“And … my room,” Rena said, opening the door to her bedroom and walking in. Fortunately, her punishment of being confined to the house for the weekend had left her with plenty of time to clean her room.
Lukas stepped in and looked around. If he was passing judgment, he was doing so in the privacy of his thoughts. Nothing showed on his face. Which was fine. Rena was doing the same thing—being polite on the outside despite the thoughts running through her head.
“So Gareth and Suzanne share a room?”
“Yep. Gareth just plays in the family room when Suzanne needs a nap.” Not everyone can afford a house with a room for each child!
“It’s good that you have your own space.”
Oh. Now I’m selfish? “Yeah. It can get pretty … chaotic in this house sometimes. That’s when I appreciate having a door to shut.”
Lukas grinned as his eyes swept around the room.
Looking for something to use against me in a debate? Too bad. Just a normal teenager here.
“Hey,” he said in a hushed voice, glancing back in the direction of the kitchen. “I know this is awkward for you, and I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking to be invited over. But your parents …”
“I know,” Rena admitted, her bitterness instantly melting away. “They can be … overwhelming sometimes.”
“No. I just didn’t feel like I could turn them down. They’re great, though. Really know how to make someone feel welcomed.”
Rena’s surprise came out as a smile. “Yeah. I guess they do.”
“Is that weird for you … that I’m not bothered by them? Cause I could pretend if that would make you feel better.”
Rena laughed, surprising herself. “No, it doesn’t bother me. It’s actually …” attractive, was what she almost said. “It’s fine.”
“Rena! Lukas! Lunch is ready,” came Clarine’s voice from the kitchen.
“Be right there,” Rena answered. Then she looked at Lukas and took a deep breath. “Get ready to be bothered.”
“Ah. It’s to be an interrogation, then?” he said, straightening his posture. “I can handle that … I think.”
Rena raised her eyebrows.
“But we’ll need a plan for when they drag you into it,” he added. “If it gets too intense, just wink and I’ll spill my food on the floor or something. That’ll disrupt their questions.”
Rena laughed again, realizing that it was a small miracle to feel so at ease, given the situation.
o
Something special turned out to be pan-seared vegetables over a bed of rice. It was Clarine’s go-to meal when she was trying to impress someone, and it was always a hit.
“Mrs. Waite, this is fantastic.”
“Thank you, Lukas. But please, call me Clarine.”
“OK. Clarine. What all’s in here?”
“Squash. Carrots. Celery. The rest is pretty obscure.”
“So, Lukas … you and Rena met in school?” asked Marshall.
Lukas had just taken another bite, so Rena came to his aid. “We have communications and social studies together.”
“Clarine tells me your parents moved you here from Segment Eleven. I hope that was for a positive reason.”
Lukas swallowed his food and wiped his mouth on his napkin before answering. “Yes, sir. My father got a promotion about a month ago. He was spending too much time on the Transit, so we needed to move closer to his work.”
“Oh. Where does he work?”
“Interlink. They make—”
“Interminals,” Marshall interrupted, but only because he was surprised. “I did some consulting for one of their subsidiaries a while back. That’s a great company! Aren’t they located near the Center?”
“Yes, sir. But my dad says it’s too expensive to live there, even with his promotion. He’d rather take the 3-9 straight into the Center. It’s shorter than his previous route, and he says the people are more normal out here.”
Marshall laughed. “Yes, that’s what I’ve heard.”
“What does he do there?” Clarine asked.
“He’s one of their senior engineers.”
“Oh, wow!”
Lukas smiled. “My mother won’t let him talk about his work anymore because it bores everyone.”
“And what does she do?”
“Real estate. She sells mostly commercial office space near the Center.”
Clarine raised her eyebrows. “That’s a very competitive business. I can see why she’s so busy.”
Lukas nodded. “She’s always ‘versing clients or going out to meet them. And they’re only available on nights and weekends, so …”
“They sound like good, hardworking folks,” Marshall replied before taking another bite of his lunch.
“How about you, Mrs. Waite? I mean … Clarine. What do you do?”
