The former generals find themselves sitting together in a visiting room with a guard. They are housed in different prisons and haven't seen each other for a few years. Their calls are usually to each other because their calls to Zeta's former home to their grandchildren are blocked. They figure they've been brought together for an official meeting of some kind. They are surprised when Zeta is allowed into the visiting room with them.
Zeta smiles pleasantly at the Cliftons. She doesn't feel any strong negative emotions toward them. She just feels sorry for them. "You both look well," she says pleasantly.
"What do you want, whore," ask Gregory Clifton.
With a sigh, Zeta takes a seat, "I want to thank you. Bryan was a good man, an excellent husband and father. I loved him very much and I still miss him. But facts are facts, he's gone, I'm still alive and worlds continue to revolve around their suns. Besides, Bryan wouldn't want me to spend the rest of my life mourning him. Thank you for raising such a fine man.
And I'ld also like to thank you for kidnapping me, drugging me and leaving me in that stasis unit to die. You did me a huge favor. I didn't think so in the beginning, but it has worked out for the best. You've replaced the one good husband I lost with seven loving doting husbands and fathers. Gabe and Jasmine really love Anlo and Septimus and I know they're going to love their other fathers and grandparents too."
"Did you bring us here to rub our failure in our faces," ask Gregory Clifton.
"Slut, we know you never loved our son," accuses Wilma Clifton. "You just didn't want to work. He let you lay around at home, you cow."
Zeta shakes her head. "Believe what you wish. I know you will anyway. You don't seem to believe in being happy.
I brought the children to say good-bye. But I won't bring them in if you're going to be nasty and rude.
Do you think you can be civil for a few minutes to say good-bye to your own grandchildren?"
The Cliftons straighten up in their seats. Gregory gives Zeta an affirmative nod.
Zeta gives a slow nod in return. She goes to the door and opens it. Akanke' runs up to her.
"Mommy, Gabe and Jasmine say they don't want to see the bad grandparents." Then Akanke' ask, "Are those them? Are those the bad grandparents?"
"Akanke'," Zeta's tone hushing, "wait with your Aunt Mary and Kamaki. Help them watch Nasya."
The Cliftons spy Mary standing with a tall purple hared Nokotoan holding a toddler.
"Alright," agrees Akanke' unenthusiastically and she walks over to Mary and Kamaki.
Anlo carries in Gabe and Septimus carries in Jasmine. Both are expressing their unhappiness vocally. Zeta shuts the door behind them. Zeta sits back down and Anlo and Septimus sit on either side of her with the children. Gabe gets real quiet while Jasmine clings tightly to Septimus.
"Are you alright now son," Anlo asks Gabe.
Gabe nods, "I'm fine, Dad." He stands straight and tall with Anlo's arm around him and shows no fear.
"Jasmine," questions Anlo.
Jasmine sobs, "No, Daddy, I don't want to see them."
Septimus pats Jasmine's back and makes a soothing sound.
"Your mother is correct," says Anlo. "You should say good-bye. She does them a courtesy they did not do for her."
"Gabe," Zeta says softly, "do you remember what your father used to say about being the bigger man."
Gabe nods, "When dealing with small minded people, you have to be the bigger man."
"Is there anything you'ld like to say to them," Zeta ask Gabe.
"You told me not to swear," he reminds Zeta. Then Gabe glances at his paternal grandparents, "So, I'll just say, good-bye."
"Jasmine," questions Zeta.
"No," says Jasmine. "They're liars. They said you went away because you didn't love us."
Zeta wouldn't force them to speak to their grandparents if they didn't want to. "Gabe, Jasmine, I want you both to listen to me carefully. It is important that you don't hate them and do not stay angry with them. Keeping negative emotions will not benefit you in any way. Now, both of you look at them…"
Jasmine and Gabe slowly obey.
"Even now, they are angry with me and hate me," Zeta informs her children.
"But why, Mommy," ask Jasmine.
Zeta shrugs, "Because I fell in love with their son and married him, I guess. Why, really doesn't matter. What matters is what that anger and hatred has done to them. Because they held on to those negative feelings they've cheated themselves out of a lot. And what you need to decide is what kind of people you want to be when you grow up. If you hang onto your anger and hate, it will do to you what it did to them. You'll slowly become them."
Jasmine's face pales and Gabe's eyes enlarge slightly. Neither of them wants to be like their paternal grandparents.
"They made us all suffer," continues Zeta, "but we mustn't let that suffering turn us bitter. We must use it to make ourselves better people."
"The bigger man," says Gabe.
Zeta nods confirmation to Gabe. Then she focuses back on Bryan's parents, "Mr. and Mrs. Clifton, is there anything you want to say to your grandchildren before they leave for their new home?"
"You've both grown so much," says Wilma Clifton.
"We were only doing what's best for the two of you," says Gregory Clifton.
"How was making us orphans what's best," asks Gabe. "Our father is dead and then you tried to take our mother from us too."
"Listen, son," begins Gregory.
"I'm not your son," states Gabe firmly.
Gregory Clifton looks as if Gabe slapped him, but he continues, "With Bryan dead, there's no one to teach you discipline. We know you love your mother and that she loves you and was doing the best with the skills she has. But without Bryan, she simply does not have the skills necessary to raise you by herself."
"We tried to talk to your mother," adds Wilma.
"We suggested many fine schools," says Gregory.
"We even offered to pay the tuition," says Wilma.
"But she just wouldn't listen to us," states Gregory.
"She just kept saying, 'Thank you, but no thank you,'" says Wilma. "She wouldn't negotiate. We even tried to pay her."
