Shores of a New Horizon by M Darusha Wehm

Author:M Darusha Wehm [Wehm, M Darusha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Media Tie-In, Science Fiction, Space Opera, Space Exploration
ISBN: 9781839082764
Publisher: Aconyte
Published: 2024-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Seventeen

“What are you doing here?”

Zammi stood up straight, hands balled into fists on his hips, completely filling the doorway. It was a small thing, keeping his dad standing awkwardly in the hall, and while he didn’t consciously make the decision to block him from the room, the knowledge that the space behind him was his own private domain gave him a strange confidence.

“Can’t I come see my kids?” Ivan said, a weak grin wavering on his face.

“Since when do you give a–” Zammi accused, then cut himself off. “How did you know we were here?”

Ivan shrugged and glanced down the hall.

“Val,” Zammi surmised and managed to shoulder past his dad without making contact, then closed the door to his room and marched down the hall to number 732.

“Val!” He pounded on the door. “Val, get out here right now.”

The door swished open, and Val peered out, bleary-eyed. “What the hell, Zam–” Her eyes widened as she took in the figure standing behind Zammi, his hand feebly aloft in a wave. “Oh. You made it.”

“You did this?” Zammi asked, not turning to acknowledge his father. “You called him?”

“He called me, but whatever. It was before we… when things were still going good. I figured, why not make a real reunion out of it, you know?”

Zammi boggled at his sister. “You two talk to each other?”

“Yeah, every once in a while,” Val admitted. “I mean, he’s my dad.”

At this, Ivan cleared his throat and Zammi wheeled around.

“Hey, kiddo, I know there’s a lot of propellant through the pipes between us, but I got a long service award from Helion and it came with a bunch of paid time off. I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do but see you and Val.”

“Too bad there was no such thing as paid time off when we were kids,” Zammi spat out, the sarcasm veritably dripping from the words. He hadn’t spoken like that to anyone since he was an insufferable teen. Which was probably the last time he’d said this many words to his dad.

“Zambrotta–” Ivan began.

“Come on,” Val interrupted, stepping fully out of her room and letting the door close behind her. “Zambo’s heading home tomorrow and we’re all here now. Let’s go and get a drink or something, try to be a family for one night, OK?”

Zammi glared at Val. How could she take their dad’s side in this? She stared back at him, and he could see something strange in her eyes, a longing maybe? The kind of hope you only see in kids who are convinced that if they just say or do the right thing, the adults in their lives will start treating them decently. Well, that never happened.

But Zammi didn’t want to hurt Val even more. It was one evening. He could put up with one awkward night out with his dad. Surely.

•••

There was a quiet neighborhood watering hole just down the street from the residences. On his long walk Zammi had noticed that every

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