Forager (9 page)

"The young woman I have chosen for your wife, and her family, are joining us for dinner. I figured you would like to meet her before the big day."

I think my reply came out as a strangled squeak. Traditionally, all brides in Newhome were chosen by the bridegrooms' father. I knew this day would come, but I certainly did not expect it to come today. I told Father on numerous occasions that I had no desire to marry before I was thirty. "Very well, see you soon."

I hung up the phone and stood there, dumbfounded. I really, really didn't want to do this today. The legal marriageable age in Newhome was eighteen, and though most girls got married close to that age, the men did not. They normally married between the ages of twenty and thirty. So why was my father in such a rush?

It was a short walk to my parents flat, as their apartment block was directly behind mine. As I walked, I realised my mind was not pondering the girl my father had chosen for me to marry. Rather, it was fixed on a mysterious Japanese girl I feared I had inadvertently snubbed, and on the fate of my friend who was to spend the next six years in prison.

When I entered my parent’s home, for a moment I thought I had entered the wrong flat. Sitting at the dinner table on the far side of the room was Sergeant King, albeit in civilian clothes. Seated at the head of the table beside him was a man who was obviously his father since they shared the same large, muscular frame and facial features. On the senior King’s left sat two women who had their backs to me – one with greying hair and the other brown.

My initial reaction to this scene was one of stunned confusion, but upon observing my father and younger sister sitting at the opposite end of the dinner table – which had been extended to seat ten – my world collapsed about me. The only logical conclusion I could reach from this unlikely scene was that the girl my father had chosen to be my wife was Sergeant King’s sister!

With a flash of revelation, I realised why King had let me off with just a verbal warning today. He couldn’t have come home and told his father that he had locked up his sister’s husband-to-be, now could he?

“Come in, Ethan,” Father said as he rose to his feet to welcome me.

The others stood and my father introduced everyone. The sergeant's father, Aiden King, shook my hand with a vise-like grip that almost crushed mine. Sergeant King himself – Liam – studied me with a rather disturbing intensity as his handshake crushed the few bones in my hand that had survived his father's grip. I could not even begin to imagine what thoughts were going through his head right now, as surely I was the last person in Newhome he wanted as a brother-in-law. Mrs King, who glanced at me briefly as she gently shook my hand, was nearly as tall as I.

My bride to be, Sienna, was introduced last, and although in her mid teens, had already reached her mother’s height. She had a strikingly beautiful face – thankfully with her mother’s looks – long brown hair, and a slim figure, which like mine, had not yet filled out.

The introductions over, I sat on my father’s right, opposite Younger Sister, while my mother and older sister brought in the pumpkin soup entrees in fine-China soup bowls.

As we sipped slowly on pumpkin soup made as only my mother could make it, Mr. King Senior began his attack. "Your father has told me much about you, Ethan, but I would like to hear from you too. Tell me, what do you consider to be the most important things in life?"

I shot my father a piercing glare – he had obviously been communicating with Aiden King for some time, so what was with the mere ten-minute warning he gave me? Did he think I would have gone AWOL if he had given me advance warning? If I were honest with myself, that’s probably exactly what I would have done.

"Family," I replied. "Family is the most important thing, with friends coming a close second. And not to use them or take advantage of them, but to give generously as well as receive. To put their needs and concerns equal or above my own."

"A respectable answer," Aiden replied, though I got the clear impression it wasn’t the one he sought. "You are on a metals foraging team, correct?"

"That's right, Sir. That's been my vocation since leaving school.”

“I believe it is in that capacity that you have met my son,” Mr. King Senior replied.

“That's correct, Sir. Sergeant – I mean – Liam, is in command of the Custodian squad assigned to protect my foraging team.”

"It's lieutenant now, actually. Liam's valour against the Skel who ambushed those two cars from Hamamachi earned him a promotion and a service medal," he boasted.

"Is that right?" I glanced over at Liam, who met my gaze squarely, almost daring me to contradict his father. I wondered what story he had given his superiors when he made his report. Of course, I couldn't exactly be angry or resentful for his lies and commendation. Those lies were the very thing that saved my teammates and I from receiving a prison sentence for having illegal weapons. And for ignoring his direct orders.

Completely missing the sarcasm in my voice, King Senior continued proudly. "My son's goal is to achieve the rank of major so that he and his wife can live in North End. After that he will continue his ascent through the ranks until he becomes a general."

