Before leaving, Aaron suggested I change if I wanted to. I was confused. I felt comfortable in my Old World clothing; the simple shirt, pants, and suspenders had always been enough for me.
"Your choice," Aaron said, his tone light and nonjudgmental. "You might get teased a bit. I just wanted to warn you."
I chose not to change into the modern clothing. Aaron accepted me for who I was; why would his family be any different? In fact, the only person who's so far made any kind of reaction to me being dressed this way was the proprietor of the pizza establishment.
We got into Aaron's car and drove through the city. We were leaving behind the tall buildings. In fact, the houses were starting to look almost normal to me. Crossing a green space dotted with trees and metal constructs milling around with gardening tools, Aaron explained that his parents lived in a suburban-style community with a small batch of shops, a quaint school, and a limited number of attractions.
It was almost like a modern version of my home village—just nestled inside this sprawling, futuristic city.
Our driving pace slowed considerably as we ventured deeper into the suburban area, giving me an opportunity to observe the locals. Dozens of people walked around with personal computers and glasses like Aaron's. The kids, however, didn't seem to have the devices. They were focused on playing with various remote control vehicles, both rolling along the ground and flying through the air. Their laughter and excitement filled the air, making me feel oddly at ease.
Aaron took a few turns through streets lined with flowering trees that didn't make sense for fall. He caught my puzzled expression and explained that they were custom-bred to flower year-round. The vibrant hues of pink, purple, and white blossoms brought bursts of color to the otherwise earth-toned neighborhood.
We pulled into the driveway of a house that, aside from a few differences in color and size, reminded me of my childhood home. It was two stories, but the windows were larger and tinted nearly black. The yard was immaculately manicured but with no house animals in sight. An abundance of flowers and berry-laden shrubs attracted birds and squirrels that chattered loudly among themselves.
As we walked up to the house, an impossibly loud barking erupted. My heart raced, and I froze, then stumbled backward, looking at Aaron for reassurance. He laughed and said, "He's just a puppy. Don't worry; he won't bite."
No sooner had he spoken than the door opened, and the largest dog I'd ever seen leaped onto Aaron's shoulders, its front paws gripping him as it licked his face with a giant tongue. Then the dog turned its gaze on me. My blood ran cold, and I found myself rooted to the spot from the growl that came from the giant tooth-lined maw.
A man who bore a striking resemblance to Aaron emerged from the house and grabbed the dog by the collar, yanking it back. "Down!" he commanded. "I know you haven't seen him for a while from your perspective, but it's only been a week." He looked at Aaron and greeted him warmly: "Good evening, son."
Turning to me, he man sized me up from head to toe. "I'm Thomas Sterling," he said. "You must be Aaron's friend he warned us about." Leaning to the dog and pointing at me, he added, "Friends." The growl stopped instantly.
A voice came from inside the house. "Oh my... Honey, Aaron told us not to warn us about the guest, just to say he invited a friend!" A woman appeared in the doorway, her smile bright but her eyes tinged with sadness. "Sorry about him; he has an unintentional mean streak. I'm Patricia." She put an arm around Thomas's waist as he held the giant dog with the other hand. "Hi, son. Ready to come in?"
I nodded hesitantly, still somewhat intimidated by their massive dog but determined to make a good impression. We stepped inside the house, and I marveled and gawked at the pristine interior. The mixture of advanced technology with homey touches made me feel oddly at ease. There were several screens I saw already, and a little round thing was scurrying around the floor. Otherwise, the couches and décor wouldn't be that out of place in my village.
"Your home is lovely," I said, trying to break the ice.
"Thank you," Patricia replied, her eyes crinkling into a genuine smile. "We try to make it as welcoming as possible."
I followed behind Aaron and his parents, my heart thumping in my chest. Thomas suddenly turned to me, a sly grin on his face. "So, Eli, you're from the Old World communities?" Both Aaron and his mom sighed at the same time.
nen
nta"Yes, sir," I replied, trying to keep the nervousness out of my voice.
Thomas laughed. "Well, you for sure have the proper manners of someone from there. What does your family do?"
I gulped, feeling my cheeks redden. "My family runs a farm."
"What kind of Old Worlder are you again?" Thomas prodded, clearly not letting his wife's and son's disapproval discourage his curiosity.
Before I could answer, "Thomas, behave. You know you're being rude!" Patricia scolded him.
"I'm not sure what you mean, sir," I admitted, attempting to diffuse the situation. Just then, a giant cat walked up to me, sniffed, and sauntered away nonchalantly. Patricia smiled at the interaction. "Looks like he likes you."
