Sini's Secret Is Revealed

Thanks in no small part to my father, I now know what Sini's secret is.   I should've figured out what it was for myself, long before my dad ever had to draw my attention to the possibility, but I guess I was too caught up with wedding stuff and getting ready to start law school, and dealing with everything else that's been on my mind during the last several weeks.   The main thing is that I know about it now and I'm not left stressing myself out about the mystery any more.   It was indeed a big surprise but it isn't, as Pax suggested, a big surprise that nobody wants.  I have to confess that I'm pretty scared about it, but I'm also way beyond thrilled at the same time.   To be honest, I'm glad I didn't find out about it until after the wedding, though.   Prior to our big day on Saturday, I had enough on my mind as it was.

Much to Sini's disappointment, my parents stayed on for two days after the wedding.  They left early this morning.  I'd never say this to Sini but, in retrospect, I'm glad they stayed around, even if it was just so my dad and I could have a private talk about Sini and her secret.  

On Sunday afternoon, Dad asked if we could talk alone, and I suggested that we should go for a ride together.  I love riding with my dad.  There's something about the camaraderie among guys and their horses that has always appealed to me, and Dad and I are always more relaxed when we're in the saddle.  Beau said it was okay if my father took Rebel Yell out, so we were all set.  

The place where Beau and I board Rebel and Guardian is actually inside city limits.  It's a riding school and they have excellent facilities.  I don't want to be one of those horse owners who enjoys the benefits and doesn't do any of the work, so I try to get there every day and contribute as much as I can.  Beau makes an effort to go there every day as well, and I think the people there really like his horse skills.  Unfortunately, the reality of our lives is that some days we don't make it there, but on the days I can't go, Beau looks in on Guardian for me and on the days he can't go, I check on Rebel for him.   I feel kind of guilty when I can't get there, but at least I know that on the days when I'm not able to give Guardian my care and attention, Beau will be there, and the people at the school are always looking after Guardian as well as I ever could. They love horses and it's their job to take care of them.  It's expensive for Guardian to live there, but my dad helps me out with the fees, a fact which I don't think my mother knows.   Having Guardian live at the riding school is the only way for me to have a horse in the city, and I really don't know what I'd do if I couldn't ride.

On Sunday afternoons there are always plenty of people using the school's paddocks and track, so Dad and I decided we'd leave the grounds and set out on a bit of a scenic tour of the undeveloped land behind the riding school.   I don't often leave the school's property unless I'm with another rider or unless I'm going for a 'city ride' as Beau and I like to call it.  Guardian is used to the roads around the school and Rebel is getting used to them too, so our city rides are becoming more frequent.    I like to ride the school's trails alone, but Guardian and I know those really well.  I'm afraid of getting lost in a place with no trails.  

Dad and I rode along in silence for a while, and I wondered if he was ever going to get around to saying what was on his mind.  After a few more minutes of utter wordlessness, I finally ventured, "You asked me out here to talk."

"Yes," Dad said.  

"What did you want to talk about?"

There was another prolonged period in which Dad said nothing.  At last, I heard him draw in a deep breath, and then he ht me with his question.   "Tyler, are you and Sini expecting again?"

"Uh...no," I said cautiously.  "Why do you ask?"

"Your mother thinks you had a very short engagement."

"We did, but I don't see what that has to do with us expecting.   If Mum thinks we were in a rush to get married because Sini might be pregnant, then I guess she conveniently forgot about Skyla.  According to Mum's logic, we should've gotten married over two years ago."  

"Your mother isn't known for her logic," Dad said.  "And I haven't forgotten about Skyla.  The length of your engagement wasn't the reason I asked."

"So, allow me to repeat myself.  Why do you ask?" 

"I'm a doctor.  I notice things."

"Dad, you're a veterinarian.  Sini is a person," I said.  "Now, seriously, why are you asking?"

"I'll be the first to admit that I don't know her like you do, but she seems quieter than she was the last few times we've been here.  She doesn't seem well."

"She was stressed about the wedding.  We both were."

"And what about today?  She seems tired."

"I'm tired too.  Yesterday was a busy day, and last night was our wedding night.  You had a wedding night, so I'm pretty sure you don't need an explanation."  

"Hmm..." Dad said. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Have you asked her about it?"

"What?  Have I asked her if she's pregnant?  Of course not."

"You should," Dad said.

"If we were having another baby, I wouldn't need to ask. Sini would tell me."

"Would she?"

"Of course she would," I said.  

"If she thought you didn't want another baby, she might not."

"Why would she think that?"

"She is an empath, isn't she?" said my father.   

I laughed.  "Come on, Dad.  She's not a mind-reader.  She doesn't know what I'm thinking."

"No," Dad conceded, "But, if you're having a discussion about something and you have certain feelings about what you're discussing, she knows that, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, sometimes, if I have really strong feelings about something."  

"And how do you feel about having another baby?"

"I'd love to have a whole house full of kids," I said.  "It's just that I don't think it's a good idea for us to have any more.   I mean, I love Skyla and I'm glad we have her, but I don't want Sini to go through being sick again."

"Your mother was sick when we were expecting you and Michael, but that didn't stop us from wanting to try again."

"You don't understand," I said.  "It wasn't just run-of-the-mill morning sickness.  We didn't tell you everything because we didn't want you to worry, but there were days when I honestly thought she wasn't going to make it.  You have no idea how terrified I was, Dad.  Thinking about her suffering like that again is horrible.   It's scary."

"I presume the two of you have discussed having more children?"

"Yeah."

"What you just told me, is that how you were feeling when you talked about it?"

"Yeah, I guess so."  

"So, imagine you're Sini," Dad said.  "You're having this conversation and maybe the words you're hearing don't match up with the emotions you're sensing.  Which do you believe, the words or the emotions?"

"Sini says feelings are always a better measure of truth than words," I said.

"Right," said my father.  "Do you think she believes you really want more kids?"

