Chapter 29

One answer was obvious. Eitan rented a storage closet by the year in Queens. He dumped his backpack with all his electronics on the shelves. He swapped out his boots for the “Nikki shoes” as he fondly called them and shut the door. He walked around the corner and WHAM.

“The vagabond returns,” Sten announced to the four walls of his apartment.

“I like what they’ve done with the place,” Eitan said, taking in the small apartment. “Post-explosion, late Home Depot expressionism; the design elements truly reflect your personality.”

“Hey, I have indoor plumbing, hot water on tap, and air conditioning,” Sten said. “Beats my last place if you remember. Besides, my girlfriend is randy, and my professors believe in me. These people actually like me.”

“You’ve changed,” Eitan said, taking a seat. “The kid who hid on the ground on the other side of the bed with his nose buried in a comic book is gone. You’ve decided that some people are okay.”

“Some people,” Sten said. “I’ve already bought my tickets for ComicCon, so some things don’t change.” He stood up, stuffing his keys and wallet in his pockets. The flipflops were replaced with a pair of docksiders. “Let’s move.”

Eitan doggedly followed, only to have Sten take his arm and hustle him down the hallway. “This isn’t about the sex thing again, is it?”

“No,” Eitan said. “I’m glad to pass along the nano, Sten; I want you to have it. Nothing new, my concern is how discriminating you’ve been with your choice of partner for this. You don’t talk about her. In fact, you haven’t even told me her name.”

“You know her, and you’ve met her,” Sten said. “Just use your good manners and enjoy the surprise, alright?” They walked several blocks before turning into a small Greek restaurant with half of the counter in back dedicated to takeaway. The place only had eight tables. At one of the tables against the wall, a young black woman lifted her head and smiled at them.

“Tanisha,” Eitan whispered with near reverence. He looked at his brother and punched him in the shoulder. “Who else would go to ComicCon with you?”

“Girl, you are a sight for sore eyes,” Eitan said, sweeping her into a hug. “I never thought I would see a good part of our past again.” He held her at arm’s length. “Tell me, why are you hanging out with my poorly housebroken brother again?”

She laughed before returning to her seat. Eitan sat across from her while his brother went to the counter to order. By the time they had caught up on the past couple of years, Eitan had cleaned his tray. He was not sure what he had eaten either. His stomach was full, but more importantly, he was completely at ease.

“Wow,” he said, “I needed to talk to you, and I didn’t know why. Talking over a meal with you reminds me of what we used to have. I truly miss our home.”

Tanisha and Sten both nodded their heads in agreement.

“It’s all gone,” Tanisha said. “The research center was closed after what happened to you and to Sammi’s family. When the Foundation came and removed the gates, that was the end of the village. The Salloway family agreed to expand their farm, taking the entire site under a caretaker agreement. I heard there were plans to turn the village into a dude ranch for families, but we had left before anything was final.”

“What happened to Sammi?” Eitan asked. “I never spoke to her again.”

“The whole family was a mess,” Tanisha said. “Her brother was the one they kidnapped and held hostage. He tried to commit suicide. They won a seven million dollar settlement against Whitcomb personally and another sum against the corporation. I don’t think the money matters much to them though. The last I heard they had moved to Portland.”

“We should have fallen apart like they did,” Eitan said to Sten. “They kidnapped me.”

“Not you guys,” Tanisha said, taking a final slurp of her soda. “You guys never backed down from a fight. You two always fought hard and you never let anyone intimidate you. Then there were your parents. Joseph would reach down and capture me in a huge bear hug, making me believe that I was standing in the safest place on earth. Then Nikki would sit me down and make clear that Sten had better be treating me right. Bonus credit: Sammi, Maggie and I all agreed your mom could cook.”

Eitan’s mood suddenly plummeted.

“Hey, what did I say?” Tanisha asked, worriedly.

“We haven’t seen Joseph and Nikki in over a year,” Sten said. “We like to pretend we’re all grown up and out of the house, but we want our parents back. Eitan and Akemi cannot travel overseas easily, and they will not receive permission to travel to Singapore to visit them in any case. Don’t worry about it, Tanisha, it’s hard somedays.”