We finish up and send the file off to Grace, thankfully ending at a much more reasonable time than our previous planning session.
“Well, that’s that. Thanks so much, Nick,” I say, packing up my things. “I am sure we can message about any updates or changes we need to make, once Grace gets back to us. I will probably just plan to see you at the ceremony, if that’s okay?”
He nods.
“My next two weeks are a bit busier than normal. We are meeting Bentley’s mentor this weekend and have some activities planned to promote bonding the week following,” I expound.
“That’s exciting,” Nick exclaims. “Bentley must be turning eight? And how old is your other son?”
“Yep, he turns eight in a couple of weeks. My oldest, Tal, is ten.”
“Wow. That’s wonderful, Kate.”
“Thanks. We’ve kept them alive this long, so I guess that’s success?”
Nick laughs. “I’m sure you have done more than purely keep them alive,” he flatters, then speaks more soberly. “What is it like being a parent?”
“You don’t need to ask me,” I retort. “Go find yourself a girl and get going! With your gene sequence, you probably only need to find a low-level match on disease markers. You could practically pick anyone off the street and start having babies within the year,” I smile, quickly realizing that Nick isn’t sharing in the jest. I clear my throat. “I’m sorry Nick, I was just giving you a hard time. I don’t know you very well and shouldn’t have jumped into personal territory.”
“No, it’s fine,” he says, his shoulders relaxing, and he exhales slowly. “I did find someone I was interested in last year, but she decided to...go in a different direction. Because of my coding and my ability to respond to social conditioning, I have more responsibility. Well, at least, I feel like I do. I want to contribute more and she—” he pauses and takes a deep breath. “She wanted something simpler.”
My eyes widen at this revelation. How could somebody have turned him down? “Nick, I’m—so sorry. That must have been really hard,” I stammer.
“It wasn’t the most fun ever,” he admits as he starts to gather his things. “If I can write introductions to make other people seem approachable, you would think I could somehow find that balance for myself.”
“I guess I have a hard time understanding her reasoning. She would have had the opportunity to have as many children as she wanted and push society forward in so many ways. Why would anyone say no to that?”
“Those are the exact reasons why it didn’t work.” He shrugs. “It doesn’t make sense to me either.”
I put my jacket on and reach my hand out to open the door. It’s shocking to me that somebody in Tier 1 wouldn’t share those priorities. We are conditioned specifically to be ready to shoulder responsibilities of that magnitude. My interest is piqued, and I crave more details, but decide that asking wouldn’t be appropriate. Or kind.
“Kate,” Nick says quietly, “nobody has asked me about this before. Everyone thinks that I must have my life perfectly planned out. I feel like I don’t have any clue—” He stops mid-sentence and looks down. “Anyway, thanks for asking. It was really helpful to share that with someone.”
“Anytime, Nick. I should have just answered your initial question. I’m sorry it’s been difficult finding a pair. Are you still actively looking? I know you said you don’t have dating plans this week—”
“I’m honestly kind of burned out at this point, but I’m sure I will get back out there. I’m focusing on training and all of that right now,” he concludes, obviously trying to convince himself that this is a better option.
I nod. “Not a bad strategy. I have no doubt that you will figure it out.” Picking up my bag, I force myself to smile. “I guess I’ll see you at the ceremony? Thanks for all of your work on this.”
He waves as I walk out the door. At home, I know Eric is waiting for me, and I don’t want to be late this time.
I walk in and the smell of garlic wafts over me. A smile crosses my lips involuntarily at the unexpectedness of a special meal that I didn’t have anything to do with. Does garlic mean ‘special’? I laugh to myself at how pathetic that is. After hanging up my things, I follow the intoxicating aroma to find Eric grilling on the patio. Grilling is special, definitely. My assumption feels much less pathetic now.
“To what do I owe this delicious surprise?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his waist from behind.
He immediately places his spatula on the side of the grill and hugs me tight. “It’s actually a peace offering.”
“A peace offering? For what?” I lean back and look up into his face.
He sighs deeply. “I have to spend a couple of days down at Headquarters South. I just received the assignment this afternoon. I will be working on training some researchers at their lab on the different variations we are looking to match.”
“And that takes a couple of days?”
“I know,” he says apologetically. “It seems like it could be done in a few hours, but they want us to be really thorough. I think they are also planning to give us more information on how Berg plans to move forward with everything.” He pauses to check the temperature on the grill. “And...I have to go again next week.”
“What? That seems a little over the top. Why two weeks in a row?”
“They are flying in a couple of those pairs we found in our screening. We are going to do some advanced sequencing and just make sure that our information is correct. Then, we will sit down with them and discuss their future. I really don’t know how it’s going to go. You understand how sensitive this is.”
“I do,” I say soberly. “I still don’t know how I feel about you moving forward so quickly.”
“It has been made very clear to me that my opinions are not needed on the matter,” Eric mutters, moving toward the grill. As he opens the top, I notice that he is searing trout. My mouth waters.
