Chater fifteen: Master Plan
Year 2016:
Ronnie Anne was waiting outside the Louds' house. In her hoodie pocket she had a note and a cold steak. Lincoln came out of the house, hearing his excited sisters, who stayed inside and stared out the window. Lincoln walked up to Ronnie Anne and kissed her on the lips.
"Freak!"
Ronnie Anne punched Lincoln in the eye. He went back into the house angry. He could be heard shouting at his sisters. Ronnie Anne walked down the street, and walked back through the back gardens. In a bush she could see the window of Lincoln's room. She heard his door close and him how angry he was. Ronnie Anne took a small rock, wrapped the note she had on it, and threw it through Lincoln's window. She heard Lincoln say something happily. Ronnie Anne whistled and threw the steak through the window. She heard Lincoln groan in pain. Maybe she had thrown it too hard. Anyway, for now it was all over. for now. An SMS came in the evening. By Lincoln.
It read, "Hi Ronnie Anne."
With these three words, Ronnie Anne's secret love began.
Present Year 2040:
Music came out of the headphones Miranda wore.
«On the first part of the journey
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings»
She was on a tram. Direction Great Lake City.
«The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound»
Lily sat across from her.
«I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can't remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La la la la la la...»
The tram drove along the shore of the lake. Miranda looked out.
«After two days in the desert sun
My skin began to turn red
And after three days in the desert fun
I was looking at a river bed
And the story it told of a river that flowed
Made me sad to think it was dead»
Miranda focused on the landscape and the lyrics of the song.
«You see I've been through the desert on a horse with no name
It felt good to be out of the rain
In the desert you can't remember your name
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain
La la la la la la...»
She liked the song.
«After nine days I let the horse run free
'Cause the desert had turned to sea
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings»
Miranda took the headphones out of her ears and tapped Lily's leg.
"Aunt Lily?"
Lily gave her a look that meant she was listening. Mirand pointed to the phone she was holding. It wasn't her own, it was Lily's.
"I thought you were a weird person. But you let me sleep at your place and you listen to music like that. You are completely different from what I thought."
"Well, everyone has preferences. As far as music goes, I see it as an art."
"Also that weird music Lorraine is listening to?"
"It's a different kind of music. As far as I know, Lorraine likes listening to so-called gangster rap."
"I hate this rap."
"What kind of music do you like?"
"Hmm. This what you showed me."
"This is music that Lorraine doesn't like, for example. Or what I hear is operas. Or, which is also very pleasant to hear, are songs by the Red Army Choir."
"Red Army Choir?"
"This is the Soviet Army Choir."
"Russians?"
Lily nodded.
"Shall I show you?"
"No thanks. When are we in Great Lake City?"
"In ten minutes. I've driven this route at least thirty times."
"Why are you and Lorraine so into trains?"
"Unfortunately I can't answer that question. By the way, just before we left Royal Woods three and a half hours ago, I had a chat with your aunt Ronnie Anne on Whatsapp. She's waiting on platform 13. I'll get off with you, and then when you're with her, I'll be on my way back straight away."
"Okay. That's good, I think."
Miranda pushed her headphones back into her ears. She pressed play on Lily's phone and the music continued. The tram went to the suburbs of Great Lake City. Always past tram stops. The buildings kept getting taller. At some point it was no longer suburbs, but the concrete jungle of the city. And the tram drove in tunnels. Until it reached the underground station that belonged to the main train station. The tram stopped, and Miranda and Lily, carrying a suitcase, got off. Miranda immediately saw Ronnie Anne waiting for her on platform 13. She ran towards her, Ronnie Anne caught her and picked her up.
"Hello my little one. How was the drive here?"
"Boring."
"I believe you. How is your mother?"
"She's coming out of the hospital tomorrow."
"It's horrible how she fell over a week ago."
"It is. I still feel bad about it."
Ronnie Anne wanted to tell Miranda that she didn't have to feel bad about it, but Lily walked up to her and put the suitcase down next to Ronnia Anne. Ronnie Anne dropped Miranda back on the floor.
"You are volunteering with Miranda? I thought you had other things to do."
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Killing people. Violating martial law. Or violating the Geneva Conventions. You know. All those things I needed to figure out."
"I can't say anything about that. Just that I didn't have fun with it."
"Of course not."
Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes. Lily held out a medicine box.
"The anti-allergic. If she gets stung by a bee or wasp, one pill. Lori says two pills for a hornet."
"I know that."
"It was just a reminder in case of an emergency."
"Don't worry. I smoked out the wasps' nest on the flat roof with two cans of the best insecticide."
"You're asking me if I'm violating the Geneva Convention? But the use of poison is chemical warfare as well, and is forbidden."
"It wasn't a war."
"Maybe that's how it felt to the wasps."
Lily looked at Miranda.
"I wish you a nice stay."
Miranda nodded and handed the phone back to Lily. Lily gets back on the tram. Two minutes later it departed bound for Royal Woods, where it would arrive in almost four hours. Ronnie Anne and Miranda set off with the luggage. They went up the escalators, and exited the underground station that was only needed for the trams. The subway was housed in another part. But they didn't go there. Ronnie Anne walked across the concourse with Miranda by the hand. She was fascinated by how huge the station was. And there were so many different people everywhere. And the people were very different. Miranda saw some african businessmen, a group of Latin American girls waving at her, probably because Miranda herself was half Mexican, an African American mechanic fixing the station clock, and a tour group full of Asians. Miranda found black and Asian people interesting. They just looked so special in her eyes. But that's what you think quickly when you're seven years old. Ronnie Anne led her to the short-term parking lot in front of the train station, where her car was parked. It was a VW Polo, built in 2025. An old car. But perfect for Ronnie Anne. She put Miranda's suitcase in the trunk and got in with Miranda. Miranda made herself comfortable in the passenger seat. Ronnie Anne started the engine.
"That engine purrs like a kitten. Doesn't it, Miranda?"
"Like a tiger."
"Even better."