"Oh," I said, as realization came crashing into my brain like a speeding truck colliding with a brick wall. "Oh crap.  She's probably convinced that I don't.  If she really is pregnant, she's probably afraid to tell me, isn't she?"

"I think you really need to talk to her," Dad said.  

"I will," I promised. "Tonight, I will."   

True to my word, I decided to approach the subject with Sini on Sunday night just after we'd gotten into bed.   You guys who are regular followers are likely under the impression that Sini and I only ever have weighty conversations while we're in bed or getting ready for bed, aren't you?   I can assure you that's not entirely true.  We have a favourite bench in the park down the street, and sometimes we steal a private moment when she sneaks into the shower with me in the morning.  For the most part, though, we do have our serious talks in our room at night after the kids are asleep.   The thing about living in a huge house with a dozen other people is that you don't get a lot of time and space to yourself.   We've got to take our opportunities when and where they present themselves. 

With the lights off, the curtains drawn and the door closed, and both children breathing deeply in slumber, Sini and I finally settled down beneath our blankets.  She seemed ready for sleep, but I knew I wasn't going to be able to close my eyes until I asked her the question my dad had planted in my mind earlier in the day.  I'd been consumed with anxiety all evening as I thought about it, and I was quite frankly surprised that Sini hadn't commented on my emotional state. 

"Sini, can we talk?"  I said. 

"Yes, of course we can," she said.  "You know that.  We can always talk."

"Mostly always."

"Yes, mostly always," she conceded.  She snuggled in close and rested her head on my shoulder. Then, she inquired, "Are you worried about something?"

The fact wasn't lost on me that she'd asked me a question about my feelings instead of making an observation about something she'd sensed from me.   I said, "Yes."

"What is it?"

"I had a private chat with my father today," I said.  "He asked me a question."

"What was the question about?"

"You."  

"About me?" she said.  "What question did he ask?"

I hesitated, unsure about what to say next.  I didn't want to just blurt out 'are you pregnant?' but at the same time I didn't want to be too vague either.  I gathered my courage and ventured, "Dad's concerned about you.  He thinks you're not well."

"I am not sick," she said. "Why would he think that?"

"He says you're more quiet than he remembers and he thinks you look tired."

"Yes, I am tired," she said.  "We have been very busy."

"That's what I told him, but he thinks it's more than that."   

 "What does he think it is?"

"He...uh..." I paused, suddenly feeling uncomfortable and awkward.  Saying this shouldn't have been hard, but for some reason it was.  Extremely so.  "He...thinks you might be pregnant."

"Oh," Sini said.

"Are you?" I said, and was mortified when my voice cracked like a teenager's.  I coughed and tried again, "He's not right, is he?"

Sini was quiet for so long that I was beginning to wonder if she planned to answer me at all.  Finally, in a whisper so low that I could barely hear it, she said, "Yes."

 I let that sink in for a second or two, and then I asked, "How long have you known?"

"Since June," she said.

"Before you went on your trip?"

"Yes.  Before you asked me to marry you."  

"So, we're...how far along?"

"I do not know.  We do not really count it that way.   You are asking when the baby will come?"

"Yeah."

"In the winter.  Perhaps February or March."

"You're not sure?"

"No one is ever sure," she said.  

"I guess not," I said.

We both fell silent for a while after that.  I guess we were each lost in our own thoughts.  I have no idea what Sini might've been thinking, but my mind was racing.  I tried to process the news that we're going to be parents again in February or March.   My frenzied calculations led me to the conclusion that we must've conceived this baby in late May or early June, and I mentally kicked myself for not noticing the signs.   Of course, Sini hasn't seemed particularly unwell to me - certainly not ill like she was when we were expecting Skyla - and I suppose I was only too willing to come up with reasons that might explain her other symptoms.   I guess I assumed that if she was pregnant I should expect the worst, and since the worst wasn't happening, she couldn't possibly be pregnant. 

But she is.

I'm going to be a dad for the second time!

The reality is well and truly sinking in today, but on Sunday night I was far from prepared to cope with this momentous news.  

My confusion must've been like psychic white noise for Sini because after several minutes during which we said nothing to each other, she said tentatively, "Tyler, are you angry?" 

"No," I said.

She sounded distressed as she said, "I cannot tell.  I cannot feel your feelings at all right now."

"Maybe that's a good thing.  They're not making much sense."

"Tell me."

"About my feelings?   I...I'm scared," I said.  "I'm excited and surprised and...I don't even know what else, but mostly I think I'm scared."  

"Me too," she said.

"Why are you scared?"

"Because I do not know..." she let her words trail off.

"Because you don't know what's going to happen next?"

"Yes, but also I do not know how you feel," she said.  "Do you want another child?"

 And there it was, the question that had been hanging unspoken between us for such a long time; the proverbial elephant in the room.   I realized I had to answer her question honestly.  I had to, as Dad put it, make my words and my emotions match up.  

"I do," I said.  "I want another child more than anything, but it kills me inside when I think about how hard it was for you with Skyla.   I don't like to see you hurting and I don't like that there's not one damn thing I can do about it.   There were a few times when I thought..."  

I couldn't finish the sentence.  My voice caught and I found that I was crying a little.   

"It will be different this time," Sini said softly.  She brushed my cheeks with her cool fingertips.  "It is already different.  I know it will not be like the first time."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said. "I promise, I am fine.   Are you sure you are not angry?"

"You still can't tell?"

"It is harder to concentrate on your mind when I am tired."  

"I'm really not angry.  I am a little disappointed that you didn't tell me about this sooner, but I think I understand why you didn't."

"I am sorry.  I should have told you as soon as I knew, but I was afraid of how you would react and--"

"It's okay," I said, trying to soothe her even as she tried to soothe me. "I know now, and that's what really matters.  Anyway, I guess I didn't make it very easy for you to tell me before now, did I?"

"Humans are difficult," she said. "I am getting used to it."  

