More Than a Lifetime #1: Delta Wild

Chapter 5

Presently, Dani walked into the living room and looked around the area. She was happy her father had suggested having dinner as a family, but she was a little worried about how everything would go with her mother. It had been forever and a day since the last time they'd all had dinner together. The first significant thing she noticed was that both of her parents were out of uniform. It was a little unsettling because she hardly ever saw them out of uniform. They truly looked like different people. Her mother was at the replicator. Her father was standing at the large windows behind the table. He turned to face her when she walked in.

"Dani," he said. She took a few steps toward the table. He noticed that she was looking at his clothes. He held his arms out to his sides. "I told you the uniform hadn't fused with my skin."

"So you did," Dani said, walking to the table.

The pot roast materialized in front of Kathryn. "Damn, not again," she muttered to herself, before the roast had even finished materializing. She didn't need a tricorder to tell her the roast was overdone. No. Not overdone. Charred was more like it. As she picked up hot dish with oven mittens, she wondered why she could run a starship but couldn't replicate a decent pot roast.

Kathryn walked over to the table. Chakotay and Dani were already seated. "I'm afraid the pot roast didn't turn out quite like I expected," she said, placing the dish on the table.

"I'm sure it tastes fine," Chakotay said. He looked at Dani expectantly. She caught on. She looked at Kathryn and smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "Besides, I like mine a little dark, anyway."

Chakotay chewed on the first bite of the roast, which wasn't really what one would call an easy task. He'd said he liked his dark, but maybe this was a little too dark. The only color he could pick out in the meat was black. Something gave him the feeling that this wasn't its correct color. He looked across the table at Dani. She looked like she was thinking the same thing he was, but she was forcing the singed meal down somehow. And she tried to look like she was enjoying it, too. He was amazed by how she was pulling it off.

"You know what," Kathryn said, putting her fork and knife down, "I've determined that this...is practically inedible. I wouldn't force my worst enemy to eat this. Dani, you can stop pretending, now. By the way, you're a very good actress. For a second, I almost believed that you were enjoying that."

Dani was glad to retire her eating utensils. She forcefully swallowed the bite that was already in her mouth and took a long drink of water. But it was too late-that awful burnt taste surfaced on her tongue.

"I apologize," Kathryn said. "Grab some bread; we'll do peanut butter and jelly tonight."

"Not so fast," Chakotay said. "I asked Neelix to bring something down from the mess hall." Kathryn looked at Chakotay. "I asked him to keep it warm for me. I had intended to have them after dinner, for desert, but I suppose we could make an exception," he said glancing down at the very well-done meat. Just then, the door chimed. "That must be him, now," Chakotay said, getting up from the table and walking across the living room to the doors. The doors slid open and, sure enough, Neelix was standing there with a covered tray.

"Neelix," Chakotay said cheerfully.

"Here you are, Commander," Neelix said, handing the tray to Chakotay. "They were kept warm, just as you requested."

Kathryn and Dani looked at each other. They watched the interaction curiously.

"Thank you, Neelix," Chakotay said with smile. The Talaxian returned Chakotay's smile and nodded.

"Anytime, Commander." He walked away and the doors closed.

Chakotay turned to a curious Dani and Kathryn. He carried the tray to the table and placed it beside the pot roast.