Love Trips

Love Trips

     Manguis and Ameliane are holding hands between them as they say and wave goodbye to about three hundred other Vondians as they are leaving one of their Love Trips. Most are holding hands like Manguis and Ameliane. And some of the female Vondians even have their heads on the shoulders of their new loves.

     They are also talking to each other. Some are also laughing every so often. “It looks like we have another successful Love Trip,” says Ameliane.

     “At least we have with most of them,” says Manguis. “How many didn’t make a Love Connection on this trip?”

     “Only eighteen this time,” answers Ameliane. “Overall, Chemical Attraction has worked again.”

     Manguis and Ameliane look at the new Vondians who are now arriving after hearing some of them as they enter the entrance to their Love Trip. “I just hope this one will be as successful or better.”

##

     Staali glances over at Kanus. Now she is staring at him. She can’t keep her eyes off of him. Staali smiles. That can’t go away either as she continues to stare at Kanus. But when Kanus looks in her direction, she turns away from him.

     Now it’s Kanus who can’t stop staring at Staali. Only he doesn’t have a smile on his face. He does this for several minutes. Suddenly, Staali looks back at him. And he turns away from her. This looking exchange happens several more times before Manguis and Ameliane step into this room.

     Manguis is looking at Staali. As he follows her staring to where her eyes are going, he not only sees Kanus but he sees Ameliane doing the same thing with Kanus. Their eyes stop when they get to each other. They smile. “Our two shy guess are at it again,” says Manguis.

     “They have been spending all their time doing this for the last three days,” says Ameliane. “Ever since we started this Love Trip.”

     “I think it’s time they stop just looking at each other,” says Manguis. “I’ll invite Kanus to eat with us later. And you can do the same thing with Staali.”

     Ameliane breaks the hand-holding between them first. She starts walking toward Staali. “They obviously have a Love Connection because of Chemical Attraction. Putting them face to face should make their shyness go away.”

##

     Slowly looking around another different colored large room, Manguis and Ameliane stop it when they see Bradom and Vialona. Only they aren’t together now. Bradom is with Tiale. And Vialona is eating with Yanon. “Didn’t Bradom and Vialona come on this Love Trip together to prove their love to each other?” Ameliane asks.

     “They did,” answers Manguis. “I wonder how long it took Chemical Attraction to show them their true Love Connection.”

     “I don’t know,” says Ameliane. “The last time I saw them together was five days ago when they got here.”

     Manguis looks at Ameliane. “I haven’t seen them since then either.”

     Ameliane hasn’t taken her eyes off of Bradom and Tiale. “We need to be more observant with our guests. I know we have another three hundred of them again. But as their hosts, I think we should be more involved with them. Not only because of why we are doing this but because it’s the right thing to do.”

##

     “How are you Randill?” Manguis asks as he and Ameliane catch up to him in a hallway. “Have you found your Love Connection yet?”

     “No, I haven’t. And I don’t think that I ever will,” answers Randill.

     Manguis and Ameliane look at each other with a shocked looks on their faces. “Keep on trying,” says Ameliane. “It sometimes takes some of us a little longer to make that connection. You can do it. And I’m sure you will.”

     “It’s been almost ten days since we left Vondi,” says Randill. “And I still haven’t found him.”

     Ameliane smiles at Manguis. “Did you say, him?” Asks Ameliane. “That’s your problem. You are looking for another male instead of a female.”

     “That isn’t a problem for us,” says Manguis. “We are in the wrong here. At least I am. I thought you put in your request for a female when you asked to be a part of one of our Love Trips.”

     “I did do that,” says Randill. “Didn’t know how you felt about male/male love. So, I requested a female. I figured once I got on here, I would find my male.”

     Ameliane stops Randill by putting her hands on his shoulders. “There are several other males here looking for another male.”

     After they leave Randill, Manguis stops Ameliane. “For a few seconds there, I thought there was something wrong with Chemical Attraction.”

##

     A lot of liquid comes out of a drinking glass as it heads toward Ameliane. Ameliane bobs her head slightly just when the glass goes by her. The glass hits the wall behind her. “Sorry about that,” says Walinni.

     “I wasn’t aiming for you,” continues Walinni. “It was Galvim I was trying to hit.”

     Ameliane and Manguis look at Galvim as he starts to get up from behind a large Sleeper in this room. “It’s okay,” says Ameliane. “A lot of guests have commented on the angry voices and the loud noises coming from here too.”

     “We are here to help,” says Manguis. “What’s wrong?”

     “There’s nothing wrong,” says Galvim. “We were just disagreeing about something. And it got a little bit out of control. That’s all.”

     Slowly looking around this very messy room, Manguis and Ameliane have a shocked look on their faces. “This doesn’t look like a little disagreement to me,” says manguis.

     “It is,” says Walinni. “It’s just the way we are.”

     “We meet a day after this Love Trip started,” continues Walinni. “And for the last sixteen days, we have been disagreeing like this. This is our way of loving each other.”

     A few minutes later Manguis and Ameliane are walking down the hallway. “Chemical Attraction moves in mysterious ways sometimes,” says Ameliane.

     “Yes, it does. And this is one of the most mysterious ways that I have seen so far,” says Manguis.

