Their Solitary Way (4 page)

Adam stretched his feet across the couch and yawned. He had only meant to take a short nap, but it had been nearly two hours. Why hadn’t anyone woken him? The rest of the family would be there within the hour and he’d meant to help set things up. “Honey.” He cleared his throat. “Hello?”

“I’m right here,” said Eve. She was in the kitchen. “What is it?”

“I told you to wake me so I could help.” He sat up, rubbing his neck.

“You were so adorable I didn’t want to bother you. Drooling a little, too, I think.”

“Funny,” he said, yawning again. “What else do you have left to do?”

“I’m about done. As usual, I didn’t need you. Go back to being the freeloading husband you are.”

“You know, if someone heard you they might not think you were joking.”

“Who says I’m joking?” She poked her head out from behind the kitchen wall and smiled, then disappeared into the other room. “Silly husband.”

The door buzzed, startling him. The video feed from the hall lit up a nearby screen, revealing Uriel. Adam grunted lazily.

“Tell them to have a seat until everyone arrives,” called his wife. “Hey, did you hear me?”

“I heard you,” he said, going to the door and touching the pad, opening it. In the hall, Uriel stood beside Abel holding a plate of food in her hands. Some kind of mush. “What’s that?”

Abel shook his head. “Uriel made it. Not sure
what
it is, though.”

“It’s a dip, you idiot,” she said, raising an eye at her husband. “I told you before we left. Pay attention.”

“In any case, we’re thankful,” said Adam, laughing. “I’m also glad you’re here.” He took the dip out of Uriel’s hands.

“Wait for me!” called a voice from down the hall. Adam poked his head out from behind the door to see his adopted daughter Azura. Walking briskly through the corridor, she held two large boxes in her arms.

“Need some help?” asked Abel.

“If you don’t mind,” she said, handing the load to him.

“Why’d you bring all that?” asked Uriel.

“I asked her to,” said Adam, stepping aside to let them all in.

“What’s in it?” asked Abel.

“Old memories, mostly. Pictures from the war,” said Adam.

“Your father’s been feeling nostalgic lately,” said Eve, appearing from behind the kitchen wall. She had a tray of cookies in her hands.

“Of course,” said Abel. He set the boxes next to the sofa.

“Looks like we’re all here except for Seth and Cain,” said Uriel.

“Should I call them?” asked Eve.

Azura shook her head. “We should give them a few minutes. Seth mentioned he might be a bit late when I saw him on shift this afternoon and—”

The door buzzed.

“There we are,” said Eve.

Adam opened it, revealing both Seth and Cain. “Come on in, boys.”

“Sorry I’m late,” said Seth, glancing at Azura. “I got caught up.”

“Nonsense, the others only got here a few seconds ago,” said Eve.

“I was working,” said Cain. “Sorry.”

“Well, thank you both for coming,” said Adam, reaching his arms around the two young men. He squeezed them both. “Now, how about some food?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Seth.

Cain nodded.

The door shut behind them and the family convened in the dining room. “The food’s coming now,” said Eve.

“Here, let me help you,” Seth told his mother.

Adam watched as his wife and youngest son brought several plates of warm food out to the table. The main dish was synthetic sliced furl, basted with a blend of sauces for added sweetness. On the side, they had fruit salad and roasted agari, a tender red vegetable from the botanical gardens where Eve worked. She often experimented with various fruits and vegetables she brought home from work. Not all of them turned out so well. To her husband’s delight, this was
not
one of those times.

Adam dived right into the agari and furl, gulping them down. “How’s everyone doing?” he asked, swallowing, and wiping his lips with a napkin.

“Pretty good,” said Seth.

“How about you, Cain?” asked Eve. “How’s your work in Engineering?”

The last word seemed to linger in the air. Adam didn’t entirely approve of his son’s decision to transfer to Engineering after procuring a spot for him on the bridge. The Kadmons had been pilots and soldiers for centuries. Seth and Abel had followed in their family’s footsteps, much to Adam’s delight. Abel was a starship pilot, while Seth was placed in charge of Security. Cain didn’t want anything to do with either of those. On the contrary, he was far more interested in replacing power converters and electrical cables than following in his family footsteps.

