Snips

Bartin: Hey, Jellia, how doing?

Jellia: Hey, Bartin, doing. Mother is away on a date, pretty much all these two weeks. I’m learning cooking for Libertas, the new planet we are going to.

Bartin: I’d love to come over and taste your cooking!

Jellia stared at the screen. Mother had released her but… but she didn’t think she was ready. But she didn’t want to leave with a reputation as a cold fish either. She hadn’t thought “I’m cooking” was an invitation for a date, but he obviously had thought so. And he was nice. She had looked him up on the dating Cyclo. Maybe…

Jellia: Well, if your mother wants to bring you, you can come over. But I’m only up to kissing, nothing further, no overnight or anything like that.

Bartin: What are you cooking?

Ah, so he didn’t want just to do kissing. Or maybe he was snipping his mother. Or maybe he already knew that she would say no. Many mothers wouldn’t like their sons spending time alone with a daughter. Too distracting. So they kept making them wait.

Jellia: Well, I’m going to this new planet, Libertas, so I’m working on a whole series of recipes. I’m making several and will put them in the statis box to give away.  But mostly, I am learning to do all of the ancillary bits, like learning to chop and use the stove and all. Mother has all of the safeties engaged, so I am pretty much free to try whatever.

Bartin: Wow, that sounds fantastic. So, lots to eat?”

She stared at the screen. Was that a hint? Maybe he would be willing to come over if she would let them do more than just kissing? Good try, son!

Jellia: I am cooking several recipes, yes. Some of them are rather spicy…

She deleted that. Too much possibility of a mistake. Who knew how he would take ‘spicy’! That was practically an invitation. This was hard!

Jellia: I am cooking several recipes, yes. Just to be super clear, if you come over my mother will monitor, and I really am just going to do kissing.

Bartin: Oh, sorry, yeah, I got that. I guess I’m not good at this whole thing yet. Forgive?

Jellia: Nothing to forgive, just wanted to avoid miscommunication.

Bartin: Well, my mother’s not answering my snips. I’m pretty sure she won’t be happy, though. But it was a pleasant thought.

Jellia: Glad you think so.

Bartin: But I really am interested in what you are cooking. Want to do a Screenie?

Well, if Mother was willing to have a son come over, she couldn’t object to a screenie!

Jellia: Sure. One way, though, because I won’t be able to look at you and cook or chop or whatever at the same time.

Her wrist dinged and she accepted the request. It started flashing red and she knew that Bartin could see what she was doing.

“This recipe uses lots of onions,” she said.  “And I have never chopped before, so that’s what I’m working on. I’m not very good yet,” she admitted. “These pieces are all supposed to be more or less the same size.”

“What are you going to do with them once they are chopped?”

“Oh, I’ll put them back in the statis box and get out the next ingredient…”

Jellia stared at her comp. How to put this?

Jellia: Hey Bartin!

Bartin: Hey Jellia! Doing some more cooking?

Jellia: No, my mother and her date will be spending the night here tonight, so I’m just working on my schoolwork.¹

Bartin: Oh. Do you think she would mind if I came over?

Jellia: No. You remember…

Bartin:  Yeah. Just kissing. Or you could come over here?

Jellia: That would be nice but, no, Mother wants to do dinner for me and the date. No idea why. She’s not the best cook. Maybe she’s trying to drive him off.

Bartin: But I can come over?

Jellia: Yeah, that’d be great. I will have to do some schoolwork, though, and you’ll have to be gone by dinner.

Bartin: Great. See you in a few…

Door Safety: Jellia, there is a son here to see you, but your mother is not home. Do you have permission to entertain him alone?

Jellia: Yeah… here it is… but tell him to wait anyway. We’ll wait for her in the lobby.

Door Safety: Safe choice. I’ll tell him to wait.

Jellia ran down the steps, “Hey, Bartin,” she said, kissing him and sitting down, holding his hands. “Mother will be here in a few.”

“Oh, Ok. I thought you had permission…”

Oh, curses. She had told him that! “I’m just… I’m just a bit shy, I think. I’ve never had a son over all alone.”

“Oh, OK,” he said, and kissed her. Not bad.

“And who is this, Darling?” she heard, and turned to see Mother and Alex standing, holding hands, grinning at them.

“This is Bartin,” she said, standing up with him.

“And is he spending the night?” Mother asked. Curses!!

“No. I told him I am limited to kissing.”

There was a very brief silence and then Mother, bless her, said, “Well, I’m glad you made that clear, Darling. We’ll see you upstairs.”

That was nice of her. Mother usually took the stairs, not the lift. She pulled Bartin with her and the two ran up the stairs, down the hallway, and into her flat. “There,” she said, kissing him again. “Now you can tell your son friends that I let you into the house to do some kissing, just the two of us. Let’s get to my room!”

They ran upstairs and into her room, and she closed the door. “Now don’t get any ideas! Just kissing.”

“Yes, Darling,” he said, in a voice rather like Mother’s, and she giggled. And he kissed her again.

Links

Introduction

In which I lay out the themes that I intend to explore in this light Dystopia, and ask others to participate.

Trade Master: First Chapter

In which Fenestra, our heroine’s mother, puts in her application for the job of 'Trade Master’ on the planet Libertas, and finds out that it isn’t that easy.

En-Drek Contract

In which Fenestra finds out that, on Libertas, everyone must be in an ‘En-drek’ contract… a long-term, live-in, heavy date between a man and a woman for the purpose of producing one child after the other with one date after the other.

Disappointment and Meditation

In which Jellia, the daughter and our heroine, finds out about her mother’s job opportunity, including its difficulties, and commits herself to meditating on the situation. (And internally commits herself to encouraging her mother to take the job.)

Decision Reached

Jellia tells her mother that she thinks she should take the job, and so her mother puts in her application… and gets the job!

First School

Jellia goes to school and gets to tell everyone about her new adventure.

First Work

Fenestra goes to work, and tells her coworker about her new opportunity.

Writing Class

Jellia writes a poem (a limerick) and tells her classmates more about her new adventure.

Trader Galloway

In which a man comes over for a ‘date’ (Ie to sleep over with her mother) and to tell them all about his time as Trade Master for their company on Libertas. And as how he was almost executed for asking a woman out on a date.

Shopping

In which Jellia and her mother go shopping for the last time, and we explore some of the nature of the planet she is leaving.

Language

In which Jellia starts using some new words at school, and everyone gathers round to find out what they mean.

Kesh-i Cooking Class

In which Jellia discovers that girls (daughters, Kesh-u-i) are expected to cook on Libertas!

Trade Master Training

In which Fenestra goes to get trained for her new post and finds out is that annoying man, Alex, who will be doing the training.

Two Week Date

In which Fenestra brings Alex home, and Jellia learns some facts of life.

Appendix

A glossary of many of the terms used in this book, along with a discussion of the calender and cultural issues. It is a work in progress, and I’m hoping for comments and discussion there.

1. I haven’t done much footnoting before, but maybe I should. This here is the ‘hint’. Dates on Ephemera, even if they are ‘just kissing’, usually begin with a series of ‘hints’. Often the boy starts (the ‘son’), sometimes the daughter. But it must always be the male who makes the overt request, and the female who affirms.