The next day, Dylan surprised Michael, by joining him at the table in a
park. Mike was wearing a light green shirt and dark pants, and his seeing
eye bot was seated right next to him.
"May I join you?"
"Dad??" Michael looked at his father in surprise, as he hugged him.
"That's me!"
"Great to see ya, what brings you here?"
"I was just in the neighborhood."
"How are things going?"
"Fine"
"You look like you've put on some meat." Dylan couldn't believe how chubby he looked.
"I get well feed" Rommie always made sure that Michael had enough to eat, as he tended to forget everything else when he wrote.
"So, where are you staying?"
"At a nearby hotel. I figured that your place would be too small"
"and messy." Michael had been nervous about the prospect of his father wanting to see where he lived.
"So, make any new friends, David?"
"A few"
"Any of them especially close to you?" Dylan wanted to see if Michael would reveal that he was living with Rommie.
"Yeah, her name is Ann"
"Oh?"
"We're just friends"
"Really? Do you ever desire more?" Dylan did not believe that they were just friends.
"No"
"I've noticed that in some of the short stories you've published, there is always a dark eyed, dark haired woman, who is kind, and smart"
"That's just coincidence" Michael had noticed this a while ago, but had dismissed this coincidence out of hand.
"Oh I see." Dylan did not want Michael to know that he had suspicions.
"How long are you staying, dad?
"Four or five days." Dylan could not help but notice how happy Michael looked, from the moment he first saw him. "So, how's the novel coming?"
"Okay, sometimes it's slow, other times it's productive"
"Well, you shouldn't deny yourself the pleasures of life"
"yeah. How are things going for you?"
"Good, good, things are good. I have this diplomatic mission to do for the Commonwealth, that is quite delicate."
"Best of luck dad! Would you like a tour of this city?"
"Okay"
Meanwhile, Rommie, and Jalicia, were talking about what had happened.
"What are you going to do"
"Tell him. It's better that I tell him what I did, but I don't want to lose his friendship." Rommie was not looking forward to tonight.
"I'm sure that it will work out for the best"
"I hope I can get him to understand what I did, but I doubt it." Rommie remembered how she could not get Dylan to understand, and she had known him a lot longer.
Hours later, Michael came home.
"Hey Ann, what's up?" Michael was happy, as he got to see his father.
"Not much. Michael, I need to talk to you about something.
"What is it?"
" Sit down"
"I have a confession to make."
"Yeah?"
"My real name is not Ann, It's Rommie"
"Rommie??? You mean the Andromeda's avatar, who for the man she loved, lied to my dad, and left the crew?"
"Yes"
"Yeah, my uncle Harper told me when I was like 10. "
"oh?"
"I was kinda mad at first, but then I, as a teen, realized that the avatar, who happens to be you, did not mean to hurt my father." Michael was then and now willing to give Rommie the benefit of the doubt.
"I see." Rommie was so thankful and relieved that she was on the verge of having tears of joy.
"but you don't sound like the hologram or ship?"
"I had to change my voice."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before"
"It's okay"
"Sorry I didn't tell you about my dad nor about my real name, which is David. I was tired of being known as the famous Dylan Hunt's son."
" Don't worry, I understand. So, who was your mother?" Rommie was curious if by some odd chance Dylan had married Beka.
"Well, from what my uncle Harper has told me, my mom was a wild, young 'hot babe', who was eccentric, wild, sort of domineering, mysterious, and about 15 years my dad's junior. My aunts Beka and Trance did not like her, neither did my uncle Harper despite some initial attraction on his part. She supposedly had a kind of wisdom to her. They had me within two years of dating and living together. My dad really wanted to marry her but she kept saying that she needed more time, and my dad indulged her. Eventually, she left us, with nothing but a short note to my dad. According to my uncle, my dad shut himself in his office, for a while afterwards, and did not want to hear about things that needed to be done."
"That's terrible. You father is a good man." Rommie commented. She was sad that Dylan could not find happiness with someone, just as she had. "how long were they together?"