####

     Stepping into another large different-colored room, Manguis and Ameliane stop to slowly look around it. They smile as they see almost every table has two Vondians sitting at them. Talking to each other quickly. Some are holding hands. And some are doing a little more than that.

     Manguis and Ameliane start walking toward a slightly bigger table on the other side of this room. They nod to some of their guests as they walk past them. Some nod back. Most of them continue doing what they are doing. As they get closer to this bigger table, they stop again.

     “This has been a very good Love Trip,” says Ameliane. “Almost everyone has made a Love Connection already.”

     “Naithina and Poulic are two of the last couples we have to introduce to Chemical Attraction,” says Manguis. “They have been eating it for the last twenty days. But they still haven’t made their Love Connection.”

     Manguis and Ameliane start walking toward their table where Naithina and Poulic are sitting. Neither one is talking. They are fidgety and constantly moving their heads to avoid looking at the other one. “This isn’t going to be easy,” says Manguis.

     “Coming face to face usually solves this problem,” says Ameliane. “They just need to look at each other once and they will connect.”

##

     After entering another meeting/eating room, Ameliane points to a single female sitting by herself. Manguis and Ameliane start walking toward her. “There’s one that hasn’t made a Love Connection yet,” says Manguis.

     “Is everything alright, Biona?” Ameliane asks after Manguis and Ameliane get to her table.

     Before Biona can answer Ameliane, Manguis looks at what she’s eating. He points at it. “Is there something wrong with our food? It doesn’t look like you have eaten too much of it.”

     “This isn’t your food,” answers Biona. “No offense, but I brought my own. I have a serious problem when it comes to what I eat.”

     “There is a lot of food that I can’t eat,” continues Biona. “It’s just easier to bring my own. I hope that isn’t a problem.”

     Ameliane looks at the food too. “No, it’s not. You can eat whatever you want. Food is just part of your Love Trip. That’s all.”

     Once Manguis and Ameliane leave this room, they start walking down the hallway. “Good save there,” says Ameliane. “I saw it was her food too and not Chemical Attraction.”

     “After twenty-seven days, she should have made a connection. Now we know why she hasn’t,” says Manguis.

##

     Manguis and Ameliane are walking down a hallway hands clasp between them too. Ameliane has her head is on his shoulders. They nod at all the couples also in this hallway. Some have their heads on a shoulder like Ameliane. And some are just walking hand in hand. Most are nodding back. But some aren’t. They are too busy talking to each other.

     Suddenly, Manguis stops. But Ameliane’s head doesn’t. It starts to slide off his shoulders. She jerks it upright just in time. “What’s wrong now?”

     “Nothing is wrong,” answers Manguis. “Look, we have another single.”

     Ameliane looks at where Manguis is pointing. “We usually have a few that don’t make a Love Connection. Luntas may be one of them. Unless he’s someone like Biona.”

     “No, he’s not another Biona. I have seen him eating our food a lot of times,” says Manguis.

     “I don’t know why it doesn’t,” says Ameliane. “But sometimes Chemical Attraction doesn’t happen with some of our guests. Luntas may be one of them.”

##

     Ullianu and Jionam nod back at Manguis and Ameliane as they walk past them in one of the meeting/eating rooms. Manguis and Ameliane are heading for their bigger table there. Only no one else is there. “Isn’t that Jionam who just walked past us? Wasn’t he here a few Love Trips ago?”

     “Yes, he was. And I’m so happy that he has found a Love Connection this time, says Manguis.

     “I’m happy too,” says Ameliane. “I always am when someone comes back to try again. Most of them don’t.”

     Manguis and Ameliane sit down at their table. They are both smiling as they slowly look around at all the couples there. “This has been one of our best Love Trips,” says Manguis. “Unfortunately, it’s almost over.”

     “I don’t like this part either,” says Ameliane. “But with around three hundred who are leaving, about three hundred more coming on for our next Love Trip.”

     “That reminds me,” continues Ameliane. “We need to get some more Chemical Attraction before we leave on our next trip. For some reason, we needed a lot more on this one.”

     Manguis looks at Ameliane. “That’s because we had a lot more returns like Jionam. We needed more to make sure they got their connection this time.”

##

     Ameliane walks up to stand beside Manguis as he says goodbye to another loving couple who are leaving them. They nod back. But it’s kind of hard to do when she has her head on his shoulders. Once they are gone, Ameliane speaks. “I got more Chemical Attraction than we should next for our next Love Trip.”

     “There may be a problem with it, though. It looks a little different this time,” continues Ameliane.

     “That’s because it is different,” says Manguis. “The one thing that has been hurting us on these trips is that our food wares off after a few days.”

     Manguis smiles. “We need something that keeps them coming back for more. And I think I have done it.”

     “We will know after our next trip,” continues Manguis.
“And it looks like we are about to meet them.”

     “I have said all along that we need to make it more addictive,” says an evil smiling Ameliane. “Not only does it mean more Units for us, but we will be able to take over Vondi faster once everyone there is in love like we are.”

The Word Count = 1,994

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What you are about to read is true. Very little, if anything, needed to be changed. After all, this has already been translated into a language that we all know and understand - English (German, French, Italian, Russian, etc.).