Episode 05

Welcome to the cereal serial version of Octave of Stars! Episodes will release every Monday and Thursday. If you’re finding this story for the first time, be sure to start at Episode 01 for maximum comprehension.

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"Ash, come on!" Cascadia yelled through the door to his bathroom. "If you want to ride the bus with me, then we need to leave now!" She crossed her arms and sighed, fully dressed in her blue hooded sweatshirt over a long-sleeved shirt, with a pair of leggings under her long teal skirt to ward off the cold. Her sling pack was full of the necessities for the day, including lunch and snacks.

"I'll be out in a minute, literally," Ash whined from the other side. "It's just so early, I don't understand how you do this."

"It's six a.m.," she chided him. "I had class at five last year. Besides, you're the one who picked up a prep shift."

"Remind me to not do that again. Only lunch or dinner from now on."

"Nope, you're on your own with that one, buddy."

Within his promised minute, Ash emerged mostly prepared for the day, putting on his special non-slip shoes and grabbing his backpack from the chair. He noticed the black insulated travel mug on the table, which hadn't been there when he had gulped down breakfast.

Cascadia said in a sweet voice: "I got you a coffee."

He took a sip before stowing it in the side pocket of his backpack. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

They left his apartment, he locked up quickly. Together they walked downstairs and across the plaza to the bus stop.

"There's nobody out here," Ash commented.

"Oh will you stop," she teased. "Go have a nap after work."

"I would…" He yawned. "Except Óscar Mario is going to pick me up. He was gonna take me to that restaurant that just opened and introduce me."

"Oh, I hope that goes well." She pulled the hood of her sweatshirt around her head tighter, her light red braid emerging at her neck.

"Yeah, me too."

The bus driver that morning was a dapper fellow in his fifties who always wore a red bow tie with his uniform shirt. He greeted them both by name as they boarded, and they reciprocated on the way to their seats. Cascadia scribbled on one of her waterproof notepads, while Ash closed his eyes and kept his fire fueled with coffee and a granola bar.

The bus turned the corner off the main street and toward the university. Cascadia tucked away her crossword book and the rest of her belongings.

"I have chemistry lab today at noon," she reminded him. "But even with that, I should be home no later than two. Either way, I'll text you when I'm on my way out."

Ash nodded. "Sounds good. I promised Óscar Mario lunch, so I'll make extra for you, too."

Cascadia's heart filled with a quiet, clear joy at their friendly domestic situation.

Ash got up so she could get off. She turned to him and smiled sweetly, giving him a little wave before she stepped off the bus.

Ash arrived at the restaurant more alert from his home-made coffee and companionship. He accepted the orders from the kitchen manager: this many containers of mushrooms, that many onions, all these garlic heads. As he chopped and measured and par-boiled pasta, a dark-haired man a little older than Ash prepped the lasagna and other pre-made dishes. Neither cook was interested in small talk. Unlike a kitchen shift where their clock out times were up to the whims of the customers, they could leave when they were done, so efficiency trumped socializing that morning.

On a break, he sat down to rest in the dining room, since there wasn't anywhere good to sit in the kitchen other than the business office. He found Jenna there, folding linens and wiping down tables. She was surprised to see him instead of the usual prepper. Ash checked his phone: Cascadia said hello, Óscar Mario was on schedule. Sooner than later, it was back to work.

It was the middle of the morning by the time he was cleared to go by the manager. He sent a text message to Cascadia while he waited at the curb for a sleek, polished gray car to arrive and park in front of the restaurant. Ash could feel the bass vibrations of the stereo system, the tubas and horns shaking his insides. He didn't understand how anyone could even enjoy it at that volume. As soon as the car parked, though, the music mercifully stopped.

"Hey, man!" the guy who must have been Óscar Mario said, as Ash got buckled in. Despite his colorful t-shirt and loose jeans, his chosen career as a mechanic was apparent from his calloused hands pitted with permanent black grease stains. His hair was cut severely short, and his nose looked like Ash's, long and pointed. "¿Que pasa?"

