The Longest Farewell - Chapter Fourteen [14/?]
AN: Yeah, I don’t even know about this chapter. It sort of just got away with me, and before I knew it was twice as long as usual. Just an example of an adventure that wasn’t life or death for once… Canon Compliance: Right after The Monsters Inside
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‘This isn’t Earth. Earth rules don’t apply.’
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DISCLAiMER & OTHER WARNINGS
Rose wasn’t surprised when her first step onto alien soil ended up being a prison planet in a penal system. Nor was she surprised when the ensuing adventure involved being arrested, getting drawn into a mass inmate uprising and nearly dying a fiery death in a crashing shuttle.
And not necessarily in that order.
She was, however, a bit taken aback by the stormy expression on the Doctor’s face as they closed the door on Justicia.
‘Are you alright?’ she asked as he prepared them to take off.
‘I’m always alright.’
‘Liar - you look like Mickey did when someone keyed his car -’
‘I’m fine!’ he snapped. She recoiled slightly at the tone, having not realised he really was upset. He noticed, huffed out an angry breath and then added in a less confrontational tone, ‘It’s the TARDIS. Navigational system was always knackered, but I’d at least occasionally end up somewhere that I didn’t have to get into it with evil overlords and greedy psychopaths.’
Rose was unsure of what to say to that and he sighed, looking defeated.
‘Not giving you a very good impression of the universe, am I? Every place we land, you nearly get killed.’
Alarm bells went off in her head at that. All she needed was for him to think she wasn’t enjoying their travels. Or worse, that she was a liability.
‘It’s fine,’ Rose insisted. ‘I knew what I was getting into when I signed up, remember?’
He shot her a look like she’d completely missed the point and then cranked a lever on the console.
There was a beat of silence, then he suddenly straightened.
‘Ramalon Nine,’ he announced apropos of nothing. ‘How’s Ramalon Nine sound? No major crises there until the Pinochle Riots of 8932, which I can’t land anywhere near cos I’m already there! Best cuisine in the entire Vardis star system. Never did bring you for breakfast, did I?’
She decided not to mention the abrupt subject change. ‘Doctor, that was three days ago!’
‘So? You sayin’ you’re not hungry now?’
‘Guess I could eat.’
‘Fantastic!’
The TARDIS, it seemed, decided to take the Doctor’s complaint to heart, because the trip went off without a hitch. After checking the coordinates no less than six times, he proclaimed that they had arrived and gestured for the door. Rose, dutifully playing her part, bounded out the doors to examine what new world he had brought her to this time.
The sky was lime green, the spaces where Rose expected to see clouds filled with long reams of light like aurora borealis. Pink, vine-like trees peppered the otherwise brown and rocky landscape. Rather than look barren, however, it was as if an artist had sculpted it with deliberate minimalism.
The Doctor had parked the TARDIS beside a deep purple lake, in the shade of a large mountain that appeared to be giving off smoke.
‘Is that a volcano?’ Rose asked, remembering their trip to Krakatoa.
‘Nope. Probably a factory.’
‘In a mountain?’
‘Ramalonians always build within mountains and rock faces. They don’t like cluttering up their land with ugly structures. It’s actually a planetary by-law that only aesthetically pleasing buildings are allowed to be constructed above ground.’
‘If you say so,’ Rose grinned.
‘I do say so!’ he offered her his hand, which she gladly took, and led her up a path lined with the twisty trees. After a bit of walking, he reached up to a low-hanging branch and plucked something off it. ‘You should try this.’
‘What is it?’ she asked, eying the object in speculation. It was sludge green and prickly, with neon purple leaves.
‘Kawaga fruit. Delicacy in this part of the world,’ he told her, placing his fingers at what looked like strategic, prickle-free areas on the fruit and twisting. It split open, revealing a yellow, gelatinous centre.
‘And people…eat that, do they?’
He shot her an amused look. ‘You know, one of the main reasons for travelling is eating foreign food.’
‘I didn’t say it wasn’t, it just looks…’ she tried to think of a polite way to describe it, but ended up leaving the sentence hanging.
‘Looks can be deceivin’,’ the Doctor lectured. ‘Haggis looks dodgy, but the Scotts love it.’
‘Yeah, but they’re Scottish, I think they have to. There’s a rule.’
