12:24 10/04/2588 –(8734/802/90/21)

It was such a strange feeling to be back on Earth, such a strange feeling not to need his suit. Part of him felt naked without it, vulnerable. Not for long, though; within the week, he would be back on a ship and heading for Yursu; he had his ticket booked and everything.

"No backing out now," Gabriel said, he could have done so, but Gabriel kept telling himself that so he would not get cold feet. That, however, was a concern for Sunday; now he had some personal things to deal with.

Gabriel stood outside Lincoln Extended Occupation Correctional Facility. Within its walls was the last piece of his painful childhood.

“Well, no time like the present,” Gabriel said, taking a deep breath and pressing the button.

Almost immediately, an answer came from the intercom, and a kindly man asked, “can I help you?”

“I’m Gabriel Ratlu; I’m here to visit Howard Smith,” Gabriel replied, his voice tired and hesitant.

“Ah yes, please make your way to reception so we can sign you in,” the man replied, and the finely wrought gate opened. Beyond the handsome red brick wall was a large open garden filled with plants, recreational structures and a pond where several ducks happily quacked to one another.

It was a far cry from the concrete monoliths surrounded by barbwire Gabriel had seen in classical movies.

The main building itself looked more like a stately home than a residence for criminals; this was not an accident but by design. Gabriel was not that interested in the methods of reforming criminals, and he found himself breathing deeply to control his nerves.

He could see a few individuals walking and, on occasion, playing sports on the grounds. They wore no uniforms, so Gabriel assumed they were the prisoners and their friends and family. He could see no guards monitoring them, at least not directly.

Gabriel looked away and back to the building; above the open door was a large wooden sign reading, “RECEPTION.” He assumed he was in the right place.

After signing in, Gabriel was led into a cosy sitting room; in front of him was an empty chair with a table between them. It seemed he would need to wait a bit for Howard to arrive; he had a cup of tea on the way, though, so at least there was something to look forward to.

Gabriel took to staring out the window; he became so engrossed in watching a tree blow in the wind, part of him desperate to ignore what would happen, that he completely lost track of time.

When he heard to door open, he was brought back to reality, and he saw Howard for the first time in twelve years. His father had put on some weight since then, but other than that, he looked exactly as he had done all those years ago.

Gabriel felt disgust and anger well up within him, but not as much as he imagined.

“Gabriel,” Howard said, looking at his son; he moved to approach him, his arms stretched wide.

In response, Gabriel looked his father dead in the eye and told him, “you touch me, and I will put you back in the hospital.”

Howard froze in place; one look into his son’s eyes told him this was not an idle threat. His arms fell to his sides, and he meekly took the seat opposite Gabriel.

Neither of the men said anything; Gabriel took to staring out the window again while Howard fidgeted and occasionally glanced at his son. The drinks arrived shortly after, and Gabriel took his.

“Thank you,” Gabriel said before returning yet again to the window.

“Thank you, Daniel,” Howard added, taking his beverage off the tray. The warden left, and the two were once again by themselves.

After another five minutes of absolute silence, Howard asked, “aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Like what?” Gabriel asked, his voice cold and disinterested.

“I don’t know; we haven’t seen each other in so long; I just thought….” Howard said, but he trailed off as Gabriel looked at his father with a stare that could shatter glass.

“We have not seen each other because I had and still have no desire to see you, nor talk, nor interact in any way. The only reason I am here now is to inform you that if you do not stop emailing me, I will file a restraining order against you,” Gabriel explained, his tone methodical and lacking in emotion.

Gabriel leaned into his seat and sipped his drink; he would stay until he finished his tea. The prison staff had put in the effort to make it; he could be that decent, at least.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

“I know I was a bad father….” Howard said, but Gabriel owned this conversation and did not let him finish.

“No, you were not a bad father; Pista's dad was a bad father; you were an irredeemable father, the only good memory I have of you is when I was breaking your bones,” Gabriel explained, his voice still calm, laking and audible hatred or malice.

“I don’t know what you expected when I came here. Did you think I would forgive you? Did you suppose I would be able to sweep it all under the rug? Bury the hatchet? No. You don’t deserve that, and you never will,” Gabriel added, as though he were describing the weather.

There was more silence; Gabriel had said his peace and was waiting out the clock. Howard, however, still had more to say. He straightened himself up, building up his confidence, something that did not go unnoticed by Gabriel and Howard said, “it’s just after your mother vanished and Jariel pa-”

Gabriel exploded, leaping from his seat and his face inches from his father's; he said, with just enough self-control to keep him from shouting at the top of his lungs, “don’t you ever say her name.”

Howard clung to his seat, his head buried as deeply in the backrest as it would go. Gabriel regained control of himself, mindful that this meeting was being monitored.