"Oh you know," Ash responded. "Viviendo la vida."

"Great, dude. Let's vamonos, they haven't even opened yet."

It would have been a long journey by bus to the small Mexican restaurant on the east side of town, but with a ride from Óscar Mario, Ash got there in almost no time. It was indeed small, the dining room was about as big as his apartment, and the kitchen was only slightly larger. The owner was confident about their prospects, showing Ash around while discussing the particulars in Spanish. Óscar Mario took a phone call outside.

Ash wrote the details down on one of the newly printed takeout menus, which was rather small because of the focus on the traditional dishes they provided. Ash would be working longer hours, but at a lower pay rate. He would have to do the math at home, but it seemed promising. They exchanged phone numbers, and he found Óscar Mario still on the phone, although he ended the conversation quickly.

"Done already? How'd it go?" he asked.

Ash looked at the menu with his notes again. "I said I'd think about it and let him know by tomorrow."

"That's good, man," Óscar Mario said as they got in the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Take some time and pray about it, right? Don't just jump in both feet."

"Yeah," Ash said, resolving to add it to his intentions. The phone in his pocket vibrated and chirped at him. He opened it, hoping to see Cascadia's response to his earlier text, but it was just the shift coverage group for his current job. This new opportunity didn't feel particularly good, but not particularly bad either. It was, like most things, just kind of there.

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Ash pulled the plastic food container out of the refrigerator. "Are you sure you don't want any?"

"No way, dude," Óscar Mario replied, sitting at the table across the room with a piece of naan bread. "You make that stuff way too picante. It's like, picante gigante. Unless there's any of the plain stuff you make for Cascadia."

"No, she took it for lunch today."

"Then make me tacos or whatever man, you promised lunch, and you wouldn't let me buy you anything at that restaurant."

Ash sat down at the table with the leftovers of his gigantically spicy curry, eating right from the container with a spoon. "First of all, I owe you for the ride, and second, that restaurant was just a birrieria."

"Yeah, but it's a new birrieria. You know what that means," Óscar Mario said pointedly.

"Yeah, but what about when the new business rush wears off?" Ash read the bus route map he had spread out on the table earlier. "And, it's so far out there. What if the bus is late? I can't walk unless I start the night before."

"Dude, he won't care. You have citizenship, he'll be happy with whatever you do."

"Yeah," Ash said again.

Óscar Mario wiped the crumbs from the bread off his hands and leaned back. "Hey, if it doesn't work out, you could always go help Gui with the taco truck." He tilted his head. "He's starting to get more around downtown now that it's mas cálido, right? He'll even come pick you up from here."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Even after what happened last year?"

"Aw, he's a nice guy. Insurance took care of the stuff, and Jesus took care of him."

"I'll keep that in mind too," Ash said, stirring his curry.

Óscar Mario made a tsk'ing sound. "Come on, man, you can't just keep working part time and you know it. What if they cut your hours even more? The only reason you can afford it here is 'cause you don't have a car."

"I know," Ash said lamely.

"Ash," Óscar Mario said, which was surprising. He usually just called him 'man' or 'dude.' "The birrieria is a great opportunity," he gestured to the menu, "and Gui is a pretty good one. I hope you're paying attention." He sat back and put his hands in his pockets. "My work here is done, and so is my appetizer. When's the main course?"

Ash's thoughts about making lunch for his current company automatically spun off new thoughts about meat alternatives for the company that wasn't nearby. Which led to the fact they had used all their tofu last night. "Hang on, I need to text Cas something." He messaged a request for her to pick some up on her way home, which is what she should have been doing right then, if he had his scheduling correct.

Óscar Mario shook his head, his mouth tight. "Man, I swear."

"What?"

He leveled his dark brown eyes at him. "When are you gonna just quit and start dating her already?"

