The E Utopia Project

by Kudakwashe Muzira

  She put her hands on her belly, wishing she could somehow freeze her pregnancy and delay the birth of her child until after the end of El Monstruo.

  Sara almost jumped when a cloud suddenly appeared on the screen. She picked her phone and contacted the Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency.

  “Sir,” she said, breathless with excitement. “The cloud has magically appeared in the usual location over the Indian Ocean. Please alert the Pentagon.”

  “Let me check it out. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”

  Sara returned her eyes to the computer screen, praying the cloud would last long enough for the submarines to surface and take pictures. She suddenly felt hungry. She had eaten a heavy breakfast but she felt as if she last ate more than twenty-four hours ago. Without taking her eyes away from the computer, she opened her lunchbox and took out a chicken slab pie. Her food cravings had grown so much that she had to bring a lunch box to work. Eyes glued to the monitor, she devoured the pie.

  The cloud disappeared after thirty-nine minutes. Sara held her cell phone, willing it to ring. It didn’t disappoint. Her heart palpitated when she looked at the phone’s LCD.

  “Tim, do you have good news for me?”

  “Yes. The servicemen in the submarine didn’t see any clouds above that area. They took some pictures of the cloudless sky.”

  “Now what happens?”

  “They’re going to send the pictures to the Pentagon. I think they’ll train the NRO’s surveillance telescopes on the area to find out what’s happening.”

  “I hope so,” Sara said. “You never know with these military types.”

  “The President is taking this matter seriously. I believe he’ll do something when he sees conclusive evidence from surveillance telescopes.”

  “Thanks for the update, Tim. Let me know when something happens.”

  “I’ll be in touch.”

  Sara munched another pie. “Oh baby, you’re making me so hungry,” she soliloquized, putting a hand on her belly. “I hope you’re fine.” She sprang to her feet and her mouth gaped when she realized she hadn’t yet had a pregnancy scan. She was at least ten weeks pregnant and she hadn’t thought about going for a scan. She had been so worried about making the world better for her unborn child that she forgot to check whether all was well with her baby. She sank back to her chair and searched the internet for the best prenatal care centers in the city. She found a prenatal care clinic with nine-hundred and seventy-three reviews and decided it would do for her.

  She sped out of the office as if having the scan was a dire emergency. George and Agent Kane were playing chess in the corridor.

  “Is everything alright, Sah?” George asked.

  “I’m going to the doctor. I’m two and a half months pregnant and I haven’t had a single scan. George, I forgot to have my baby checked. I’ll never forgive myself if something happens to the baby.”

  George rose from his chair and walked to Sara. “It’s my fault. I should have reminded you to go for the scan. You’ve been under so much pressure at work and the attempt on your life unsettled you.”

  “Thanks for making me feel better,” Sara said before she walked past him.

  “She saved you,” Kane said. “You were losing this game.”

  “It’s still one nil, Kane. You’ll have another chance to get even.”

  The two men followed her to the elevator. When they got out of the building, they found most of the other members of Sara’s guard standing outside their cars. The driver of Sara’s car was sitting on the hood of the car, texting a message to his girlfriend.

  As usual, George opened the door of the car for Sara. He sat on her left and Kane sat on her right.

  “Take me to 19th street just before the intersection with L Street,” she ordered.

  Her motorcade drove through the gate. One of the uniformed Secret Service men manning the gate gave Sara a mock salute when her car passed through.

  Being midday, traffic was light. It took them a quarter of an hour to reach the prenatal care centre. Sara put on her breathing machine and followed George out of the car. Now that she was pregnant, she didn’t want to walk even the shortest distance without a breathing machine, fearing her baby could be harmed if she deprived herself of oxygen. George and Kane flanked her during the short walk from the car park to the clinic. As Kane walked, only his left hand swung normally. His right hand remained near his hip, ready to draw his gun if need arose.

  The Latino receptionist got starstruck when Sara took off her breathing machine.

  “Doctor Cummings!” she exclaimed.

  “I need a pregnancy scan,” Sara said.

  “Fill this form.” She gave Sara a slip of recycled paper. “Let me call Doctor Wilson. She will be thrilled to see you.”

  Doctor Wilson was indeed thrilled to see Sara. Having celebrities at the clinic was good for business. “Doctor Cummings, it’s an honor to have you here. What can we do for you?”

  Sara looked at the plump doctor, wondering why a doctor would let herself become overweight. “I’m at least ten weeks pregnant and I haven’t had a scan. I’ve been so busy that I forgot to have a scan. Can you believe it? I put my work before my child.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re not late for the scan. Most women have their scans at twelve weeks. Have you been experiencing any bleeding?”

  “No.”

  “That’s good. Let’s get into the scan room.”

  “Honey, let’s get in,” Sara said, taking George’s hand.

  They entered the dimly lit sonography room. Doctor Wilson normally let her sonographer do the ultrasound scanning but because Sara was a celebrity, the doctor decided to do the scan herself in order to ingratiate herself with Sara. There was a big chance that if Sara liked the clinic’s service she would recommend it to her celebrity friends.

