Chapter Three
On the ride back to the transport station, Nyota thought about her discussion with Tigris, her high school boyfriend. She was perfectly willing to settle down and marry Hikaru if he wanted her, but she didn't want to get married to just anyone. Tigris, who had seemed cosmopolitan and suave when she was seventeen, now seemed like a self-assured bumpkin. She chuckled at his corny lines. Although Nyota was angry with Sulu, he had helped her superficially. She looked better and was adept at navigating the high-class society in Los Angeles, at least at the college level. However, there was much more to real life than rush parties and textbook drives for poor students.
Nyota was not a fan of using transporters to travel. She preferred using transport aircraft, but she needed to get home quickly. This was a pivotal moment in her life. Nyota showed her credentials. Placed her back on the transporter pad and stepped on the one next to it. Seconds later, she rematerialized in Los Angeles. She shook her head and looked down at her body. Nyota felt unsettled, but as far as she could see, everything was there. Nyota grabbed her bag and boarded a hover-van to get back to the sorority house.
It was late when she arrived. Nyota was grateful for that. Not even Mrs. Scott was up to greet her. Nyota liked Mrs. Scott enough. She was polite to Nyota but not as warm as she was to the other girls in the house. Nyota went to her room and undressed. Her father spent extra to provide Nyota with a private bath. Only rooms on the second floor had them. The residents on the third floor had shared rooms and shared two communal showers and bathrooms. It was chaos on Friday and Saturday nights. Even more than school days, which Nyota thought a bit odd.
Nyota pulled on a fluffy red robe and looked in the mirror. Everyone knew that red was her signature color. In hindsight, it seemed silly. Nyota sighed and put a new robe on her shopping list. Next, she opened her computer and scanned the black chip she had taken from Sulu. Nyota sighed. Most of the funds were gone. It was obvious that Sulu had used it for more than their dinners and vid dates. She requested a copy of the expense report. Nyota knew there should have been enough funds left for another year. Nyota would be lucky to squeeze two months out of the chip. Nyota then scanned the second chip her father gave her. There were enough funds for room and board for one year. However, she would have to cut her shopping expenses down to nothing. Nyota looked around the room. It was filled with impulse buys and other useless items. She changed into her workout gear and began sorting. She worked until 1:00 a.m. and went to bed.
The next morning, Nyota waited for the house to quiet down before she got up. She was grateful that she had her own room. Nyota didn't speak to anyone when she returned from her date on Friday night. She got up early and left for Kenya early Saturday morning.
There was a knock on the door. Nyota walked over and answered the door. Maisy and Maxi, the twins, were at the door. They were the only girls in the house that Nyota actually felt close to.
"Come on in," Nyota said, motioning with her head.
Maisy walked over and flopped onto Nyota's bed.
"Wow, this is much softer than mine," Maisy said as she rolled about.
Nyota picked up a scarf and tossed it in the "go" pile.
"Wow, that is cute! Are you getting rid of that?" Maxi asked.
Nyota sighed. "I was going to sell it, but you can have it," Nyota said.
"You are selling stuff?" Maisy asked.
"Yup, Nyota pulled another bin out of the closet and continued to sort. She rolled her eyes. No wonder her parents were trying to marry her off. She was costing them a fortune.
"Nyota," Maxi walked over and took her hand, "Is your family, she paused, "Nyota, are you poor now?"
Nyota burst into laughter. Maxi looked at Maisy nervously.
"I don't really want the scarf. You keep it." Maxi patted Nyota on the shoulder.
"We are not poor. My parents want me to get married and settle down, that is all," she said. It was the truth, but she didn't mention getting dumped.
"Oh, that is terrific. Did Sulu pop the questions," Maxi asked. She looked at Nyota's hand, and the answer was obvious.
"He did not," Nyota replied. She didn't want to talk about it.
"Well, what was the big dinner about?" Maisy asked.
Nyota sighed. "He wants to go to graduate school," Nyota replied.
"Where?" Maxi asked.
"The Bay Area, Starfleet Academy," Nyota said. She still omitted the part about being dumped. Plus, she was tired of answering questions.
"Are you going too?" Maisy asked.
Nyota sat down. She felt like crying. She shook her head slowly.
Maxi looked at Maisy. "We better go. Do you want to go out to dinner with us?"
"No thanks, I am feeling a little queasy," Nyota replied. It was the truth. Nyota felt like she was going to throw up. The girls left. As Nyota was shutting the door, she heard the girls talking.
"Do you think she is pregnant?" Maxi asked.
"I hope not. Sulu is such a cheater. Hazel saw him with some Latina a couple of weeks ago." Maisy said.
Nyota pushed the door shut softly. She turned, picked up one of her closet bins, and dumped it on her bed. At the top of the pile was a pair of old sweats, the grey fleece type. Nyota lifted the pants and inspected them. They were too big, but Nyota longed for the comfort of the fleece against her skin instead of the binding spandex fabric she always wore. Nyota picked up her padd and scanned for consignment shops. Then she spent the rest of the day packing all the clothes and shoes she no longer wanted to wear. She contacted the consignment shop and scheduled a private pick up, realizing her new life would have few such indulgences. However, Nyota needed to recoup the money she wasted as quickly as possible.
After the clutter was cleared, Nyota took a campus shuttle for lunch at a small café on the other side of the campus. It was a place she used to frequent before she met Sulu. The staff didn't seem to recognize Nyota. She was not surprised. Most folks could get past the hair and weight, but the increased height threw people for a loop.
