A Kiss Goodnight at the End of Forever

Chapter 4 Pt 1 - Holy Nutrition

Serafina paused, working something out in their head as they chewed their food. "Let's say I decided, on principle, that I wanted to become a vegetarian." They took a bite of tomato. "Because meat is murder."

"That would be a valid choice," Martha said.

"Totally," Serafina agreed. "But just because I come to that intellectual conclusion, doesn't change the fact that my body needs protein. My moral enlightenment wouldn't change how my cells have evolved to process nutrients over hundreds of thousands of years. So we would supplement – beans, nuts, seeds, et cetera." They paused to eat the last piece of chicken from their plate. "It's no different."

Martha turned to James who was nodding vaguely with a giant smile on his face. He'd barely touched his lunch. She looked down and neither had she.

Serafina continued. "Maybe it's where we're headed eventually. Maybe evolution can turbo charge itself and only need five or six hundred years to phase it out, but in the meantime, well... As you know, we don't have five or six hundred years..."

The table grew silent. Serafina was right. If Dr Tanaka was to be trusted, the human race was less than 200 years from destroying itself. A truck drove past the house and a breeze blew through the front window. Martha thought back – Hawaii, Nan, Ramirez... Had she discussed her descent into nihilism with her daughter? Has Sera gone through one of her own? She must have...

Presently, Serafina took a drink of water and cleared their throat. "It's not about denying reality for the sake of willful ignorance. The Scientific Method is half of our salvation. But we need some kind of bridge while we continue to expand our insight yet still require spiritual sustenance – kind of a half-way house until we get back on our feet. Sorry, I keep jumping between metaphors."

"That's okay," James said. "Though rumor has it, your mother hates them."

"Only ones based on highway traffic patterns," Martha countered.

"Have you heard my traffic metaphor?" James asked Serafina. "You see, traffic jams occur because-"

"Yes," they answered quickly. "I've heard it. More than once. Don't need to hear it again, thank you."

"Metaphors aside," Martha said, holding in a laugh. "How do we do it? You seem to have worked out a healthy balance for yourself. But how do we translate that for the masses, currently starving to death on the side of the road because of cold-hearted atheists like your father?"

"Mom!" Serafina scolded.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself."

"It's okay, Ser-Bear. This is how your mother flirts."

"Oh, well in that case... ew. To answer your question, Mom, we have done and will do lots of stuff. But the most significant effort we undertake is teaching it in schools."

"Teaching what?" James asked. "Teaching religion? You're kidding."

"Not at all. We teach the Bible, but also the Quran, and the Torah. Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist texts... Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus... All of them and more in a comprehensive curriculum stretched across K-12. We don't take sides but differentiate belief from proof while honoring the value of each."

"Sounds outstanding, but I can think of a dozen special interest groups that would be apoplectic over this," James said. "How the heck do we convince them all?"

"With a great deal of finesse," Serafina answered. "But I don't want to get into it now. There will be a time for all of that."

"Aww," James protested.

"Sera just got here. Give her a break," Martha said.

"Thanks, Mom." They set their glass atop their plate then carried it to the sink. "That was delicious. Do you mind if I head back to the garage?"

"Not at all," Martha said. "Are you working on something?"

"It's a lego model of New Toronto, circa 2068... usually."

"No kidding?" James said eagerly. "Can we see-"

"No!" Serafina cut him off as they ran from the kitchen. "Not until it's ready! Sorry, I'm... kind of a perfectionist!" they called from the garage.

"Oh, yeah, I get it!" James called back. "Take your time!" He took a deep breath and then a bite of tomato. "It really is delicious."

"Thanks," Martha said, then took a bite of chicken to chew over her daughter's words. "Someone sure is a chip off the old block."

"Sorry?"

"Serafina – crafting metaphors just like her old man."

"Like me??" James asked with a mouthful of mozzarella. "Martha... I'm not sure you understand the overwhelming déjà vu her lecture gave me. Yes, she's in a five-year-old's body and yes, she's seen New Toronto circa 2068 whatever that is. But she is you." He set his fork down on his plate and turned his chair to her, emotion suddenly emblazoned across his face. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on."

Caught off guard, Martha blushed and fumbled comically. "Oh, well... I'm not sure what that has to do with anything, but please, do go on."

James smiled. "But I've always fallen in love with your mind. After I found you, but before you returned, I listened to you, life after life, deconstruct children's movies or dismantle a world of bad faith and every time, without fail, my heart would melt listening to your mind work." He sat back in his chair and shook his head. "I'm overcome. I don't have the words. I just... love my family so much."

Martha took his hands and pulled him to her. Then she leaned in and kissed him, pulling him closer still. The prickles down the back of her neck reminded Martha that they hadn't kissed since Serafina's rebirth so she held onto him a moment longer than necessary.

"Okay!" Serafina shouted from the garage. "The waterfront is ready if you want to see it! But I've got a tarp over the rest because the rest is not ready!"

Martha released James. "Wanna go see 2068?"

"More than anything," he said. "Well, almost anything." He kissed her one last time before the pair left to glimpse the future their daughter had created.

Author's note:

Apologies for getting religious. I mean no disrespect to those who believe or to those who don't. But it's something I struggle with myself. And I felt it was an opportunity to differentiate Sera from their parents.

Also, it kind of felt like a throwback to For Those...

Drifting Along... has a dearth of philosophical rants (for better or worse).

Thanks for reading!! Look out for part 2 tomorrow.