The Ark Diary of Dylan De Rovia Book One of De Rovia Diaries

Living the Grounded Life

Monday December 22nd,2149

So, the weekend of being grounded is over and while most mecha's are looking for time off. I'm snapping up all the time I can get. Three more days of being grounded then I'm free to go out. Life here is very complicated I have a job and a long term partner but I still live at home and answer to my parents. In truth I was kinda hoping they'd ground me till after Christmas then I wouldn't have to have dinner with Kye's family at his apartment. Maybe that's part of my punishment to six day in my own house then a dinner with them.

Oh joy

"You look way too happy to be here." Cole says sitting across from me at the breakroom table. "Wern't you here all weekend mostly?"

"My parents grounded work and home only til Christmas at least here I can useful."

He takes out tree shaped cookie. "Here my wife made them last night."

I wave my hand, "No they're your you eat them."

His eyes are sorrowful. "I got you drunk and in trouble."

My chuckle catches him off guard. "You didn't force me to drink or take me out the farmlands. I did that all my own." I take the sugar tree. "Thanks."

The cookie is delious an orange cranberry taste that is equal parts subtle and unexpected. "Good right?"

I smile warmly. "More like amazing did your wife made them."

Cole smiles relief on his face. "Yeah we took a cooking class when we first paired it helped us get to know each other. Ohh and these are what I made her for Christmas." He brings up a image on his tablet. They are earrings thin red circles of glass that are set in apple shaped orbs.

"They are really cute she'll love them I sure."

"What did you get him?"

"Socks with little donkeys on them."

Cole lets out a bout of laughter. "Nice."

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I've done something I didn't think I would be able to do again. I have made a new friend. When I was in school I had tight group that I did things like go to the movies with or play basketball but it came out that I was with Kye they all left. All but Lori, of course. But, now I have friend, Cole from work. He's grease monkey, a mecha that works exclusively on engines or cars.

He paired married even, we talk about his wife and Kye. A subject that try to avoid at all cost but with him it's natural feeling. We're just two people talking what we our loved ones for Christmas. I think it's because he doesn't pry into my complex relationship that I talk about it. Most people ask without any empathy to me. Cole just talk like he would any other person. This little converasons give me a tiny bud of hope that in the future I can be normal or as normal as possible in this life.

Wednesday December 24th, 2149

I've always loved Christmas I think that every child does. There are videos from Earth with whole city's decorated and pageants. The primary school always puts on a pageant called Christmas through the ages. Each grade level will pick a time period then create a skit about how Christmas was celebrated then.

My favorite time was the 2020s. The holographic technology had just been perfected so all the old movies from the 1960s and 1970s have been made into interactive movies that you could be a part of.

I close my tablet this is almost over it was fine till this morning, I've taken up every shift at work I could get. I'll be rolling in points when this is over. Still I woke-up this morning and nothing all the programs playing are ones I've seen already. So, I've been in my room or the apartment for the last 18 hours. No wonder they outlawed solitary confinement on Earth, I'm going crazy after barely a day that I've been asleep for most of anyway.

Going into the living room I turn on the TV. All the programing is of christmas and the history of this Judeo-christian event. Our apartment has no outside windows we can't see the inside of the ship. The door opens I hear Mom light feet prance around the kitchen she was at the store getting the stuff to make breakfast buns again.

"You look miserable." She notes with just a hint of joyment.

I sigh hard, "Yeah I am being cooped-up here is...it sucks. I'm like a cat inside a box inside another smaller box."

"I know just a few more hours and it will over."

Turning over I bury myself in the couch. "I don't know if live that long."

She chuckles sinisterly. "You'll live another seventy eight years."