A Strange Little Desert Town - Chapter 10 (part 4 of 4)
Chapter 10 - Of Gold & Death - Part 4 of 4
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter 10 - Of Gold and Death
Part 4 of 4
~*~
Jennifer looked at her appointment book. There was one appointment scheduled for today and she was due in about - Jennifer looked at the clock on the wall - 15 minutes. She sent a message through to Marty to remind Mike. It was highly unlikely that Mike had forgotten, but he did have a tendency to lose track of the time while he was working.
The door opened and Mike’s younger half-sister walked in. Jennifer smiled at her and sent a second note through to Marty telling him that Jacinta was there already.
"Hi Jass," Jennifer greeted her, "how are things?"
"Hey Jen, sorry I’m early," said Jacinta. "School’s good, I’m right on track to graduate next month."
Jacinta took a seat. Even after the major renovation and refurbishment, Mike had still managed somehow to have uncomfortable chairs in the reception waiting area.
"Oh that’s good!" said Jennifer happily. "Your grades still sky high?"
"Yep, A’s and distinctions all the way," grinned Jacinta proudly.
"Well done! University will be a shoe in for you! Would you like a coffee?" Jennifer offered.
"No thanks. I’m not sure about Uni either, Jen. I’ve had an offer straight off the bat from a games company called Maxis. They liked the look of one of my final projects for my computing class and it’s not a bad little offer they’ve put on the table."
"Wow," Jennifer said, impressed.
Mike came through the glass doors into reception. He grinned at his half-sister.
"How was school?" he asked.
"Great!" Jacinta said grinning. "Better that it’s Friday though!"
"That’s not suprising," said Mike. "Come through, Jass."
Jacinta followed Mike down the long white corridor, past rooms for precision scans and testing, past the morgue, and waited patiently while he keyed in the 15 digit pass code for the door at the far end. This was his lab; where he spent almost all of his time when not at home. Jacinta looked around, taking in the microscopes and test tubes, burners and measurers, and flashing LEDs. There was a machine that seemed to shrill ping every few moments.
"What do you think?" asked Mike.
"Very cool," Jacinta replied, staring at a chart that showed illustrated cross sections of the human brain.
She wanted to ask her half-brother why he had a morgue. She wanted to ask for a closer look at the MRI machine she had seen in one of the rooms they had passed. She wanted to ask so many questions, but she knew that she shouldn’t. Most of Mike’s work was classified top secret and Jacinta was only allowed in because she had signed a longwinded essay they called a Non-disclosure agreement. That, and the fact that the place was run by her half-brother.
"Have you decided on University yet?" Mike asked. "If you wanted a place here, I can point you in the direction of which degree and units to take."
Jacinta grimaced.
"I’m thinking of not going to Uni, Mike," she said.
"You aren’t?" Mike was shocked. "You’re a straight A student, Jass! You can apply for any Uni you want and pick from any degrees on offer! Why wouldn’t you go to Uni?"
"You know I’m good with computers, right? And how they’re just starting to bring out ones for home users and making games for them?"
Mike nodded.
"Remember my project for my computing class this year was shown at one of the recent science expos in the city? Well, a gaming company called Maxis saw it and liked it. They have asked me to join their team. The offer is really lucrative."
"Are you definitely sure that’s a wise move?" Mike asked. "If you hate the place, or decide that it isn’t what you want, you’ll not have a degree to show a new prospective employer."
"I know," Jacinta assured him. "I’ve thought of that too. But I’ve done a lot of background checks on Maxis and they seem to be exactly what I’d be looking for once I graduated Uni. The difference is though, that the offer is now and I don’t know what openings will be available in four years when I’ve got my piece of paper."
"It’s your decision," said Mike. "It sounds like you’ve done your homework on this company. I’m glad you aren’t just rushing into anything headlong. As long as you are sure it’s what you want, you’ve got my blessings."
"Don’t tell Dad though," Jacinta said suddenly. "I know you don’t talk to him anyway out of habit, but just incase. I haven’t worked out how I’ll tell him yet."
Mike motioned for her to take a seat. Jacinta looked at him quizzically but sat down. Mike brought a chair over from a nearby desk and joined his half-sister.
"About your Dad," he began. "I wasn’t sure the other day if I was going to tell you but I felt you needed to know."
"What’s happened?"
"He came in here earlier this week and had a go at Jennifer when she wouldn’t let him through to see me without an appointment," Mike told her.
"Dad came here?" Jacinta said incredulously. "To see you?"
"Jennifer triggered the internal alarm and Marty was busy so I went out to deal with it," Mike decided to tell her straight facts. "Gilbert had an issue with only being left $1,000 of Mother’s money. He accused me of altering Mother’s Will."
"What?!" exclaimed Jacinta.
"I’ll admit that I’ve never liked him, but I really didn’t expect that sort of behavior," Mike continued. "In case he finds out that Mother left most things to Ash, I warned her to be wary of a visit and to try to keep her temper in check."
