Self-Care in Space by Eve Morton

Author:Eve Morton [Morton, Eve]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: JMS Books LLC
Published: 2020-09-23T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Martha wanted cocoa. The smell of it wafted up from the ski lodge, along with the heavy scent of smoke from the chimney. Was that smell also chestnuts on an open fire? Maybe. Even if the snow and the Winter Planet itself was not actually that cold in its normal element, the proprietors of the ski lodge kept the ecosystem attuned to people’s expectations. The weather was always going to be just right here, and just right meant that after skiing for so long, people were going to want cocoa. It was synthetic cold, synthetic smells to build up expectations—but still, Martha wanted it. How could she not?

“Are you ready to head inside?” she asked Roland. He’d been a few paces behind her the entire time they decided to try cross-country skiing, after their second round on the mountain. “I think we should get something to eat.”

“Is it like the same food on the Summer Planet?” Roland’s cheeks were red, giving him a youthful appearance. “Because I don’t know if I can handle more junk food that doesn’t actually do anything.”

“Do anything?”

“I eat it and feel nothing.”

Martha laughed. “Ah, okay. Yeah, the synthetic stuff is here too, but I also think it’s a little better than the Summer Planet.”

“I don’t buy it. Convince me with your science.”

“Well,” Martha said, being coy, “I think people want to feel like a neon balloon in the summer, so they make the food taste like that drink—the Tourist Trap. Hot and edgy and not long-lasting. But here, people want heartiness, warmth. Winter is filled with long periods of instability, so you need something that makes people feel grounded. I think it’ll be good.”

“You don’t sound like you’re speaking from experience. So, you’ve never eaten here before?”

“I don’t really go to the moons for fun. I just make snow in the lab.”

“What do you do for fun?” Roland asked quietly.

Martha thought with that question for a while. What did she do for fun, other than snow? Other than science? When she remembered Delta and the snow cones, she tore off one of her gloves with a delighted smile. “I get my nails done sometimes.”

“That’s fun?”

“For me and Delta, yeah. She’s my admin assistant at work.”

“So, it’s still a work thing?”

“Yes and no. But do tell me, what exactly are you searching for?” Martha paused to let Roland catch up with her. They were only a few more yards from the lodge, where the intoxicating smell of cocoa now had coffee mixed with it. She fixated on the feeling of the mug in her hand because she could feel the conversation with Roland getting bleak again. As much as she loved engaging with him in a physical activity, and chatting through his anxiety, she couldn’t stand to hear about that damn trial anymore.

Roland didn’t answer her first question; he huffed and puffed from the skiing. When they were almost at the lodge, she rephrased. “I’ll tell you what. We will get a meal together. And it will be fun.

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