Chapter 4
Kairo~
“So, I hear you boys are going fishing this weekend.”
I looked over as my father walked into the living room, his presence always surrounding him like some kind of forcefield that never wavered.
I did my best to visit my parents once a week, and while it’d be nice to be able to have family dinners and things like that, we were all always so busy that it was nearly impossible to get us all together without scheduling it out weeks in advance.
At any rate, my father walked in on me and my mother catching up in their living room, and I wasn’t surprised that he knew about the fishing trip.
Even though it was hard for us to all get together, we texted and spoke on the phone often, and since Dallas worked for our father, Dad got a lot of his information from him.
“Yeah, we are,” I said as I stood up to shake his hand, then give him a hug. “But it’s only for Saturday.”
“I miss the days when you boys were little, and we were all able to go on family trips,” my mother remarked wistfully. “Those are some of my favorite memories.”
“Well, sooner or later, we’ll have grandchildren to do those things with,” my father said, looking at me pointedly.
“Oh, no,” I chuckled. “Don’t look at me. Besides, Dallas is the oldest, so if anyone should be giving you any grandchildren soon, it should be him.”
“Honestly, I don’t know what’s taking him so long,” my mother huffed. “He and Sheryle have been dating for years already.”
I eyed my mother. “You know, it’s customary now for people to prioritize a stable career before starting a family. We’re past the age of accepting teenage pregnancy as the norm.”
“We still have teenage pregnancies happening, son,” my father automatically remarked, ever the politician.
“True,” I conceded. “However, it’s not as common as it used to be, and we actually have programs that help with the situation, rather than enable the cycle.”
“We have done a lot of good over the years,” my mother agreed. “Life is definitely better than it used to be.”
“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” my father said, a phrase that he used often when campaigning or lecturing. “We still have drugs coming into this country, and we still have crime and poverty to contend with.”
“While that might be true, you can’t argue that things are significantly better these days,” I countered. “Yes, we still have unfavorable things happening, but having taken responsibility for our own kind, we’ve uplifted our people in a way that would have been impossible thirty years ago.”
My father’s dark gaze regarded me carefully, and I recognized that look. I was about to get a lecture on all the things that I didn’t know or have experienced, and while I had the utmost respect for my father, I still felt as if he didn’t give me and my brothers more credit for maturity.
“Then how would you explain the Transparency Reports?” he challenged, and I should have seen it coming.
The Transparency Reports were official government documents that were made public to the people, so that we could see where all our tax dollars were being spent, including the wages and salaries of all elected officials, and that ranged from an elected schoolboard official all the way to my father.
However, those reports also included regional rankings, for lack of a better term.
A better explanation would be that the reports were a sort of report card.
They showed where we ranked in terms of education, economics, crime, environmental responsibility, national defense, etc.
, and for the past twenty-five years, Blooming Heights and Morning Peaks had always held the top two positions in every category.
The other regions all had their own strengths and weaknesses, but it could be argued that those two regions had no weaknesses.
Nevertheless, the genius of the Transparency Reports was the challenge that they represented.
Knowing that our failures were aired for all the world to see, this little detail kept each region’s competitive streak alive and well, ensuring that each governing body continued to do what was best for its people and not themselves.
Of course, the Transparency Reports had been a sort of rip off from the Australian Taxation Office, which had already been informing their citizens of how their tax dollars were spent; the RNA just tweaked the idea a bit to make it what it was today.
I also knew the point that my father was trying to get across. Even though he was the Administrator for our region, he wasn’t the type of man that saw only black and white. He was open-minded enough to see lots of shades of grey, and that’s what made him such a great leader.
“I think that the theory still applies,” I told him. “They’re also surrounded by nothing but their kind, and though not the same in race, religion, or social beliefs, they’re still the same like minds, Dad. They’re still among ‘their’ people.”
“Though they are still a part of RNA, and though they are still restricted by the new laws of this land, Blooming Heights and Morning Peaks have a freedom that the rest of the regions do not, and it’s arguably the number one reason why they’re always in the top two spots in the Transparency Reports.
” Finally, sitting down to get comfortable, he added, “It’s amazing what free people can accomplish, Kairo. ”
“Are you implying that the rest of us aren’t free?” I asked, because if that’s what he was saying, then he was wrong.
“Do you feel free?” he asked, and it was irksome when he did that. My father had a degree in psychology, and it showed a lot of the time.
“Yes, I do,” I answered honestly. “I feel like anything is possible if you work hard enough. I mean, look at what the new movement has accomplished. Once upon a time, we’d been a herd of different sheep that were just running amok, and now we’re an organized people that are doing spectacular things.
All you have to do is look around you to see that. ”
“Yet, China is now the most powerful country in the world,” he countered. “You don’t see that as a mark against the new movement?”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t. Unlike China, our voices are still heard, and that’s way more important than what’s going on in China.”
“Oh, my God,” my mother sighed dramatically. “Can we leave the politics and social issues at the door for just one afternoon? While you boys do try to visit once a week, I still would rather we talk about family than work.”
“Of course,” my father automatically replied. “We just got carried away for a second.”
“Well, I would rather talk about the Silver Linings Gala that’s coming up next month,” Mom said, and I did my best not to wince. “You know, we’re all expected to present.”
The Silver Linings Gala was a once-a-year event that showcased educational achievements, but not for teachers or school administrators.
It showcased talented students that excelled in their classes, which included research, inventions, community service, etc.
, and though sports were a big part of our educational system, there was a different event for athletic magnificence.
“We’ll all be there,” I assured her.
“Well, I know that,” she drawled out. “I’m just wondering if you and Leyden have dates yet.”
“Mom, it’s a month away,” I pointed out. “And you’re lucky if Leyden can carve out some time to attend, much less find a date.”
“It’s just not a good look to show up to these things alone,” she went on. “People might begin to wonder why you and Leyden are still single.”
Now, while homosexuality wasn’t exactly banned in the regions, it was still frowned upon.
The message in most regions was family first, but in the traditional sense.
While there were still children to adopt, the need wasn’t as bad anymore.
Once the new movement had taken place, children’s welfare had been at the top of all agendas, and so we didn’t have overcrowded orphanages anymore.
Nevertheless, tragedies still happened, and so some children still needed fostering, regardless of how much progress we’d made.
At any rate, while it could be argued that gay couples could adopt, completing the new idea of what a family was supposed to be, the concept was still frown upon unless you lived in Blooming Heights.
When my father had spoken of freedom, he’d been speaking of how Blooming Heights had no restrictions on how a person lived.
If there was any region that was free from any kind of judgement, it was Blooming Heights, and maybe that was the point that he’d been trying to make.
“Luckily, I’m not big on caring what other people think,” I reminded her smoothly, though not rudely. “Besides, I’ll be there to support children’s academics and nothing more.”
Just then, Dallas walked into the living room, and I felt myself breathing out a sigh of relief. “Hello, family,” he greeted, a huge grin on his face.
“Thank God you’re here,” I told him. “Mom’s talking about the Silver Linings Gala.”
“You could have warned me,” he said, his grin immediately dropping from his face.