"Wh-Why do you have a mountain lion living in your house?" I stammered, still shocked by the size of the feline.
Aaron and his parents all looked confused at me. Patricia chuckled and said, "That's our house cat!"
As we entered the kitchen, a girl a few years younger than me and Aaron introduced herself as Aaron's sister. "Hello, I'm Chloe." She was setting the table, which was full of mouth-watering food. I glanced around the kitchen, recognizing only about a third of the equipment in there. "Hello, I'm Eli Miller."
"Well, food is ready, dessert is in the oven and the autochef. Everyone ready to eat?" Patricia asked. Everyone but me chimed in with a resounding "Yes." As we sat down, I tried really hard not to feel out of place in my clothing and demeanor.
I stared at the array of dishes before me, a smorgasbord of colors and smells that left me overwhelmed. In the midst of all this, I felt like an outsider in their home, not knowing where to start.
I watched as Aaron and his family filled their plates, trying to gauge the appropriate amount of each dish to serve myself. In my family, we usually had some sort of pot meal with salad in the peak season, preserved food in the off-season, and bread whenever mom had time to make it. The variety of food on this dinner table rivaled that of our harvest celebrations; I recognized just over half of the dishes. But all the flavors blended together perfectly, and the textures were amazing. As I dug into my meal, I couldn't help but be distracted by the food.
While eating, I also paid close attention to the conversation unfolding around me. Aaron asked Chloe how working for their dad was going. She replied with a smirk, "Better than being a glorified robodriver sitter."
Thomas and Patricia exchanged glances before redirecting the conversation. Aaron then asked if the family would go to his art competition. Both Thomas and Chloe apologized, saying they'd be busy with business matters. Patricia mentioned she would be proctoring tests but might make it to the end.
Suddenly, the focus shifted to me again as Patricia inquired, "How do you like the food?"
Caught off guard mid-chew, I nodded, swallowing desperately. "It's amazing. Thank you!" I managed to say.
"Dear, don't choke!" Patricia laughed along with the rest of the family. "I wasn't trying to put you on the spot. Tom," she turned to her husband, "when was the last time we went to a festival in the old world villages?"
Thomas looked at his wife and shrugged. Patricia continued, "Well, in any case, I remember the food being a lot simpler, but it tasted fresher and more real. Ever since we got the greenhouses repaired after the hurricane, we've been able to get good produce."
Thomas heaped more food onto his plate and then offered me some. I gratefully accepted, my plate now brimming with an assortment of dishes again. "So," he asked, leaning back in his chair, "how long have you been in the city? How do you like it so far?"
I smiled, remembering how Aaron had picked me up just yesterday. "Well, Aaron found me on his way here. I had planned to walk to the city and go door-to-door until I found his home."
Aaron's mouth dropped open, food falling out, earning a scolding from his mother. "Manners!" she chided.
His sister chimed in with a disgusted, "Gross!"
But Aaron ignored them, shaking his head in disbelief. "Eli, it's like eighty miles from the warehouse to your village! And there are close to 150,000 people living here."
My brain struggled to wrap itself around that number of people. After blinking several times, I answered his second question. "So far, I think it's fascinating. I came here to see Aaron's art, but there are so many things I never could have imagined!"
"By the way," Chloe interjected, "I've never had an opportunity to ask - what do Old Worlders do for fun?"
I blushed a little but answered her honestly. "Well, we work. A lot. But we have spare time. We have a movie theater, though it isn't updated very often. We have television, but that has a lot of reruns. The library of movies is also limited. And I think I've read every even semi-interesting book from our library."
"Sad, but makes sense," Chloe replied with a sympathetic nod.
Aaron tried to stifle a laugh. "He's not a puppy, Chloe!"
She shot him an angry look. "Oh, shut up."
"Enough!" Thomas growled menacingly. "Not at the table!"
I chimed up again. "But I'm sure you have many more opportunities here in the city for entertainment. Everything here is so... much bigger, brighter, and more interesting."
"Ready for dessert?" Patricia asked, changing the subject. In unison, we all answered, "Yes."
Aaron and Chloe rose to help clear the table, and I tried to join them, but Aaron laughed and stopped me. "Nah, man, you're our guest," he said. "Sit and wait. Entertain Dad if you can."
Thomas gave me a menacing smile as Patricia grumbled, "I do wish you kids learned proper language..." Chloe and Aaron moved around the kitchen, putting leftovers into boxes and loading the dishwasher – which was notably bigger than the one in Aaron's apartment.
Patricia set the table with three kinds of sweets and a bowl of cut fruit I didn't recognize. Thomas looked at me intently before asking, "Are you personally rethinking the Old World Ways? How long are you staying, anyway?"
