by Celie Wells
“So many diseases have been eradicated over the last hundred years, probably osteoarthritis. Its common onset is between fifty and seventy. Medical science can still only manage the symptoms, but most people wouldn't consider it a deal-breaker.”
“Yeah, that's what I thought too, but I think he wants to go out on his terms” I made air quotations as non-threatening as I could in such a small space.” A day of his choosing, instead of waiting for old age to take him by surprise.”
“I guess that makes sense. I will choose to fight until the bitter end, but I suppose you really can't know for sure until your end arrives.” Nina confessed, looking around the small cabin more carefully.
“Where are my manners? Are you hungry? I have some freeze-dried cookies, and some home-preserved natural apple slices.”
“Apple slices? I have heard of natural apples, of course, but I've never eaten one.” Nina leaned forward to inspect the apple slices.
“You are in for a treat. My mother is in the nutrition field. Her seed banks include Fuji apples. This variant was presumed lost after the 2076 event. She was pretty damn excited to find seeds and successfully grow them again. They have a synth version, but the real fruit is more velvety feeling somehow.”
“It's the sugar molecules,” Nina explained, in a clinical tone. “they give the flesh an uneven surface. Modified foods struggle to replicate the chaos that nature creates. And the brain responds to the natural sugar faster and with more dopamine.”
“Damn, I knew the naturals taste better than the synthetics, but I didn't realize they have better chemical properties. I brought three rehydration packs. This pod was supposed to come with a hydrating unit. The thing should be around here somewhere.”
“Found it,” Nina exclaimed. “There under the far counter. They do pack quite a bit into each of these cabins.” Nina looked in the cupboards and drawers that lined the wall as if she had never traveled in a basic cabin before.
I opened the egg-shaped appliance and carefully inserted a rehydration pack, one pouch of cookies, and one pouch of apples.
“The next price level gets you more creature comforts, but I was traveling with another guy. We opted to travel on the cheap. No one to impress.”
“A practical consideration. I will compensate you for the seat, of course. I should have made that clear before accepting your generosity. When a ticket became available, I was so excited, I quickly packed my bag and left without any thought of food or anything else, really.”
“We can hash out payment when we arrive, plus anything you're missing can be picked up in my township. We are just twenty minutes down the line from Old San Francisco, the Middle Valley sector. We occupy stop 3, 4, and 5 on the west rail line.”
“Perfect. I'm traveling to stop 7. It is supposed to be forty-five minutes by train from the main hub. I have several surrogate children. One of them needs my assistance with a legal matter of some urgency.”
Surrogate children, plural, piqued my curiosity, but I didn't want to pry. “Have you secured a room in that sector? I think it's mostly agriculture that far down the rail line. They aren't known for their abundant lodging,” I explained, moving my belongings away from the food.
“No, I haven't. I only need to sign some lineage documents. Then, I plan to head back to work.”
“You know this decent is the start of a maintenance cycle run? There won't be a shuttle to the top of the Tree for fifteen days after we dock—that's why this shuttle is at capacity.”
“Shit, that makes perfect sense with fifteen days between now and the next trip dates. No, I was not aware. I didn't even think to ask about a return date. I'll have to contact my team. I only signed out for a five-day leave.”
“As long as you have the vacation time, you should be fine. Any number of things can delay your return once you are at the mercy of the transportation department. Unless your boss is a hard ass like mine.”
“No, my superior is quite reasonable. In fact, the department asked me to take time off. I have too many days accrued. My department heads have been questioned about it several times.” Nina picked at the lint on the cabin seat. “I haven't left the top of the Tree in at least five years.”
“That is the saddest thing I have ever heard. You need to stay in my district, take in some planet nightlife and the food. One thing we have too much of is food vendors. The excessive shopping areas would come in a close second.”
“Oh, that smell is wonderful. Pure sugar is escaping in all that steam. I can't remember the last time I had natural sugar.” Nina hovered next to the small appliance and breathed in the bit of hot vapor that escaped.
“I probably overloaded the damn thing, but I didn't want to wait for two cycles. You should see my family's garden room. You think the rehydrated version smells good, wait until you smell apples fresh off the Tree.”
“Thank you for rescuing me today, Hess. This one moment of spontaneity has proven to be more than I can handle. This experience will teach me to stay in the lab where I belong.”
“No, no, no. I work on the Tree too, but I live on the surface. Besides, everything worth a damn in life is spontaneous. Don't worry. We have time to reacquaint you with humanity. It will be great, you'll see.” I removed the rehydrated snacks from the small appliance and laid them on plastic sheets.
The basic menu I selected for the trip consisted of bottled waters and a few sub sandwiches. Now I wish I had ordered more snacks. My friend's food order would have been canceled, but the items might already be loaded on the ship. A quick text to provisioning let me add the previously canceled food to my order.
Both travelers were dead tired. Hess, the taller of the two, took the end of the narrow couch by the exit door, and Nina took the reclining seat and propped herself up against the outside wall with a travel magazine and a cookie. The cabin was quiet and smelled like hot sugar. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep.
