“Nice toss, Richard,” Perry called out, suppressing a giggle. Perry was sitting by the dining room pool with Luna, Meeta, Palenque, and Karena. Sufa had ferried the two men back to the visitors’ palace after their stopover at the air taxi works before any of the others had returned from their respective excursions. Initially Richard had been cheered by the near simultaneous arrival of his three girlfriends and Luna, but that euphoria had worn off when none of them could master the Frisbee.
“This is freakin’ ridiculous,” Richard complained as he walked over to retrieve the Frisbee from the worker clone’s feet. “Nobody down here can catch a goddamned Frisbee, much less throw one.”
“Richard seems so high-strung again today,” Luna said.
Perry agreed. “He’s been this way all day as near as I can tell.”
“He was strange last night, too,” Meeta said. “He sent us away early.”
“Now that, I’d have to guess, is really out of character,” Perry said.
“Can’t you do anything?” Luna asked.
“I doubt it,” Perry said. “Unless I go out there and toss that stupid piece of plastic around some more.”
“I wish he’d calm down,” Luna said.
Perry cupped his hands around his mouth. “Richard!” he called. “Why don’t you just come over here and relax. You’re working yourself up for no reason.”
Richard flipped Perry the finger.
Perry shrugged at Luna. “Obviously he’s not in a very amenable mood.”
“Why don’t you at least walk out there and talk to him?” Luna suggested.
With a groan Perry heaved himself to his feet.
“We have a surprise for him when we get him back to his cottage,” Meeta said. “Try to convince him to go.”
“Did you ask him yourselves?” Perry questioned.
“We did, but he said he wanted to play Frisbee.”
“Cripes!” Perry said, shaking his head. “Well, I’ll give it a whirl.”
“Don’t mention the surprise,” Meeta said. “Otherwise it won’t be as much fun. We don’t want him guessing what it might be.”
“Yeah, sure,” Perry grumbled. Irritated to be pulled away from Luna, he strode out to Richard, who was impatiently instructing the worker clone.
“You’re wasting your time,” Perry said. “They don’t play our games here, Richard. They don’t have the mind-set. Physical prowess is not something they’re interested in.”
Richard straightened up. “That’s pretty damn obvious.” He sighed and cursed anew. “It’s frustrating because they’ve got great bodies. The trouble is, they have zero sense of competition, and I need it. Hell, even the girls are too easy. There’s no chase or hot pursuit. The whole freakin’ place seems dead to me. What I’d give for a good hard game of hoops or in-line hockey.”
“I tell you what,” Perry said. “I’ll race you across the big pool over at the pavilion. What do you say?”
Richard eyed Perry for a moment before giving the Frisbee a good toss off into the distance. Then he told the worker clone to go and get it. Dutifully the worker clone took off at a jog. Richard watched him for a moment before turning back to Perry.
“Thanks but no thanks,” Richard said. “Beating you at swimming is not going to make my day. In fact, what would make my day is getting the hell out of here. I’m a nervous wreck.”
“I think we are all concerned about the leaving issue,” Perry said, lowering his voice. “So we’re all a little nervous.”
“Well, I’m more than a little nervous,” Richard said. “What do you think they do down here to people who commit a major crime?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” Perry said. “I don’t think they have major crime. Arak said they have no prisons. Why do you ask?”
Richard fidgeted with his toe against the grass and then looked off into the distance. He started to speak and then stopped.
“Are you worried what they’ll do if we try to leave and they catch us?”
“Yeah, that’s it,” Richard said, jumping on the suggestion.
“Well, that’s something we’ll have to consider,” Perry said. “But until then, worrying about it isn’t going to accomplish anything.”
“I guess you’re right,” Richard said.
“Why don’t you just enjoy yourself with those three gorgeous ladies?” Perry said. He indicated Meeta, Palenque, and Karena with a nod of his head. “Why not channel some of that wild energy of yours by taking them back to your cottage. I can’t quite understand it, but they seem crazy about you.”
“I’m not sure I ought to take them back to my room,” Richard said.
“And why not?” Perry asked. “Isn’t it a dream come true? I mean, look at those three girls. They’re like lingerie models.”
“It’s too complicated to explain,” Richard said.
“Whatever it is, I can’t imagine it being more important than satisfying three eager sirens.”
“Yeah, well, maybe you’re right,” Richard said without much enthusiasm. He snatched the Frisbee away from the worker clone, who had dutifully retrieved it. He returned to the dining room with Perry. Meeta, Palenque, and Karena got to their feet and greeted him with outstretched palms. Richard reacted perfunctorily.
“Are you ready to retire to your cottage?” Meeta asked.
“Let’s go,” Richard said. “But there’s one condition. There’s going to be no eating or drinking the stuff from my refrigerator. Agreed?”
“Sure,” Meeta said. “We won’t even be tempted. We’ve got something in mind other than food.” She and the other girls giggled conspiratorially as they draped themselves over Richard’s shoulders.
The group started off across the lawn. “I’m serious,” Richard said.
“So are we,” Meeta answered.
Perry watched them for a beat before turning back to Luna.
“Is Richard so aggressive because of his young age?” she inquired.
Perry sat down next to her. “No. That’s just the way he is. He’ll be the same in ten years, even twenty years.”
“And that’s because of the dysfunctional family that you surmise he had,” Luna said.
“I suppose,” Perry said vaguely. He didn’t want to encourage another sociological discussion. He felt ill equipped in such an arena as evidenced by their last discussion.
“It’s hard for me to understand since we don’t have families,” Luna said. “But what about his friends, acquaintances, and the schooling secondary human’s attend? Can’t they overcome negative familial influence?”
Perry stared off into the distance and tried to organize his thoughts. “Schooling and friends can help,” he said, “but friends can be a negative influence as well. Within some communities social pressure keeps kids from taking much advantage of the education that is afforded them, and often it’s the lack of education that breeds bigoted narrow-mindedness.”
“So, for someone as young as Richard there is a chance he’ll improve.”
“I already told you, Richard’s not going to change!” Perry said with a tone that bordered on irritation. “Look, I’m no sociologist so maybe we should talk about something else. Besides, he’s not that young. He’s almost thirty.”
“Well, that’s young,” Luna contended.
“You should talk,” Perry snapped.
Luna laughed and battered her pale blue eyes. “Perry, my dear, how old do you think I am?”
“You said you were over twenty,” Perry said nervously. “What are you? Twenty-one?”
Luna smiled and shook her head. “No, I’m ninety-four and that’s just this body.”
Perry’s mouth slowly fell open as he made one of his characteristic high-pitched squeaks.
• • •
After issuing several more admonitions against going in his refrigerator, Richard allowed the three women to lie him out on his bed with his arms outstretched. As soon as they had positioned him, they began massaging him with an oil that made his skin tingle and his tense muscles relax.