"They tried to pay you," Anlo questions Zeta.
"More like they tried to buy Jasmine and Gabe from me," Zeta clarifies. "They had a family crypt they wanted Bryan's body in. Bryan never expressed a preference about what he wanted done with his body so I didn't fight them on it. He had barely been in that crypt a week when they made what they thought was a very generous offer. I was still deeply grieving for Bryan, but I stopped crying that day. Their offer just struck me as ridiculously funny and I broke into hysterical laughter. I could tell by their faces they thought I was losing my mind, but I couldn't stop laughing. I must have laughed for an hour, definitely, until my sides hurt."
"Zeta," says Wilma, "We've seen how you live, what you drive. We know you're struggling financially."
"We're not struggling," says Zeta amused. "I've seen people that are struggling, and we're not even close."
"That man from People," says Anlo, "he wanted to list you in the Who Is Who of Richest People. He said you were in the top ten."
"I still don't need to advertise it," responds Zeta. "They will just have to continue to be content listing me as the Silent CEO of Core-Intel Communications Technologies."
"That's you," questions the guard surprised not meaning to interrupt.
"Well, before it was me, it was my mother," answers Zeta. "I can't take credit for her work. She helped build the company from the ground up. I inherited all her shares. I basically just serve as a silent consultant and I was a part-time engineer before I woke up on Nokoto. But they really don't need me to stay afloat."
"I bet when God needs a loan, he comes to you," jokes the guard.
"No," says Wilma shaking her head, "you haven't seen how she lives with those chickens and goats…"
"And blah, blah, blah," says Zeta tired. "I remember when Bryan called you to see if you could meet up with us in Vegas. He said, 'Mom, Dad, I've met the one. We're going to Vegas to get hitched. Can you meet us there?' Then he got quiet as you ask him some questions. He answered, 'No…, No, she's not military… …No, I don't think so… …No, no, she was home schooled… …Yes, sir, I hear you… Yes, sir, I understand… Thank you, sir, don't worry. I understand…' I asked him what was wrong and to save my feelings he just said you couldn't make it. You hadn't even met me and decided I wasn't good enough for your son based on a couple of questions you asked, and you have simply refused to see me.
That house with the chickens and the goats is where my parents raised me and home schooled me. It's where they taught me there is great joy to be had in living simply and in close harmony with nature. It's something money can never buy you. I could easily afford an extravagant expensive house in an extremely posh affluent neighborhood. I could easily afford several luxury vehicles instead of a couple of very economical environmentally friendly ones. But what's the point in surrounding yourself in expensive material objects and alienating yourself from everyday people. My mother rubbed elbow with the rich and famous and I've observed them and I can elbow rub. That's just not for me. I don't need to be the center of attention. I've done lots of good work anonymously.
And you need to remember, Gabe and Jasmine, both, have high IQs like myself. You can fool yourselves all you want, but you're not going to fool them."
"Did Bryan know all this about you," ask Wilma.
"When we got married, no," answered Zeta. "He loved me and married me, for me. He recognized and respected my intelligence, enjoyed my sense of humor and conversation, after we were married he enjoyed other attributes I had. All he really knew when we married besides he loved me was I had a job that took me into Salt Lake City twice a week, but I preferred to work out of my home office, my parents were deceased, I was technically an only child but my parents had been foster parents and that's how Mary is my sister, and that everyone in my neighborhood loved me and my parents. He got a big kick out of those chickens and goats you think are so horrible. He added me to his accounts right after we were married. But it took him nearly a year to ask why I never used our accounts. I never took any money out for anything and I never made any deposits."
"So even after he knew, he allowed you to continue to live like that," says Gregory in disbelief. "I can't believe that. I can't believe he would allow his wife and children to live in squalor."
Zeta huffs agitatedly, "We're hardly living in squalor. That's an eight bedroom, four and a half bath home with a negative carbon footprint in a safe neighborhood with good neighbors who are hard workers. Between the solar panels and wind turbines the electric company pays me."
Zeta takes a deep breath and blows it out, "I'm pregnant, I'm tired and I'm ready to go home. I brought Gabe and Jasmine to say good-bye, and they have. I've given you the opportunity to apologize to your grandchildren for hurting them, and all you're sorry for is getting caught. Here's a picture of the beautiful home they'll have on Nokoto. But I'm sure since it doesn't come with servants, that's living in squalor. Enjoy the luxury accommodations you're hatred and anger have wrought you."
"Wait," calls Wilma, her eyes welling up. She manages a smile. "Don't you even have a hug for your old grandma and grandpa?"
"No," Jasmine and Gabe shout together.
The guard is smiling real big as Zeta closes the door on the Cliftons. He says to the Cliftons, "I don't know why you don't like her. I think she's awesome. Your son was a very lucky man."
"Oh, shut up," says Gregory Clifton, "no one asked for your opinion."
"You forget you're no general anymore," responds the guard. "You can't even order a cheeseburger. Besides, I'm sure you're anxious to get back to your luxury accommodations." He laughs as he calls another guard to help him get the former generals ready to be returned to their facilities.
Zeta looks through a window at the Earth with the other women and children. Gabe and Jasmine are very excited. They're not afraid. They are hopeful.
As Mary's looking at the Earth with Zeta, she ask, "What are you thinking?"
Zeta smiles, "It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there."
The shuttle enters the gate at Earth and exits the gate at Nokoto followed by an Earth shuttle of technicians to learn how to set up and organize a transport pad system for Earth. The windows of the shuttle are full of the faces of all the excited women and children.
"It's so beautiful," says a woman.
"Yes, it's beautiful," agrees Zeta, "and it's home."