CHAPTER 55

CHAPTER 55

DAVID HERINGER

— WHAT'S THE NEWS you've been wanting to tell us so badly, honey?

Ivy smiled, imagining that scene a thousand years ago, she looked at the bracelet her father had given her and smiled, satisfied with what she was going to say, feeling sad not to have him there for that special moment, but somehow she knew that her father would know the day she got pregnant.

— You're going to be a father again, David… you're going to have a little brother, Brian.

Brian was totally speechless and David knelt down and kissed his belly.

— It's just the best news I could get, honey... it's like...

— If it was the first time...

David looked strangely at Brian who didn't even care about the comment.

— Understand, son... I...

— I know the whole story dad, I'm happy for you, I really know how much you wanted me and fought for me, but I know he will have the best parents in the world.

The three embraced.

— It's a new story that we can build.

Brian took some wine, opened it and poured it for his parents.

— To the youngest Heringer — Brian said.

— May you come in good health — David said.

— Father... no one is born without health anymore.

David was embarrassed at his son's rebuke.

— Of course… it's just force of habit, I'd forgotten about that.

EVERYONE WAS SITTING DOWN and the conference would start in a few minutes.

— What you think? — David asked his wife.

— I think it's an excellent opportunity, dear.

Norman said:

— NOM only has a few reservations, David, I don't think it's a good idea to go against them.

— I don't care what they want or don't want, I have a dream and I will fight to make that dream come true.

— This attitude is commendable, but...

— But...???

— These are other times than...

— Than the times I lived in, are you going to start over with the nhenhenhém, Brady? Flip the disk, big.

— Turn the disc?

— Forget it... it's just a thousand year-old jargon, what I want to know is, is it possible, yes or no?

— Anything is possible, for the right price.

— You know what the lowest price is, I just want a strategic location and I believe the ancient Middle East has the perfect geographic location.

— But the weather is unfavorable...

— You know I have my reasons for being there, and another, we have technology about the climate, we can produce artificial rain, we can fertilize sandy soil, we can make rivers etc, don't make up stories about the unfavorable climate, we are in the 31st century.

Obviously Norman knew, because David after arriving in Eden wanted people to come out of the cave and know life outside of there, it was the golden opportunity for the Edenians (people who were born and raised in Eden) to have a life outside the cave., there would be no better chance than that to disguise those people and include them in the plan of redemption Burke had made.

— As you wish, I'll be in touch as soon as I have more news.

BRIAN LOOKED THOUGHTFUL.

— What's up, son? — Said Ivy breaking the ice.

— Is it really a good idea to raise that place where there were so many wars?

— The focus is different...

— Okay, the focus is different, but it seems that that place is cursed, whenever someone rebuilds those walls, someone tries to destroy them, it would be easier to leave it the way it is and try something different, South America, for example, it would all be incomparably simpler.

— No way — said David — South America is out of the way for everyone and everything.

— But it's a fruitful place there, the weather helps in every way, it has beaches, a reservoir of fresh water that all countries would love for us to share, that would be a perfect excuse.

— I don't want facilities, Brian, and another, Salem would be on the route of all the city-states, it would be very simple to make a rail line that would connect them, unlike in South America, where the only city reasonably close would be New York, the that economically speaking it wouldn't even be that advantageous, and it doesn't even come with the same excuse as Brady, today we have the technology to make that place as tropical as Brazil, we can, for example, make a tropical dome like it has in Japan, where they not only control the climate but also information entering and leaving the country.

— She's called America now, Dad, not New York.

— Whatever... if we want to do something, Salem is ideal, it's on the path of all nations.

— Why not Greece, then? — She was known for being strategically between East and West.

— Stop being annoying and being against me, Brian, help me, I've made a decision, it will be Salem and that's it.

— And why not leave the name Jerusalem?

— Because Jeru means overthrown, it was originally called Salem, so I want to leave it as Salem, period.

Brian got up and his mother intervened:

— Go where, son.

— Apparently my ideas aren't very welcome here, so I prefer to stay where I'm most accepted.

— No drama, Brian, you're big enough to be messing around with.

— I'm not making a drama and I'm not doing it, I just believe that I can collaborate a lot for your project, but by the way, everything is ready, you don't need me for anything.

— And that's right — David got up and hugged his son — all this is for you, son, you just need to learn from us first, you need to learn to respect our decisions, because when it's your turn to make them, you'll know how to make them with wisdom.

Brian nodded.

— I know you feel uncomfortable with us from time to time, I also know you miss your grandfather, but we're doing our best to adapt to this reality, especially adapting to you.

— With my grandfather everything was much simpler, I felt useful by his side, everything I said was analyzed at least, with you everything is already ready, there is never room for what I think.

— He prepared you to take our place and did well, only we have a responsibility to shape you now, I'm not saying it will be simple, but you will one day be the most important person in the world.

— I just want to be myself.

— Then make the best choices, son — Ivy said — one of which is to listen to us in the moment, if we make a mistake, it's not you who will be hit, it's us, and that will make it easier for you to learn from our mistakes and we don't want you to get hurt. — you make them in the future.

— I'll pretend to believe it and you'll pretend to do the right thing.

Brian turned his back and left.