Educating Mork

Part One

"Mork, I need to stop by Dad's store for a minute. Do you want to come in with me?" Mindy asked.

They were strolling along the Boulder Mall on an unusually bright and crisp autumn morning. A street performer nearby strummed his guitar, playing an intricate Spanish song, his fingers working at such a rapid and skilled pace that Mork was entranced, impressed by the human's remarkable musical talent. He studied him with intense curiosity, trying to understand how to play the instrument, how it worked.

"Mork?" Mindy asked, tugging on his hand, trying to get his attention.

"Sorry Mind, I was just watching that guitarist," he said. "He's really good. Your father should pay him to sit outside his music store. What a terrific advertisement that would be."

"Actually, my dad once paid him to sit as far away as he could from the store," Mindy said. "He doesn't like loiterers."

"It's a shame he's such a nimnull. He's wasting a good opportunity. It's too bad he can't appreciate this man's music. On Ork, because we banned emotions we don't have music, or any artistic form of expression at all. That's why I love this so much. It's a beautiful and precious thing, music. It astounds me how much your father takes for granted, and he sells music."

Mindy watched the guitarist for a while. "I agree," she said. "He is really good. But as you know, my father doesn't have a very high tolerance for people who he thinks don't actually work for a living. Anyway, I doubt that man wants to advertise for anyone. He just plays because he enjoys it."

The guitarist finished his song, and a small group that had gathered on the mall to listen to him applauded, tossing coins into his case. He stood and bowed, collecting his money and belongings, preparing to pack them up and move on to his next stop.

Mork frowned. "If he plays because he enjoys it, then why did those people pay him?" He asked.

"He wasn't necessarily expecting much money, Mork. He just leaves his case out in case people want to leave him something. You know, as a token of appreciation for his music."

"How is that any different from those big rock stars on those record albums in your father's store? You told me they get paid, too."

"Yes, but they get paid a lot more money. They're professionals. That guy just plays for the love of music, whereas for the big rock stars, music is a business."

"Oh, I see. Like it is for your father."

Mindy squinted, thinking about it. "Kind of," she said.

"Then why doesn't your father make the big bucks?"

Mindy smiled and shook her head. "You know, you are just like a child," she said. "Asking me a million questions."

Mork shrugged. "I'm just trying to understand the concept of money and music on your planet," he said.

"Well, it's a lot more complicated than I just explained," she said. "I'm sure that street musician might have dreams of making it big, or he might not. He might just be playing because it's his art. Why don't you go ask him? Meanwhile, I'm going to go talk to my dad." She squeezed his hand and kissed him. "I'll be right back."

Mork smiled at her fondly, watching her disappear inside her father's store. Once she was gone, he turned to the guitarist, who was still packing up his instrument, taking tender care not to damage it. He approached him, surprised by how tall the man was. He towered over Mork by a foot and several inches. Although this intimidated Mork at first, he saw that the man had a kind face framed by a mane of unruly curly dark hair, his eyes soft and gentle. He thought about asking him all those questions Mindy suggested to him, but he decided not to bother. Instead, he pulled out some money he had made babysitting for Eugene and handed it to the man.

"I enjoyed your performance," he said. "Here you go. Take this."

The guitarist took the money and smiled. His smile was shy and innocent, like a child's.

"Thank you," he said, his voice quiet and soothing.

As the man's massive hand enclosed around the money, Mork thought about how powerful yet calm he was, a gentle giant. The two nodded and smiled at each other in silent, mutual agreement. The guitarist then bowed humbly and respectfully, almost as if he was apologizing to Mork for some unknown offense. He then turned and walked down the mall, his guitar case dangling from his long arms like an extra appendage, an extension of himself. Mork watched him leave until he disappeared among the crowd. When he couldn't see him anymore he turned to look around, observing his surroundings as was his custom and his duty.

While watching the people walk along the mall, Mork sensed that someone was also watching him. Turning, he saw someone familiar, someone he recognized from his past. Their eyes met, and Mork couldn't believe it. The attractive woman with thick auburn hair smiled at him and approached him.

"Ayada?" He asked. He looked around, hoping Mindy hadn't returned. He lowered his voice, as if embarrassed. "What are you doing here?"

She was even more attractive up close, her skin creamy, her eyes pale green. She looked almost ethereal, her hair glistening in the sunlight, cascading in waves down her shoulders.

"I had to see you, Mork," she said, taking his hands. "When I heard what happened on Ork, and what the superiors did to you, I was devastated. I thought it was because they had found out about us...about that night…" She looked down. "Inside, I felt tremendous guilt." She looked back up at him, her eyes moist with tears. "Of course, I couldn't share it with anyone, for fear that I would be punished next. Can you imagine what it was like for me? To have no one to talk to, to find out that you were banished from Ork? I had to tell you how sorry I am."

