Precious Resources

The sign had blue lettering:”Biodome Seven Young Singles Mixer.”

No other set of words could fill her with so much hope and hesitation.

“Excited about tonight?” The hostess flashed a smile as she handed Hadley a program.

How to answer that? Succinctly or honestly?

“I'm hoping I can meet someone.”

Succinctly won out since, of course, that wasn't the whole story. It didn't capture the pressure. The constant hints from mom, dad and her aunt about grandkids, a whole new generation in space. The civic duty to populate Semele and have three generations of Yateses living in Biodome Seven.

Even that annoyed her, because at the end of the day her finding a partner wasn't about other people. It was about finding someone made of the same stardust as her. A man who was kind but clear-headed, who was as passionate about the Biodome as she was. A man with a mind for science and a love of knowledge. Someone who wouldn't constantly hint that she should be more.

She had already been on track to marriage, kids and the Biodome 7 dream. Keegan had given her a promise ring when they graduated. Now the only time she saw him was in the exploration broadcasts. He was always with Hester galavanting about in some exciting new galaxy. She hated them for it. Not for betraying her, but choosing to forget her. They'd gotten so lost in loving adventure and loving each other and she hadn't even factored into it. She couldn't even blame them. What did she have to offer?

As Hadley sat down at her table, the 5th table in the 3rd row, she looked down at the event program in her hand. Her table had 9 people all of which had typical and more attractive jobs. Explorer, trainer, galactic zoologist. They were discoverers and trailblazers, with lots to offer future partners.

How would she match them off? The geologist's passion would balance the adventurer’s freewheeling nature. The cargo expeditioner would probably benefit from the warm nature of the zoologist. 2 table members described their work as nothing more specific than media. She paired the media man with a trainer and the media woman with a spaceship designer.

As for her, she would be inclined to take herself out of the equation. The people at the table were better assigned elsewhere. However, she needed a match. Marriage or travel by 27. That's what her parents had said and the window for space flight preparation was quickly shrinking.

At least, she looked hot. If her character traits weren't going to get her noticed, her dress could. Black and strapless with a dusting of constellations. It was doing its job. She had caught the eye of a gorgeous man with hazel eyes and an impressive build.

“Hi, I'm Hadley.”

“Adriano. What brings you here?”

“My parents have already picked out the names for the grandkids.”

He laughed. “ Mine don't have to worry. Six of my siblings have kids already. All in Biodome 8.”

“ Is that where you're from?”

He nodded.

He had nothing else to add, so it was up to her to fill the quiet. She struggled to remember something about Biodome 8. “Wetlands. Very balmy temperatures. Biodome 7 has more fluctuations. How are you liking the rainfall here?”

Rainfall? What was she thinking? In her defense, she had looked at rainfall charts that same morning.

“It’s nice, I guess. So resource planning, does that involve traveling?”

“ No, it's centered here. I help manage different resources like how much water to allocate to a small city.”

He nodded, but looked above her. “Oh, but you will be interested in exploration later, I'm sure. Once you're more financially established”

“Of course.” The words were acid in her mouth. Thinking of herself in a tiny ship headed to God knows where without any of her memories, without her beautiful community, without all of the people who made her life worthwhile made her start to gag. She didn't want that. It had never been more clear to her.

“I'm gonna go refresh my drink.”

She had to put distance between herself and that table. Everyone was so important. They were actively moving the needle on the progress of the future. They would discover planets, species and rock types. All she could do was manage and preserve what was already there. Her ambitions were small. She wanted a cozy home with her komodo dragon and leisurely drives in her hovercar to deliver tomatoes to neighboring communities.. It was a small, quiet life and it wasn't impressive. She was more than a quarter way through her life. Adriano was 25 and yet he had achieved more than she would in her whole lifetime.She walked over to the punch bowl and scooped a ladleful into her glass.

“Needed some air?”

It was the media man. He wasn't as striking as the explorer Hadley had spoken to, but there was a softness in his expression.

“Just a drink. I'm alright.”

He leaned in to look at her and his eyes met her eyes. Clear and honest like the water in the rain basin.

“I honestly wish I stayed home,” he said. “These kinds of events aren't really for me.”

She smiled. Finally, some honesty. “How come?”

“All the self promotion, having to sell yourself.”

“You're in media, right?”

“Technically, but that's an inflated and simplified description. I make audiobooks for kids. I'm just like everyone else parading myself around like a self-important rooster”

She laughed.

“I'm not huge on self-promotion, either.” It wasn't that she was shy, just not designed for smalltalk. She could talk about natural resources for hours. Trying to make herself attractive and interesting for strangers, that was a struggle.

“ I thought this would be different,” she told him.

“ Less boasting?”

She nodded. She'd felt repelled by the conversation at the table and now she knew why.

“This doesn't feel like we're trying to get to know each other,” she admitted. “It's more like an auction.”

“Because we get it in our heads that we're supposed to build dynasties, not families.”

“ It might not be popular to say, but I want kids. I want them to love this planet as much as I do.

“ You grew up here?” he asked

“ Yeah, I'm second gen.”

“I migrated with my family from earth. They wanted me to be an engineer on a ship, but instead I make stories.

“ People need stories,” she said. “ What's your company name? Maybe I've heard of it.”

“Sister Suns. When I was 7, we just moved and I wasn't used to seeing a purple sun outside of my window. My mom told me, “Rafi, this sun and our sun are like sisters.”

“Did it help?”

“Yes. My sister stayed home on earth, so I liked to believe that the 2 suns were like a communication channel sending my messages to my sister. That's why I make audiobooks. For migrant kids like me who need to feel like this world isn't so different from the one they left.”

“ What kind of stories do you write?”

“Stories about Earth or family or just a homemade pie. Small stuff.” His tone was light but she recognized the same tendency she had to minimize her accomplishments.

“I think that's important stuff. I brought a family some bread yesterday and the kids’ faces just lit up. These are new migrants who've been eating dehydrated spaceship food for years and now they had a sandwich.” Don't ramble, Hadley. “I know it's not that big of a deal, like I'm not discovering a new planet or anything, but it matters to me.

“Hadley, right? If everybody was out navigating ships around satellites, the population would be zero.”

Her breath caught in her throat. He was right. She wasn't creating or finding anything new but she was taking care of what was there. Maybe there was courage in staying and preserving.

The trainer came over to let them know that they were going to start an icebreaker activity in 5 minutes. She looked at Rafael while saying this, a subtle hair tuck showing her interest.

Let him go, Hadley. It was her default mode. Don't grasp. Don't hold on. Other people need it more. No. She shattered the thought.

She swallowed before speaking. “Are you free this weekend? I know a great restaurant if the north side isn't too far out of your way.”

“How about Saturday? My studio is there. Actually, we usually have a live audience for our recording sessions. I'd love for you to come listen.” He gave her a shy smile.

He reached into his crossbody bag and pulled out a pamphlet. As he pressed it into her hand, their hands brushed and he lingered. The possibility of Saturday played her mind like a movie. After the recording, they could go get lunch at a farm to table restaurant. Maybe they'd end up on her couch, her pet lizard resting on his lap. It seemed like such a small and unimportant thing to want.

He called her onto the balcony to see the sunset. When had the sun gone down? She hadn't noticed. All the nighttime insects had come out to play. Nature looked steady, but changed in microscopic ways all the time. She looked at the barely visible purple dot in the sky, always moving, but never leaving its path. On a whim, she stepped closer to Rafael and took his hand in hers. One more tiny movement, barely anything at all, but precious to her.