The Main Character

Quinn surveyed the sidewalk on the other side of the road as he strolled into Sector 1. It was the small area in the very center of the metropolis that was reserved for the ‘cream of the crop’. The buildings here were in much better condition than in other sectors and were nearly twice as tall. He was not officially looking to run into MC but he had found his eyes getting caught on girls with dark hair and bangs. But there was no reason she would be in Sector 1 without him, it was a private sector. It wasn’t gated, but no one besides the residents of Sector 1 could buy anything there, so it was generally left alone by citizens of the other sectors. Quinn was there because his Dad lived there, but he was mostly out to clear his head. Or, that’s what he told himself. It was an exceptional day out either way.

As he walked Quinn thought more about what was going on. Everything had suddenly become complicated. His life had been smooth sailing up until now as if only to serve in direct contrast to this sudden degradation of sense and order. “Everyone is losing their grip on their once very repetitive, relaxing, and somewhat sedated lives.” Quinn thought to himself. “But I suppose it wouldn’t work any other way. There can’t be disorder unless there was order in the first place. MC for sure was effected, though one could argue that she’d never been an especially sedated person despite her own efforts.” She used to say that she was ‘easily inspired’ but Quinn would joke she was just easily bored. He’d been happy with keeping things vanilla with MC and with life until just recently. It was as if someone had infected him with a feverish desire to live life actively rather than passively. Everyone was animated suddenly as if they had just woken up by a fresh breath of life. It made Quinn nervous. He kept walking. And thinking.

He had not realized but he had been walking home. Not home back to his apartment, but back to his parent’s house. His childhood home. The Colmes family home. Quinn was born into a wealthier family in the metropolis. His mother’s family. She had insisted he keep the Colmes name since her brother, Stewart, would not be likely to have a family of his own to carry it on. In fact, once Stewart Colmes came into the full power of leadership that his father had left to him, he rarely ventured out of the estate. When he did, he never left Sector 1. He said it was to keep a distanced perspective on the people he was governing, but Quinn thought it was more because he generally disliked people. All people really. Stewart had never been described as empathetic or compassionate. He was sterile and ethical and cold. Arguably, like Quinn’s grandfather, it made him a good leader, however unpopular.

Quinn opened the door to the multi-level brownstone before he knew what he was doing. His footsteps echoed loudly on the wood floors. “Hello?” He called out into the house, up the stairs. It was usual that Stewart’s bodyguards would not be home on a Sunday morning, but strange that Stewart himself would be scarce. As Quinn waited for a response he scanned the house for any sign of life. The house had old tiled floors in the foyer, with wooden stairs greeting visitors to the left. To the right was a large family room with a fireplace, and then a kitchen behind it. Everything fit the house’s theme of modernity. Though it was an old home it housed all modern appliances, fixtures, and contemporary furniture. In Quinn’s opinion, it gave it less of a homey feeling and more the sense one was in a dentist’s waiting room.

“Quincy, is that you?” His father, a rounder and much balder version of Quinn, called back. His voiced bellowed across the empty space between them, warming it. “This is an unexpected surprise! We haven’t seen you in so long, it’s been forever!” Quinn smiled. He liked the idea of people missing him. It was also good to see his father looking so well. After his mother’s death, his father had lost some of his pep. For that reason, he now lived with Stewart, his brother-in-law.

“Yeah Dad, missed you too. That’s why I thought I’d stop by, say hi, have a chat.” He struggled to smile as he spoke. He felt bad lying to his dad. And he hated being called Quincy.

“What’s going on buddy? That can’t be the only reason you’re over here. Did something happen? You can tell me what’s going on.” Quinn’s smile faded slightly but was soon replaced by a sly grin.

“You know me too well…”

“Only your whole life, kiddo.”

“Eh, it’s nothing I can’t figure out.” He knew if MC found out that he told his dad about their night together she would never forgive him. She was a frequent guest of the Colmes’ and would certainly be back again. His dad nodded understandingly and dropped it.

