New World – Stage 1
Zelda
Zelda remembers the day the Visitors came. She and Javier had just married at the courthouse. Those in attendance were her friend Heather; Nick, Javier's friend brother as they liked to say and Nick's seven year old brother Ethan and her friend Julie. Julie took pictures of the happy occasion and the others acted as best men and bridesmaid, they were the only ones at the wedding itself, but they were going to party it up after. She can't help the smile that comes to her, what a mixed up ethnic batch of friends. She herself was of mixed Mexican and German heritage. Javier's family was Mexican, Nick and Ethan were black, Julie's family was of Japanese heritage. Her token white friend is Heather, a very slender blonde with huge blue eyes. Heather, is the newest friend in this odd group of friends, but she fit so well you would never have known that she had not been there for years as the rest of them have been. Yes, a funny group of friends.
Julie thought that being a photographer was not only her passion, but what she was meant to be. Julie had been given a camera when she was seven and did odd jobs just so she could have film even as a little girl. Heather, she had met in college and they had become first study group friends, to being true buddies. Heather had been a farm girl as she liked to call herself, she had moved here when her parents had passed away; both from cancer, just two years apart. This is likely why she is so passionate about going into health care.
Nick and Javier had become friends in first grade. Javier had been there for Nick when Ethan was born and when his mother died just months later. Nick had been there for Javier when his parents died in a car crash. Nick's father had become almost a father to Javier. When Nick's father, David died a few months ago it had been hard on Javier as well. Both Nick and Javier are now over-protective guardians to Ethan. Nick the tough one and Javier the fun one, but each wanting to ensure that Ethan does well in life. Nick is running his father's tobacco shop, which is now fourth generation family owned. The shop has been there since around 1900's when Nick's great-grandfather the first David, had opened it. She loves the name; Beautiful Smoke. Beautiful Smoke for a couple of years had also had been a place that had been active in illegal alcohol; prohibition for a few years. It was Nick's grandfather the second David, that she found intriguing. You could see, not a bad boy, but a rebel in him when you looked at pictures of him; especially when he was in his early twenties. In the room behind the counter, there is a shelf with a secret shelf behind it, this was used to hide the alcohol. Also, when you opened those hidden doors there were a couple of posters from the thirties on each of the doors. The first was of three men; one black, one white and maybe the third was Asian. They are holding hands and there are two signs as well. One sign said; 'Abolish Race Hatred' and the second; 'Smash The Color Line'. The second poster read; No Niggers, No Jews, No Dogs, the best part of this poster was that someone had drawn a thin line through the two top lines using maybe paint. Nick's father, David number three had told the stories of his father, yeah, Nick's grandfather was a true rebel.
She had met Javier in high school. They never dated in high school, they only really became involved because of an English paper they had to write together and then went on to study math together. They both truly sucked at math as did Nick, even Ethan struggles with his own math studies and he is only in second grade. However, they overcame and although not excelling they managed to pass and go on with their goals, and she knows Ethan will as well.
It was a beach party a week after high school graduation that she and Javier realized that they liked each other for more than just friends. They dated, but they both also dated others at first. However, they just kept coming back to each other. He is such a good man, she is worried about his cousin Julio though. Javier helps him out with selling pot from time to time and he does make money, but she worries about him being caught or being involved with bad people. Sadly, she is struggling with paying for school and Javier tends to magically come up with money when she needs it. Her goal, stop that second job of his, of selling pot.
Her thoughts return to the day of the wedding and once the pictures had been taken Nick told them he had promised Ethan they would take flowers to their parents graves. Ethan was excited to tell them how their friend Javier had married the best girl in the world. It was something she should likely think of as a sad event, but she had known Nick's father and it made her smile knowing Ethan accepted her. David would be happy to know that Javier was settling down and starting a family. Javier had promised Nick's father that if they had a daughter that they would name her, Karla after Nick's mother. Javier said he would also name his son David, in which Nick's father had said there was no need to do that, but he was pleased at the thought. David, knew that the likelihood of his son Nick having children is pretty slim. She suspected that he knew that Nick was gay and it would be years before Ethan was in a place in time to have children.
After they took a few more pictures they walked to their cars. Javier drove her and her friends to her grandmother's home where they would setup for the small wedding party. Nick and Ethan drove away to the cemetery and they would come after their visit to help finish setting up for the party. It was just such a nice day, at that moment in time she can still feel the joy of life all around her.
It was truly a great drive with everyone laughing and joking and all singing to Chicago's, 'Love Me Tomorrow'. She had no idea what was to come in a few hours. When they arrived at her grandmother's home she was presented with the wedding cake. It was beautiful and her grandmother gave her a kiss and with that slight German accent said. "You, I know are destined to travel a unique road, build a new life and will do wonderful things and meet interesting new friends. One so stubborn, you can't imagine and you will become his big sister and like any little brother will drive you to distraction. This will happen. I wish, I could travel it with you, but I shall be here." Her grandmother touched her chest gently and then they hugged, Zelda will never forget the love for her grandmother. Grandmother Zelda who she was named after died of a stroke two weeks later. As for her destined future that her grandmother claimed would come when she read the Tarot cards and the moments of the future she claimed came to her at times. She shrugs, it is hard for her to believe in this kind of thing. Her grandmother truly felt she was destined to have an amazing adventure and had been telling her this for the last two years. As for the the unique road and amazing adventure. . .She looks out the window and up to the sky. There will be no unique road not with the Visitors that hover above her city and above many other cities around the world. Something about so many ships, it makes her nervous. Truthfully, it feels like a very sneaky invasion.
