Kevin's Promise
1199 Words
Harold
Harold sat quietly during the meal Celia and Nate prepared for them. He did not have much of an appetite for the odd assortment of fruits and animal proteins. Realizing trying to eat was pointless, he excused himself from the table.
His sister, Kat, sat next to their grandmother. She only picked at her food. Rose tried to be encouraging but failed to make the food exciting for her. Kat pushed her plate away and just stared at the empty table before her.
Harold left the dining room and walked over to the windows in the lounging section and stared out at the stars as they passed by. His mind went blank. His mother died when he was young, and now his father was dead. Gideon struggled for years to provide for them. Thank god for Kevin and Nate. They provided the extra support that was needed. Not to forget his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They relied on each other for support. For being so big, they were a close family.
The elevator opened and Harold turned to see Nate come into the room.
“That was a short few hours,” Harold said.
“Mom and I had an argument.”
“About dad?”
Nate sighed. “She doesn’t want to take responsibility for his death. It’s her fault, isn’t it. I mean, the Lillian was her ship.”
“From the sounds of it, it isn’t her fault. We’ve been pursued and attacked since before we left Earth. I mean, look what happened to you and your dad.”
“Yeah, but my dad is still alive,’ Nate responded.
“But you almost died, and from what Celia said, so did your mom.”
“I just don’t know what to say to her. I don’t know who she is. She was taken when I was a kid and she seemed to get along fine without me. Why is she trying to have a relationship now? I don’t get it.”
“You weren’t the only one to lose time. She lost over twenty years of life with you. You think you’re the only one that suffered?” Harold asked.
“Twenty-three years.”
“Fine. Twenty-three years. Whatever, man.”
Silence fell between the cousins. Nate moved to the couches nearest Harold. He rested his elbow in an arm of the couch and rested his chin in the hand of the same arm.
“This whole thing sucks.” Harold joined Nate on the couch.
He mirrored his cousin’s pose and they both sat staring out the windows. The door to the dining area opened, and Kat came out. She spotted the two and walked over. Like her brother and father before her, she was tall, over 6’, but not as bulky. Her natural blonde hair had been pulled into a messy bun. They discovered in their genealogy a great grandfather over 7ft. The genetics skipped a few generations, but Gideon had been born with his height and passed it onto his kids. According to Rose, Andrei, Cassielle’s twin brother, was as big as Gideon. Now, after seeing the portrait of Ryl, they found the genetics went even further back.
“You not hungry either?” she asked sitting in an armchair.
“Nope,” Harold responded.
She rubbed her face and looked down at the floor. “What are we gonna do?”
Her eyes were red, and tears fell once again. Nate lowered his head. Harold tried to come up with something supportive for his sister. After their mother’s death, Kat had been a mess for months. With the help of Kevin and their grandparents, Kat started to be her old self again.
“I’m sorry, guys,” Nate said.
“What for? You didn’t do this,” Harold said.
“It’s not fair,” Kat said quietly. “He didn’t do anything to anyone. He was a great guy. A gentle giant.”
She wiped her eyes and looked out the big windows.
“Kat,” Nate began.
“No. You don’t understand. You get both your parents back. We had to live through our mom’s cancer, and then dad gets blown up. It’s not fair,” she snapped.
“I just found out my mom was still alive. You think that for over twenty years I didn’t know what it felt like losing a parent?”
“But she’s back now and your dad is still alive. Both of our parents are dead now.”
He bowed his head. Harold had seen them fight, but this was different. Kat’s anger at their dad’s death was beginning to show and she took it out on Nate. She sniffed and turned away.
Nate looked over to Harold. Both men had started to cry again. There were no words. They were raised together. Many people treated them like siblings, including their own family.
Kat buried her head in her hands and cried. The door to the dining room opened again and Kelly walked over to them. She moved to Kat’s side and knelt on the floor next to her, offering a needed hug. Kat accepted it and cried on her shoulder.
Others began to filter out of the dining room and branched off to other sections of the guest space. Kevin sat between Nate and Harold while Celia took a seat opposite Kat. No one said anything except for the children who resumed their playing in the corner.
Kat and Kelly finally broke away from one another. Kelly sat on the floor next to the armchair.
“Guys, we will be just fine,” Kevin declared. “I will make sure to take care of everything until we can get back on our feet.”
“Dad,” Nate began.
“I know what your mother said, but I will still take care of you. You’re my children. All of you,” Kevin said looking at Harold and Kat. “I helped raise all three of you and I consider you all my children. Nothing is going to stop me from making sure you’re alright.”
“You don’t have to, Kev,” Harold said. “I have a new contract coming up within the league and I can help Kat out if she needs it.”
“That won’t change what I said.”
“Thanks, Kev,” Kat sniffed. “I’m sure if it were reversed, dad would do the very same thing.” She looked at Nate when she said this.
“I know he would. Gideon and I made that promise a long time ago to watch over all of you should something like this happen. I know all of you are adults, but that promise doesn’t go away due to age.” He took out a handkerchief and coughed a few times into it before putting it away. “You guys have made both of us so proud. We really couldn’t ask for better children. Even now, you’re setting a wonderful example for your cousins.”
Kat finally smiled. “How was your dinner with your mom?” she asked Nate.
“Awkward and quiet,” he said.
- Writer
