Personal Log 74: 19th - 25th October, 3301 (Part Three)
02 Oct 2016Jemine Caesar
19th - 25th October, 3301 (Part Three)Grandmama's holocube deactivated itself.
"Well, Jemine," said Harvard, sadly. "Now you have your proof."
There was a moment of terrifying silence and stillness. Then, without warning, Sam leapt towards Nathalie, grabbed her stun pistol, and aimed it at Harvard.
"You slimy, pathetic bastard!" he yelled, and then fired at Harvard's chest. The old man slumped to the floor, unconscious.
"Sam!" I screamed. "Please! No!" I dropped to my knees next to Harvard's prostrate figure.
Sam returned the pistol to Nathalie. "It's OK, Jem," he said. "I used the lightest stun setting. He'll wake up in a few minutes."
I could see that Sam was still shaking with rage at what he had just learned about my father. Then it was Nathalie's turn to vent her anger.
"Damn!" she cried. "I don't know what is the worst part of this. If it is the fact that this... this man is Jem's father, or if it is that her own mom lied to all her family!"
Sam provided the voice of reason. "The ramifications were too great for her to tell the truth, Nath," he said.
I nodded agreement. "She lied to protect our feelings," I said. Nathalie remained unconvinced, however.
"Lies are just what they are!" she growled. "I don't freaking care about what is truth or not! The fact is, Jem grew up under a shit ton of lies! And all of that because they wanted a fucking wild night in the dressing room!"
Sam stood directly in front of Nathalie, looking at her with a gentle, firm expression. "Let it go, Nath. Lust is something that is still poorly understood."
But Nathalie was in no mood to give in. "I rather live in a sad truth than an illusion. I won't ever lie, even if it means risking my life. I hate liars!"
Sam nodded. "So do I, but if it keeps you alive and out of trouble, then so be it."
I just sat there, wanting to cry. My two best friends were arguing with one another, and it was all my fault. My quest to find my father had led us to this sad, drunken, shabby old man at my feet. An old man who was now regaining consciousness...
*****
"Please don't do that again," Harvard mumbled, hoisting himself up on to the nearest chair. Sam produced his dataslate and punched in a few entries.
"I've made some checks into your father's finances, Jem," he said. "I've arranged for 150,000Cr to be transferred to his account. There are three conditions, Harvard," Sam continued. Harvard looked up, waiting for Sam to continue. "One: You use the money to pay off all your debts. Two; You enrol at a clinic to get help for your alcoholism. And three; start being a father to Jemine."
Harvard nodded in agreement, and I thanked Sam for his generosity. Nathalie gave a dark mutter. Sam put away his dataslate.
"Come on," he said. "Let's get out of here." He and Nathalie headed for the door, but I hesitated. Sam looked at me quizzically. "Jem? Are you coming?" he asked.
I looked back at Sam and Nathalie, with tears welling up in my eyes. "I.. I'm staying here, just for a few days," I said.
"You what?!" Nathalie yelled. I looked down at the broken figure of Edward Harvard.
"I came here, with your help, on a quest to find my father. And now I've found him. He's not quite who or what I expected him to be, but... he is still my father. I owe him a few days of my life. We have twenty-eight years of catching up to do."