Declaration of Love

Declaration of Love

     Standing behind his mother’s Death Chamber eighteen-year-old Laingus addressed about a hundred others there. They all knew Viviania. And they came today to grieve for her.

     “My mother was a great mother. I know that’s not unusual for a son, especially a first born one to say, but I’m not the only one who felt that way about her. And I’m not talking about my brother and two sisters. I’m referring to all of you who came today to say goodbye to my mother.”

     When he mentioned his brother and sisters he gestured toward them sitting right in front of their mother. Fifteen-year-old Juskan couldn’t look at his dead mother. He kept glancing up at her every few seconds though. Twelve-year-old Helana looked angry at her mother dying on her. The sorrow in her eyes as she stared at her mother said that. Ten-year-old Dinni couldn’t stop crying. She had been doing that ever since her mother died two weeks ago.

     “I am glad that you all came here today. But I am unhappy for the reason why you had to come. After I have my say about my mother, then my brother and sisters, you will have your chance to say something about her too.” Laingus paused for a few seconds before he continued. “It’s been especially hard on our mother the last few years of her life. With me and now Juskan in our Troublemaker Stage. And Helana about to enter her Problem Stage. Not to mention Dinni who is nearing her Problem Stage too. I’m surprised she lasted this long.”

     “Yes, I know she died in a Hover Car accident. But she wouldn’t have been in that if she didn’t have to take two jobs just to keep us going. I tried to help her out the last couple of years – but she wouldn’t let me. When she found out I got a job anyway she spanked me until I was bright red. I couldn’t sit down for a month. Most kids would hate their mother for something like that. But not me. I respected her for it. I’m the one who disrespected her strong request not to give up my studies to help the family.”

     Laingus stopped speaking again for a few seconds to catch his breath. “My mother had plans for all of us. I was going to be a Healer like my father. The fact that he left us right after I was born to take a job in another Territory on Riggian didn’t faze her. But I could see it in her eyes that it did. Juskan was going to be a Law Enforcer like his father. And like my father he left after a couple of years to be with one of his other Mates. Once again my mother accepted it.”

     “Helana will be an Instructor. She has always love learning. And she helps out all that need her help with their studies. I know she would be an excellent Instructor. So did our mother. Her father never even stayed around until she was born. He couldn’t wait to accept an Instructor position at another Learning Center.” Laingus took a sip or two of a light gray liquid drink sitting on a small table next to him.

     “As for Dinna she will be a Food Creator like her father was. He also stayed with them for a few years – before he died in an accident. It was a horrible painful accident. Our mother never told us how he died. She didn’t want us to know. That’s another reason we held her in such high esteem. Dinna has always loved how food was created. And I agree with our mother: She will be very good at Food Creation.”

     Laingus started to take another drink from his glass of Kamon, a very popular beverage on Riggian – it’s make with the branches of a Kamon tree, but the glass was empty. “Our mother was going to do whatever it took to make those futures come true. And she wasn’t going to take any help from her friends. Even though you tried to give it anyway. She knew you did when it came to us. But she never said anything about it. Our mother wanted to the best for us. But she knew she couldn’t give it to us. Even with two jobs she could barely keep our family alive.”

     “The only ones who could have helped us, and should have, was our three fathers. But they haven’t. And she never forced them to. She should have, a lot of you and us encouraged her to do it, but she wouldn’t. You have to admire someone like that for her stubbornness. And I do. All four of us kids do. She didn’t even want us to force them to come here. And as you can probably see none of them did.”

     After another twenty minutes of his speaking on how much he awed his mother Laingus finally turned over the Declaration of Love to Juskan. As Juskan walked up to replace Laingus took his seat in front of their mother.

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     It took eight more hours before the Declaration of Love was over for Viviania. After Juskan spoke Helana and then Dinna spoke too. Once they finished about twenty-five of the others got up to talk about her too. Everyone praised their mother for how great she was – especially with her children.

     Once it ended all the chairs turned to face a large wall. Which turned into a large screen. They all watched as Viviania’s Death Chamber slid off the platform threw a tube. A few seconds later everyone could see a Death Chamber shooting out of the spaceship. Several hundred more headed for the Sun right in front of them.

     That’s how the Riggians dealt with dead on their planet. They sent their dead into their Sun. And on the way to it they had their Declaration of Love.