Offertory By Aidan Fry Edited by Ceci Villaseñor Designed by Lauren Yung
As Isaac walked out of his lola’s house and Renata limped into her bedroom, neither looked behind them, but both were trying to figure out what went wrong. Isaac’s gifts lay untouched beside the old box TV in the living room, and the food prepared by Bikbik in the kitchen had gone cold. Maybe Renata should’ve offered him some. But she figured he wouldn’t have liked it, given the “food” he claimed to eat back on Mars. “Well, not exactly food,” Isaac said. “It turns iron oxide into a sort of protein powder. Like a dietary supplement. It’s not a meal by itself, but it’s still pretty nutritious. You take those sometimes, right, lola?” “Absolutely not,” Renata replied. “I have a cook that makes real food. And not using iron oxide, mind you. Using real ingredients. Where on Earth would I find iron oxide anyways?”
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Isaac thought for a moment. “Rusted metal,” he said. “The brown stuff is iron oxide.” “I don’t keep rusted things,” she said. “I’m not a hoarder.” “Keep it, at least.” He tried to lean the contraption against the glass TV stand, next to the rest of his gifts. “I’ve already told you I don’t want your machines, Isaac,” she spat. “I’ll get Bikbik to throw them out if I have to. I will not have them in this house.” Isaac didn’t reply or meet her eyes. He simply dumped the last gift on the floor and went back to sitting on the armchair across from her. “By God,” Renata said. “Didn’t your mother teach you to have some respect?” Isaac wasn’t sure how to respond to that, so