“Just as long as you’re staying out of trouble.”

“Of course, Dad, I’m keeping my head above water and my nose dry.”

“What’s all this,” called a voice slithering out of the first-floor bathroom. It was Quinn’s Uncle Stewart. “Quinn, I didn’t know you were coming ’round today.” His voice sounded like a large cat purring. Without missing a beat, he rolled down the sleeves of his gray business shirt. Quinn hated when he did that. He was painfully aware that he was the only member of the family his uncle did that around. It is a well-known fact of life that families who get along are all the same, but families that do not are unique in their absurdity. The Colmes had secrets from each other and old grudges, but they were close and therefore generally likeminded. The Colmes were a family of old money who did their best to help prolong humanity. That is to say, they financially supported medical research, judicial work, and the arts. Quinn’s uncle especially subscribed to the idea that it was these three subjects perfectly encapsulated the beauty of humanity so he was adamant about their continued existence and progression. He said they represented logos, ethos, and pathos. He was very highly revered throughout the metropolis for his philanthropic endeavors; and for that reason, he felt he had to keep up appearances. Understandably, Stewart did not want the public to see his scars but, Quin had always thought that since he was in such a position of power it shouldn’t matter. Either way, Quin was not the public he was family.

The conversation continued, “It was an unexpected surprise visit,” Quinn’s father explained.

“Oh, how lovely. I trust everything is going well in your building Quinn. John, he’s not having any trouble getting rent from the tenants, is he?”

“Oh no, nothing like that,” Quinn immediately replied. “Everything at the building is going swimming.”

“Right...” Stewart had given up correcting Quinn’s misuse of popular phrases just as he had given up correcting John’s tendency toward redundant phrases.

“No, very truly Stewart. Quincy here was just stopping by because he’s having some girl troubles he doesn’t want to talk about.”

“Dad!” Quinn liked to think he was more elusive than he clearly was. It embarrassed him to know his father had so easily figured him out.

“What?” John Colmes liked to be kept in the loop. He was more surprised that Quinn was dating someone and had not told him rather than that he was having girl troubles. It did not occur to him that the girl was MC. He had met MC a number of times but never supposed they would date. Mostly because he thought she was gay.

“My apologies Quincy. I hadn’t realized you were seeing someone,” his uncle expressed his regret. Quinn struggled to think of something to say to save face.

“It’ll all work out in the end Uncle John. I’m not worried about it.” His uncle stared at him with subtle disbelief.

“I didn’t take you to be a lazy man, Quinn.” His face scrunched a bit, particularly around the bridge of his nose and between his eyebrows. “You can’t just trust things will work out, you have to do something to save them from falling apart. If life here has taught us anything, I would have hoped it would be that.” Quinn’s eyes moved back and forth between each of his uncle’s green-brown eyes. They were the same color as his own but he couldn’t image anyone would mistake his for his uncle’s. There was a severity that his uncle could project from his that Quinn could never dream to.

“No, you’re right. I need to do something to fix things. It seems like I’m interrupting things here anyway, I should probably get going.” His father attempted to protest, saying how long it had been since he was last over but Quinn had made up his mind. He rehearsed everything he was going to say to MC while he was walking. Unfortunately, when he got to MC’s apartment, she wasn’t there.

Back at the Colmes estate, Stewart and John argued more about letting Quinn participate more fully in the family business. Besides politics, the Colmes family owned most the land and therefore made a significant amount of money as landlords. “He really does have a good handle on things. He’s exactly the guy we want. He’s straightforward, unsentimental, and candid. Exactly what you’re looking for Stewart. I don’t see any reason he should not have a more active role.” John had always been adamant that Quinn be a Colmes despite his father’s last name being Ginsberg. John was the one that suggested he go by Colmes after his mother passed, ‘to keep the tie in the forefront of people’s minds.’

Stewart skulked away upstairs while yelling his response behind him down the stairs, “I don’t want him John. He’s too soft!” As he marched up the stairs he continued under his breath, “That kid’ll be the end of all of us.”