Ronnie Anne drove off. She drove comfortably through the city.
"So. Let's test your Spanish. What does hello mean?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"Hola."
"Perfect. How do you say, how are you?"
"¿Cómo está?"
"Wonderful."
Ronnie Anne began testing Miranda.
"¿Te alegraste de venir aquí?"
(Were you glad to come here?)
Mirand answered in rather broken Spanish.
"Erm. Sí. Lo hice."
(Um. Yes. I did.)
"¿Me entiendes bien? ¿No has practicado?"
(Do you understand me well? Haven't you practiced?)
"No he practicado lo suficiente".
(I haven't practiced enough.)
"Well then. Let's practice it then."
Throughout the drive across town, Ronnie Anne and Miranda practiced their Spanish together. But sometimes that was interrupted because Ronnie Anne started swearing when other road users drove badly.
"¡Maldito gorila! ¡Debería patear tu espejo retrovisor, maldito idiota!"
"You goddamn gorilla! I should kick your rear view mirror you goddamn idiot!"
Miranda started giggling behind her hand. Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes.
"But of course you understand the swear words."
Miranda giggled even harder. The two arrived in front of the block of flats where Ronnie Anne lived. It was in a suburb of Great Lake City. She pulled into the underground garage, and parked in the lot signed "Ronnie A. Santiago." The two got out of the VW Polo, Ronnie Anne picked up Miranda's suitcase, and they both headed to an elevator. Ronnie Anne pushed the button to the eleventh, and highest, floor. The elevator began to move. Then they reached floor number eleven. Both exited the elevator.
"Be quiet. We don't want to disturb the neighbors."
Miranda nodded. The two walked to an apartment door and Ronnie Anne opened it. Ronnie Anne's apartment was a beautifully furnished abode, with black oak walls and floors, and antique-looking ceiling lights. And there was a large wall made of cloudy glass.
"May I push the button?" Miranda Asked.
"Which button? Oh, the button. Do it."
Miranda went to a button that was by an array of light switches. Miranda pressed it, and the just cloudy panes of glass became transparent. Miranda was overjoyed.
"I had to call the plumber a month ago. The pipe that runs the water through the glass panes broke the other day. But it's still cool after the eight years I've lived here."
"How does this work? The glass is clear."
Miranda pushed the button again and the window went cloudy again.
"And now not anymore."
Miranda pressed the button again, and the window became transparent again.
"And clear again."
"What did the caretaker say again? The window consists of two panes, both of which are rough on the inside. This refracts the light. But when there is water in between, it is like a single pane of glass."
"That is so cool."
Miranda pushed the button a couple of times. Ronnie Anne waved her hand down.
"Enough playing with the window. What do you want to do? Eat something? Or do you want to watch something on TV? Wait, don't eat. We're going to the restaurant tonight."
"Restaurant? Which restaurant?"
"We'll see. There's the good Italian restaurant we went to last year."
Miranda's eyes gleamed with delight.
"Oh yes yes yes. Please please. That pizza margherita again? Oh please please please."
"Exactly this restaurant."
Miranda cheered. And not quietly. Ronnie Anne covered her mouth.
"Shh! You're waking up neighbor Petrov!"
But it was too late. A muffled voice came from the apartment next door.
"Черт возьми! Я работаю всю гребаную ночь! Я хочу спать, черт возьми!"
Ronnie Anne sighed softly.
"Excuse me Mr. Petrov!"
"Заткнись и дай мне поспать!"
Ronnie Anne looked sternly at Miranda.
"And that's why you should be quiet."
Miranda looked down.
"Sorry."
"If we see Mr. Petrov today, please tell him personally. Actually he's quite nice. But waking him up is always a bad idea."
Miranda nodded.
"Go unpack your suitcase. Let's find you something fancy for the restaurant."
Miranda nodded and went to her suitcase. Two hours later, she was walking the suburban streets with Ronnie Anne, dressed in a dark gray dress with a skirt that fell below her knees. The air was warm. Typical late summer.
"What do you want for a pizza, Aunt Ronnie Anne?"
"You won't judge me, will you?"
"What pizza are you having?"
"Pizza Hawaii."
"Pizza with... pineapple?"
"I've never tried it."
"It's a good pizza. But many say that pineapple doesn't belong on pizza."
A minute after the conversation, they reached The Restaurant. It was a stereotypical Italian restaurant run by a stereotypical Italian with a not-so-stereotypical name. Daniele. He was wearing a white chef's shirt, black and white checked trousers, and the white chef's hat. Ronnie Anne and Miranda sat down and Daniele walked over to the table between them. To Miranda, Daniele looked like an Italian from cartoons. And he also spoke with an accent, like something out of a cartoon.
"Ah, Mrs. Ronnie Anne. Nice to see you."
"I'm pleased too."
"Oh, and you brought the little one with you too. It's been a long time since she was here last."
"Already a year."
"So, Miranda. Right, Miranda. What kind of pizza do you want?"
"A Margherita."
"Big, medium, small?"
"A big Pizza."
"Of course. A big girl has to eat a lot. And Mrs. Ronnie Anne, what do you want?"
"A big pizza hawaii."
Daniele took his chef's hat off his head and looked down sadly.
"That poor, poor pizza."
Daniele put his cap back on and went back to the kitchen in a good mood.
"Daniele is a good actor." Ronnie Anne said.
"Why did he do that?"
"In Italy it's an insult, I wouldn't call it an insult, it's not proper. The Italians don't like pineapple on their pizza."
"Why?"
"It's just not appropriate."
Miranda shrugged. A waiter brought them drinks. And Daniele had a sense of what Miranda wanted. A Coca-Cola Zero. Ronnie Anne and Miranda started drinking.
"We haven't had much to talk about since your mother was in the hospital. I had to leave the day after her admission. What else is going on there?"
"Well, Mom had a Nazi dream. While I don't know what that means, it's probably something bad. Lorraine seems to have a crush, and I know that Lily isn't what I thought."
"Wait? Lorraine has a crush?"
