Chapter 11: Family Lunch 2/2
In the silent space of the garden, no sound could be heard except the slow and steady tapping of Adam's finger on the table, the songs of the birds around them, and the soft whisper of the wind.
As Adam stopped tapping his finger and looked at Kafka, who was nibbling on dessert while paying close attention to his answer, Elara had stopped clutching her dress and buried her head in her food, though her hands trembled as if she were trying to stay calm.
"Do you truly wish to marry me?" Adam asked curiously as he looked into Kafka's violet eyes. Within them, he could see no emotion other than curiosity, amusement, and teasing. "Marriage is a sacred event under the eyes of the Lord. It is a contract between two people that will be inviolable. Nothing and no one will be able to change it," Adam informed Kafka.
After all, marriages on Solaria were contracts signed under the gaze of the Lord, and breaking them would bring enormous consequences. This matter should not be taken lightly, for Kafka might end up bound to me for the rest of her life.
Adam simply looked at Kafka, waiting for her response. He knew she had only been joking about marriage, but he decided to play along, because once the contract was signed, even for him, breaking it would be difficult.
Kafka, who had been eating the desserts on the table without haste, stopped when she heard Adam's question and looked him in the eyes. But instead of answering directly, she simply turned her head toward Elara, who was trying to hide her emotions.
"Tell me, my dear, would you like Mommy and Daddy to get married?" Kafka asked her daughter as she set her teacup on the table and shifted the attention toward her.
Before they had even finished speaking, the little violet-haired girl nodded rapidly in agreement.
"Yes, I do!" she said in a clear and loud voice.
She lowered her head and thought excitedly to herself, Now that I have my mother and father together, if they get married, it will be one more step toward a perfect family.
Hearing her answer, Kafka turned back and replied with a smile, "You see, even our daughter wishes to see her parents together. So when will the wedding be, my dear?"
After a second or two of silence, Adam closed his eyes and opened them again. Then he spoke.
"In that case, we shall marry when the time comes."
His vague answer sparked hope in Elara at her father's agreement, while Kafka immediately understood.
And when will the right time be? Of course, whenever you decide it is, perhaps tomorrow, perhaps in ten years.
"Still, I must admit I expected either a refusal or an empty promise. Even if technically this is an empty promise, for now the marriage is assured", Kafka thought.
As Kafka reflected on the meaning of this entire discussion since her arrival on the planet, she could not help but think:
"When I arrived, there were no guards unlike last time. He is well dressed, and he said it was for me, but how did he know I would come? And what is troubling is this conversation. Everything points to a normal family discussion, yet this marriage talk almost made me forget the request he mentioned at the beginning. Was that intentional?"
While Kafka was lost in thought, Adam calmly rose from his chair.
"Now that it seems our snack is finished, what would you say to a walk to help us digest?" he suggested, as if he truly needed one. Without waiting for anyone, he turned and began to walk away.
"Papa, wait for us!" Elara cried as she ran to catch up to her father and took his hand.
Seeing the two leave, Kafka simply smiled and stood up as well to follow them, her smile still resting on her lips. She raised a hand to her head and lowered her sunglasses over her eyes, putting those thoughts aside for now as she caught up to her husband and daughter, who had stopped to wait for her.
When she approached, Elara took her mother's hand and held the right hand of her father. The sight of the child in the middle, holding both of her parents' hands beneath the sun with the gentle sounds in the background, filled the scene with warmth and familiarity.
Feeling her daughter's sudden hand and the sudden arrangement of the three of them, Kafka's eyes widened behind her glasses for a single second. But she quickly regained herself and tightened her grip on her daughter's hand, consciously or unconsciously.
As always, Adam simply observed the scene, as though he were only an observer in this vast world.
The family continued walking in silence, with Elara asking questions here and there, such as, "I wonder when the two of you will get married?"
And Adam would answer vaguely, "Soon, do not worry, my dear."
Time passed slowly, yet the atmosphere among the three remained unchanged.
Later that evening, after dinner together, Elara looked at her mother and asked, "Can you stay and sleep with Papa and me tonight?"
Her eyes resembled those of a pleading puppy as she looked at Kafka.
But instead of answering directly, Kafka turned her head and looked at Adam, who was seated by the window with his back to her. Moonlight fell across his features and his white robe as he read a book. Hearing Elara's question, he turned his gaze toward Kafka. At that moment, the two looked at each other and smiled.
"Of course your mother can stay for the night with you, my little one," Adam answered before Kafka could speak.
"Of course, leaving is not an option when we still have unfinished business", Kafka thought as she crossed her arms with her back against the wall. Her eyes, fixed on the scene, held excitement and curiosity.
"What is he going to ask me? It must be important if he needs us to be alone without the little one."
Adam approached Elara's bed and told her a story as usual. During the entire week he had spent with her, every night before bed he would tell her small stories to help her sleep. Meanwhile, Kafka simply watched. After all, she too had once been used to telling stories to Elara before she fell asleep.
In the silence of the night, with Kafka leaning against the wall, arms crossed and smiling, the only audible sound was Adam's calm voice as he told Elara a story until she drifted into sleep.
After making sure the little girl was truly asleep, and before Adam could speak, Kafka approached with a chair and sat beside him. Without saying anything, the two simply watched the smile on the sleeping Elara's face.
"It seems she truly enjoyed this afternoon", Adam said softly, his voice lower than usual.
"Well, she has always wished to see her father and to live like a normal family. So this afternoon, where she was able to spend time with both her father and mother, must be one of her dreams come true," Kafka told Adam as she gently stroked her daughter's soft hair.
Adam said nothing and simply observed Kafka's actions.
Despite her lack of emotions such as love, it seems that somewhere in her heart, even if it is not something like maternal love, Elara still holds a certain place within it.
In the silence that followed, no one spoke. Adam continued his analysis of Kafka's feelings toward Elara, whether her actions were calculated or came from the heart, and a question arose in his mind:
"As for me… my case is even worse than what happened to Kafka. Will I ever be able to show this kind of concern toward…"