" In all? Three and a half years. Actually, my hope is to someday meet my mother."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. I want to look her in the eye and ask her 'why did you leave us?' and I want to know about her side of the family. But there is no information, and my dad, who would know the most, doesn't like to talk about her. "
"So, tell me about your uncle Harper, and Aunts Beka and Trance"
"Well, for the four years after you left, they, still recruited worlds, until the fifty worlds had been signed, and they just went on Missions for another few more years. After I was born, the new Commonwealth made my dad an ambassador, and a part time professor at the new High Guard Academy: It was arranged, so, I could come with him on his various missions. As for Harper, he started to work with ship designers at the new High Guard Head Quarters, while Beka who married Tyr, became one of the heads of the new Department of Commerce. Tyr, for his part, became a teacher in self-defense and weaponry. Trance got into the diplomacy business, by being a consul at a non-member world. Speaking of my dad, I saw him today
"Oh?" Rommie tried to act nonchalant.
"Yeah. Said he was just in the neighborhood. I'm gonna go meet him at some restaurant later. I'd ask you to join us, but you know….."
"Yes I do"
"How should I tell him that I live with you? I think that he's still pretty mad, as you were never mentioned in his presence"
As he was saying this, Rommie was debating within herself whether or not to tell Michael that Dylan had threatened her and that he knew about their living arrangement. However, Michael solved this for her.
"I'm going to tell him." He said.
"Oh?" Rommie hoped that Dylan would not make Michael choose between her and him.
"Yeah, and he's gonna accept it"
"Really?" Rommie admired his need to be honest.
"Yeah. He won't take to it well, at first, but I'm sure he'll get used to the idea."
"I hope so. I don't want you to have to choose between our friendship and your relationship with your father"
At dinner, Michael made his confession.
"Dad, I'm living with Rommie."
"What??" Dylan said to feign surprise.
"Yeah, she told me today. However, I bear her no ill will."
Dylan just looked at him.
"She didn't want to hurt you. Rommie just did what she had to do."
"Are you aware of what she did to me?" Dylan was getting angry, but he tried to hide it.
"Yeah, Uncle Harper told me one day."
Dylan made a mental note to talk to Mr. Harper.
"Look, dad, Rommie was a good person stuck with a tough choice. I know what she did was wrong, but she is truly sorry. I will keep on living with her, as her good friend, whether you like it or not."
Dylan did not know what to say, but he took a long sip of his wine and took a deep breath.
"So you are telling me that you are going to be friends with someone who betrayed me?"
"Yeah, but she didn't' want to and is sorry"
"How can you choose her over me?"
"I'm not!" David was starting to get angry at his father's accusations.
"By being her friend you are insulting me, and it seems that you don't give a damn about what I went through"
"I do dad! And I'm not insulting you"
"Then prove it! Move out, and stop being her friend"
"I don't have to prove squat to you!" David hated it when his dad put pressure on him like this, and did the whole stupid 'prove it by doing what I want you to do routine,'
Then he answered, "If you don't know what I feel by now then frankly you can kiss my kludge ass!"
"Excuse me?" Dylan's anger was rising.
Suddenly there was a page.
"Calling Mr. Michael Kelly. Someone is waiting for you at the outside waiting area."
"Oh, that would be me" David excused himself, and went to answer the page, with the help of his cane.
Dylan poured himself some more wine, as David left for his destination.
Once he got there, he saw one of his many writing friends.
"You rang?" David said.
"Yeah, I wanted to let you know that there was this odd, older guy asking around about you"
"What?"
"Yeah"
"I saw him talking to one of the local bartenders, who told him that you and Ann were lovers, and that you were living together."
"How did he look like?"
"he wore sunglasses and had green hair. Also, I saw him paying this guy, who works in that café we writers like to frequent."
David knew who his friend had seen, and was not pleased.
"I think I know who it is. Thanks for the information. I'll take care of it from here. I'll explain later"
"Okay. Bye"
"Bye"
When David returned to the table, he was fuming.
"Dad, the person who paged me was a friend of mine. He says that you asked around about me, and paid someone for info."
"You have been rather sheltered all of your life, and I wanted to make sure that you were safe. Also, I heard about your living arrangements and was concerned about whom you were living with. For all I knew, it could have been some crazy woman. I'm just a concerned parent."
"But most parents don't send spy on their kids or pay people to give information on them. Why can't you respect my privacy?"
Dylan did not know what to say.
"You owe me an apology dad"
"I owe you an apology? How about the one you owe me for deciding to live with someone who betrayed and lied to me?"