"Oh, come on," Ash said, setting down his phone and taking another spoonful of curry, so he didn't let something even spicier come out of his mouth.

"Yo serio," Óscar Mario continued. "You two are like, cute banana nuts together. She's got you totally wrapped around her finger." He raised his little finger to illustrate, which Ash found rather ironic.

"She does not," Ash said, but Óscar Mario's eyebrows canceled his rebuttal.¹

"You cook her dinner every day."

"She would just eat cereal and crackers instead."

"You know her eating habits," he pointed out.

"We've known each other a long time…" Ash felt he was losing traction in this debate.

"Which is an excellent way to know if someone is madly enamorado with you," he countered.

"Which we're… not," Ash said.

Óscar Mario pointed his finger at him. "Says the guy who moved in next door."

Ash closed his eyes and shook his head. "Okay, fine. You win. I'll propose tonight."

Óscar Mario raised his hands in mock defeat. "I'm just saying, man. You wait too long and some guapo might snatch her up."

Ash's nostrils flared. "Are you saying I'm not guapo?"

Óscar Mario made a defiant face. "Maybe."

"Whatever, man," Ash said, pushing his chair away from the table.

Óscar Mario looked pleased. "Anyway, I'm starving. The service around here is terrible." He scouted around the room for the wait staff. "Let's get with the comida."

Ash put on his apron and set the cast iron pan on the stove. Óscar Mario complained again that Ash had moved his TV next door, so he just sat on the loveseat and talked, which was his favorite pastime anyway. "The problem with Zaragoza is he can't kick for nothing. I dunno why they gave up Mendez, now he was something else, man. Without him, they definitely won't make the World Cup." When he gazed up at the ceiling during his monologue, Ash turned the knob to ignite the burner, and provided the spark himself.

While the pan warmed, Ash checked his phone for a response from his neighbor, and didn't find any. She also hadn't responded to his text while he had been waiting at the restaurant three hours ago. She was usually prompt to reply, but there were a lot of reasons why she wouldn't, so he just focused on the task at hand. He laid the meat out in strips over the hot surface, not noticing he was holding on to the pan handle without the insulating cover. Ash slipped it on before Óscar Mario noticed.

At short length, the meal was ready, and they said Grace before eating. Ash placed his cell phone on the table so he could see if it sprang to life with good news. Óscar Mario scoffed. "See man, you can't even go an hour or two without talking to her. Classic symptoms of being in love."

"Yeah, sure," Ash said, not really focused. He finished his second taco and stood up to go to the window. "I'm just gonna call her, I get better reception over here."

He ignored his friend's dissatisfied noises while it rang. Sure enough, he got her voicemail. You've reached Cascadia's phone, she had recorded in a singsong tone. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you when I'm done reading.

Ash closed his phone, studying the sky above the courtyard. He knew he was encouraging Óscar Mario's ribbing by constantly reaching out, but felt he had reason to be concerned. He checked his watch again; he hadn't heard from or spoken to her for nearly eight hours, but she was supposed to be home in less than one. She usually came over or at least announced herself whenever she arrived, but he wanted to be certain.

"Dude, are you gonna eat that?" Óscar Mario asked after Ash's untouched third taco.

"Sure," Ash said, "I mean, you can have it. I'll be right back though, I need something in Cas' apartment."

"Don't be gone too long in there!"

Next door, he found a sticky note from her desk and scrawled 'Please come over' on it, then stuck it to the front of her refrigerator. He also checked over the printout of her school schedule she had left there. It matched up with what she had said earlier; her lab was the last class on Wednesday, then she came home. He checked his phone again, no messages. He also glanced at the answering machine on her landline phone, but there were no calls.

His fear immediately went to the extreme: she had been hit by a car, mugged, hurt or worse. That wasn't helping. He prayed for peace, to stop adding fuel to his already-raging inner fire. She was a smart, capable woman with plenty of resources at her disposal. Including one resource nobody else had, he noted with hope. However, that same resource was also a liability.

