I didn’t have an opinion so I didn’t comment. We left the boat
through the passenger airlock and Tom closed it behind us. Then I
recalled that I had left a scarf behind. “Tom, did you see it? I know I
had it in the migrants’ hold.”
“No, but we’ll find it.” He turned back and unlocked the airlock door.
The scarf was where I had dropped it between two benches in the migrants’ space. I flipped it around Tom’s neck and pulled his face down to mine and thanked him, and let my appreciation progress as far as he cared to push itÄwhich was pretty far but not that far as he was still on duty.
He deserved my best thanks. That door has a combination lock. Now I could open it.
When I returned from inspecting the cargo holds and the landing boat, it was almost lunchtime. Shizuko, as usual, was doing some sort of busywork (it can’t take all of one woman’s tithe to see that another woman is well groomed).
I said to her, “I don’t want to go to the dining room. I want to take a quick shower, grab a robe, and eat here.”
::~at will Missy have? I will order.”
Order for both of us.
“For me?”
“For you. I don’t want to eat alone, I just don’t want to have to dress up and go to the dining room. Don’t argue; just punch for the menu.” I headed for the bath.
I heard her start to order but by the time I switched off the shower she was ready with a big fluffy towel, with a smaller one wrapped around her, the perfect bath girl. When I was dry and she had helped me into a robe, the dumbwaiter was chiming. While she opened the delivery drawer, I pulled a small table over into the corner where I had talked with Pete-Mac. Shizuko raised her eyebrows but did not argue; she started laying out lunch on it. I set the terminal for music and again punched up a tape with some loud singing, classic rock.
Shizuko had set only one place at the table. I said, facing her so that my words would reach her through the music, “Tilly, put your plate there, too.”
“What, Missy?”
“Knock it off, Matilda. The farce is over. I’ve set this up so that we can talk.”
She barely hesitated. “Okay, Miss Friday.”
“Better call me Marj so that I won’t have to call you Miss Jackson. Or call me Friday, my real name. You and I have got to take our hair down. By the way, your lady’s-maid act is perfect, but there is no longer any need to bother with it when we’re in private. I can dry myself after a bath.”
She almost smiled. “I rather enjoy taking care of you, Miss Friday. Marj. Friday.”
“Why, thank you! Let’s eat.” I spooned sukiyaki over onto her plate.
After some chompingÄconversation goes better with foodÄI said, “What do you get out of it?”
“Out of what, Marj?”
“Out of riding herd on me. Turning me over to the palace guard on The Realm.”
“Contract rates. Paid to my boss. There is supposed to be a bonus in it for me but I believe in bonuses only when I spend them.”
“I see. Matilda, I’m cutting out at Botany Bay. You’re going to help me.”
“Call me Tilly. I am?”
“You are. Because I’m going to pay you a large chunk more than you would get otherwise.”
“Do you really think you can switch me that easily?”
“Yes. Because you have just two choices.” Between us was a large stainless-steel serving spoon. I picked it up, squeezed the bowl, crushed it. “You can help me. Or you can be dead. Rather quickly. Which is it?”
She picked up the mutilated spoon. “Marj, you don’t have to be so dramatic. We’ll work something out.” With her thumbs she ironed out the crumpled steel. “What’s the problem?”
I stared at the spoon. ” `Your mother was a test tubeÄ’
” `Äand my father was a knife.’ So was yours. That’s why I was recruited. Let’s talk. Why are you jumping ship? I’ll catch hell if you do.”