Sarah was bad at flirting. Like, real bad. Past attempts at flirting usually led to the other person asking Sarah if she was okay.
When Sarah was abducted, she didnât know what to do. She had no upper body strength so fighting was out of the question. Her grades in school had been average and she had a Liberal Arts degree, so figuring out the alien technology also seemed like a no-go.
The aliens scanned her body, took tissue and blood samples. When they attempted to remove her clothes, Sarah blurted out, âWhy donât you buy me dinner first, jeez.â
The aliens stopped and considered what she said. One adjusted a dial on their collar.
âWhat would you like to eat?â
âYou can understand me?â
Sarah weighed her options. If she was going to get probed, she might as well get a free meal out of it.
âAre we still near Earth?â
âYes, but we can replicate your human food onboard.â
âSo, you can make anything I want?â
Sarah thought long and hard. She was curious to see how long the aliens would keep this going.
âMy grandmother made a great baked ziti.â
The aliens put a helmet on Sarah.
âWhat is grandmotherâs baked ziti?â they asked.
Sarah thought about her grandmother and family dinners before her parents divorced. She remembered watching her grandmother dance around the kitchen, the smell of the sauce she made from scratch. Sarah decided to answer the aliens as literally as she could.
âZiti is a type of pasta noodle and it is covered in a tomato based sauce and cheese. Sometimes there is meat.â
The aliens removed the helmet and gestured her to follow them as they exited the room. When they entered the hallway, Sarah saw an opportunity to escape. But what would she be returning to?
Sarahâs life was boring. All she did was work and arrange her Pinterest board with places she would never go to and a life she would never get. Her only dates were pity dates set up by friends who felt sorry for her. She didnât even have a cat.
Sarah followed the aliens through the ship. She saw other aliens stop and stare at her through open doors. Some even came out into the hallways to gawk.
Her captors led Sarah into a noisy room that looked like a cafeteria. All alien noise stopped the moment Sarah appeared. It was an awkward silence followed by a flurry of activity. Tables were pushed together, chairs rearranged, tablecloths appeared out of nowhere.
The tablecloths and dishes looked familiar to Sarah, but she couldnât place them until the food started coming out of what she assumed was the kitchen. The smell hit her like a semi-truck. It was her grandmotherâs baked ziti.
The food was served family style. Each table had been arranged to fit 7-9 people. There was salad, garlic bread, baked ziti and real Parmesan cheese. Sarah started crying.
âIs this not correct?â
âNo, itâs all correct. Iâm just overwhelmed.â
âWe tend to have that effect on humans,â said a new voice. âBut your tears seemâŠcomplicated.â
Sarah laughed. âComplicated would be the right word.â She wiped away her tears to get a better look at the alien who had taken a seat at the head of the table. âI take it youâre the one in charge here?â
The alien seemed embarrassed. âIs it that obvious?â
The others at the table seemed to be laughing. âOur Lord-Lady likes to think of themselves as a Commoner, but they forget that their royal upbringing makes them present much differently than the rest of us,â said the alien to Sarahâs left.
âLord-Lady? Is that your title?â Sarah asked.
âItâs the closest thing we can translate it to in your language. You can call me Rexina.â
Rexina smiled. âIt is nice to meet you, Sah Rah. Now, tell us about this food we are about to eat.â
Sarah told the table about the food, and her grandmother. She told them about life on Earth and how she had never fit in. Sarah asked the aliens about their world, space travel, what they thought about humans. She was so engaged in the conversation with Rexina that she didnât even notice that the cafeteria had emptied.
âWe should go,â Rexina said. âThe cleaning crew has been glaring at us for a while.â
Sarah saw that she and Rexina were the only diners left. She reluctantly got up, not wanting the conversation to end. Rexina was the most interesting person she had ever met and talking to them was so easy.
They exited the cafeteria together and stood awkwardly in the hallway.
âI guess I should get back to work,â Rexina said.
