by Danube Adele
A flash of heat curled my toes, and I cried out my pleasure. My inner muscles spasmed around him and in seconds, his own guttural cry had him straining as I felt his hot spurts hitting the inside of my core. I was still gasping for breath when his lips found mine in a gentle kiss. Carefully pulling himself out of me, he flopped on his back, his hand finding mine in the afterglow. He just held it.
There were a few minutes of silence, and I thought he’d gone to sleep.
“What do you call joining on your planet?”
I gave his hand a squeeze. “We call it getting married.”
“How does one do this on Earth?”
“Well, traditionally, a guy will first ask a girl’s parents for their blessing in marrying her. Then, he proposes to her with an engagement ring. An engagement period can last however long the couple want it to, but then they have the ceremony with relatives and someone officiating.”
“How long does this take?”
“It’s up to the couple.”
“Will you take me to meet your parents?”
“I will.” Did he want to marry me? Just thinking of going home was making me excited. There were so many things I wanted to show him. “How do people join here?”
“The women of the village kidnap the female and do the spirits only know what for several hours of the day. Once everyone has dressed for the occasion, we would bind our arms in front of the village and make vows to protect and care for each other and any children we had.”
“Children.” The word was soft on my lips. Almost a whisper. I had stopped thinking that I could one day have children. My free hand went to my flat abdomen. Tabron turned on his side, facing me and covered my hand with his.
“Then it would be followed by a feast.”
“It sounds lovely.”
His eyes watched me in all seriousness. “I want to join with you, Ceci. In all ways that I can bind you to me, I want to do so. I can’t imagine going through any part of my life without you by my side. I count on you for all things that make me whole. You own my heart, love.”
It felt so right I felt my eyes sting. “I rely on your strength, your care and your love. I can’t even think of a life without you. I want to be with you forever, Tabron.”
“But not until I’ve officially met your family. I want to do this right, Beauty.”
I grinned. “Whatever you say, Viking.”
Chapter Twenty-One
“Grandma Nena wants to talk to him. She’s on the hunt.”
“To Tabron?” Why was I surprised? Of course my grandmother would know I was bringing a guy to Sunday brunch for the first time since Carlos, even though I hadn’t actually told her anything about him. “Please tell me she didn’t have another dream?”
My cousin Bailey shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know about that, but she’s been watching the door, so just be prepared. She actually looks happy, so you can take that for what it’s worth.” I’d just introduced her to Tabron, enjoying the look of appreciation in her eyes, and the way she looked at me with a you-go-girl smile. She’d been taking a babysitting shift in the front yard when we pulled up.
“Okay. Thanks for the heads up.” We were standing outside my parents’ house, a large, traditional Craftsman style in a small town near the foothills, on the outskirts of L.A. County. They had a long driveway where a few of my cousins’ small children were racing up and back on trikes and scooters, still wearing their Sunday best.
“Auntie Ceci! Auntie Ceci!” Little seven-year-old Meli ran at me full speed, and knowing the drill, I bent to catch the bundle of pink dress with white stockings as she threw her arms around my neck at full speed.
“How are you, Meli-bell?” I asked, giving the little girl a loud buss on her cheek and a squeeze tight enough to make her giggle. She had two pigtails with pink ribbons threaded through her hair.
With a whisper loud enough to blow an eardrum, she looked up at Tabron and said, “He’s really big.”
In the same whisper, and letting my own eyes rest on him, I replied, “Yes, he is.”
“What’s his name?”
“Can you keep a secret?” When Meli nodded and crossed her heart, I said, “You can start calling him Uncle Tabron.”
Tabron’s brows twitched just slightly with some surprise. It was like he hadn’t realized he was going to have a title once he joined with me. For someone who had grown up with no relatives, he was going to inherit a boatload all of a sudden.
Understanding lit Meli’s eyes and she looked at Tabron with a smile, holding her hands out to him, silently demanding that he take her. Tabron looked to me sharply, as though wondering what to do, but my answer was to lean closer to him so Meli could reach him better. Automatically, he reached out to grab her, and she settled herself comfortably on him, looking him over at close range. He stared at her somewhat helplessly.
“You have colorful eyes,” she informed him.
“I do?” He suddenly smiled. “You have green eyes. Just like your Auntie.”
“We all have green eyes.” Meli nodded with authority. “My grandma says it has to do with the power of our spirits.”
“Then you must have a very powerful spirit.”
“I do.” She nodded. “Aunties and uncles are supposed to have babies. Are you going to have babies?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“You should have a little girl, but she should have green eyes like all of us. We all have green eyes.”
“A little girl?”
I could see that floored him for a moment. Having children had been something he’d mentioned, but more in the futuristic, abstract way. Here was the concrete version—a real, live, flesh-and-blood child who clearly looked like she was related to me with her black hair and green eyes.
“Why not a little boy?”
Meli cast a disdainful look toward her other cousins who continued to play in the driveway. “We have enough boys. I need a girl to play with. Then you can have a boy and he can have eyes with your color.”
“A girl with green eyes, and a boy with my color eyes? We’ll see what we can do.”