I managed a smile. "Are you implying that Erisans aren't difficult?"

"I suppose we are difficult, from the human perspective, but I expect you can get used to it too."  

"So far, so good," I said as I let my smile spread a little wider.  "February or March, huh?"

"Yes."

"Do you know yet if it's a boy or a girl?"

"I thought knowing that was not important to you."  

"Can't a guy be curious?"

I felt her shift her weight beside me in bed and, the next thing I knew, her teeth closed gently on my earlobe.  After three or four delicate nibbles, she stopped and put her lips against my ear.   "Maybe it is one of each," she said. "Maybe it is twins."  

 I'm not sure if she was joking or not.

Just Married

I woke up next to my wife this morning.

For most people, today probably hasn't started off any differently than any other Sunday.  In practical terms it hasn't really hasn't been an atypical Sunday for me so far either, but there is one vitally important difference.  Last Sunday I wasn't a husband.  Last Sunday I didn't wake up next to my beautiful wife.

I know it's early and I'm probably rambling.  It's six o'clock and I haven't even had my coffee yet, but I decided to post something now because I figure the next few days will be too hectic for me to get a chance to do much of anything on the computer, and I really wanted to tell you a little about the wedding.  I think I can post a few pictures here, but for anyone who wants to see all of our wedding photos you can follow this link, or you can see our wedding scrapbook here.

This is Sapphire's favourite picture:

 And here is Sini's favourite one:

Sini is still sleeping.  I had to be careful getting out of bed so that I wouldn't disturb her.  I really didn't want to leave the room, though, so now I'm sitting here on the floor with my laptop and I've got my ear buds in so that I'm the only one who can hear the little synthesized voice of my screen-reading software.  I don't think anyone else in the house is awake yet.  It's kind of strange, because I'm generally not an early riser.  Half the people in the house are usually up before me.

So, where should I start?  I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole thing and I'm not even sure how to begin telling you about our big day yesterday.  The weather was perfect and everyone we invited was able to come.  We had a few minor mishaps but no major disasters.  My mother was even on her best behaviour.  Oh, and Pax fulfilled his best man role amazingly well.  His speech was really good.  It was funny on purpose and not because of any cultural misunderstanding or language-related problems.   Everyone laughed when they were supposed to, and they laughed with Pax and not at him.  He really did say nice things about Sini and he said nice things about me, too.  His amusing story wasn't all that embarrassing.  The only slightly awkward part came right at the end of his speech when he announced that he hoped Sini and I would have lots and lots of children because he'd like some more brothers and sisters to play with, and that he hoped we would start working on that right away.   Afterward, people kept coming up to us and saying how cute they think Pax is and how pleased they were that we included him in our wedding in such an important way.  There were also lots of jokes about us getting started on Pax's future siblings, to which we tried to respond with good humour.

The only real difficulty we had yesterday was convincing Pax to wear his shoes.  He didn't like the dress shoes we'd bought for him because he said they pinched his toes.  Believe me, I felt his pain.  My wedding shoes were none too gentle on my feet either but, unlike Pax, I managed to make it through the entire day with mine on.  I have to say, I was pretty happy when all the festivities were over and I was able to take them off.

As it turned out, Pax didn't make it through the day with his shoes.  I didn't find out until after the ceremony that Pax was barefoot through the entire thing.  If you see pictures in our album of him with no shoes on, here's the explanation.   We let him play outside just before the wedding actually started, as long as he promised not to get his good clothes dirty.   By some miracle he did stay clean, but what he didn't do was hang onto his shoes.

Oh, before I forget, here's another of Sini's favourite pictures.  I wish I could've seen this.  While we were getting ready, Sini's veil mysteriously went missing.  My dad happened to look out the window and saw Pax playing outside with it.   He went out and got it, but not before snapping a picture with his phone.  Actually, he took several pictures.  Pax was having a great time and apparently Dad thought it was funny, so you'll probably see more than one photo of Pax with the veil in our album.

But, I was telling you about Pax's shoes.  Sini was the one who finally noticed they were missing.  Pax was standing next to me in the receiving line.  Sini, of course, was at my other side.  At one point, Sini kind of leaned across me and said in a stage whisper, "Pax Viridis, where are your shoes?"

This question was met by dead silence for several seconds.  Finally, I heard, "They better at playing hide-and-seek than me."

"What?" I said, and was interrupted from saying anything further for a minute while I shook hands with some of our guests and accepted their congratulations.

"I played hide-and-seek with my shoes," Pax whispered. "I think they won."

"We'll talk about it later," I whispered back. 

Later, Pax confessed that he'd taken his shoes off and stashed them under one of the shrubs in the yard, but then he got busy playing with Cassie and the kids of some friends we'd invited to the wedding.  He forgot under which bush he'd hidden his shoes, and despite help from the other kids, he was unable to locate them.   After the reception and the dance were over, Dad went out to look for Pax's shoes, but he couldn't find them either.  We figure someone else liked them better than Pax did and took them home.  Needless to say, Pax is less than devastated by their loss.

Other than Pax's little misadventure with his footwear, though, everything else went off beautifully.   Sini and I decided that we wanted to compose our own vows.  The traditional ones just didn't seem appropriate for us.  I don't practice any religion, and although Sini does follow Erisan spirituality to some degree, it doesn't really line up with any of the classic Christian religions of Earth.   Besides, making up our own vows seemed more meaningful and personal to us.  I thought I'd be nervous trying to remember what I'd planned to say, but I was fine.  

My only real moment of anxiety was when it was time for me to put the ring on Sini's finger.  I was stupidly afraid I was going to drop it.   Afterward, Sini told me that she worried about the same thing when it was her turn to place the ring on my hand.   I'm happy to say that both of us are now wearing gold bands, neither of which were dropped.

My co-workers from the store and their buddies did a fabulous job with the music for our dance.  I had a lot of confidence in them to begin with, but my opinion of them went up several levels on the awesome-o-meter after yesterday.   Most of the music was instrumental, but Eddie did an amazing cover of Phil Collins' song 'You'll Be In My Heart' for us.  It's one of our favourite songs.  

