Wake up Pleasant sleep slowly flies away, and reality gradually takes its place. The eyes are still closed, but the body begins to awaken. I feel skin sheets, a pillow on which my head rests, hair falling on my face. What day is today and what time is it? When is my shift? Where are we going now? Suddenly, something makes me alert - there may be some minimal difference in the atmosphere or the gravitational field, or maybe just the sounds outside the window; but I suddenly realize that I am on Earth. I opened my eyes, and it seemed to me that it was not at all what I expected to see: not the white habitual cabin of a starship, but the dirty room of a cheap motel. The sun breaks through the dusty window without curtains, the sounds of cars and aeromobiles coming from the street. I look around. There are jeans and a sweater on the floor, an empty bottle of whiskey and a glass with the remnants of a drink on the bedside table. Lazily, I lift and stretch my crumpled clothes, grope a pack of Pall Mall in my pocket. Last cigarette. I smoke and throw a pack in a corner.

A mirror hangs on the opposite wall, and my reflection is in it. On the face are two terrible scars - on the forehead and on the cheek. They are still pink, fresh: the seams were removed recently. I move closer ... It’s somehow unpleasant to watch, and, turning away, I try to find something in the room that I could shift my attention to.

For two weeks now I have been living in this hole, but I still can’t get used to it ...

They said I should not leave Earth while the investigation is underway. But they didn’t know that I don’t want to leave my room! I made the bed, lay down on top and turn on the TV.

“An expert from Sirius explained the economic crisis by political instability in Vega. He said that since the last unsuccessful uprising in the capital of the Commonwealth, which happened by our standards about twenty years ago, the vegan government is seriously concerned for the first time that such an uprising will happen again. Our journalists contacted the representative of Vega on Earth, but he denies such a risk, calling it empty rumors ... ”

Lord, and they have politics there. In all directions, the universe represents a uniformly ugly substance from our planet, and for many, many light years, nothing fundamentally differs from us. "All vanity is vanity ..." Who said that? And yet, it does not matter.

Automatically switching channels and finishing off the remains of whiskey, I kill for two hours, until the stomach starts to remind of itself. Have to go to the store. At the same time I drop into the bank, see if the money came from Dan.

In the motel parking lot, they called me. Turning around, I saw Tom hurrying to my side with a quick step.

- Hi baby! - he waved muscular hand.

“Hello,” she smiled and put her cheek up for a kiss.

- How did you sleep?

- Slept well. Waking up was hard.

- Lord, baby! - he looked at me in surprise. - From you already carries alcohol! Is it early for eleven in the morning?

“You are our busy man, and twenty-four hours a day I belong only to myself.”

“Well, suppose at night you sometimes belong to me,” he smiled wickedly and extended his hand to grab my ass.

- Do not be so self-confident - I removed his hand. - And then suddenly someone else want to belong.

“I'm not greedy,” he smiled, grabbed my buttock and drew me to him.

I rested against his embossed chest, trying to break free. Tom saw that I liked his rude courtship, and did not give up. Relaxing my arms, I brought my face close to his, and our lips merged into a kiss. He kissed him as rudely and wildly as he talked.Holding his hands behind his back, he pulled me to him, leaving me without a chance to escape, kissing his lips, his neck. Then I felt that one of his hands lay on my chest.

- Mmmm, baby. You are without a bra today.

- Unhook it! We are in full view of the motel!

- Who cares about you? And most importantly, you care about them?

He let me go, I straightened my sweater and patted my pockets, looking for cigarettes. Realizing the gesture, Tom took out a pack from his pocket. We lit up. For a while I silently examined this uncouth bear, with whom I had been familiar for almost two weeks. What did I find in it? A rough, uneducated, typical representative of the working class. Fifteen years older than me. Nevertheless, there was something in it: something animal and primitive, which I lacked so much in space. Tom saw me studying it.

- admiring?

- Why, I think I found in you.

- And you do not think. You're fine with me, that's all.

He paused, finished his smoking and threw a cigarette aside.

- Listen, baby. The guys from the warehouse yesterday found one whore from some distant star. Dick knows where exactly, and what she does in our wilderness. She has bright yellow skin, can you imagine?

- With procyon, it should be.

- Yes, dick knows, I do not particularly hack in this cosmic diversity, - Tom laughed.

- And how is she?

- I have not seen. They ordered it today, after the shift.

- Clear.

“Listen ...” he looked a little embarrassed. “You're like my woman now.” Let go of the evening, eh? I don't want to miss this!

- Yes, go ahead, me what?

He frowned.

- I see that you are offended. Listen...

“I was not offended,” I snapped.

- I see the same. Want me not to go?

“Tom,” I looked into his eyes, “we did not bind ourselves with oaths.” If you think that I will be offended or that my opinion of you will fall, then you are mistaken.

He smiled:

“That's because you have a low opinion of me, right?” Where already below? But okay, do not answer, I'm not offended. I never aspired to be noble and all that ... And I didn’t give you any reason to think so, - he looked at me sternly, wagging his finger. - I just live, I make a living, sometimes I rest. I rest in every way. Anything happens to me. And we are with you ... We just have an alliance, right? Arrangement. Sleep together when there is a desire. But you are ... I will not be offended if you drive someone else to yourself. Okay?

- Yes, I and you enough to head.

- Well, look, it's your business. I just don't want you to take me for someone else. I am who I am.

- I know. I have no illusions, - I thought and added: - If the forces remain at night, then you are ... come in. I do not sleep late.

- OK, my girl. I will save you strength, - Tom hugged me tightly, and his lips began to kiss my neck. The hand reached back to her chest, squeezed it. Let him touch, I decided. We stood in the middle of an almost empty parking lot, and we could see from everywhere. But it even started me to start. Suddenly I noticed that a man was looking right here from the window of one of the cars about twenty yards from us. It was difficult to see his face because of the toning, but it was clear that he was looking at us.

- Wait, no need ... - I whispered to Tom, but he did not stop. - Someone is looking at us ...

Tom looked around and saw the observer. He took a few steps toward the car, shook his fist and returned to me.

- Fucking freak! He looks!

- You will, calm down. Wouldn't you look at his place?

- Well, to hell with him, - Tom looked at his watch. - Well, I have to go.

- Where did you order your whore?

- Yes, straight to our warehouse, where else? Why? Would you like to join? - he winked.

“No, thank you,” I grinned. - Well bye then.

- Bye, baby.

I went to the store, bought sausages, bread, milk and the cheapest whiskey I could find. On the way home, I went to the bank, but there was no money from the captain. He must have forgotten about me, but today, as far as I know, he is leaving for the next flight.

Approaching the motel, I noticed that the car that was watching us with Tom was still in place. Passing past her, I heard my beep. Here is the bastard! Surely took me for a local whore and now wants to have fun.I walked faster. But as soon as I reached the edge of the parking lot, I heard that my name was:

- Zoe!

Turning around ...

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