Recipe for disruption.

It looked like a normal family gathering from the outside, the room was bustling with adults and children, the table was stuffed full of drinks, food, cutlery, crayons. There was a smell of spices, fried onion and roasted meat dancing in the air, the smell of home. The bottom floor of the house emitted a cosy glow out into the darkness as the family chattered and bickered as they passed the food amongst themselves. Near one end of the table sat a small old man beaming at the others with his sparkling brown eyes watching everything, ensuring everyone got a taste of each dish.

“Dad” a younger man said “what about you? Where’s your food?”

           “Oh, well I…” He started to say as his son loaded his plate up for him.

“We can’t have you going hungry now!” He gave the old man with an affectionate slap on the back as he handed him his plate.

           “No, no… I guess not” the old man muttered as he stared at the food piled up on his plate.

He poked the roast meat with his fork a few times until he noticed the stare his daughter was giving him with his own dark eyes across the table, slowly but surely he cut a slice of meat up and then ate it before giving a little sigh of happiness. “I’ll miss this” he said quietly to himself, before loading his fork up once more.

When all the main dishes were cleared and the room was a little quieter the old man stood up at his seat, tapping his glass with his knife to get the attention of his family.

He cleared his throat “thank you all for coming to this dinner” the others smiled at him “I have to tell you that I didn’t just ask you here for your company…in fact I have an announcement to make.”

“You’re a secret millionaire?!” A young man further down the table quipped before he was given a look of anger from his mother.

The old man smiled and shook his head “no Alfie, my treasures are all here around this table but that’s why you’re here… I… I’m not going to be here this time next year.”

“WHAT?!?” Ten voices sounded together.

He raised a crinkled hand to stop them asking questions “I’m not a young man, it should come as no surprise that I’m not the healthiest man either but that doesn’t mean my adventuring days are over.”

“What are you talking about Dad? Do you have cancer?” His son asked with tears in his eyes.

He shook his head “no, I don’t have cancer, but I don’t want to stay here not since your Mum passed and I saw that they were looking for people to go to Mars…”

“MARS! What do you mean go to Mars? Are you out of your mind??!?” His daughter screeched as his son went white “it’s dangerous out there!”

He nodded solemly, “yes Marie I know it’s dangerous, but I always dreamed of going to space and as it’s a one-way trip it seemed a better idea than just going to a nursing home and they did some tests to check apparently I’m eccentric but not mad.”

There was a muted giggle at this before a small voice piped up “how will you take your motorbike?” This was followed by more giggles and an angry whisper “Sorry Grandad, I don’t care about your motorbike… I’ll miss you!”

He nodded his head solemly “I’ll miss you too. All of you!”

“Then don’t go! No one is making you go… a..are they?” His son cried.

He turned and looked down at his son, put a hand on his back then told them “I know you expected me to potter around here for the next decade then to sit out my days in a nursing home waiting for visitors but that’s not what I want.” He looked around at their surprised faces “I want to do something worthwhile and it’s not like I have friends knocking up my door everyday… I’ve decided that I want to beat a trail for you or your children to follow to the stars. Just think about the data I can provide them with” he chuckled.

The family looked at each other in confusion, as they wondered if he was serious he just nodded solemly before wandering off to the kitchen.

A few minutes passed before he returned carrying a large sweet dish in his hands and a smile on his face, “we couldn’t have a gathering without a key lime pie!” A few of the family members licked their lips before remembering that they were supposed to look sad or disapproving as he placed the dessert in pride of place in the centre of the table.

           “You don’t think you can distract us the easily do you Dad?!” His daughter growled.

He shook his head before retreating to the kitchen again for bowls and spoons, as he returned with their bowls and spoons, he encouraged them to eat up “no” he said once he had given everyone a bowl of dessert “I think we’ll discuss this a few more times before I leave but for now why don’t we all just enjoy this moment together.”

His daughter scowled then after a kick in the shin from her partner nodded and started eating her dessert.

By the end of the first serving everyone felt in better spirits and were asking for seconds much to the old man’s delight.

Later as they left most of them had convinced themselves that the old man was only joking, they wouldn’t send old people to Mars… it was another one of his practical jokes. Had to be and they reminisced about old times and the delicious dishes that his wife had made in the past. On leaving teenage Alfie turned to his grandad and asked him “what did you put in that key lime pie? It was delicious and stopped everyone shouting at you…” The old man gave him a sly smile.

           “Cocaine…” he whispered with a wink.

“What?!?” Alfie cried.

The old man slapped him on the back “I’m just pulling your leg Alfie! It’s just a bit of unicorn horn I’ll leave it you when I go.”

Alfie just stood there on the doorstep opening and closing his mouth not knowing what to say.

Six months later after the old man got on the rocket to Mars the family went around to the house to sort out his things as they packed the plates and dishes into boxes Alfie opened a cupboard to find a small box with his name on it. He scowled as he picked it up, then looked both ways before opening it. Inside was a small jar with a poststick note with cocaine written on it but when peeled aside he saw much older writing that said unicorn horn. Inside was a powder that shone pink until he tipped it then it changed to a light purple in another and blue when he tilted it yet again. He let out a small laugh “ok Grandad, you got me” he mumbled to himself with tears in his eyes as he put it into his pocket for the future.