  “Please lower your skirt to your hips and pull your T-shirt to your chest,” the doctor said.

  Sara complied and the obstetrician applied ultrasound gel on her belly and rimmed her clothes with tissue paper to protect them from being soiled by the gel. She placed the ultrasound probe on her belly, applying gentle pressure.

  Sara’s heart sank when she looked at the black and white picture on the ultrasound screen. She wasn’t an expert but she could clearly see what the pictures meant.

  “Congratulations,” Doctor Wilson said. “You’re carrying twins.”

  “We’ve twins, Sah!” George rejoiced, squeezing her hand.

  Sara remained impassive.

  “Are you alright, Sah?” George asked.

  “I’m still trying to recover from the shock.”

  “It’s pretty normal to feel shocked,” Doctor Wilson said.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to bring two babies in a world with unbreathable air,” Sara whispered.

  “Sah, we’ll do everything in our power to make sure our babies will be alright.” George tucked a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. “They’ll be fine because they have us.”

  “Your babies look fine,” the doctor said, wiping the scan gel off Sara’s belly. “You’re around eleven weeks. Your babies have separate placentas and that’s good. Sometimes when twins share one placenta, one twin gets more blood than the other. Well, that’s it Doctor Cummings. Come back for another scan after four weeks.”

  George helped her to her feet.

  Sara forced a smile. “Thank you, doctor. See you in a month.”

  She walked to the car the word twins ringing in her ears.

  * * *

  “What do you think about E Utopia, darling?” Vice Admiral Andrew Frankson asked his wife.

  “The temperature is much cooler than on Earth and the air is more breathable than Earth’s air,” Akeela said, trying her best to look delighted. “The air feels a little heavy. I think it needs a little oxygen to be perfect. E Utopia would be paradise if it wasn’t so barren and if it had more oxygen.”

  “The Executiv
e Council is discussing ways to increase oxygen in the atmosphere.” Frankson said. “We’ll soon have plenty of vegetation, darling. Tree planting has begun in earnest. You saw it yourself during your volunteer work.”

  “Yes, we planted many trees but it will take years to grow enough vegetation to sustain an ecosystem.”

  “The fact that it took thousands of years for polluters to destroy Earth’s environment bears testament to nature’s resilience. Our vegetation will grow much faster than you think. Here we live under strict environmental law. There won’t be any indiscriminate chopping of trees.”

  “Still, I think it will take at least a decade for the planet to be covered with vegetation,” Akeela said. “But even without vegetation, life here is a thousand times better than the life we had on Earth.”

  “EU climate is good for plant growth. The soil has a good pH and contains enough nitrates and trace elements for plant growth. You’ll be surprised how animals and plants will colonize this planet.”

  “Thanks for securing us a place on this new planet.” She looked around the house. “And this is the biggest house I’ve ever lived in.”

  “Did I tell you that the Executive Council promised farms to all pioneers?”

  “Yes you did. I’ve never imagined that I’d one day be a lady of the manor.” She smiled to conceal her sadness. She was grateful to her husband for bringing them to E Utopia and she didn’t miss Earth. She just wished her brother, Lawrence, had agreed to come. Frankson had included Lawrence, his wife and two kids on the list of chosen ones. But Lawrence couldn’t come because his wife refused to come. Her parents were not included on the list of chosen ones and she refused to abandon them. Akeela and Frankson had made an invitation video specifically for Lawrence and his wife but his wife wouldn’t budge.

  Frankson pulled Akeela and kissed her passionately.

  “What was that for?” she asked.

  “That was for nothing. I don’t need a special reason to kiss my beautiful wife, do I?” He smiled and held her hands. He had never been so happy in his life. He had been worried war would break out between the Earth’s powers and the E Utopian space force before the evacuation of his chosen ones. He could see she was pained by her brother’s refusal to come to E Utopia. He wanted to be with her during this difficult time but he had to return to Base. The E Utopia pioneers had resumed the milking operation after suspending it for two months to concentrate on the evacuation of the chosen ones.

  “Darling, my leave ends today. I’m heading back to Base tomorrow. Soon the operation will be over and I’ll be spending more time with you and Primrose.”

  “What is it that you do in the operation?”

  “We’re looking for new planets,” he lied. He couldn’t tell her that the operation involved taking oxygen from Earth. He knew she would never forgive him for killing her brother and the rest of Earth’s inhabitants. All E Utopian pioneers had been told that the oxygen harvesting operation was classified and he hoped that none of the pioneers would tell their chosen ones about the operation. The chosen ones now made more than ninety percent of E Utopia’s population and they could rebel if they realized what the pioneers had done.

  “Aren’t you content with this planet?”

  “We’re looking for planets to mine for minerals that we need here.” To change the subject of conversation, he asked, “How was Environmental Science class?”

  “I love it! It’s kind of weird being in the same class with Primrose. It makes me feel young. It’s like becoming a teenager again.”

  “Tell your teenage male classmates that I’ll kick their asses if they hit on you.”

  She laughed. “Somebody is jealous.”

  “Baby, you’re so beautiful that they’ll mistake you for a teenager and will try to lay their hands on you. But I’ve a strategy to prevent that.”

