Instead of dressing after he’d dried himself, he flopped on the bed and as he felt himself falling asleep, he wondered if Joe was making that happen too.Oh, of course he is.
When Kaden woke again, he shaved and got dressed. Joe didn’t remind him of his presence and Kaden felt calmer, back in control. Except he wasn’t, was he? Not in the least bit in control. He thought about what they’d done prior to him falling asleep. It had felt good. No point denying that. Joe’s sense of wonder had touched him.But am I merely educating an alien who wants to know everything?Was it alleducationfor Joe?Joe stayed silent. Maybe he’d registered the strain Kaden was under. Maybe he was sleeping.
His dad called as he was making a late breakfast.
“Hi, Kaden. How’s it going?”
“Everything’s great. How are you?” Kaden wasn’t great but that was his usual response.
“How’s Harris?”
“We’re not together anymore.”
“Ah. And you’re okay with that?”
“Yes.”
“Your decision?”
“Yes.”
“Then that’s all that matters. How’s work?”
“Good. I’ve finished with Alistair’s book and he wants to write another. Maybe fiction this time. I’ve a commission piece about an upcoming exhibition at the Tate for theMetro. And I did a gig last night that went well. I talked about Sticky.”
His dad laughed. “And about when you almost got arrested for stealing privet?”
“Sort of.” Kaden hesitated. “Dad…”
“What?”
Kaden wondered if Joe would try to stop him. “Dad, if you ever met an alien, how do you think you’d react?”
His dad chuckled. “You always did ask the most unusual questions right from being a small boy. What would I do if I saw an enemy tank coming over the hill? Can you actually get scared to death? How would I handle an escaped tiger?”
Kaden smiled. “And you and Mum always tried to respond thoughtfully to every question I asked. I was really grateful.”
“What are you writing now?”
“Just thinking about a children’s book.”
“Ah. Well, I suppose if I ever met an alien, I’d feel very privileged. I like to think I’d ask searching, intelligent questions that hopefully they could understand. I definitely wouldn’t immediately resort to violence unless I was under threat. But in reality, I suspect I’d run fast in the opposite direction no matterwhat form the alien took and how he, she or it reacted to me. So are we expecting an invasion any time soon?”
Kaden forced a laugh. “I hope not. But what would you ask?”
“It would be comforting to think they’d be able to understand what I’m saying and had the same conceptual thought. To be honest, the chances of being able to understand an alien are very small. But bearing all that in mind, I’d probably ask—What particular scientific breakthrough enabled the technology you’ve used for interstellar travel?”
“Really? And you’d understand the answer?”
“Well, no, but I could tell someone who would. What about you? What would you ask?”
“I don’t think I’d ask a question. I’d tell the alien to escape before we stop them. We’re not a friendly place.”
“Sadly, you’re right.”
“But I’d offer them a cup of tea and chocolate biscuit first.”
His dad laughed. “You could make good points in a book for children. An exercise in personal and social education. Relate it to prejudices against religion or colour or… Well, a whole lot of things. Hmm… I might set that as homework for my Year Sixes.The day I met an alien.I’ll let you know what they say.”