One of the most remarkable things that happened yesterday was that Rommie apologized to us for repeatedly voicing her doubt that we could put together our wedding in less than two months.  She said she thought our wedding was lovely and that everything was very well done.   Sini and I are really proud of that, but we're also really proud of everyone who helped us make our day perfect and memorable.  We couldn't have done it without our roommates and friends.

We got lots of really nice gifts, and some of my relatives sent us money, which will help to pay the bills associated with the wedding.  Getting married is expensive, but I'd never suggest the cost should discourage anyone.  It's totally worth it.   We'll probably start working on our thank you cards for everyone tomorrow. 

I'm not sure what else to say, so I think I'll end this post here.   Maybe I'll get back in bed.  It's way too early for me to be up on a Sunday morning anyway, and I think a little snuggling with my wife might be in order.   

Alien vs. Monster

Kids hear a lot more than adults think they do.  

Sini and I learned this lesson the hard way.  We learned that it pays to be prudent when you're having a conversation within earshot of your kid, because even when you think he's not listening, he probably is.  And because the kid in question is not only precocious but also lacks the judgement to know that he shouldn't repeat what he hears, anything you say could potentially come back to bite you in the ass.  

 My parents are here in advance of the wedding and, just as I anticipated, there's already been some friction between Sini and my mother.  To say that Mum disapproves of Sini wouldn't be stretching the truth at all.  My mother isn't known for her open-mindedness and I think Sini's very existence is a strain on her concept of the 'normal' world.  The fact that I not only associate with this strange creature but that I'm madly in love with her and intend to marry her pretty much blows my mother's narrow mind.  

Anyway, I said all that by way of explanation as to how Sini and I began our education in what not to say in the presence of our kids.   On Sunday night, the day before my parents were supposed to arrive, Sini and I were in the living room working on the favours we plan to give our guests at the reception.   I know some people are interested in the details about stuff like this, so for those of you who are curious, our guests are getting candy to take home.   This was Pax's idea, but we thought it was a good one.  My job was to fill up these little mesh bags with candy wrapped in pink and purple foil.  The little bags are pink and purple too, apparently.  Once I had each one filled up, Sini tied a piece of ribbon in an alternating colour around the top to close it; pink ribbon on the purple bags and purple ribbon on the pink ones.   Sini says they look very cute.   Honestly, I have no opinion.   Even if I could see how they looked, I'd probably still have no opinion.  I'm not really into the frilly stuff, and I'm perfectly willing to accept Sini's word that the candy bags look nice.   

Pax wanted to help with the candy bags, but Sini and I quickly vetoed that idea.  We figured that if we let him anywhere near that particular project there'd be more candy in Pax than in the bags by the time we were done, and he'd be on such a sugar high that we'd probably have to peel him off the ceiling.     Thankfully, Cassie offered to keep him entertained while Sini and I were busy.    Cassie and Pax situated themselves on the rug at the far end of the room, where Cassie made a valiant attempt to teach Pax how to play Scrabble.   Just based on the snippets of conversation I overheard, that undertaking probably deserves a post of its own.  

But, I digress.  

While we worked, I tried to engage Sini in conversation, but she didn't seem very interested.   We'd exchange a few sentences and then she'd fall silent again.    I was worried, and I definitely didn't need her empathic sense to know that something was bothering her.   

When I asked her what was the matter, she sighed and said, "It is your mother."

"What about my mother?" I said. 

"I wish your mother was not coming."

Any other guy might've been insulted if his fiancée made a statement like that about his mother, but given that Sini seems stressed lately and my mother isn't the easiest person to get along with at the best of times, I understood her sentiment.   "I know," I said, "but it wouldn't have been right not to invite her.  Mum and Dad will only be here for a few days.  I'm sure they'll go home right after the wedding."  

"If I had my way, we would not have invited them."

"You can't have your way all the time.  Sometimes I like to have things my way, you know."

'You got your way.   You did not invite Grandpa Mike."

"That was just as much for your benefit as for mine," I said.  "Grandpa Mike is a jerk."

"That is not a very charitable thought to have about your grandfather."

"He's not a very charitable person," I said.  "I'm pretty sure he doesn't even like me.  Seriously, do you realize that man has never called me by my name once in my life?  He treats me like I'm sub-human or something.  I don't even want to think about how he might treat you.  He didn't get invited because I know he'd find a way to ruin the day for everyone."

"Your mother does not like me."

"Maybe not, but at least my mother won't try to cause trouble on purpose."  

 "She will just be herself and cause trouble without trying."

I had to concede that was almost certainly true.   I couldn't resist saying, "That's not a very charitable thought to have about your future mother-in-law." 

Sini offered up a snort of general disdain. "The way she behaves toward me, I think it is more appropriate to call her monster-in-law."

I really tried hard not to laugh at that, I swear, but in the end I was wholly unsuccessful.   When I regained some composure I said,  "You know, Mum would totally freak out if she ever heard you say that."  

"I do not care," said Sini. "If she were here in this room, I would still say it."  

"That'd do a lot for family relations," I said.  

"The only family I am concerned about is ours.   The two of us and our children are the important people.   If your mother cannot accept us as we are, then I think I would rather not have any relations with her at all." 

"It'd be nice if the two of you could call off the hostilities at least temporarily," I said. "I mean, just be nice.  It's not like anyone expects you to be best friends with her or anything."

"It is good no one expects me to be her friend, because there is no way that would ever happen."  

I had to smile when I heard one of my own pet phrases coming from Sini   I said,  "Can you just promise me that you'll try to be nice to her this week?"

"Even if she is not nice to me?"

"Do it for me," I said.  "Please?"

"I do not want to, but I will do it," Sini said. "For you."  

"Thank you," I said.

