Prologue
Wagoner Arkfall: 2040…
Debris flew across the night sky over Wagoner, Oklahoma. Nobody recognized the town since the dramatic terraforming took place nearly nine years earlier. The smell of burning rubber permeated the already toxic atmosphere. Rollers raced across the uneven terrain and the Tars had already hit the debris on the south hill. When Tommy-a fifteen-year-old kid-pulled the wiring out of the ark, a piece of sharp metal sliced another Arkhunter in half in front of his face. He couldn't believe such a strong and stout man met a bitter ending from flying debris, but razor rain was dangerous. He darted for his roller, slid underneath it, and let the razor rain pass. While he remained protected underneath the roller, he witnessed another buggy pull up to the ark. As soon as the razor rain past, another three buggies pulled up to the ark, and hunters descended on the goldmine of electronics. Tommy ran over to his pile of cabling and tossed it in the back of his roller. He hopped in his car, and right before he pulled out of the area, he witnessed the men in the first roller attack, kill, and steal the booty from the other hunters. It happened so fast that he didn't know what to do.
He met up with his father south of Wagoner in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and set up a camp in a park called Rotary Park. Most of the residents of the town fled during the original terraforming or left because of the high levels of radioactivity due to the war. Irocuz-Tommy's Irath father-prepared a meal of hell bug meat and rice, and when the food cooked on the open flame, a group of Arkhunters rolled up on the scene: Dagger, Percy, and Theodore Jones. Tommy and Irocuz knew the Jones boys well and assisted each other on hunts. The Jones boys brought some good bread for the meal, and they all shared in the good eats. Dagger was approximately six-foot-three and wore his hair in braids. He was a black man who carried a combat shotgun with him. He had a sidearm and a knife most of the time that he carried on his hip and boot, but he always had his combat shotgun. Quickly, Irocuz and Tommy raced across Muskogee to Braggs, Oklahoma because a major ark fall that happened near Gruber, Army Base. When Tommy and Irocuz invaded the ark, it had already been stripped of the wiring, and they quickly left back for the campsite, but two of the Jones' boys were dead, and Dagger had a wound to his left leg.
"What happened?" Irocuz asked. Tommy immediately began dressing the leg wound. It tore through his upper thigh, but away from the major artery. He did a fantastic job in dressing the wound.
"It was the Baker Boys," Dagger said as he cried over the deaths of his brothers. "They ambushed us, man."
Irocuz took the deaths of Dagger's brothers pretty hard, and it sent him into some kind of combative mode on the hunts. When they returned back to the farm with a wealth of wire, they trained daily on different counter attacks in case they ran into any rogue, out of control Arkhunters. There was so much training involved that he grew weary of it all. Tommy stood on a hill outside of the farmhouse with an old, wooden handled deadbolt sniper rifle. It fired a seven-point six-two round and had a maximum effective range of one thousand meters. Tommy placed a manikin approximately eight hundred meters out, and he filled it with holes. He had nearly two thousand rounds in a couple of ammo cans and practiced all day firing his rifle. Ireena, his little sister, brought him water every hour to make sure he stayed hydrated. It got to the point where she started practicing with her older brother. The deadbolt was the perfect practice weapon because it took work. The cycling of the weapon after each shot made it extremely tedious to operate for long periods of time, but Irocuz forced him to work with the weapon all day for months.
"It builds character, Tommy," Irocuz said as the young teenager complained the weapon took too much muscle to operate.
In addition, Irocuz built an ark markup that allowed them to practice entering an ark tactfully if the situation called for it. It was a room made out of wood but designed to look like an actual ark after it hit the ground. Two months later, Tommy and Irocuz raced back to Oklahoma when Irocuz anticipated an Arkfall would occur somewhere around Pryor, Oklahoma within three days. They set up a small camp on the outskirts of Pryor, Oklahoma, and played the waiting game for the Arkfall. When Dagger Jones entered the area, he stayed about fifteen yards from the Tars for safety purposes. Since the Baker Boys' attack on the Jones' boys, they had killed several other Ark Hunters since then.
