Edgar Aeternum, Book 1: Tales of Aeternal Love (9 page)

"Actually, I do know. Anice was very
specific," Jace said. "You should know that!"

Edgar laughed. "You're right, I should. Maybe
I have had one too many!" The friends laughed for a bit before Jace
continued.

"He's an art historian. He's here on
'extended study', she told me," Jace said. "They're even having the
wedding on Earth, so he doesn't have to lose any time from his
studies due to travel."

Edgar stopped smiling and said, "He's also
full of shit, Jace. Either that or he's afraid to tell her the
truth. Either way, I call bullshit."

"What do you mean?" Jace asked, suddenly more
concerned than before.

"Simple," Edgar answered. "First off, only
Thraxian diplomats come to Earth, or any other world, for extended
periods of time. Every other world is considered beneath them.
They're an almost xenophobic race. The only other Thraxian men who
routinely leave the planet work as spacers and most self-identify
as homo, which is discouraged on the home world. In fact, it's a
death sentence. Next, no Thraxian would ever consent to an offworld
wedding, even if he had no living family. The ceremony is sacred to
them, not in a religious way, but as an important piece of their
culture." Edgar paused to take a drink.

"Go on," urged Jace.

"Sure," Edgar said. "Thraxian wedding
ceremonies last for three days and require Thraxian soil as part of
their symbolism. A huge part of their symbolism. As well as fresh
hissos, a flower that cannot be grown anywhere else and whose
blooms last only twenty-four hours after cutting. Finally," he
smiled, "Thraxian weddings can only be performed by a tel-r'hiksis,
a Thraxian priest, sort of; they don't have a faith, per se, but
their important ceremonies are always officiated by such a person.
Here's the thing: Like I said, Thraxians are not, by nature,
offworld travelers. However, the one class of Thraxian who never,
in any history I've ever read anyway, leaves the home world is the
tel-r'hiksis. Without one, a Thraxian male can't be wed."

"But, but," Jace stammered, "I don't
understand. What are you saying? Maybe I've had too much to
drink!"

"Not at all, man," Edgar said with a smile.
"You know how I like history and cultural studies; this shit's easy
for me. What it means is that Anice's fiancé is either not a
traditionalist or he's not being honest. There's a small movement,
largely discouraged by the government, of those who are infatuated
with Earth. Specifically, the freedoms we enjoy here. Despite the
fact that it's the oldest known culture, some young Thraxians are
getting tired of what they see as repression. He's obviously one of
the new thinkers; he knows, and doesn't care, that most Thraxians
won't recognize this wedding or this marriage.

In addition, he's lying about his reasons for
not going to the home world for the ceremony. He's not going
because, in order to do so, he'd have to reveal the details of the
relationship; this is something he cannot do. His family, his
culture, won't accept any of this; they would shun him completely.
The two things that come immediately to mind are that Anice is
likely going to be just fine; the new thinkers are surprisingly
human in their thoughts, however, I'd suggest never pointing that
out. The second thing is that, for some reason, he's not being
honest with Anice about it.

My suggestion? Explain this to her just as I
did to you. Ask her what he's told her and forget for a moment
about traditional Thraxian behavior. Then, tell her to ask him
about it. I'm guessing he's afraid; a Thraxian without access to
the home world is, literally, lost. When it comes to light back
home that he's abandoned tradition, he will be dead to all but
those who feel the same. And, if he should ever go back, his male
relatives may take that stance a bit further and actually kill him.
She should still ask, though; he may have other reasons. Either
way, lies are a poor foundation upon which to build a marriage."
Edgar felt a twinge of guilt, given his own personal experience in
such areas.

Jace sat in stunned silence. "Damn, I'm glad
that you're so into all that history crap!" he finally said,
smiling. It was an inside joke, as history, specifically of his
family and culture, was very important to Jace.

Edgar laughed, recognizing the joke and
returning it with another. "Well, I met a Thraxian spacer once and
you wanna talk between orgasms!" The joke had its desired effect
and Jace dissolved in laughter, Edgar joining him. Finally, they
stopped, and Edgar asked, "Another round? On me," he added.

"Sounds good to me,
amigo
, and
thanks," Jace said.