Folding the schedule into his pocket, he went back to his own apartment. Óscar Mario was scraping up every bit of food from his plate. Seeing Ash's undisguised concern, his jovial mood changed. "Dude, everything alright?"

Ash hesitated. Óscar Mario was one of the few people from his youth he could still call a friend, and what did friends do but help? "No," he said firmly. "Cascadia isn't answering her phone, and hasn't all day. She's supposed to be home in a little while, though."

"Bummer, dude."

Ash sat at the table next to him, regretting he hadn't eaten his last taco after all.

Óscar Mario regarded him for a moment, then continued. "Maybe her phone ran out of battery?"

"Yeah, she forgets to charge it sometimes, and she forgets the spare battery. But she carries change for payphones."

"Does she forget that too?"

"No, actually," this thought bringing him a momentary reprieve from his fear. "She never forgets it because she likes to give it to panhandlers."

"Huh," Óscar Mario said. He checked his watch, an expensive metal-banded one. "I better get to fregando los platos. Wouldn't want to leave you with a mess, eh?"

Ash didn't know what to say for a moment. Óscar Mario never offered to clean up when he ate over at Ash's place. "Oh, thanks."

At the top of the next hour, Ash called Cascadia again and was similarly unsuccessful. He had heard no doors opening nearby, no forgetful young ladies knocking on his. Ash felt fairly confident it was time to upgrade his concern into full-blown worry.

Óscar Mario turned away from the sink full of dishes. "Nothing yet?"

"No, but maybe the bus was late."

"Yeah, maybe. Hey man, why don't we play cards after I'm done?"

In a surprisingly subtle way, Óscar Mario was supporting him, being there when he needed help. Ash decided to be less subtle in return. "Thanks for staying, man, I appreciate it."

Óscar Mario gave him a toothy grin. "Dude, don't worry about it. We're amigos, right?"

"Right."

A few rounds of poker later, not much had changed. Ash shuffled the deck of playing cards. "Okay, it's three o'clock, I'm officially worried."

"No kidding, man."

"I dunno what to do now, though."

Óscar Mario leaned back in his chair. "One time, I needed to get a hold of cousin Berto, it was when Abuela Rosa passed," they both made the Sign of the Cross in silent prayer, kissing their fingertips before he continued, "but he was in class. I called the main office, and they sent someone to find him. It was just like in high school, man."

"Yeah, maybe I'll try that." He still had the number for the university administration in his phone, so he found it and dialed. Óscar Mario checked his own phone while he waited.

"Um, hi, my friend is a student there, and I was wondering if you had any way to reach her?… Her name is Cascadia Dewlenser… Yeah, she had classes today, she might still be on campus… I was a student, I should be in the system, Ash Grisarco," he gave his student ID number as well. "I'm listed as her emergency contact… I'm not sure if it's an emergency, I just can't seem to reach her… Okay, I'll wait."

Óscar Mario met Ash's eyes during the pause in the conversation and nodded at him confidently.

"What do you mean, I'm not on her file? She filled out that form in front of me. Can I contact a professor directly, I have her schedule right here… No, all her family members are in Ireland, they can't come down to the office… Alright, fine…" He wanted to just hang up. He really did. "Thank you for your help, have a good day."

"That was worth a try," Óscar Mario said, putting away his phone.

Ash looked at his watch again. "I think I should go down there, maybe she got stuck, or held up somewhere."

"Good idea, dude. Let's go." Óscar Mario stood up and brushed off his shirt.

Ash wasn't about to turn down the kindness of not having to ride the bus in the afternoon. "Thanks. I mean it."

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Octave of Stars is currently airing on Substack for free, with two of the 45 total posts per week. It’ll be fully released at the end of April 2024. If you don’t want to wait that long, you can get the entire story right now, in either Ebook or paperback. Every purchase supports the ZMT Books mission of family-friendly entertainment.

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1. Greatest eyebrows of all time maybe