  “What strategy?”

  “I’ll tell Primrose to tell the whole class that you’re her mom.”

  “Devious son of a bitch.”

  “I’m glad you like your Environmental Science class. I feared you’d hate it. People have a tendency to dislike compulsory things.” He put his hands on her lap and looked her in the eye. “Listen, honey... I know you’re worried about your brother and I’ll do my best to bring him here. The President is on Earth. I sent him a message telling him the situation with your brother. I asked him to add your brother’s in-laws on the list. I told him that the matter is causing a lot of sadness in my family. It will take a day for the message to reach our space station in the Solar System. The station will email the message to the President. Let’s just hope that the President will agree to my request.”

  “Thank you, Andrew,” she said with tears in her eyes. “Thank you for thinking about my brother.”

  “Your brother and I have had our differences, darling. But I’ll do my best to bring him here because he’s your brother. I hate seeing you unhappy.”

  She hugged him. “Thank you. I’ll pray for the President to agree to your request. I don’t understand why the government of E Utopia didn’t take in more refugees from Earth. This planet is bigger than Earth.”

  “It costs a lot of money to bring people from space. Besides, the environment of this planet is still too fragile to withstand a huge population boom. Maybe in future, when the environment is more stable, the government will decide to take in more people. Where’s Primrose?”

  “The last time I saw her she was with your sister. The two have taken to this planet like ducks to water.”

  * * *

  “Your dad and I used to be worried that you’d marry one of those punks you used to date. But you did much more than we expected of you. You married the President of this wonderful planet and you’re now the First Lady. I had little respect for most of the things you did but you saved your family from perishing on Earth.”

  Jennifer looked at her mother. “You’re welcome, mom.”

  “When you joined the green movement, I thought it was just another excuse for not looking for a job,” Sheryl Ladley said with an affectionate gray-eyed gaze at her daughter. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Jennifer.”

  “Mom, that belongs to the past. You didn’t mean any harm. The good thing is that we’re all here and we’re alive.”

  Sheryl’s eyes moved around the expansive living room. “I still can’t believe that my daughter now leaves in a palace. It’s like a fairytale.”

  “I feel like that too, mom. I feel like I’m living in the pages of a fairytale book.”

  Sheryl’s eyes swept around the room for the umpteenth time. “A palace with no paintings or wooden furniture, but a palace nonetheless.”

  “We don’t have trees for wood. But even when we have thick woodlands, I don’t think we’ll have a big timber industry on this planet. We’ll only cut trees when it’s absolutely necessary. We won’t cut trees to make unnecessary ornaments. How’s dad?”

  “Your dad is fine. He’s gone to work. He found a job in the sewage and water department. They’re doing some plumbing in the new housing units.”

  “Good for him,” Sara said, smiling as she imagined her father with a wrench and a hammer in his hands. “He’s found something to keep him busy. He hates sitting idle.”

  “Your dad loves his Environmental Science class.”

  “What about you, mom? Do you love your Environmental Science class?”

  “No. I just go because it’s compulsory.”

  “Mom, you should take your class seriously,” Jennifer said with a reproachful tone. “It’ll help you understand why you should follow the planet’s strict environmental laws. It’ll help you become a good citizen who won’t be a menace to our environment.”

  “It’s a noble idea but I know almost everything that they teach us in the class.”

  “Think of it as a refresher course, mom.”

  “I’ll try that approach.” Sheryl took a step toward Jennifer. “What’s happening between you and Teresa? I’ve never seen you two toget
her since we arrived here. I asked her about it and she told me that you fell out when she said some mean things to you. She said she’s sorry.”

  “It’s too late for her apologies now,” Jennifer deadpanned. She missed Teresa but she couldn’t let her get away with calling her a mean gold-digging bitch.

  “Teresa was your best friend,” Sheryl said sternly. “You can’t dump your friends because you’re now the First Lady of E Utopia.”

  “Being First Lady of EU has nothing to do with my break up with Teresa,” Jennifer said. “Being the President’s wife hasn’t changed me, mom. I’m still the person I was before I became Sam Cruz’s wife.”

  “Honey, I never approved of your friendship with Teresa. But I think it’s wrong for you to dump her just like that.”

  “I didn’t dump her, mom. She dumped me.”

  “Can you tell me what happened between the two of you?”

  “The evacuations from Earth were done in order of seniority. They began evacuating the chosen ones of senior space force officers and high-ranking government officials. When the evacuations began, I was only an ensign like Teresa but Sam gave me the privilege to have fifteen of my chosen ones among the first people to be evacuated from Earth.” Jennifer stifled a sob. “Can you imagine it, mom. I had the opportunity to save fifteen people and I put Teresa’s parents on the list of fifteen, at the expense of some of my own close relatives. But her parents refused to come because they didn’t want to leave their folks on Earth. When she saw you here, she accused me of abandoning her parents. I tried to tell her that her parents refused to come but she said I was a mean, gold-digging whore.”

  “But the ushers take videos of the chosen ones who refuse to come here. Did you show her the video recording that showed her parents’ response to your invitation?”

  “She refused to see the video.”