The Intergalactic Peddler-Volume 1 by Ronnie Coleinger
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Ronnie was sitting at the travel computers control console when Connie came in and sat down in the copilot’s chair beside him. He said, “How are you doing my friend,” as she got comfortable in her chair. She looked him in the eyes, said she was much better now and that her tears seemed to have finally dried up. Ronnie asked her if she would like to talk about something that maybe would make her smile. She said she could enjoy a good smile right about now. Ronnie said, “I just had a discussion with Janet. We discussed the idea of you and I being married in the church near her home, but I wanted to talk to you and see where you wanted to be married.” Ronnie continued on, and asked Connie if she even wanted to continue with this lifestyle, maybe she had changed her mind. Connie looked at him, and said today only reinforced the desire she had to live here on The Empress with her new husband and very best friend. She then said, “Ronnie, you do realize I am in love with two men right now don’t you. I don’t want any jealous fistfights in the cargo bay, so I thought I would explain that in advance.” Ronnie realized Connie was talking about the computer. Ronnie smiled and said, “If your friend becomes a problem, I will simply reprogram its voice to a high-pitched female voice, and eliminate the competition.”
Connie began to laugh and told Ronnie to tell her everything about the church, and then said, “Ronnie, I have always wanted a church wedding, so please fill me in on the details.” Ronnie began explaining, and soon Connie was smiling, and giggling. Janet walked into the control room and asked if Ronnie had asked Connie to spend the night, and then go to visit the church in the morning. Ronnie said he had not gotten to that yet, so Janet did the invite, explaining there were two twin beds in the spare room, so the girls would not get to chattering about premarital sex and such shit.
Connie giggled, but stood up and explained that there was only one problem. Janet took Connie’s hands in hers and asked to hear about the problem. Connie struggled with her fears for a moment, then looked Janet in the eyes and said, “You will laugh if I tell you, so I should just stay here on The Empress and let Ronnie go with you.” Janet said, “That is not possible any longer, you and Ronnie are now inseparable and there is nothing you can tell me that will make me laugh at you. I possibly will laugh with you, but will never, ever laugh at you.” Janet was not going to take the word no for an answer and pushed until Connie finally blurted out that she was afraid of the dark and had to sleep with the lights on. Janet smiled and said, “Is that all, I thought it was something horrible. You must realize that we can work that out. There is a bed in the small loft over the kitchen, where you can turn on the light beside the bed and be quite comfortable.” Connie smiled, and then asked Ronnie why they had not left orbit around the planet Keemus yet? Janet hugged Connie and said she needed to help the girls get packed. Ronnie told Connie that if she opened the door next to the dresser in his bedroom, she could find a bag to pack her things in for the overnight stay. Connie bounced out of the room and the sound of her giggles filled his ears as she went to Ronnie’s room to retrieve an overnight bag.
Ronnie radioed his friend Timms, and explained he would return in a couple days to purchase supplies and trade goods at the Open Market. He then told Timms about the impending wedding that would take place on the planet Quantum. Ronnie asked Timms not to mention to anyone about Connie being alive, “Just let her die in the cop’s vehicle.” Timms agreed to keep his mouth closed about Connie and The Empress. When the conversation was over and the channel cleared, Ronnie entered the travel information for the planet Quantum into the travel computer. He pressed the engage button, and watched out the viewing port in the front of the travel membrane as The Empress slowly turned and began it preparation for dimensional time travel to the planet Quantum, Janet and the girl’s home.
Within a couple of hours, The Empress was in a stable orbit around the planet. Ronnie completed the flight plan details with the Director of Operations, and then prepared everyone aboard The Empress for the teleportation down to the surface. Connie put her bag over her shoulder as Ronnie had done, stepped up close to him, rested her head on his shoulder and waited. Everyone held hands and Ronnie pressed the green button on his travel watch.
As everyone stood on the front porch of Janet’s house waiting for their bodies to become stable, Connie dropped her bag on the porch and ran to the flowerbed, trying to keep from spilling her stomach in the flowerbed. Ronnie followed her and Janet took the girls inside the house. As Connie sat on the edge of the porch, she began to feel better, but was still afraid to move. Janet stepped to the door and said the bathroom was ready for Connie if she wanted to use it. Connie carefully stood up, then quickly walked inside to the bathroom, sat down on the floor and let her body stabilize itself. When Ronnie stepped inside, Connie asked him why she was sick again from teleportation. She thought she had this problem under control, but now she wondered what else she needed to do. Ronnie asked her when she had last eaten anything, and Connie said it had been probably breakfast this morning. Ronnie brought her a glass of water and a couple of crackers to see if she could settle her stomach. As she began to feel better, Frederica asked if she could use the bathroom. Connie stood up and walked back outdoors, but this time, Ronnie took her for a walk behind the house where the backyard met the woods. Connie said she was sorry for being such a damn problem, but Ronnie said her teleportation sickness was a very real problem and inflicted millions of humans throughout the cosmos. Ronnie reminded her that she only had to do this process once in awhile, but some humans needed to teleport daily, and were constantly sick.
Connie said she was going to walk to the pharmacy and talk to the pharmacist about more ways to prevent this teleportation problem from controlling her life. Ronnie asked if her stomach was better and she promised she would not puke on him. Ronnie laughed and said that a little puke never killed anyone, and if they ever decided to have a child, they had both better expect a little puke and poop in their lives. Connie said she still did not want to puke on him, ever.
