Issue #20 (2011) PDF - myweb - Long Island University

ut food is still on display, and Lissa takes one of the wrapped sandwiches. They only have tuna
sandwiches left, so L doesn‘t order anything.
―Do you consider Jim a companion‖
―Of course!‖ Lissa laughs. ―He‘s my husband!‖
―Yeah, but…‖ he looks at Lissa‘s sandwich wrapping twisted on the table. ―Can you tell him
everything, like everything…without reserve‖
―Well, L, honestly…no. I love Jamey with all my heart, with everything I am,‖ she looks
down at the wrapper, and L looks at her, ―and if anything were to happen to him I don‘t know how
badly I‘d break…but there are some things that I just can‟t tell him. Not because I think they‘re bad,
or because I want to hide anything from him, but it‘s more like criticisms, you know He is just so
sensitive, and sometimes the smallest things can really make him upset, and I never like to see him
upset – he takes it so badly.‖ L and Lissa laugh. ―I dunno…I‘m fine with it all, and I think he is
too…why‖
―Well…I have all these good female friends in my life, you know…all these friends
throughout the years, I‘ve always been so close to girls…Emily, and Scarlet, oh, and my sister and
my mom, and Kate Americanhorse, and…oh…I dunno, all these girls…Megan Bilbee back in high
school…but I‘ve never had a companion, you know I‘ve never been with a girl who I could share
everything with…to be a partner with.‖ He looks up at Lissa, her face now taut and stern. ―Is it
possible Something like that‖
―Oh L,‖ she looks away, watching as the shutters slowly curl down the deli window, ―I‘m
sure it is. Just because I can‘t spill my mind out to Jamey at every moment of the day doesn‘t mean
anything, and you have all those close female friends of yours, I‘m sure one of them would love to
listen to your darkness, just as I listen to Jamey…maybe that Kate Americanhorse girl.‖ She stands
up, snatching the twisted wrapper off the table and tossing it away, touching the metal shutters
before turning back to L. ―Let‘s go find the boys.‖
Lissa walks ahead, stopping short when she comes to another floor-pole sign. Do Not Enter,
it reads in English between what looks like Dutch and French. Forbidden Zone. They‘d just navigated
this area to get to the downstairs deli, but the sign is so foreboding they decide to turn around and
find a different way, becoming lost and running into two more ‗forbidden zone‘ signs before
returning back to the model ship where they‘d left Jim and Marshall.
Almost like clockwork, Marshall and Jim enter from the blazing winds of the outer deck,
looking at Lissa and L as if they were there all along, never missing a beat. Both their faces are
smiling and bright pink.
―Oh God, Jamey, I wanna get off this stupid ship,‖ Lissa says, going to Jim. When she gets
close to him she stops. ―Have you been crying‖
―Yeah,‖ he laughs, ―we both have.‖
―We‘ve been talking about everything back home,‖ chuckles Marshall.
―Fantastic,‖ Lissa says. ―But I wanna go to the room now.‖
On their way, Lissa explains the turn of events on the boat, and her point is emphasized with
another ‗forbidden zone‘ popping up seemingly without reason. Jim convinces the group to go to
the sauna and relax before bed, but when they get there they meet a man on a stool. He‘s half asleep,
and stands up when the four get close.
―Zorry,‖ he says with a hand raised to Jim‘s chest. ―Zuana‘z clozed.‖
―But,‖ Jim rubs a hand over his face, ―why You don‘t need anyone to be on duty for a
sauna to run…and you‘re here to guard it being closed Why!‖
―Zorry,‖ the man puts down his hand and sits upon the stool. Sitting there, his tired eyes
glaze down to the floor. The four look at him for a few seconds, then at one another.
―Well,‖ asks Jim, ―now what‖
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