‘The point still stands,’ he replied, rolling his eyes and offering her the fruit. ‘Besides, I know for a fact this is completely palatable to human tongues and stomachs. Not gonna burn a hole through you or anything.’
Rose swallowed reflexively. Although she wasn’t by any measure a picky eater, her experience with alien food had so far been rather sparse. Her first alien world she couldn’t remember at all. And on the most recent, she had either been too busy to eat anything or the food was similar to what she was used to from home.
Squaring her shoulders, she reached out and took a section of the fruit. Before she could really think any better of it, she put the entire thing in her mouth.
‘Well?’ the Doctor demanded before her taste buds had a chance to kick in.
She tried to chew, only to have the entire mouthful deflate into bitter jelly. It was absolutely disgusting, and almost made Rose’s gag reflex kick in, until a bit of the neon purple leaves migrated close to her tongue. There was a burst of flavour, like papaya, drowning out the rest of the Kawaga fruit.
‘Think I’ll wait ‘til we track down some chips,’ she managed after swallowing, scrunching up her nose when the Doctor offered her the rest of the fruit.
‘Not gonna find any of those here,’ he grinned, tossing the half-eaten Kawaga over his shoulder. ‘Ask for chips on this planet, they’ll bring you a plate full of gravel.’
‘So what are we gonna eat?’
‘Dunno. Whatever they’re serving up there.’
He pointed out a square building with a terrace overlooking a small hill. It had a roof like an alpine chalet and once they got closer, she saw it was built from a material that resembled metallic marble.
Ramalonians, Rose learned, were grey-skinned creatures, with bulbous red eyes and no noses. Their mouths stretched all the way around the lower hemisphere of their heads, but they didn’t have any teeth or gums from what Rose could see (the jelly-like consistency of the Kawaga fruit now made sense). They walked around naked but for ornate loin-clothes or tunics, and she could see that they only had two very large toes on each foot. They also had three ridges growing out of the top of their heads, which the Doctor informed her changed colour based on their moods.
Some Ramalonians had more than two arms.
‘The number of arms determines social caste,’ the Doctor explained under his breath as they waited in line behind a crowd of the aliens. ‘Two arms are the high society - the nobs - and four arms are the working classes and merchants.’ He nodded at a Ramalonian at the other end of the room, who was currently entering information into a computer tablet of some sort with one pair of hands, while wiping the counter down and mixing drinks with the other. ‘Then you’ve got the ones with six arms, which are the hard labourers and the poor.’
‘Right,’ she faltered.
Humans must have been common enough on this planet, because the four-armed hostess that seated them didn’t even comment on their looks. In fact, she seemed to be falling over herself to lead the Doctor and Rose over to a choice spot on the terrace.
‘I am Kajsit,’ she introduced humbly as they took their seats; both the chairs and table hovered several feet off the ground. ‘If there is anything at all I can do to make your stay more enjoyable, do not hesitate to ask.’
‘Fantastic,’ the Doctor declared, and declined the computer tablet menu the hostess offered. ‘We’ll have whatever’s your favourite thing to make. Food always tastes better when the cook enjoys makin’ it, don’t you think?’
‘Unquestionably,’ the Ramalonian agreed, beaming at him. ‘I will see to it myself, sir!’
She bowed and backed away from them.
‘They all this friendly?’ Rose asked. She had never eaten in an establishment where she was actually treated like she was someone important. In London she would have said the hostess was trying too hard and angling for a better tip, but here the Ramalonian seemed utterly genuine.
‘It’s cos you and I have two arms. Alien or not, it’s ingrained in their culture to treat us like royalty,’ he beamed at her. ‘Figured it’d be a nice change from eating in the mess of a prison.’
‘You’re not wrong!’ Rose agreed. ‘But what happens when they find out you’ve got no money to pay them with?’
‘Oi, who says I haven’t got any money?’
‘You never have money.’
‘True. But the economy here isn’t based on anything so paltry as money,’ the Doctor sneered. ‘Good old bartering system!’
‘Oh, right - and I suppose it’s like the banana thing all over again?’ Rose deadpanned. The Doctor had once tried to pay their bail using a bunch of bananas.
‘Not exactly - as you can imagine, Ramalonian’s can’t eat or digest solid foods. But a little bit of spice goes a long way,’ the Doctor explained, reaching into his coat and pulling out a handful of something. It took Rose a minute to recognise a few little paper packets of salt and pepper like the ones that existed in any Earth fast-food restaurant. ‘Worth gold in a lot of places in the universe, not just here.’