“You never speak of her; you do not have the right,” Gabriel replied, getting a hold of his breathing, his tone calmer though no less lacking his hate.

Gabriel took another sip from his cup and saw that Howard was genuinely hurt by what he had just said. Gabriel rolled his eyes and asked, “what were you expecting? A hug, tears, a heartfelt plea to make up for lost time? You beat me; you used my sister as leverage so you could continue to beat me; when I finally fought back, you attempted to pin this all on me. Remember how you slandered me in court? There is no way in this or any other universe where I forgive you; you don’t deserve it.”

Gabriel stood up. He was finished.

As he was about to leave, Gabriel found there was one more thing he needed to add, “I am not like you, and so I will give you this, you taught me how to be a true man.”

Gabriel looked at his father and continued, “all I needed to do was the opposite of everything you have ever done.”

“If you truly have changed, then that will be of some comfort to you; if not, as I expect this to be nothing more than another attempt to soothe your damaged ego, then it will devastate you,” Gabriel added.

“I do not want, neither do I care for an answer. Goodbye Howard; we will never see or speak to one another ever again,” Gabriel finished before walking out of the room without so much as a glance behind.

Howard was left alone with nothing but his thoughts; after what felt like an hour but was in reality just a few minutes, he muttered, “thank you, Gabriel.”

***

Gabriel opened the gate as slowly as he could; the metal made a loud creak, and Gabriel did his best to keep the noise down; he did not like to disturb. Gabriel followed the same path he always took, taking extra care not to step on anyone; it always felt wrong to him when people did that.

It did not take long to find Jariel; the black monument shone in the sun. Gabriel had paid through the nose for it, made from black granite, coated in an ultra-strong plastic layer and covered with a chemical coating that meant it had a three-hundred-year guarantee and would remain legible long after Gabriel was gone.

Over the top, he knew, but Gabriel had been distraught when he ordered it; he just wanted something for her that would last.

The stone was flawless, without any maintenance; it had nothing growing on it, not even a faint film of algae.

As he approached, Gabriel read the words.

Here lies Jariel Ratlu

Born 03/02/2565

Departed this life 18/10/2580

Now with the angel that shares her name

“She was in life exquisite, one fool bet all upon this frail bark, and the wreck was total.”

The ground around her grave was covered in snowdrops, Jariel's favourite flower; it had been a labour of love to plant so many. Taking care not to crush any, Gabriel broke his own rule and knelt before the headstone.

“Hello Jariel, I’m back,” Gabriel said soF.T.L.y. He rummaged through his backpack and took out a beautifully carved geode. “Got it for you, just like you wanted,” Gabriel added, placing it stone tenderly beside the monument.

“You were right, and I was wrong; I did enjoy it,” Gabriel said, recalling his conversation with Jariel before her illness showed any symptoms. It had always been her dream to visit Minagerad; Gabriel had promised he would take her.

Gabriel clutched the locket in his hand, and oh, how he wished Jariel could have seen it all. It was the only reason he had gone in the first place, why he had booked an entire year there because that was what Jariel had wanted to do.

Hours passed as Gabriel recalled all that had happened on Minagerad, the sights, the sounds, the animals and the people he had met. He spent a lot of time talking about the sea serpents, as those had always been what Jariel had wanted to see most.

“There is something I need to tell you,” Gabriel said to Jariel, his voice weak from the constant talking, “it’s about the woman I met there, Nish.”

“You see, I think I’m in love,” he explained, rubbing his legs. “And I need to go see her and tell and find out if she feels the same way, and if everything goes as planned, it means I won’t be able to visit you every week as I promised,” he added, looking at the ground.

Gabriel knew he should not feel wrong about that; Gabriel knew that if their roles were reversed, he would have wanted Jariel to be happy, and he knew that Jariel would want him to be happy. He still felt like scum, though, for even suggesting it.

“I’d think you’d like her, Nish and Pista,” Gabriel explained, a few tears appearing in his eyes but failing to fall. “Pista, a lot like you were actually, clinging to me; she a little monkey too.”

“If Nish says yes, then I won’t be back to see you for a while, but if she does, I’ll bring both of them to meet you,” Gabriel said, gently rubbing the grass beneath him.

“But that all begins tomorrow; one way or another, I’ll spend one last sunset and sunrise with you,” Gabriel explained. The sun was already sinking, and it would be dusk soon; spending nights with Jariel had been something he had done hundreds of times since her passing.

Looking back at it now, he felt he had been extreme in his devotion to his sister.

Gabriel removed a blanket from his rucksack and wrapped himself in it. The cemetery was located on a hill, giving you a perfect view of the sunset.