King had a wife? I found that thought rather unsettling. I hope the poor woman was as tough as nails. Imagine waking up next to him every morning?

“What are your plans for the future, Son?”

I ain’t your son
, I wanted to snap back, but aware of my father’s iron gaze fixed upon me, I answered civilly. “Just the dreams of teenager, Sir,” I answered vaguely, since I couldn't exactly tell him about my plans for the future. I only wanted to help my younger sister regain her health and then run away during a foraging trip and never return. Dreams I would have to forsake if I married Sienna King.

A swift kick under the table from my father informed me that I had given the wrong answer, so I tried harder. “Honestly, I guess my plans are to get married, have kids, and raise them to be responsible, productive citizens.”

King Senior was frowning, as was Liam. Still the wrong answer. What did they want me to say?

“Come on, Son, don't be modest. Foraging is obviously a stepping-stone you are using towards your future career. Tell us what it is."

I could shoot my father for not letting me prepare for this, for how could I possibly answer that question without lying? I decided to veer the conversation off on a tangent. "Well Sir, as you probably guessed, foragers have a whole host of job opportunities available to them, especially in the manufacturing industry. Before I go into all that, may I ask Sienna some questions?”

“Very well,” King Senior said, although he was clearly annoyed by my blatant attempt at dodging his questions.

“Thank you, Sir,” I said, and turned to Sienna. “What do you expect from a husband, Sienna?” I asked, too lost to think of anything else to say. The truth was that Sienna was not the kind of girl to cause interesting questions to spring effortlessly to mind. On the other hand, I couldn't help but think of all the questions I could ask Nanako. How long would she stay in Newhome? How old was she? Where had she learned to cook and where did she pick up her broad Aussie accent? Moreover, I wanted to know why she was interested in me and why she was crying on the roof that night.

"Sienna is looking for a reliable, dependable husband with a…” her father began.

I held up my hand, rudely cutting him off. “If you don’t mind, Sir, can Sienna answer the question please?”

King Senior glared, but nodded his consent all the same. And this time I ignored the painful kick I received from my father. I wondered how many bruises my leg would sport by the evening’s end.

Sienna spoke haltingly at first and then with more confidence as she went on. “My goal – my dream, is to live in North End. What I want in a husband – in you – is for you to work your way to the top of your profession as quickly as you can, change to a more challenging vocation, work your way to the top as before, and keep doing this until a door opens for you to get a job in North End.”

Was this to be my future? To marry into the King family to a beautiful yet manipulative and controlling wife, whose only purpose in marriage was to use it – to use me – as her ticket into North End? North End, the very place I had been avoiding my whole life?

I could already tell I would never be good enough for her, and for the first time I resented the custom of father's choosing their sons' wives. I didn't want this.

I wondered how things were done in Hamamachi. Would Nanako’s father choose her husband? I wished my father had arranged for Nanako to be my wife instead of Sienna. Unfortunately, such thoughts were vain imaginings, and I knew it.

"Is everything alright, Ethan?"

I realised I had zoned out while Sienna was speaking to me, staring blankly into space as she droned on. Great, what did this mean for our marriage to come? "My apologies, I've had a pretty stressful day." Thoughts of Leigh, shocked and terrified, filled my mind, along with the image of Nanako's despondent face when I drove away without receiving her homemade obento lunch.

Sienna nodded in understanding, and then glanced at my father and her brother before continuing. “When your father contacted us with this marriage proposal, he said you have great intelligence and potential and that there is nothing you could not do if you set your mind to it. My brother, having met you, is of the same opinion.”

I didn’t see that compliment coming. Had I done the impossible and impressed Lieutenant King on the day we rescued the Japanese? I sent a fleeting look in his direction, which he returned with an unfathomable expression. I found it hard to believe that after his put downs and derisive looks, he was willing to have me as a member of his family.

At this point my mother and older sister brought in the main course – roast chicken with oven baked turnips, potato and carrots, and garnished with a side salad. She had spared no expense to impress the King family.

After the meal, my father and Mr. King Senior conversed at length, with some input from Liam. I found it difficult to focus on what they were saying and did not get involved unless spoken to directly.

The King family bade us farewell, and then my father and I accompanied them to the door. It was decided our families would dine together again tomorrow night, to finalise the wedding plans. Now that Sienna was eighteen, Mr. King Senior wanted her to marry within two months.