‘You’re kiddin’!’
The Doctor went on to tell her what other Earth oddities passed for currency across the universe. Anything from stamps to seashells to live bees.
‘What, really? But they’re alive!’
‘Yep, but oh so valuable when you consider their integral place in the pollination process,’ the Doctor allowed. ‘One of the few times living currency isn’t dodgy. Got to be careful, though, depending on how high functioning the species. Tropical fish, kittens, elderly humans -’
‘But that’s slavery!’
‘Not on Smadasalguod it isn’t. The older members of the population are the most valuable people there, cos of their wisdom. Also, they don’t have a system of written history - it’s all oral. So their stories make them very important to the transmission of culture. Anyone who owns a retirement home is considered a billionaire by human standards.’
‘That’s actually…sort of brilliant,’ Rose admitted.
‘I know!’ the Doctor beamed.
The female Ramalonian from before returned, carrying over a platter almost the size of the table. As it was set down, Rose saw that it was completely covered in hundreds of different coloured pearl-sized balls, which had been arranged in an intricate design. It was like a mosaic, only instead of tiles, the individual pieces seemed to be made out of a gel.
‘It’s gorgeous,’ Rose said, awed by the design that clearly depicted the odd trees from outside, with stylized Kawaga fruits hanging off of them. ‘Did you do that yourself?’
‘Yes, thank you,’ Kajsit said, ducking her head again. The ridges on the top of her head turned a soft yellow. ‘My family is known throughout the region for our designs. Ten generations have been culinary artists.’
‘It’s almost too pretty to eat.
‘Oh, I should hope not!’ Kajsit cried, sounding distressed, and her skull ridges turned white in what Rose imagined was distress.
‘Don’t mind her, she tends to exaggerate,’ the Doctor interrupted. ‘We’ll be sure to enjoy every mouthful.’
Kajsit relaxed incrementally, and sensing she had somehow offended the alien, Rose quickly added, ‘I just want to take a picture of it first, to show my mum the design. It’s so pretty!’
This didn’t seem to completely reverse the faux-pas, because the Ramalonian frowned. ‘For what purpose? Does she cook as well? Surely she would prefer a design of her own than to pass off another as hers.’
‘Oh, no, I just want to show her how beautiful it is,’ Rose insisted, wishing she could back peddle on the entire conversation.
‘No need to worry about her passing your designs off as hers,’ the Doctor added. ‘Jackie Tyler can’t cook under normal circumstances, let alone manage something this appetising - ow!’
Rose had kicked him, but at least Kajsit finally seemed to realise no offence was meant.
‘Very well,’ she conceded. ‘The compliment is appreciated. I wish you an enjoyable meal.’
And she disappeared again, heading over to where another four-armed Ramalonian had just entered. This one was male, and followed by another male with six arms.
‘Way to put your foot in it,’ the Doctor chided Rose. ‘Food here is an art form. No one can become a cook without a creative eye, and they tend to dislike copycats.’
‘Got that, thanks,’ Rose laughed, digging out her phone and snapping a picture of the meal. ‘Alright, so how d’you eat it?’
The Doctor motioned at two long, thin sticks that she thought were akin to chopsticks until he took one and gently nudged it against one of the colourful kernels. It stuck on, and he dropped it into his mouth without chewing.
‘The principle is a bit like static electricity, which picks up the kernel and then the moisture from the mouth loosens it. Dissolve on your tongue.’
‘Seems a bit slow,’ Rose remarked.
‘Only if you’re used to eating in a hurry,’ he shot her a lopsided smile. ‘Ramalonian food was created on the principle of sitting down and enjoying every flavour. Each globule in the design has a subtly different one.’
‘Sort of like Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans?’
‘Yeah, except none of the unpleasant flavours. Also, much more filling. You finish off a dish like this, you don’t need to eat for a week -’
There was a sudden yell from across the terrace.
The Doctor and Rose watched in shock as Kajsit suddenly dove at the six-armed Ramalonian. With one pair of hands, she slapped and punched him while with another she seemed to be trying to gouge his eyes out. The four-armed male beside her was shouting frantically, trying to pull her away and shield the other male.
Rose and the Doctor jumped to their feet, sending their hover chairs skidding away. The Doctor was already several paces ahead of Rose, throwing himself between the once mild-tempered hostess and her hapless victim.
