Trent drove, taking in everything he saw. This planet was much different from their own. But with similarities. They too had areas such as this in many cities back home, where people would gather with friends and shop and eat. They both felt very comfortable here.
Jeff Trent and Genghis Khan were driving their 1959 Ford Thunderbird along with the flow of traffic. And when Trent observed the car in front of him put on his left turn signal, Trent followed suit. And when the car in front turned left down Fifth Avenue, a two lane one-way road, Jeff followed.
This street was a little more narrow than the first and they drove on the left side close to the curb. Traffic down this road was a little slower, which was fine with them. It gave them a closeup chance to observe the people of this planet, the way they interacted with each other, and their mannerisms. Some walked at a hurried pace. Others just seemed to be meandering about without a care in the world. Some walked slightly bent, looking at small devices in their hands.
Three cars ahead of them was a stop light that changed to red and the flow of traffic slowed and then stopped.
“You know,” Trent turned to Genghis, “one of the first things we should do is . . .”
“HI!” Came a voice over Trent’s left shoulder.
“BAAAH!” Trent shouted in startled shock. Genghis jumped at this sudden assault, letting out an unnatural yip.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she laughed pleasantly. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
This was their close encounter of the third kind. Their first meeting with a human. A human female. No amount of training and studying of the one and only folder they had on the human race since The Great Fire of 4045 could have prepared them for this interaction. This would be the litmus test to see if they could accomplish the goal of blending in.
“May I interest you in a complementary latte with hazelnut flavoring from Dave’s Coffee Pot?” She smiled a big toothy grin and handed Trent a Styrofoam cup.
“Ah, nifty! Sure.” Trent said, noticing the silver wire on her teeth.
“And here’s a couple of coupons for breakfast sandwiches, compliments of the grand opening of Dave’s Coffee Pot. You should try one!” She gave a little giggle, “You could even give one to your dog.” She giggled again, then said, “Nice car.”
“Ah . . . thank you,” Trent said, looking at his cup. Then, as an afterthought, he looked up at her and quickly said, “Yes, we bought an old farm house in the country. Found this auto-mo-bile rusting away in the barn for the last thirty years and thought, ‘Hey, what the hell!’ Let's restore it back to its original condition and drive it around.” He made steering wheel motions with his hands.
She sweetly grinned, turned and started to walk to the car behind them. Trent watched as she went. He turned to Genghis, “Hey, it worked!”
“Yeah, I knew that story would work! Simple minds you know, but ah, wh . . . what is that?” He asked motioning with his nose.
“I’m not quite sure. It appears to be a hot beverage.”
“What? Like a soup?”
“No, she didn’t give me a spoon.” He looked at it, brought his nose close and sniffed. “I think we drink it.”
“You gonna try it?”
“Well,” Trent said, sniffing again at the cup. “I suppose I should. Wouldn’t want to do something to attract undue attention.”
He brought the lidded cup to his lips, saw the small opening and drank. “Hey, this isn’t bad.” He took another sip. “No, not bad at all. Hot, steamy.” Another sip, “Sweet and savory.”
“Hey let me try!” Genghis reached with both paws.
Trent held the bottom of the cup while Genghis gently grasped it between his human canine paws and took a sip. “Wow, this isn’t bad!”
Directly behind them sitting in a 2001 Corolla were a middle aged couple trying their own complimentary cup of coffee from Dave’s Coffee Pot. He hated this part of town and was only here because his wife wanted them to do more things together. He slowly lowered his cup staring straight ahead and said, “Is that idiot in front of us giving coffee to his dog?”
“Oh, my!” His wife said, “He should be brought up on animal cruelty charges.”
“Ah! C’mon, asshole let’s go!” He then tooted his horn.
“What the hell!” Genghis said, looking behind them.
“Oh! The light,” Trent said, realizing the light had changed. He drove a couple of blocks down, found a parking spot along the sidewalk, and nosed the Thunderbird in. They sat there and both finished the latte.
“You know,” Genghis said, looking around and making sure he wasn’t seen talking. “Our first encounter went very well.”
“Yes, it did,” Trent agreed. “Perhaps we should get out and walk among the people.”
“You think we should? It’s not too early, is it?”
Jeff Trent was feeling very confident and sure of himself. He felt that the female with the silver wire on her teeth seemed not to be alarmed at the sight of them, so perhaps no one would. Yes, it was time to walk shoulder to shoulder with the human race. Mingle with them. Perhaps even have a conversation or two. They had to get out there sooner or later. It might as well be sooner. He turned off the engine of the cruiser, opened his door, and stepped out. Genghis hopped over the console and exited Jeff’s door. They proceeded to walk down Fifth Avenue together, down the sidewalk of their new world.
Chapter Sixteen
They walked at a casual pace down the sidewalk of the world that would be home for them for some time. How long? Neither one knew. They didn’t say much. They just observed. They watched the pedestrians. They overheard conversations.
