Words from the heart

-Em! I finally found you-, said mom, scaring us from behind. We had been talking for hours and forgot how late it was. I quickly got up from the bench and faced her.

-Mom!… What are you doing here?

-Looking for you of course. You shouldn’t go out at night alone-, she spoke with care.

-... Sorry.-, I apologized.

-And who is this little friend of yours?-, mom asked with curiosity.

-I’ve just met him. His name is Nyco.

-You are Emma’s mom… You are the Planet-Gazer…-, you voiced with your eyes wide open in admiration. -Nice to meet you, m’am-. You held out your hand and she shook it with a smile.

-Such a well mannered young man. Nice to meet you, Nyco. I see Emma has talked about me. What an honor-, mom giggled.

-Yeah. Nyco says he wants to be a Planet-Gazer too. Be careful or he won’t stop asking questions about your travels-, I explained.

-Is that true, Nyco?-, mom asked you.

-Yes. It’s my dream to explore different planets and moons all over space.

-So young and brave. I guess I’ll see you up… there… -. Mom suddenly got on her knee and looked you straight in the eyes. -... You have such beautiful eyes, Nyco. Truly wonderful…

-Th… thanks-, you said shyly as she got back up and held my hand.

-Well Nyco. I’m afraid it’s a bit late and I must take my little baby home…

-I’m not a baby-, I complained.

-...Do you need us to take you home?-, she continued ignoring my complaint.

-No need. Thank you… umm…

-Juliet. My name’s Juliet-, mom told you. -One day, when it’s not so late, you can come over to play with Em. Ok? I’ll tell you all about my travels if you want.

-I would love to, yes!-, you said with excitement.

-Say goodbye sweetie.

-Bye, Nyco. I come here a lot so I’ll see you around-, I told you waving goodbye.

-Bye, Emma and Juliet.

-See you later, young traveler-, mom told you.

I saw your big smile as you stared at my mother. Your admiration for her only grew bigger and bigger as you got to know her. I’m so glad you were able to see her as a mother too. The bond we all formed is so dear to my heart. I still smile remembering your wide bright eyes as you looked up at her that day.

---

Nyco looked down at the tomb of Juliet and felt an emptiness inside. She was the only paternal figure he ever had. Even though she wasn’t her biological mother, Emma knew his pain was as great as hers.

Emma got down on one knee and touched the flowers they had planted near her tomb. They were growing strong, a symbol of their everlasting bond. Nyco started digging a new hole with a small shovel for the new flowers. Bringing flowers with their roots still attached was a common practice. All the other graves had a small flowery garden near the tombstones. It made every corner of the cemetery bloom with all types of colors. After they planted the flowers, Emma started talking.

-Hi, Mom. I think about you everyday. I miss our long talks about the books we read. I have no one to talk to about the romantic books we liked. My friends aren’t much into reading and Nyco says he doesn’t like that corny stuff-.

-What can I say. I fall asleep after just reading 5 pages-, Nyco said, raising his shoulders.

-Boys… Anyway. I’m doing well in school. I’m the top of my class and get along with everyone. Things with dad are a little messy right now but we’ll get around eventually. He’s always been a pain but… but with you… when you were here… I… things always worked out fine… I’m trying to understand him but he… is so different, mom. I…-. Emma thought about how her father bought that AI that imitated her. That thought led to anger and anguish. She felt as if he had moved on. She felt it wasn’t fair to her mom. He hadn’t even visited her tomb in months. -I really miss you mom… wherever you are… I hope you know that I think of you every… snif… day-. The poor grieving daughter started crying.

Nyco held her hand and squeezed it so she knew he was there. She wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingers.

-I hate that they couldn’t retrieve her body, Nyco. How can she even hear me if…-. She couldn’t finish the sentence. Juliet's body was still on Nane Sarma, the planet where her adventures ended. They tried finding her body but never could. The tomb they visited was merely symbolic, as most tombs from Planet-Gazers were.

-I’m sure she hears you, Em. It’s speaking from the heart that matters. The body is just a vessel-, Nyco said. -I also miss you everyday, Julie-, he continued looking at her picture in the tombstone. -What I miss most is our nights talking about your expeditions. You were so patient explaining all the silly details I wanted to know. Like that time I desperately wanted to know the color of a species of mollusk you had found in an expedition 5 years back. You had to look into your recordings to tell me… Sorry for being a little brat-, Nyco joked.

-She loved your enthusiasm with her stories, Nyco. She always told me how much you two were alike-, Emma pointed out. That comment brought such joy he started crying. Emma hugged him until he stopped.

-I’ve been having some doubts on how to move forward lately-, continued Nyco. -There are things I… I just don’t know how to handle… I just wish you were here, you always knew how to calm me and made me see the correct path to take-.

Emma didn’t know what he was referring to. She wanted to ask but decided not to. He would talk to her when he felt ready. But Nyco would never talk to her about it, since the issue was he wanted to be just like her mom and explore the galaxy, even though he promised her he wouldn’t. He looked at Emma and cried just thinking of putting her on the same spot her mother had put her in. He didn’t want to be another empty tomb for her to cry on. She didn’t deserve that.

On the way out of the cemetery they didn’t mouth a word. Nyco was feeling guilty of just thinking about going to other planets and conquering moons. But it was his dream for as long as he could remember. Emma, on the other hand, was thinking about his words. He had expressed a need to talk to her mother about something. He needed her insight.
Should she let AI-Juliet speak with him? Would he enjoy talking to a fake version of her mother? If he had such deep troubles maybe it would help him discuss it with her. Or would it hurt him more? The AI certainly wanted to see him, and he said he needed to talk to her…
Emma did not know what to do.