They managed with some difficulty to pull them apart.
‘Looked like you could use an extra hand,’ the Doctor replied blithely and Rose rolled her eyes.
‘Really?’
‘What?’ he asked, then gave a grunt of effort as Kajsit tried to make another attempt on the six-armed Ramalonian. ‘Oi, leave off! What’s this all about that it can’t be sorted over a cuppa?’
‘This is not your business, honoured patron,’ Kajsit bit out, trying to disentangle herself from the Doctor. ‘Please, return to your place while I escort this…this ingrate from my abode!’
‘Ingrate?’ the four-armed male shot back. ‘How have I been ungrateful, Mother? How is asking permission to marry Zarsa ungrateful?’
‘You tried to strangle him because of a marriage proposal?’ Rose blinked.
‘Domestics,’ the Doctor disdained, throwing up his hands. ‘I thought it was something interesting.’
‘Such an insult! In my place of business, in front of my customers -!’ Kajsit snarled.
‘If you had listened the first time I asked instead of dismissing me outright - I hoped you would behave more decorously if we spoke in public,’ the four-armed Ramalonian retorted. ‘Obviously I made a mistake.’
‘I had hoped I imagined it, that you would not be so foolish as to speak of it again!’
‘Why’s it matter what she thinks?’ Rose asked.
‘As head of the family, her permission is needed for us to register as spouses,’ the male she supposed had to be Zarsa said quietly.
Kajsit glowered. ‘As if your audacity wasn’t already sickening enough!’
‘Oi, you don’t have to be insulting,’ Rose pointed out, and then turned to the other two Ramalonians. ‘Doesn’t seem like she’s up for it - maybe you might be better off getting Zarsa’s parents to give permission?’
‘Rose, don’t get involved,’ the Doctor groaned. ‘Come on, let’s get back to our meal -’
She ignored him.
‘Kajsa is of a higher caste than I,’ Zarsa explained, embarrassed. ‘The permission must come from her side.’
‘He only wishes to use my son to better his position in society!’ Kajsit barked. ‘If they marry, their children will be of this caste and this vermin will have gained higher standing. Such behaviour is against the will of the gods!’
‘And you heard the gods say so personally, did you?’ the Doctor sighed, more as an aside than actual contribution to the conversation.
‘So what if he does gain better standing, if he and Kajsa care about each other?’ Rose wanted to know.
‘A foreigner would not know, even one blessed as you might be to be bibrachial,’ Kajsit replied bitterly. ‘Kajsa was born with the potential to breed, a rare honour! And this creature wishes to take advantage of it!’
Kajsit threw herself forward, this time attempting to get hands around Zarsa’s neck. The Doctor held her back while Rose tried to pull the other Ramalonian out of her reach. After some more struggling, Kajsit allowed herself to be pulled away and roughly pushed the Doctor off of her.
‘I don’t get it,’ Rose said. ‘What’s all this about? Potential to breed? Doesn’t every species have that?’
‘Ramalonians have an out-of-sync sexual dimorphism,’ the Doctor clarified. ‘One generation is born completely male. Over the course of their life cycle a few have the genetic ability to evolve in order to exhibit female characteristics. They’re the only ones able to breed. Then, the next generation is almost entirely born female, and the reverse happens. They start to exhibit male characteristics over time.’
‘That’s…complicated.’
‘Yeah, but it’s a decent system in a lot of ways. Keeps the population small but stable, and they value life above everything. No such thing as murder here, cos life’s so important to everyone. Also, they remain in touch with their environment instead of overrunning it.’
‘I guess,’ Rose said, having not thought to look at it that way.
‘It’s why only a select few are able to breed, and they’re rather important, valued members of society.’
‘Bah! I will not waste my time on this any longer,’ Kajsit declared, then pointed at Kajsa. ‘I have made my decision, and it is final! Trouble me no more, and take that filth out of here.’ She frowned at the Doctor and Rose, and in a forced polite voice said, ‘It would be best if you two returned to your meal, instead of involving yourselves in this shameful business. Especially if I am forced to notify the authorities. They take caste-jumping quite seriously.’
Kajsa’s head ridges paled. ‘Mother, you can’t!’
‘Then put aside your foolishness and let us hear no more of this!’
The female Ramalonian stalked back into the building.