Irocuz cooked a whole pow and had the immediate area smelling like barbeque meat. Tommy took out his charge blade, and cut off a piece of the meat, and took a bite. "It's really good."
"I knew it would be," Irocuz said, "We'll definitely be able to eat off that thing a few days."
Two hours later, a buggy pulled up on the scene, and Irocuz absconded into the woods. By watching the events take place while behind a large tree in the woods gave Irocuz the advantage. As soon as his son gave him the signal, he'd start killing the rogue Ark Hunters. Tommy continued to cut the meat off the cooking pow as if the strangers weren't a threat. He had a pistol strapped to his right ankle on the inside, and another pistol visible on his right hip. The life of an Ark Hunter had one major downfall: kill or be killed. In some ways, it caused good people to act like savages to protect their booty. It was the way of things, and if another Arkhunter invaded the space of another, it was a killable offense under the Ark Hunter code. Quickly, they exited the buggy, and Tommy took a defensive posture because the men had drawn their weapons. He stood in front of them with a piece of meat hanging out of his mouth. He knew he had to pull his pistol and take the guys out if he wanted to survive.
Tommy pulled out his pistol, and before he had a chance to fire one round, Dagger Jones gunned the men down with his combat shotgun he called Daisy. It caught Tommy off guard because he was trying to signal to Irocuz, but it was too late. Dagger was fast and accurate with his weapon. It was almost like he had an intimate connection with his gun, and he killed every last one of the men who posed an imminent threat. Irocuz walked out of the bush with his sniper rifle, and said, "These jokers are brave these days." He paused for a moment, and then said, "They brandished their guns knowing we're armed to the teeth. It doesn't make a lick of sense."
"I'm going to cut me off a chunk of this pow," Dagger said. "Most of these murderous Ark Hunters are mutants. They think like savages. I think of them as parasites on the backs of legitimate Ark Hunters. The radiation did something to their brains."
"Were those Baker Boys mutants?" Tommy asked. He sat on an old stump while he chewed on some pow meat.
"Yes they were," he said. "Those boys are from the Miami, Oklahoma area."
Dagger was one of the only other black men he talked to all the time on the ark hunts between Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Mister Shooty-not at all an Ark Hunter-was the only black man he knew in his youth, and he was very well educated. He thought the world of Mister Shooty, but Dagger Jones ran a close second because he was brave and generous-and appreciative. He had qualities that Tommy wanted to emulate. "I'd thought the radiation would have killed them."
"Somehow the terraforming kept them alive," he said, "To be honest, the terraform has changed us all on some level."
Thousands of humans who resided in radiated parts of Oklahoma like Miami, Oklahoma mutated nearly ten-years earlier because of heavy radiation due to terraforming and radioactive fallout from nuclear power plants. The government implored the residents around Miami to leave immediately when the terraforming caused a meltdown at the Miami Nuclear Plant, but a large swath of individuals refused to leave. Most of the northeastern Oklahomans didn't trust the government, and when the United States decided to build nuclear power plants to compete against Votanic energy sources, they contaminated the planet. But when it came to Miami, Oklahoma, the radiation spun out of control and radiated the entire area.
Tommy and Irocuz knew about the mutants but never ran into the ones with severe mental and physical deformities. But when it came to the Busy Baker Boys, it was obvious they suffered from radioactive poisoning. They were savages.
"Those Busy Baker Boys are dangerous," Dagger said, "I don't think I need to warn you guys about them. If you come across those mutants, don't hesitate to kill them."
"Oh! We won't," Irocuz said with a serious look on his face. "We're going to be on the lookout for that gang on every ark hunt."
