Koshay waved his knife and with a deft twist of the wrist stabbed the largest piece of Umku. He stuffed it into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and grunted to his companion, "Y'know, Gilrun, these Venusians are the best cooks in the solar system.
"You're telling me." the Lunite replied. He picked up an Ifyul stalk on the point of his knife and look it over, "and there's not a Venusian living who can cook like Yoz."
The big yellow decapod behind the counter gurgled a typical Venusian expression of contentment. He tossed another chunk of Umku onto the platter and gurgled, "On the house."
Gilrun winked at his companion, and the Earthman winked back. "In my years haulin' freight from Earth to Saturn I've eaten in plenty of Umku joints and I've never tasted cooking like Yos."
Yoz gurgled again and slipped a Frangh onto Koshay's plate.
The two spacemen finished their meals and lit up a couple of Chym cigarettes. Gilrun inhaled and then let the smoke out slowly through his nose. "Mild." he muttered. Koshay did likewise and then asked, "How much, Yoz?"
The Venusian gurgled, "5 interplan'ts."
"Sure thing," Koshay muttered, leaning back. Carefully he knocked his ashes on the floor. "Yoz, did I ever tell you about a Venusian I knew by the name of Zamuk?"
"No."
"Well, this lad, Zamuk, was good-lookin' in a Venusian sort of way. He was a good five feet tall and almost green. Well, there was this little gal, Suca - she was a cute little thing as Venusian dames go - she was nuts about him and he was pining away for a lass from up in the high country where the orange Venusies come from. She was almost red and had the softest, sweetest gurgle you've ever heard."
Yoz emitted the Venusian equivalent of a sigh and leaned on the lunch-counter.
"Well," Koshay continued with a flourish, "she, bein' an uplander, considered herself to be better'n Zamuk. And all the while this little Suca loved him. Zamuk went upland and got a job with the orange gal's old man, who was a big rocket with Venus Inter-Space. The old man put Zamuk to work in the main office. Now get this." He leaned toward Yoz, "Zamuk worked right across the room from the upland gal."
Yoz gasped appropriately.
"All the time Zamuk worked there poor little Suca was eatin' her cardiac muscles out. Well, this orange gal decided to string Zamuk along. She played him for about a month and then up and eloped with a yellow space-pilot. Well, he was all broken up."
"Did he go back to Suca?" Yoz gurgled.
"No," Koshay sighed, "he walked behind a firing test rocket and melted himself."
Yoz gasped.
"And Suca went into the swamps and was never seen again." Koshay sniffed.
The Venusian's soft yellow body heaved and deep croaking sobs gurgled from within him.
"So long, Yoz." Gilrun muttered, "We'll see ya again next time we're in port." Koshay nodded and waved as they left.
Outside the shop Gilrun grinned, "That's the fifth time you've told Yoz that story."
"Yeah," Koshay replied, "and it's the fifth time we've walked out without paying, too."
As they walked to the terminal, Yoz' gurgled soba echoed thru the night.
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Data entry by Judy Bemis