I hesitated for a moment, earning an understanding smile from Thomas. "I'm not sure who's right and wrong. Growing up, I was taught that there's Evil in modernity, in progress without purpose. But I don't know. Not that details were ever given about what that looked like." I admitted. " And I was planning on going home after the Art competition."
As we all sat back down, Patricia, Aaron, and Chloe helped themselves to the sweets and fruit, and I joined in. "Well, your family beliefs have merit for sure," Patricia said, casting a sad glance at her husband. Thomas put a hand on hers and nodded reasonably.
"The Old Worlders and we actually have a similar philosophy," he explained. "We just disagree on where the line for technology should be."
I looked over at Aaron, confused. He sighed before saying, "Eli, we aren't living at the most extreme level of technology either. But I guess that's a conversation for later." I decided not to press the issue, my mind still reeling from everything I'd seen so far. How could this not be the pinnacle of technological achievement?
As dinner came to an end and we cleared the rest of the dishes, I felt my nerves settling down. The laughter and warmth of Aaron's family had made me feel more at ease than I had expected.
"Are you ready to come home yet?" Thomas asked Aaron, a hint of hope in his voice.
Aaron shook his head. "Not yet. I'm still finding myself."
Thomas looked sad but nodded. Then he turned to me. "Eli, as an old worlder, you didn't bring any tech with you, right? Want some of my old stuff I have lying around? It's a bit older and a little junked up, but it still works."
I glanced at Aaron for guidance, and he gave me a small shrug, nodding his approval. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," I replied.
"I'm not sure if you'll be able to take it back with you," Thomas warned. "But if you want, you can at least get a feel for it while you're here."
He left the room and returned with a box. "It's a phone and a datalink. It's not as fancy as Aaron's AR glasses, but it'll allow you to access the local and world nets. No need to return it. And if you have questions, just ask Aaron."
"Thank you," I said, accepting the box, unsure of what lay ahead but eager to learn.
As we prepared to leave, Patricia handed us three bags filled with leftovers and other food. "This is to ensure you have enough to eat. I don't want you eating pizza and takeout three meals a day."
Aaron laughed. "Mom, do I look like I'm eating takeout three times a day?"
Patricia rolled her eyes and walked away, chuckling. Chloe teased her brother. "You do look a bit rounder in the middle," she said with a grin, quickly retreating from any potential retaliation.
We left Aaron's childhood home as the sky was darkening, the sun giving way to the evening hues. As we walked outside, I was taken aback by the sight that greeted us. Many of the trees around us were glowing softly, their leaves shimmering with an ethereal light. It was like stepping into a scene from a fairytale.
"Aaron, the trees... they're shining," I said, my voice filled with wonder.
He glanced at them, a hint of amusement in his expression. "It's bioluminescence. Some neighborhoods do it because they think it looks cool," he explained.
The drive to Aaron's home was short, but the sight of those glowing trees stayed with me. We didn't talk much during the drive; I was too absorbed in my thoughts, reflecting on the day's experiences and the warmth of Aaron's family. Aaron had moved to the nearest towers project to his parents' home, less than a ten-minute drive.
Back at Aaron's place, he took the time to help me set up the devices Thomas had given me. The process was intriguing, and I found myself engrossed in learning the nuances of this new technology. The interface was somewhat similar to the e-book Aaron had gifted me three years back, which made it a tad easier for me to navigate.
He chuckled at my childish attempts to figure this out. With his help, I managed to obtain a temporary phone number and set up an email account. My first attempt at sending a message was clumsy, my fingers unaccustomed to the sleek, responsive screen.
Aaron couldn't help but laugh as he watched me type a message to my family. "You'll get the hang of it," he assured me and went to the kitchen to put away the leftovers his mom gave us.
I sent a simple message back home to my father's email he gave me: "I'm safe. Sending a message from a new device that was gifted to me. Best wishes. Say hello to everyone." It felt strange to communicate through this method.
The rest of my evening, and well into the night, was spent exploring the capabilities of the datalink and phone. I delved into encyclopedias, lost myself in stories from online libraries, and marveled at the sheer volume of information at my fingertips. It was overwhelming but exhilarating. Each article and each story opened a new window to a world I had never known, feeding my curiosity and igniting a thirst for knowledge.
As I finally set the devices aside, my mind buzzed with new ideas and questions. The world outside my village was vast and complex, filled with wonders and mysteries that I had only begun to uncover. Lying on the couch that night, the glow of the city lights seeping through the curtains, I felt a mix of exhaustion and excitement. I was no longer just Eli from the village; I was becoming someone new, someone who belonged to both worlds.