A cabbage story

Once again, the heat of summer is spreading in Shikkar. After a few months spent on Earth, Sarek has to admit that he is struggling to acclimatize to the high temperatures of his native world. Like every day, he walks home, picturing the freshness of his house in his mind while his feet are treading the hot sand of Vulcan.

Soon, he arrives in front of the gate leading to the garden and is surprised to find his wife here, her two fists on her waist, staring at her roses.

She seems to be upset despite that her roses are beautiful… Unlike me, they are really well acclimated to the temperatures of Vulcan. That's strange.

"Amanda, what are you doing in the garden at this time? It is not safe for you to be outside the…" He begins.

"SAREK, you must have a discussion with our son! Shh! Don't interrupt me!" she replies, putting one finger firmly on his mouth. Sarek sighs. Who has interrupted him in the middle of his sentence in the first place?

"Sarek, I know that Vulcans don't speak about such subjects as the Pon Farr or rather sex, but it is urgent that you have this kind of discussion with our son!"

Is it the heat of Vulcan or the sudden request of his wife, the fact remains that the face and the ears of Sarek have taken a greener color!

"My wife, is it in order to tell me all of this that you waited for me in the garden? You should be inside and…" He says softly.

"Sarek, do not change the subject!" She interrupts again.

"Amanda, Spock is only 8 years old. He is too young to be interested in …um…sex." He says softly.

"Oh, really?" She asks while following her husband inside the living room where three cups of ice tea and cookies have been prepared for them. Sarek notices that Spock is sitting quietly on one of the cushions arranged around the coffee table, his head buried in a History book.

"Spock, can you tell your father what you did today?" Amanda says while settling at his side, Sarek seated in front of his wife and son.

"Do you want me to explain my day at school, Mother?"

"Well, no my dear…I'd prefer that you explain what happened when you were in communication with Timothy, your young cousin from Earth.

"Oh, indeed. It was a fascinating discussion. First, he asked me if I could answer a question." Spock says.

"And what was his question, my son?" Sarek asks, curious to know where this discussion is going to lead.

"Timothy wanted to know if I knew where babies come from. I answered yes, of course! Then, I immediately asked him if he also knew the answer to his own question and suddenly he launched into an illogical explanation for the least. He told me that a baby boy grows in a cabbage and a baby girl grows in a rose! This is a ridiculous statement!"

"Oh…" Sarek says, puzzled, one of his eyebrows raised. He is looking at his wife and her discreet smile, her cup of ice tea in hand.

"And what did you do next?" Sarek asks.

"Clearly, the source of information of Timothy is not very reliable. Indeed, it is impossible that a baby boy grows inside a vegetable of the cabbage family! Just as a girl cannot get out of a rose! Mother's garden is often filled with roses and I have never seen any female baby getting out from one of such a small flower! His reasoning is highly illogical! Fortunately, I know where babies come from, and I was able to establish the truth!"

Is it the overwhelming heat of the late afternoon that has engulfed the house, despite the conditioned air, or is it that Sarek is suddenly suffering from hot flashes? Pulling the collar of his dress in order to have more air, Sarek looks feverishly at his wife. She is still serene and visibly amused!

"…Of course, Timothy has found my explanations interesting but difficult to understand, although I used simple words in order to remain at his level, he is only seven years old after all!"

"And what were these explanations, Spock?" Sarek asks. His throat is dry and burning despite the fact that he has just finished his iced drink in one gulp.

"It is simple. First, a doctor removes an egg in the tummy of the mother. He extracts the genetic material of the mother and he gives it to a laboratory of Advanced Genetics. There, a team of geneticists put together the genes of the mother with the genes of the father. Then, they inject the entire genome which has been obtained in the egg which is placed in a test tube. After a few minutes, the first cell divides and divides again until a baby is formed. As the baby will become too big for the test tube, the doctor intervenes and puts the baby in the tummy of the mother by her belly button."

"You mean…by her navel? …And …How the baby gets out of the tummy of his mother?" Sarek asks, swallowing hard.

"By her belly button of course! I have read that a baby is nourished in the tummy of his mother via his umbilical cord. I conclude that he is connected to the navel of his mother. I see no other way to get out from her belly and this has more sense that getting out from a cabbage or a rose… Anyway, there is no cabbage on Vulcan!" Spock replies, shrugging and his head in his History book again. "I wonder if T'Pring will let me see her belly button the next time I see her…in order to verify my theory…"

"So, my husband…Are you convinced now?" Amanda asks, smiling.

The End