Are They All Like That, Them Moon Girls?

Things weren't going well between him and Suzy for a long time, but he denied it. He turned every negative thing that happened within the shaky confines of their home into a positive. He learned this from his mother, a perfect example of a 1950s wife. She deftly brushed off every argument or disagreement, changing the subject or forgetting about it the next day. She believed this was the only way to avoid escalation and keep the marriage together. Little did she know times were changing, and people would look kindly on divorce, to escape unhappy marriages and start living on the right path.

The longer Geoffrey avoided confronting his problems, the longer he lived a lie. “I'm doing it for the kids,” he often lied to himself whenever an argument arose, whether serious or trivial. And though he prided himself on being a wonderful father, he refused to acknowledge the harmful consequences of disagreeing with Suzy. To where he couldn't look his wife in the eye in bed.

He could look at her during family gatherings; he had no problem with that. Because the crowd's attention was on other things. People watching from a distance couldn't fathom the intricacies of his marriage, because he cared about appearances and cared for his children. When he met these conditions, no one dared cast an evil eye on his family. He was certain of it.

After meeting Harriet, eating ice cream seemed too sensual. He remembered the feeling of it melting on his tongue and instantly melting his heart, so delicate and sweet. He couldn't imagine anything more pleasurable than that. It was almost like lying naked on a bed of dewy moss with someone you love by your side or inside. What could be more sensual in this life?

Geoffrey's reality immediately warped. Nothing was the same, and day after day, all roads led to divorce. Suzy suspected nothing. She didn't know that while making love to her, Geoffrey's thoughts drifted to Harriet. He couldn't help himself; his beloved was invading his mind as if by some magic. But in his mind, only positively.

One day, on his way to work at Grabby Engineering, he passed a girl in the street. He didn't notice her until he saw her following him from a distance. He passed Brayford Bay, where swans and ducks frolicked around, and just before he opened the glass doors of his company, he felt someone grab his arm.

‘I don't think we've ever met?’ the girl asked.

‘No, I don't think so,’ he replied, dazed. He remembered the two women he'd tried to complicate his life with, Suzy and Harriet, and he didn't feel like having another one in his life right now.

‘My name is Moonolette,’ the girl continued. The aura surrounding her resonated so brightly that Geoffrey had to close his eyes for a moment, afraid she would instantly burn them.

‘I'm going to work. I'll be late.’

‘No, you won't be late. It'll only be a moment. You'll see.’

Before he could answer, he was already diving under the silver moon. The night was clear, so he could see all the Earthlings shuffling and puffing their way to places he'd never known. He felt happy, unfettered by his freedom, and longing for an otherworldly adventure.

His face must have betrayed a lot as the girl at his side, holding his arm and guiding their flight, tried to comfort him.

‘You'll come back; I promise. I just wanted to show you something. Would you mind?’

‘Do I have any choice now?’

‘No, not really,’ Moonolette smiled. It was a pleasant smile, the kind you'd like to see on a stranger's face when your thoughts are so complicated that no words can explain them. So why say anything at all?

‘If I don't obey, you'll throw me from this height? That could be a fatal crash, right?’

The girl smiled and said nothing. She seemed so absorbed in navigating that she lost contact with him, but not with his grip. She was so strong; she rivaled the thousands of athletes who had lifted him high into the sky and then won the Olympics. He wondered what awaited him, where they were going, and how quickly he could return.

They streaked through the Milky Way like a spaceship. And because they weren't flying one, stardust clung to their clothes like a swarm of flies to a sticky substance in summer. Only now did Geoffrey notice that Moonolette's outfit wasn't made of clothes at all. It was pure stardust, clinging to her skin in a layer so thick it could be compared to the finest muslin, draped over her for a desired effect. She looked like a bride, and at her side, he felt like a groom.

After what seemed like an eternity to Geoffrey, they finally stopped on a larger cloud. He thought they were in space and didn't know how he would get back to Earth unscathed. He didn't believe in soft, unearthly things, because his head belonged to the hard earth. With this in mind, he asked the girl, ‘What are you going to do with me?"

‘You'll see.’

In an instant, he seemed to melt into his surroundings. He no longer felt his body as he once had, and felt as if it weighed nothing. He floated in the air like a mass of tiny, shimmering particles, reveling in the lack of boundaries his body likely held. He was just one of millions of pawns on the canvas of a starry night, an observer of the entire Earth from a vast distance. Here, all his problems seemed insignificant, insignificant and feather-light, leaving their earthly lives far behind.

When, unbeknownst to anyone, he finally returned safely to his usual surroundings, everything was no longer the same. Not as before, but something in his mind shifted, as if by magic. He realized that for the sake of his children, he had to leave his wife. He couldn't live like this any longer, entangled in a web of lies and deceit. No matter how hard he tried to justify himself, it no longer worked. He was a different man now, and his children would appreciate later that he was now trying to save as many souls as possible, so that he could be an even better father in the future. Not with bitterness over his lack of love for his wife, their mother.

He thought he had to leave Harriet too. You'd think a man would leave his wife for a mistress, but Geoffrey didn't think so.

He only missed Moonolette, his girlfriend from the moon, with whom he'd spent a few moments of bliss, unencumbered by his insignificant earthly existence. Now only her existence made sense, but where could he find her?

He couldn't wait any longer. When lunchtime hit, he bolted from the building like a bolt from the blue. He searched the Grabby Engineering premises and the bay, finding no one matching the girl's description. So, she really belonged out there and nowhere else?

He wandered for a moment, trying to reconcile the facts and the decisions he had made about his life. He knew he was right, but he desperately sought confirmation from someone he knew. Finding no one who understood him, he headed toward the building.

He only gazed at the bright sky, illuminated by the afternoon sun, and whispered into the crisp air, “Are they all like that, them moon girls?”