"That does it! I'm leaving!"
On that note, David left the restaurant.
TBC
"May I join you?"
"Dad??" Michael looked at his father in surprise, as he hugged him.
"That's me!"
"Great to see ya, what brings you here?"
"I was just in the neighborhood."
"How are things going?"
"Fine"
"You look like you've put on some meat." Dylan couldn't believe how chubby he looked.
"I get well feed" Rommie always made sure that Michael had enough to eat, as he tended to forget everything else when he wrote.
"So, where are you staying?"
"At a nearby hotel. I figured that your place would be too small"
"and messy." Michael had been nervous about the prospect of his father wanting to see where he lived.
"So, make any new friends, David?"
"A few"
"Any of them especially close to you?" Dylan wanted to see if Michael would reveal that he was living with Rommie.
"Yeah, her name is Ann"
"Oh?"
"We're just friends"
"Really? Do you ever desire more?" Dylan did not believe that they were just friends.
"No"
"I've noticed that in some of the short stories you've published, there is always a dark eyed, dark haired woman, who is kind, and smart"
"That's just coincidence" Michael had noticed this a while ago, but had dismissed this coincidence out of hand.
"Oh I see." Dylan did not want Michael to know that he had suspicions.
"How long are you staying, dad?
"Four or five days." Dylan could not help but notice how happy Michael looked, from the moment he first saw him. "So, how's the novel coming?"
"Okay, sometimes it's slow, other times it's productive"
"Well, you shouldn't deny yourself the pleasures of life"
"yeah. How are things going for you?"
"Good, good, things are good. I have this diplomatic mission to do for the Commonwealth, that is quite delicate."
"Best of luck dad! Would you like a tour of this city?"
"Okay"
Meanwhile, Rommie, and Jalicia, were talking about what had happened.
"What are you going to do"
"Tell him. It's better that I tell him what I did, but I don't want to lose his friendship." Rommie was not looking forward to tonight.
"I'm sure that it will work out for the best"
"I hope I can get him to understand what I did, but I doubt it." Rommie remembered how she could not get Dylan to understand, and she had known him a lot longer.
Hours later, Michael came home.
"Hey Ann, what's up?" Michael was happy, as he got to see his father.
"Not much. Michael, I need to talk to you about something.
"What is it?"
" Sit down"
"I have a confession to make."
"Yeah?"
"My real name is not Ann, It's Rommie"
"Rommie??? You mean the Andromeda's avatar, who for the man she loved, lied to my dad, and left the crew?"
"Yes"
"Yeah, my uncle Harper told me when I was like 10. "
"oh?"
"I was kinda mad at first, but then I, as a teen, realized that the avatar, who happens to be you, did not mean to hurt my father." Michael was then and now willing to give Rommie the benefit of the doubt.
"I see." Rommie was so thankful and relieved that she was on the verge of having tears of joy.
"but you don't sound like the hologram or ship?"
"I had to change my voice."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before"
"It's okay"
"Sorry I didn't tell you about my dad nor about my real name, which is David. I was tired of being known as the famous Dylan Hunt's son."
" Don't worry, I understand. So, who was your mother?" Rommie was curious if by some odd chance Dylan had married Beka.
"Well, from what my uncle Harper has told me, my mom was a wild, young 'hot babe', who was eccentric, wild, sort of domineering, mysterious, and about 15 years my dad's junior. My aunts Beka and Trance did not like her, neither did my uncle Harper despite some initial attraction on his part. She supposedly had a kind of wisdom to her. They had me within two years of dating and living together. My dad really wanted to marry her but she kept saying that she needed more time, and my dad indulged her. Eventually, she left us, with nothing but a short note to my dad. According to my uncle, my dad shut himself in his office, for a while afterwards, and did not want to hear about things that needed to be done."
"That's terrible. You father is a good man." Rommie commented. She was sad that Dylan could not find happiness with someone, just as she had. "how long were they together?"
