The Jovian Legacy by Lilla Nicholas-Holt Page A

her father, who, with some hesitation, took
Jack’s hand and shook it. The look on her father’s face
confirmed Jack’s investigations over the past few months. He
thought it bizarre, but knew he had to keep himself composed in front
of the McGlews. Jack felt like a criminal when in fact he was more
of a victim, insofar as not being able to ever have a proper
relationship with Megan. Megan took Jack into the lounge where her
mother sat in her comfy chair, relaxing from their visit with their
friends. She placed a kiss on her cheek.
    “Ma,
I’d like you to meet Jack.” Megan grinned with pride.
    “How
do you do?” Barbara replied. She knew very well who Jack was.
“Did you two have a nice evening?” Jack discerned that
she was only making conversation due to the fact that the old man
probably wouldn’t.
    “Yes,
thank you,” he replied.
    “Och
weel, that’s guid then. We cannae offer ye ony baking though -
ah ate it,” Dennis grumped in his broad Scottish accent. Jack
didn’t know whether he was having a joke or whether he was
being unfriendly. He laughed a little anyway.
    Megan
shot Jack a nervous glance. “Oh no, that’s okay, we’re
both full. We’ll just have a cuppa tea.”
    “Och,
wull ye noo?” Dennis replied, his tone definitely unfriendly,
Jack deemed. Somewhat puzzled, Megan made a nervous little laugh and
put the kettle on, asking if they wanted one too.
    “So
how was your night?” Megan asked with her back turned.
    “Oh,
it was nice,” Barbara McGlew answered her daughter. “Janet
is still having bowel trouble after her third operation.”
    “Um,
thanks for sharing that with us Ma,” Megan replied, cringing at
her mother’s volunteer of information in front of someone that
they’d only just met.
    Jack’s
mind was elsewhere. He felt terrible that he was about to take Megan
away from her family, which prompted him having second thoughts about
the whole damn thing. He could feel old man McGlew’s eyes
boring into him.
    After
spending an hour making small-talk, mostly to Mrs McGlew as Megan’s
father spent most of the time watching TV, Jack observed that Barbara
was becoming tired, and so announced his leaving. He decided to
leave the big departure for another day, for Megan’s sake.
    Driving
back to his flat, Jack mulled everything over. He’d asked
Megan over for lunch the next day, all the while feeling like he was
leading her up the garden path. He knew he was, and it was an
extremely long garden path, a path to a new world, thirty-five light
years away!
    There
is no way that I can take Megan away without first telling her about
it, he contemplated, guilt
sweeping over him because he had initially intended to do just that.
    After
they had eaten their salmon and pasta salad, Jack gently took his
girlfriend’s hand and lead her into the computer room.
    “I’d
like to show you something, Sweetie.” Megan looked intrigued.
“There’s something you need to know about me, about us,
and then afterwards, I want you to make a decision that will change
your life.” Jack caught his breath and continued, his heart
racing like a trapped little bird. “It will be a very hard
decision to make, and I will support you whatever you choose, okay?”
    Megan
sat there staring back at Jack, eyes wide. She felt a little thrill
go through her.
    Omigod,
is he going to ask me to marry him? she
excitedly thought without giving any thought to the fact that she was
too young for that. She was once told that when girls start dating
boys they see every new boyfriend as a possible husband. She knew,
however, that it was a silly girl notion, a thought that was soon
confirmed when Jack picked up, not a small purple felt box with a
ring in it, but the virtual reality helmet.
    “What’s
this funny looking mask thing?” Megan asked, deflated.
    “You
have to put this on,” Jack stated as he handed it to her., “in
a minute.”
    “Okay,”
she agreed, deciding to humour him.
    Jack
took an obvious deep