‘Kajsa - forget it. I don’t want to see you punished for this,’ Zarsa began.
‘I don’t care - the alternative is worse,’ Kajsa insisted.
‘Why?’ the Doctor asked.
Rose rolled her eyes. ‘Because they’re in love, you dolt. When you care about someone that much, you don’t want to see them hurt.’
The Doctor shot her a funny look - half-exasperated, half-reproachful - as if she was missing something very obvious, but she ignored it. Sometimes he got weird about ideas that were very simple for her.
‘Exactly,’ Kajsa agreed. ‘We are in love. It is our right.’
‘Yeah, but it’s gotta be more than that,’ the Doctor prompted.
‘There is nothing else,’ Kajsa insisted.
‘Well, if you two won’t explain what’s going on...,’ the Doctor huffed and turned to leave. ‘No point in us tryin’ to help people who don’t want to be helped. This whole thing’s been far too trivial for my tastes anyhow - come on, Rose.’
‘If they don’t want to pour out their personal problems to complete strangers that’s alright, Doctor. You don’t need to make ‘em feel guilty about it,’ she protested. ‘Like you’re the most forthcoming person ever when it comes to information?’
‘I always have a good reason for not blabbing and emoting all over the place!’
‘Yeah, well, maybe they do too!’
They exchanged glares for a spell, and then the Doctor rolled his eyes. With a put-upon air, he turned to the two young Ramalonians.
‘Look, the biggest problem your mother seems to have is she believes you’re gonna use any potential child as a stepping stone to improve your social status,’ he pointed out. ‘If that’s it, the solution is simple: don’t have kids of your own. You lot have the technology to ensure that.’
Zarsa and Kajsa stared at him in astonishment.
‘That’s barbaric,’ Kajsa insisted.
‘We would be shunned,’ Zarsa agreed.
‘Yeah, that’s not exactly an answer, Doctor,’ Rose pointed out.
He shrugged. ‘Can’t overhaul an entire species’ way of doing things in one day. Your parents might legally have control over who you marry, but in the end it’s you who has control over everything else. It’s a choice to change your sex, isn’t it? And it’s also a choice to procreate. Last time I checked, Ramalonians don’t have a law sayin’ you have to have kids, so you can choose not to.’
‘But…it is expected for people like me,’ Kajsit maintained weakly. ‘It is our duty.’
‘If you really cared about duty or what was expected, you wouldn’t be trying to marry someone your mother doesn’t approve of,’ the Doctor reminded him. ‘Though, to play devil’s advocate, exercising your independence is great an all, but refusin’ to breed also means your cutting off a whole branch of potential future lives.’
‘That’s their decision to make, though,’ Rose pointed out, though not as sure as before. The Doctor had raised a few questions for her to think about.
The Ramalonian couple regarded each other miserably for a spell, and Rose could tell neither of them was happy with the choices they were being asked to make. Rose wasn’t particularly happy with the option either, having expected the Doctor to offer an acceptable alternative.
Something must have shown on her face, because he quietly told her, ‘Things don’t always work out the way we want them to. Sometimes the only choices you have are hard ones. But you still have to choose.’
Kajsa appeared to steal himself.
‘If it will ensure I can marry as I please, I will choose barrenness,’ Kajsa decided, causing Zarsa to gasp in amazement. ‘If my mother believes I am serious, she will be forced to consent. She prizes my potential fertility above all else.’
‘You will do no such thing!’
They all looked up to see Kajsit had returned once more. Her head ridges were a violent shade of mauve.
‘Mother -!’
‘I will hear no more of it - stop this foolishness!’
‘It’s not foolishness! If you decide I may not marry Zarsa, then I will also not give myself over to bear young. Our family line will end.’
Kajsit made a choking noise.
‘You would do that to your people?’ she demanded. ‘You would cause such suffering for the sake of an…insect?!’ Her voice became louder. ‘How dare you, you selfish child! And you two -!’ She rounded on the Doctor and Rose. ‘Encouraging him!’
‘I did no such thing,’ the Doctor protested. ‘All I did was talk!’
‘Very well,’ Kajsit said darkly as if she hadn’t heard. She turned to Kajsa. ‘I give you my permission, if that is what you’re after. But you will not be welcome in this house any longer, nor will any mutts you choose to birth.’ She growled at them. ‘Now all of you - leave my property.’
