Miguel got up from his bed—a bed made from a curious form of plasma, hovering freely on a metallic surface similar to the interior of Memory. Although there wasn’t any light from a remote sun to tell if it was day or night, he got used to getting up when it felt like it was morning. He sat down on the bed and thought about what happened to Thera’s planet. He understood only then that Thera had just been naïve and was not insensitive towards him.
He looked around and seemingly, the walls of his room slowly descended like it knew—Memory knew—that he was starting to get comfortable. True enough, Memories could sense their occupants’ needs and accommodate them accordingly.
As soon as the walls completely descended and became one with the floor, he realized that the barrier at Thera’s side radiated bars and waves like those of digital amplifiers.
He sneaked towards Thera’s wall when suddenly, a pathway opened itself for him. Miguel saw Thera curled up as she held a telephone-like gadget against her ear.
“We love you, baby,” voices said. It sounded like they were crying. Panic and disorder were evident in the background. Static noises were disrupting the transmission. “Memory will keep you safe. Please remember us, Thera.” It was a recording before the flight of the Atlan offspring. Parents were granted an opportunity to leave at least a memory to their children before their departure. Even though Thera did not understand who or what they were trying to say, she would listen to it everyday, faithfully, like a prayer.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Miguel started, surprising Thera. There was no trace of loneliness in her face. She had never felt what it was like to have and lose someone important.
“I wasn’t aware you were there,” she said. She was lost and distracted that she was not able to catch his thoughts as he came in. “I guess I, too, am sorry for the manner I have acted.”
Both of them fell into an awkward silence.
Miguel extended his hand to Thera. “I’m Miguel,” he reintroduced himself sincerely, “I’m an Engineering graduate and I was just recently accepted for work. But guess what, when I was a kid, I used to love space travel and mysteries. And I can say I’m a bit glad you came by.”
Thera watched Miguel as he extended his hand. She has never encountered this gesture before and she didn’t know how to respond. She looked at her hand and figured they were similar, so she mimicked his gesture. “I am Thera and this is Memory. We have been traveling the universe all my life searching for the answer to my question.”
There was a gap between their hands. Miguel filled that gap, by grabbing her hand and shaking it. Thera then noticed the ring worn on Miguel’s finger and she found herself staring at it, making Miguel involuntarily pull his hand away and keeping it close to his heart.
“What is that?” she curiously asked, “Why does it seem so important?”
Miguel hesitated. The memory of Robby’s confession to Mia the day he planned to do the same still haunted him. It bothered him that he never learned what Mia answered. “Th-this,” he breathed deeply, “It’s a ring. It’s a symbol of love. It’s something you give someone you want to spend the rest of your life with.”
“I see,” Thera said, her voice slightly trembling, as she unconsciously felt different. It hasn’t happened before. She felt as if she had done something terribly wrong. It wasn’t something she heard telepathically. She couldn’t understand what it was and why she suddenly felt that way.
As if Miguel read Thera’s thoughts, he tried to reassure her that everything would be fine. “It’s okay, really,” he said, “as long as you’ll take me back soon? Okay?”
“I promise.”
Love is not something you find at your doorstep. It’s not something you’d notice while taking a stroll on the streets or trekking through space. You’ll never know when it’ll happen. You’ll never know when it’ll come knocking on your door. It just happens. And usually, it starts bit by bit.
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