Rare Mornings

Thana appeared deep in thought during our drive to her father's. I should have been more worried about what was going through her mind, but I was more thankful for the silence. At least then I could let my guard down a little and not be interrogated.

We parked in the same area from yesterday, and eager to make my time with Thana end as soon as possible, I made my way to the dark tunnel that connected this area to the courtyard. I stopped at the entrance when I realized she was no longer behind me. After another moment Thana caught up with me with a bag of produce in her hands. I eyed the goods curiously as she walked past me and into the tunnel. It irked me how graceful she walked despite the bag, never a hair out of place.

I froze in place as soon as I stepped into the courtyard and just stared at the ceiling. The sky illusion created a beautiful clear blue morning with touches of pale golds and oranges.

"Does it make you miss home?" Thana asked suddenly beside me.

I continued to look up at it, watching the thin wisps of clouds slowly move across the faux sky. "Not exactly," I said at last. "Morning skies were not this beautiful towards the end. I am sure you have had more beautiful Earth mornings than I have." I looked toward Thana, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Let us hope there are many mornings like this to see," she said before turning and walking through the empty courtyard to her father's door.

We waited for several minutes after Thana's firm knock. At first I was worried that Thanh didn't hear it, perhaps still asleep somewhere inside. Then, after recalling the state Geo and I found him in yesterday, I was worried something bad might have happened to him while we were gone. If Thana was worried she didn't show it. Instead she stood at the door with her back straight, almost as if she were preparing to challenge it.

I finally heard shuffling on the other side of the door and sighed with relief. Once the door opened Thanh immediately met Thana's eyes. For a moment his widened in surprise, a flicker of warmth lightening them before once again turning cold.

"And to what do I owe this honor, Councilwoman?" Thanh asked with a formal and distant politeness. I glanced at Thana and realized she wasn't preparing to challenge the door for not opening, she was preparing to face her father's disappointment.

"Flora still has work to do here, and Geo said you needed supplies." Her tone was calm, but I could feel the tension between them. After a moment Thanh stepped to the side and allowed us into his home.

"The documents are on the table you worked at yesterday," Thanh informed me with an authoritative tone, making me wonder what he must have been like as the leader of this pod. Looking between the father and daughter, I realized he said it not just to inform me but to direct me. I nodded and quickly made my way to the table.

Everything on the table was just how I left it the day prior, making me smile. For a moment I thought he rearranged it for my return, or perhaps he carefully left it knowing I would be back soon. As I was taking my seat, something near Thanh's chair caught my eye. It was a broken dish haphazardly swept to the side to try and hide it from view. I glanced back up to Thanh and Thana in the hallway deep in conversation, Thanh's arm cradled to his side. The proud man followed his daughter into the kitchen to continue their conversation, and once they were out of sight I quickly cleaned up the broken pieces.

A part of me worried about what they were talking about, but I tried not to focus on it. Instead, I focused on picking up each piece and placing it in the napkin I found on his chair, reminding myself that they had many more thing to talk about than me.

I was back in my seat and flipping to the next page of my document when I heard the front door open followed by a firm shut. I looked up to see Thanh slowly shake his head before he turned and looked at me. His gaze was cool and indifferent, and I quickly looked back to my document. I could feel him watching me for another minute before he disappeared into another room.

This would happen periodically while I was working. I would be taking notes and taking pictures of every page I could get my hands on when I would suddenly feel another presence in the room. After nearly an hour of working Thanh quietly made his way across the room towards his chair. In the corner of my eye I saw him pause in front of it before glancing over at me. I pretended not to notice as he slowly sat in his chair with a document of his own.

The silence while we worked was companionable, and even though we didn't speak, I think it helped ease Thanh's loneliness a little. I was afraid to break the calm atmosphere, but after a while it could not be helped.

"I saw that Thana brought food with her this morning," I ventured carefully. Thanh's head jerked up, startled at the sudden disruption. He tensed at the mention of his daughter, but he eventually nodded. "If it is ok with you, I'll get started on some lunch." He looked conflicted, as if he was unsure what to make of me. After another moment he nodded again.

I gave him a small smile before carefully setting my documents aside and making my way to the kitchen. I looked through the small space, opening all the cabinets and fridge to come up with something to eat. For a moment I was at a loss on what to make with the ingredients available but eventually decided on a salad.

I gathered my ingredients and placed them on the counter when I suddenly noticed Thanh at the door.

"There is something I need to ask you," he said, and my heart nearly stopped.