Adam understood his son’s desire to make his own way. It was admirable, not wanting to rely on others to reach his personal goals. Unfortunately, he knew so little about mechanics and repairs, and truthfully found the prospect somewhat boring. He made attempts to show his support, but Cain never seemed to appreciate them. His boy was distant and isolated, rarely volunteering information or engaging with him. If only Adam could find a middle ground between them, perhaps they could finally connect.

“Everything’s fine,” Cain said.

Adam waited for more, but nothing came. He thumbed the side of the table, trying to think of another question. It was so frustrating. Every father should know how to talk to their own child.

“You’ve been down there for how long?” asked Eve.

“Eighteen months next week,” said the boy.

“Already?” she asked. “It doesn’t seem like so long.”

Azura smiled. “I feel like I filed your transfer paperwork yesterday.”

Cain shrugged. “Everyone’s been busy. Time flies.”

“My sister told me you’re doing a great job,” said Uriel.

Eve’s face lit up. “Oh, that’s right. You and Ariel are coworkers, aren’t you, Cain? Have you made friends?”

He wavered in his chair. “I guess.”

“Wonderful,” said Eve, clasping her hands and smiling. She looked at Adam. “Isn’t that wonderful, sweetheart?”

Adam cleared his throat. “It certainly is.”

Cain stared at him from across the table.

“Is Chief Ridwan treating you well?” asked Adam after a short moment.

“He’s okay.”

Adam paused. “He’s known for being rough on people, so I can have a word with him if you need me to.”

“No, it’s fine,” said Cain.

“Well, you let me know,” said Adam.

Cain nodded, dropping his eyes to stare at his plate. He took his fork and dug it into the sliced furl.

Abel drank the last of his wine, setting the glass on the table. “If you ask me, you should just come back to the bridge. Everyone keeps asking when you’ll return.”

“Now, Abel, leave your brother alone,” said Eve. “He likes his job.”

“It seems like a waste of his time, that’s all,” he said, glancing at his brother. “No offense.”

“Whatever,” muttered Cain.

Abel sighed. “Sorry, I’m not trying to hurt your feelings. I guess I just don’t get it. Why sit in a hole when you could be doing something more fulfilling? Whenever we get to the next planet, someone has to scout and explore. That could be you. Instead, you’re going to be stuck inside the ship, fixing circuit-boards or whatever it is they have you doing.”

Cain furrowed his brow, digging his fork into the slab of meat on his plate. “Maybe I don’t want to be a pilot,” he said. “Maybe I like where I’m at.”

“Alright, but what about Security? I’m sure Seth and Uriel could use your help,” said Abel.

“You worry about yourself,” said Cain, taking a bite of the meat, and chewing. “I’ll worry about me.”

“Why don’t we talk about something else?” asked Eve.

Adam nodded. “Great idea.”

Cain swallowed, and red juice from the meat dripped from the side of his mouth. He wiped it with his sleeve, then set his fork on the table. “I actually need to get going,” he said, pushing his chair out and standing.

Eve frowned. “Oh, sweetie, please don’t leave.”

“Sorry, but I have some work to do,” he said.

“What’s so important?” asked Abel.

“I have a project I’m working on,” explained Cain. “It’s complicated.”

Eve went to his side and held his hand. “Are you sure you have to leave right this minute?”

He nodded. “Yes, Mother.” He hugged her. “I’ll see you later.”

Adam wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. He wanted to stop him, to say something to get him to stay. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

Cain tapped the door and it opened. “Later,” he said, quickly, stepping into the hall.

Eve frowned. As soon as the door slid shut, she glanced at her oldest boy. “Abel, why did you have to say all that?”

“What did I do?” he asked.

Uriel smacked his shoulder. “You’re so oblivious sometimes.”

