For Love of Lisa

A pensive Traveler flipped through electronic pages of presents he wanted to purchase for the love of his life, Lisa. He muttered to himself with some agitation. A curious Raedis couldn't help but wonder what had his friend in such a state.

"What's up, Trav?" he asked with genuine care.

"Oh it is this 'holiday'." Traveler said using air quotes around the word holiday to denote his dubious feeling about it.

Raedis smiled and his silvery eyes flashed mirthfully.

"I suspected that's what it might have been."

He then thought for a second. "Wait. Lisa's not from the Earth. How does she know about Valentines Day 'an all that?" he asked. Traveler looked over at Raedis from the passenger seat of the small, quick coupé they were currently in. It was one of Raedis' cars. Mid-engined with two doors, it resembled a Pontiac Fiero. Raedis loved the little thing. Because of the placement of its motor, the car had the ability to pivot around the engine like a wheel around an axel and Raedis was very skilled at employing this maneuver at just the right times in their little shopping expedition to keep it fun.

Traveler sighed heavily. His breath left a circle of steam on the cold glass as it was currently winter on the world they were on. He watched it quickly evaporate then replied.

"Because after all the time we've been together she's learnt a lot about my planet and its customs, holidays, well...history, in general. Really dude? You'd think we'd be together all these years and not know shit about one another's worlds?"

Raedis laughed as he swugn them skillfully around a cargo truck.

"No, no...of not. You're a time traveler, for cryin' out loud. You would never allow for cultural ignorance. Especially in the woman you love." said Raedis to relax his friend. It was obvious the observance of this holiday irked the man. After a brief silence between them while they both enjoyed a song over the radio he ventured a question.

"So, uh...what'cha gonna get her?" He then spent the next few traffic stops offering gift ideas ranging from the absurd to actually quite compelling. "Lingerie!" was his first suggestion.

"Absolutely not. I wouldn't even know where to start. Besides, Lisa's more practical with her undergarments." said Traveler, without even another thought.

"One of those amazingly faceted crystals from the last world we raced on. Remember those?" he asked his friend. What Raedis was referring to were crystals that were effected by light and sound. Depending on the conditions, the things could be quite mesmerizing. The amazing beaches of that world were covered with sand composed of these amazing stones. The sand retained the same properties as the crystals hence the beaches of this world were a natural wonder and a terrific place for a race.

Raedis thought about his friend and the relationship Traveler had with Lisa. Their feelings were strictly reserved for one another despite both of them being quite popular racing drivers with legions of fans and no lack of opportunities to meet and hang out with any number of celebrities, fashionistas and hot, adoring beings from numerous systems. None of that mattered to Traveler, though. Nor Lisa. They placed themselves far from the probing press and public eye and had done so for so long that their relationship hardly garnered any attention beyond their professional rivalry and this just kept things interesting.

Raedis was happy for the two of them and was eager to help Traveler find Lisa the perfect present.

"Have you thought about brining her something from another time? Past...future? Something like that?" Raedis asked. Traveler lowered his window and bit on the filter tip of a cigarette he had extracted from his metal case.

"I've done that for the past three years, mate. I brought her that Egyptian cartouche the first year, then that cool clock I got that master horologist from the 55th century to build her. That was to symbolize the timelessness of our love."

Both men paused to remember the clock. It was about half a meter tall and although ornate in its working, was simplistic in design. Traveler liked that because it reminded him of the woman herself. Uncomplicated outside but an ornate assemblage of working parts within.

This is when what to do struck him.

"Rae! I got it! Head us back home. I know what I'm going to." Traveler was so immediately excited he knocked his sunglasses askew ashing his smoke. A smile spread across Readis' silver face.

"What'cha thinkin' pal? Got ya all excited, whatever it is." he chuckled. "Ooh...and give me one of those smokes." he added. Once Traveler composed himself, he handed a cigarette to his friend and began to explain.

"I'm gonna make her some music! I've never done this. Can you believe that!? Three years, almost four, we've been together and I've never made her a single song." he shook his head, self-admonishing. "Unreal..." he trailed off then got over himself and with a wave of enthusiasm said: "Take us home, Rae! I've got some time to spend in my studio! I'm going to make her a whole album's worth of devotion!"

Traveler clapped his hands together as if sealing his decision. He then flicked his cigarette out of the window and fished a dubious looking joint wrapped in translucent green paper from his coar's inner pocket. He slid the window all the way up and sparked the joint with an ancient Bic lighter. It was blue and he had snapped a rubber band around it. Within a few drags, the inside of Rae's little car was filled with pungent weed smoke. Both men inside were giggling like little boys not much longer after that as Traveler's powerful pot got them mad baked. "Good idea, man." said Raedis before switching some music on in the car. As they made their way home Traveler was already assembling beats in his brain.

He couldn't wait to see his Lady. He missed her scent, the sound of her laughter and the way she looked at him with her piercing, icy blue eyes. He saw her in his mind and it caused a jolt of electric arousal to course down his spine, igniting a fire of desire in his loins like a lightning strike in a dry wood.

Raedis caught a sideways glance at his best friend while clearing an intersection. He chuckled silently at the man's expression. It was one of joy, happiness and excitement. No one but Lisa ever elicited such an expression form the time traveler.