It was around August fifth of forty-one, and Tommy was fifteen-years-old and Ireena was about nine. They spent most of their time studying Castithan, Irathient, Liberata, Volge, and Sensoth cultures. His Mama stayed on top of their studies. Iroza-his precious Mama-kept books upon books of information from mathematics to philosophy, and when Tommy wasn't on the road with his father, his face was in the books. Often, he drilled Ireena on different subject matters, and then she did the same to him. But when August the fifth of forty-one hit, Irocuz ran into the house, grabbed Tommy, and they headed for Hooker, Oklahoma. It was a Monday, and the sun beat the Badlands in the harshest manner. The dry heat fueled several wildfires in the tattered territory around Oklahoma City and the few people who resided in the area fled.
When they stopped in Selman, Oklahoma, they had to fuel up, and that was when the Busy Baker Boys stopped at the same gas station. Tommy fueled up his roller, and Irocuz went into the store for some sandwiches, chips, and soda pop. One of the Baker Boys said a slight towards Irocuz as they passed each other in the parking lot. "Fucking, dirty slags." Irocuz pretended like it didn't bother him, and from what Tommy could tell, it didn't. At the same time, they knew the Busy Baker Boys were on the scene, and that meant they had to be on point.
2047...
The aroma of the cinnamon rolls, baked pretzels, and bread reverberated throughout the city of Defiance, and the smell came from the Bazaar. Tommy, approximately twenty-one, slender, and black stood by the Irzu Lea, the people of Irzu, with an Irathient woman by the name of Rynn. Evil men imprinted her face with a scar at a very young age, and she wore it like a badge of honor. Her braided hair stretched past her shoulders, all the way down to her lower back, and it was apricot beautiful. Her calm visage and svelte frame gave her an appearance of royalty, and Tommy married her at the age of sixteen. It was a Saturday, the first Saturday of the month, and all the eateries baked pretzels for the Pretzel Bake-off, and the whole town participated in it.
Ireena walked by with her daughter Ivy, and then Irisa and Iroza followed behind them laughing. They sat down at a table in the middle of the food court, and Irisa sat on Tommy's left side while Rynn sat on his right side. Tommy called Irisia his paramour, and she was like his second wife, and she often spent her time on the farm when she wasn't working.
"You're a city councilman, but do you think it was a good idea to use your father's last name?" His Mama asked. "I see that Datak Tarr's shenanigans and people might confuse your last name with his." She gave him a snarl because of her hate for Datak and his ilk. She never liked him because of the way he treated his own people of lesser means.
"I ran on fidelity, Momma," He said softly. "Irocuz Tar is of no relation to Datak Tarr." He paused for a moment, and then said, "LaSalle is a beautiful name, but I think of myself as a Tar. Tommy Tar is now part of the city council of Defiance, and nothing will change that until the next election." He looked over at Rynn, and she kissed him on the forehead and gave the impression that she backed his decision.
"Some people do think you're in allegiance with Datak Tarr," Irisa said with a grimace. She took a drink of her beverage, and said, "Nolan's one of them. Just saying."
"You're kidding?" Rynn asked. "Surely you've corrected his mind from going down such a sordid path?"
"The liquor deal with Datak is valuable," he said, "But the big money is with Mister Shooty. We're talking nearly two million dollars in cheap, less than twelve scripts per bottle of wine." He looked over at Irisa, and said, "So, tell Nolan Mister Shooty is behind our fortune. Not Datak Tarr."
"And it's money that gets a city council seat," Ireena said.
Ivy said, "Yeah. Money!"
Everybody laughed, and then Rynn said, "She knows how politics work."
Tommy handed Ivy five scripts, and then they bumped fist. Ireena shook her head in disagreement with the money.
"So, how do you take Datak's disrespectful tone with you?" His mama asked seriously. "I don't like that one bit."
"He's only that way in Castithan," He said as a matter of factly.
"Doesn't he know you speak fluent Castithan?" She asked with a smirk on her face. He knew she was disappointed in him, but he had to be careful about how he approached members on the city council. "You studied night and day for a reason. Don't let that snow bunny disrespect you anymore."
