, uh,” he glanced at Reesy’s reflection in the rear-view mirror before meeting Birdie’s eyes again. “Just… really excited to uh… try the new cinnamon-caramel-chocolate latte, is all,” he grinned, nervously. “I hear it’s all the rage.”
“Your gay is showing,” Reesy said, as she exited the car.
“It’s supposed to be,” Emmett retorted, snappily.
“What is with you two, today?” Birdie asked, shaking her head. “I’ve never seen you argue so much.”
“It’s nothing,” Emmett replied.
“Creative differences,” Reesy added, looking only at Emmett, before turning to head into the coffee shop.
Emmett took a calming breath in through his nose, and glanced over at Birdie, giving her a reassuring smile before he, too, headed toward the cafe. Birdie followed, catching up to him so that they entered together.
There was nothing particularly exciting about the shop. It was a lot bigger than anything she’d gone to when she lived in DC, and the only coffee she ever got in Dagsboro was always in a diner. This was almost a cross between the two. The walls were cranberry and chocolate colored, and there were small tables lining the right side.
There was a bookshelf against another wall, and a bar lined with stools separated the workers from the customers. Birdie had only glanced over the entire place before fixing her eyes on the menu board behind the counter. The shop was fairly empty, aside from a few tables with people around her age talking to one another in between sips of their coffee. In the far corner, someone sat facing away from the others, engrossed in something on his computer. And a few younger people sat nearest the shelf, their noses planted in books.
Birdie made a face at all the odd choices on the menu.
The young man at his laptop grew slightly annoyed at the small-talk going in the order line. He expected there to be talking. Hell, he’d been coming to this cafe for years, now. Sitting at home to work sometimes grew tiresome. There was no one there to make him coffee. Walking to and from the cafe several times a day tended to waste a lot of time. Noise was the sacrifice for saving time. Though in hindsight, it maybe evened out. In the end, hot and fresh coffee settled the argument in his head.
He was stuck on a line, anyway, and absentmindedly started to listen in on the conversation. He recognized Reesy and Emmett’s voices when they ordered. A small, sad smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he remembered his time with them in debriefing. Emmett had made a fair share of harmless advances. As flattering as it might’ve been at the time, he didn’t quite share the older man’s gender preferences. Reesy, of course, had thought it was quite hilarious. As much time as it had taken him getting used to the woman’s voice, he had grown fond of her as well. They’d shared plenty of conversation with coffee evenings together over the years. Most of them revolving around him needing to find a girlfriend. Something he was seriously not interested in.
The woman with them was next to order. It was likely her first time top-side, if she was with them. If he was lucky, they hadn’t seen him. Reesy would undoubtedly try and introduce her to him, in hopes he’d be interested in getting together. He sunk further down in his chair, which was already uncomfortable as it was, with his height. “Can I just get a plain old coffee?” the woman asked the cashier. “Three sugars and three creams, please.”
Something happened to his body, at the sound of the familiar voice. Like one of those instant ice packs that you have to break apart the piece inside, and suddenly there’s a chemical reaction that freezes it all. Except it wasn’t cold he was feeling. It was prickly and numbing and almost burning with its intensity. He realized his heart was pounding so hard against his chest that he was sure he could hear it, too.
He found himself moving, his pile of books crashing to the floor in his effort to turn around as he stood. He had to see if it was really her. His focus was now on the woman who had ordered the coffee with the three creams and three sugars.
“Birdie?” his voice felt broken; almost too quiet for her to hear.