“Mommy, how would the world be if men weren’t so silly?”
Lavidia watched her brother’s foolish behaviour as he played with other boys in that park. The mother pondered the question for a moment, and after seeing her son get hit by a stone, she said, walking towards him:
“The world would be much worse, sweetheart. If men had our abilities, humanity would be engaged in constant wars, and cruelty and oppression would spread everywhere.”
The mother separated the two fighting boys and comforted her crying child who now sat on her lap, while she used a handkerchief to clean the blood that was beginning to ooze from a budding bump. The daughter continued:
“But, mommy, we wouldn’t allow that, right? We wouldn’t let them ruin everything.”
“No, of course not, Lavi. That would only happen if, in addition to being as intelligent as we are, they were also stronger.”
“But would society have survived in such a world?”
“Hardly,” the mother replied. “And if it did,” she continued, “it would be a world of straight lines, full of useless grand constructions made to demonstrate their power, with wasted spaces...”
“And much uglier!” the daughter added.
“Certainly. But you know what? The worst part wouldn’t be that Lavi. The worst part would be that they would be the benchmark, and we would spend our lives sighing to do what they do.”
The daughter hesitated for a moment and said:
“What nonsense! I would never waste my time playing silly games like chasing a ball, or...,” she looked to her right, “or competing with other girls to see...,” she laughed, watching what a couple of boys were doing beyond, “competing to see who has the biggest breasts.”
The mother smiled as well and said:
“You would, Lavi, you would. Deep down, we’re a bit silly too, and we let ourselves be carried away. I assure you that if men ruled the world, we would even give up having daughters just to be like them because we would want to do the same things they do.”
“Give up motherhood?” the girl widened her eyes and put on a look of total disbelief while trying to imagine such a horrible world.
Lavidia had just turned fifteen and was eager to become a mother. Although, in fact, she could have been one much earlier, as she had started menstruating at thirteen. But the law prohibited having daughters so soon.
Moreover, she had already chosen the one who would be the father of her children, who, as it could not be otherwise, would be Batro, the brother of her best friend, Bashia. The boy was already 16 and was not as brutish as the rest of his peers despite having high levels of testosterone. Well, she wasn’t certain about the latter, but everything seemed to indicate it, as the boy was always ‘touching himself.’
In addition, there was another significant advantage to that boy, and it was that he was a redhead, just like her. It wasn’t clear how a redhead could be born in Lavidia’s family, since none of her parents nor any of her sisters had red hair. On Batro’s side, it was more evident, as the boy’s father did have red hair, although not his mother. Since the gene that produces reddish hair is a result of a mutation in the DNA sequence, Laba, Lavidia’s mother, speculated about the possibility that her daughter had undergone that mutation, and therefore, could now pass it on to her offspring —someone has to be the first one—, she said. Although there was also a rumour that she had been switched at the hospital when she was born. An unlikely theory, but Ladia, the youngest daughter, considered it true, as her sister was taller and somewhat different from the rest of the family.
Anyway, the fact was that Lavidia was very proud of the colour of her hair, and, unlike most women in that society who always wore it very short, she sported a splendid shiny reddish mane.
“Mom, the house is almost finished. When can I marry Batro?”
The daughter called her mother ‘mom’ instead of ‘mommy’ when she wanted to discuss ‘grownup’ topics. Although she still resisted calling her ‘Laba’, her given name, as the girls who had reached puberty usually did.
So they could certainly get married at any time. Lavidia had already almost completely abandoned her favourite hobby, playing the piano, and had been dedicated to construction work for some time.
Dinner time was approaching, and the two women and the children were now heading towards the house. They were amid the rainy season, and the weather forecast predicted a significant downpour that would begin around that time. Despite that, the heat was still stifling, and that’s why they only wore small skirts made of multicoloured fabrics.
“The truth is that the new space looks very good. We can accommodate more people there and expand the family,” said the mother. She was a petite woman, with dark hair, although she shared with her daughter large and expressive, amber-coloured eyes.
“We just need to paint the walls. What colour would you like?”
Laba took a while to answer because one of her sons, the one with the bump, had escaped again and had engaged in a small fight with one of his cousins. After calming them down, she said:
“What were you saying, Lavi?”
“I was asking what colour you would like the walls and the floor to be.”
“Ah! And what about the ceiling?”
“The ceiling is already chosen. Bashia and I like navy blue. Yes! We’ll paint it navy blue!”
“In what shade?”
“Midnight blue tone. It’s ideal for depicting a sky full of stars with the crescent moon.”
“Oh, I see. You’ll also paint stars.”
“Of course,” the daughter said, looking at the mother with a gesture as if to say, ‘obviously.’
“Alright, and what about the floor and walls?”
“I was asking you that, Mom.”
“Ah, yes, of course.” Laba got a little distracted again, as she kept an eye on her little one. “Well, you should decide that. After all, you will be spending most of your time there. What have you chosen? I’m sure you’ve already considered it.”
“Ha-ha, you know me pretty well! Yes. Bashia and I had thought of painting the walls in pink, yellow, and green.”
“Alternately?”
“On the floors? Yes, and on the walls, combined. Well, not all of them. In some, we’ll use the pure colours, and in others we’ll mix them more.”
“It’s going to look beautiful, Lavi. I’m looking forward to seeing it. Although what I missed is, since you started building, making the spaces larger.”
“It’s just that...”