Clarine smiled at Lukas’s correction. “I work at a food distribution center.”
“That’s where all these obscure ingredients came from.”
“Exactly. Although, I don’t work on the planting and harvesting levels anymore. They probably grow even tastier things down there now. I’m in logistics.”
“Oh,” Lukas said, turning to Marshall. “You and your wife are in similar fields, then? Rena showed me your office and told me you’re an efficiency consultant.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Marshall answered. “In fact, that’s how we met.”
Rena had heard this story many times, and she knew exactly how long it would take. It was an opportunity to finally eat something and not have to worry about the interrogation and if she might need to jump in and help Lukas. Though he seemed to be doing an incredible job on his own.
By the time her parents had finished recounting their tale of infatuation, unrequited love, and the string of coincidences that had brought them together, Rena had almost finished her lunch. Clarine summarized her and Marshall’s early years quicker than anticipated, leaving Rena with a mouthful of food when the inevitable surprise was revealed.
“That’s when we started looking into adoption.”
Rena swallowed without chewing.
“It took months, and many tears, but they finally matched us up with this beautiful girl here.”
Rena wiped her mouth, readying herself to speak, although there wasn’t anything to say. She was adopted. It wasn’t something to be ashamed of, and there was certainly no point in denying it.
“Really?” Lukas said, putting down his fork. “I’m adopted too.”
“No,” Clarine exclaimed, bringing her hand gently down on the table in surprise.
“I’m serious.”
“Which agency?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I was a baby, so I don’t remember any of it. But yeah … my mom couldn’t have children, so … here I am.”
“That’s fantastic,” Marshall replied.
The smile on his face had been growing since they had left consensus, and now it was so prominent that Rena tried to remember if she’d ever seen him this content before. Something about it lifted a weight off her shoulders. A release of tension between her and her dad that she hadn’t been aware of until now. She felt like a different person all of a sudden.
“There are so many children in need of homes, and so many adults who can’t conceive,” Clarine added. “You’d think the adoption rates would be higher, but the process can be intimidating. Marshall and I spend the majority of our voting attention on that issue.”
“Yeah, I remember my dad saying something like … the process needs more engineers and fewer politicians.”
Marshall laughed, louder than Rena had heard in a long time.
“That’s actually a great idea!” said Clarine.
o
After lunch, Clarine took Suzanne to lay her down for a nap. Marshall retired to his office to vote. Rena and Lukas stretched themselves out on the carpeted floor next to Gareth and helped him color a picture. But within minutes, it became clear that he wanted their company, not their help. Lukas shared a knowing smile with Rena, and then proceeded to ask Gareth questions about what he was coloring.
Rena watched in silence as the two boys, one almost a man, discussed the picture as if it were a serious piece of art from one of the Founders, hanging in a museum. Maybe it was her full stomach. Maybe it was the quiet house and the feeling of sleep pulling at her. But Rena felt more content than she had in a very long time. Maybe ever.
She’d been wrong about Lukas. He wasn’t arrogant. He was confident. In a school setting, it was difficult to separate the two. But here, the way he’d dealt with Marshall and Clarine, Rena could see the difference.
The warm sense of contentment spread through her body, turning into a tingling sensation that she was familiar with but still hadn’t gotten used to. She watched the muscles of Lukas’s arms ripple as he propped himself up on his elbows and pointed at something on Gareth’s picture. When he talked, she noticed the angle of his jawline and the dark area of his chin where the slightest bit of stubble was starting to show, despite being cleanly shaven this morning.
He looked up and caught her eye.
Rena realized she’d been staring, but she didn’t look away. She wasn’t embarrassed.
“That took longer than expected,” Clarine whispered, walking from the hallway into the family room.
Lukas pushed himself up off the floor. “Thanks again for having me over. Lunch really was incredible.”
“Oh, you’re welcome. Any time.”
“You have to go?” Rena asked, climbing to her feet. She could see it in Lukas’s body language.
“You can stay, if you like,” Clarine offered. “We’re just hanging out at home for the rest of the day.”