She cracked her knuckles threateningly, and Rose figured she wouldn’t be waiting for any authorities to show up and oust them this time. The Doctor apparently felt the same, because he snatched her hand and dragged her out of the building. They were followed by the two Ramalonians.
As they headed back down the hill, Rose felt like there was a pit in her stomach. She wondered if she had just helped ruin two people’s lives. But when she looked back at them, Kajsa and Zarsa were smiling wearily at one another.
‘It is alright. We will be alright,’ Zarsa said, offering a comforting clap on the shoulder to Kajsa.
‘Yes, we will,’ he replied, obvious effort into sounding certain.
‘Now, how about tellin’ us the real reason you lot wanted to get married?’ the Doctor suggested. ‘Might not be obvious to those of us who can’t sense pheromones, but you two aren’t even attracted to each other, let alone in love.’
‘Doctor!’ Rose protested.
‘It’s true! But I don’t think it’s as simple as Zarsa wanting to jump castes, either.’
The two Ramalonians exchanged tense looks, and then Zarsa nodded in resignation.
‘We are not in love,’ he admitted, causing Rose’s mouth to drop incrementally. ‘While I was at university the previous term, I…had a relationship with a female from off-world. Such a thing is common place there, but my family…they are very traditional, very prejudiced against aliens. If I return home, they will order my execution.’
‘But why?’ Rose gasped.
‘They, and others in our community, will believe I have become sullied breeding stock. The only way to avoid returning home would be to marry into another Ramalonian family. The problem is, not many of my caste are lucky enough to attend university. The majority of students are from wealthier families, from higher castes, and they would not be eager to sully their bloodlines by marrying beneath them.’ He offered a soft smile to his new fiance. ‘But despite this, Kajsa offered to help.’
‘To save a friend’s life, marriage seemed like an easy solution,’ Kajsa shrugged. ‘Zarsa is kind and intelligent, and will one day do great deeds. To have that destroyed by backward thinking - how could I live with myself if I allowed that?’
Rose couldn’t help agree with that. She had heard plenty of silly reasons for people who didn’t love each other getting married, but this one was by far the best she had ever heard.
‘Where will you go now?’ she asked.
‘There are places to live near the university,’ Kajsa replied. ‘I do not fear hard work, and I have learned much watching my mother run the family business. I will start anew. We will be fine.’
‘You think your mother will actually keep her word?’ Rose questioned.
‘She has no choice,’ Kajsa said. ‘The entire dining area heard her give her permission. They are lawful witnesses.’
‘But what if they decide not to say anything?’
Kajsa and Zarsa seemed confused.
‘Marriage permission is considered sacred. No one will lie about that on the record,’ the Doctor explained.
‘Oh.’
‘Please excuse us. We have many things to arrange,’ Zarsa said, bowing. ‘Thank you again for your help.’
He ushered his friend - now fiancé - away from the little chalet, leaving the Doctor and Rose alone.
‘That was really weird - I mean, it was weird, wasn’t it?’ Rose asked.
‘Just goes to show,’ the Doctor remarked. ‘You can never really know the whole story.’
‘I think it’s a better story than Romeo and Juliet,’ she decided. ‘It’s nice to see what some people will do for their friends. And to have a happy ending.’
‘Depends on what you mean by happy. If they choose not to reproduce, they deprive themselves of something their culture is deeply focussed on. Might be shunned in some places. And if they do reproduce, Kajsa will die. Childbirth is fatal to the childbearing members of this species.’
‘That…that’s horrible!’
‘Nah, just a genetic quirk of evolution. It’s no different from butterflies that only live a day, long enough to mate and pass on their genes,’ the Doctor explained as the headed down the path toward the TARDIS.
‘Still - they choose it,’ Rose declared, determined to find a silver lining despite the grim situation. ‘If they know that’s what’s gonna happen, they’ve got to be some of the most unselfish creatures I’ve ever met!’
The Doctor grinned. ‘You’re right about that, Rose Tyler.’
‘And…and it was nice to help sort a situation that doesn’t involve running for our lives or nearly getting killed,’ she went on, only half teasing. ‘For once.’
‘Oh, come on, you know you’d get bored.
‘Well…wouldn’t want to do it every day,’ she agreed. Then she sighed. ‘Glad I snapped that photo of lunch, seein’ as how I didn’t actually get to eat any of it…’