Picnic | Page 4

thought he should try the program again, but he couldn't bear the thought of it. He opened another Berliner equivalent and started playing Solitaire.
After a couple of Berliners, he really did feel drowsy. He crept back down the companionway to see what Nancy was doing. He could see that the light was still on in the cabin, and heard her working. He thought about asking her to move to a different console, but somehow he didn't think that would go over very well. He would have to sleep on the couch in the common room. It seemed terribly unfair.
* * *
He awoke, cramped from the couch and crabby, but he quickly felt ashamed when he saw the note Nancy had left on the computer display. She had found him sleeping and had modified his learning program to skip over some parts she had already covered. He resolved to try again, after breakfast.
When he finished eating, he decided he'd feel better after a shower, and then he thought a few games of Solitaire would help him warm up mentally, so it wasn't until an hour or so after waking that he finally brought Nancy's program back up.
Twenty minutes later, he was ready to smash his fist through the display. This stuff just didn't make any sense to him. It was hopeless. He didn't dare complain about it to Nancy. He didn't want to admit he couldn't do it, when she had been up all night figuring things out.
He thought about what Nancy had said yesterday, about being stuck on this planet forever. She had said it like it was a bad thing, but it held a certain appeal for him. Nancy had such smooth skin and nice curves. It was pleasant to imagine being only with her on this world forever. He wouldn't have to worry about school anymore, or their classmates who would ridicule him endlessly for getting stuck when the demo program ran out. Best of all, if they never left, he would never have to face his father and get a lecture about responsibility.
Screw it. Learning was not going to happen at this moment. A break would do him good.
He made for the outside hatch. As he passed the piloting bay he noticed Old Bob, still hooked up to the main console, running computations. He paused, furtively looking both ways for Nancy. It really was hopeless, trying to solve the Fold equations on their own, so why not use Old Bob for something more practical? He disconnected the interface cable and instructed the robot to get the tent and hammock and bring them outside.
[Illustration]
Old Bob strung the hammock between two trees. Jim settled into it and idly watched the robot begin to assemble the tent. He imagined a pleasant little dinner scene here tonight for him and Nancy: Old Bob cooking filet equivalents over an open fire, red wine, the moons. Nancy would swoon over his thoughtfulness. Maybe they would play "harem" in the tent...
The ship's hatch swung open and Nancy stepped out. She spotted Jim lying in the shade.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
At first he wondered what she could be so upset about, but then he remembered that she had been running numbers on Old Bob. He had forgotten that she might be peeved about it; he had already accepted their situation as hopeless.
He sat up on the hammock. "I was just taking--"
"I know what you're doing. And not doing."
Her eyes bore through him. He sat uncomfortably. It felt just like a lecture from his father. He might as well be back home.
Then he could see her anger fade, to be replaced by weariness. "Oh what's the use? You're probably right. We might not even have enough computing power with the ship and Old Bob running in parallel." She looked tired and discouraged.
Jim felt elated. Finally, she was giving up! And she had admitted he was right! It was time to make his move. "That's ok, honey," he said as he slid off the hammock. He put his arm across her shoulders and guided her over to sit on the tent's packing crate.
"We tried. It's not our fault that the demo software won't plot the course home." She shot him a dark look, so he changed tack. "You know, I've been thinking. Would it really be that bad, just the two of us staying here together?" Now she was giving him another one of her queer looks. Slightly rattled, he pressed on while the moment was still right. "We get along pretty good. Wouldn't it be nice to live a simple life on a quiet planet, without all the pressure of--"
She shrugged his arm off. "You're talking crazy. And I'm not done trying."
Damn it--he had moved too quickly.
She stood up. "Come on, Old Bob.