"Yes."
Ronnie Anne leaned towards Miranda and grinned.
"Do you have details?"
"Nope."
"And? Do you have a crush on someone?"
"Bah. Disgusting."
"Oh come on, don't you want someone to kiss?"
Ronnie Anne made provocative kissing noises.
"Gross. Stop it."
Ronnie Anne giggled and drank a little.
"You never forget the first person you love."
Ronnie Anne looked up at the sky and raised her glass.
"Cheers Lincoln."
With that sentence, Miranda's interest was fully activated.
"Uncle Lincoln?"
"Yeah. Good times."
Ronnie Anne looked at the table.
"But also sad times."
"Tell me everything."
"Hmm. Well, Lincoln was someone very special. Even if it was only a two-week relationship, it was also the most intense."
Year 2016:
Was it bad if she wasn't there? Actually she was there. But the 11-year-old Ronnie Anne was standing in front of the fence that surrounded the cemetery. It would be too much for her. Here, more than thirty meters away, she could no longer hear Pastor Schindler's sermon. But she could hear Luna playing amazing grace on a bagpipe as the coffin was lowered into the grave. The horizon was orange red. The sun rose, illuminating the undersides of the gray clouds. The funeral procession left the cemetery, at the end only Pastor Schindler was left in the cemetery. Ronnie Anne felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Bobby.
"Do you want to go to the others? Or do you want to go to Lincoln?"
"I don't know." said Ronnie Anne, sobbing.
Bobby led her to the cemetery. Schindler scared away crows that were gathering around Lincoln's grave.
"Away! You beasts! This isn't for you. If god wants to get you, he'll get you!"
"Hello, Pastor Schindler." said Bobby.
"Oh. Hello. Did you forget something here?"
"No. We have to see from afar. We also belong to the others."
"I see. You know, I don't like funerals either. Especially with a young lad like this."
Pastor Schindler looked at Ronnie Anne. He noticed the cast she wore on her right arm.
"Lord, how did that happen, my child?"
"Not important." said Ronnie Anne with suppressed sadness.
"God will always be there for you."
Ronnie Anne glared at Schindler and spoke in a loud voice.
"If God is there for me, why couldn't he be there for Lincoln? Or save him? Why did he have to die!"
"Ronnie." Bobby said, und hold her back.
"No. That's a good question."
Schindler coughed into his sleeve and continued.
"God has his own way, which we cannot always understand. But we are all children of God. And he loves us all. But he loved Lincoln so much that he took him to his heavenly kingdom to wait for you there."
Ronnie Anne turned and walked to the entrance of the cemetery. Bobby followed her and the two left Schindler alone, who began scaring away the crows again. Bobby caught up with Ronnie Anne.
"Where are you going?"
"Home!"
"On foot?"
Ronnie Anne snapped at Bobby angrily.
"Of course not you idiot! I walk to your car, which is ten meters in front of us! So drive me home!"
Bobby said nothing. Ronnie Anne got in the car, Bobby closed the door for her, climbed into the driver's seat, and drove to their home. At home, Ronnie Anne immediately retreated to her room and did not come out for five hours. She lay on the bed and cried into the covers. Inside she cursed Lincoln's tumor, the whole world, and God. At some point she couldn't cry anymore. There were no more tears. She felt dehydrated. Ronnie Anne left her room and was about to go into the bathroom to drink from the tap when Bobby stepped in front of her. He gave her a thermal bottle.
"Here. Drink this."
"What is that?"
"Hot Chicken Soup."
Ronnie Anne held out the bottle to Bobby.
"Open the bottle."
Bobby unscrewed the bottle. Ronnie Anne had a drink. It was very warm, salty chicken soup. It was very delicious. That salty taste. Incorrigible. Ronnie Anne took a second sip of the soup. Then a third. She held the bottle back to Bobby, who closed it.
"Is this dinner?" Ronnie Anne asked.
"No. It's lunch."
Ronnie Anne looked away.
"I know. You forgot the time."
"I don't care."
Ronnie Anne went back to her room with the bottle in his left hand. She slammed the door with her foot. She lay back on her bed. From time to time she drank from the chicken soup. But opening the bottle was always a challenge. But somehow it worked. Ronnie Anne spent a whole afternoon in her bed, crying or dozing. Sometimes she heard Bobby on the phone. When she was awake enough, she realized it was Lori. And once it was Mrs. Loud. He told her that he will do everything in his power to help her. Then Ronnie Anne was half asleep again. Meanwhile she was thinking about Mrs. Loud. It had to be disastrous for her. At some point, probably in the evening, Bobby came to see Ronnie Anne.
"Ronnie Anne?" whispered Bobby.
"Hmm?"
"Do you need something? Food? Drink?"
"No."
"Okay. If you need anything, tell me."
"Wait!"
"Yes?"
"Can you turn on the radio?"
"Of course."
Bobby turned on the radio that was on Ronnie Anne's desk and left Ronnie Anne's room. A presenter spoke on the radio. She spoke in a pleasant voice. A voice to listen to forever.
"And that was Faded by Alan Walker. This song hangs in our ears like a catchy tune. Yes, this song is in the charts worldwide and is unstoppable. But Justin Bieber holds the top spot with two songs. Love yourself and Sorry. And loving yourself is an important message that his song carries. It's 9:35 p.m. The nightlife is starting. And Armin's nightlife is about in half an hour in our Focus Point podcast. Here on Radio Royal Woods one. I'm Michelle, and this is See You Again, by Wiz Khalifa, and Charlie Puth. Good night."
The piano melody sounded. Ronnie Anne turned to the side of the bed that was against the wall.
«It′s been a long day without you, my friend
And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
We′ve come a long way from where we began
Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again»
She took her blanket and hugged it.
«Damn, who knew, all the planes we flew
Good things we been through»
She imagined it was Lincoln.
«That I'd be standing right here talking to you
′Bout another path
I know we loved to hit the road and laugh»
The imagination became more and more real.
