CHAPTER 6 - CAFETERIA TALK

At dinner that evening, Elizabeth met up with her fellow roommates – now fully dressed, as well as the ones who would be sharing a bathroom with them from the other living quarters. The large group sat at a table in the cafeteria sharing conversation and introductions.

It seemed that most everyone aboard the transporter except for Jack and Elizabeth was some sort of scientist. Elizabeth had always prided herself on her knowledge of science. At age nine, she had built a model solar system complete with a battery-operated international space station orbiting Earth. At age ten, she could recite the periodic table of elements. At age eleven, she did a book report on Madame Curie. But now. . . now she realized that she knew very little about science and to be honest, it was boring.

In between the men's discussions of microbes, anthracite, and oxygen levels, Elizabeth brought up the subject of working out some sort of showering schedule for the one bathroom they would all be using.

"Three minutes is all I need," one of the men remarked.

"Two minutes for me", Carl said.

Two minutes?! I certainly hope they don't expect me to be able to shower and wash my hair in two to three minutes, she thought in horror.

"I don't need a schedule," a bald man remarked.

"Doesn't matter to me if I'm showering and someone else is in there shaving or using the john."

"Me neither," said Seth.

"I'm not shy. You want to see me, see me. You don't want to see me, wait two minutes and I'll be out of there," another man said good-naturedly before putting a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"I've got a girlfriend back home. There ain't anything I haven't seen before. Up close."

"Some of us may not want to see what you've got. Up close", Jack replied with a smile.

For the second time since the earlier incident that day with the men undressing in front of her, Elizabeth was secretly grateful that Jack was one of her roommates. Despite their rough start, she had a feeling that he wouldn't hesitate to look after her well-being if she needed it.

"Let's just all agree to knock before we open the door or to keep it locked if we want privacy", Jack instructed in a way that made it seem more like a friendly suggestion. The men from the other room all shrugged but agreed. Carl and Seth, both sensing that Jack was making the suggestion on behalf of Elizabeth, glanced at her and then also readily agreed.

Of the eight people sharing a bathroom, seven of the them were male. Elizabeth wondered why her end of the alphabet had to be so male dominated.

Not wanting to call unnecessary attention to the fact that she was a female and may like some privacy, - although honestly how can they miss that fact! she thought - Elizabeth dropped the idea of a bathroom schedule. Jack had already made sure that Seth and Carl weren't going to undress in front of her, she couldn't now ask them to hurry up when they were in the bathroom. The transporter's passengers were organized alphabetically like most things in society to avoid any appearance of discrimination or gender preferences. Elizabeth wasn't about to undo what generations of women had strived for - equal treatment and respect. She would just have to learn to live with three men sharing her living quarters and seven men sharing her bathroom.

That night, as she lay in her berth with the curtain pulled closed and the lights dimmed low, Elizabeth wasn't thinking about shower schedules but about her upcoming school year. She had been wondering how to keep the students involved in their studies over the next four months when she came up with the idea to prepare a hologram each day to send to the students. Although there was currently almost a week-long delay in transmissions, if she sent a message every day, by next week, the students would be getting daily lessons.

Elizabeth decided that her first lesson would be on English literature. She mentally went over classic novels.

Everything was going fine as she closed her eyes and listened to the deep breathing sounds of her roommates who were already asleep.

But then she became sleepier and her mind became muddled. Imagines of strong sexy romantic male characters passed through her mind.

Heathcliff. Gabriel Oak. Fitzwilliam Darcy.

As she drifted off to sleep, those images faded away and instead of a fictional character, a real flesh and blood human image entered her mind. It had stayed with her while she dreamt all through the night.

Jack Thornton.

Jack Thornton! No! No! Why was I dreaming about him? Elizabeth asked herself with a scowl as she sat up in bed the next morning, pulled back the curtain, and swung her legs over the side. He's turned about to be nice but we're just roommates. And he hasn't the shown the slightest interest in me.

Her feet touched the cold floor of the now quiet room. She had waited until she heard the men leave before making a move to get up.

This is going to be strange, Elizabeth thought. Really really strange.

For more than two decades, every single day in her entire life – except this one - had begun exactly the same. She has always been on a planet orbiting the sun. Morning had always come. Earth had always rotated around in a circle. She had always been on Earth.

Oh, Earth. I miss you, she said wistfully. These artificial lights have nothing on you.

In an effort to replicate earth's twenty-four hour days, and human circadian rhythms – the body's internal clock of cycles of sleepiness and alertness – the transporter had been equipped with lights that mimicked the sun. Making day and night. Sunrise and Sunset.

Elizabeth ran her hand through her messy hair and walked to her locker where she grabbed her toothbrush and then headed for the bathroom. Luckily, it was empty of anyone else.

As she looked around, Elizabeth was reminded why her transporter instructions had told passengers to not pack liquids. Attached to the walls were various dispensers of necessary items. Toothpaste. Shaving cream. Body wash. Shampoo. Oh thank goodness, conditioner!