The door opens, "Well, you might as well unpack sweet pea," Javier says with a happy grin and moves some of the empty boxes outside of the room. "Nick sure was nice to let us have his parents room. Do you want some help?"
"Neither he nor Ethan will ever move into this room. Too sad for them," She says quietly. "No, I don't need help. Go and help Nick. It won't take me long." She watches the man she loves walk away and she finishes unpacking their things. It was good that Nick is letting them live here. It wasn't because of the Visitor aliens, Nick's business has been declining even before his father passed away. Together the three of them should be able to survive with the uncertain future hovering above them, literally floating above them.
Once finished she goes into the kitchen to finish doing the dishes. The thought of the large Visitor ship hanging overhead though makes her feel uneasy. Uneasiness that has not left since the day they came. It is like someone who knocks at the door, but unlike others that simply go away when no one comes to the door. Well, they just keep knocking. She gives a sickly smile and cringes as she begins drying the dishes and putting them away. Zelda puts the towel down and makes some ice tea, she brings the pitcher of tea and some glasses downstairs to the shop and pours Javier, Nick and herself some tea. They talk for a few minutes and she excuses herself and goes outside with her radio.
Wasn't this the same time of day that the aliens came. She drags the green plastic lawn chair to where she would like to sit and stares up at the ship. Yeah, around the same time of day they were getting ready for their wedding party. So much laughing, so much hugging and kissing. This would never seem like the day alien UFOs would come knocking at the door. When it happened, Javier and a friend were outside setting up tables and chairs when suddenly they were yelling. As she was walking out the door Julie came running in and grabbed her camera off of the counter, she and Heather followed. She can still remember Heather's face in stunned disbelief. Someone had grabbed a radio and turned it on. No, one knew what the hell was going on. They watched as two jets flew by the UFO, it was though you could see almost like a ripple in the air as the jets flew by these alien spaceships. Now of course this was the way the alien ship kept the jets from getting too close to them.
"What do you think. . . " Julie began to ask, then just stopped talking as she began clicking away on her camera. Funny that she remembers these moments so vividly.
Looking up now she remembers her grandmother placing her hand on her shoulder. When she placed her hand on her grandmother's hand she felt Grandma Zelda shaking uncontrollably. "It will be okay." Zelda told her grandmother trying to reassure her, even though she didn't believe what she had said.
It was obvious an hour later there was not going to be a party to celebrate her marriage to Javier. The news reports had found no evidence that their military or any other military in the world knew what was happening. Her thought that day was; what will the aliens look like. Movies generally depicted them as either naked aliens that looked like evil reptiles, or dressed evil reptilians, or naked insect people and again just naked people like ET. Apparently alien lifeforms have no outside genitalia according to the movies. Zelda shakes her head, that day her biggest thought was did the alien's on the UFO wear clothes and did they look more like lizards or insects.
Wonder no more, it turns out they look just like humans and wear clothes. However, movies normally depicted aliens as evil, time should tell all. Right now they were claiming that they were in great need of some chemicals in the water. For their part they are going to share their technology and assist in updating Earth's health care. It was funny that the aliens that visited this neighborhood were either Mexican or African American in appearance, not a white one in the bunch. From what she has seen so far they always seem to match the skin tone of the place they visit, which means they have the same similar physical ethnicity on their world. How can that be, it does not seem possible that this can be. It makes her wonder about things, do they really know why they are here. Zelda shrugs, she really has to let got of the evil alien movie thing. Just because they are not of this world does not mean that they are evil. No, they are doing the, 'I come in peace,' idiom and there is no reason so far to doubt this.
She wonders about her Grandmother's prediction, she always felt it unlikely. Still for something she never believed in, this may be changing with the arrival of the Visitors, she is beginning to wonder if it could become true. Then this meant the prediction was that UFOs were coming, and that everyone had the same destined future. Having aliens on your planet is certainly a unique road, but what were the wonderful things to happen. It doesn't feel like it has happened as of yet or meeting the interesting new friends. So this means the unique road is the UFO, the new friends are the aliens and the wonderful thing is that the aliens don't want to eat you. Zelda suddenly finds herself laughing and rolling her eyes at the silly thoughts. Of course, her little brother may be Nick and Ethan; yet they didn't match the stubbornness that her grandmother had implied.
Zelda looks at her watch, time to go to work like it or not. It is looking very much like school will not be happening, but work is still something that must be done. With a sigh, she picks up the lawn chair and puts it back against the wall and goes back to pick up the glass still half filled with ice tea and her radio. Looking up one more time she wonders about her grandmother's prediction as she stares up at the UFO. Then the song, 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun,' comes on and she dances away to the door singing with Cyndi Lauper. "When the working day is done, Oh, girls just want to have fun." Before closing the door she looks up to the Visitor ship still singing, "Oh girls, they just wanna have fun," Then slams the door shut.