"Yes, ma'am," He said. Rynn held his hand and placed it against her forehead.
She kissed him, and said, "I'm behind you, sweety."
"Oh! I'm behind my son also," his mama snapped, "But I want him to come correct to the citizens of Defiance."
The food district filled with tons of people. A sea of Castithans flocked into the food court, both masters and servants; it was a tad noisy. The masters wore the finest garbs while the peasants remained dingy and drab looking. The Castithans always drenched their bodies in sweet oils and some of the finest hair products. The masters sat at the table while the servants stood behind them. When one of the Castithan, upper-class citizens dropped her napkin on the ground, she looked back at her servant, and ordered her, "Pick it up." She said it cruelly and viciously. She said it in a way that belittled her servant, and Tommy hated that aspect of their culture.
Rynn called Rory, the Irathient waitress, and she had a look about her. Her left eye was blemished, and a cut in the middle of her forehead looked like a chronic case of abuse. He looked over at her for a moment and noticed all the bruises on her face, and that caused him to search her hands. She kept herself covered for the most part, but her hands had abrasions. Her lover was Irious Koba, a strong Irathient male, a warrior of the Garado Tribe. Tommy believed the Garado epitomized the idea of the feral Irathient, and they acted as such, all day every day.
"Pri pretzel for oadi shidda," Rynn said with a smile. "Big pretzel for my family." She rubbed the back of Tommy's neck, and then Rory darted off. "Inyee na frbrago." She stood up, and massaged his shoulders because he was pretty tense for some reason. "Soya, Ohgraway." That translated to, 'Okay, everybody."
"Miat?" Tommy asked. It was strange for Rynn to bring attention to herself. She normally stood quietly in the background. "Miat es nay iddie?" That translated to, "What? What's going on?" In fact, to see Rynn hop up, and make a speech out of the blue made him nervous.
"Soya, Tommy. Nia snogoa!" The English translation was, "Okay, Tommy. I'm pregnant."
He looked up at her for a moment, and then said, "Miat?" He felt nothing but joy rising inside of him. He wanted a baby so badly that it kept him up nights over it.
"Nia snogo," she said with a smile.
Tommy stood up and started jumping up and down. "Momma, wai na snogo," he said.
"Thank you, Irzu," Ireena said. She clapped loudly.
"Did you hear, Irisa?" Tommy asked. He hugged her quickly, and she kind of gave him a half pat on the back.
A couple of the Cathistans turned to Tommy from their table, and said, "Flazsto Tar, cazvalle grallo." In Castithan, that translated to, "Mister Tar. Happy pregnancy."
Tommy smiled, and said, "Voazku gragkaozu." That translated to, "Thank you."
"It's great," Irisa said, but it was less than enthusiastic. "I have to head to the jailhouse. I'll be back a little later." She began to cry and ran off across the way.
"Miat veeticka?" He asked. In English, it meant, "What happened?"
Rynn placed her hands on Tommy's cheeks, and said, "Nay vitai inyani illala." That translated into, "Go see your paramour."
Tommy ran across the way, over to the jailhouse, and heard her wailing on the other side of the building. She sat on the ground and looked out at the courthouse. "I don't know what's happening."
"You give her everything," she snapped. Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks, and he didn't know what to say. She cried loudly, and he wasn't used to her crying at all. "I'm left with what's left over."
"What do mean?" He asked. "I give both of you my everything."
"Not your semen!" She exclaimed. When she said that, it caught him completely off guard. Purposely, he wore a condom because he wanted to plan for kids. He didn't want any accidents. "You wear condoms when it comes to me. I quit taking the pill months ago in the hopes you'd slip up once. But no. You never love me in the heat of the moment without one. You're so precise."