«But something told me that it wouldn′t last
Had to switch up
Look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days, hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)»
But it was just an imagination.
«How could we not talk about family when family's all that we got?
Everything I went through, you were standing there by my side
And now you gon′ be with me for the last ride»
That's how she would have liked to keep Lincoln. She spent the first part of the night crying. But her body was so merciful, and let her fall asleep. She had a weird dream. She dreamed that she was at her home. And she was holding a little doll that looked like Lincoln. But the doll turned into a cocoon. And out came a tarantula. At that moment Ronnie Anne woke up. She rubbed her eyes.
"You can't even sleep anymore."
She rolled over and tried to go back to sleep. In the morning she woke up. When she looked at her cell phone, she saw that it was almost nine o'clock. She got up and left her room.
"Bobby! Bobby!"
Bobby came out of his room.
"Here I am. Need something?"
"More soup!"
Ronnie Anne threw the bottle at Bobby. He caught it.
"Are you crazy?"
"No! I want more soup!"
"Not in this tone!"
Ronnie Anne gave him the middle finger and walked out of the house. She strolled through the streets of Royal Woods. More or less with the house of the Louds at the end. She saw Lori lying on the front lawn. She lay under the open sky and stared up. A cigarette in her mouth. Ronnie Anne walked towards them. Her right cheek was full of tobacco ash. And beside. her head, and her hair, which was in the lawn beside her, was also full of ash. Ronnie Anne sat down next to Lori. Both didn't look at each other. But Lori broke the ice and talked.
"Did you know that the starry sky rotates?"
"Hmm?"
"Very slowly. It looks like nothing is moving. But the starry sky is moving."
"How long have you been lying here?"
"What time do we have?"
"Nine in the morning."
"Then I've been lying here for twelve hours."
Ronnie Anne nodded. She heard the sound of a lighter and saw Lori lighting a new cigarette. She continued to talk with the cigarette in her mouth.
"Mom and Dad have only been in their room since the funeral. I saw Mom once going to the bathroom. Si looks like a zombie. Dad is crying. I heard it yesterday. Lucy is hiding in the air vents. Lily cried."
Lori moved her lips so that the ash from the cigarette fell out. Straight across her cheek into her hair.
"Oh, what am I talking about? It's good when Lily cries. She's been acting strange the last few days. Should she cry a little. Should be healthy."
Lori takes a last drag on the cigarette. She threw the butt into the lawn and grabbed a new one, which she lit and began to smoke.
"And what do I do? I'm lying here, smoking the second pack, and I'm not useless. But I can't do anything."
Lori sighed.
"My god Lincoln. Please come back."
"Yes. Please come back."
Ronnie Anne looked at the lawn. Then onto Lori. She looked really pathetic in this state. Ronnie Anne stood up.
"Don't take it the wrong way, but you look pathetic. And I don't want to be like who you are now. Bye. And stay strong." Ronnie Anne said.
Ronnie Anne left without another word, and went back home. There was Bobby, still mad at Ronnie Anne, waiting for her. Bobby started to say something but Ronnie Anne put her finger up and stopped him.
"Before you say anything, what's the worst thing we can do?"
"Um, harming ourselves?"
"Yes. And that involves an emotional negative spiral. I've seen it, and it's not good."
"Oh. You know, Lori called and told me you were with her."
"Did she finally get up? She lay in the front yard and just smoked. And I don't want to be like her. We have to do something about it."
"I was already thinking about that yesterday. And I was thinking about Abuela."
Ronnie Anne was confused at first, then a little impressed.
"That could work."
"What would work?"
"Abuela. She knows how we can do better. Get in the car."
"I can't. I have to stay here because of Lori."
"You last saw her yesterday and you have a phone. Come on!"
"All right!"
Ronnie Anne went to her room and packed fresh clothes in her backpack. It was difficult with only one arm, and clothes crumpled. She walked through the living room and saw Bobby coming out of his room with a black backpack.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yup." said Bobby, and took out his car's ignition key.
Both got into Bobby's car. He drove off, along the main road, and then onto the freeway. After an hour's drive, Bobby stopped at a rest stop and went to get gas. When he came out of the gas station shop, he had a few things under his arm. Among other things, some sandwiches and drinks. He got in and put everything on Ronnie Anne's lap.
"What is that for?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"To eat? For what else? Can I drive on, or do you have to go to the toilet? Or stretch your legs?"
When Bobby mentioned the toilet, Ronnie Anne noticed a sharp pain in her bladder. She hadn't even been to the toilet the whole rag. It was as if her bubble was about to explode. She unbuckled herself extremely quickly and opened the door.
"Toilet!"
Ronnie Anne ran into the rest area and went down the stairs to the toilets. She ran into one of the cabins and relieved herself. Even after she was done, her bladder still hurt. She went to the sink and started washing her left hand. It was very hard, just with one hand. The soap wasn't sudsy, but felt very lye when combined with the water. As Ronnie Anne was about to go back, she saw a cleaning lady staring at her.
"What is?" asked Ronnie Anne.
"You ran in here at a crazy speed. Are you alright?"
"Yes. Everything is fine. I just had to go in there urgently."
"Oh. That's fine then. Have a nice journey."
"Thank you, have a nice day."
Ronnie Anne went up the stairs and to Bobby's car. She got in and Bobby held out one of the sandwiches.
"Sandwich?" Bobby asked.
"Wich?"
"Uh, tuna. Tuna spread with onions."
"Give it to me."
Ronnie Anne took the sandwich, unwrapped it, and began to eat. It was tuna. Bobby started the engine and drove back onto the freeway. After two hours, the two got stuck in a traffic jam. The freeway was congested. Ronnie Anne saw a Tesla driver next to them who seemed very upset. The lane they were in drove a little further, and they were soon next to a huge truck. Ronnie Anne looked up to see the trucker, and saw him headbanging. His window was open. Ronnie Anne opened the window and heard extremely intense trash metal music. They drove on slowly and the traffic jam cleared up after an hour. Then it was another forty-five minutes before they reached Great Lake City. There Bobby drove through the maze of the big city and got lost several times. He gave Ronnie Anne the cell phone and told him to put in the Casagrandes' address. Ronnie Anne did so, but was very slow because she never wrote with her left arm. Finally she started the route guidance and Google Maps guided Bobby to the destination.
