Day's End

4

Gabi and Amelia met him at the Donor Registry at one o'clock on Monday. Gabi was shimmering with excitement. Soon they spoke with Aron, their case manager.

"Congratulations," said Aron. "I'm here to help you with the regulations, fertility treatments, and the birthing. Dr. Oregon (He nodded to Cornelia.) can of course help with that. Let's run through the checklist." He pulled up a file on his computer.

"Question 1: Sex of Child. Have you decided?

"Random," said Delia. "We don't have a preference."

"Question 2: Time. "When do you want to begin the gestation?"

"Immediately," Delia said. "I'm 33 and Joss is 30, so we're ready.

The last part of the interview was scheduling the fertility treatments. "Next available is tomorrow afternoon. Would you like that?"

"Oh, yes," said Delia, and Joss nodded. He wondered why the wait list was empty, and decided he was glad not to wait.

Two months later, Delia was pregnant. They celebrated at her parents' family rooms in the Six Mile section of Hemmler. Delia was almost delirious with excitement. She announced they had decided to name their son, Abraham, after Joss's father.

A few weeks later, Joss met Renny at the Falling Star. He spent many nights there with Gabi. Soon she would move in with her parents, until her application for family rooms was filled.

"I envy you, man. A girlfriend with a family license, your own baby on the way." Renny shook his head. "I'll be stuck in the single life till I'm forty. It's too expensive to settle down with someone unless you can get a license. I'll be looking for nightmates for another ten years." Renny drank his beer.

"Some kind of life. Limits on children, marriages, rationing of food and rooms. Competition for University, for a chance to get ahead." He leaned closer to Joss, and said, "I was sure you'd get a first at Uni. Valedictorian at Secondary School. Best in math and science. No one can work celestial navigation like you can. If you had gotten that first, you'd have that kid already, your own family rooms, a better job than Recycling Manager—you'd be navigator on an orbital transport. Sorry, man. I know you did your best at Uni, but the competition must have been fierce."

"It was," Joss said. He crumbed a few Arroz Crackers between his fingers, and his thoughts turned to memories of Uni. He couldn't forget Professor Mel Stratton. Manipulative, unscrupulous, and guiding light of a clique of students and graduates who followed him for the benefits he controlled. Mel was very well-connected. His father was a past president of the Rim Union, and his mother was then president of Himmler University. His sister was permanent Undersecretary of Agriculture, and his daughter was Governor of Hann Province—their province.

In addition, he had continually lowered Joss's scores for negligible errors, denied him the best opportunities, and favored students who were well-connected or yesmen.

As Joss left his last class with Stratton, knowing he'd get a Second by a point and had lost the opportunity for graduate school and work as a navigator, Stratton stopped him. "Congratulations on your Second Class Degree. Perhaps if you'd tried a little harder you've have gotten a first. Good luck."

Joss tensed, wanting to punch Stratton's sneering face, but controlled himself, knowing he had lost. "Thanks," he said. "I'll never forget your leadership." He walked off without looking back.

His fiancé left him when he told her he wouldn't get the scholarship and likely never qualify for a family and child license. She married one of Stratton's favorites. They lived in Moriko City where both worked for the Department of Agriculture.

He'd met Renny and Gabi at Uni. Gabi was two years ahead and Renny was in his program but had no illusions of getting a First. He earned a Second-Class degree and was satisfied with it.

One of Joss's classmates offered him a position in the Rim Maintenance Department but realizing that the classmate wanted his abilities to handle the work and he'd never get credit or advancement, turned her down. He turned down a few similar offers.

Renny told him Recycling needed Maintenance Engineers. He could assemble and dissemble any machine almost without thinking, so he took it. He was soon promoted to Manager and remained there.

Renny's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Joss? Your mind wandering?" Joss shook and returned to the present. "How is Gabi doing?"

"Really good. Baby's due in seven and a half months. We're naming him Abraham."

"Good name."

Delia joined them, for she and Renny had formed a   relationship, semi-permanent to avoid the fees. Renny claimed it was because she loved his bathtub, a rare find in any residence unit under first level.

Joss met Gabi at ten and they went to her room. She seemed excited, and he wondered what was up. She pushed into her room and sat on the bed.

"Joss, I've talked to my family. They approve of my plan."

Joss nodded.

"Would you want to get married? I can get a marriage license, and together would be better for our baby."

Joss hadn't expected her to want marriage. The fees and licenses could be forbidding. Her sister had a First-Class rating, so maybe that made it affordable.

"Yes, of course I'll marry you. When? Where would we live?" He took her hands and kissed them.

"Next weekend, if you're off work. There's a family unit available in my family's residential building. If that's OK."

"It's very OK," he said, kissing her.