Poignant Skies

New Home

The same car which took Lee to the White Mansion took him and Selena to his home. They were silent for a while. He was leaving her be as she was enjoying the sun from outside her window.

Lee was reviewing her papers. There it narrated her supposed background from planet Num, a gifted orphan who had very little use to a depleting planet seeking opportunities and better life somewhere. There were also prescriptions in the medical section for her continuous recovery from a 'space shuttle accident'. The pills must be in his house already.

When they arrived, Lee found two NICC agents and four more security personnel in the perimeter. They greeted Lee as they got out of the car.

"Dr. Kurt. My name is Sgt. Gan Allen. This is Lt. Han Phil. We are your new neighbors." He gestured at the previously unoccupied house beside Dr. Kurt's.

"I hope your wives don't mind you gentlemen moving in together." Selena said with a laugh. But they didn't seem to get the joke.

"We are unmarried." Lt. Phil replied with a smile. "We will be manning the house in 12.5hr shifts. But all of this is just a safety and security measure. You don't have to be bothered by us at all."

"Please be on your way." Sgt. Allen said.

Lee led Selena through the door. It was a pristinely white two-storey two bedroom home. In the loft was the masters bedroom and Lee's office where he works. The ground floor was the open space for living, dining and kitchen area. There was also a small guest room and bathroom which Jay presumed that the NICC had already prepared for Selena.

"This is my home." Lee said as he placed down her papers.

"It's lovely. Very simple and tidy. Quite minimalist." Selena remarked. "It's a contrast to the Chancellor's home."

"It is." Lee replied. "The chancellor and royal family are likely the only ones with that kind of house. Most homes in Novus are like this. Very basic furniture and items. Most are in white, black or gray palettes. Some try to be more creative and colorful but only a few could afford adding more colors and design."

"You live alone? How about your parents?" Selena asked.

"I was orphaned at the age of 20." He replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Not to worry. I have an older sister so I wasn't alone for most of the time. But she has a family now so I live on my own." He stared at their small family photo by the living area. "If my parents were alive, they would live with me as I am the eldest in the brood. It's an old Novan traidition brought about by the limited housing during the early stages of the civilization. But with the new developments in the planet, there are others who choose to live separately from their children or parents so long as they can afford it."

Lee led Selena to her room. The NICC was impressively able to arrange her room during the short period that he was away. It used to be an empty room with just some boxes of his parents' old things and his old school items. It was now tidied up with a new set of fresh beddings plus a new cabinet with Selena's new clothes, shoes and even toiletries.

"Is this the TV?" Selena asked as she touched the slim panel of glass fronting her bed.

"TV? As in..?"

Selena was surprised. "You don't know what a TV is?"

Lee shrugged. "We call it a monitor. It shows 3-5 news channels. It helps us get updated on latest happenings, weather, discoveries and others. Some channels have a historical show about Novus. Then there's the rare announcments from NICC or the empire."

"So you don't know what a TV is?" Selena asked again in disbelief.

"We have an idea." Lee replied. "It's like a monitor but with more variety I guess. I know that some people use it as a pastime activity back on Earth and even other planets."

"Yes. It has some shows, movies or commercials with actors and actresses."

"Actors..."

"Don't tell me you don't have actors as well?"

"Well..."

"You don't?!"

"Doing things in make belief in front of a crowd or camera, or simply what you call acting, is something that has been lost to us as a new civilization."

"So no theatre or musical plays? How about Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet?"

Lee simply smiled. He had no idea what she was talking about.

"So how about this historical shows you have. There are no actors or scenes that depict the past?"

"They show actual footage and pictures of the past. There is usually a narrator also."

Selena laughed. "I can't believe it."

"You might be surprised at what else we have omitted in this planet. Or we might be, based on what you know. We don't know what else our ancestors chose not to include in our lives anymore."

"If they chose to omit many things I hope their intention was to create a better planet for their children and the future generations."

"I hope so too."

Selena laid down and sighed. "Well at least they didn't omit such comfortable beds."