Two Years

More Than the Basics

Because it is very hard to write a story without knowing names, we're going to call Keith's dad Nathan for this book :3
Also I'm self conscious about my writing so I can't believe I published this. Not that that matters...

Everything was too vivid. The glimpses into his past looked too real. They dug out he grief and feelings of loneliness that Keith fought so hard to bury.

Keith told himself that he needed to gather supplies. Collect resources. Assess the situation. His mind processed the beautiful marbles of planets in the distance, and while they were stunning, they were hopelessly far away. They would be stuck here for awhile. But while his mind told him what he should do, his body failed to comply.

Krolia eased herself down next to him, sighing. "I'm sorry you had to learn of your past like this. So... suddenly. I wish I could have told you myself."

After a pause, Keith said, "well, then, tell me yourself."

"What?" She seemed surprised.

"Sure I saw the basics, but tell me the little things," Keith now knew what happened. But now, well, he wanted to know his family. What did they think about? What were their quirks, faults, and strengths? What were they like?

"Well, your father," she looked at the planets as she told Keith about his dad. Krolia told about how when she first woke up, Keith's dad's accent had been so new to her she had believed he was speaking a different language altogether.

She told him how Krolia had pulled a small knife from her boot and held it to his neck, demanding to know why she was there and who he was. Krolia said how he hadn't looked scared, maybe concerned, and calmly explained what he knew about her arrival.

She talked to Keith for hours on end. Keith didn't interrupt once.

Krolia told Keith about how Nathan and her had gotten used to each other. They were so different. Krolia: a serious, sometimes hard headed, no nonsense kind of person, stuck with Nathan. A hard worker, but calm and relaxed. He thought outside the box, and got things done in ways Krolia didn't think was right.

Eventually they warmed up to each other. They shared jokes sometimes, since Krolia wasn't that great at them (she never understood the interrupting cow joke.) She said Nathan had given her ice cream for the first time, and was chuckling about the major brain freeze Krolia received until the next morning.

She told Keith some less happy things too. How when Krolia found Nathan sitting silently on the bed with tears dripping down his face, she didn't speak. She merely sat beside him for hours, letting Nathan lean on her shoulder and drip tears on her shirt. Krolia found out later that Nathan's father had died.

More stories and moments flooded out of Krolia's mouth, like it was a dam that had broken. By the end, Krolia's eyes were shiny, reflecting a pink gas planet in the distance and her cheeks had tears running down them.

Keith had shed a single tear. He allowed on tear to fall for the father he had missed out on. The kind hearted, thoughtful, clever man who sometimes took too many risks. But by doing them he had saved countless lives as a firefighter. Until he ran out of luck. Keith could still clearly picture the child services officers who had delivered the news and took him away.

Then he did something even he didn't expect. He turned and gave Krolia the longest hug he'd ever been a part of. At first, Krolia didn't seem to know how to respond, but she then gingerly wrapped her arms around him. Keith let the hug make up for all of the ones he missed out on as a child, and promised himself that by the end of this ordeal, both Krolia and himself would cherish the memories that they should have made years ago.