Alexandre had been working on the speech for three days and Daniel knew this as much as he knew this about his father.
This was because of the murmurs he'd hear coming through the walls at night from his father, his voice was in a particular registered between conversation and performance.
It was something private and deliberate where each sentence was being turned over and examined and placed back down and picked up again. Daniel would lie in the dark and listen to him without being able to make out what the word were but somehow the way his father's voice sounded bought him at somewhat peace.
On the third night his father had asked him to listen to him, and this made Daniel laugh a little on the inside, because being asked to evaluate his father's work was like asking someone to check if the sun was rising correctly.
What could I possibly ever tell you father, that you haven't already known? He thought, seeing this all as a small joke for himself between him and his father.
Nonetheless he sat down on the couch as Alexandre stood near the window with the usual tablet on his one hand. His posture carrying that particular quality it had when he was about to do something at full commitment.
The moment he began Daniel knew the speech would be good, because of how he felt it. How his father's voice was able to somehow organize everything around itself, and it produced the quality of attention that didn't ask for any.
He just sat there and listened to his father, while not thinking about whether he still qualified to be there because his father had asked him and that was the beginning of the justification.
After a few minutes he finally finished with it and stood in front of him.
''Well son? What do you think?'' He spread his arms open waiting for his son's thoughts.
Daniel gave it a genuine thought for a moment, before finally giving him an answer.
''Overall, the speech itself was great compared to one's normal standards.'' Daniel said.
''But?''
''But compared to your standards?'' He paused for moment. ''You've done better father, and I believe you can do better with this one.''
His father went very still and slowly approached him and sat next him, interested in what he had to say.
''Well? Could elaborate on that?'' He finally asked.
''In first two parts you sound believable and it sounds like you're the person trying to convey your message which is great.'' He assured his father before continuing, ''But as it went on the speech became more generic, especially around the final parts of it - I mean come on father who hasn't said something similar to that before? If not you with many speeches before.''
There was a silence that followed, which was the kind that came after someone has said something accurately. Alexandre just sat there and looked at his son across the couch; his expression did something complicated that Daniel caught before it rearranged itself into something more measured.
''You're right.'' His father finally admitted, and it was in way men say when honesty had been surprised out of them.
''Does it matter?'' Daniel asked, ''That it sounds like that to you or me?''
''It does.'' His father admitted with a smile, ''If sounds like that to you or me it does... because those are the only opinions that matter about this.''
Daniel nodded with a little smirk, feeling that he made his father proud by challenging him a little.
Alexandre looked at him with a look that held Daniel up to some interior light and for a bit examined it.
There was something in his father's eyes that warm and unguarded and a little bewildered in a way that Daniel didn't know what to do with, so he looked at his own hands then back up.
''I'm always surprise at how you always bring the best out of me, even when you don't know it.'' He said softly, ''And I'll always thank you for that son.''
Daniel felt something warm and quiet move through his chest, after what his father had just said. He recognized his father's words as the reflected kind of pride.
It also made him feel as if he was talking to a mirror because it's same way he felt about his father and that made him feel at ease.
Daniel sat next to his wondering if he could ask his father a question he's been meaning to ask him. He just didn't know how to ask him and if it was ever the right time to ask this type of question.
''Father...'' He finally muttered after giving himself the courage.
''Yea?'' His father responds fully engaged.
''I always wanted to know what it was like before...'' He paused a little with hesitation. ''Before all this, always being stuck here.''
''That's surprising coming from you.'' His father scoffed a little. ''I wasn't aware you were interested in the earth's history.''
Daniel looked at his father and there a silence for a moment, and he felt a little embarrassed at the asking the question because he knew it was something that everyone was avoiding asking.
No one wanted to know how life was before because they knew how it would make them about their current lives, so everyone just chose to be ignorant about it.
''Nevermind, just forget I asked about this-'' Daniel stood up leaving to his bedroom when his father stopped him by pulling his arm.
''No, I don't mind telling you about it.'' He spoke. ''I did used to do research about it in past, so I know a few things about it.''
Daniel without realizing took a seat and was already intrigued in his father's next words without realizing it. His eyes were sparkling and he had a smile that would be only visible if you looked closely at him.
But Alexandre could sense when his son was happy, and it didn't matter how well he would try hiding it.
''Well first of all, there was never this.'' He aimlessly waves his hand in the air while smiling. ''Everything was so authentic. This includes the weather, plants and everything you could think of.''
''Even the food?''
''Especially the food son, their meat came from real animals, and their veggies grew on real soils. Nothing was like as it was today.''
As his father continued talking Daniel couldn't help but imagine everything that came out of his mouth. His father talked for hours on end and Daniel was willingly listening.
They talked until the early morning and nothing that was spoken between the two of them was not the least bit interesting to the both of them.
For Daniel listening to his father talk about these things was something that could last forever. And Alexandre being able to teach his son about something he was once very interested in gave him a warm happiness within.
They were finally interrupted by Daniel's mother who woke up for a glass of water and saw them chatting.
''Hey! why are the two of you still up?'' She looked at them. ''Don't you both have school and work tomorrow? Get yourself to bed.''
''Agh, I'm so sorry honey, we lost track of time.''
He looked at the watch, and it was already morning which caught the three of them by surprise.