The Tiger and the Moth

Chapter 3

The next morning, Emily got up and wandered into the kitchen. Emily got coffee and took a deep breath to wake herself up. Her mom wasn't there, but it wasn't anything new. Emily stayed at home, and worked. She got a lot of work done in their apartment. She'd work down in the other floors of the Chevy building just to get a new work environment. It was convenient. Since Aileen started as a leading designer and engineer for the car company, they were able to move there. That night when Aileen came home, dinner was unusually quiet.

"Everything alright?" Emily said after a while. They were eating in silence the whole dinner.

"Yeah just thinking about work," Aileen said.

"You getting ready for your trip?" Emily said.

"I believe so," Aileen said. Aileen finished her plate. A cleaning unit came and picked it up and rolling towards the sink. It set the plate in the sink and began to gently scrub.

***

The next morning. Emily got dressed and went to the kitchen for her regular morning coffee. Emily usually got up later, but instead she got up earlier and sat in the kitchen as her mother got ready for work to show peace. When her mom left, she had the rest of the day off. She opened her blinds to reveal some light. Still blocked by the shades, her room lit up and it felt like a fresh start. She sat at her vanity and brushed her long, straight brown hair out and applied some mascara.

Emily started the car and drove out of the building and towards the outside of the dome. On the edge of the dome in Santa Monica there were markets. By the beach, cars could park parallel facing the open land. Seagulls still hung on the benches. It was nice out and full of people, so she grabbed her sketchbook to capture the seagulls that still remained at the beach. They picked at the sand and hoping to discover food discarded before it spoiled in the heat. There were usually small land fish or worms that got caught in the sand also. She opened the center console of her car and pulled out a book. The cover had a choppy ocean on it. It was titled "Poems of the Sea". It was a present she got from her dad when she was nine. There were poets that weren't talked about in school... Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson to name a few. Those were her favorite. Emily was lost in the words, and after a little while, looked up. She noticed how people still looked out towards where the ocean was, and looking into the vastness. Within the last fifty years, her mom would tell her about the increase of homeless people, especially outside the dome or on the border. The sun shining for the whole day gave many insomnia, making them unable to hold down a job. Emily sat in her car and drew people passing by but they only turned up as brief sketches and nothing of substance. Emily opened the door, and got out of her car. She walked down to the beach, and into the mud that was dried like dirt. It was only further out to where the dirt became muddy. She sat down and on the caked ground, and drew a couple of people sitting nearby on a beach towel. When she looked up from her notepad, what was right in front of her was a perfectly shaped butterfly. The insect spread it's wings out. A man with grey hair and a fedora was sitting nearby pointed to it.

"That there is something you don't see everyday," he said with a lipse. He was missing some teeth. The butterfly opened and closed it's wings.

"It's a pretty butterfly," Emily said.

"Nah, that there is a moth. It's a rare one. The fur on it's body gives it away," he said.

"I thought they only come out at night," Emily said. The man nodded.

"Whose to say what time of day it is? That dome right here?" the man said. He picked up a small rock and threw it into the sky. It came down quickly fell down.

Emily pulled out her pencils and copied it quickly, but before she could get all the colors, it flew away. She captured the spots and depths of color the best she could. Then she worked on the fuzz between its eyes and the gentle antennas. Once the sketch was near completion, she took her eraser and added depth. She worked on it some more, and when she looked up, she noticed it was getting late and her parking spot will expire soon. She got back in her car. She turned her car on.

"Call William," Emily said. Her phone dialed his number. It rang.

"Hello?" William said.

"Hey it's me. You'll never guess what I saw at the beach," Emily said. "A moth. You'd never seen one like this before. I don't think they exist really."

"Hey Ems, I'm in the middle of something with the band. Can I call you back?" William said. Emily could hear bottles, and voices like he was not a home.

"Alright, well you should get back to your rehearsal. Sorry to bug you," Emily said. It was always something.

***

When Emily returned home, there were plastic bags on the kitchen table.

"Did you go yourself?" Emily yelled. Aileen slammed the door shut.

"You betcha," Aileen said.

"What's the point of that?" Emily said. Aileen ignored her, pulling out a cooked chicken, with rice and vegetables. She looked up and smiled at Emily.

"Will is missing out, his favorite," Aileen said. Emily sat down and the kitchen-unit moved the plate and sorted the chicken and toppings onto the plates for them. Aileen then pressed some buttons, shutting it down. With no gadgets working around them or devices on, the apartment was silent. She could hear the technology ticking down and the cadets and electricity unwinding behind the walls.

"This chicken is good," Aileen said. She cut it more with her knife, and scraped the plate.

"Yeah it is," Emily said. It really was good.

"I saw a moth today. It was the craziest colors," Emily said.

"Oh yeah? Tell me more about it," Aileen said. Emily described it and what the man said.

"You'll be okay while I'm gone, won't you?" Aileen said.

"Of course. You've been gone before. It's not a big deal," Emily said.

"It's a big deal for me," Aileen said. "A lot is counting on this trip."

"I know," Emily said.

"I have to leave tonight instead," Aileen said. "I honestly don't know when I'll be back. I'd prefer it if you didn't leave the dome. It's a lot safer in here." Aileen stood up and put her plate and silverware in the sink. Aileen walked by and gave Emily a kiss on the forehead. Emily stood up and watch her mom grab a large purse and push the elevator button. Aileen went down the elevator. Emily was alone in the apartment. Usually she liked being alone, but her mom seemed like she didn't want to leave. Was she really going to be away that long? Emily turned the kitchen-units on to clean the rest of the kitchen and put the leftover food away while she walked to her room and shut the door.