"Why should he get anything at all?!" Jacinta fumed. "He’s never really made much of an effort at being a Dad. He’s come to the occasional expo I’ve had work in and my primary school graduation. Hell he didn’t remember even a quarter of my birthdays!"
Mike nodded, wisely choosing not to add any fuel to the fire. He & Jacinta rarely spoke of her father & he was surprised to find that his half-sister disliked the man as well. Mike waited for Jacinta to regain a semblance of calm. She would probably change the subject too, unless there was something highly necessary to add to this conversation on her father. Mike doubted there was though.
"Mike?" Jacinta asked.
"Yes?" he responded, setting down the empty test tube that he’d focused his attention on.
"Considering everything else today, now probably isn’t the best time & I realise that, but I need to say it before I lose the nerve."
"You want to move out?" Mike asked. He’d been expecting this conversation for the best part of the week.
Jacinta looked shocked for a moment, & then recovered. She smiled, happy for the task suddenly becoming easier. Her brother was surprisingly in tune & down to earth for someone who spent much of his time with his head in the clouds theorising about altering the general order of nature.
"Yes," Jacinta agreed, "after I have graduated school. With Ash being named mother’s heir, there’s no real reason for me to stay. My room can become the boys’ nursery or something. Besides, I wouldn’t mind my own space to work as long into the night as I need to without worrying about keeping up other people."
"I can understand that," said Mike, recalling his own home after university.
"I wont be too lonely either," Jacinta continued her rehearsed argument, "coz I’ll have Holly with me. She’s not Akamaru, but she’s definitely got brains & she keeps my feet warm."
Mike smiled sadly as he remembered their family dog, Akamaru. Mike had tried so hard to keep him alive, prolonging Akamaru’s life with the research he’d spent his entire career working on. But he still couldn’t prevent the body’s decay; arthritis, muscle & joint stiffness, tiredness. Mike struggled daily working to combat not only death, but the symptoms of aging.
"So long as you visit occasionally, you have my blessing," Mike told her.
Jacinta lunged for her half-brother & wrapped him in a large bear-hug. It would be a new adventure for her; a new house, a new job & a life of endless possibility.
~*~
Chapter One: 93 Road to Nowhere
Chapter Two: Mischief in the Making
Chapter Three: Degrees of Separation
Chapter Four: Young Blood
Chapter Five: Revenge
Chapter Six: Dean's List
Chapter Seven: Second Born
Chapter Eight: The Unlikely Goddess of War
Chapter Nine: End of an Era
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter 10 - Of Gold and Death
Part 4 of 4
~*~
Jennifer looked at her appointment book. There was one appointment scheduled for today and she was due in about - Jennifer looked at the clock on the wall - 15 minutes. She sent a message through to Marty to remind Mike. It was highly unlikely that Mike had forgotten, but he did have a tendency to lose track of the time while he was working.
The door opened and Mike’s younger half-sister walked in. Jennifer smiled at her and sent a second note through to Marty telling him that Jacinta was there already.
"Hi Jass," Jennifer greeted her, "how are things?"
"Hey Jen, sorry I’m early," said Jacinta. "School’s good, I’m right on track to graduate next month."
Jacinta took a seat. Even after the major renovation and refurbishment, Mike had still managed somehow to have uncomfortable chairs in the reception waiting area.
"Oh that’s good!" said Jennifer happily. "Your grades still sky high?"
"Yep, A’s and distinctions all the way," grinned Jacinta proudly.
"Well done! University will be a shoe in for you! Would you like a coffee?" Jennifer offered.
"No thanks. I’m not sure about Uni either, Jen. I’ve had an offer straight off the bat from a games company called Maxis. They liked the look of one of my final projects for my computing class and it’s not a bad little offer they’ve put on the table."
"Wow," Jennifer said, impressed.
Mike came through the glass doors into reception. He grinned at his half-sister.
"How was school?" he asked.
"Great!" Jacinta said grinning. "Better that it’s Friday though!"
"That’s not suprising," said Mike. "Come through, Jass."
Jacinta followed Mike down the long white corridor, past rooms for precision scans and testing, past the morgue, and waited patiently while he keyed in the 15 digit pass code for the door at the far end. This was his lab; where he spent almost all of his time when not at home. Jacinta looked around, taking in the microscopes and test tubes, burners and measurers, and flashing LEDs. There was a machine that seemed to shrill ping every few moments.
"What do you think?" asked Mike.
"Very cool," Jacinta replied, staring at a chart that showed illustrated cross sections of the human brain.
She wanted to ask her half-brother why he had a morgue. She wanted to ask for a closer look at the MRI machine she had seen in one of the rooms they had passed. She wanted to ask so many questions, but she knew that she shouldn’t. Most of Mike’s work was classified top secret and Jacinta was only allowed in because she had signed a longwinded essay they called a Non-disclosure agreement. That, and the fact that the place was run by her half-brother.
