Chapter 23
Sarah and Jeffreyhad decorated the upper deck beautifully with small twinkle lights and a birthday sign. Everyone had taken showers and gotten as pretty as they could get on board a ship.
At the agreed upon time they all clambered down the steps to the galley where Dan served heaping plates of orange pork with rice. Then they carried their plates to the deck to eat and drink in the moonlight with the open starry sky and the twinkly lights all around. They balanced plates on their laps and laughed and talked and Dr Mags turned on some of Rebecca’s music, a country musician named Pun Winston, causing Rebecca to clap happily.
Sarah rolled her eyes. “Again?”
Rebecca said, “My favorite — my birthday.”
After they were finished eating, Dan and Jeffrey took the piles of plates back to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later carrying a platter covered in a pile of small cakes with a candle burning in the middle. As soon as Dan’s foot hit the deck, he began singing a birthday song and everyone joined in, except Luna who watched, smiling, not knowing the words. Jeffrey begged everyone to use their hands to eat the cake because he, “Did not want to do this many dishes,” but Dan refused to, “Eat like barbarians,” and passed out more plates and forks, assuring everyone that, “Jeffrey will clean up everything. Don’t worry about it.”
After the cake, Dr Mags turned the music up louder, some fancy mixed shots were passed to everyone who wanted to drink, and the laughing grew louder. Beckett requested a song by Blaise Portnoy and held out his hand to Luna who took it with a grin, and they did their sexy dance from the Outpost but with a lot of giggling, because Jeffrey was dancing a jig with Rebecca beside them, Dan was dancing with Captain Aria, Sarah was dancing with Lenny, and Dr Mags was dancing around alone through them all. In between songs, everyone except Beckett and Luna drank another shot, traded dance partners, and danced again and again and again.
Finally exhausted, Luna collapsed in a deck chair and Beckett dropped into the one beside her. Dan dragged one across the deck, and he and Sarah dropped into it wrapping around each other. Captain Aria and Lenny took their leave to go to their quarters. Jeffrey grabbed a chair and Dr Mags returned to the radio and her DJ post. Dan said, “Rebecca! Birthday girl! Say a few words!”
Rebecca stood wobbling a bit. “My friendth, old and new.” She hiccuped. “I think I might be a bit tipshy.” She giggled. “But I want to say I love you and thank you for my birthday. It was awesome.” She looked at her glass and seemed to lose her train of thought, then she said, “This world sucks. Most days. I’m the last one left in my family.”
Dr Mags and Dan said, “Hear hear.”
Rebecca tossed her pony tail. “I just — I lost them all in the epidemic. And I don’t understand why I survived. It doesn’t seem fair. Like I shouldn’t be here.”
Beckett looked over at the side of Luna’s face. She was watching Rebecca her eyes wide.
“But then I have days like today, where it seems like there’s a reason why I’m still here. Because those whales.” She hiccuped and raised her glass toward Luna. “Thank you Luna. That was really good.”
A tear streamed down Luna’s face.
Rebecca said, “I’m shorry, I brought the mood down.”
Sarah said, “That’s okay sweetie, we’re most of us orphans, we’re all of us the last of our line. But we’re family now, and we adore you. Happy Birthday.”
Everyone raised their glasses and cheered Rebecca as tears spilled from Luna’s eyes.
Then Jeffrey said, “I have news — speaking of, you know, orphans and all. I—”
Dan said, “Out with it man, don’t leave us hanging here.”
Rebecca giggled.
Jeffrey said, “When I get back, I’m enlisted—”
Dan said, “What?”
Sarah said, “Oh no, Jeffrey, no.”
Rebecca said, “But you’re in school, right? You don’t have to go if you’re in school, what about your family’s land?”
Jeffrey said, “I was graduating from school this year, and I have this cousin, she’s got nothing, no land, no family. She’s really sweet, and they want to send her to the East. So I decided to go instead. I’ve had a pretty good time of it. I think it’s her turn to enjoy some—”
Rebecca threw herself on his chest sobbing. “Jeffrey, that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever heard, but the East?”
Dan said, “Why the East? Can’t you get a cushy assignment like Army here, sandbags?”
Jeffrey said, “I don’t have any land or connections to bargain with.” He shrugged and looked down at the full shot glass Dr Mags had given him. “It is what it is.”
Sarah said, “Jeffrey, you always have a place on our research team, when you come home from the East—”
Rebecca sniffled into Jeffrey’s shirt, “Absolutely.”