Edgar pressed the call button and began
telling Jace the story of his trip to Maxi's, laughing at Jace's
response to Mr. Gym-clothes and Grocery Man. Jace was fanatical
about personal hygiene, but as usual, his grimace turned to
laughter as Edgar continued. The next round arrived and the two
friends drank and laughed, trouble temporarily forgotten.

Two hours and two more rounds later, the two
men were well and properly drunk. Jace had just finished telling a
joke about an archaeosociologist and a Ch'oran at a bar when Edgar,
through the laughter, told Jace he had to relieve himself. "Same
here," said Jace, "though I expect your need is greater than mine,
what with all that beer."

Edgar responded, "That is a full-blown truth!
Should we set the reserve signal?" The signal was a red light on
the top of the booth backs signifying the booth was taken.

Jace checked the time, "As much as I'd like
to stay longer, I've gotta get some sleep. We leave tomorrow,
remember?"

"Right," Edgar drew the word out to five
syllables as the two stood. "Remember what I said to do? Make sure
you explain it to your parents that way, too."

"I remember. Fuck, you'd think that thought
would sober me up a bit, but I'm still gonna have to get an Alc-no
tab before we leave. That or I'll end up on a magna to Navea!" Jace
laughed, stumbling a little as he exited the booth into the
throbbing music.

Edgar started to laugh, cut short when he,
too, stumbled on the same step. Jace was waiting for him and
laughed when he saw Edgar trip. The two hung on to each other
laughing for a few seconds before weaving their way, arm-in-arm to
the bathrooms. When they were finished, they wobbled to the bar and
ordered two Alc-no tabs.

The tabs, invented a hundred years ago,
reduced blood alcohol content by fifty percent in five minutes.
They came with stern warnings to not take more than one tab. Early
on, some tried; they all died. Apparently, the addition of an extra
dose more than doubled the drug's strength. Unfortunately, that
didn't mean simply taking up one hundred percent of a person's
blood alcohol content. The deadly concentration then proceeded to
strip the body of glucose and all other sugars necessary to human
life. Death was quick and painless, but assured nonetheless.

The bartender, a swarthy, dark-eyed man who
made no secret of his examination of Jace, served them the small,
green tablets, allowing his fingertips to graze Jace's palm for a
moment longer than absolutely necessary. Jace, too drunk to notice,
thanked the man and popped the tab into his mouth. Edgar was
already chewing his tab and just shrugged at the slightly confused
bartender who shrugged in return and moved on to serve another
customer.

They leaned against the bar for the requisite
five minutes until the Alc-no kicked in and they were halfway to
sober. The change was sudden enough to warrant an obvious reaction,
commonly known as the Alc-no Shake, a head-to-toe shiver. Edgar's
hit him a moment before Jace's and the two laughed at each other
good-naturedly. The commonly-held theory about the Alc-no Shake was
that one's facial expression during the Shake was identical to the
face that individual made during orgasm.

Edgar tested it at home once, taking a video
of himself. He almost pissed himself laughing at the results;
partly because he was still half-drunk and partly because his
O-face looked like the face of a man caught between a religious
experience and a good laugh. He knew Jace must've found it funny,
too, based on the man's laughter. What Jace didn't know was that
his own O-face was equally amusing: a cross between a sneeze and
stubbing one's toe.

Once they calmed down, they proceeded to the
door, welcoming the fresh air and quiet that greeted them outside
Maxi's. The pair spent a moment just enjoying the peace and quiet.
Finally, Edgar turned to Jace and spread his arms open. The other
man smiled broadly, opened his own arms and stepped into the
proffered hug. After a hearty backslap, they stepped away from each
other.

"Thanks so much for coming out tonight,
Edgar," Jace said. "You have no idea how much better I feel. Good
company, good drinks, lots of laughs and excellent information.
I'll call Anice on the way home to go over what you told me. She'll
bitch about the time, but tough luck! I'm still not looking forward
to mom's reaction, and selling this marriage is gonna be hard; but
at least it looks like a better situation than I thought."

"No worries, Jace. You're a good friend. I
had a great time and I'm glad I could help. Good luck with your
parents and let me know how it all works out when you get back,"
Edgar said.

"You got it!" Jace said, turning to go. Edgar
turned to leave too, when Jace called him back. "Hey!"

"Yeah, buddy?" Edgar turned.

