“Yes, I do,” Nicole replied. “And perhaps we should all ask for another audience with the Chief Optimizer. I’m sorry, Max, but I didn’t handle the situation very well. I was prepared to watch the videos of Katie and, quite frankly, Archie’s pronouncement caught me off guard.”
“Shit, Nicole,” Max said, “I don’t blame you personally. Anyway, since Ep, Marius, and I are the only ones who still want to return to New Eden, it’s our job to appeal this decision. I doubt if the Chief Optimizer has ever seen a two-month-old baby human in the flesh.”
The rest of the breakfast conversation was mostly about Katie and what Nicole had seen the day before in the videos. The family explained the gist of Katie’s unhappy life without too many specifics.
When Patrick returned, he reported that the children were already busy with their lessons. “Nai and I have been talking about a lot of things,” he said, addressing everyone at the table. “First, Max, we would like to ask you to be a little more careful in front of the children with your negative comments about the octospiders. They are now quite fearful when Archie or Dr. Blue are around, and their reactions must be based on what they have overheard in our conversations.” ,
Max bridled and started to reply. “Please, Max,” Patrick added quickly, “you know that I’m your friend. Let’s not
argue about it. Just think about what I’ve said and remember that we may all be staying here with the octospiders for a long time.
“Second,” he continued, “Nai and I both feel, especially in view of what we learned this morning, that the children should be learning the octospider language. We want them to start as soon as possible. We think we need Ellie or Mother, plus an octospider or two … not just to teach, but also to familiarize the children again with their alien hosts. Hercules has been gone for a couple of months now. Mother, will you talk to Archie about this, please?”
Nicole nodded and Patrick excused himself, saying that he needed to return to the classroom. “Patrick has become a good teacher,” Benjy volunteered. “He is very patient with me and the children.”
Nicole smiled to herself and looked across the breakfast table at her daughter. Considering everything, she thought, our children have turned out fine. I should be thankful for Patrick, Ellie, and Benjy. And not worry myself sick about Katie.
In one of the corners of her bedroom, Nai Watanabe finished her meditation and said the Buddhist morning prayers that had been part of her daily routine since she was a small child in Thailand. She crossed into the living room, heading for the other bedroom to wake the twins, and found, much to her surprise, that Patrick was asleep on the couch. He was still dressed and her electronic reader was lying on his stomach.
She shook him gently. “Wake up, Patrick,” she said. “It’s morning. . . . You’ve slept the whole night here.”
Patrick awakened quickly and apologized to Nai. As he was leaving, he told Nai that he had several issues to discuss with her—about Buddhism, of course—but he guessed that f they could wait until a more convenient time. Nai smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek before telling him that she and the boys would be over for breakfast in half an hour.
He is so young and earnest, Nai said to herself as she
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watched him walk away. And I do enjoy his company. But can anyone ever replace Kenji as my husband?
Nai recalled the previous night. After the twins had fallen asleep, Patrick and she had had a long and serious talk. Patrick had pressed for an early marriage. She had replied that she would not be hurried, that she would agree to a specific date only when she fell entirely comfortable with the idea. Patrick had then awkwardly inquired about the possibility of what he called “more physical involvement” while they were waiting. Nai had reminded Patrick that she had told him from the beginning that there would be nothing but kisses until their wedding. To assuage his feelings, Nai had reassured Patrick that she found him very attractive physically and was definitely looking forward to lovemaking after they were married, but for all the reasons they had discussed a dozen times, Nai insisted that their “physical involvement” remain constrained for the time being.
Most of the rest of the evening the pair had talked about either the twins or Buddhism. Nai had expressed concern that their marriage might have a bad impact on Galileo, especially since the boy often cast himself in the role of his mother’s protector. Patrick told Nai that he did not believe that his frequent clashes with Galileo had anything to do with jealousy. ‘The boy just resents all authority,” Patrick had said, “and resists discipline. Kepler, on the other hand …”
How many times in the past seven years, Nai thought, has someone started a comment with the phrase “Kepler, on the other hand”? She remembered when Kenji was still alive and the boys were just starting to walk. Galileo was constantly falling down and running into things. Kepler, on the other hand, was careful and precise in his steps. He almost never fell.
The giant fireflies had still not brought dawn to the Emerald City. Nai continued to let her mind roam freely, as she often did after a peaceful meditation. She no^ed to herself that she had been making a lot of comparisons recently between Kenji and Patrick. That’s unfair of me, she
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told herself. / cannot marry Patrick until that process has completely stopped.
Again she thought of the previous night. Nai smiled when she recalled their ardent discussion about the life of Buddha. Patrick still has a child’s naivete, a pure idealism, Nai said to herself. It’s one of the things about him I love the most.
“I admire both Buddha’s basic philosophy and his approach,” Patrick had said. “I really do. But I have a few problems. How can you worship a man, for example, who leaves his wife and son and goes off to be a beggar? What about his responsibility to his family?”
“You’re taking Buddha’s action out of its historical context,” Nai had replied. “First, twenty-seven hundred years ago, in northern India, being a wandering mendicant was an acceptable way of life. There were some in every village, many in the towns. When a man wanted to seek ‘the truth,’ his normal first step was to disavow all material comforts. Besides, you have forgotten that Buddha came from a very wealthy family. There was never any question about whether or not his wife and child would have food, shelter, clothing, or any other essential . . .”
They had talked for two hours or so, and then kissed for a while before Nai had gone alone to her bedroom. Patrick had already returned to his reading about Buddhism by the time Nai had whispered good night from her doorway.
How difficult it is, Nai mused as the firefly dawn burst upon the octospider city, to explain the relevance of Buddhism to someone who has never seen the Earth. Yet even here, in this strange alien world among the stars, desire still causes suffering and human beings still search for spiritual peace.
11
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‘ichard bounced out of bed .with more than his usual enthusiasm and began jabbering at Nicole. “Wish me luck,” he said as he dressed. “Archie said that we’ll be gone all day.”
Nicole, who always woke up very slowly and intensely disliked frenetic activity of any kind in the early morning hours, rolled over and tried to enjoy the last few moments of her rest. She opened one eye slightly, saw that it was still dark, and closed it again.
“I haven’t been this excited since I made those two final breakthroughs on The translator,” Richard said. “I know that the octospiders are serious about putting me to work. They’re just trying to find the right task for me.”
Richard left the bedroom for several minutes. From the noises in the kitchen, the half-asleep Nicole could tell that Richard was preparing breakfast for himself. He returned eating one of the large pink fruits that had become his favorite. He stood beside the bed, chewing noisily.
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Nicole opened her eyes slowly and looked at her husband. “I assume,” she said with a sigh, “that you are waiting for me to say something.”
“Yes,” he said. “It would be nice if we could exchange a few pleasantries before I leave. After all, this could be the most important day for me since we arrived in the Emerald City.”
“You’re certain,” Nicole said, “that Archie intends to find a job for you?”
“Absolutely,” Richard replied. “That’s the whole purpose of today. He is going to show me some of their more complex engineering systems and try to ascertain where my talents can best be used. At least that’s what he told me yesterday afternoon.”