From the restaurant, David went back home. As she heard the door slam
Rommie commented, with some dread.
"I take it that it didn't go to well?"
"No. I just found out, thanks to a friend that my dad asked around about me and paid people to give him information regarding how I was doing. How could he violate my privacy like that?" As he was saying this, he sat on the couch next to Rommie.
"What your father did was not right, but his heart was in the right place" Rommie was surprised that Dylan got caught, but she supposed that he was just unlucky.
"He wouldn't have done this If I was not blind"
"Why do you say that?"
" Well, I've noticed that he's a bit more overprotective than other dads with seeing kids"
"What gave you that idea?"
"Well, I was fifteen before he let me wander around in public areas alone, even with my seeing eye bot, which my Uncle Harper built and refurbished as I got older."
"I see."
" He also tended to fuss over me a lot, especially when I was younger. At one point, I had this terminal illness called Luhum syndrome, which somehow got cured, and to this day, I can still remember my dad with circles around his eyes, coming to see me at least five times a day. Afterwards, he would nag me always to eat more, as I was a picky eater. Then, he worried that I was too pale, and made me do exercises, which I hated."
As they continued talking, they each noticed that their hands were touching in a slight way. Rommie, upon noticing this got up and said
"Well, I think I should go for my daily walk. Would you like to join me?"
"Sure"
And so they went on their walk.
Two days later, Dylan went to find David, and there he was, at his usual spot next to the park, his seeing eye bot sitting next to him, awaiting instructions.
"David" The young man was too absorbed in his writing.
Dylan just tapped him on the shoulder.
"David, I'm sorry about what I did. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. My only crime was being overprotective" Dylan felt guilty about the methods he used to see how David was doing.
"I know dad, but please, let me handle things on my own. I can take care of myself."
"I can't help but worry" Dylan remarked. "I promise not to do ask around about you again"
"Okay"
"Truce?"
"Truce" David answered, glad to have made up with his father "What about the stuff you said at the restaurant"
"I didn't mean them, I was just upset. I'm sorry for what I said." Dylan hated when they fought.
"So am I, but I'm still living with Rommie."
After some silence Dylan said, " Fine, just don't expect me to go to your place, nor to submit myself to your attempts to get us to patch up." He hated the idea of David's friendship with Rommie, but his desire to keep a relationship with his son outweighed this.
"Okay"
"Why don't we have some lunch?"
"Sure!"
The next day, Dylan left for the new commonwealth capital.
One day, a week later, David was working on his novel in the living room, when Rommie brought him some food to the nightstand, next to the couch.
"David? You need to eat" She said "and that's an order!" she added in a mock military tone.
"Aye ma'am" he replied as he ate, and wrote at the same time.
As he did that, Rommie sat next to him, and read all that he had written that day. The story was very good, with character depth, and plot. As she was reading, David noticed a slight touch of her hand on his shoulder, but he tried to ignore it.
Meanwhile, Jalicia was reading a novel, when suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She could not believe who it was.
"Blessed be? Is this who I think it is?"
"Is that the way to say hello to an old friend?"
"I was just surprised. What brings you here"
"Aren't you going to invite me in and offer me something?"
"Certainly. Come in."
Hours later, David and Rommie were sitting at a nearby café, talking while David was having some coffee. As they were talking, they again noticed that they were touching each other's hands. However, they each found that they did not mind this. Then, Gandalf interrupted their conversation.
"hey guys what's up?" he felt a pang of jealousy.
Both of them quickly took their hands off the table.
"Hey!" David replied nervously, hoping that Gandalf didn't get any ideas. "How goes all?"
"Work is good. I've been kept busy with this reservoir project. The local government wants it covered to keep the water clean, but the local residents are objecting because they love the view of the reservoir, which almost looks like a nice lake"
"Any solutions yet?"
" No. There are going to be several meetings I'm going to have to go to. So, what have you guys been up to?"
"Talking and…" Rommie started
"Drinking coffee" David said, finishing her sentence. "What about you?"
"Not much. I'm going to the Dance club soon. You guys wanna join me?"
"Sure!" David replied. He loved to dance, as a way of relaxing"
"Let's say we meet in 3 hours?"
"Okay"
Later, on they were on the dance floor, when David decided to learn a knew dance step and Rommie volunteered to teach him one.
"Just lightly feel my shoulders, so you can know how to move them." She instructed and David did so as he got the hang of the shoulder part.
"Now I need to teach you how to do the hip part. Just lightly hold my hips" this was no problem for Rommie, as David often did this when they danced together.
David noticed that as he did this, it felt different from other times, it felt more awkward, more sensual.
"Why don't we try another dance move?" he asked suddenly
"What's wrong with this one?" Rommie asked, although she was relieved, as it starting to feel different to her too.
"I'm just in the mood for something new?"
