Pleasure Giver

“You called for me, Julian?” I asked. “And yet there is no fantasy channel established.”

“I did not sign for you, Jeremy, to satisfy my sexual needs. I signed to give you some relief. And I signed for the night. I know, as you probably are beginning to know, how taxing this part of the journey is on our Pleasure Givers. I’ve often said there should be some sort of rationing while we are in the empty zone—or they should stock up with extra Pleasure Givers—maybe shuttle them out for just this period. This is when our allotted stock of Pleasure Givers is depleted the most. Statistically, it just isn’t cost effective to run a universe explorer this way.”

I walked over and sat down beside him. “You do not wish to have me?” I asked. “At the beginning of the journey, you asked for me on occasion. I no longer arouse you?”

“At the beginning of the journey I was younger—and feeling much more well,” he said. And then he laughed.

“You are not well?” I asked. I was genuinely concerned. Sometimes Julian was the only one who made this existence bearable for me.

“It will pass,” he answered. “It always has before.”