âAnd I guess I should go back toâŠbeing experimented on?â
âOh!â Rexina again looked embarrassed. âSorry about the wholeâŠkidnappingâŠthing.â
âItâs okay. I mean, itâs not okay to kidnap people, but Iâm not judging anditmeansthatIgottomeetyousoitwasworthit.â Sarah turned away, blushing, and started walking determinedly away. She didnât care if it was the right direction, she just needed to get away from the situation she just created.
Sarah took off running and ran straight into a wall.
Rexina quickly arrived at her side.
âYup, just totally embarrassed.â
âNo need to be. Our ship can be very confusing,â Rexina paused thoughtfully. âWould you like a tour?â
Even through the embarrassment, Sarah knew she would do anything to spend more time with Rexina. She agreed to a tour, which turned into dinner, and by then it was late so Rexina offered her their bunk.
âBut where will you sleep?â
âI can put some bedding in my office, it will be fine. Iâm not sure I would be able to sleep anyway.â
âMe neither. Maybe we should keep hanging out until we get tired?â
And so they did. They talked for hours until they fell asleep nestled against each other.
Days turned into weeks. Rexina found new ways to avoid returning Sarah to the Processing Room, even though they passed it regularly. Sarah was given a uniform and the shipâs tailor adjusted it to her human form.
Rexina took Sarah on trips down to Earth and was amazed that Sarah had seen so little of her own planet. Together they explored the deserts, mountains, rainforests and tundra. Sarah learned that humans were not the only life forms taken up to the spaceship.
âItâs what you humans would call âCatch and Relaseâ. We try not to harm anything living, though we have made mistakes. The most important thing is that we learn from those mistakes.â
Sarah discovered that Rexinaâs people had been studying the Earth for centuries. Rexina laughed as she revealed that the idea of âlittle green menâ versus âgrey menâ had been competing experiments by two doctoral candidates.
Rexina learned a lot from Sarah as well. They learned the mundanity of every day life as Sarah wrapped up her life on Earth. After selling what she could and donating what she couldnât, Sarah was left with a suitcase and a duffel.
âI can make more room for you,â Rexina said.
âItâs fine, I have everything I need,â Sarah said, reaching out to hold one of Rexinaâs hands.
Weeks turned into months. Sarah did her best to learn Rexinaâs language but her mouth couldnât form certain sounds.
âStop laughing at me.â
âI canât help it, your face is so cute!â
They were on the return journey to Rexinaâs home planet. Royalty didnât usually participate in the expeditions to other planets, but Rexina was uncomfortable as a royal. They wanted to prove that they were capable of earning their way through life. They had been met with resistance at first, but Rexina proved themselves. The shipâs crew would gladly follow Rexina wherever they led, even if it was being marooned on a distant planet because their Captain had fallen in love with a human.
âWhat if your parents donât like me?â
âTheyâre going to love you.â
âHumans canât even accept other humans with different skin colors. Why would your parents accept another species?â
âThatâs why humans have never traveled past their own moon.â
Both Sarah and the crew had their worries assuaged by the welcome waiting for them. The Emperor and Emperor-Consort had arranged a week long celebration welcoming their child back home and to welcome Sarah into their family.
âOur species partners for life, did you know that?â asked the Emperor-Consort over dinner.
âMaternal Father, please do not embarrass me.â
âIâm just asking questions. You never bring anyone home so this one must be special.â
Sarah smiled joyfully. She adored Rexinaâs family and they adored her.
Months turned to years. Rexina and Sarah were married with a traditional bonding ceremony. The Emperor cried louder than anyone at the ceremony.
Years turned to decades. Sarah developed into her role in the Royal Court. Rexina and Sarah adopted what they thought was the Earth equivalent of a house cat but ended up being a small, furry, sentient being. The creature was legally designated as their child and they adopted more children, the orphans and outcasts of the galaxy. They took their children on expeditions around the Universe and raised them to be kind and generous leaders.
Being royalty was still the furthest thing from their minds but they returned home permanently as the Emperors grew older. Rexina ascended the throne while their parents still lived. During the coronation, Sarah smiled at her life partner and their children. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined where she would end up. Sarah was happy.