Looking around, making sure Mindy wasn't nearby, Mork gently guided Ayada to sit down on a park bench with him.

"It had nothing to do with you," he said. "It was my fault. They never found out about us, I promise." He smiled, gently caressing her cheek. "How did you find me?"

"I work for one of the superiors. I overheard him mentioning you one day, and well…let's just say I gained access to your file while he was out on a lunch break." She grinned.

"Do you work for Orson?"

"No, it's one of the others. I learned where they had sent you, and here I am."

"Yeah, here you are," Mork said. He looked around distractedly for Mindy.

"What's the matter, Mork? Are you not pleased to see me again?"

"Oh absolutely, it's just…" he sighed. "It's been so many years. I have a new life now, here on Earth. I have a new girlfriend."

"A human girlfriend?" Ayada asked, looking at him with disbelief.

"Yes, her name is Mindy. She's very dear to me."

Mork watched her reaction. Her expression was a combination of disgust and bafflement.

"Please don't be angry with me," he said. "Don't you understand? I had to move on from us. For all I knew, I was never going to see you again. I had to start over, to make my home here."

Ayada nodded bitterly. "I understand," she said. "I suppose you did what you felt you had to do, given the circumstances. But Mork, how can you stand it? How can you stand living here? It's so…primitive." She shuddered.

"It isn't so bad, once you get used to it. I find the earthlings on the whole to be a pleasant and accommodating people."

"Not to mention ignorant," Ayada said. She shook her head. "A human girlfriend. I just never thought you would stoop so low. Doesn't it degrade you to be with her? She isn't your equal, and you know that. It must be pretty dull for you sometimes. I mean, these earthlings…they're so beneath us, don't you find? You can't possibly be happy with her. After all, she isn't much of a challenge."

"I won't have you talk about her that way," Mork said angrily, glaring at her with his icy, piercing blue eyes. "You don't even know her. Mindy is just as special to me as you were. I love her. I don't expect you to understand. I just ask that you have a little respect for our relationship."

Ayada blushed and looked away. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said that. I guess I'm just jealous. I still think about you, you know." She turned and smiled at him.

"I guess," he said, "especially if you were willing to travel across the universe to find me. But that isn't the only reason you're here, is it? There's something else on your mind."

"There is," she said, a serious expression on her face. "I realize now that I may be too late to convince you, but I want you to come back home with me, to Ork."

"I can't," Mork said, looking around for Mindy again. He also hoped that no one was eavesdropping on their conversation, making sure that they were completely alone. "The superiors implanted me with a device that will detect if I become emotional while on Ork. If I do-which is almost a certainty if I'm with you-then they will place me back in stasis."

"I'm sorry," Ayada said, looking at him with deep sympathy. "I didn't realize."

"You would be in danger, too. If they saw you showing your feelings for me, they could arrest you and label you a Defective as well. When we were together for the first time, that was already a big enough risk. I don't want you to risk your future for me now."

"But I have no future without you," Ayada said, her eyes filling with tears again. "Don't you see? I love you, Mork. I haven't been able to get over these feelings for you. I thought, maybe if you came home with me, then…oh, I don't know. Just forget it. You're right. I don't see how it could work." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"Ayada," Mork said. He tried to say something that would comfort her, but his words choked in his throat, his own tears threatening to emerge. Reaching out for her, he embraced her tightly.

"It's good to see you again," she whispered in his ear, kissing him on the cheek.

"It's good to see you, too."

They released each other and looked at each other for a long time before Ayada spoke again.

"I guess I just had to see you one more time before I moved on with my life," she said. "I wanted to make sure you were all right, that you were happy. It sounds like you are, with Mindy. Even if she is an Earth girl, I'm sure she's perfect for you. She sounds very nice."

"She is," Mork said, a bemused expression on his face. "Would you like to meet her?"

"Oh no, I couldn't do that," Ayada said. "I just wanted to see you, one more time. Take care, Mork."

She stood, preparing to leave.

"Wait," Mork said, standing with her. "You're leaving now?"

"I have to. If I stay much longer, I don't think I can bear it."

Mork nodded. "I understand," he said.

She kissed him quickly on the lips. "Remember me," she said. "Maybe you can send a message to me through the universe from time to time, just to let me know how you're doing."

Mork smiled. "I'll do that," he said.

"Goodbye, Mork."

"Goodbye."

He waved as she turned to walk away. A part of him wanted to pursue her, but he stood there helplessly, unable to move. Besides, he loved Mindy now. Or did he? Was it possible for someone to love two people at once? He supposed it was, judging by what he had seen on Earth television. Usually though, those relationships ended with pain and destruction for everyone involved, and he certainly didn't want to hurt Mindy. Yet he hurt Ayada, and she was gone forever from his life. He wished he knew what to do, wished that emotions were simpler. He supposed that was why Orkans had banned them—because they didn't want to deal with their complexity.

