Gaspard came, arm in arm with his wife, into his house. “Anyone home?” He asked.
“Darling!” His mother came out of the library and hugged him. Embarrassing him.
“And how is my daughter in law?” she asked his wife. His mother and his wife had talked quite a bit at the contract dinner. Not exactly according to custom, but his mother was always finding her way around custom.
Mother,” Gaspard asked, when his mother had gotten done her effusive greetings and looked well on her way to dragging his wife off for ‘a talk’, “Have you heard how the contract arrangements went?’
“They went like a charm, your father assures me. Let me see… I think it was the very day that your father put them in… he actually went down and did it himself, which quite surprised me. Anyway, that very day he found out, some runner, that his proposal had been frozen. No, it was the next day. He went down late in the afternoon and it was the next morning the runner came.
Anyway, it got frozen, which was encouraging, obviously. And then a few hours later another runner came in with a sheaf of papers.”
“Who did we contract with, Mother?” his wife asked; a rather good political move, calling her ‘mother’… his mother simply glowed. “Well, it was… what did he say… it was a street class lass… low but moving up, a shop class lad, whose father was also advancing but nowhere near crystal, you understand.
The lass was fifth, so free for the clan, which was a nice bonus; and the lad was an extra, so all together your father was very well pleased. Not that he will make a profit on the deal, of course, but he says the hundred thousand was well worth spending for such an easy and appropriate exchange. Absoloutely no negotiations anywhere, I understand.”
“One hundred thousand?” his wife breathed out. Gaspard hadn’t wish to boast and tell her that himself… but he was rather glad mother had mentioned it.
“Off to the Army… what specialty?”
“The oddest thing,” his mother said. “I had never heard of it. ‘Far Colonist’. I thought colonists all paid their way, I didn’t know the army had any! Do you know what that is, dear?”
“Not I,” Gaspard said. “I’m for the navy.
“Well, I suppose he’ll tell you when he writes you back.”
“Writes me back?”
“Well, yes dear. You have to write him, you know. Quite the expected thing. He is taking your place and risking his life and all that. Quite the expected thing. Won’t do at all to shirk it. You too, dear,” she said, turning to his wife. “Once Gaspard has written, and the lad writes back, then you should write the wife. Just lass things, you understand.. You are increasing, is she increasing, you went to this party… well, maybe not that last, given that she is street class. But something she will be intersted in. Maybe a recipe… you can ask cook for something that her class might enjoy… something they can afford.”
“Well, Mother, we’ve had a long trip. I think we’ll be off to our room to unpack.”
“I know all about that unpacking, dear. God bless the womb.”
“Thank you, Mother,” his wife said, and kissed his mother again.
“When are you going to write?” his wife asked.
“I hadn’t known I would have to,” he complained. “But if mother says it is quite the thing she is invariably right. Father will probably ask after it too. I think I will wait a couple of weeks, though. It wouldn’t do to bother them in the beginning of their basic training. I hear it is quite arduous. Look here is my room…”
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Von