“Really? How so? Wouldn’t they want all of your opinions, since you are the lead researcher?”
“Not necessarily. They need me to train, but even then it would be easy to have one of my team members do that. If I want to be involved, I need to toe the line.”
“That seems ungrateful. And out of character.”
“No, just efficient. With a breakthrough as big as this, they don’t want to waste any time. I, however, feel like it would be okay to ‘waste’ some time to make sure that we are doing this the right way. It’s simply a difference of opinion.”
“I’m sorry, Eric. I will support you in whatever you need to do.”
“I’m sorry I have to be gone. I haven’t had to be away from you and the boys in years. I can’t say I’m looking forward to it.”
“Where are the boys? I haven’t seen them since I walked in.”
“I put them to bed early.” He leans in and kisses me. “There may have been some bribery involved.”
I kiss him back. “You mean, bribery that I have to pay up on since you won’t be here?”
“Nope. I told them I would bring them back something cool from the trip.”
“Something cool from headquarters? Good luck with that.”
He traces my cheekbone with his finger. “You seem a little distracted,” I murmur. “I think the fish is done.”
He turns back to the food and transfers the filets to a dish on the side of the grill.
“We will eat, I will clean up while you relax, and then I vote we spend the rest of the evening not wearing clothes.”
“Are you bribing me now, too?” I laugh as he pretends to be offended.
“The cleanup is out of the kindness of my heart, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Well, I’ll take it. And thanks for dinner. Seriously, this is a great surprise.”
He smiles and takes the trout inside. I turn up the heat on the grill, watching the leftover skin sizzle and fall to the flames below. Then, I follow him.
Chapter 13
The next few
days are a blur. Between making a few changes for Grace, keeping up with my work schedule, and preparing for Bentley’s first mentor meeting, I hardly have a moment to miss Eric. Yet I still do. Bentley has taken advantage of the situation to finagle his way into my bed each night. This morning I find both boys in my room; Bentley is strewn across the bed sideways, and Tal is curled up on the floor with a pillow and a blanket.
I try to get out of bed without waking them, but Bentley stirs despite my cautious exit. Tiptoeing into the washroom, I hope to at least pee in peace.
“Mom?” Bentley calls.
“Hey bud, I’m just in here washing up. Did you sleep well?” I say as quietly as possible, while still allowing him to hear me through the door.
“Yes,” he says, sleepily.
After washing my hands, I walk back into the bedroom and resume my position under the blankets. Tal is awake now, too, and he jumps up on the bed to join us, pushing Bentley out of his way.
“Tal! Stop it! I just woke up. I don’t like being messed with when I’m tired.”
“Hey, there’s plenty of room for all of us,” I correct. “Bent, here, you come next to me. Then Tal can have all the room he wants.” I pull him close and kiss his forehead. “Tal, did you sleep well?”
“I ended up on your floor. What do you think?”
“That you love me so much, you just couldn’t stand being in the other room?”
“Nice try, Mom.” He lets his face flop into the pillow. “I had a really bad dream.”
“Oh, man. I’m sorry. Those are the worst. Do you want to talk about it?”
“I’ve mostly forgotten it now, but it seemed really real.”
“I know, I have had some like that before. They can be truly terrifying.” I reach over and push his hair off of his forehead. “What do you boys want to do today before Daddy gets home? You don’t have conditioning today since we are meeting Bentley’s mentor tonight. Dad gets home around 2pm, I think.”
“Mom, am I going to like my mentor?” Bentley asks hesitantly.
“I like Stephen,” Tal says as he rolls over, stretching and yawning simultaneously. “You like him too, right?”
“Yeah, he’s nice. I just don’t know if mine will be nice.”
“Bent, he is going to have so much in common with you. I think you’ll definitely click,” I assure him.
“But, you don’t know for sure.” Bentley looks skeptical.
“Mom, why do we even have mentors?” Tal asks. “I already have a mom and a dad and a brother. Why do I need Stephen, too?”
I shift Bentley over to my other side so that I am between the two boys, putting my arms around their growing shoulders.
“Do you remember learning about what it was like waaaay before the Crisis?”
“Like way before? Like when dinosaurs were on the earth?”
“Not that far back. More like when the United States first became a country,” I answer, amused.
“What is the United States?” asks Bentley, tracing freckles on my arm. His soft touch sends shivers up my spine.
“That’s what this whole region was called before the Crisis,” I clarify.
“It was called the United States? That’s weird.”
“It was actually the United States of America. And it was a lot bigger,” Tal says, reaching over to my nightstand and drawing a squiggly shape in the dust. I am now aware that I haven’t been keeping up on cleaning lately.
“This is what our region used to look like. And this,” he draws a thinner shape next to it, “is what it looks like now.”
“Why is it so much smaller?” Bentley asks quizzically, looking between the two shapes.
“You have to imagine that all around these shapes are oceans, Bent,” I expound. “A long time ago, the top and bottom of the earth were covered almost entirely with ice. Now there’s just a little bit. All of that extra water flowed into the oceans and lifted the sea level above where the land used to be.”
