"Same." she smiled. Her
teeth
were a shade of cream. Not white like the toothpaste commercials. He thought they were perfect. They probably would've been blinding white years before. Before all this coffee up in
Spacecity
. Man didn't Cal wish he was here then. "Well I still have a month left here. Don't talk like I'm already gone. You're already using the past tense."
This was true. He should be happy that he still had a month of getting to know her. What actually upset him was the fact that a month wasn't long enough for them to form a romantic relationship. At least not one that would last beyond a term in Spacecity. In the middle of the night when Cal couldn't sleep, he'd imagine Marianna telling him that she was going to extend her term. Sign up for another enlistment. This was a fantasy. Cal wouldn't know if he'd even like that.
Asking someone to serve more than their enlistment in Spacecity was a stronger demand than asking one to donate a
kidney
. Marianna was old. Cal was new meat. She had to return to earth. Get back on with life. And he. He had to find a new life up here. That Keith guy thought would still be here. He imagined at least. Not that he'd ever heard Keith say when he was leaving. That was proof that he still had a ways to go right?
Cal noticed old timers constantly talked about their termination date. Keith never did. Could he be one of those who were so fucked on earth that they signed their entire life away to the firm? To spend it up in space? Cal thought of that. Shawn convinced him not to. Told him not to be stupid. His older brother had said that as soon as he went out there he'd miss it down here.
So far, Shawn was wrong. But Cal knew once Marianna left, he'd be right.