Meanwhile, Jalicia's guest left, although she promised to return.
Back on the New Commonwealth capital, Harper, was reading a letter from David, which had been lost for bit, but finally got to it's destination. He was reading the flexi, on the couch, while his wife was grading papers on the love seat.
"What's in the letter, honey?" Jane, Harper's wife, asked as she saw the surprised look on his face. She was a red headed human scientist, who taught at the local university. They met 12 years ago, during a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend.
"It's from David. He just found out that he's living with Rommie! And he's still going to live with her?"
"Don't tell me you still haven't' forgiven her."
"I kind of have, but not enough to want to be her friend, or live with her, like David is doing. How could he live with her knowing what she did to Dylan? I'm still pissed at the Nietzscheans who killed my parents. Sure David says that he forgave Rommie a while before meeting her, it still doesn't make sense."
"David has a heart of gold"
"Too much. Even Dylan, the usually forgiving guy won't quite forgive Rommie."
"So I take it that he knows?"
"Yeah, but according to the letter, Dylan was willing to tolerate it"
"He really loves his son"
"And I love our sons Jake and Malachi, but I would not be as patient sad to say."
"Dylan must really have a lot of patience"
"Yeah"
Two Days later, Beka received her letter from David at her house. She looked a bit grayer, and her skin had more wrinkles, but she was still the same Beka, everyone always knew.
"Tyr, come here!"
"What is it?" Tyr, given his genetics, looked the same as he had 20 years before. They had two children, Kisha, who was fourteen, and Julius, who was nine.
"David's roommate is Rommie!" Beka exclaimed "and it doesn't matter to him"
"Odd. That boy is close to his father. Does Dylan know?"
"Yes, and he says that Dylan is willing to tolerate it"
" I don't know how I'd feel if one of our children decided to move in with someone who shot and betrayed me"
"Did it ever occur to you that Dylan might have a plan?"
"A plan?"
"Yes. He gave the impression of tolerance so as not to jeopardize his relationship with his only son."
"So you are saying that Dylan is pretending to being okay with this, because he has some plan to change the living arrangement?"
"Yes."
"Well, at least they are not lovers. Now that would be a double irony."
"What's to say they're not? How else could he forgive what that avatar did to his father?"
"I don't think that they are lovers, because David would have said something during the time he thought Rommie was "Ann".
Meanwhile, true to Tyr's predictions, Dylan was trying to come up with a plan.
"I take it that it didn't go to well?"
"No. I just found out, thanks to a friend that my dad asked around about me and paid people to give him information regarding how I was doing. How could he violate my privacy like that?" As he was saying this, he sat on the couch next to Rommie.
"What your father did was not right, but his heart was in the right place" Rommie was surprised that Dylan got caught, but she supposed that he was just unlucky.
"He wouldn't have done this If I was not blind"
"Why do you say that?"
" Well, I've noticed that he's a bit more overprotective than other dads with seeing kids"
"What gave you that idea?"
"Well, I was fifteen before he let me wander around in public areas alone, even with my seeing eye bot, which my Uncle Harper built and refurbished as I got older."
"I see."
" He also tended to fuss over me a lot, especially when I was younger. At one point, I had this terminal illness called Luhum syndrome, which somehow got cured, and to this day, I can still remember my dad with circles around his eyes, coming to see me at least five times a day. Afterwards, he would nag me always to eat more, as I was a picky eater. Then, he worried that I was too pale, and made me do exercises, which I hated."
As they continued talking, they each noticed that their hands were touching in a slight way. Rommie, upon noticing this got up and said
"Well, I think I should go for my daily walk. Would you like to join me?"
"Sure"
And so they went on their walk.
Two days later, Dylan went to find David, and there he was, at his usual spot next to the park, his seeing eye bot sitting next to him, awaiting instructions.
"David" The young man was too absorbed in his writing.
Dylan just tapped him on the shoulder.
"David, I'm sorry about what I did. I just wanted to make sure you were all right. My only crime was being overprotective" Dylan felt guilty about the methods he used to see how David was doing.
"I know dad, but please, let me handle things on my own. I can take care of myself."
"I can't help but worry" Dylan remarked. "I promise not to do ask around about you again"
"Okay"
"Truce?"
"Truce" David answered, glad to have made up with his father "What about the stuff you said at the restaurant"
"I didn't mean them, I was just upset. I'm sorry for what I said." Dylan hated when they fought.
"So am I, but I'm still living with Rommie."
After some silence Dylan said, " Fine, just don't expect me to go to your place, nor to submit myself to your attempts to get us to patch up." He hated the idea of David's friendship with Rommie, but his desire to keep a relationship with his son outweighed this.
"Okay"
"Why don't we have some lunch?"
"Sure!"
The next day, Dylan left for the new commonwealth capital.