"Here it is." said Bobby.
He parked in a parking lot and turned off the engine.
"So. We are here."
They both get out and took their backpacks out of the car. They went to the front door and rang the bell. A voice came from the intercom, an elderly woman.
"Yes?"
Bobby answered.
"Hello Abuela. It's us."
A crackle could be heard from the loudspeaker and the electric lock on the front door was opened. Ronnie Anne walked in and halfway there ran out a plump Mexican old woman who hugged them both.
"Ah, you're both here. That's so great. You must be hungry. Come with me."
"We're not hungry Abuela." said Ronnie Anne.
"Oh nonsense. Of course you're hungry."
Abuela led both to the top. As they stood in front of the apartment, Ronnie Anne's cousin CJ ran out of the apartment door with a drying towel tied to his t-shirt.
"Is it a balloon? Is it a plane? It's Super CJ!"
CJ ran back into the apartment. Ronnie Anne and Bobby were wheeled into the apartment by Abuela. Ronnie Anne's cousin Carlotta walked around the apartment on the phone. When she saw Ronnie Anne and Bobby, she took the phone away from her ear.
"Hey. I'll be right with you."
Carlotta continued on the phone. Abuela pushed them both to the dining table and sat them down. Now both were forced to sit tight at the table. More or less half an hour later, Abuela brought tons of food to the table. It was way too much. But it was delicious. But despite the good taste, both could hardly eat.
"You're not hungry anymore?" asked Abuela.
"We weren't hungry before." Ronnie Anne said.
"Why didn't you say that?"
"We did. But you put us here." said Bobby.
"So you don't want dessert either?"
"No. And why are you asking if we want dessert and not the cast on my arm?" Ronnie Anne said.
"Oh, Roberto already told me that on the phone."
Abuela went into the kitchen. Ronnie Anne glared at Bobby angrily.
"You told her about it?"
"Sorry. But she's good at finding out secrets."
"Well at least she's not overly worried about me."
"I asked her to hold back."
"Well at least that."
Ronnie Anne got up and walked into the living room. There was nobody there. Except for Sergio, the macaw parrot. Ronnie Anne sat down on the sofa and looked at Sergio's huge birdcage. Sergio looked at her.
"What do you want?"
Sergio began speaking Parrot Moderately.
"Carlotta, take out the trash."
Ronnie Anne said nothing. She listened to Sergio saying phrases and sentences.
"Hector, your sock has a hole. Shut up. Take Lalo out. Rosa, what's for dinner? Frida, stop crying. CJ, go to bed! I don't care. Turn on the TV."
"We should teach you something funny, Sergio." said Ronnie Anne.
Ronnie Anne went to Sergio's birdcage. Because she began to teach him wild expressions that might have been appropriate for miners or pirates. After a while, Sergio kept saying these expressions. He didn't stop cursing. Ronnie Anne went back to the sofa and lay down. Here, in the urban jungle of Great Lake City, all was right with the world. Lincoln's passing was still profoundly sad, no question. But somehow it didn't hurt that much anymore. Here in this apartment, she was like in a protective bubble. Here she felt comfortable. Here was her family. Maybe the perfect place to mourn. That's what Ronnie Anne believed until she woke up in the middle of the night on the sofa. From that moment on she felt as bad as at home. Ronnie Anne got up and went into the kitchen to drink. After the first sip of the cool tap water she stood in the kitchen and stared at the glass. She only thought of Lincoln. She was roused from the paralysis by Abuela, who in her robe turned on the light in the kitchen.
"Some attempts to improve your mood have failed."
"My mood can't get better just by eating."
"I have to admit that myself."
Both were silent. Then Ronnie Anne spoke.
"I just feel like shit. I miss Lincoln. But shouldn't I keep crying because he was my boyfriend? But I don't. Is that my way of grieving?"
"Exactly. It might be a romantic idea to cry for your partner, but the truth is always a bit different. The most important thing is to be in tune with yourself."
"That means?"
"Go your way. Do what's good for you. But don't forget him."
Ronnie Anne nodded.
"I'll see what that is. But, maybe I'll need you Abuela."
"If it helps you, then gladly."
Ronnie Anne nodded. There was nothing more to say about that. She put the glass in the sink and went back to the sofa. There she lay down again. Instead of sleeping, she thought. It was a master plan running through Ronnie's mind. And it was awesome. Lincoln wanted to be remembered. And that's what the master plan did. Ronnie Anne knew that Lincoln was successful at many things. Ronnie Anne would take Lincoln's wisdom and use it. So Lincoln would still be a part of her life, and his legacy secured.
Present Year 2040:
Daniele put the pizzas on the table where Ronnie Anne and Miranda were sitting. This distracted the two of them, and stopped Ronnie Anne from telling her story.
"Here's the pizza for our little guest, and the battered pizza Hawaii."
"Do you always have to give me credit for that?" asked Ronnie Anne jokingly.
"An Italian like me can't bear to make such a pizza."
"Exactly, Aunt Ronnie Anne. His heart can't take it." said Miranda with a big grin.
While Ronnie Anne shook her head, Daniele patted Miranda on the shoulder.
"Exactly. Are you sure you're Mexican? Because something like what you said suggests Italian roots."
"I'm American and Mexican."
"Of course. But if you look at the earth, we are all the same."
"Keyword earth, today the moon landing Phoenix comes on TV." said Ronnie Anne.
Miranda reacted more euphorically than ever.
"May I watch it on TV?"
"I bought extra popcorn."
"Well then, hurry up, it starts in two hours." said Daniele and went into the restaurant.
Ronnie Anne and Miranda ate. However, Miranda could hardly sit still with anticipation.
"All right, tell me everything you know." said Ronnie Anne.