I got to work early again the next morning after spending a restless night worrying that Nanako wouldn’t bring me lunch today. I stood beside our truck with Michal, Shorty and David as we waited for King and his Custodian squad to arrive.

A horrible feeling of unease worked through me, beginning in my mind and spreading into my stomach, where it remained. It would evaporate instantly if I could but hear Nanako’s footsteps in the street outside, but regardless of how attentively I listened, she did not come.

The Recycling-Works glass doors swung open and a barrel-chested man strode purposely towards us. His head was shaven and he wore a forager's get-up.

“Who's he when he's at home?” Shorty asked suspiciously.

The man, who topped me by at least ten years, stopped when he reached us. “Okay guys, gather around.”

“Who are you?” I demanded. With the Custodians joining our foraging trips, Leigh’s arrest, and the shock announcement that I was about to get married, I was not in the mood for any more surprises.

“I'm your new team leader. The name’s Cooper, but you can call me Boss,” he announced in a no-nonsense voice.

So much for no more surprises.

“Excuse me?” Shorty snapped angrily.

Cooper stared down at Shorty and answered him curtly. “Concern has been raised over the reckless behaviour of your previous team leader, and due to my extensive experience in said role, I have been assigned to replace him.”

“I'm standing right here!” I shot at him, wondering who on earth had decided to lumber us with him, when I recalled Sergeant King accusing me of those very same words. So this was his doing. Perhaps he was afraid he was about to lose his future brother-in-law and his sister’s ticket into North End.

“Good for you,” he snapped.

“Forget it, Cooper,” Shorty said, deliberately drawing out his name. “We’ve got a team leader and he’s done alright by us. You can go back to whoever gave you your marching orders, and tell ‘em to stick ‘em up…”

Michal might have been tall, but he was fast too. His hand clamped over Shorty’s mouth before he could finish. “Shorty’s got a point, Cooper,” he said in a more polite tone, “what we need is another worker to replace Leigh, not a new leader. Who gave you your orders?”

“Sergeant King,” he replied.

My suspicions were correct. This insult felt like the last straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. All of our freedoms while foraging were gone now. Not only were Custodians following us everywhere, ensuring we no longer got up to extracurricular activities, now this stooge was gonna be with us every moment of every work day too.

The thought also occurred to me that as King had appointed him, Cooper might be a Custodian informant.

“So, we’re all good now?” Cooper asked condescendingly.

“Super,” David replied as he glanced at me, hoping I could do something to get rid of this clown.

“Right then, here’s the way I do things,” he began. “Rule number one, and this is hard and fast – we are a foraging team, not a Custodian squad – we do not engage Skel in combat for any reason. If you see a Skel, sound the alarm and retreat. Rule number two, my word is law. If I say something, you do it straight away, and without fussing. Rule number three, we are out there to collect metals, and nothing else. If I so much as catch one of you guys even peeking at anything else, I’ll bust your chops.”

The Custodian Bushmaster chose that moment to arrive, backing carefully into the yard until it was next to our truck. As Cooper rushed off to speak to King, I motioned for the guys to come closer. “As long as this Cooper guy is with us, don’t ask me to do tongue-clicks to find things, okay?”

“Why?” David asked.

“If the Custodians hear about it, they may suspect Ethan is something other than what he is,” Michal explained.

“But blind people can do it,” David pointed out.

“I know,” I replied, “but I'm not blind, so just don’t mention it, okay?”

“So what the blazes are we gonna do to spot Skel booby traps?” Shorty demanded.

“We’ll just have to be careful, like usual.” I didn’t tell him that before the Custodians joined us, I bounced ultrasonic shouts off our surroundings to check for traps. Now we were really gonna be in the dark.

King approached us with Cooper in tow. "I hear you boys have met your new team leader."

We shifted about in agitation, but no one said anything. I made eye contact with my future brother-in-law and wanted to protest, to scream blue murder, but I knew it wouldn’t achieve anything so I kept my mouth shut.

"Right then, let's get this show on the road," King said once it was clear that we were going to take the leadership change lying down.

"I'll drive. Who's got the keys?" Cooper asked. Michal handed them over.

I could have said something, but was too focused on what I was hoping to hear – Nanako's footsteps. What if she came while we were driving off? I did not want it to look like I was snubbing her efforts a second time.