"Have we not talked about this?" He asked softly. "Did you not say you weren't ready?" He walked over to her, and then said, "Rynn and I planned this. We're bringing a child into this world of our own volition. We're sagacious in our planning." He paused for a moment because she knew of their plans. He didn't see any reason to keep it a secret from her. She was part of his world, and she knew she was part of his world. As a man, he didn't even understand why they were engaged in such talk.
"And I'm not?" She asked.
"If you're ready, then let's plan it the right way," he said, "We bring our baby into a stable world, and we'll be strong, upright parents. But don't do this because you're jealous of Rynn. Do this out of what we want for the future."
"I'm not jealous of Rynn," she said softly. "I want a baby."
Later in the day…
Tommy drove his family back to the farm, but Irisa wanted some time to herself and stayed in Defiance. After the family went into the house, Tommy headed up the hill to Irocuz's grave to inform him that he'd be a grandfather soon. Even though his father was a hard Irathient male, he loved him in spite of all his flaws. Sometimes he spoke with a heavy hand and other times he spoke with a loving heart. He never knew which Irocuz he would get from day to day because the alcohol always made him unpredictable. He sat against his father's headstone, and said, "I wish you were here, old man. Soon you will have a grandchild. It's a wonderful time for the family, but it would be Antarctica if you were here."
Chapter One
I sat in the living room, and Rynn lay on the couch in her silky, very nice black gown. She was pregnant but managed to remain sexy in the way I liked. I loved her deeply, and I wanted her badly even though I knew she wasn't feeling well. She had complained to me several times that she wanted to throw up, but since she was sick for over a week with nausea, I was willing to risk it. In some ways, I felt like she was teasing me with her provocative clothing. She kept sliding her right leg up and down as if she couldn't relax, but to me, she was very sensual and sexual.
"I just don't feel well, honey," she said as she placed the back of her right hand over her forehead. I kind of gave her a look, and then our eyes met, and she said, "What? I'm sick, honey. Okay? Don't you have a paramour?" She asked with wide eyes and frustration.
"I haven't said anything to you," I said as I studied the notes from the Planning Committee. "I don't know why you're bringing all this drama."
I muddled through the notes from the Planning Committee, but every time I looked over at Rynn, she immediately looked at me as if to say, "No sex until I'm well." But at the same time, I didn't know why she had on such a provocative nightgown. Due to so many days without sex, I was thirsty for her, and that wasn't an exaggeration, but I had to suffer because she suffered. It was an unwritten rule of nature.
Datak wanted me to approve an add-on for the NeedWant, but I had some apprehensions about it. I had to double check anything Datak wanted, and put up a believable front, even if I believed in the project. I thought the addon could benefit Defiance. I truly did, but I also had to consider Nolan, Irisa, and the other law keepers. The project consisted of a simple, full dancehall, and he also said it could be a place for the arts. He put many ideas in my head over bringing dance to Defiance including Hip Hop, Irathient and Castithan ballet as well as human ballet. I looked over at Rynn's stomach as it peeked through her black gown, and thought dance would be fulfilling for our child.
Ireena walked into my study, placed a plate of French Fries on the table, and said, "Leave her alone, Tommy. You see she's sick."
"What? You better leave me alone, Ireena," I said. "I'm not bothering my wife."
Rynn laughed. "Oh. I know what you want, but I'm sick, Tommy. Seriously."
Ireena walked out of the room, and I grabbed some of the fries off the plate, dipped them in the ketchup, and ate them. "They're really hot, honey." She ate a fry from my fingers and chewed it slowly.
"They're really good," she said, "The right amount of salt and everything." I laughed a little bit. "What's funny, sweety?" Rynn asked. She looked over at me, and I must have sexualized the eating of the French Fry because I thought, you're well enough to eat French Fries, but not sex. I needed to get my mind out of the gutter before I angered her, and I decided to discuss the issues with the Needwant addon.
"Viti Datak," I said softly. "Shosho ragago es fi ahehi presanico." That translated to, "It's Datak. The dance hall is a good idea." I wanted to see her initial reaction. Rynn had a way of thinking through things, and coming back with a solid recommendation. I loved having such an astute wife by my side because all of her decisions came from a place of reason.
