Going back to that house was strange, he never really felt it was home. When he was a child, he almost never saw his father. He was like a stranger to him. Sabina was a doting mother, though sometimes she too can be distant and cold, so he learned to mend for himself, find his own way in the jungle of marble and expensive furniture until he was intrigued to explore the outside of that mansion into the night.
His mother died when he was 12, not long after she gave birth to his sister. He never felt more alone after that and spent more time outside of the house than inside. As far as Matthew was concerned, Jordan was always in his room playing with all the toys he showered upon him. The only thing that kept Jordan coming back to the mansion was Jade. He never got along with Jacob who was daddy’s little man, Jacob was always by Matthew’s side and did whatever daddy told him, he still does.
Ever since Jacob took over most of his dad’s business, Matthew spent more time at home. He’s 63 years old, very close to retirement, yet physically he felt like he was still in his forties. With the kind of money he made, he made sure a big sum of it was to ensure his health and well-being. He wasn’t planning to retire any time soon, he was enjoying much of his free time to make more plans for the future of Mofocity, his city.
Jordan stepped into the garden where his dad spends his afternoons reading and tea. It was still as breathtaking as he remembered it. He used to run around in his garden with his mom when he was little, the smell of wet grass and soil reminds him of those happy days. Bed of flowers encircled a round path that was wide enough for people to walk and sat on the benches. A large three-tiered stone fountain was in the middle of the garden. It’s where he used to sit and play with his toy boat. The sound of water pouring down was perfect for an afternoon walk. His mother used to daydream there while watching him play.
Matthew was reading his company’s financial report when Jordan walked in on him. “Hey dad, you still makin’ good money there?” he joked.
Matthew looked up and took his glasses off, “WE … are still making good money … hello Jordan … what brings you here?” Jordan sat on the bench and crossed his leg on top of the other.
“Nothing … just thought I come by and say hello.”
His dad put the glasses back on and kept reading, “I heard what’s happened in your place … it’s not safe there anymore … ” he commented with an exhale. “And your sister … she insisted on staying there for a couple of weeks …” he took his glasses off again, “You know … I should put some of my men there to look around … just to be safe …”
“No need for that dad, the cops are all over it already, CJ’s taking care of it … he’s pretty much your men too,” Jordan declined.
“I don’t know why you insist on doing that kind of business when you can easily make more money in our companies?”
“Not everyone wants the kind of money you want, dad,” Matthew’s expression changed, he never could understand what Jordan meant by people not wanting a lot of money. “What’s with the guns anyways? Since when did you start hiring armed men?” he went straight to the point.
“Since your brother and Iris started a new line of work for our companies … well and since the city is not a safe place anymore too.”
“What kind of business are you talking about? Why do they need armed men to do it?” Jordan was curious.
“Well … they needed to protect the assets and at a time like this, they need higher security measures to do that … it’s still within the food supply business, just more delicate,” he explained.
“Are they doing well? The words on the streets are `the food delivery is late … supermarkets are low on stocks, some of their shelves have been empty for months?”
Matthew paused for a moment, “Yes … they’re doing well actually … it’s just that … there are more pressing issues that I think you should be aware of,” Jordan was listening. “The crops are failing … we are not harvesting as much as we used to … I’m concerned that food supply will start to decrease significantly.”
Jordan’s eyes widened, crops have been the main industry that his family managed since before Mofocity. “I don’t understand, how is Jacob starting a new food supply line without crops?”
“They’re making artificial food, it’s a long process and the science behind it is also quite complicated with the resources that we have … it’s something to try while we work on the soil … the soil is bad, it’s like this place is not welcoming us anymore … it used to be so fertile, whatever seed is thrown on it would grow, the harvest was always overflowing but then after the incident …” Matthew didn’t have to tell Jordan what happened after that. He was well aware that there were only some parts of the city were able to grow crops and those parts were totally controlled by the government and managed by his father to produce food for the whole town.
“How bad is it?” he asked.
“We’ve only managed to produce half of the town’s needs … we have to ration the distribution to cover the whole town for at least 12 months.”
“And after that?”
“Things will have to change around here, Jordan, birth rate must be reduced, food sales must be controlled … rations must be implemented … people will go hungry.” Jordan was in shock trying to absorb this information.
Matthew then told him that he had done all he can for the past four years since the problem occurred. The harvest from before was gradually distributed to fulfill the town’s needs over the years, however, each year the new harvest continued to fail and now there are no more leftovers to add to the distributions. People will have to make do with what’s provided. Jacob and Iris came up with the idea of artificial food only last year and they’ve been working their hardest to find an alternative solution to the problem.
“We must not create panic … you should know that the government and I are making efforts to overcome this problem … but if or when the situation becomes dire, you should know where you stand, Jordan.”
He is still processing the possibilities of what’s to come, “Who else knows about this?”
“Jacob, Iris, CJ and now you … let’s keep it that way,” Jordan nodded slowly. He stood up and asked to leave. “Don’t forget the dinner party on Sunday … you should be there, bring your sister … oh and your girlfriend too,” his dad reminded him of Jacob’s birthday party.
Jordan didn’t say anything, he turned to leave. A dinner party sounds so distasteful after what he had just heard, but life must go on, especially for the Cromwell’s.