Death In the Family

Posted on 01 Jun 2025 @ 12:35am by Lieutenant JG Serran

651 words; about a 3 minute read

To say that it had been a day would have been an understatement. I'm not sure why things that should be routine are seldom routine. It's not that we don't take the time to review things and plan, or that we don't adhere to the plan, or that we lack motivation, or that we overplan. It's just the way it is. There is no logical reasoning. I believe that humans call it Murphy's Law.

I was unsure if there was ever a man named Murphy, but apparently there was. He was an aerospace engineer, and his name was Edward A Murphy. His law states that anything that can go wrong. will go wrong.

To be technical, the deceleration is an observation, albeit an accurate one, at least on the surface, rather than a scientific law.

But we had survived, and that was the important thing.

I thought I could have a nice, relaxing evening away from the chaos of the day. I couldn't have been more wrong. It wasn't ship's business I had to deal with, it was personal.

It started just as I had hoped for. I walked into my cabin and smelled something wonderful.

"What are you making?" I asked Theo, "I've only been here ten seconds and my mouth is watering."

It's called sizzling rice soup. It's supposed to have chicken or shrimp, but don't worry, it has no meat in it. It's vegan."

We hadn't really had a serious discussion for a long time, and one was due. He doesn't think I understand. He is going through struggles now. Some very similar to the questions and challenges that I dealt with when I was his age, some issues he was dealing with were brand new, and I admit that
I don't know all of the answers, or even all of the questions.
But I am his father.

"You know," I said as I sat down and ate a spoonful of soup. "This is outstanding."

"Thanks, Ser... dad, I'm glad you like it. I think I have a knack for cooking, and it's really fun. Not just ordering something from a replicator. Anyone can do that. It's easy. Too easy."

"Yes, I agree, replicators were made for convenience, but they've taken all the fun out of it. But I think we should talk about something more than food and cooking. I am aware that you think I'm clueless, and I admit I don't know everything, but I can tell you are dealing with some issues, and I want to help."

He looked at me for several seconds, then said, "I have never thought you were clueless. You're just dealing with a lot of things yourself. I don't think I've processed what happened to my parents, my family, but most of the shit I'm dealing with is just natural teenage stuff. Stuff I need to figure out myself."

"I can help you with that. That's what fathers do. And you don't have to call me dad if you don't want to. You lost your dad. I can never replace him. It's neither logical or productive for me to try to require you to do so."

Theo put a hand on my knee. "You're not forcing me to do anything. You, of all people, should know better than that. Sometimes I slip up and just call you Serran, but I do think of you as my dad now. I love you."

"I love you, too, Theo. Son. I am glad we cleared that up. Is there something you want to talk about? You know I am here for you."

There was a pause before he said, "Yeah, there is. Ever since what happened on our last ship, I've been questioning whether I am..."

We were interrupted by the sound of the communication chime. It would change my life, not for the better, but it would make me more like Theo.

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