Personal Log 19: The Story Of Cassandra Lee, Sanitation Operative
10 Sep 2016Jemine Caesar
5th July, 3301Miller Depot, Barnard's Star
Cassandra was tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes. Her slim figure even looked good in her sanitation operative's uniform. Over a coffee, Cassandra told me her story.
*****
His name was Jon (said Cassandra), and I fell head over heels for him. He had a way of looking at me that made me feel special, you know what I mean? He came to Miller in March of 3287. He'd just flown in from Earth, and said he was on his way to find adventure among the stars.
We met in a bar. 'Windy's', it was called. It closed down a couple years ago. Financial irregularities, I heard. But back in '87 it was a popular place for young people to meet. Jon told me I was the most beautiful girl he'd ever met, and I believed him. I was 17. I was impressionable, naive and looking for love. Jon was 19. We spent all our spare time together, and yeah, sure enough, I slept with him.
In June I found I was pregnant. I was thrilled, and rushed to tell Jon the great news. He was real happy, you know? But the next day, he was gone. I mean, he'd really gone. His room was empty, his ship wasn't in the dock. He'd left me. I was distraught. 17 years old, in a dead-end job, and a kid on the way. What was I going to do?
I had the kid, a girl, on January 7th, 3288. I called her Leanne. She was gorgeous. Blonde, like me. Blue eyes, so mischievous and full of life. She meant everything to me. Lucky for me I met a great guy, Charley. He loved Leanne, and said he'd be honoured to help bring her up, if I'd let him. I figured, what the heck? So we shacked up together.
Charley was a System Security Officer. He was also a wonderful father to Leanne. All I could wish for, and more. He even didn't care when I told him I couldn't get pregnant again, because of some bug I'd picked up.
The bottom fell out of my life when Leanne died. She was only 7. They said it was something called Necrolysing Transuterophylomycaemia. A really rare virus, they said. A sexually transmitted disease. Jon's little parting gift to me.
In late July, just over a month later, Jon sent me a holo-message. He told me there was a Sidewinder in the station dock, just waiting for me. He said I could use it to get a Sol Permit, then join him on Earth. He'd found his fortune in space, and returned to Earth. He said he wanted me with him.
But I had Charley in my life. Charley had pledged his life to me. I wasn't about to leave him for some screwed-up one-night-stand guy I hadn't seen in years. So I sold the Sidewinder. The money allowed Charley and me to live comfortably. We moved out of our basic apartment into one of the station's nicer modules. We were happy. But then Charley died in a firefight with pirates last year.
*****
I listened to Cassandra finish her story, tears welling up in my eyes. Suzanne Telford's holo-cube of Leo was in my bag. When I showed it to Cassandra, she said that it was Jon. When I met Caz, in 3289, he had told me he was going to Earth to seek his fortune. Now I had learned that, in 3287, he had already been there.