One day, a week later, David was working on his novel in the living room, when Rommie brought him some food to the nightstand, next to the couch.
"David? You need to eat" She said "and that's an order!" she added in a mock military tone.
"Aye ma'am" he replied as he ate, and wrote at the same time.
As he did that, Rommie sat next to him, and read all that he had written that day. The story was very good, with character depth, and plot. As she was reading, David noticed a slight touch of her hand on his shoulder, but he tried to ignore it.
Meanwhile, Jalicia was reading a novel, when suddenly, she heard a knock on the door. She could not believe who it was.
"Blessed be? Is this who I think it is?"
"Is that the way to say hello to an old friend?"
"I was just surprised. What brings you here"
"Aren't you going to invite me in and offer me something?"
"Certainly. Come in."
Hours later, David and Rommie were sitting at a nearby café, talking while David was having some coffee. As they were talking, they again noticed that they were touching each other's hands. However, they each found that they did not mind this. Then, Gandalf interrupted their conversation.
"hey guys what's up?" he felt a pang of jealousy.
Both of them quickly took their hands off the table.
"Hey!" David replied nervously, hoping that Gandalf didn't get any ideas. "How goes all?"
"Work is good. I've been kept busy with this reservoir project. The local government wants it covered to keep the water clean, but the local residents are objecting because they love the view of the reservoir, which almost looks like a nice lake"
"Any solutions yet?"
" No. There are going to be several meetings I'm going to have to go to. So, what have you guys been up to?"
"Talking and…" Rommie started
"Drinking coffee" David said, finishing her sentence. "What about you?"
"Not much. I'm going to the Dance club soon. You guys wanna join me?"
"Sure!" David replied. He loved to dance, as a way of relaxing"
"Let's say we meet in 3 hours?"
"Okay"
Later, on they were on the dance floor, when David decided to learn a knew dance step and Rommie volunteered to teach him one.
"Just lightly feel my shoulders, so you can know how to move them." She instructed and David did so as he got the hang of the shoulder part.
"Now I need to teach you how to do the hip part. Just lightly hold my hips" this was no problem for Rommie, as David often did this when they danced together.
David noticed that as he did this, it felt different from other times, it felt more awkward, more sensual.
"Why don't we try another dance move?" he asked suddenly
"What's wrong with this one?" Rommie asked, although she was relieved, as it starting to feel different to her too.
"I'm just in the mood for something new?"
Meanwhile, Jalicia's guest left, although she promised to return.
Back on the New Commonwealth capital, Harper, was reading a letter from David, which had been lost for bit, but finally got to it's destination. He was reading the flexi, on the couch, while his wife was grading papers on the love seat.
"What's in the letter, honey?" Jane, Harper's wife, asked as she saw the surprised look on his face. She was a red headed human scientist, who taught at the local university. They met 12 years ago, during a dinner party hosted by a mutual friend.
"It's from David. He just found out that he's living with Rommie! And he's still going to live with her?"
"Don't tell me you still haven't' forgiven her."
"I kind of have, but not enough to want to be her friend, or live with her, like David is doing. How could he live with her knowing what she did to Dylan? I'm still pissed at the Nietzscheans who killed my parents. Sure David says that he forgave Rommie a while before meeting her, it still doesn't make sense."
"David has a heart of gold"
"Too much. Even Dylan, the usually forgiving guy won't quite forgive Rommie."
"So I take it that he knows?"
"Yeah, but according to the letter, Dylan was willing to tolerate it"
"He really loves his son"
"And I love our sons Jake and Malachi, but I would not be as patient sad to say."
"Dylan must really have a lot of patience"
"Yeah"
Two Days later, Beka received her letter from David at her house. She looked a bit grayer, and her skin had more wrinkles, but she was still the same Beka, everyone always knew.
"Tyr, come here!"
"What is it?" Tyr, given his genetics, looked the same as he had 20 years before. They had two children, Kisha, who was fourteen, and Julius, who was nine.
"David's roommate is Rommie!" Beka exclaimed "and it doesn't matter to him"
"Odd. That boy is close to his father. Does Dylan know?"
"Yes, and he says that Dylan is willing to tolerate it"
" I don't know how I'd feel if one of our children decided to move in with someone who shot and betrayed me"
"Did it ever occur to you that Dylan might have a plan?"
"A plan?"
"Yes. He gave the impression of tolerance so as not to jeopardize his relationship with his only son."
"So you are saying that Dylan is pretending to being okay with this, because he has some plan to change the living arrangement?"
"Yes."
"Well, at least they are not lovers. Now that would be a double irony."
"What's to say they're not? How else could he forgive what that avatar did to his father?"
"I don't think that they are lovers, because David would have said something during the time he thought Rommie was "Ann".
Meanwhile, true to Tyr's predictions, Dylan was trying to come up with a plan.