I thought that the matter was more or less settled at that point, and even though I didn't anticipate an outpouring of joy from either Sini or my mother, I did expect that the cattiness would be kept to a minimum, at least on Sini's part.  I expected a peaceful, if not harmonious, visit.   What I hadn't counted on was Skyla and our little green wildcard Pax.  

Sundays and Mondays are my usual days off from the store, so I was at home to receive my parents when they arrived mid-morning on Monday.   Sini, Skyla and I met them at the front door.  I was carrying Skyla in my arms, and as soon as she saw my father she started squealing and squirming and calling out excitedly, "Grandpa! Grandpa!"    She never greets my mother with such enthusiasm, which I think is a sore point for Mum.  As I let Skyla go into my father's arms, I had a bad feeling we'd already started off on the wrong foot.  

"Hello, miss Skyla Blue," my dad said.  "How's my favourite girl?"  

Skyla giggled, so I guessed he was tickling her.  I said, "You'd better not let Cleo hear you say that, Dad."

"Cleo is my favourite girl too," he said. "With granddaughters, you're allowed to have more than one favourite." 

"I'll remember that if I ever have any," I said.  

"Oh, you will," Dad said.  "If Skyla grows up to be half as pretty as her mother, you won't have to worry about her finding someone to marry and have beautiful children with.  You'll probably have to chase the men away."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, James," said my mother. 

Dad kept going as if Mum hadn't even admonished him.  "And how have you been since we last saw you, Sini?  You really are beautiful, you know.  My son is a lucky man."

Sini greeted my father warmly.  "I am well, thank you, and I think I am very lucky too.   It is very nice to see you again, Dr. Brightman."  The tone of her voice plunged several degrees as she tacked on an acknowledgment to my mother, "Mrs. Brightman."

"Sini," my father said, "You know you don't have to be so formal with us.  How many times have we told you that you can call us James and Julia?"

"I don't recall that I've ever said that," said my mother. "You may call me Mrs. Brightman."  


"Since I will also be Mrs. Brightman soon, I think that will be very confusing," Sini said. "But, I will do it if you insist."  


"I do," said my mother.  


"Julia--" my dad began, but Sini interrupted him.


"It is okay," she said.  "I promised Tyler that I would try very hard to accommodate his mother, no matter how badly she treats me.  I am going to be the bigger person."  


"Sini--" I started to say.  


"Tyler, darling, it's fine," said my mother.  "I think it's very commendable that Sini wants to be a person.  Of character, I mean.  A person of character." 

Sini was squeezing my hand so tightly that it was uncomfortable for me. I could tell that she wanted to fire something back at my mother, and she seemed to be exercising a monumental amount of restraint to keep herself from doing so. 

I was about to suggest that we all go into the kitchen and have some tea and try to move on to a more pleasant topic of conversation when the tense moment was broken by the sound of Pax barrelling down the stairs and shouting at the top of his voice, "Tyler!  Tyler!  Are they here?"

"Yes," I said, as he came charging into the porch and threw himself into my arms for a hug. "What did we tell you about using your inside voice?"

"I know, but I excited!" he said.  "You not feel me being excited?"

He was trembling all over.  I said, "You know what?  I think I can."

"Really?"

"Can you feel me being exasperated?" Sini said.

"Go easy on him," I said. "You know he loves new people."

My dad was laughing, presumably at our little family byplay.  He said, "Are you planning to introduce us, son?"

"I think this guy can introduce himself," I said. "Pax, you can do that, right?  Can you introduce yourself to my mother and father?"

"Yes," he said. "I only touch the hands, I promise."

"Good," I said. 

Pax let go of me, and I pictured him sticking out his hand for an Earth-style handshake. "My name Pax," he said, and then added helpfully, "I a boy, but maybe you not know because I wear clothes."

"What?" said my mother.

"Clothes," Pax repeated slowly as if she might not have understood him.  "I wear clothes."  

She sounded completely flustered when she said, "Of course you're wearing clothes."

"I not always wear clothes," Pax said.

"Another one?" my mother blurted. "Tyler, darling, you really ought to keep better company. I mean, you don't see your brother getting involved with nudists, do you?"

"Tyler not see anything," Pax said. "You Tyler mother. You not know?"

That was the point at which I started laughing and couldn't stop for several minutes. Maybe it was the tension that had finally gotten to me, or maybe it was the total cosmic justice in the fact that my mother had finally met her match in the form of a precocious young boy. 

"Tyler James Brightman, this is not funny," said my mother.

I finally managed to catch my breath enough to say, "Sorry, Mum," but I wasn't really sorry and, from where I was standing, the whole thing was very funny indeed. 

 "Well, I'm pleased to meet you, Pax," my father said.  "Are you related to Sini?"

 "Sini my..."  Pax began, but didn't seem able to describe the relationship in English, and ended up with an Erisan word that sounded a little like the word Sini uses to describe her relationship to me.  

"Soul mother," Sini said.  

"Yes," said Pax. "Sini my...soul mother."

"Your godmother?" Dad asked. 

"What means 'god'?" Pax said.

 "Pax, let's not go there," I said.  I turned toward my father. "Sini and I have more or less adopted Pax.  He's our son in spirit, I guess you could say."

 "So, that makes him our grandson," Dad said, sounding pleased.

 "It most certainly does not," said my mother.

 "Of course it does," said Dad.  "Pax, you can call me Grandpa, if you want."  

"Grandpa," Pax echoed.  "What that means?"

 "It's a special name for grandfathers," Dad said.  "Skyla calls me Grandpa.  I think you can, too."    

 "I like you, Grandpa," Pax said, and then, as if it had only just occurred to him. "What I call Tyler mother?  Sini say monster-in-law.   Tyler mother my...grandmonster?"  

That did it.  My father and I both lost it at that point and began laughing uncontrollably, to which my mother responded with a wordless howl and stomped past us and out of the porch.  Beside me, too quietly for anyone else to hear, Sini said, "Very nice." 

