Closet Spaceship Part 11

I have mixed emotions about Sean. It’s true that he introduced me to the crew, and he did give me an exciting story to start out the series, but there’s also the fact that he’s not a full-time member of the crew, although Reggie wishes he was. It’s not that I have anything against teachers; I’m married to one, after all. It’s just that he’s chosen his own path and it diverges from the crew, at least most of the time.

Wait--most of the time? Does this mean you’ll see Sean again? Yes, it’s true: he will make an appearance in the future. I could never dump him in the recycle bin, never to be seen again, mostly because he’s a good lens through which to see the crew, but also because he can be their sounding board. You might have noticed that Reggie will say things to Sean that he would never say to his crewmates. And sometimes Sean can put into words what others are thinking but don’t want to say out loud.

I spent a lot of time trying to decide if I should see Sean … or rather, if he should see me.

But then I wondered what he could say to me. It might be worth hearing, so I decided to give it a try.

Not long after the events of Another Shot, he came home to his little apartment to discover me sitting on the floor outside his door. He stopped about a meter away.

“Do I know you?” he asked.

I smiled. “Not really. Let’s just say I’m a friend of Reggie.”

At first he smiled back, but then he looked puzzled. I guess I don’t exactly fit the bill of the person you’d imagine as Reggie’s friend. He made no move toward me.

“He didn’t tell you about me?” I asked.

“No,” Sean said.

I stood up, which made him take a step back.

“He would’ve told you if I’m dangerous,” I said. “But call him if it’ll make you feel better.”

He took another step back, pulled out his phone and pushed a button on the face. Then he turned his back on me and I heard a one-sided conversation, although it wasn’t too hard to guess what was being said on the other side.

“Hi. Yeah. Um, there’s this woman here. Yeah. Yeah.” Sean glanced over his shoulder at me. “Really? Yeah. Are you sure? But how come I’ve never heard … From the—Reg, come on. Really? If you say so. Yeah, sure. Okay.”

Sean put his phone away and turned to stare at me.

I could only take it for a few seconds before I giggled and spread out my arms a little. “Not what you expected, huh?”

“Seriously?” he asked. “From the past?”

“That’s right. You might be surprised to know that some people in 2015 know who you are. I mean, I think they think you’re fictional, but still …”

Sean looked a little pale.

“I think you’d better sit down,” I said, stepping away from the door. “If you want me to stay out here, I will.”

He continued to stare at me as he stepped closer to the door. I noticed that he didn’t have a key in his hands, which were both clutching at the strap of his backpack as if it was a safety line.

“Um, a key usually helps,” I offered.

“Key?” he asked. “For what?”

“The door.”

“What door?” His shoulder bumped against it so he glanced at it. “Oh.”

He bent down to peer at a little rectangular panel on the right side of the door. Seconds later, the door popped open.

“Wow.” I stepped forward. “Retinal scanner?”

Sean stumbled through the doorway into the apartment. He half-shut the door and stared out at me.

I stepped back. “Sean, I’m not a ghost or anything. I won’t hurt you. Do you want me to go away?”

“Actually, yes.” He closed the door.

Well, I didn’t expect that. So much for what he would say to me.