"Jones, get your butt in gear!" Cooper bellowed.

I glanced at my watch and my hopes floundered on the rocks of despair when I saw it was five past nine. She wasn't coming. I must have hurt her feelings yesterday and extinguished her interest in me. I knew nothing could have come of it, but I wanted to talk to her, even if only briefly. Deflated, I walked to the truck and sat beside Cooper.
Thanks so much, Michal for sitting in the back and forcing me to sit next to the doofus.
I stared daggers at Michal in the rear view mirror, and he rewarded me with the barest hint of a smile.

Cooper drove to a street in Carlton with a crumbling, weed-overgrown footpath and an asphalt road that was cracked and pitted. The houses in this street were quite old and of brick construction, so were still structurally intact. Though much of the woodwork had rotted away long ago, and all the windows were smashed or blown in.

"Right boys," Cooper said after we climbed out of the truck. "The Recycling-Works says we're running low on lead, so kit up and we'll strip these houses bare."

I glanced at King, who was standing outside the Bushmaster, which was parked beside the truck. He was watching me keenly, wondering how I would react to my demotion. "We've already done this street, Cooper." I said.

"Is that right, Jones? In that case, follow me and I'll show you all the spots you missed." His tone was patronising.

"We didn't miss anything," I assured him flatly.

He patted me on the shoulder. "Ah, the arrogance of youth. Now follow me. After I've shown you the places to find lead, we'll split up and tackle the houses in two teams."

Cooper unhooked a ladder from the truck, placed it against the nearest house, and addressed us as though we were fresh out of school. "You'll find lead sheeting used as flashing around the sides of the chimneys and electrical wire connections." He clambered to the top of the ladder, and then stopped, surprised. "Oh, those spots have been stripped."

After that, he led us throughout the house, looking for lead sheeting in the cornices, around the bases of down pipes, in the conductor heads and window frames, and so on, until he had exhausted every possible source of lead – and didn’t find a single scrap.

"Told you we didn't miss anything," I said.

Cooper glared at me. "You know Jones; foraging teams have worked these suburbs for a hundred years, so how do I know that you're the ones who stripped this house?"

My teammates, who had been gloating at our victory, glanced unsurely at one another. How were we going to prove we'd done it?

I so wanted to smash my fist into Cooper’s cocky, know-it-all expression, but I somehow – barely – managed to resist the urge. "Take a look inside the roof above the laundry manhole," I replied. "You'll find some things we found but left behind, you know, since Newhome citizens aren’t allowed to touch them."

Cooper grabbed the stepladder and stomped back into the house. He returned a moment later with three rifles wrapped in plastic. "You're supposed to return all firearms to the Recycling-Works so they can be given to the Custodians, something I’m sure you are aware of."

"Proves we're the ones who stripped the house, doesn't it?" I ignored his comment completely.

Cooper stuck his face an inch from mine. "I don't like you, Jones." With that, he stomped off to present the rifles to the Custodians.

My teammates and I gave each other inconspicuous high-fives.

"Score one for our team, Jones," laughed Shorty.

After that, we drove around our assigned sector of Melbourne striking out time and again. After eating our lunches in the truck – apparently, you don’t need an actual lunch break if you don’t do any physical work – Cooper found an old restaurant with thin lead sheets used to waterproof the floor.

My teammates would not speak to Cooper as we worked, except to answer direct questions, and they always called him ‘Cooper,’ not ‘Boss,’ which annoyed him to no end. To rub salt in the wound, they called me 'Boss' instead. My friends were the best. For myself, I was so deep in the doldrums because Nanako didn’t show up this morning that I barely spoke a word.

When I got home that evening, I had a quick shower and dressed in my neatest casuals. I had to be at my parent’s flat soon to finalise the details of my pending marriage.

The thought of marrying a girl like Sienna King gave me the shudders. To be honest, I knew that few marriages in Newhome involved loving relationships, but all the same, I had always hoped to respect and get on with my wife. I couldn't see that ever happening with her.

A knock on my door snapped me out of my reverie. Thinking the guys had dropped over for a visit, I pulled the door open and my heart stopped.

Standing in front of me was Nanako, wearing long pink and black striped socks that reached to her thighs and an oversized men’s blue and black flannelette shirt, which she wore as a dress. And she was holding two plastic bags full of fresh food.