Nyota opened the Starfleet Academy netsite and looked at the Starfleet Academy deadline. She saw that the early admission deadline was November. That must have been when Sulu talked to her father. She shook her head and sucked her teeth. Sulu knew he was going to apply to the academy before homecoming. He never said a word. Nyota wondered what went on with her father and Sulu. She sighed and scrolled down to look at the regular admission date.
Nyota tossed the padd on the table. It landed with a thud. She had missed the fall admission deadline. Nyota didn't know why she was so disappointed. She never had an interest in space any more than Sulu. It was about the principle now. Neither Sulu nor her family believed the Nyota had the substance or brains to get into Starfleet Academy.
A tall handsome man walked by. He stopped and looked at Nyota's padd. She looked up at him.
"I know you," he said in a distinctive Scottish brogue.
"Oh, hi," Nyota said.
She recognized him. He was the son of the Delta Nu house mother. People called him Scotty.
"Are ye thinkin of going to Starfleet Academy?" he asked.
"Yes, but I missed the deadline," Nyota said.
"Well, I will tell you a secret. If ye do a graduate certificate or masters, it is easier to get in as a transfer student," he said.
Nyota stood up and picked up the padd.
"I am a xenocultural major," she confessed. Her pride about her accomplishment had shifted to shame.
"Excellent, Starfleet is all about meeting other species. Ye grades are good, right?" he asked.
"I have a 4.0 GPA." She replied.
"How is your math?" he asked.
Nyota's smile faded. She took the required math for her program and statistics required for advanced research.
"It is okay. I am not a math wiz or anything," she said.
"Well, you are about to be." He said. Scotty took the padd and scrolled a few pages.
"UCLA offers a graduate certificate in math. Start in the summer and complete the fall and spring semesters. Make sure you meet the transfer deadline. It is different from regular admission." Scotty warned.
"Okay," Nyota was feeling hopeful. It wasn't just about Starfleet anymore. She was beginning to realize that she wanted more than getting married and starting a family. It was a lot to take on at twenty-two. What Sulu said suddenly made sense to her.
"I guess I will see you in Starfleet," Scotty said.
"You are a cadet?" she asked.
"Yes, however, I was not smart enough to transfer in as a grad student. I have two years left." He said with a chuckle. "If ye need any advice, just contact me." He wrote his comm number on a piece of paper he ripped from the bulletin board. Then he handed it to her.
"Thanks, Scotty, bye," Nyota said.
Nyota looked down at the paper Scotty wrote on. On the other side, something caught her attention. Nyota walked over to the board and looked at the flyer for housing. Then she took a picture of it with her padd. As Nyota rode the shuttle back to the other side of campus, she realized it was time to get serious about this endeavor. Whether it was graduate school or a career. Nyota needed to start planning her future.
A week later, Nyota was getting constant buyer notifications. Sulu had picked out most of her clothing, and he had exceptional taste. The items were barely used or new, and Nyota was able to make back about seventy percent of what she paid. It was a hard lesson to learn. She was shocked when the notifications for the Betazoid shoes came in over the posted price. Nyota wished she had purchased more Betazoid clothing instead of Earth apparel.
Another notification came through her comm. She opened it on her padd. It was a list of charges made against her chip. Nyota exhaled slowly. There were tons of restaurants, clothes and fuel charges. Nyota had always let Sulu carry the chip to pay for their dates. It was obvious that he had done a lot of spending that did not include her. She highlighted the list. Then she sent a message to Sulu.
Do you want to pay me back in installments or all at once? Nyota wrote.
At the beach, Sulu was having drinks with his fraternity brothers. He felt like a free spirit since he broke it off with Nyota. A cute bikini-clad girl walked by, and Sulu licked his lip. He was about to get up to greet her when he got a message on his comm.
Sulu read the message and put the drink down.
"Man, are you alright?" His frat brother asked.
Sulu's hands shook as he gathered his things to go. Sulu had used Nyota's card to support his lifestyle for nearly two years. Even the sporty hovercar he drove was leased using the card. It was one of the perks of being Nyota's boyfriend.
One thing was sure: Sulu could not go back to Nyota. He had burned that bridge. His grandfather, Nori Sulu, did not want bi-racial grandkids. It was Sulu's legacy status that would keep his costs low at the academy. He had to comply. He was stuck. It was Nyota's father's connections that got Sulu into the academy. He could not afford a scandal.
Sulu got back in his vehicle and headed to the dealer to turn it in. This was his last term at UCLA. Sulu would only be there for a few more months. If he wasn't dating, he didn't really need the hovercar. Sulu parked the vehicle. He looked at Nyota's message, and then he sent Nyota a message.
I was going to pay you back. I will send fifty credits a month. Sulu wrote.
Nyota read Sulu's response. It would take twenty years for Sulu to pay her back at that rate. Nyota wrote back,
Five hundred a month or ask your grandfather to pay it! Nyota replied. She meant business.
Nyota looked at her room. It was spartan. She took a shuttle to a local shopping center with variety stores and a food court. Nyota went inside and found some practical apparel. For five hundred credits, she was able to buy sensible shoes, fleece sweats, khakis, shirts and tees. It felt good to be out from under the control of Sulu and her father. Nyota was the architect of her own destiny. For nearly two years, Nyota was living the life Sulu had created for her. Now, she wanted to create an identity of her own.