The words that came out of Miranda were so fast and numerous that Miranda turned into a vocabulary grenade.
"This mission has been planned for three years. It is intended to symbolize peace and cooperation between peoples. Malaysian Aiman Darney is the commander of the entire mission. The deputy commander is German astronaut Werner Falke. And the engineer is Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Androprov. Oh I'm looking forward to it."
"I believe you. This is going to be great. But now you should eat your Pizza."
"Aye Ma'am."
Miranda continued to eat the pizza. Then she came out of nowhere with an idea.
"Can we put popcorn in a blender at your house to turn the popcorn into astronauts eating?"
"What the... So I get that right, you want to make a popcorn shake to get that astronaut feeling?"
"Yes. I want to walk on the moon sometime."
"I know, but a popcorn shake is a terrible idea."
"I do not think so."
"Of course you do."
"Any of my ideas are good."
Ronnie Anne nodded, eyebrows raised, and an expression that meant "Very believable." As it was the turn of the last slices of pizza, someone tapped Ronnie Anne on the shoulder. It was a large man, at least six feet tall, with a bushy mustache and wearing a police uniform. When he spoke you could hear the strongest Russian accent imaginable.
"Mrs. Santiago, nice to see you."
"Oh, Mr. Petrov. How are you?"
"Slept well. Woke up once, but you already know that."
"Yes, I'm sorry."
"No problem. Children are loud. That's fine."
"I'll still make sure you get a good night's sleep tomorrow. Are you on duty now?"
"Yes. I hope today will be better. Yesterday was horrible. A man had an epilepsy attack on the freeway. Everything closed, fire brigade and ambulance. The good thing is he will survive."
"That's good."
"It's true, I have to go. See you tomorrow."
Petrov left and Ronnie Anne turned back to Miranda. She had already eaten the whole pizza.
"You're done already?"
"I didn't talked."
"Even so you ate quickly."
Miranda shrugged. Ronnie Anne ate the last slice of pizza and stood up.
"I'm going to Daniele to pay. Please wait here."
Ronnie Anne went into the restaurant. Miranda was waiting at the table, swinging her legs back and forth. A moment later, laughter erupted from the restaurant, suggesting at least five older men, and Ronnie Anne. Ronnie Anne Walked out of the restaurant laughing and walked up to Miranda.
"We can go. I paid for the food."
Miranda got up and walked alongside Ronnie Anne. She smiled and giggled all the way to her apartment. As she entered the apartment, the giggles weakened. Ronnie Anne took off her shoes and put her apartment key on the kitchen table.
"So. take a shower first, and then we'll turn on the TV." said Ronnie Anne.
"Can't we turn on the tv now?"
"I won't turn on the tv until you've showered."
Miranda walked into the bathroom in her pajamas. But now she remembered the peculiarity of the bathroom in Ronnie Anne's apartment. One wall of the shower cubicle was made entirely of glass. A glass wall of an aquarium. A large aquarium, which contained many tropical fish. Clownfish that Miranda used to call Nemo, puffer fish that looked pretty funny, and coral and anemones. And if you looked through the aquarium, you looked straight into Ronnie Anne's bedroom. And from there, Ronnie Anne looked straight through the aquarium at Miranda. Both laughed. Miranda waved at her and Ronnie Anne waved back. Ronnie Anne hinted at a showerhead above her head. For miranda the sign that she should finally take a shower. Miranda went to the bathroom door, locked it, and went to a switch. This she pressed, and the pane of glass exposing the aquarium to the bedroom became opaque. Miranda undressed and began to shower. She actually wanted to take a quick shower so she could watch TV. But all the fish swimming next to her distracted her so much that she forgot the time. The water running over her head made her feel like she was swimming in the sea. Ronnie Anne knocked on the door.
"Do you want to watch TV now?"
"Yes!"
Mirande put shampoo in her hair and washed it thoroughly. When she was done, she went to her fresh clothes and got dressed. When she was done, she pressed the button and the aquarium wall in the bedroom became transparent again. Miranda went to the fish again.
"Bye fish." said Miranda, waving at the fish.
She ran into The Living Room, where the TV was on and Ronnie Anne was sitting on the couch. The NASA channel was on the TV. And in front of Ronnie Anne was tons of popcorn and candy.
"Here. Grab it." said Ronnie Anne.
She immediately started eating caramel-covered popcorn. Before the switch to The Phoenix, Miranda asked a question.
"What do you do, Auntie Ronnie Anne? You have so many cool things. It's expensive."
"I am an architect."
"What are you doing there?"
"I'm planning houses. And now look at the tv. That's what you wanted."
Miranda nodded and looked at the TV. The recording that could be seen was live from the Phoenix. Again and again the lunar surface could be seen, which looked huge. Miranda's biggest wish was to walk on the moon one day.
Lunar orbit:
Commander Aiman Darney is floating through the Phoenix Command Module. He wears the white space suit that has the flag of Malaysia emblazoned on his left shoulder. He floated to his colleagues. First to Jean-Luc. The French Astronaut.
"Jean-Luc, I'm going to the lunar module. Tell Hina, Jinjin and Jack that I'm in the lunar module."
A high-pitched female voice, with a Chinese accent, rang out from the other part of the Phoenix command module.
"Confirm Commander!"
"Thanks Jinjin! Hina, make sure Jack and Jean-Luc don't mess around." Aiman said.
"Aye Commander!" said a very high pitched female voice speaking with a Japanese accent.
"We never fool around." said Jean-Luc.
"Yes yes. Well, I conquer the moon. See you in a day."
Aiman Darney floated into the lunar module and saw his last two colleagues. Werner Falke. His spacesuit was emblazoned on the left shoulder with a black, red, and golden hammer and pair of compasses. He was the astronaut from the GDR. And then there was his technical engineer. Fyodor Androprov. His cosmonaut suit differed only in the Russian flag on his left arm. Aiman Darney floated in and locked the hatch.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir!" said Werner and Fyodor.