It was obvious Pax didn't grasp the humour.  "What?"  he said, sounding utterly perplexed. "I say something funny?"  

 "Yes, but I'm pretty sure your grandmonster didn't think so," Dad said.   

"She not like me."  It was a statement, not a question.

"She doesn't know you yet," Dad said.  "I'm sure she'll like you when she gets to know you."

"You like me, and you not know me," Pax said.  "She not like me.  I know."  

"Now, Pax, that's not--" Dad began.

I interrupted him before he got going.  "Dad," I said. "Pax is an empath like Sini.  You can't lie to him, even if you're doing it to make him feel better.  He'll know that's what you're doing."

"Oh," said my father, but then he brightened again and asked, "How does that work?"

"I feel your feelings," Pax said.  "I can feel you being curious now."  

"Yes, I am.   I'm very curious.  Are all the people from your world able to feel other people's feelings?"

"Yes, but not all the same.   Sini feels Tyler feelings, but she not feel other humans.  I feel everyone."  

"Interesting," Dad said.  

"Sini tells this better," Pax said.  "She speaks English better."  

"I think you're doing fine with English.  When did you start learning it?"

"When I came here," Pax said. "Tyler, that right?  When I came here?"

"Yeah, that's right," I said, and then by way of explanation to my father, "We're working on the past tense." 

"Pax has only been with us since April," Sini said. "He is very smart."

"I can see that," Dad said.  "Pax, why don't you show me where I can put my suitcase and where I'm going to sleep?  We should let your Mum and Dad smooth things over with your grandmother., I think." 

"I'd better handle that myself," I said.

"Yes, perhaps you should. I have difficulty with the difference between 'smoothing' and 'flattening'," Sini said. "The language barrier, Dr. Brightman.  I am sure you understand."

My father laughed. "Oh, Sini...I doubt the language gives you a moment's trouble," he said.  "Maybe you should go with Tyler, though.   It'll do Julia good to have somebody stand up to her for a change."  

I'm not sure if that was such good advice at all.  Our attempt to smooth things over with Mum didn't go well, and I don't anticipate this being a very pleasant week for either Sini or her.   Pax and my father, on the other hand, are having a grand time.   I think 'Grandpa' is Pax's new hero and best friend.  Dad is teaching Pax how to play checkers and has promised to take him and Skyla to Toys R Us.   Pax has big plans to show Dad all around the neighbourhood.   I think he's even given Dad a sneak preview of his best man - or best alien - speech.  

It should be a memorable visit.

I'll keep you guys in the loop.  

The Best Alien And The Perfect Dress

We've finally gotten the wedding clothes issue sorted, and yes, I'm happy to report that everyone is going to be wearing something.  It's actually kind of funny, because the problem got solved by pure chance yesterday  while Sini and I were walking downtown.

Let me start at the beginning, which was yesterday morning, when I went to the hospital to get my cast taken off.  Beau went with me, partly for moral support, but mostly to help me find my way around the maze that is our local medical centre.  Sini had originally planned to come with me too, but she said she wasn't feeling well yesterday morning and wanted to sleep in.  The idea of Earth hospitals seems to make her nervous.  I think her upset stomach probably had more to do with anxiety than anything else, but I didn't make any comment to her about it.   I would've liked to have her there, but if she wasn't up to it, I wasn't about to insist.  I knew I'd be okay as long as somebody was with me, and Beau is really great about helping me.   We've become good friends since he arrived here, which is surprising, because he hardly ever talks to anyone else.  He and Dylan have gotten pretty close, though.  The three of us hang out a lot. 

I kissed Sini goodbye just before I left and said I hoped she'd feel better after some more rest.  She promised to meet me and Beau downtown around mid-morning.  She thought the three of us could go for celebratory coffee and pie in honour of me regaining the use of my dominant hand.  Since I love my coffee and Beau never refuses a slice of pie, we agreed that was a good plan. 

Anyway, Sini met us around ten o'clock at a downtown café that we like.  Beau had to be at work by eleven, but there was still plenty of time for pie.  Sini and I had blueberry pie which is our favourite.  Beau got peach pie with vanilla ice cream.  Peach pie is the main reason why this particular café is at the top of Beau's list.  Apparently, peach pie is hard to find around here and he says it reminds him of home. 

Usually we'd linger over a second cup of coffee or, in Beau's case, iced tea and we'd chat about everything and nothing until the staff politely encouraged us to buy something else or move on, but we didn't have a lot of time for that yesterday. Once we'd finished our snack and paid the bill, Beau headed off to his job at the supermarket.  Sini wanted to window shop, and I agreed even though my arm was hurting a little and I really wanted to go home and wash off the lingering antiseptic hospital smell that still seemed to be clinging to me.  Yeah, I know some of you are probably thinking that I let Sini get her own way a lot, and you're right, but sometimes I just can't help it.   It's hard to say no to her.

Window shopping is something I never understood, much less enjoyed, until I met Sini.  She says it's one of life's simple pleasures, strolling along and looking through shop windows at things you never really intend to buy.  The dreaming and imagining is the real fun in window shopping.   We stopped in front of various shops and Sini described the things she saw displayed in the big front window of each place; cameras, winter coats, books, shoes, candy, toys, sports equipment, more books and more shoes. 

Then we came to a shop that sells formal wear.

Sini's previously gentle grip on my hand tightened and I heard her make a little chirping sound.  It was the same kind of noise Pax makes when he gets excited about something like candy or new toys or a trip to the mall.  I guessed Sini was reacting to something she saw.

"What is it?" I said.

"I want to go into this shop."

"What shop is this?"

"There are dresses," she said, and I didn't miss the emphasis she placed on the word.  "They are so beautiful.  Can we go in, please?"

"You want to go into a clothing store?"

"Yes," she said. "I want that dress.  The pink one in the window."

"Hang on.  You want a dress?  To wear?"

"Yes.  For our wedding."

