Journey Of The New Earth

6

<Kitty's pov>

Dad stormed out, the waitress right behind with our food. "Is everything okay other here? You kids need anything else?" 

"No, this is great, thank you." Uncle Ryan said with a smile. I like his smile, but he doesn't smile that much.

Damon was spontaneously awake somehow, eating mouth fulls of... ravioli I think? I don't know, it's covered in white sauce, looks weird. I start eating my buttery pasta, watching the doors a dad talked on the phone.

He looked mad and the like he was cut off. He stood for a few minutes, not moving, and I finally said something. "Uncle Ryan, you think dad's okay? He seemed really mad." Uncle Ryan looked back, seeing Keith all frozen. 

"He'll be fine Kitty, he just needs to talk with someone about a few things." He kept eating his salad, and I noticed that Dad didn't get a main dish either. Weird.

It took a few more minutes, but he finally came back in, shivering slightly. Damon quickly slouched back down, into his lap, slowing down his intake. I kept eating as the table was silent.

"Kitty, I'm gonna need you to take Damon back into the compound when we get back to the Garrison. I gotta go do one more thing before I go back home, okay?" I nod, taking a big bite of pasta.

"Yeah, sure." The rest of the meal was silent, Damon falling asleep on Dad's lap before we were done. 

I said bye to Olivia and Uncle Ryan as the left and then we all got back in the car. Damon slept the whole way, which left dad and I in silence. "Kitty, I'm really fine with you being in a class with old-"

"No you aren't."

"No I'm no, okay! I just don't want you to get hurt, you will always be my little special girl, and any boy could destroy that. I really just wanna protect you for as long as I can." He puts a hand on my shoulder briefly, going back to driving quickly. 

For some reason, my dad can drive a speeder at 300kph, fly a lion in space at mach speeds, yet put him in his little station wagon and he can't go over 40. He was more carful of a driver was than Abuela is.  Papa constantly makes fun of him for it, and I can always tell when Dad's gonna crack. 

Papa had been driving forever, even if it wasn't legal, and when I was 10 he talked about teaching me how to drive, Dad and Ada looking at him like he was a mad man. I actually learned when I was eleven, but Ada still thought it was too soon.

Dad pulled into his normal Parking spot, grabbing Damon out of the backseat. "Okay," He said, handing Damon over. Woah, he's getting kinda heavy. "I just want you to go back home and tell Papa that I went to talk with Uncle James. I won't be long, but please go to sleep. It's already way past your bed time and I really don't want you up late tomorrow." He gave both of us a kiss on the cheek, running off towards the main offices. 

I walked back to the compound, Damon laying his head on my shoulder. I got inside, quickly being bombarded by Papa. "Where is your father, oh god, where did you go, who did you see, did something happen, are you okay, are you hurt, what's wrong are you sur-"

"Papa shh." Damon reached out his pushing Papa's face away as he snuggled into my shoulder. 

"Come on Damon, you can sleep now." A small joyful noise from him came out as I started walking towards our room, slightly ignoring Papa. 

I walk back out after getting Damon down, seeing Papa in my room already. "Dad went to talk with uncle James. And before you ask, no, I do not know why. Now, I have classes tomorrow, so can I please go to bed?" 

He nods, finally walking out. I get into pajamas, climbing into bed. I know Papa means well when he tries to cook, or to help us with homework, but that's just always been Dad's thing. Papa's been the one to pick us up from practice or, the one to take us out to get new clothes when we need it. The one who makes sure we brush out teeth and keep up with our chores, and if Dad started doing those thing sit would be weird to. Dad is also usually the one to tuck Damon in, so Damon will probably be awake till he gets home. I get why he's like that, how he's been spoiled his whole life, not like I got dad home every night. Not with him at the Garrison, still working, being off world for days maybe even weeks at a time. Papa didn't raise me either, more like Uncle Ada and Taka, who apparently not told to watch me, but did anyway. 

I remember doing anything to get my parents attention, from being best in class to getting ni fights. Nothing ever caught their eye. Not even when asked about a little brother or sister, they didn't think it was a bad idea, they just did it. Everything I ever asked for was given to me, and the only sacrifice was that I didn't get the typical childhood. After Damon was here Dad quit the Garrison almost completely, taking on a small journalism job to appease them for a while, fully quitting after a few years. 

Even Papa took work off for Damon, if they really didn't show how little they cared about me when they weren't their, this sure did. And Dad tries now, he tries to get me to open up or to talk to him, Papa just thinks I'm took far ahead of the kids my age and thats why I act like this, cause I don't have any friends. 

I heard them whenever they Argued down in Cuba. Papa talking about me going to counseling, Dad refusing that I am the least bit irregular. Dad never wanted to admit that there was anything wrong with me. I know there is though, and it's not even my fault. When I'm down with abuela, or with friends in Varadero when we go down town, I'm normal. I make food, I go shopping, I hang out with people and go to the movies or go to the beach and surf. But when I'm up here in Arizona, it's all work, no fun.

The fact that Dad does anything to help is a gift on it's own. Just thinking that Papa doesn't believe in me enough to solve my own problems, I know he might just be worried, but counseling? He really thinks it's that bad?  And I know that parents can be a little overdramatic, but whenever I hear him mention it, it just makes me asks myself the difference between what he se and what I see in the mirror. 

I know my Dad had a rough childhood, most my friends down in cuba expected him to be the always at work dad, the dad who doesn't have time for him family. But most of them either know Papa or their parents do. No one ever talks about him when he was my age though, not even Abuela. There are albums and albums of pictures from all of her children's childhoods, but I always feel like some pictures are missing from my Papa's album. 

I hear the door opening out in the living room, jumping towards my door to listen in.

"Lance I swear, he is fine, he just passed ou-"

"You can not say he just passed out James! What did you do to him, oh my poor Marido. James, I swear if he wakes up and says you did something to him I will take it up with Higher ranks. Remember that you are the commander of this Base and this Base only. You don't have all the power." I heard Papa sneer out at Uncle James. 

"Oh, guess you aren't on my side anymore. Okay, well, when your little hubby wakes up, ask him what we were talking about. Cause I imagine that things might be a little different right now, if you knew what happened yesterday. But no, go ahead and yell at me after I just say all our asses." I heard Uncle James storm out and I ran to the bed, getting under the covers, afterwards realizing how much noise that probably made. 

"Go to bed Kitty. We'll talk in the morning." I hear outside my door.

"Papa, will we still go to space after this?" I ask, the question dying in the silence.