Cain hurried through the
halls, eager to get far away from his family. Why did Abel have to give him such a hard time? Why was he such an arrogant prick?

If only his father had stepped in and said something. Why didn’t the old man care?
Because you’re not like us
, he heard his father’s voice say.
You’re not a pilot like the golden boy. You’re a worthless piece of trash
.

“Screw you,” he muttered as he reached the elevator. He tapped the button, waiting for the doors to shut, and then kicked the wall. He grunted his frustration.

“Somebody’s upset,” said a disembodied voice. It was Lilith, talking from the speaker near the top of the lift.

He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. “Leave me alone, please.”

“Not until you tell me what the problem is.”

He groaned. “Just go away. I’m not in the mood.”

“Did something happen at your parents’ place?”

He avoided the question. “I thought you were going to be there. Something come up?”

“Sorry about that. Your father asked me to sit this one out. He said he only wanted the family there.”

Her answer surprised him. “You mean he asked you not to come?”

A moment of silence. “Yes.”

Cain shrugged. “Well, you didn’t miss much. I left as soon as I could.”

“What are you going to do now?” she asked.

The elevator doors opened. “I don’t know. I said I had to do some work.”

“Do you?” she asked.

“Not really.”

His wrist beeped and he glanced at the screen. Lilith’s face appeared, sporting silver hair and blue eyes. Behind her, he could see a snow covered valley like the one he grew up in. She smiled. “I could use some help if you’re game,” she said, winking.

“What kind of help?”

“The power coupling in section seven on deck nine needs replacing. Obviously, I can’t do it myself, and engineering is understaffed at the moment.”

He had hoped to return to his room in order to work on his processor, but for some reason the thought of helping Lilith didn’t seem to bother him. “Alright, I guess I can spare a few minutes.”

She jumped and cheered. “Great! You’re the best.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said. “I have to stop by my room and then I’ll head over.”

“Call me when you get to section seven. I’ll be waiting!” She waved and spun around, and then the screen clicked off.

Cain arrived at his quarters and grabbed his tool kit. He eyed the soldering pen on his desk along with the processor, briefly considering calling Lilith to cancel, but stopped himself. She deserved his help, and he was glad to do it, strangely enough. She’d been cast aside by the family, the same as him, and he empathized. He wouldn’t ignore her like the others. She deserved better than that.

A knock at the door broke his concentration, surprising him. He put his tools on the table and checked the view screen. The camera showed Seth standing in the hall, waiting. What was he doing here? Shouldn’t he be at dinner?

The door opened and Seth gave a small wave. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Cain answered. “What’s going on?”

“I came to see if you were doing alright. That whole thing with Abel. It was—”

“Stupid?” asked Cain.

Seth nodded. “Yeah, a bit.”

“Did you leave the party, too? Won’t they be pissed?”

“I told them I’d be back in a few minutes…said I had to run to my room to get something.”

“Thanks, but I’m fine,” said Cain. He snatched his tools and showed them to Seth. “I’ve got tons of work to do, anyway.”

“I believe it. I’ll get out of your way,” he said, stepping aside.

Cain entered the hall and the door closed. “Thanks.”

Seth smiled. “We should play some Interstellar Fighter sometime this week. Think you’ll be free?”

“Maybe,” said Cain. “I’ll let you know.”

He waved goodbye to his brother and took off for the elevator. It was nice of Seth to check on him, but completely unnecessary. Cain could handle himself, no matter what anyone thought. He wasn’t a child, despite how they treated him.

One day they’ll understand,
he told himself.
One day they’ll see the kind of man I am.

Seth stopped by his room to get a sweater—his excuse for ditching the party. He’d wear it for an hour, then discard it. No one would ask questions.

He was more concerned with Cain. His brother had kept to himself more and more lately, cutting ties with the rest of the family. Seth had to tell himself that Cain had always been this way, but there was no denying how bad the problem had become. He’d gone to dinner for how long, exactly? Twenty minutes? It had to be a record.