"Who was that?" Mindy asked behind him.

Mork cringed, hoping she hadn't seen them embracing and kissing.

"An old friend," he said, looking for Ayada amongst the crowd, but she was gone.

"From Ork?" Mindy asked.

Mork nodded. He turned to her. "It was incredible," he said. "I hadn't seen her for years, and then—here she was, standing right in front of me."

"Her? You mean, it was a woman?"

"Please don't be upset."

He looked at Mindy, trying to detect any signs of anger from her. Remarkably, she remained composed.

"I'm not upset," she said. "Why would I be upset? I just wanted to know who that was, that's all. Besides, she was just an old friend, right? It's not like she had any feelings for you, since she's an Orkan."

Mork sighed. "I guess I'd better explain this to you," he said. "Just promise me you won't get mad."

"Let's go home first," Mindy said. "You can tell me on the way there. And I won't get mad."

As they drove through the streets toward Mindy's apartment, Mork began to tell her his story.

"We knew what we were doing was wrong, at least on Ork," he said, "but we were attracted to each other. We couldn't resist. We had both seen love being expressed on Earth television, and we wanted to know what it felt like. We wanted to experiment. So we did. We had never felt anything like it, and caring for another person—well, it just felt so good. We didn't realize such a thing was possible. Once we started our relationship, we just couldn't stop. We carried on in secret, and the prospect that we might get caught, that what we were doing was illegal—I don't know, it just made it even more exciting."

Mindy listened quietly, expressionless.

"After a while, though, we began to feel guilty and ashamed of having these feelings for each other. The excitement that we might get caught soon turned into fear that we would, so we ended it. Then of course I was arrested for showing emotions in an entirely different situation and was sent to travel through space, and I thought I would never see her again. When she showed up here today, I wasn't expecting it."

Mindy was still listening, saying nothing.

"So are you mad at me?" He asked. "Come on, tell me what you're thinking."

"I just never realized you had loved anyone before," she said. "There's so much of your past life I am beginning to realize I don't know."

"I'm willing to share it with you, even if that means you'll be angry with me and not love me anymore. If you don't, I can't say that I blame you. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Mindy looked at him. "You didn't," she said. "This is what intimacy is about, sharing. I'm glad that you trusted me enough to tell me."

"You are?"

"Of course. It means that you truly care about me. If you didn't, you would keep this a secret from me. Besides, you told me it was over with her, right? I have many old boyfriends of my own, you know, but that's all in the past. That doesn't mean I don't love you. I understand."

Mork took her hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for being so understanding," he said. "I love you, Mindy."

"I love you, too."

Later that night, Mork slept fitfully, the sudden appearance of Ayada in his life after years of not seeing her leaving him feeling conflicted. He loved Mindy, but he wished there was something he could do to ease his former girlfriend's pain. As if his thoughts had conjured her in his imagination, he heard her voice speaking to him telepathically, just as he did with Orson in his reports to him.

"Ayada, is that you?" he asked in his mind.

"Yes, it's me, Mork. I'm sorry to call at such a late hour."

"No, that's all right."

"Is Mindy asleep?"

"Yes she is."

"Can you meet me?"

"You mean, you're still here on Earth?"

"Yes I am. I am staying at a place called a hotel. I am in room 102 on River Street, if you can come see me."

"Ayada, I don't know…"

"I just want to see you one more time before I leave."

Mork thought about it for a minute. He didn't want to upset Mindy, but he figured since she was asleep it wouldn't hurt to go visit with Ayada one more time before she left. After all, it would probably be the last time he ever saw her.

"All right. I'll be right there," he said mentally.

"I'll be waiting. See you soon, Mork."

Mork knocked on the door of Ayada's hotel room, hoping he wasn't making a mistake, hoping he wasn't betraying Mindy. She answered, looking seductive, beckoning him to come inside.

"Look, I don't mind coming to say goodbye," he said nervously, fighting with his desire for her. "But I'm with Mindy now, and I would never do anything to hurt her."

"I wouldn't imagine you would," she said. "Don't worry, Mork. This is strictly business, I assure you."

"Business?"

Before he could react, Ayada flashed a hand device at him, the same hand device the Orkan police had used to immobilize him when they arrested him. He tried to resist the power of the beam, but he was powerless against it. Soon, he lost consciousness, collapsing to the floor at Ayada's feet. Smiling in satisfaction, Ayada looked down at him. She stroked his cheek and ran her fingers longingly through his hair before composing herself, falling into a trance to connect with her superior.

"This is Ayada," she said mentally. "I am ready to return to Ork. I have him."