Renan’s
mother doesn’t greet us at the door when we arrive. I attempt to introduce
myself while she cooked dinner and again she didn’t have time. She isn’t the
definition of charming in any culture that I’ve ever experienced. During dinner
there wasn’t much conversation, she got my name and introduced herself as
Clara. The rest of the empty air was filled with the sound a small blender next
to her, pulverizing every piece of food she ate. She explained it as having
some illness that prevents her from chewing solid food. She doesn’t seem to
care much for Renan, and even less for me. She ignored me but constantly asked
how he could leave his mother behind and demanded to know what he was doing.
He’d attempt to explain, and she’d just cut him off to talk about how much she
struggles when he’s gone. I can’t seem to figure out what is actually wrong
with her other than wanting to dominate his attention and probably life.
After
dinner, I offer to help with dishes, but Renan insists I relax after the trip.
I’m left in the living room with Clara. She flips through channels on the
screen, scrolling on her tablet every now and then. Eventually she settles on
the Martian Patriot News Network. A small man with thin and balding hair
screams and yells about the human population on Mars decreasing for a seventh
year in a row, Enka refugees flooding in and pressures from Earth to change various
laws. I learn a lot about history just from researching old music and looking
up the things mentioned in lyrics. It’s funny how people thought conservative
politics were dying at several points through history. Then as humans started
colonizing various places beyond Earth, safe havens became possible. Mars was
one of the first colonies, and surprisingly became a hotspot that a nuclear
winter couldn’t even cool.
“Do you
know what the problem is? Why we can’t keep up a steady population,” Clara calmly
asks.
“Younger
people might not have the funds to start families right now. It’s a cycle that
many species in different cultures go through,” I give my best answer.
“No, it’s
because we’ve got too many glowls.”
“What?”
“Too many glowls.
Not concerned with starting family and being productive members of society.
Just a bunch of women wrapping their legs around each other and men sword
fighting.”
“You know,
some species don’t even have genders,” I try to move the conversation.
“You know
the Ardo have over 100 babies at a time.”
“Most of
them get eaten by the mothers in fits of post birth rage,” I get the feeling
she knows about eating children.
“But they
have them. We can raise our babies unlike those beasts.”
“Yeah, but
even if everyone devoted their time to having as many kids as possible, we
wouldn’t have 100 at a time. We’d also need the government to step in and help
provide, but we both know that won’t happen.”
“You’re
damn right it won’t happen. People depending on the government are just as bad
as the glowls,” Clara pulls a jar of Tomut Jelly. She places a finger in the
jar and pulls out a glob before placing it in her mouth. The rats of Tomut
produce a thick jelly when panicked, they spray it on their predators to poison
them. To humans, it provides a mild high, but can also easily infect mouth
wounds. It’s a snack meant for Enka, not humans.
Clara
probably fits some traditional beauty standards; her skin wouldn’t be
considered too dark or light by anyone, her hair is tied in a neat but basic
pony tail and while she wears makeup it isn’t much; just enough to highlight
her natural features. Renan had mentioned his mother was sick and I expected
someone with a physical impairment, especially after I watched her blend all of
her food. Now I’m realizing she’s just not there mentally. I can tell by the
way she speaks. It isn’t the conservative politics or slurs that bother me,
nothing I haven’t heard before. It’s the way she drags out her words on
occasion, hanging on the wrong syllables and directly quoting things that I’m
sure she would have heard on the news before. My first guess is that she may
have had a drug problem in the past and it fried her brain. My second guess is
some kind of stroke, third is PTSD. I give up on guessing because that would
make me just as bad as her.
“Are you a glowl
Erin.”
“My name is
Efrem.”
“My song is
a glowl. He won’t tell me. But I know. That’s how he lost his spot in the
league,” I don’t know what she’s talking about at this point. “Don’t ruin his
life. He can still go places if he fixes himself.”
She drifts
off to sleep, and I don’t bother waking her. I’m more enlightened on why Renan
was so hesitant to appear as a couple earlier today. I’m just wondering if it
was his mother’s doing or if Mars is really that backwards. Either way the
entire trip has left a bad taste in my mouth so far. So much of her hatred
seems to be focused on Renan without reason even if she doesn’t say it. The
biggest cure for her illness would probably be some therapy sessions and
staying away from drugs.
“Hey,”
Renan appears almost as if he was waiting for her to fall asleep.
“You can
take my room, I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Thanks,
but I don’t think I’ll be staying.”
“Why not?”
“Your
mother isn’t fond of, glowls, and I’m not fond of her. I’d rather not spend my
time hiding from her in her home.”
“Look, I’m
all she has left. I’m sure you know what it’s like.”
“You’ve got
yourself too, and no. I don’t know what it’s like.”
“So, your
parents know you’re gay.”
“My family
doesn’t really use terms like straight and gay. I’m from The Moon, and I spent
most of my life on Earth. It’s not really a big deal in either of those places.
You just do what makes you happy and other people don’t care. They’ve met
boyfriends and girlfriends, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you showed up. They’d
be more surprised I brought someone.”
“You’re
really going to leave?”
“Yeah,
you’re welcome to come. It’s not like she wants you here.”
“You just
don’t understand.”
“And you’re
not eager to help me understand.”
Renan
doesn’t put up a fight anymore. Something about this place drains him of any
will to fight or confidence he had. He sits with me as I order a hotel and a
cab ride. He even held my hand, more for his own sake than mine. Despite being
there with me, I know his thoughts were with his mother as he watched her
sleep. He barely said anything to me, responding with one-word answers, but
he’d jump every time he saw her twitch too much.
“Hey, I’ll
call you tomorrow,” Renan says as I load my bag into the cab.
“Alright,
take care.”
“I really will call.”
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