" In all? Three and a half years. Actually, my hope is to someday meet my mother."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah. I want to look her in the eye and ask her 'why did you leave us?' and I want to know about her side of the family. But there is no information, and my dad, who would know the most, doesn't like to talk about her. "
"So, tell me about your uncle Harper, and Aunts Beka and Trance"
"Well, for the four years after you left, they, still recruited worlds, until the fifty worlds had been signed, and they just went on Missions for another few more years. After I was born, the new Commonwealth made my dad an ambassador, and a part time professor at the new High Guard Academy: It was arranged, so, I could come with him on his various missions. As for Harper, he started to work with ship designers at the new High Guard Head Quarters, while Beka who married Tyr, became one of the heads of the new Department of Commerce. Tyr, for his part, became a teacher in self-defense and weaponry. Trance got into the diplomacy business, by being a consul at a non-member world. Speaking of my dad, I saw him today
"Oh?" Rommie tried to act nonchalant.
"Yeah. Said he was just in the neighborhood. I'm gonna go meet him at some restaurant later. I'd ask you to join us, but you know….."
"Yes I do"
"How should I tell him that I live with you? I think that he's still pretty mad, as you were never mentioned in his presence"
As he was saying this, Rommie was debating within herself whether or not to tell Michael that Dylan had threatened her and that he knew about their living arrangement. However, Michael solved this for her.
"I'm going to tell him." He said.
"Oh?" Rommie hoped that Dylan would not make Michael choose between her and him.
"Yeah, and he's gonna accept it"
"Really?" Rommie admired his need to be honest.
"Yeah. He won't take to it well, at first, but I'm sure he'll get used to the idea."
"I hope so. I don't want you to have to choose between our friendship and your relationship with your father"
At dinner, Michael made his confession.
"Dad, I'm living with Rommie."
"What??" Dylan said to feign surprise.
"Yeah, she told me today. However, I bear her no ill will."
Dylan just looked at him.
"She didn't want to hurt you. Rommie just did what she had to do."
"Are you aware of what she did to me?" Dylan was getting angry, but he tried to hide it.
"Yeah, Uncle Harper told me one day."
Dylan made a mental note to talk to Mr. Harper.
"Look, dad, Rommie was a good person stuck with a tough choice. I know what she did was wrong, but she is truly sorry. I will keep on living with her, as her good friend, whether you like it or not."
Dylan did not know what to say, but he took a long sip of his wine and took a deep breath.
"So you are telling me that you are going to be friends with someone who betrayed me?"
"Yeah, but she didn't' want to and is sorry"
"How can you choose her over me?"
"I'm not!" David was starting to get angry at his father's accusations.
"By being her friend you are insulting me, and it seems that you don't give a damn about what I went through"
"I do dad! And I'm not insulting you"
"Then prove it! Move out, and stop being her friend"
"I don't have to prove squat to you!" David hated it when his dad put pressure on him like this, and did the whole stupid 'prove it by doing what I want you to do routine,'
Then he answered, "If you don't know what I feel by now then frankly you can kiss my kludge ass!"
"Excuse me?" Dylan's anger was rising.
Suddenly there was a page.
"Calling Mr. Michael Kelly. Someone is waiting for you at the outside waiting area."
"Oh, that would be me" David excused himself, and went to answer the page, with the help of his cane.
Dylan poured himself some more wine, as David left for his destination.
Once he got there, he saw one of his many writing friends.
"You rang?" David said.
"Yeah, I wanted to let you know that there was this odd, older guy asking around about you"
"What?"
"Yeah"
"I saw him talking to one of the local bartenders, who told him that you and Ann were lovers, and that you were living together."
"How did he look like?"
"he wore sunglasses and had green hair. Also, I saw him paying this guy, who works in that café we writers like to frequent."
David knew who his friend had seen, and was not pleased.
"I think I know who it is. Thanks for the information. I'll take care of it from here. I'll explain later"
"Okay. Bye"
"Bye"
When David returned to the table, he was fuming.
"Dad, the person who paged me was a friend of mine. He says that you asked around about me, and paid someone for info."
"You have been rather sheltered all of your life, and I wanted to make sure that you were safe. Also, I heard about your living arrangements and was concerned about whom you were living with. For all I knew, it could have been some crazy woman. I'm just a concerned parent."
"But most parents don't send spy on their kids or pay people to give information on them. Why can't you respect my privacy?"
Dylan did not know what to say.
"You owe me an apology dad"
"I owe you an apology? How about the one you owe me for deciding to live with someone who betrayed and lied to me?"
"That does it! I'm leaving!"
On that note, David left the restaurant.
TBC