"I don't want hear it. I don't want hear it out of you! I was going to travel! I was going to have a life...!"
Miko looked at his soon-to-be ex, and wrinkled his brow. He didn't like it when she got loud. Shayna was usually super-composed; hard to read, even. But when she lost it, there was no mistaking the thing.
"You still can. Why not? Selling the place will give us both a chance to get free. I was talking to Ki'lonna Merengol yesterday. Remember her, from the Neighborhood Commerce Society meetings? She's a commercial real estate broker; I brought up the idea, and she said she'd be happy to list the store for us."
"And what will be left over, Miko? The bank still owns half the place! Your loansharks own the rest!"
"I paid off Rabion last week, Shay, I told you. We won't hear from him again. I'm trying to make it all up to you, and to everyone else."
She pursed her lips in deep dissatisfaction, turning away, and continuing to swap out the stock.
A new delivery of Auntie Bob had come in, and she was setting it up in the dump display at the front of the shop. There was a new holo-ad to go along with it; Roberta Batewell whiskey shipments always came with new ads. It would play above the dump, via the display's popup hologram projector. It represented a total makeover for the front of the shop, so the remaining bottles of Lago Texcoco tequila, last quarter's featured product line, had to go back to their place on the inner shelves, near the back of the store. There weren't many left, actually; the Lago had been a surprise hit, since Terran-style tequila wasn't always easy to come by, out in Moquette star system.
"I'm an alcoholic, Shay. I...I don't even have my ninety days, yet. I shouldn't...I can't own a rec-drug shop anymore." No response. "Come on, I know you understand." Still nothing. "Clean break with the past, right? You and me? Sell the shop, pay off the bank, split what's left between us, and then split...us. It's what you said you wanted. What's changed?"
She was said nothing for long enough that Miko turned away with a harsh sigh. He was fighting the old tendency to keep arguing, pushing, picking at the conflict until it became nothing but a point of pain and aggression for everyone involved. Instead, he followed her example, and kept his peace. Several customers came in then, anyway, which was a help.
Shayna was still thinking about it, though. She had just finished up with a shabby codger who grabbed a couple 1.5 liter bottles of Auntie Bob, right from the shipping case, before they'd even gotten onto the display. When the old man sauntered out, and they were alone again, she said, "It's not easy, Miko. This sort of...complete change." Her self-control was back. That was good. He could hold on to his, if she just didn't yell.
"I know," he agreed. He'd been rearranging the edibles on the grab-and-go rack, moving colorful packages of Zonk-Zonk! candy chews to the front. They were popular, but a long row of fancy caloy-infused lozenges in bulk tins had been partly hiding them, and sales had been down in the past week. The lozenge tins were in the way anywhere he placed them, so he freed-up space on the wall shelf for them, right next to the rack.
"My life...this life, with you, with the shop. It’ll be gone."
"But I thought you said..."
"I know what I said. I meant it. I still do...but does it all have to change at once?"
"We can go at your pace, Shay," Miko assured, nodding. "Whatever you want. I have to work on, well, everything about me. It's going to be ugly for a while, and I know you don't want to deal with it."
"I don't. It's selfish of me, awful maybe, but I don't. I don't love you anymore, so...it's just not worth it to me."
He nodded again. Her back was to him now, as she stared out through the front shieldglass window. Rollercars and people went by endlessly. The rhythm of the station, of Opal City, was unchanging. The scene out there seemed ageless. Cities were living things, and they just kept going on and on, heedless, insensate, even actively feeding upon the turmoils of their inhabitants.
"Think it'll rain?" she asked, the old joke rising one last time, sounding oddly prophetic in her sad tone. Unconsciously, she hugged herself, hands wrapping around both arms, as if to ward off a sudden chill.
"Maybe yes, maybe no."
It was the expected answer.
Shayna turned back to the display dump.
"You still need boxes for the move?" she asked, picking up an empty one.
"No, I have enough. I'll be done packing by tonight."
"You found a place to stay?"
"Yeah...Kelam said I could have his couch for a while."
She nodded, and then broke the shipping box down flat.
"Call Ki'lonna. Okay?" She didn't look up when she spoke, nor after, when she'd said the words that ended their lives, forcing new ones to begin.
"You're...you're sure?"
"I'm not sure of anything, Miko, but something has to happen."
He made the call, telling the broker to send them any documents that were required. These arrived a few minutes later in the store's network Inbox.
He looked them over on a tablet. Just permission forms that both owners had to sign, granting Ki'lonna's firm the right to list their shop on the commercial market. He verified his IDent and then held the tab out to his wife.
Yes. She was still his wife. For now, and for another moment: a single breath, one eye-blink longer...
Taking up the tablet, Shayna read what was there, verified the forms like he had...and everything changed.
END