"Did that bartender hit on me?" Jace
asked.

Edgar laughed loudly. "He sure did! It was a
good one, too! You were just too drunk to notice it."

"Figures," said Jace, laughing at himself.
"If I didn't have to leave for home tomorrow, it would've been fun.
He was cute!"

"Well, he'll be here when you get back,"
Edgar said, smiling. "Just remember: Less vodka, more tonic next
time. Otherwise, it won't matter anyway; you'll be swinging a
floppy bat!"

Jace laughed and gave Edgar a lecherous look.
"Who says I'd be swinging? Maybe I'd play catcher?"

Edgar threw his head back and laughed. "That
I'd have to see to believe!" he replied. "Knowing what an
insatiable ass-hound you are!" Edgar returned the lecherous
leer.

"Ya never know, Edgar. A guy can turn over a
new leaf," Jace said.

"You'd be turning over more than a leaf,"
Edgar shot back. "Go on, call your sister and get some sleep!"

"I'm on it!" Jace answered. "Get yourself
home and rest. I want to hear all about your date when I get back,"
he added. Edgar had given him a brief rundown on the Maddox
situation earlier.

"It's a deal!" Edgar answered. "Safe
travels!"

"Thanks!" Jace called out, already on his way
to catch the magna. Edgar set off in the opposite direction to
catch his own. Despite the Alco-no, he was still on the edge of
drunk; he'd had three beers before he even left home. He was also
feeling a bit tired; too much beer tended to have that effect.

The magna back to Altair Station arrived five
minutes after Edgar this time, reminding him of the late boarding
earlier in the evening. This caused a small fit of the giggles as
he thought of poor Grocery Man. He stopped as he stepped aboard,
remembering Mr. Gym-clothes. He stood at the entrance of the car
for a moment and breathed deeply. Of course, it was clean-smelling;
it'd had a bit over two hours to air out. Fortunately, the car was
empty; he took the nearest seat, more to get off his feet than
anything else. Glancing back, he saw the car behind his had four
passengers; he was glad he'd chosen this one as he really didn't
feel like company.

Soon after, he palmed the lock to his
apartment. After ordering a nine am wake-up and setting the
security system, he fell into bed a bit after twelve-thirty. Within
moments he was sound asleep, dreaming of attending a Thraxian
wedding with Maddox.

The soft chime of
the alarm woke Edgar at nine a.m. He ordered the drapes open and
lay in bed, enjoying the bright sun and the promise of a beautiful
day. A band of sunlight warmed his bare chest and, if he'd been
Ch'oran, he'd be purring. The UV protection built into the windows
eliminated the need for SPF indoors.

As usual, he woke hungry. After a night of
drinking beer, though, it was a very specific hunger: Mexican food.
He smiled lazily, knowing just the place that would satisfy. "Place
call:
Las Dos Hermanas
," he ordered the HC. The restaurant
had the best Mexican in all of Altair and, as most did these days,
they delivered. A moment later, the call connected.

"Good morning," said the slightly-accented
female voice. "
Las Dos Hermanas
, how can I help you?"

"Good morning," Edgar said. "I'd like to
place a delivery order; Highland House, Edgar Aeternum."

"Ah,
buenos días
, Edgar! The usual?"
the woman asked.

"Yes please, Carmen," he answered. 'The
usual' was a double order of
chilaquiles
, an incredibly
delicious breakfast dish consisting of fried tortilla, topped with
red salsa, fried eggs, pulled chicken, queso freso and crema. All
with a side of refried beans.

"Must've been a good night,
querido
!
Anyone I know?" she joked.

Edgar chuckled and said, "Just a good friend
with some family issues. He needed a sympathetic ear,
querida
."

"Ah well," Carmen said, "Better luck next
time. You're a good friend, Edgar. I hate having conversations
about
las problemas familiares
. It would've been tequila for
me!" she chuckled, a musical trill.

"They're not my favorite, either, but he's a
good friend. What are ya gonna do?" Edgar said.

"Exactly," agreed Carmen. "I'll have your
chilaquiles
out in about twenty minutes. Gotta go; another
call," she paused. "And Edgar, it's a bit of busy morning, so
please don't delay my delivery boy. Last time,
chico
came
back completely distracted and walking funny." She gave that
musical chuckle again.