Sub Terra: Et Reditus

Twelve

Daniel

Stepping off the craft, I felt like I'd stepped onto another planet. The dry red dirt below my feet was so foreign to me. Even the air had a different feel, maybe it was because we were in a mountainous region that was not unlike Quito, except for the fact that there was a lot less vegetation, and a whole lot more sandy soil. We crossed the bridge leading into Aït Benhaddou.

On the other side was a man waving one of his arms, his other arm holding a young child. Beside them was a woman. All three of them were wearing traditional Moroccan clothing. As we approached them, I could make out the face of the man. He had a short beard and long slicked back hair. It was a far cry from how he looked the last time I saw him.

It was Caldwell.

"Hello, everyone! Or should I say, salam!"

He was visibly happy, and so was the little girl he was holding. Aries stepped up to be the spokesperson of our newly arrived group.

"It's been a while, old man Caldwell." he said, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Am I really getting old? Time does seem to fly by quickly," He said, laughing. "Beautiful craft you've got there. Anyway, how are your parents?" He asked Aries.

"They're doing alright. Just business as usual."

"Glad to hear that. Devi... Daniel, what about you two?"

"It's been a long ride, you know. But it's getting better." I said with full honesty.

His mouth straightened slightly. "I see how it is. I know it hasn't been easy, we'll have plenty of time to talk about it. Who's your friend you've brought here?"

He looked at Gus.

"Gustavo Martino," he said, extending his hand. "But you can call me Gus."

"Pleasure to meet you, Gus." He said, returning his gesture.

"Papa, I hungry." The girl he held nagged. He looked to her and stroked her hair.

"Yes, baby. We'll go and get food right now, okay?"

The girl nodded.

Caldwell turned around and started walking towards the jungle of buildings behind him.

"Papa?" Someone in our group asked.

"Surprised? A lot has happened these past few years. Her name is Laila. She's two." Her nose and eyes were identical to her father's. She was definitely his child. He stopped for a moment and turned around.

"Devi, do you want to hold her?"

"Oh- alright, sure. I'd love to." She said in a bit of an awkward tone. It reminded me of when I found out Kumar forced Devi into marrying Caldwell. If it went through, Laila, or at least some counterpart to her would've been her daughter as well, albeit adopted.

We entered one particular house out of the dozens that looked so similar to one another.

"Take your shoes off, everyone." Caldwell told us.

"Who's house is this?"

"It's hers." he said, referring to the woman beside him.

She put a hand over her heart and bent her head in traditional Moroccan greeting. Her blonde hair was covered loosely in a shawl. Her wrinkles became visible as she smiled.

"How long have you two been married?" Aries asked. Stupid question of him to ask, I muttered internally.

Caldwell looked at the woman and they both burst out laughing.

"We're not married," Caldwell said, trying to calm himself down. "I asked her to be a guide and host of some sorts for you guys. She's from France, so she'll understand us foreigners better than a lot of the Moroccans here. Call her Madame Gagnon."

"Would you like some food?" The woman asked in heavily accented English. 

"I'd love some right now." Thiago said. "It's been a long flight."

"Good, good. Sit over there. Food will come."

We made ourselves comfortable on a floor mat in the living room.

"In this part of the world, we eat on the floor. It's a bit strange but it's something you can get used to." Caldwell told us.

Minutes later, Madame Gagnon and a man set platters of hot steaming food in front of us.

"Merci, Amir." She thanked him. He left the house right after.

We took turns washing our hands in a sink (conveniently placed in the living room) and began eating. The food was called couscous and was topped with pieces of meat and potatoes.

It was unbelievably delicious. I hadn't had hot, fresh food like that in a while.

"Mademoiselle, why are you not eating?" Madame Gagnon asked Devi. Before she could say anything, Caldwell whispered something into Madame Gagnon's ear.

"Ah, ah. I see. Very interesting." She nodded.

"Devi, if you don't mind, could you feed Laila please?" Caldwell asked her. "It's rude not to do anything while sitting in front of a meal like this here. It's not your fault, though, but first impressions matter, you know."

"For sure." She said. I watched as Caldwell put Laila onto her lap. It was cute, I had to admit. Devi was a natural when it came to kids. She helped take care of Elias when Alana was out with a throat infection a couple years prior.

"Thank you," he said. He got up and washed his hands. "I'll take a look at the craft now. I know it's quite sudden, but I won't have time to do it later. You guys, if you plan on seeing Mr. Sterling or any of the other patients, please quarantine for a week. I'll be coming back shortly." With that, he left, leaving his daughter with Devi.

Once we all finished eating, most of us were taken to different houses. They'd be our homes for the next month. We were given a change of Moroccan clothing as well. I was given two djellaba, a robe of sorts with a hood and long sleeves, and a pair of slippers. They were extremely comfortable. I wished they'd had clothing like that back in the Cities.

As I waited in my room for Devi to finish tending to Laila, it made me think of what our future was to be like, or rather, the future she wanted to have. With the news of my father being alive, things were going to have to change. I didn't know how she'd take to me speaking to her about it, but it had to be done. As darkness overtook the horizon outside, I knew that it would be an interesting night.