Elizabeth pushed her toothbrush under the appropriately labeled dispenser and watched as exactly a one-half an inch of paste landed on the bristles of her brush.

Thirty minutes later, Elizabeth pushed a plastic tray along the metal counter in front of her as she stood in the cafeteria line.

"Morning, sleepy-head."

"Jack!" she said in surprise as he picked up a tray and got in line next to her.

"Did you get your shower? Nice and private?"

"I did. And thanks for going to bat for me. Yesterday. With the guys undressing", she said gratefully. "And with suggesting they lock and knock."

"No problem. It was for purely selfish reasons."

Elizabeth looked at him questioningly. "Selfish reasons?"

"I don't want you comparing me to those guys. Did you see the muscles on that rock-head Seth? I think his arms are made of boulders", Jack said in disbelief, causing Elizabeth to giggle.

"I thought you would have eaten already. You and the others left the room before I got up."

"I had some work to do," he replied.

"Ahh, that important law enforcement work. Don't tell me there have been crimes on the transporter already", she teased.

"Just an attempted theft of a top bunk bed yesterday, but I handled it."

"And the culprit?" she asked with a smile.

"A school teacher. I think she's learned her lesson", Jack said a tad bit too arrogantly.

Elizabeth would have let the kidding remark pass, but at that moment, a pretty brunette woman walked by. She reached in front of Elizabeth and grabbed a pat of butter from the counter.

"Hi, Jack. Stop by my room later if you're bored," she said in a friendly manner before walking away.

Elizabeth frowned slightly. Does he flirt with every woman?

"Hi Jack," a cute red-head called out with a wave as she walked by, causing Elizabeth to scowl.

What is he? Like gravity? Women are pulled to him? Well, I am immune to his charms. If he thinks I learned a lesson by him winning the top bunk, he's wrong.

"I have a lesson for you, Officer Thornton. One hundred and twenty minus one", Elizabeth said as she put a small carton of orange juice onto her tray.

Jack gave her a puzzled but humorous look. "One hundred and nineteen. What's the significance?"

"That's how many more days we'll be living together. I suggest you learn very quickly that I'm not some delicate push-over."

"I never said you were a push-over. Just delicate."

"I am not delicate", Elizabeth retorted.

"You're right. You did quite a number on the arm-rests during lift-off. I've never seen anyone clutch them quite so un-delicately. Almost ferociously. If I didn't know you so well, I would think you had been terrified. But of course, a not-delicate, not-push-over, beautiful woman such as yourself wouldn't have been scared of a little noise and shaking during lift-off."

"I am also immune to your charms," she said with a self-satisified smile.

"Did they give inoculations for that?" he asked with a grin. "Because if the did, some of the women on this ship must have missed them", he added when an attractive woman walked by and waved at him.

"Poor women," Elizabeth remarked with a sad shake of her head. "I'm sure they'll start to feel nauseous by you soon."

"Nauseated. Not nauseous", he corrected her.

"Excuse me?"

"People feel nauseated. They are nauseous. It's basic grammar. I'm surprised you didn't know that. You being a teacher and all", he said in a friendly voice.

"Don't tell me my job!"

Jack grinned but didn't respond as they pushed their trays forward.

"Are you trying to tell me that somewhere in that academy of yours, they gave you a class on grammar?" asked Elizabeth, who took it as a personal insult to be corrected on a grammar mistake.

"Nope. My ma was a teacher. A most honorable profession. She taught me a lot."

Elizabeth huffed disagreeably as she pushed her tray forward. She couldn't exactly argue with a comment like that.

"Pancakes, please", she said to the attractive and friendly-looking middle-aged cafeteria worker now standing across from her.

The woman, wearing a name-tag which read "Abigail", handed Elizabeth a plate containing two warm pancakes.

"What can I get for you, Sir?"

"I'll take some eggs."

Elizabeth shook her head in disgust at Jack. Clearly there were no eggs. They weren't listed on the day's menu and they weren't anywhere in sight. Just like him to think he would get special treatment just because he's cute and in law enforcement, she thought with another huff.

"Sorry, sir –"

"Jack. Jack Thornton", he interrupted with a smile.

"Sorry, Jack," Abigail said in in a friendly voice. "No eggs today. We'll have some tomorrow. Any particular kind you were thinking about?"

"Frozen," he replied with an innocent-looking face as he tried to hide a smile.

"Frozen?" Abigail asked in puzzlement and then looked curiously at Elizabeth, who had slammed down her plate at Jack's words.

"I've never heard of serving frozen eggs" , a confused Abigail added.

"I think you coddle them first. Then freeze them. But I'm not exactly sure. Maybe you freeze first and then coddle?" Jack said as he turned to look at Elizabeth, who was glaring at him.

"I think it's a delicacy of some kind. Maybe you know, Elizabeth?" he asked pleasantly.

If looks could kill, Jack would be dead.

And Elizabeth would be serving a life sentence for homicide.

"No problem, Abigail. I'll just take pancakes today", Jack said with a chuckle.

Up Next: Chapter 7 The Schedule