She looked over at me for a moment and squinted. She had her head on a soft pillow. "It draws a younger, more immature crowd on the weekends," she said, "Prone to violence."
"Nowdi zodica quona wodi Law-keepers," I said. That translated to, "That would tax our Law-keepers." Rynn shook her head in agreement.
"So, that's definitely a burden on the law, and it really affects us because Irisa and Nolan are dear to us. Well, Irisa is dear to us. I don't care too much for that Nolan."
"That's true," I said with a grimace. "That pushes me closer to a no vote. There's also a logistical problem if we pass measures that increase the population size of the area. I think at some point we're looking at some infrastructure fixes too."
"I think it's six toilets per one hundred," Rynn said, "That's important, especially with a large Irathient population because of the spread of rare and dangerous diseases."
"I've had tons of shots through the years," I said. "Iroza didn't play when it came to my vaccines. Immunizations are paramount."
"Rightly so," Rynn said, "My people brought diseases with us. Most don't bother us, but to other species, it's deadly." She looked directly at me, and said, " We should consult with the Votanis Collective for up to date safety protocols. We have to stay on top of this as the Irathient population grows."
"You're right about that," I said as I looked down at my notes. "I think we can avoid most outbreaks if we stay on the vaccinations."
I sat down my notes and looked at Rynn for a minute. Doc Yewll said Rynn was four months pregnant, with a boy, and he appeared to be healthy. The baby took a lot of her energy, and she hated sitting around not working. She was an invaluable resource in helping me think through tricky legislation while working on the city council. She was so calm with how she went about things, and always came back with a sagacious answer or a question that moved the thought process to the next level or answered the pertinent question. I walked over to her, massaged her feet, and tried to get her to relax, but she kept throwing up.
"Nia vogugae," She said, "Oh, Irzu." That translated to "I'm nauseated."
I gently undid the button on her gown, and exposed her breast.
"Nia ooduka, Tommy. Inyee na fi swa." That translated to, "I'm sick, Tommy. You're a dog." I kissed her neck and started barking like a dog. "Inyee na nay vo teetick." That translated to, "You're going to do this?"
"Thei," I said. "Na inyee soya?" That translated to, "Yes. Are you okay?"
"Me," she said. "Nia vogugae." That translated to, "No. I'm sick."
"Soya," I said. That translated to, "Okay."
"Miat?" She asked. That translated to, "What?" I immediately realized she wasn't in a playing mood. She was taking my playfulness seriously, and I needed to calm it down a bit.
"Me. Vitic soya," I said. That translated to, "No. It's okay." I was trying my best not to be demanding because the pregnancy had been playing with her hormones.
"Tommy, wa!" She exclaimed. That translated to, "Tommy, stop!" She felt like I was being passive aggressive when I said, "Soya," but I wasn't. I was trying my best to calm down the situation.
"Miat?" I asked. "Me. Nia oshea." I should have known better than to toy with her. I told her, "I'm sorry." She looked at me with her big yellow eyes and sighed.
"Sheishei Ni sho vava inyee weono nookie," she said, "Okay?" I looked at her as she lay on the couch, and smiled. She glowed beautifully. When translated into English, she said, "Later, I will give you some nookie." She meant later on in the week when she felt better, but she didn't mean later on in the evening. I didn't want to come off as a dog, but it had been a while. In fact, I didn't know her pregnancy would make her sick all the time, but at the same time, I wouldn't have changed it for anything.
I walked over to the window, looked out into the yard, and then I said, "I didn't mean to pressure you, Rynn." When I looked over at her, she wiped the tears from her eyes, and I felt bad about it. I had Irisa in Defiance, and sometimes I would run to her when Rynn wasn't feeling well. But sometimes I wanted Rynn and only Rynn, but I still felt I needed to apologize. "I was only kidding."
