Metamorphosis - Jean Lorrah [104]
Data smiled. “I’m hardly an expert on such things, but I’ve observed that a small difference in age creates great barriers until humans get at least into their twenties. Why don’t you approach girls in your classes, Wesley?” The boy shrugged. “Lots of them are pretty, but they’re hard to talk to. They’re not interested in the things I do.” With painful honesty he admitted, “And some of the kids resent that I get to work on the bridge. I don’t really fit in with them anymore. Data,” he asked, “has a woman ever turned you down?”
“Certainly, they-was He stopped, frowning. Why did he automatically start to say yes? Why did he feel as if he understood what Wesley was talking about? Since becoming human, he had never put himself in that situation; Pris had taken the risks in their liaison. As 288 an android, he had had no personal desires on the subject; it had always been the woman who initiated any relationship. His closest approximation to Wesley’s disappointment was the time Tasha had told him “It never happened.” That had bewildered him even without the added turmoil of human hormones.
Finally he said, “Wesley, you have to understand that I probably have less experience with women than you do, at least as a human. You’d better ask Commander Riker or Lieutenant La Forge for advice on dating.” Data did empathize with Wesley’s feelings … and realized that his own chronic wi/l anguish closely resembled the acting ensign’s adolescent yearnings.
So he decided to take his own advice, and consult Will Riker. The first officer was taking a break in TenForward, drinking cafe au lait and watching the passing stars. Not knowing how to open the topic he wanted to discuss, Data also watched them for a moment. He remembered, “On Elysia, when I told Thelia I was from Starfleet, she asked if the stars truly moved swiftly there.”
“It sure looks that way, doesn’t it?”
Riker replied, then turned to Data. “Sit down. Enjoy the view.”
Data sat, saying, “It is something I have learned to enjoy.” At that Riker, who had momentarily returned to looking at the stars, suddenly turned squarely toward Data and fixed him with a hawklike gaze. After a few moments’ study, he nodded sagely. “Woman trouble.” Data felt his eyes widen. “How did you know?”
“What other kind of trouble sets a man to staring at the stars?” When Data started to answer, Riker shook his head.
“You opened with something romantic a woman once said to you.” “Romantic?”
“In the broad sense of the word. If you’d been human at the time it would probably have led to a flirtation. So what’s the problem now?” “I’m not certain. Wesley asked me for advice about women, which made me realize how little I know about them. I have too many of my own feelings I don’t understand.”
“And don’t want to discuss with Deanna because she’s also a woman,” Riker concluded.
“That is correct. I do not wish her to think me even more unstable. For … I sense that I want something, very badly-and yet I cannot say what it is I want! You are correct that my feelings are exacerbated by proximity to a woman.”
Riker smiled. “Data, you’re not unstable.
You’re reacting perfectly normally to having hormones for the first time in your life. Don’t be afraid to tell Deanna-it’s her job to know more about men than we know about ourselves.”
Data wondered for a moment how much that had to do with Riker’s not making a permanent commitment to the beautiful counselor. But Riker continued, “All you need is more experience, Data. More variety.
Women are one of life’s greatest pleasures, and certainly nothing to be afraid of.” “I’m not afraid-was “But your experience is limited.”
“Extremely,” Data admitted- “I think right now your feelings about women are exaggerated by their uniqueness, my friend. Get to know some more women. Flay the field for a while. It won’t be long before your emotions reach an even keel. It sounded like good advice.
So when he saw Ensign Lee Ann Su in TenForward the next day, Data struck up a conversation,