"Have you decided on University yet?" Mike asked. "If you wanted a place here, I can point you in the direction of which degree and units to take."
Jacinta grimaced.
"I’m thinking of not going to Uni, Mike," she said.
"You aren’t?" Mike was shocked. "You’re a straight A student, Jass! You can apply for any Uni you want and pick from any degrees on offer! Why wouldn’t you go to Uni?"
"You know I’m good with computers, right? And how they’re just starting to bring out ones for home users and making games for them?"
Mike nodded.
"Remember my project for my computing class this year was shown at one of the recent science expos in the city? Well, a gaming company called Maxis saw it and liked it. They have asked me to join their team. The offer is really lucrative."
"Are you definitely sure that’s a wise move?" Mike asked. "If you hate the place, or decide that it isn’t what you want, you’ll not have a degree to show a new prospective employer."
"I know," Jacinta assured him. "I’ve thought of that too. But I’ve done a lot of background checks on Maxis and they seem to be exactly what I’d be looking for once I graduated Uni. The difference is though, that the offer is now and I don’t know what openings will be available in four years when I’ve got my piece of paper."
"It’s your decision," said Mike. "It sounds like you’ve done your homework on this company. I’m glad you aren’t just rushing into anything headlong. As long as you are sure it’s what you want, you’ve got my blessings."
"Don’t tell Dad though," Jacinta said suddenly. "I know you don’t talk to him anyway out of habit, but just incase. I haven’t worked out how I’ll tell him yet."
Mike motioned for her to take a seat. Jacinta looked at him quizzically but sat down. Mike brought a chair over from a nearby desk and joined his half-sister.
"About your Dad," he began. "I wasn’t sure the other day if I was going to tell you but I felt you needed to know."
"What’s happened?"
"He came in here earlier this week and had a go at Jennifer when she wouldn’t let him through to see me without an appointment," Mike told her.
"Dad came here?" Jacinta said incredulously. "To see you?"
"Jennifer triggered the internal alarm and Marty was busy so I went out to deal with it," Mike decided to tell her straight facts. "Gilbert had an issue with only being left $1,000 of Mother’s money. He accused me of altering Mother’s Will."
"What?!" exclaimed Jacinta.
"I’ll admit that I’ve never liked him, but I really didn’t expect that sort of behavior," Mike continued. "In case he finds out that Mother left most things to Ash, I warned her to be wary of a visit and to try to keep her temper in check."
"Why should he get anything at all?!" Jacinta fumed. "He’s never really made much of an effort at being a Dad. He’s come to the occasional expo I’ve had work in and my primary school graduation. Hell he didn’t remember even a quarter of my birthdays!"
Mike nodded, wisely choosing not to add any fuel to the fire. He & Jacinta rarely spoke of her father & he was surprised to find that his half-sister disliked the man as well. Mike waited for Jacinta to regain a semblance of calm. She would probably change the subject too, unless there was something highly necessary to add to this conversation on her father. Mike doubted there was though.
"Mike?" Jacinta asked.
"Yes?" he responded, setting down the empty test tube that he’d focused his attention on.
"Considering everything else today, now probably isn’t the best time & I realise that, but I need to say it before I lose the nerve."
"You want to move out?" Mike asked. He’d been expecting this conversation for the best part of the week.
Jacinta looked shocked for a moment, & then recovered. She smiled, happy for the task suddenly becoming easier. Her brother was surprisingly in tune & down to earth for someone who spent much of his time with his head in the clouds theorising about altering the general order of nature.
"Yes," Jacinta agreed, "after I have graduated school. With Ash being named mother’s heir, there’s no real reason for me to stay. My room can become the boys’ nursery or something. Besides, I wouldn’t mind my own space to work as long into the night as I need to without worrying about keeping up other people."
"I can understand that," said Mike, recalling his own home after university.
"I wont be too lonely either," Jacinta continued her rehearsed argument, "coz I’ll have Holly with me. She’s not Akamaru, but she’s definitely got brains & she keeps my feet warm."
Mike smiled sadly as he remembered their family dog, Akamaru. Mike had tried so hard to keep him alive, prolonging Akamaru’s life with the research he’d spent his entire career working on. But he still couldn’t prevent the body’s decay; arthritis, muscle & joint stiffness, tiredness. Mike struggled daily working to combat not only death, but the symptoms of aging.
"So long as you visit occasionally, you have my blessing," Mike told her.
Jacinta lunged for her half-brother & wrapped him in a large bear-hug. It would be a new adventure for her; a new house, a new job & a life of endless possibility.
~*~
Chapter One: 93 Road to Nowhere
Chapter Two: Mischief in the Making
Chapter Three: Degrees of Separation
Chapter Four: Young Blood
Chapter Five: Revenge
Chapter Six: Dean's List
Chapter Seven: Second Born
Chapter Eight: The Unlikely Goddess of War
Chapter Nine: End of an Era