"It's not you," she said. She placed both of her hands on her face, and she was crying loudly. I felt bad, really bad, but her hormones messed with her emotions. "The pregnancy makes me crazy." She looked over at me, "I will be okay when we go down south for the celebration to honor Mister Shooty."
Ireena poked her head into the study, and pointed at me while squinting her eyes. "I told you to stop meddling," she said with a grimace on her face. She walked away, and I thought, go away.
"Irisa will take Friday and Monday off," I said with a smile. "I'm trying to get her to buy a new dress."
"Ireena, Ivy, and I are spending Sunday and Monday with Sukar, and that'll give you and Irisa plenty of time to work on that baby," she said. "Honestly, she's probably already pregnant. You guys try every time y'all meet up."
"It's probably just me, but Irisa has been distant towards me," I said in a concerning voice. I noticed for a while that she put up walls between us. Even though we engaged in sex, she sometimes acted like it was just sex, and that bothered me. "She's in her feelings. Since you announced you're pregnant, it hasn't been the same." I walked over to the coffee table, ate some fries off the plate, and then fed one to Rynn.
She chewed it slowly for a moment and thought about what I had said. "It shouldn't have changed anything," Rynn said as she threw her hands up in frustration. She looked over at me, and said, "We've opened our lives to her. She's welcomed here anytime." She laughed. "Surely, she knows her presence would free up some of my wifely duties." She laughed for a moment. "Not that I don't mind them. I'm just sick." It was true. I had never given a single hint to Irisa that she wasn't welcomed in my house. I considered her part of my family, and in Irathient culture, the paramour was of great importance in the family and tribe.
"That's what I don't understand," I said, "I hold nothing back from her. She shares in our lives. It's like she's preparing for a breakup."
"It's probably Nolan hounding her," she said with a grimace. "He's closed minded, honey." She looked over at me and then said, "I sound a tad obtrusive, but I know how he reacted to Irisa's decision to be your paramour. Come to think about it, she hasn't talked much to me." She sighed. "Now, I'm worried, Tommy.."
I walked over to Iroza's bookshelf, and it was a huge bookshelf, but not the only bookshelf in the house, and grabbed the large, Webster's Dictionary off the top shelf.
"What are you looking up?" Rynn asked. She knew I couldn't help myself when it came to finding the exact word. Since I had become a member of the City Council, I always wanted to use the best word for the situation.
"There's a word exactly for what I mean," I said softly.
She clicked her fingers rapidly and then slapped her left fist into the palm of her right hand. "Oh! Iroza gave me the word the other day during our reading lesson," she said. "Oh! Oh! Decathexis. Bam! It's the process of disinvestment of mental or emotional energy from a person. Right?"
"That's it. But I thought people did that when they anticipated some doom or mishap. For example, if a husband told his wife he had cancer, she might gradually remove all her feelings from him over time."
"It makes sense," she said. "But you're not dying."
"You don't think Nolan and Irisa are about to leave Defiance, do you?" I asked.
"They're very wayfaring and waywardly," she said. "So…"
"That's Nolan's past," I said. I don't know why I defended him. He would never defend me. "He's changed." I immediately thought I should quit lying. Nolan was an old man, and I knew he hadn't changed one iota. If the events in Defiance didn't go his way, he'd leave town immediately. That was his nature, and I knew it.
She laughed. "You don't believe that?" She placed her right hand over her lovely mouth as she laughed at what I said. There was no way I could keep up the charade on Nolan. I knew he hadn't changed and she knew he hadn't changed. The only person who thought he had changed was the Mayor.
"Of course not," I said, "It sounded right when I said it, but Nolan hasn't changed. I don't think he can change." I stopped and looked at my wife for a moment, and she looked sick. I kissed her on the lips, and said, " I'm going to Defiance. I need to make sure everything is okay."
"Take your detonator," She said. "It's getting crazy out there."