“Yeah, and lots of people died,” Tal interjects.
“Tal, enough,” I warn. “He will learn more about that when he’s older.”
“Fine. Anyway, now our region looks like this, and this right here,” he draws a large rectangle, “is the Midwest Territory.”
“That’s us!” says Bentley excitedly. “Where is our house?”
“Right about there,” I point. “But, back to my original question. What was life like then?”
“I know people were farmers. They had to start from scratch in a new land,” Tal says.
“Right. Once they set up communities, did children grow up and move somewhere else in the country?”
“No, the same families lived in the same place for a long time.”
“Yep, for generations. What do you think that looked like for a kid, say Bentley’s age, in a town like that?”
“That kid would have lots of relatives,” Tal jokes.
“Exactly. They would have their parents, their grandparents, their aunts and uncles. If they were having a hard time, they would have lots of people to talk to.”
“And lots of people to tattle on them,” he mutters.
“But that’s a good thing, too,” I say, raising my eyebrow. “It might not seem like it now, but when you are older and have your own kids, you will be so glad to have extra eyes and ears around.”
“I doubt it,” he grins.
“That’s specifically why the mentor system was instituted after the Crisis.”
“For tattling?” asks Bentley.
I laugh. “No, silly.” I tickle him and he thrashes wildly. “Because once the world started getting more populated and new technology allowed for people to just up and move all the time, people became disconnected. They ended up living in places where they had no family. Nobody to help them with kids or to support them and teach them how to navigate the tough times in life. Kids and parents ended up self-medicating all the time with entertainment or substances. It was a mess. So, as soon as they were making societal decisions, they instituted the mentoring program to foster more connection.”
“So we have more people to turn to,” says Tal.
“Exactly. And people who are genetically similar, just like family.”
“But why not only have family?” he asks.
“I think it would be ideal to have family around. Maybe we will have the option of doing that in the future, but it won’t work as of now.”
“Why?” asks Bentley.
“Because. People don’t live long enough. Do you really even remember my parents?”
“I do,” says Tal. “Barely.”
“The last time you saw them was when you were five years old, Tal. Grandma died when she was 44, and Grandpa died six months later at 46. So,” I sigh, “we keep families together as much as possible, but there’s only so much we can do. Mentors are still a great option, for now.”
“I’m hungry,” whines Bentley.
“Are you bored with this conversation?” I tease.
“I am,” says Tal.
“Hey, you are the one who asked!” I reach over and poke his ribs.
“You didn’t warn me that the answer would take five years!” he laughs.
“Alright, sorry. Let’s go have breakfast. You guys still haven’t told me what you want to do today.”
“I want to go to the duck pond!” yells Bentley as he runs to the stairs. Pants. I still need to find that kid some better pants.
After breakfast, I spend some time looking over the plans I received for Bentley’s new conditioning routine. They were sent a couple of days ago, but I haven’t had a chance to review them. I notice right away that he will be advancing in both math and social ethics. Advancing is the wrong word, rather he will be shifting focus. I think immediately of my conversation with Nick. I know that Bentley will be much more entrenched in experiences and education that will solidify the social responsibility pathways he has already formed. I know he will have much more expected of him, but I hope he won�
�t get the same societal pushback that Nick has.
“Help me out, they’re attacking!” I hear Bentley’s voice filter down the hall.
“Bringing reinforcements,” Tal answers in an official tone. I pause in my task, just listening. It is rare these days to hear Tal engaged in imaginative play, and I don’t want to miss it. Eventually, their voices lower enough that I can’t make out what they are saying. I return to the report, a smile still on my lips.
It looks like Bent’s math will be much more experiential, and he will have a new instructor. Most of the kids in his group will be at least three years older. I check to see if Tal is in the same group, but he isn’t. Makes sense. I don’t think that would be a good situation for either of them. My eyes widen when I notice Bentley’s time requirement has gone up; he will be as busy as Tal.
Signing the form, I turn off my tablet. This year is going to be a shift, and I’m not sure I am ready for it. Again, the unknowns of Eric’s service create instability where there wasn’t any before. How can I prepare to handle this when I have no idea what it will look like? The constant weight on my chest feels a little heavier this morning. As boys are still playing happily, I take a few moments to meditate; I close my eyes, enjoying the momentary peace and quiet.
Chapter 14
The boys and I are waiting in the community room of the Mentoring Center when I see Eric walk in. Finally. I was honestly worried he was going to miss the meeting. I shoot up from my seat and walk quickly to him, trying not to make a scene. We embrace, and something in his kiss feels desperate.
“I missed you so much,” he whispers.
“Me too.”
“Dad!” the boys yell as they jump off their bench and run over to hug his legs.
“Hey, I missed you guys!” Eric laughs, bending down to wrap his arms around them. He pulls out two miniature objects. I can’t see exactly what they are, but the boys’ faces light up.
Tier Trilogy: Books 1-3 Page 10