Aiman Darney, Werner Falke and Fyodor Androprov donned their space suit helmets. All three floated to the seats and buckled up.
"Fjodor, Werner, have you already gone through the checklist?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful."
Aiman turned on the microphone.
"Houston, we're ready. We're good to go."
A voice came on the radio.
"Roger. Makes us proud."
"We do that."
Aiman looked over at Fyodor.
"Go on. Undock and off to the moon."
Fyodor pressed some buttons, holding a joystick in his right hand. Through a small round armored window, Aiman saw the Phoenix Command Module slowly moving away. The Lunar Module glided toward the Gray Moon. They didn't say a word. Until Houston got in touch.
"Phoenix you're going off course. You're already two hundred kilometers off course. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. That's weird. I'll check it out."
Aiman looked at the onboard computer. Everything was normal. There was simply no palpable answer as to why the Phoenix didn't stay the course. Until Aiman and Werner looked at Fjodor. He pulled the joystick hard to the right.
"Tell me Fjodor, what exactly is this shit about?" Werner asked.
"Damn, you're throwing us off course on purpose! That'll get you in court!" said Aiman extremely angry.
"You will understand why. Now wait and look at the moon."
"Get us back on course!"
"It's normal, you think, I direct. Now it means, I think, I direct."
Aiman tried to reach the joystick. But he didn't make it.
"You're lucky that Houston doesn't notice anything about this!"
"I'll leave you on the moon Fyodor!" Werner said angry.
Fyodor wasn't listening. There was a jolt, and when Aiman looked out the window, he saw the surface of the moon. Fyodor unbuckled himself from his seat.
"Welcome to the moon. Mare Crisium." said Fyodor.
"You madman! That's five thousand kilometers from our destination!"
Aiman and Werner unbuckled. Both approached Fyodor.
"I'll kick your ass Fyodor!" said Werner.
"I'll leave you on the moon!" said Ayman.
"No. New Destination. And we're two hundred meters away from it." Fyodor said.
"That's not our goal! We'll never reach our goal because of you goddamn vodka machine!" Werner Said.
Aiman gestured with his hand. Werner fell silent.
"What is that Destination? And why is it here in Mare Crisium?"
"Come with me."
"You go out with Werner. I'll radio Houston!"
Fyodor and Werner went to the airlock. Aiman activated the microphone.
"Houston, I'll bring a situation report."
Houston replied.
"That is not necessary Phoenix. We know that you are in the Mare Crisium."
"Yes. Fyodor directed us here."
"He navigated you there on purpose?"
"Yes. He said that his destination was two hundred meters from our loading point. What could be there?"
"Wait a minute."
Houston fell silent. Aiman waited. Houston called back a few minutes later.
"What do you know about the posol mission?"
"Posol. That was the Soviet lunar module. The one that disappeared in 2029."
"Posol should be very close to you. If you ask me, Fjodor is a man from the KGB. Probably with the order to get the two astronauts back. Confront him."
"Roger."
Aiman ended the radio transmission. He went through the airlock and his eyes widened. The surface of the moon was beautiful. Aiman climbed down to the ground. When he stepped onto the surface, he became the first Malaysian on the moon. He turned and jumped towards Werner and Fyodor.
"Fyodor, what the fuck went through your brain that you could use us for your KGB mission?"
"КГБ?"
"What, the KGB? What's going on here?" Werner Asked.
"You're just saying that to Werner! You come from the socialist states just like Fyodor! Are you both allies? What do you want?"
Werner began to swear in German and his Saxon dialect was clearly audible. And then all three astronauts cursed in their native language.
"Was erlaubst dü dir eigentlich! Mir hier spionage zü ünterstellen?"
(What do you allow yourself to do! Accuse me of espionage here?)
"Вы оба сошли с ума!"
(You've both lost your mind!)
"Saya benci kamu berdua, tidak kira sama ada di sini di bulan atau di bumi kamu penjahat komunis yang sengsara!"
(I hate you both, it doesn't matter if it's here on the moon or on earth you miserable communist jerks!)
Eventually they stopped swearing. They all looked at each other angrily. Aiman looked at Fyodor.
"Why did you bring us here?"
Fyodor answered in a very calm voice.
"I can't leave my comrades up here. They've been here for more than eleven years now. The boys have to go back. They have to go back to their families. And that was my Idea. The KGB did know of nothing."
Werner approached Aiman.
"And I had nothing to do with it."
"And why didn't you tell me that, Fjodor? We could have talked to Jack, Jean-Luc, Jinjin and Hina. They would certainly have supported that. We wouldn't have acted according to Houston's will, but we could have achieved your goal."
"I had to find a way to make this work. And now we're here. What should we do now? Come back?"
Aiman considered. He looked at Fyodor. And then to Werner.
"As Commander of Mission Phoenix, I announce a change of plan. Mission Phoenix is now a recovery mission to crew the Soviet Lunar Module Posol."
"We get the crew?" asked Werner.
"Yes. We're here. We're getting the comrades."
Aiman and Fyodor looked at each other again.
Fyodor saluted.
"Спасибо."
(Thanks.)
Aiman saluted.
"Anda dialu-alukan Komrad Androprov."
(You are welcome Comrade Androprov.)
Werner raised his fist in the air.
"Vorwärts immer, Rückwärts nimmer!"
(Forward ever, backwards never.)
They looked at each other and patted each other on the back. Now they all got back to the mentality that all astronauts have. They are brothers. They are comrades. They are astronauts. Fyodor started running in one direction. Aiman and Werner followed him. And indeed, behind a rock, two hundred meters from the Phoenix landing module it was. Posol. The ambassador. The Soviet lander gleamed silver, and in Cyrillic was a red, faded writing. СССР, and in small, Посол. Fyodor stopped. Aiman and Werner stopped behind him.
"Everything alright?" Aiman Asked.
"Yes. Everything is okay."
