DECEMBER ELEVENTH
RUBEN KING
PLANET EARTH
YEAR 2075
Ruben had called down his family to the kitchen. He had made them sit quietly around a table, wondering what he wanted to tell them. He had made them promise to not say anything before he was done talking.
“Bruna,” he said, slowly, looking at his wife with big guilty eyes. “Dana. Gaten.”
The three of them sated back at him. Their eyes blank, worried.
“I’ve made a decision without asking you.”
Bruna rose from her seat, seemingly upset, not caring to show him. “You bought that AI, did you! Oh, I told you we were going to save our money! I told you, and you lied to me-”
“Bruna,” he said again, more quietly. “We’re going to Mars.”
The room went awfully silent.
It was the worst sound Ruben had ever heard.
Dana was the first one to do something. She too rose, anger and hurt on display on her face, more intense than anything he had never seen before.
“No!” she yelled.
Ruben buried his face in his hands.
“I’m sorry,” was all he could say.’
“No!” Dana said again. “No, no, no, no,no-”
Bruna seemed to be out of words. Just stared at him. Like he was nothing but a stranger.
“Dad?”
Ruben looked up from his hands, to Gaten who had lay his hand unsurely on his father's shoulder.
“Dad, will Santa come to Mars?”
“No he fucking won’t!” Dana snapped at him, and no one cared to tell her to stop.
Gaten’s chin trembled slightly.
“B-but y-you said-”
“He lied.” Dana had stopped screaming. She walked up to her now crying brother. He tried to push her off, but soon gave up and let her wrap her arms around him, staring accusatialy at her father, not breaking the eye-contact once before she picked Gaten up, carrying him to her room.
“I hate you,” she whispered to Ruben as she walked past him.
Bruna had finally seemed to come to her senses.
“Why?” she asked her husband, and the simple word stung.
He couldn't even meet her gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said again. Over and over.
“Why did you do this Ruben? Why? Why didn’t you tell me? Tell us? How could you keep something like this from us?” her voice grew more and more upset for every word she spoke.
“I just wanted what’s best for them! I wanted to save them from… from this world! Take a good look around Bruna, no one will be able to live here in- in ten years even-”
He stopped, in chock.
Bruna had slapped him over the cheek, burning warmth spreading across his face.
“Bruna.” He couldn’t even blame her, didn’t know what to say.
She left the room. He heard her slight knock on Dana’s door.
He was left in the kitchen, with a bruised cheek and a chest filled with guilt, heavier than ever.
It snowed outside. Big flakes falling from the sky.
He didn’t even look at them, whispered into the silence of his home.
“I just want the best for you.”
