It was a matter of moments before he returned with three trays perfectly balanced using just one hand and arm. He set each meal down with a flourish and left them to eat in peace, this time without any flirtatious flower dropping.
Marina looked at her own tray and then the two others in wonder and took note of how each thing was arranged to be pleasing to the eye. It was something she had never once considered but it definitely did something to her belly. It was like a good taste that hit her stomach through her eyes instead of her mouth.
Joseph had chosen fish. His explanation that it was pre-emptive revenge should they rain down on them during the night had sent both women into giggles not entirely suppressed by the hands they pressed to their faces. Now that he had his tray, he merely grinned at the expression on both of the women’s faces and took up a fork and knife to begin his meal.
Sela poked suspiciously at a few items she didn’t recognize only to discover that they were familiar items cut into fantastic shapes, a radish cut like a flower and green onions made into strands so thin they looked like green hair. After that, she too dug in to her meal though Marina was glad to see that she remembered her manners. Sela’s eggplant, fried crisp in a thick coating of herbed cornbread and amaranth crumbs then smothered in tomato sauce, began to disappear at a steady rate.
Marina had chosen rabbit, not because she had a particular desire for it but because it was the third choice and her family had chosen the other two. Once she tasted it she realized she had made the perfect choice. It was cooked in a way that Marina had never seen before and so juicy that she had to be careful not to let it run down her chin. It wasn’t fried and it wasn’t boiled and it was like nothing else she could imagine.
They all tasted each other’s food and pronounced each delicious but Marina secretly decided that her own was the most flavorful. It rested on a bed of parsnip puree. She liked parsnips well enough but couldn’t imagine how they managed to get the tough roots to turn into this smooth and delicious pudding like substance.
There was no conversation during the meal. The only sounds were of people enjoying a meal around them in the dining room. As Marina chased the last green bean around on her tray, she felt a little embarrassed at the sounds she knew she had made. A quick glance around the dining room showed her that others were experiencing the exact same thing and she relaxed.
Joseph was the last to finish, taking the time to clean the bones of his fish of any tiny flakes of flesh that clung there. By the time he rested his fork and knife on the tray, the clock announced the approaching end of service. Marina heard the sigh in response from all over the dining room and the polite soft laughs that came directly after. A shared experience gave the room’s temporary inhabitants a warm camaraderie.
Five minutes later the bell sounded again and it was time to leave. There was just an additional five minutes of time before anyone lingering would be taking up time meant for cleaning between seatings. In this respect the Wardroom was apparently no different than any other cafeteria in the silo and that pleased her. While she could not deny that she had enjoyed the new experience and the food, she felt uncomfortable with the idea that any place could be set apart. Sticking to a schedule made it seem more appropriate somehow.
As they left they nodded their thanks to Davis, who was again stationed at the reception podium. They passed by a line of people waiting for the next seating to begin. Only one group of three people in the line wore coveralls and they were clearly residents. They were deep in conversation and a passing listen told Marina that their topic was the aquaculture tank re-fit.
She forgot about them almost immediately as the family discussed the evening. Marina wanted to know about the view screens but Joseph only knew what he had been told when being considered for a position on the EMC. The same cameras people could view in the Memoriam and at any deputy station were also viewable in the Wardroom. Since that is where the EMC congregated if there was an emergency that needed extended response, it made sense.
Marina couldn’t imagine any emergency so dire. Life was a series of small and not so small emergencies with gifts of calm between. Sometimes it was a fire someplace or a leak in a pipe. Other times it was blight on the crops or a sickness spreading in the animals. Other times it was the illness of a loved one or friend and sometimes their gift of cleaning on their way to death. She considered it a moment and realized that she had no memory of the EMC ever having been prominent in any situation.
Sela asked about the vacation chits. Marina had noted the little grimace she made when her father handed over the precious chits. She may not be earning them yet but she appreciated their value. One day’s worth of vacation chits were earned for every fourteen days once one passed from shadow status. There was one mandatory day off that still counted as a work day on the 7th day of each 14 day cycle but some people regularly took additional days off, while others saved the chits up like their family did or just took them randomly as needed.
There were an almost infinite number of approaches an individual might take with respect to time off but one thing was certain; a day of vacation was valuable and non-transferrable. Giving away a vacation chit did not mean the new holder got to use that chit. It was simply not usable by anyone and gone forever.
Joseph considered his answer and as the family reached the little lounge area this particular landing had, he asked her a question. “What do your pay chits mean to you?”
Sela wrinkled her brow at the question, but she was her father’s shadow and was familiar with his methods of teaching. He would lead her to her own answer. She appeared to think about it as they settled onto a bench. Finally she replied, “It means I can buy things and not ask you or Mom for chits. I guess it means I have more freedom. That’s what it feels like.”
He nodded as if this was the answer he expected and asked, “And what would it mean to you if you didn’t live with us?”
“Well, it would mean that I had obligations for the chits and couldn’t spend them just on things that I wanted. I would have to pay for the food I didn’t get in the cafeteria. I would have to pay for things I needed for my compartment. I might have to pay for repairs and stuff like that, too. I guess that would mean I had less freedom than I do now when it comes to pay chits.”
He added an encouraging smile to his nod this time and Marina could see the pride he held in his daughter writ large. “Very true. So, let’s consider that. Let’s say you’re a person who lives right next to a cafeteria and works a shift that allows you to have every meal there. All things being the same otherwise, does that person have more freedom than you would with respect to their pay?”
Sela thought about it for a long moment, eyes toward the ceiling. “I think that would depend on lots of small things, but overall, I would say yes.”
“Yes, I agree that there are many other considerations but I’m glad you’re going with the general idea. And now I’ll get to the point. If the Wardroom charged pay then some people would be able to enjoy it with much less sacrifice than others simply because of random circumstances. Even the value of pay chits is relative depending on the situation we find ourselves in. The only thing that has the exact same value to every single person in the silo is a vacation day chit. That’s it. No matter who you are or where you are in the silo or how you live, a meal in the Wardroom will cost you a half day off. Make sense?”
Marina had watched the answer come over Sela as her father spoke. She understood before he finished speaking and looked down at her folded hands. The view of her face was obscured by her hair, let down from her tight braids for this special occasion. It was a long moment before she spoke and then she said, “So you just worked for six and a half days to give me that meal, Dad?”