Read Online Bastion Science Fiction Magazine - Issue 4, July 2014 by Alex Hernandez George S. Walker Eleanor R. Wood Robert Quinlivan Peter Medeiros Hannah Goodwin R. Leigh Hennig - Free Book Online Page B
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He looked up, and relief flooded him. He would still know that gentle, bright face if a hundred years had passed.
“Anna!” He stood and waved to her as she crossed the shop. In a moment, she was in his arms.
“It’s so good to see you,” she breathed in his ear before he let go.
“You too,” he said as they sat down.
Her hair was shorter, but still the same shimmery caramel colour that so complemented her dark eyes. And yes, there were lines around those eyes that hadn’t been there when they parted, but he told himself they suited her.
“So…how are you?” she asked, swallowing an awkward pause.
He brushed a strand of loose hair out of his eyes and met her gaze. “How do I look?”
“Happy, healthy and handsome, of course. But you always did.”
He heard the hidden statement in her words. He’d appeared just as healthy when he was diagnosed. It didn’t change the fact that there was a fault in his genes. But he didn’t want to have that conversation yet. Or maybe ever.
She seemed to sense the change in his mood, and reached over to take his hand. “I’ve missed you. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”
He clasped her hand in return. “Neither did I.” Even the specialist’s certainty that a cure was just around the corner could have meant months or decades. He paused. “Was it too long, Anna?” The question had been on his mind for a week. He still wasn’t sure whether he wanted to know the answer.
Anna looked away, as though she didn’t know where to begin with it either. She took back her hand and smiled up at a passing waiter, who stopped to take their order.
When he had gone, she took a breath and answered him. “I let you go, Day. I had to. How could we have a future when I’d have lived my life while yours was on hold? How could I live my life, waiting and pinning all my hopes on something that might never happen?”
His heart ached, but he managed a weak smile. “I knew you would…I hoped you would. Get on with your life, I mean. Bu–tell me it wasn’t because you were still angry with me?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “No. No, of course not. Look, I’ve been wanting to tell you this for so long, and wondering if I’d ever get the chance to. I know you were ill. I never questioned that. I was just afraid for you, freezing yourself so young with no guarantee that you’d ever be reanimated. I wished you’d just considered living your life first, at least a little. With me.”
Damian shook his head. “You know I put off the decision as long as I could. I spent days debating whether to delay my freeze so I could spend more time with you, despite knowing that it could lessen my chances of recovery.” She knew all this. Had the years reshaped her memories that much? He took a calming breath and met her gaze.
“I’m so sorry if you felt like I was choosing cryo over you. But it paid off! I’m here, my final course of treatment starts next week, and I get to live my life now.”
“You know, when I heard on the news that they’d perfected the cure for Parkinson’s, I had to pull my car over to take it in. Not just that you’d be cured, but that you’d be back. I’d get to tell you these things after all. See you again, eight years on.”
Damian’s third cup of coffee arrived with Anna’s first, and they sat in silence for a few moments, stirring and sipping. The lull allowed Damian to work himself up to the next question that was plaguing him.
“So, has any of this altered your feelings about cryonics?”
She sighed. “I’d love to say yes. Everyone kept asking me the same thing last year. It was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Europe’s last natural death. But the answer’s still the same. I just don’t feel right about it.”
He had always respected the careful reasoning behind her aversion, but Damian no longer had the unbiased luxury of complying with her. He’d heard her arguments so many times he could recite them by heart. No
“Anna!” He stood and waved to her as she crossed the shop. In a moment, she was in his arms.
“It’s so good to see you,” she breathed in his ear before he let go.
“You too,” he said as they sat down.
Her hair was shorter, but still the same shimmery caramel colour that so complemented her dark eyes. And yes, there were lines around those eyes that hadn’t been there when they parted, but he told himself they suited her.
“So…how are you?” she asked, swallowing an awkward pause.
He brushed a strand of loose hair out of his eyes and met her gaze. “How do I look?”
“Happy, healthy and handsome, of course. But you always did.”
He heard the hidden statement in her words. He’d appeared just as healthy when he was diagnosed. It didn’t change the fact that there was a fault in his genes. But he didn’t want to have that conversation yet. Or maybe ever.
She seemed to sense the change in his mood, and reached over to take his hand. “I’ve missed you. I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again.”
He clasped her hand in return. “Neither did I.” Even the specialist’s certainty that a cure was just around the corner could have meant months or decades. He paused. “Was it too long, Anna?” The question had been on his mind for a week. He still wasn’t sure whether he wanted to know the answer.
Anna looked away, as though she didn’t know where to begin with it either. She took back her hand and smiled up at a passing waiter, who stopped to take their order.
When he had gone, she took a breath and answered him. “I let you go, Day. I had to. How could we have a future when I’d have lived my life while yours was on hold? How could I live my life, waiting and pinning all my hopes on something that might never happen?”
His heart ached, but he managed a weak smile. “I knew you would…I hoped you would. Get on with your life, I mean. Bu–tell me it wasn’t because you were still angry with me?”
She closed her eyes for a moment. “No. No, of course not. Look, I’ve been wanting to tell you this for so long, and wondering if I’d ever get the chance to. I know you were ill. I never questioned that. I was just afraid for you, freezing yourself so young with no guarantee that you’d ever be reanimated. I wished you’d just considered living your life first, at least a little. With me.”
Damian shook his head. “You know I put off the decision as long as I could. I spent days debating whether to delay my freeze so I could spend more time with you, despite knowing that it could lessen my chances of recovery.” She knew all this. Had the years reshaped her memories that much? He took a calming breath and met her gaze.
“I’m so sorry if you felt like I was choosing cryo over you. But it paid off! I’m here, my final course of treatment starts next week, and I get to live my life now.”
“You know, when I heard on the news that they’d perfected the cure for Parkinson’s, I had to pull my car over to take it in. Not just that you’d be cured, but that you’d be back. I’d get to tell you these things after all. See you again, eight years on.”
Damian’s third cup of coffee arrived with Anna’s first, and they sat in silence for a few moments, stirring and sipping. The lull allowed Damian to work himself up to the next question that was plaguing him.
“So, has any of this altered your feelings about cryonics?”
She sighed. “I’d love to say yes. Everyone kept asking me the same thing last year. It was the twenty-fifth anniversary of Europe’s last natural death. But the answer’s still the same. I just don’t feel right about it.”
He had always respected the careful reasoning behind her aversion, but Damian no longer had the unbiased luxury of complying with her. He’d heard her arguments so many times he could recite them by heart. No
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