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K. A. Webb ([personal profile] k_a_webb) wrote2014-07-31 04:30 pm

AU Kim’s Earth: Joel: Meeting Anna (part 4)

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

“They were trying to simplify something that can’t be simplified,” Anna said, shrugging. “It’s all well and good proving that you can look after a baby in theory, but in practice it’s a very different thing. Of course the other real problem is life. You never have any way of knowing what might be coming next, so you might be married one week and preparing to have your new baby in a couple of months only to find out the next that your husband is cheating on you with your next door neighbour because he doesn’t find your pregnant body attractive.”

“Actually that happened to my aunt.” Joel sighed. “They’d been married for ten years at that point and had decided they were both ready to have a baby, but it turned out that he really wasn’t, even though he’d passed the tests the same way my aunt had. I don’t think of him as family any more, not after what he did to her, and my aunt ended up unable to cope with the baby, because she’d never expected to have to do it alone. When it happened she came to us, sobbing, her one chance of being a parent gone, as the World Government wouldn’t let her have another baby in the future, not even if she proved she was ready.”

“Did she kick him out?”

“No, he walked out. She was willing to give him another chance, because she loved him, but it turned out that he didn’t feel the same way. In the end he found a flat for himself and he told her that he’d pay maintenance, even though he didn’t want anything more to do with the baby. The last I heard he was still with the woman who was my aunt’s next door neighbour. Unsurprisingly my aunt moved out of the house they’d shared. For a while she lived with us, before moving to Europe with a little caravan, the plan being to travel the world before she died. Every so often we’d get post cards, but I have no idea what happened to her.” Joel bit his lip. “I don’t even know what country she was in when they announced that the injection was going to be given to everyone above the age of consent.”

“I hope she finds somewhere safe.” Anna gently took hold of Joel’s hand, which surprised him. “Let’s get you sorted out, because the next thing we need to do is find somewhere safe ourselves.”

Joel nodded. “I know.” He looked at the house, where his parents were, and let her tug him in that direction, knowing that he wouldn’t have gone for any other reason. “Are you sure about us finding somewhere safe?”

“No, but it does seem to be the only thing we can do, if we’re going to survive. I’m not sure I want to survive and yet I don’t want to give up either, even though this world…” She looked around. “When I woke up I had no idea how bad things were and now I do know I wish I didn’t.”

Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.