Ronnie took her hand and they headed off to the pharmacy. When they stepped inside, Connie was impressed at the quantity of potions and remedies that were on the shelves. Connie walked up to a man in a white smock and asked if he could help her with this illness caused by teleportation sickness. He looked at her and said, “Oh yes my dear, there are hundreds of products available for the problem, but I must tell you only four actually work.” He explained to Connie that there were also a few things she could try that required no medicines at all, some worked some did not. He pulled a list from the shelf beside his cash register that contained a list of four things she could try for her illness, and exact instructions for each. One of the items was the one she and Ronnie had used, hugging each other close during the teleportation process. Then the pharmacist showed Connie four drugs that might also work, he suggested purchasing a sample size of each and trying each one. He explained that only one would work quickly when needed and was the one most people had the most success with. He produced a sample of it and handed it to Connie for her inspection. Connie said she would try the Misenall tablets. Once she paid for her purchases, she and Ronnie headed back to Janet’s house.
When they left the pharmacy, Ronnie suggested that they stop at the clothing store down the street and see if they could find the clothes they wanted for the wedding. An hour later, they had purchased shoes, a suit for Ronnie, and a beautiful white wedding dress for Connie with matching shoes.
When they got back to Janet’s house, they tried on their new clothes and everything fit perfectly. Ronnie’s shirt needed pressing, as did Connie’s dress. Frederica asked if she could press them. Ronnie looked at Janet and she nodded her approval. Frederica took the garments and asked her mother if she would stay close, to insure everything was perfect. Janet giggled with her daughter as they headed into the kitchen to press the most beautiful dress Frederica had ever seen. While, Frederica was busy, Connie took Monica’s hand and walked into the kitchen with
When Connie opened the box of tablets from the pharmacy and read the instructions and warnings, she asked Ronnie if he was willing to help her test the medicine. He smiled and asked if she like puking just before supper, but Connie explained her stomach was already a mess and she might as well test this medicine right now. Ronnie agreed. Connie put a tablet under her tongue and waited a full five minutes. When the time had passed, they walked to the back of the house along the edge of the woods. Ronnie set the location in his travel watch as a waypoint, took hold of Connie’s hand, pressed the green button on his travel watch, and away they went.
When they were stable inside the travel membrane, Connie quickly walked to the bathroom, turned the lights on and hung out for a few minutes. Ronnie walked up to her and asked how she was doing, but already knew the answer. Connie’s cheeks were there normal color; she was smiling and had not puked. Connie went into the kitchen and got a drink of water, then after another ten minutes, pronounced herself cured. Ronnie was not so sure, but hoped she was correct. Connie sat down in a chair and read the instructions to see if she needed another tablet before returning to Janet’s house or if the first one was enough. The instructions said to use a tablet for each teleportation, up to six in any twenty-four hour period. Connie put another tablet under her tongue, waited the five minutes and then teleported back to Janet’s house, this time stabilizing beside a large tree in Janet’s back yard.
As they stood, hand in hand, Connie again pronounced herself cured, but she did not want to test fate and walked around the yard for a few more minutes. She knew how quickly her stomach could go from feeling perfectly fine to puking, and wanted no embarrassing moments in Janet’s home. After about twenty minutes, Connie could smell something wonderful cooking in Janet’s house and it smelled like spaghetti to her. As they walked inside, Ronnie smiled at Connie and said, “Connie, you were correct, my wonderful sister and her beautiful Daughters prepared spaghetti for us, and it smells incredible.” Janet snuggled up in her brother’s arms and said; “The food Genie dropped off some wonderful groceries. We seem to have the most incredible Genie in the whole world.”
Ronnie hugged Janet and asked if he and Connie could help with anything. Frederica and Monica said both at the same time; “We decided that you and Connie have to do the dishes.” Ronnie put his hands on his hips, reminded the girls he was a man and could not possibly do dishes. Frederica, walked over to Connie and said, “Connie will teach you how to do them so she has help when you two are married.” Ronnie relented and said he would allow Connie to teach him. Janet knew Ronnie was very capable in the kitchen, and needed no instruction on how to do the dishes, or how to prepare a wonderful meal. When supper was over and the kitchen was clean, Ronnie and Connie walked to the local pub and had a cold beer. Neither of them could stay calm, they were nervous about the wedding on Sunday.
When they went back to the house, the girls were getting ready for bed, so Ronnie and Connie tucked them into their beds. When they returned to the kitchen, Janet was making hot chocolate for the three of them. They sat and talked until late at night. Janet wanted to get up early and work on the novel she was writing, so Connie said she would also get up and fix breakfast for the girls and get them showered and ready for the busy day ahead of them. Janet watched Connie for a few moments and then asked, “Connie do you have any brothers or sisters?” Connie looked at Janet and said she was an only child. Janet quickly realized she needed to stop questioning Connie about her family.
Connie noticed the sudden turn in the conversation, reached over and put her hand on Janet’s hand. When Janet looked at her, Connie said, “It is okay for you to ask about my family, and I will tell you all about them sometime. However, for the time being, it is best if I do not talk about the things in my life that disturb me” Connie then looked at Ronnie and said, “I think there is so much that my man does not know about me, so much I need to tell him. The stories of my family, my life on planet Earth, and even the details of the rape that has so changed my life. Some of that fear still haunts me; you have both witnessed that fear, and I am sorry for putting you through that. I often become completely out of control in the dark. Some of the details of the rape I will only tell my husband, and will ask him to take those tales to his grave.” Connie looked back at Janet, “All this sounds horrible, but understand that I have really had a pretty good life for the most part. I had good friends on Earth that I will miss; I had a boyfriend that I will not miss, as he tried to dominate my life, was insensitive, and scoffed at my fears.” When Connie looked back to Janet, Connie had tears in her eyes, and Janet got up from her chair, walked around the table, leaned down and hugged her. Connie stood up and the crying session began. Ronnie got up from the table, went to the bathroom and bought the box of tissues to the table. Then he went into the kitchen and heated water for hot chocolate; the girls were going to need a good chocolate hug tonight.