Chapter 6

Helga

"Who was the red-haired man you were talking to?"

"His name is Johan Fox."

"Strange surname. Is he German?"

"He said he's from up north. Maybe his dad was English or Scottish. He seems very nice."

"No offense, Hel, but I don't trust your radar. But he did like you well enough to stay all day and night."

"It wasn't for me. Our tent is the best at Oktoberfest, everyone knows that."

"It was for you. I kept my eye on him, and he was always looking at you, and a few times I saw you looking at him too."

"Maybe I need an Oktoberfest rebound," I say only half sarcastically. "He gave me his handle. He's in the military with the European Space Agency. Perhaps he's looking for an Oktoberfest fling too?"

"He might be perfect for a rebound. He's definitely too handsome to be smart," Ella says.

"Hey, handsome men can be intelligent too. Come on now."

"You come on now. Did you see the muscles on his and his friend's legs and arms? They spend a lot of time in the gym."

"There's nothing wrong with that. He may not be a rocket scientist, but if he's a good man, it doesn't matter."

"I just don't want to see you hurt, and I was thinking maybe if you dated a colleague rather than a man from…"

"Do you think I'm afraid to date someone who's my intellectual equal?" Had anyone else besides Ella said this I'd be offended.

"No, I'm just saying that I think I see a pattern," Ella says diplomatically. "Whether you consciously or subconsciously like men who haven't' been to university, I don't know."

"You've not been to university. Do you think we wouldn't be friends if you'd gone?"

"No, of course not, Hel. That's not what I'm saying, and you know it. I'm just suggesting maybe have a fling with a man who's totally different. Someone who knows what a human rights lawyer actually does."

"I'll consider it," I say as I go into the bathroom to be alone for a few minutes and decompress. I know she's got a point, but it still hurts to hear the truth.

After dinner with Ella, I open my app to see if Johan Fox has messaged me. Sure enough, he has. I open his message.

Helga, it was a pleasure to meet you today. I'd like to get to know you better.

He's very formal. Maybe he's nervous.

Johan, it was nice to meet you. Where are you from exactly?

He's online now and typing, but it's taking forever.

…

Fox

"She's just asked me where I'm from."

"Say Hamburg," Axl says with his IC out and a map of Germany displayed on the screen. "Don't say the Empire." A few seconds later, he jumps up and looks at my human device. "Fox! Don't write that!"

"Lev said to be honest. He's the expert. And as you know, the chances that she'll believe me are slim to none."

"And the chances she never speaks to you again if you write that are sky high."

Helga

"What's so funny?" Ella asks.

I hold up my phone, and she comes over and reads the exchange.

Call me Fox. I'm from a distant planet across the galaxy. I work on a space station here protecting humans.

"Protecting humans from what? Ourselves? God knows we need that," Ella comments.

I shrug and type in the question.

From other aliens who would do humans harm.

I read out his answer to Ella, who replies, "Sounds like the perfect rebound for you. He's nothing like any man you've ever dated before; he probably plays video games too."

I smile but don't take Ella's comment too seriously. Although it's true that I have never been interested in men who are into science fiction or fantasy. I type:

Yeah, but what do you really do?

I'm not kidding. I work on a space station, a base actually, protecting humanity.

I consider then maybe he can't tell me what he really does because it's classified. And before I can ask him another question, he asks me.

I noticed that your apron was tied to indicate you're single. Are you looking for a husband?

I laugh. This all must be a joke. Maybe he's really drunk. He did drink a lot of beer today, I know because I served it to him. And all our beer is over six percent alcohol. However, he's German, and he didn't seem drunk any of the times I spoke to him. I type back,

Are you looking for a wife?

Yes. I specifically came to Oktoberfest to find a good German wife.

I don't know why, but this sends shivers of nervous expectation through me while I wait impatiently as he types more.

…

Fox

Axl is leaning over my shoulder and trying to give me tips on what to write. "No. Human women don't want you to mention fate. They think it means you're an untrustworthy man."

"What do I write then? ‘The goddesses guided me to you?'"

Axl taps his finger on the table. "What about ‘I'd make a good husband and can provide modern living in a close-knit, diverse community with little crime and excellent health care.'"

"What is wrong with you? There's nothing romantic about anything you just said."

"That's how Georgiana describes the base to her friends and family."

I almost reply but then decide to just leave that for another time and focus on my own romance at the moment. "I have to type something because it's been too long." I type,

I normally don't have many opportunities to talk to human women, but even still, there was something very special about our we meeting today. I hope you felt it too. I felt as if we were supposed to meet. That it was written in the stars.

"Wait, stop. Fox, delete the word human."

"No," I say, "I want to speak as authentically as I can." Axl tries to wrestle the human device away from me, but I manage to hit send.

Helga

"Listen to this, I normally don't talk to human women…"

"Wow he's totally into role play. I mean, as long as it's harmless, why not?"

I scroll back through his newsfeed and his few friends, and I realize they're all his work colleagues. But his friend Axl said he only set up his account because he had to have it for work. Then I say to Ella, "Remember Patrick from high school? He was hot and a geek. He went to the gym and played that card game with all those nerdy boys. It happens sometimes. Maybe I should give a man who actually knows where to find the Big Dipper a chance. Isn't that what you were suggesting. Dating a man with the same intellect?" I go back to my chat with Fox and try to think of a reply.

"You know what I meant."

I type my reply trying to be as honest as possible:

I'm only in town for Oktoberfest, then I'm returning to Berlin.

He replies:

It's only a short flight between Berlin and Hamburg.

You know a lot about Germany for being an alien.

I write that last sentence with a smile.

It's my job to know about humanity and Earth. Also, as I told you, I came to Oktoberfest to find a wife.

"Do you think he's joking about finding a wife?" I ask Ella, showing her the chat. She takes my phone and types something. I try to get it back, but don't until after she already pressed send.

I must go to bed now. See you tomorrow?

"I didn't want to end the conversation. It was just getting good."

"He's drunk and wasting your time. Rebounds are physical, they're not for wasting your time texting when you should be sleeping."

Fox writes:

Goodnight my angel. You'll be on my mind all night.

I check the time. It is late. Ella's probably right. We say our goodnights and I get into bed, and instead of thinking about work or Adam, all I can think about is the fierce red-headed man I met today. I'm curious about him and wonder if I'll see him tomorrow or if he will have found a new woman in another tent to chase while claiming to be an alien. I smile at his farce but give him credit, it's a very unique way to make women remember who you are.

The next few days are all the same. Fox and his friend Axl come to Heaven of the Bavarians, sit in my section, and I find time to talk with them, and especially Fox, when I can. I even shared my lunch breaks with Fox a few times. He's an honest and direct man. And every night we chat online for hours. I feel like I'm in some kind of dream. That I'm watching someone else live my life because I can't be trusted to do what's right for me now. And what's right is to not let my heart get too caught up in this because it's just lust. I wish it were more but I'm not na?ve enough to think people find their soul mates at Oktoberfest or that soul mates even actually exist.