"So, you're getting married with clothes on now?"

"I talked to Rommie," she said.  "She told me that a bride's dress does not have to be white."

"It doesn't, but I thought you didn't want to wear any dress at all."

For a few moments, she didn't respond to that, but eventually she said, "White does not mean the same thing for my people as it does for yours.  For us, white is not a colour of purity and peace.  It means winter and mourning and sadness.  Our loved ones who die are shrouded in white.  I could not wear a white dress on our happy day."

"Oh Sini...I didn't know that," I said.  "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I...I thought it was a rule," she said, and I could hear a slight tremble in her voice.  "I thought I had to wear white if we were going to do it the Earth way."

I pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head, heedless of any passers-by on the street who might be watching us. "No, there's no rule at all.  It's okay.  You can wear any colour dress you want.  If you'd told me, I would've understood."

"I'm sorry," she said, her words muffled against my chest.

"You don't have to be sorry.  If you want a pink dress, you can have a pink dress."

"It is really okay?"

"Of course it is.  Do you really think I'm concerned with the colour of your dress?  You're beautiful to me no matter what you're wearing," I said.  I held her for a few more minutes until she seemed settled again, and then I inquired, "Why don't you tell me about this dress that you want?"

"My description will not be good enough," she said.  "You need to see it.  You need to see me wearing it.  I want to try it on."

And so, we went into the shop and Sini tried on this spectacular pink dress.  Amazingly enough, the dress that had been hanging in the window was exactly her size.  She fell in love with it the moment she saw herself in the mirror, and she excitedly encouraged me to check out this wearable work of art for myself.   I'll admit, I kind of fell in love with it too.  It's made of three different kinds of fabric, each with a different texture.  The skirt is huge and voluminous and it's made of this silky stuff that feels like hundreds of ribbons all sewn together.  The top part is kind of rough, but I guess it's lined with satin inside.  Sini said the rough part is sparkly, woven through with silver and shiny pink threads.   I didn't know what the saleslady was thinking while I was giving the dress a throrough tactile examination with my fiancée still in it, but I could just imagine the look on her face.  I imagine we put on quite a show.  

We bought the dress, even though it cost a little more than I'd budgeted for.  Okay...a lot more, but you onlly get married once, right?   Well, I guess some people get married more than once, but I intend this to be my first and only marriage.   We bought my wedding shirt at the same formal wear shop while we were there.  Sini picked it out.  It's purple satin.   Rommie, the notorious opponent of purple shirts for men,  is going to have a fit when she sees it.  I can't wait to show it off.

Here's Sini in her fabulous wedding dress.   What do you guys think?

While we're on the subject of sorting out wedding-related issues, I should probably share with you how Dylan ended up not being my best man.   I wanted Dylan to be my best man.  I asked him if he would, but he had other ideas.  In fact, he offered up an idea that I really didn't expect.  I liked it and I'm happy with the idea, but I'm still a little disappointed that my cousin isn't going to be in the wedding party.

"I'm really honoured that you're asking me," was Dylan's response when I approached the subject with him. "But, I think there's someone else who might be more appropriate for the job."

"Not Michael," I said.

I must've looked horrified or shocked or something, because Dylan laughed.  "Most people would probably say he was the logical choice, but no, not Michael."

"If it's not you and it's not Michael, then who are you talking about?" I said.  I honestly expected him to say Beau, so I was more than a little stunned when I heard his answer.

"Pax," he said.

"Really?" I said, blurting out the word even though I hadn't really meant to.

"Why not?" said Dylan."I mean, it kind of makes sense, don't you think?"

"How does it make sense for me not to have my best friend as my best man?" I said. "It's the reason I asked, you know.   Don't you want to?"

"Don't get me wrong.  I'd love to," Dylan said.  "It's just that I think it'd be good for Pax to participate in an Earth ceremony.  It'd probably mean a lot to him to be included.   I mean, what's he going to think when he sees Skyla carrying that little basket of flowers and he doesn't get to do anything?"

I'll confess, that hadn't actually occurred to me.  When I gave it some thought, however, I realized Dylan had a point.  Pax probably would feel left out if he didn't have a role in the wedding and it might be nice for Sini to have someone from home in the wedding party as well.   The only thing that concerned me was how I'd manage to explain to Pax what it meant to be best man in a wedding.

In the end, I decided just to plunge right in and ask him.  I'd figure out how to explain it as we went along.

"Pax," I said, "How would you like to be in the wedding?"

"I get married too?" he said, clearly confused.

"No.  You know how we've been teaching Skyla to carry that little basket without dropping it or throwing it?  On the day of the wedding, she's going to carry the basket.  When Sini and I exchange our rings, we're going to put Sini's flowers in the basket and Skyla is going to stand there and look pretty while she holds them."

'Yes," Pax said. "That a good job for Skyla."

"Would you like a job?"

"What job?"

"Would you like to be my best man?"

"No," he said.  "I not be best man.  That impossible."

The only way to describe my reaction was flabbergasted.  I actually think my mouth fell open for a few seconds, I was so shocked.  Somehow I managed to ask, "What?  Why not?"

"I not a man," he said mildly.  "I a boy."  

"Oh..." I said, and then immediately started laughing.

"What so funny?" he demanded. 

Once I caught my breath I explained, "It doesn't matter, Pax.  You can be a boy and still be best man.  Best alien.  Whatever."

"Sini say okay?"

"Sini doesn't get to choose. I do."

"Okay," Pax said. "What I do?"

"Your job is very important," I said.  "You have to carry the ring that I'm going to give to Sini.  You have to be very careful and promise not to lose it.   When we get to the part in the wedding where Sini and I give each other the rings, I'll ask you for the ring and you'll put it in my hand.   Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes," Pax said. "What else I do?"

"You'd have to dress up."

"In a costume?   Can I have a tiger costume?"

"No one's going to be wearing a costume.  You'd wear nice shirt and a necktie."

"Can I have a pink shirt?"