TRADITIONS
My grandparents arrived an hour early to help set up the house for guests. My mother rearranged the living room so people could walk around and mingle while waiting to congratulate the guests of honor. Jason didn't stay out of her view and got stuck moving furniture to and from the same spots while she made up her mind.
I sat at the dining table, assembling traditional parting gifts. In the past, the host family would provide the mourning guests with a ration of water and a tin of flatbread and dried fruits wrapped in plain paper for their journey home. In turn, the guests would bring small quantities of similar staples to the family of the departing.
My grandmother chose round silver tins of chocolate candies and little white square cakes. My task was to finish tying the tins with a burlap cord and adding the parting message card.
Our water that others may not thirst, our bread that others may not hunger, our lives that others may survive. Live well, Constance and Edgar Moon.
Guests began to arrive just after voting closed for the evening. The ballot tally took almost an hour. Local news claimed this measure had the highest participation rate of the last three years. The vote was roughly seventy to thirty in favor of removing the Reds from their unlawful encampments. The vote was for death, the ceremony tomorrow night was for death. Even the little square sugary cakes were for death.
Hess called to say he had arrived in the city and would be bringing someone with him. This news seemed to delight my mother. It was the only thing that had swayed her dark mood in days.
Beryl's friend Mercy from work was busy opening fruit juice and chilled water bottles. She and Beryl would serve as hostesses for the evening. They would wander the crowd in traditional black satin dresses and keep everyone's glasses full. A sign of prosperity and wealth for a family was how big the glasses were. Our drinks are the typical eight-ounce size, but the presentation is still lovely.
Now that the sun was down, we could walk outside in the barren streets and greet the darkness without protective gear. My father set up a few tables and chairs under th
e porch for overflow guests. The neighbor and his new bride came over to help my father carry the chairs up from the basement and pay their respects to the family.
“There you are, the sun is down let's go melt shit on the sidewalk, anything you want, just name it, and I'll melt it.” Jason was overly cheerful about the situation. I couldn't help but smile at him and shake my head a little.
“Isn't that a bit childish, besides I'm expected to help with all this somehow.” I pouted, sticking out my lower lip and hyper batting my eyelashes.
“Nah, you can sneak out with me. No one will care as long as we come back for the exchange. Tomorrow at the event, you'll be stuck inside all night, so take this opportunity to melt useless shit on the sidewalk with me.”
“There is something very wrong with you, but that does sound like more fun than being packed in here with all these people. I can barely see my grandparents.”
“See no harm done, now do we have some soft metals or plastics. Wait, I've got some vintage crayons in my pack. Come with me. You are under my spell.” Jason made his best attempt at a spooky voice. I rolled my eyes and took Jason's hand. He pulled me out the front door with a dramatic swish of his evil villain air cape.
My grandmother waved briefly at me before turning her attention to the next well-wisher kneeling by her side. She looked regal in her eggplant-colored dress next to my grandfather in his dark gray suit. They sat slightly above their flock of adoring fans.
It was a strange sensation to cling to Jason's bare-skinned palm and run with the night air in just my clothes. I touch people all the time while I'm in my day suit, but this was new. A distinction between everything that existed before and everything right now sprang to life all on its own. Once we cleared the front gate, Jason pulled me to him, kissed my forehead, and patted me softly on the lower back.
“Everything will be okay. Even the things we can't control. I'll make sure you're okay.” Maybe it was his tone or that this was the one moment of serious conversation we ever shared. Still, I felt happy, hopeful for the future, and ashamed to be so happy all at the same time.
How could I be happy today? There was something genuinely wrong with me. Jason's serious tone didn't last long. The ground would be red-hot for the next hour. We jogged to the edge of the block where two thick concrete slabs met. The captured heat from the day melted most common items.
Jason mixed a blue and a red crayon with a piece of an old candle he liberated from under the kitchen sink. Once the items turned to liquid, we took sticks and painted the resulting purple goop on our hands and arms. It was hot and burned a little, but the sting helped affirm I was still alive even though it appeared death was hovering all around me.
We talked about Jason's plans and all the legal work he and his grandfather had been doing to prepare for his life ceremony. It sounded like they traveled to Old San Francisco quite often, and I couldn't help but imagine riding on the train and stopping at a shop or two before coming home. These trips weren't for pleasure, but an escape to someplace new sounded beautiful.
“Taking a trip to the city sounds like fun, but all this crap s so morbidly horrible and unnatural.” The truth escaped my mind in a winded rush. Things I wanted and things I didn't want seemed to be fighting for space in my mind.
“Death is entirely natural. If you think about it, I'm the definition of unnatural. I was born from two sets of DNA collected from two families last heirs after both of them died.
“My parents may never have met if they both lived. My father died almost one year to the day before my mother. Tell me that's not freaky. None of the arrangements made for us are natural.” Jason peeled the purple slime off his forearms. The red welts left behind resembled the tribal cave paintings I had recently seen in an art class documentary.
