By Diane Arrelle
It was long ago, and it was far away, and it was so much better. The words echoed in Janine’s head. Over and over. And she missed him.
It had all started simply enough. Just a late night drive to escape her husband and children for an hour or so. The noise, the fighting, the “He did it,” “No, she did it first,” was a broken record that played every night as Gerald sat in front of the television watching sports events. She’d learned too late that it didn’t matter what sport. Baseball, football, whatever—he’d plant himself in front of it and become instantly mesmerized. Janine was sure he’d react the same to naked mud wrestling. The television was his escape from the life they were living.
She loved her quiet time in the car, and she remembered taking a road that had cornfields on both sides. Blackness as far as she could see in every direction. Not another car in sight. Janine floored it and flew down the straightaway, feeling free and happy. “I wish I could go on like this forever! I never want to go back,” she yelled, and imagined Gerald suddenly having to deal with two bickering kids.
She smiled and went faster. Faster than she’d ever driven before. Suddenly, she was blinded by a beam of purple light from above the car and heard a loud pop next to her. Screaming, she jerked the wheel, and the car careened out of control, plowing into the field off to her right and ending up smashed against a tree.
Pain. She was in so much pain. Blood splattered in black streaks on the dashboard light. Janine wondered if she was dying or was already dead. She wondered if anyone cared.
“I’m sorry,” a male voice said. “I startled you.”
A voice? Where the hell did a voice come from? “Can’t you see I’m dying?” Janine said with a weak moan. “What just happened?”
“Hmm, yes, I see. You are dying. Here, let me fix that.”
The purple light returned and then the world went black.
Janine opened her eyes and gasped. Everything was so shiny and bright that she had to squint. “Is this heaven?” she asked, not sure if there was anyone around to answer her.
“No, it is not. What is heaven?” the voice said.
“Am I dead?”
“No, you are perfectly healthy now. The ship has analyzed your injuries, corrected them, and fixed your blood and organs as well. You will live a long, long time, especially by Earth standards.”
She blinked. The ship? Earth standards? “Am I on an alien spaceship?” she asked. What a stupid question!
He stepped into Janine’s line of vision. “Not an alien ship. Well, at least not for me. But I guess it is for you.”
She gaped at him. She wanted to feel afraid, but her fear and her voice dissolved before the golden alien who stood before her. He was the handsomest creature she’d ever seen. Built like a human but longer and thinner, he was the man of her dreams. Beautiful, and he had saved her life. Well, yeah, she realized, he did cause the accident, but then he saved me.
“Are you going to kidnap me?” she asked hopefully, remembering every abysmal detail of her life back on Earth.
He laughed.
Oh, what a glorious sound, she thought as she shivered with ecstasy.
“I wouldn’t kidnap you. It is against all galactic laws. No, I only brought you up here to repair the damage I inadvertently caused. For that, I do apologize. I only popped into your vehicle to have a talk.”
“A talk?”
He smiled, and the room grew warmer and brighter. “Yes, I like to talk to aliens. I find all life forms fascinating, and I’m doing my thesis on alien thought patterns. Earth is famous for the most ridiculous, outlandish ideas.”
Janine smiled back at him as her heart fluttered and skipped a few beats. She didn’t care what he was saying. She was falling in love with a man from outer space.
“I guess I should get you back,” he said, his smile fading. “I would have loved to interview you. To get to know you better.”
“But… but wait,” she stammered. “Interview me now. I’m not in a hurry, and this is the chance of a lifetime for both of us.”
He nodded, his smile returning. “Yes, a good idea. My name is Jorgaaf. And yours is?”
Jorgaaf dropped Janine off in the field where she’d wrecked nearly a year before. The corn had been replanted in the spring and was ready for harvest. Tears on her cheeks, Janine waved good-bye to the love of her life and walked to the road to hitch a ride back to town.
Oh, the fuss over her disappearance. They had agreed she should tell the truth: she’d been abducted by an alien, examined, probed, and relentlessly interrogated about her home planet. She didn’t tell anyone the real truth. She never said that they had fallen deeply and completely in love, had explored the galaxy together, and had spent a wonderful eleven months improving interplanetary relations.
Back home, life for her went on and on and on. Gerald died in front of the TV when he was fifty-nine. The kids finally stopped fighting, grew up, and gave her lots of grand-kids, and she barely aged. At ninety-one, Janine looked about forty, or so everyone said in low whispers. That lifesaving machine had really improved her health in every way. Everything was all right. She was content, but she always remembered long ago and far away. And she wondered where he was during her long rides alone at night. Waiting. Hoping.
And then one night, Janine was blinded by a purple beam of light and heard a loud pop next to her. This time, she simply pulled over and turned to greet the love of her life.
Can you guess which song from the 1970's inspired this story? Share in the comments!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fun story! Can’t think of the song…
A sweet story.
That’s beautiful, I love it!
What a long life for Janine to endure! The only guess I would have is Come Sail Away by Styx. Enjoyed the story!
Good guess but try again!
Dan Fogelberg’s “Same Old Lang Syne” ?
Feel a bit badly for Janine… guess the memories helped her through the long years.
Good guess but try again!
Never Forget by Fleetwood Mac? Just a guess based on the title.
Good guess but try again!