“So, welcome to my dream,” Jeremiah said, and he explained the tea offerings of the day then disappeared to get them ready.
“We should be wearing dainty little hats,” Lucy whispered to her mother when he was out of earshot. Maxine smiled and nibbled on a cookie.
“This is nice,” her mother said as if to remind her.
“It is,” Lucy answered quickly, not looking for a fight. Their afternoon had been wonderful so far. They had talked to their manicurists and learned their stories, and had wandered from one end of a floor to the other, assessing all the amenities. Payment for services was taken out of a virtual bank. Every month residents were allotted a fixed amount to use for things that qualified as entertainment or luxury. Necessities were freely provided. While it felt strange to simply name an account and leave without exchanging money, Lucy knew that she would soon adapt to Kymberlin’s strange set of rules. At times, it felt like they were on vacation in a foreign land and exploring their large hotel. Lucy had to remind herself that she lived here and she couldn’t leave.
“Thank you for coming to the date today...I know you could have fought it, and...” Maxine started.
Lucy braced herself. She had seen her name on those pieces of paper and knew that her mother had wanted to spend time specifically with her. If the date had some ulterior motive, it was about to rear its ugly head in the privacy of their Tea Room booth.
“Can I ask you something?” Lucy interrupted. Maxine nodded. “Do you think you can be happy here?”
Maxine picked up a silver fork and hit it against her open palm. Then she put it down and straightened it on a cloth napkin. She took a sip of water.
“Mom?” Lucy asked.
“It’s not fair to ask me a question like that,” Maxine finally answered. “Because it’s not about me. It’s not about my happiness.”
“Yes, it is,” Lucy said quickly.
“No,” she shook her head. “It isn’t.”
“It’s unlike you to play the martyr,” Lucy said. She looked down at the tablecloth. “Will you be happy here?”
“I will,” her mother answered without delay. “For the rest of my life. I will find the happiness that awaits us here. I will raise my children on Kymberlin the same way I raised them back in Portland. I will be the same wife, the same friend, the exact same woman. Nothing has changed except my location. My desire to protect my family is even greater now that we are here...and the best way I can protect you is to show you that this is our life now.”
“Mom—”
“It’s not martyrdom, Lucy. And frankly...when did that become a bad word? You asked me and I’m telling you. Just because you don’t like what you’re hearing doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Living here doesn’t mean I accept the actions that brought us here...”
“Mom—”
“Everyone has to live under or work under people who they disagree with. For me, I understand what Huck is capable of and I want my children protected. Huck’s...”
“I told Grant that I loved him,” Lucy blurted.
Maxine blinked.
Jeremiah appeared at their table and placed a white porcelain teapot between them and two floral teacups. He poured them the tea and explained what they were drinking: a citrusy black tea from Ceylon. Sensing Lucy’s blush and Maxine’s tight-lipped smile, he poured quickly and then left them alone.
Lucy took a sip of tea. It was hot and it burned her tongue; she set it right back down on the table. She didn’t really like tea. “Well, say something, please.”
“What do you love about him?” Maxine asked. She leaned over to inspect the intricate pattern of roses on her teacup.
Lucy didn’t hesitate. “He’s kind. And he cares for people and puts them first. He might be the most trusting, caring, compassionate guy I’ve ever met. He just thinks everyone is good and I like that he looks for goodness first. He never wants to hurt anyone’s feelings, but he’s strong. Stronger than I give him credit for. And he’s talented...and he has convictions and...he’s moral…”
“You love him.”
“I do.”
Maxine sighed. She blew across the top of her teacup. “It’s funny how people can grow up overnight. I look at you and I’m not sure I see the same girl we left behind.”
“I’m not the same girl you left behind.”
“I know,” Maxine said. “It’s hard for me sometimes.” She stared off behind Lucy’s shoulder, inspecting a watercolor picture of a vase overflowing with purple and blue flowers. “Lucy...Huck can keep you and Grant apart for as long as he wants.”
“I know,” Lucy answered and her voice broke. “He’s leaving for Copia today, right? I mean...I should be able to at least talk to him, right?”
Maxine was quiet. She stared down at her drink and blew straight into the cup, creating ripples of tea. When she looked up at Lucy, her eyes were moist. She cleared her throat and then took another sip of tea. “Of course,” she answered. “Your father is a member of the Elektos board. That title earns you a lot, my dear one.”
“It didn’t earn me a chance to get Grant on Kymberlin,” Lucy said.
“No,” Maxine conceded. “It did not.”
“It didn’t earn Ethan a chance to keep Teddy.”
Maxine nodded once. “No. You’re right. It did not.”
“What did it do, Mom? What does that title do?”
Jeremiah turned on music. The sweet sounds of a string quartet flooded the room.
“Your first love. That’s a big deal,” Maxine said. She put her cup down and reached out across the table. When she grabbed Lucy’s hands, Lucy could feel the hotness on her palms from the warm mug. “Your dad was my first love. Six kids later and I’d still follow him anywhere...”
“Apparently,” Lucy answered with more of a bite than she had intended. Her mom pulled her hand back. “I’m sorry...I didn’t mean it that way...I...”
“What would you have had me do, Lucy Larkspur? I didn’t know about any of this until we were shoved on a plane...in the middle of chaos. I’m not saying I don’t understand, but it’s not as black and white as you want it to be. No decision ever is.”
Lucy didn’t answer. She stared down into her cup.
“You think it cheapens me to want the best for us in this situation? You’re wrong. Look, Jeremiah wanted to open the Tea Room and now he has a lovely little business. That’s nice, don’t you think?”
Lucy nodded. “Yes. I do.”
“So...here you are, and you can do anything you want. What’s your dream? Huck comes to you and says that you have earned a right to whatever your heart desires. What do you want?”
“I want Grant...”
“No,” Maxine wagged her finger. “Grant or no Grant, that is not an answer. Grant is not your dream. No boy is the dream, Lucy. I’ve never taught you that...you didn’t get that from me.”
Lucy closed her eyes and thought of where her life was going before the Release. She was going to college. She had already decided she would go to the University of Oregon like her parents. From there, she had no plan. She didn’t have a plan before, and she didn’t have a plan now. However, unlike before, she didn’t think she could just sit back and watch the world unfold around her. Something stirred in her. A call to action.
“Anything,” her mother prodded from across the table.
“I don’t know--”
“I’ll count and you just shout out the first thing that comes to your mind.”
“I can’t do it that way—”
“One, two...”
Lucy opened her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t—”
“Three!”
“Darla.”
Maxine looked her, perplexed. “What?” she laughed.
“I want to be a financial advisor who can shoot a gun and raise a child and care about strangers and take charge without being so afraid all the time.”