“Yeah, the eagerness to get married. You wanted to finish it as soon as possible.”
“Well, I...”
“Lavi, our family is growing. There’s still space at the back, extending to the cliff. Or if not, we could build upward.”
“Ah! No way. Bashia’s mother doesn’t want to hear about it. After what happened with the earthquake...”
“Right. It’s better not to,” she retracted.
“Of course. If it happens again, it wouldn’t be good to have a lot of materials falling on us.”
“Yes, but the thing is, we don’t have much space left, Lavidia. Soon we’ll have no choice but to do it if we don’t want to encroach on the garden. Or, you know...”
“Emigrate.”
“Exactly. I know it’s tough to part from family, your sisters, your aunts... But that’s how humanity has colonised the world, daughter. If we had all stayed in this territory, we would have been stepping on each other.”
“Don’t think I haven’t thought about it. I mean, emigrate.”
“Oh, really?” that statement surprised the mother.”
“The problem is that Bashia doesn’t want to,” she made a sad face. “On the other side of the ocean, there’s a very fertile territory full of food. The possibilities are vast, Mom. The women who have gone there are building good homes where all their daughters can fit.”
“Yes, I’ve seen it on television.”
“Don’t you find it fascinating?”
The mother shrugged and said:
“I don’t know. We’re not doing so bad here, for now. Across the river, there are enough gardens to feed us abundantly, and the protein factories still hold up to supply us all. I wouldn’t leave.”
“Of course. You already have eight daughters. It’s harder for you.”
“It’s not just that. Older people are set in their ways, and I’m no exception. But you don’t have daughters yet and can move more easily. Why doesn’t Bashia want to leave?”
“Not to abandon her sisters. Despite being my age, she’s a bit older,” she laughed.
“You love adventure, Lavi. You’ve always been like that. As a child, you enjoyed getting lost on the beach and exploring all the nooks of the rocks in search of little creatures... which you ate without cooking!”
“Well, I still do it,” she admitted.
“I remember you spending hours with Labro, watching sunsets and swimming at the beach in the moonlight... By the way, has he helped you with anything?”
“My brother? Not much. You know how men are. At most, he helped with mixing cement. I tried to teach him how to lay bricks, but he couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t!”
“It’s a waste of time, Lavi. When I was single, I was in charge of a group of boys. You know, during the time when this village was built. I had to keep an eye on them all the time because they easily got distracted. Tasks had to be mechanical and repetitive so they wouldn’t scatter. As soon as they finished something, if they were tired, they would go to sleep, and if not, they would fight each other. Some even confronted me.”
“The trail of violence still lingers in their genes, Mom.”
“Less and less, daughter. Fortunately, generations are becoming more docile. But I don’t even want to think about how it must have been in the past, in the early days.”
“Right. Our ancestors must have put in a lot of effort to keep them in check.”
“And to make them obey. But in the end, it’s all about isolating them and, of course, not allowing them to reproduce. I mean the violent ones. I believe that in a few generations, boys will be almost like us.”
“Intelligent?” Lavidia smiled.
“No, that’s a lost battle. Despite efforts from educators... Despite the dedication of pedagogues... I think that’s a lost cause.”
“I think so too, mommy,” she reverted to the childish form as mother and daughter hugged.
“Come on, help me prepare dinner.”
“Of course!”
Laba and Lavidia went to the kitchen, where Ladia, the youngest of her eight children, was already extracting food from the refrigerator to prepare dinner. Two of her six brothers, the youngest ones, were also there, while the other four had not yet returned from work. The two boys were calmly watching television in that large space, the biggest in the house.
“Añique again?” complained Lavidia.
“You don’t like it anymore?” responded the mother.
“No, it’s not that. They are the worms I like the most. But I don’t know... I’m a bit tired of them. Now I prefer chitinous insects.”
“Because they are crunchier,” Ladia interjected.
“No, it’s not because of that, smarty; you always want to know everything.”
“Come on, girls, don’t argue about that nonsense. Tomorrow they will bring cartusk, malsent, and politris. That way, you’ll all be happy. Oh! And I’ve ordered more fruits and vegetables. It’s not good to eat only proteins.”
“We don’t only eat proteins, Laba,” accused the youngest daughter. She had recently become a woman and didn’t miss the chance to call her mother by her name. “It’s the boys who eat them mostly. I love fruit; you know that.”
“Fruit, yes, but none of you like vegetables. And you know what the TV says that you should eat five servings a day.”
“Ugh! Five servings...,” protested Lavidia.
At that moment, there was noise outside, and a vehicle stopped in front of the house. The older brothers had just arrived.
“Hi, Laba!” greeted an old woman who got out of the vehicle.
“Hello, Morla,” responded the mother. “How did they behave today?”
“Very well! They didn’t grumble too much and did everything they were asked to do. I think they are adapting very well to discipline.”
“They are good boys, despite everything.”
“They are! they are! If I could only spill the beans on what’s going on out there...”
“I know, Morla. Remember that I also used to lead crews when I was young.”
“Yes, of course. Alright, I’ll leave them in your hands then.”
The boys got off the bus and entered the house. They were somewhat dirty, and the mother said:
“Come on, Ladia, take care of them while Lavi and I finish dinner. Make sure they shower and see if you can get them not to fall asleep when they’re done. Yesterday they skipped dinner, and this morning they devoured everyone’s breakfast.”