"I can give your husband a call, just to let him know you're alright and on your way back," one man offered me. I hesitated, much to the surprise of all the patrons and the server. Heh, ironic: how did a nobody female precipitously become the most popular entity in the tavern. But since I fixed that guy's leg, everyone had been keenly interested in me and willing to help me. They all looked as if they wanted an explanation to my hesitating to call Mando so soon.
Seeing their perplexed expressions, I saw down on a chair in the middle of the room and let out a sigh; my hands grabbed my right knee thoughtfully. "Well, he's not…. he's not really my husband," I clarified. "What do you mean? You just traveling with him or something?" One of the man's friends asked me. "Sort of. It's…. complicated." "Why wouldn't he want to hear from you? Aren't you friends at least?" Another man inquired. "Won't he be worried about you right now?" A third added. "I'm sure he is, only…. I…. I want to call him; I want to see him again, but…. I don't know if it's right," I finally admitted.
This apparently muddled them even more; they blinked to each other bewildered. "What do you mean "right"?" "What's not right about calling your friend? If he's concerned about you…." Hmmmmm, how to explain it? I pondered for a minute, raising my finger up to my cheek. Then I got an idea. They're men; maybe they can help me figure out what to do.
"Hmmm, tell me something. Imagine you're traveling with a partner… a woman, and it's not easy. You have to make all the money and provide everything for her because she can't work. You're not married but you seem to get along well…. But it's hard; it hasn't been an easy time for either of you. Would you…. Do you think it would be the kind thing to do if the woman was to suddenly go back home and leave you alone? She doesn't want to be an unnecessary burden on you. She sees how hard to try for both of you, and she doesn't want to stick around if it would be easier on you if she left…. She cares about you too much for that. She cares about you….."
Silence. Silence, silence, and even more silence. I could detect they were all considering this diligently by the way the lines on their foreheads wrinkled. Eventually, the healed man gazed back at me contemplatively. "This man… this "partner" of yours, you love him?" "Huh?" This definitely caught my full, undivided attention. Our stares met; his sharpening onto mine. "Do you love him?" "I….." I started but couldn't finish. Do I love Mando? But, no… I… I don't love Mando, do I? Do I? No, that's…. that's impossible, isn't it? If I loved Mando, it'd be…. If that was the case then… before I knew it, I'd grown to love him so much.
The healed man didn't wait for me to answer, instead leaning back a bit. "That's why you're reluctant to call him, isn't it? You want to give him a way out if it'll make his life easier," he folded his arms. "Did he ever say it would be easier without you around?" The server queried. "Well, no but…." "How do you know he doesn't want you around?" "Hey, yeah. Did you ever think it's easier for him to be with you than without you?" "That's not true," I instantly retorted. "How do you know?" He countered. "Because he told me we're running low on money and he's struggling to pay for himself, never mind me tacked on," plus there's Kuiil now too; who, I might add, is only there to guard me while the Mandalorian's away.
The healed man waved his hand in the air casually. "Ah, he won't care about that; not if he wants you around." "But he's never said he wants me around," I countered, raising my hand up to my chest. "Oh, come on; are you blind? You're the only thing Mando gives a damn about- it's so obvious," Toro rolled his eyes; it was his first time adding to the conversation. "It is?" I blinked to him surprised. I didn't know that…
A familiar hand planted itself onto my shoulder and I gazed back at healed man; he flashed me a brilliant smile. "You're willing to leave the man you love in order to make his life easier?" "Well, yes. I want to give him the chance to get back to his normal life….. if that's what he wants," my eyes lowered a bit in a sad manner. "And what about you? What do you want?" "It doesn't matter what I want. I want what's best for Mando….." I answered without thinking; I didn't have to think about it. That's what I wanted; I already knew… Too bad he didn't seem satisfied with this, giving my shoulder a squeeze. "I asked you what you want. Do you want to go back to your home planet alone, because I can bring you there. But what do you really want, truly?" "Truly?" I bit my bottom lip for a second before taking in a deep breath. My lips parted dramatically.
"I know I shouldn't get too attached to Mando; I know it's foolish since we'll have to say goodbye one day anyway. But… I can't help it. I wanna see him; I can't deny it. I want to see him, even if it's just once more. It's bizarre- we barely know each other, and he's already brought me so much happiness. Regardless of what happens going forward, I'm so thankful I got to meet him, to be part of his life for this short time…." I see… it's starting to get clearer now. My eyes slowly began to widen. Somehow without my ever noticing it, it felt so natural… having the Mandalorian near.
Stunned quiet once again. The server tilted his head a bit. "His name is Mando, you said?" I looked in his direction and nodded. He grinned and picked up this small, long gadget. Meanwhile the others kept staring at me in awe. Grins began to circle the room one-by-one. "You really care about this man? Mando?" The healed man asked me in a sincere tone. Again, I nodded. He straightened up and grinned knowingly at the others. "You have a lot to learn about men, girly." "Huh?" I tilted my head puzzled by this statement. That's when a beeping could be heard from the device in the server's hand. It sounded like it was ringing, only to be answered seconds later.
"Hello, is this Mando? We have something of yours; you can pick her up any time," the server was smiling at me the whole time he spoke. My eyes grew in shock as I realized he was communicating with the Mandalorian. "Wait! I said only if he wants to! He doesn't have to come get me if he doesn't want to! It's up to him!" I shouted, rolling one hand desperately into a ball. This only made the server's grin widen in the corners. "You hear that? Come only if you want to, Mando. Don't worry, we'll keep her safe here; she'll be here if you come and we'll fly her home if you don't. Either way, it's your call."