Fyodor walked towards the lander and opened the hatch. Then he entered. Aiman walked up to the lander and looked inside. He saw Fyodor, the two astronauts in orange suits, with the Cyrillic inscription СССР on the helmets. Aiman approached them. Looking through the helmet's glass, he saw mummified bodies in the space suits. Both were silent and looked at the bodies. Aiman thought. They were astronauts as Aiman and Fyodor. And they were stranded here on the moon.
"What are their names?" Aiman asked.
"Матильда Черненко, Леонид Иванов."
Matilda Chernenko, and Leonid Ivanov. A man and a woman. Fyodor stepped towards Leonid's body and lifted him from his seat.
"Come on Aiman. Let's take them both home."
Aiman lifted Matilda's body out of the seat. Both came out of the hatch and stepped towards Werner through the moondust. They faced each other.
"Get the flag." said Fyodor.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"There's a red flag in the landing craft. Get this."
Werner walked towards the Posol Lunar Module and stepped through the hatch. He looked around and saw a red flag with a steel flagpole. He took this, and went back to Aiman and Fyodor. Werner unfolded the flag. The flag was bright red, and had the golden hammer and sickle crossed in the upper left corner.
"Why should I take the flag with me?" asked Werner.
"We're completing their mission."
Fyodor, Aiman and Werner went to the phoenix. Fyodor and Aiman placed Matilda and Ivaniv in the Phoenix. The two went to Werner. He held the Soviet flag to Fyodor.
"You have to do it. You're like the two Russians."
"They weren't Russians. They were Soviet citizens. Besides, Matilda was Kazakh and Leonid was East Ukrainian."
"But you're from its successor state. I mean, even you were a Soviet citizen. The Second Soviet Union fell apart in 2034. And the Russian Republic is the successor state." Aiman said.
Fyodor took the Soviet flag and rammed it into the lunar soil. Then he stepped back and saluted. Aiman and Werner also saluted. Aiman went to Phoenix, and retrieved three more flags. The first flag was the flag of Malaysia, the second was the flag of the second German Democratic Republic. And the third flag was the flag of Russia. He gave the GDR flag to Werner, and the Russian one to Fjodor. All three rammed the flags of their home countries into the ground. Then the flag of Malaysia, the flag of Germany, and the flag of Russia stood next to the flag of the Second Soviet Union. The three saluted a second time. Werner went into the Phoenix and got the camera. The connection to Houston was established for the astronauts. Werner turned on the camera.
"Houston, do you hear us?" asked Ayman.
"Yes, we hear you and see you. What the hell is the Soviet flag doing with you?"
"It was placed at my command." said Ayman.
"But you take them away when you go on TV live."
"No, the flag stays."
"It's not my problem. So, stay in the camera. Falke, do you have everything under control?"
"Yes everything alright." said Werner.
"Good. Then get ready for viewers. Because now you will be seen on TV all over the world."
A small red light on the camera began to glow. The camera took the light reflected by the astronauts, turned it into an electrical signal, and sent it back to Earth as a radio signal from the Phoenix. The signal reached Nasa headquarters at the speed of light, and from there it was sent around the world. Recipient to a billion. And one of those recipients was Miranda, who sat in front of the TV with Ronnie Anne. Miranda looked at the TV in awe, wishing she was with the three astronauts.
"You're flabbergasted, aren't you?" asked Ronnie Anne, smiling slightly.
Miranda didn't answer. She stared at the image broadcast live of the moon. Aiman Darney stepped in front of the camera and began to speak. His face wasnt visible, because the glas of his helmet was reflecting very strong.
"Nothing went according to plan here. But that doesn't diminish the value of our mission. We are here for world peace. We are a German, a Russian, and a Malaysian on the moon. And we've had our difficulties. But we found Posol. And we're bringing the two cosmonauts back. But I want to say something. A message to the children who are watching here. You are our future. You are the beautiful thing in this world. And it's unacceptable that children, still at war, are hungry , and experience suffering. And it is unacceptable that children die. So it is important that we make sure that the children are safe. Because you are the most important thing on planet earth. And maybe you, who is watching right now, will be the one who walked the moon here too. It doesn't matter if you're a boy or a girl. You're going to walk the moon here. Because you are our future. That's my message."
Aiman Darney stepped away from the camera. Miranda saw the German astronaut and the Russian cosmonaut wave. Even though it didn't go directly to Miranda, it was like a personal gesture to Miranda. All she wanted was to be on the moon just like those three people. The live view of the moon ended and a NASA press officer and an ESA press officer were visible. For Miranda everything interesting was over. Miranda went from Hypnotized to Hyperactive. She jumped at Ronnie Anne, screaming in extreme excitement.
"They waved at me!"
Ronnie Anne held Miranda who was untamable.
"They waved to you."
"They waved to me!"
Miranda ran all over Ronnie Anne's apartment. Half an hour passed before Ronnie Anne could calm Mirande down. And after this extreme excitement Miranda was tired. It was shortly before midnight. Ronnie Anne took her to her bed.
"So. Now we're going to sleep. And the fish will be with you."
"I'll keep an eye out for Nemo." said Miranda.
"But the fish have to sleep too. Good night Miranda. Sleep well."
"Goodnight Aunt Ronnie Anne."
Ronnie Anne wanted to leave the room.
"Ronnie Anne?"
"Yes?"
"I forgot what I wanted to say."
"Because you're too tired too. Sleep now. And we'll continue tomorrow."
Ronnie Anne turned off the light. She went to the bathroom, made one pane of the aquarium opaque, went to the toilet and washed her hands. Then she made the glass pane of the aquarium transparent again. She put on sweatpants and lay down next to Miranda who was already asleep. Ronnie Anne watched the Great Aquarium, and sometimes saw the clownfish. The soft shimmer of the water accompanied her to sleep.
End of chapter.
Author's Note: This was a chapter that came to me spontaneously. I don't know if it fits into the story, but it's part of the story. And thanks to all readers. Every one of your reviews makes me happy.
Additional note: I named the astronaut Aiman Darney after a good friend on fanfiction here. You deserve a part in my story.