Page 4 of The Space Traveller's Lover
“It always keeps its distance … and it looks beautiful.”
“When was the first time you saw it?”
“This summer. Only happens at sea. Seen it twice before …”
“What can it be? What can it be?” Sam pondered as he scoured the rocky shore.
They kept looking around the cave’s entrance, closely following the erratic movements of the choppy waters. But as the swell started to dissipate slowly, it appeared as if the bright metallic sphere had been a mirage.
“No one will believe us, you know … it’s better if we don’t say anything,” Sam concluded as they cautiously led their horses away from El Cuchillo peninsula.
“Agreed,” Erin said while looking back, wondering why she felt so attracted to the mysterious sphere and why she could sense its appearance, even if she didn’t know where it came from.
That was the only time Sam ever saw it. But for Erin, it would appear numerous times, especially before one of her recurrent dreams. She was convinced that both events were connected, and she never mentioned it to anyone, not even Sam.
Today, while wondering what surprise Sam is preparing, she goes back to reviewing the data from the morning’s activities before Mr Lobart arrives at the control room. He usually inspects the report as soon as he enters the tuna farm. Despite all the automated verification and warning systems, he insists on additional manual checks on site.
When the door opens and the stocky figure of Albert Lobart blocks the incoming light, she has finished checking the whole network, but this is the first round of the day.
As she rushes to get the report ready, she feels his pressing stare behind her back. She knows he’s often in a bad mood, so there must be a frowned forehead, angled eyebrows, and tightly pressed lips on his face.
“Is everything okay?” he asks without moving from the door.
“Yes, sir, everything is okay.” She extends her hand, holding the electronic notepad with the latest downloaded report.
“Oh, happy birthday, Erin!”
“Thank you, sir,” she replies, trying to sound upbeat.
Lobart walks down the steps, letting the sunshine flood into the room and blinding her momentarily. Erin keeps looking away as he grabs the notepad. She starts walking towards her desk, expecting he’s about to leave the room, but the rattle of his boots stomping on the wooden floor warns her he’s following her instead. Nonplussed, she turns around to face him.
“Listen, Erin … I want to warn you …” Lobart looks at her questioningly, as if she should know what he is about to say.
“About what?” she asks with a puzzled look.
“About your friendship with Sam—”
“We’ve been friends for a long time now.”
“Just friends, eh? You know that Pat and I disapprove!”
Erin instinctively backs away, not only because he has startled her but also because she cannot stand the whiff of old dried tuna skin coming from his dirty overalls.
“I will dismiss Sam from the farm”—he steps towards Erin until his pointed finger is wavering a few millimetres from her nose—“if you go out with him again!”
“Why?” she protests, struggling to make sense of his irrational demand.
“I’ve no time for explanations now. Do what I say.” Lobart sneers.
She feels the urge to confront him. But she soon composes herself and fakes total submission. “As you wish, sir,” she says, nodding briefly and clasping her hands behind her back. She dares not mention that she and Sam had made plans to go out together this very evening.
“All right then … you can call me Dad,” Lobart drawls while walking towards the exit.
He stops sharply in front of the steps to give her a final warning glare before making his way out. She avoids his hostile gaze and focuses instead on his worn-out sand-caked boots. The second she notices he’s about to trip on the uneven steps, she stops short of warning him, but Lobart safely jumps up and out of the door at the last minute.
Erin feels a bit guilty that she wished he could have tripped and fallen over. But she soon dismisses her guilt, recounting his threatening words.
“Nothing will destroy my friendship with Sam,” she reassures herself, talking under her breath, a steely glint of determination flashing in her eyes. “No one will stop me from seeing him, not even the Lobarts!”