“I'm my family's secret shame,” I confessed quietly. “I'm sure you notice that I'm their third child?” I questioned, though the answer was obvious.
“Uh yeah, you are younger than Beryl and Hess.”
“Well, thankfully, I'm fifteen years younger than Hess. I was born with a heart mummer and was slated to be terminated. According to my sister, my mother and grandmother were inconsolable.
“They planned to smuggle me out of the hospital and give me to a Red woman who would hide me until the heart problem killed me or resolved itself,” I explained.
“Oh shit, that's some illegal, black market plan they hatched. Your mom is kind of scary.” Jason declared. “I imagine she would go total annihilation if pushed too far.” Jason added a red metal cube to the makeshift crucible.
“Hess gave his status as a chronological one to me. The hospital had to allow ninety days for me to recover. As a chrono three, they weren't required to waste more than five days of medical resources.
“That’s why Hess is Labor class and works on the Tree when he could be doing anything else. Karine is the name of a superhero from one of the comics he loved.”
“Well, remind me to thank him. Kinda sounds like neither one of us should be here,” Jason noted the facts with a reverence I rarely hear pass his lips.
“Yeah, but I don't think Hess will be happy with my Domestic path choice. I don't know what he is going to say. He's sacrificed for me, and I don't want to disappoint him. I don't want to disappoint anyone.” Jason brushed a stray piece of hair from my cheek and kissed me on the mouth. It was a closed-lip kiss, light, and lingering. I wasn't quite sure what it meant.
“You realize this is the first time you've kissed me on the mouth.” I folded my arms and waited for Jason's response.
“I'm sorry I got overwhelmed. You just told me you could have died, and I would never have met you. You can't be mad at me for kissing you after something like that?”
“No, I'm not mad. Today and tomorrow are not good days to commemorate happy moments. Maybe a few days from now, you might want to kiss me again, and that day can be the first time you kissed me,” I suggested.
“I don't understand. But I will be happy to kiss you for the first time again, a few days from now,” Jason repeated my words as if he were reciting a particularly odd math problem.
“Great, thanks for indulging me.” I wiped a stray clump of melted purple goo from his cheek.
“You know I don't care if your brother or your entire family is unhappy with your path choice. You're happy with your choice, that’s the important part. Plus, it happens to be the path I'm choosing, so we can choose this path separately today and then choose it together in a few days?” Jason questioned.
“See you do understand me, that was perfect. What other paths would you have chosen?” I asked, swirling the melted mix with a scrap of metal.
“Protection, I guess, but you don't get to choose a spouse for five years with the protection path, so that won't work for me. You would be taken in five years. I can't imagine you don't already have several solid proposals. Your birthday is only a few weeks away.”
“Nope, no proposals today. I'm sure because there aren't any dead men sprawled on the front entry rocks. I guess my father could've dragged them all to the back, seeing how the house is full of guests tonight.” The thought of any man approaching my father about marrying me was laughable.
“Good, let's work on keeping the front entry clear. We better get back for the toast and the exchange of gifts.” Jason smeared the melted mixture across the concrete block.
“Damn it. I don't want to go back. There will be something meaningful and special given to me. I will be forced to dwell on this day forever.” I threw my hands in the air and watched the solidified mix of melted mash-up float and glint in the last of the twilight.
Jason wrapped his arms around me from behind and rested his jaw on my head. I could smell his light cologne and the fabric rinse in his clothes. It calmed me almost instantly.
“How do you do that?” I asked.
“Do what?” he asked defensively.
“Calm me down so quickly.”
“Ah, they pull all the men aside and
teach us that technique in our human interactions class,” he joked.
“You're an idiot.” I pinched the slight roll of baby fat that popped over the waistband of his jeans.
Jason hammed it up all the way home. He claimed to be brutally injured, but I was not buying it.
Our conversation turned to the stars and his superpower to magically turn on the streetlights. They are on timers, so it's more power of observation and timing your dramatic pointing towards the lights. Admittedly, I enjoy my time with Jason, and I miss him a little too much when he's gone from my sight.
DREDGE
“Edgar, may I speak with you privately? I have a proposition for you,” Dredge said, holding out his hand to me.
Dredge was an old family friend. His parents and mine would spend Saturday nights together playing cards and drinking until all hours of the night. My mother's humor was always a bit off-color. She joked that Dredge and I were switched at birth, which was impossible. Dredge is two years older.
“Well, you are cutting it pretty close to the wire. I can almost feel the hot flames at my feet,” I said, laughing.
“I accept what you have chosen to do, and I appreciate the physical pain you are in, but I would like you and Constance to live out your years as I'm doing,” Dredge explained.
“You aren't falling apart like I am, Old Man. Besides, you have your grandchild to care for. Our children take care of our grandchildren—even our youngest one is almost settled. We have nothing to concern ourselves with anymore.”
“Yes, Karine, she is another matter I need to resolve,” Dredge grumbled.