Lukas lifted his hand. “I’m already down to twenty-one. I should probably get home and vote.”
Rena glanced at her own hand and saw that she had also lost a point.
Clarine nodded, and there was a hint of sadness in her smile. “Well … that’s very responsible of you. Please tell your parents that Marshall and I would love to meet them when they have some time off.”
“I will. Thank you, Mrs. Waite.”
Clarine tilted her head.
“I mean, Clarine.”
“That’s better.”
“I’ll walk you out,” Rena said, going to the front door.
“See you, Lukas,” Marshall said, waving from the doorway of his office.
“Goodbye, Mr. Waite.”
Rena stepped out onto the front stoop with Lukas and closed the door behind them.
Lukas looked up into the afternoon sky and took a deep breath before turning around. “I hope that wasn’t too awkward for you.”
“Not at all,” Rena replied with a shake of her head. “It was … nice.”
The corner of Lukas’s mouth turned upward. “I didn’t even have to throw food on the floor.”
Rena suddenly realized how close they were standing. Her heart was racing. Without even thinking about it, she reached up and laid her hand on Lukas’s forearm. Her fingers seemed to have a mind of their own, curling slightly. Pulling.
Lukas leaned in, his lips so near. He closed his eyes.
Rena closed hers. Waiting.
Instead of the kiss that she was expecting, she felt Lukas’s gentle exhale on her mouth. She opened her eyes and saw him standing there like a statue.
Finally, he opened his eyes. “I should go.”
“Oh … OK.” Rena quickly let go of his arm, feeling stupid for obviously misinterpreting the signals.
“I’ll see you at school tomorrow?”
“Yeah,” she replied, stuffing her hands into her pockets and stepping back. She’d never been so embarrassed in all her life. She could feel the emotion rising from her chest. Catching in her throat. Her lips wavered. Eyes flickered. But she forced them to obey. Tightening the muscles of her face until she wore a controlled expression.
Lukas turned and walked to the front gate. As he pulled it shut behind him, he looked up from the sidewalk and waved. It was as if they were seeing each other for the first time. Shy. Awkward.
Rena watched him go in the direction of the transit station. It seemed an eternity before he was out of sight. Only then did she turn around and bury her face in her hands. But she couldn’t let herself cry. Not yet. She still had to go inside and get past her parents to the safety of her bedroom. She took a deep breath and brushed the strands of hair from her face, grabbed the door handle, and walked back into the house.
Clarine was standing in the family room with her hands on her hips, looking down at Gareth’s picture. She turned suddenly and smiled, but she didn’t say a word. It was almost as if she knew that Rena had already endured too much conversation for one day.
Rena went straight down the hallway, pausing only long enough to smile at Marshall who was still standing in the doorway of his office. He smiled as she passed by, but he also didn’t say a thing.
Rena went into her room and quietly shut the door before sitting down on her bed. Staring at the floor, it felt as though her tears had learned that they weren’t allowed to come out, and had gone away.
Am I crazy?
What just happened?
I thought … he was feeling the same way.
He must have been!
I mean … he leaned in.
He closed his eyes and everything.
He wanted it too!
No. I’m not crazy!
Something happened.
He changed his mind in the middle of it, that’s what.
Why would he do that?
The question hung in Rena’s mind, unanswered. She looked at the floor. Then the walls. The ceiling.
Maybe it was this—where I live. My house. My parents. The whole thing. Maybe he started to feel something for a lowrate and didn’t come to his senses until the last second.
Rena let out a huff and lay back on her bed. Her eyes settled on the exterminal lying on her nightstand. She sat up and pressed the power button. The surface began to glow, and the holographic interface appeared a second later. Rena opened the ‘verse system and pinged Dal. A few seconds elapsed, but no one answered. She passed her finger a second time through the button labeled Dalyn Rigby, making sure that she did it correctly. But again, there was no answer. The Rigbys were definitely home, and Janelle always answered. Which meant that Dal had probably told his mom not to answer if Rena ‘versed. And who could blame him?
Rena lay back on her pillow, and her tears seemed to understand. It was time for them to come out now. They obeyed.