"I think so, but we'll have to ask Sini about that," I said.

"Okay.  What else I do?"

"If the best man were a grown-up, he'd give a speech at the reception."

"What means 'speech'?"

"A speech is when you say something that you made up ahead of time.  If Dylan was my best man, he might say something nice about Sini or tell a funny story about me, and then he might say why he thinks it's good that Sini and I got married."

"I can do that!" Pax said enthusiastically.  "I can do the speech.  I know lots of funny stories and I say nice things about Sini."  

In hindsight, I probably should've given that a lot more thought before I agreed to it.  My best man isn't my twin brother or my favourite cousin.  My best man is an alien with the mental maturity of a ten year old who's making up a speech for the reception all by himself.  It should be interesting to say the least, and will most likely be embarrassing and awkward in the extreme.  We're committed to this course of action now, though.  Ask me after the wedding whether I've learned anything from it.

Pax is pleased about the state of affairs, though, judging by the conversation I overheard this morning.   Apparently, Remi caught Pax talking to himself in front of the mirror in the front hall, because he said, "Pax, what are you doing?  Are you practicing for a speech, or something?"

'Yes!" Pax said cheerfully. "I make a speech."

"What for?" Remi asked.

"For Tyler and Sini getting married," Pax said.  "I say a funny story about Tyler and something nice about Sini and I supposed to say I happy because they have a wedding."

"And are you?  Happy because they're getting married, I mean."

"Yes. I very happy." 

"So, you're going to say a few words at the wedding."

"Yes.  It my job."

"And what job is that?"  Remi asked, clearly curious.

It was all I could do not to laugh at Pax's answer and give myself away for eavesdropping.  "My job very important," he said.  "Tyler say I the best alien." 

Remi

Remi is here, and I don't think he's just visiting.

My understanding of the original plan was that Remi was supposed to be visiting for a month, but judging by the amount of stuff that arrived with him, I'm pretty sure he's planning to move in permanently.  I'm not sure if Sapphire is aware of this.  She'll probably be okay with Remi moving in, since this place is more or less a sanctuary for wayward travellers, but I think it would've been courteous for Xander to have talked to her about it beforehand.   I wouldn't invite one of my friends to come and live here without at least checking with the owner of the house first.

Anyway, Remi has been here for a little over a week now and, visitor status notwithstanding, things have been going exceptionally well.  For the first few days we didn't see much of Remi or Xander, as they were off doing whatever activities they'd planned.   They've been at home more during the last few days, so the rest of us have had an opportunity to get to know Remi a little better.

Remi is from Jamaica.  I might've mentioned that before.  He comes from a large extended family, and he's the oldest of four siblings.  He has a seventeen year old sister and a fifteen year old brother and the other brother is only a toddler.  In fact, while we were talking about our respective families, we discovered that Skyla and Remi's baby brother Marley share the same birthday.   How cool is that?  On 29th September, they'll both be turning two.

One interesting fact about Remi is that he's Rastafari.  I'm not exactly sure what the Rastafari lifestyle entails, but it seems interesting and I'm very curious to find out.   I also learned that Remi's job in retail was as a sales associate in a men's clothing store and not, as I previously assumed, as a player in some kind of illegitimate activity.  This just goes to show that preconceived ideas about people are often incorrect. 

I have to confess that I'm a little ashamed of myself for prejudging Remi.  Wrongly, I'd presumed that anyone who would want to be with Xander had to be equally annoying and inconsiderate as him, but as it turns out, Remi is actually a very nice guy.   He's quiet and friendly and surprisingly open-minded.   I guess it must be true that opposites attract, because Remi seems to be strong in all the qualities that Xander lacks.   Maybe this relationship will be good for Xander.  Maybe he'll learn something.

Here's Remi, for everyone who's curious.

Xander isn't the only one who might benefit from building a relationship with Remi.  I think having Remi here is going to be a wonderful experience for Pax, too.

Remi didn't even pause a beat when he met Pax and Sini.   Most people react with surprise or confusion when they see our Erisan family members for the first time, and sometimes a stranger will offer up a dumbass comment about their ears or the colour of their skin, but Remi just introduced himself and said he was pleased to meet them.  When Pax asked for permission to touch him, Remi didn't ask why.  He just said yes and asked for the same permission in return.  Pax has learned that when humans give their permission to touch, it means something very different than when an Erisan does it.  Pax knows he's supposed to restrict his touching of new humans to their hands and arms.

It made me smile when I heard Pax ask Remi shyly. "I can touch your hair too?"

Remi's response to that was, "Yeah, go ahead."

After a short pause in which I imagined Pax was probably fingering Remi's hair in a way that most people would find invasive and uncomfortable, I heard, "Remi hair cool!  I like!"

"Thanks," Remi said.  "I like yours.  I like the colours."

"It all natural," Pax informed him proudly.

Remi laughed, "Mine too."

Pax is totally infatuated with Remi's hair.   He wanted to know if he could grow his own hair so that he can have dreadlocks too.  Sini and I agreed that there's no harm in allowing Pax to let his hair grow.  Sini says a lot of Erisan males wear their hair long.  As for the dreads, we figure Pax will change his mind about those before his hair gets long enough, and if he doesn't, he'll be the first Erisan in history to have dreadlocks. 

I'm sure I'll have more to tell you guys about Remi in future posts.  I'm going to end this one here because Sini has just reminded me that I'm supposed to be helping her plan what kind of finger foods we're going to have at our wedding reception.  She says they have to be all vegetarian choices, so I guess those little hotdogs wrapped in pastry won't be on the menu.  I'm a little disappointed about that.  For health reasons, I don't eat a lot of processed food, but I do like those.  I also like ham sandwiches with cream cheese, but I'm pretty sure Sini would disapprove of serving those at the reception.  

Oh...just one more thing before I finish this up.  My cast is coming off on Monday!   That's only - as Pax says - two more sleeps away.  I can hardly wait!