HELP! I'm looking for a short story

Starman

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I read this strange science fiction romance story long ago when I was twelve. I need help remembering what it was called.

The story goes like this:

Premise: The crew of a starship is divided into two batches. While one batch runs the ship, the other batch is cryogenically frozen. Then after a point they switch over and so on. The two batches have never seen each other, nor are they allowed to communicate in any way. Before each switchover, the cleaners make sure they have removed everything that belongs to the previous batch, to prevent any kind of communication taking place by accident or otherwise.

Plot: The main character of the story wakes up from his freezing period, and goes to his sleeping quarters. He goes in the bathroom, and suddenly finds a pair of earrings there. He realizes that this belongs to someone from the other batch, and that he shares his room with a woman. Before going back to the freezing room again, he writes her a note and hides it in the tap. When he wakes up again he finds a note waiting for him in the tap, from that woman. Throughout the rest of the story they keep passing notes to each other, even though they never actually see each other. [this is as far as I remember, I forgot what happens at the end]

Has anyone come across this story?
 
In the cover if the book there was a man in a black uniform, and there was small red heart at the left side of his chest.

Can anyone help?
 
I really want to read this too!
I've done a bit of research but came up with nothing so I'm going to bump...
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'll bump me own thread :eek:
 
It rings a bell, but I can't pull it out of my brain.... I know I'm familiar with it. Maybe it'll come to me.
 
It's driving me crazy. Like you I know I've run across this, but I can't pull the title out.
 
I searched and searched and searched some more yesterday, and I could not find this story mentioned anywhere online. It's familiar, so it may turn out that I have it somewhere in a cabinet or box full of books. But it's gonna drive me crazy until then!
 
I did the same thing. I not only remember the story, I remember somewhere reading a discussion of the story. I Google searched and of course have sifted my brain... This is truly driving me crazy.
 
Starman, this is driving me crazy can you remember anything else for sure? I remember that they 2 characters continued to exchange notes... was it a colony ship of some kind? I can't place the type of story it was other than the love story nor can I recall how it ended. I've got feelers out elsewhere and am asking around. Can you dredge anything else back up.... It's putting me under.
 
Can you remember when you read it?

I have a vague recollection of something similar but it would have been over 20 years ago.
 
I've read a story that is conceptually similar. It is called They Live On Levels and was written by Terry Carr. It can be found in the anthology The Best Of New Dimensions edited by Silverberg. I'm not sure it ia the same story - the set-up is the same, only on an overpopulated future earth rather than a spaceship.
 
Silverberg sounds possible, I ran across it fairly recently...I'll try running that title down and see if it clicks. Thanks.
 

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