I am Rome (Complete)

Chapter Thirteen

Rome had spent so much time on Earth, but yet experienced so little of it. Joe protested this great tragedy and wanted to show Rome some of the finer things that planet Earth had to offer.

Joe climbed up the bunker shaft leading to the surface and ran back to the house on foot. When he returned, he gave three loud bangs on the top of the hatch door before entering. Rome appeared in the narrow shaft and looked up at Joe, whose dark silhouette was cast against the bright sky.

'Come on, Rome,' he said. It's safe to come out.'

Rome climbed out of the shaft and went invisible before he reached the surface. Parked at the edge of the forest was an old pickup truck, which was at least as old as Joe. It was banged up and covered in rust, which was pretty typical for a farm truck.

'Sorry about the mess,' Joe said, helping Rome inside.

The entire cabin was filthy. There were receipts and fast food wrappers on the floor. Old disposable coffee cups were stuffed in the door compartments. A thick layer of dirt covered every surface. The fabric on the driver side seat had been worn out so Joe was sitting on the exposed foam.

'Normally, I don't get to use the truck, but my dad made an exception when I told him what it was for.'

Black smoke billowed out of the old truck as it bounced across the bumpy terrain. The engine gurgled like an old tractor clinging to life.

'What do you think of technology like this, Rome?'

'I always find it fascinating how ingenuous humans are. It would be like one of your farm animals suddenly building a wagon.'

'Thanks, Rome. That was actually quite offensive.'

'Sorry, I did not mean to offend you. I was trying to demonstrate that a wagon may not impress you that much, but seeing another creature build something with his own mind and talents would be astonishing.'

The two drove into town, keeping to backroads. Eventually they entered through the rear parking lot of Del Rosario's Pizzeria. Joe found a parking space and turned off the engine. The loud rumbling truck settled and became quiet.

'So this is where you work?' Rome asked.

'Used to work,' Joe corrected. 'I'm pretty sure Sean, the manager, has fired me by now.'

Before exiting the vehicle, Joe pulled his hat low and looked around cautiously. Rome got out of the truck on the driver side so it would not arouse suspicion. Joe led the way into the restaurant and held the door so Rome could walk in. The wonderful aroma of freshly baked pizza entered their nostrils, inspiring them to inhale with a deep satisfaction.

'Are you getting that, Rome?' Joe asked.

'Yes, I can smell it,' Rome replied.

'How does that smell to you?'

'It smells fine — unlike anything I have smelled before.'

'Trust me, it's going to be way better than that slime you choke down on your home planet — no offense.'

'None taken.'

"Hey, there he is, Mr. No-show himself!" Sean said.

'Dammit, this is my manager — former manager — I'm not sure what he's doing here.'

"I can't believe you have the nerve to show up here after you bailed on us."

"I've had some things come up in my personal life that have prevented me from coming to work. I thought my ma explained that to you when she called."

"Oh that's right, you had your mommy call in sick for you. How adorable."

'He's jealous of you, you know,' Rome said.

'What, jealous of me?' Joe replied. 'How do you know that? I thought you can't read minds.'

'I dissected his psyche just by analysing the inflection of his voice and tone. It's almost like subconscious coding that gets applied to the sound waves. I can't understand what he's saying to you, but I can tell the reason he behaves the way he does around you is because he feels threatened by you. Your strength and confidence make him feel inferior to you. You make him feel vulnerable. He reacts this way to you in an effort to disguise his true feelings.'

'You got all that from sound waves?'

'Joe, I'm a highly-advanced being from a galaxy very far way, why does something so simple impress you?'

"What are you smiling at?" Sean said.

"Oh, nothing. Something just popped into my head and made me laugh."

"Hey, I saw that piece of junk you pulled up here in. You'd better not park it next to my ride, I wouldn't want the door to fall off as you open it and have it chip my paint."

"Hi, Joe!" April said, running up to Joe and throwing her arms around him. "Where have you been?"

Joe held onto Sean's girlfriend right in front of him and winked at him.

"I've just been really busy with some things on the farm."

"Are you here to eat? You can sit in my section."

"No, we're just going to grab a couple slices to go," Joe responded.

"Oh, are you with someone?" she said looking around.

"Uh, no... I'm by myself. I guess it was just a slip of the tongue."

'Smooth,' Rome said.

April sat Joe in her section then took his order. They flirted for a bit before she tended to her other customers. The entire time, Sean was across the room mean-mugging Joe.

'She likes you,' Rome said.

'Really? In what way?'

'I'm not sure. Those feelings are foreign to me so my interpretation may be off, but I can tell her feelings toward you are strong.'

Joe sat with a self-satisfied look on his face. Hanging out with Rome was almost like having his own personal superhero by his side.

"So Joe, I just wanted to let you know that we can no longer keep you on as a delivery driver here due to your mysterious absence the other day."

'I'm sensing great anger coming from you, Joe. What did he say to you?'

'He told me I was fired.'

'I'm sorry, Joe. I feel responsible for this.'

'Don't worry about it, Rome. I'm not upset about losing the job because I figured that was inevitable. I'm upset that I won't get to work with my co-workers. I made a lot of really great friends here.'

'Trust me, you're destined for greater things than this, Joe.'

April returned to the table with Joe's order — one large pepperoni pizza, cheesy bread with garlic dipping sauce, and one large soda.

"Here you go."

"Thanks, April," he said, as he removed some bills from his wallet and handed it to her. "Keep the change."

"Thanks!"

"So it looks like we may not see each other for a while."

"What? Why not?"

"Ask your boyfriend over there, he just fired me."

"Are you being serious? Don't worry, Joe, I'll talk to him."

"It's okay. I think it may be for the best. I have a lot going on right now and I don't think I would have been able to do this job."

"I'm sorry to hear that you're leaving, I'm going to miss you."

"You too."

"Hey, don't be a stranger."

"Okay, take care, April. Hopefully I'll see you around."

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