"What's up with you. Are you okay?"

Keith usually was nonchalant about these performance reviews. He'd been through enough of them now that they didn't affect him. But this time he wanted something. He'd been holding off on asking the whole meeting. Now it was almost over.

He'd learned the name of...

Max Lambert hated eating at the diner after his shift. After sizzling bacon, frying toast, and wiping sweat dripping off his forehead so it didn't get into the customers' hash, the last thing he wanted at 7PM was to spend another minute at the diner. Even if the meal was...

Chris shaved for the first time in five days. On earth he shaved everyday. Clean shaven was the way. He didn't look good in a beard. His was patchy. Looked like pubes. Unlike Keith who could grow a majestic beard. Cal was clean shaven. But Chris didn't know whether that...

Max Lambert got to work at 12. His boss kept trying to pay him more to get in before the morning shift, but Max wanted to sleep in and putter around at home rather than use his mornings at work. Plus the other cook had the morning well covered. Dave....

She heard the news from Sarah from HR.

"Your mom is ill."

She knew the facts. They couldn't get her down there. It was easy getting people up. Getting people back to earth. Harder. Sarah didn't need to spell it out. Marianna's mom would probably be dead before they could get her...

The man walked into the  cafe thinking about his kids. They would be the age now where they would hang out at these places. If only he could talk to them. But he couldn't. He didn't have the time anymore.

It was a crazy deal. Years ago. He had asked another...

The man with kids proposed a deal. Since the other man who did nothing all day had  time on his hands. Why not give some of it to him?

"That sounds so crazy I might be open to it. What will you give me in return?"

"Money."

"Isn't that just a job?"

"You're right....

The end of summer, the air was thick. Always like this. It could be night and you'd feel comfortable walking around in shorts and a tanktop.

There was always a party. Someone had a keg. Now people didn't seem to drink as much. Not people her age.

A  small town felt like...

"What the hell took you so long?"

"You won't fucking believe. I almost. I almost hit a bunch of fucking kids!"

"You did?"

He hadn't. But he didn't want to rephrase or explain what had actually happened.

"I took their  frisbee though. Look."

"Now why did you do that?"

"I don't know," James shrugged without looking...

Cal understood not why Keith went to the machines. Why not enjoy the morning coffee at the cafe?

"I never enjoyed those on earth either."

"Cafes?"

"Right. Always thought they were. Fake."

Next time Cal went to the cafe in  Spacecity he wondered whether he himself thought it felt fake. It was obviously fake....