“You’re big. You can do anything.” She placed great importance on this pronouncement. “I bet the bullies don’t even try to be mean to you.”
“They don’t.”
“One day, I’ll grow as big as you and make sure the bullies leave boys and girls alone on the playground.”
“You don’t have to be big, Meli. Your auntie isn’t so big, but she could beat me up if she wanted to.”
Meli, not knowing that I was an expert in mixed martial arts suddenly gave a peal of laughter. “Auntie Ceci has little muscles.”
“But she has a big heart, and no one messes with her.”
“Ceci!” Meli’s mother came out the front door with a big smile on her face. “It’s so good to see you!”
I gave Corinne a big hug.
“And who is this you’ve brought to us?”
“Tabron. We’ve been seeing each other.”
“What? How wonderful!” Corinne’s look was one of joy as she turned to Tabron. “We wondered when she’d find someone, but she just needed to meet the right person. By the way, Grandma Nena is watching for you and Tabron. Just thought you should know.”
“I’ve heard.”
“Best to get in there and get it over with.” She held her arms out to her daughter. “You want to come with me, baby?”
“No, I want Uncle Tabron to carry me in.”
Tabron gave Corinne a look that said he had no idea what to do, which made her laugh. “If you don’t mind...”
“I don’t,” Tabron replied.
“He’s taller than daddy.” Meli did her loud whisper in her mother’s direction, though Tabron was still holding her.
>
“People come in all different sizes, Meli-bell.” I reached over to tweak her pigtail.
Most of the action was happening in my mother’s kitchen. The smells of fresh tamales, barbacoa, salsa, cilantro, onions, rice and beans hung in the air. My grandmother lived near a bakery, so she always brought bags of fresh pan dulce, which were Mexican pastries. Sunday brunch was always the same. It could be relied on, and that was what made it special. We chose to be together.
“Where are your parents?” Tabron asked.
“Follow me.”
My mother was in the kitchen with my aunties, in a bustle of final food preparation activities. Tortillas were being warmed, plates, napkins and silverware were being put at the long dining table that my parents had, the two leafs placed in the middle so it could stretch to accommodate everyone. My mother was laughing with my Aunt Suzi as they readied the platters. The moment I saw my mother’s lovely face, I couldn’t help feeling the tears sting my eyes. She was so lovely, and I thought I’d never see her again.
“Why did you stop?” Meli demanded, which grabbed my mother’s attention immediately. She saw me and her eyes grew wide with pleasure. Then she saw Tabron holding Meli and her eyes widened with surprise.
“Why am I surprised.” My mom shook her head. “Grandma said you wouldn’t be coming alone.” Then her arms were around me giving me a big hug. “Now introduce me to this one, baby.”
“This is Tabron, Mom. We met just a few weeks ago at the hospital.”
“Henry said there was someone swept you off your feet, and then you disappeared. I don’t want to know, but I’m so glad to meet you.” My mom reached out to shake his free hand. “Call me Dona.”
This, of course, was followed by all of my aunts swarming him, remarking on what a handsome, strong man he was and telling him how wonderful I was. We’d talked about what to say, figuring he would need some Earth answers to common questions. Meli wanted down because all the adult talk wasn’t stimulating enough, so she went off.
“What do you do, Tabron?” This one was from my Auntie Monina.
“I’m in security.” He sold it with confidence. We figured we’d try to keep as much to the truth as possible without freaking everyone out about life on other planets.
“And your family? Are they from around here?” my mom asked.
“I was orphaned at a young age,” Tabron admitted.
“Were you part of the system?”
“I was.” He nodded. I’d given him a rundown on some of the social programs everyone would assume he’d been part of.
“Cecita! Bring your young man here.” It was a command, not a request. When my grandmother said jump, we just jumped. Taking Tabron’s hand, I led him out through the sliding patio doors to where my grandmother had been set up at a patio table with a large umbrella keeping the sun off her face.
“Hi, Grandma. This is Tabron.”
Her smile was satisfied as she took my hug and kiss. When I pulled away, I saw she already had her eyes on Tabron, analyzing him. He met her gaze steadily, but with a friendly expression.
“Sit, sit.” She motioned to the empty chairs on the opposite side of the table.
Tabron held my chair for me and took one himself.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“If Henry stops putting extra tequila in my drinks, I’ll be fine.” She looked to Tabron, more concerned with him. “I saw you. I knew you were coming. You can call me Nena.”
Tabron didn’t seem surprised even though my own mouth hung open with shock. Tabron leaned back, resting his arms comfortably. It was almost like they were old friends, and the relief was instant. I hadn’t realized how nervous I’d been about this whole thing. Tabron merely commented, “The spirits wanted to make this right.”
“You are not from here, but I can see this is supposed to happen. You want to marry Ceci, but this could be complicated.” My grandmother was nodding her head as though this was a sure thing. “You are going to need my help. I have something for you.”
She took the box that was on the table in front of her and opened it, causing my mouth to drop for the second time. It was the beautiful diamond that had once belonged to my great grandmother, nesting within a grouping of smaller diamonds.
“Oh, Grandma. You can’t.”
“I can. This is the way.” She held it out to Tabron, letting him see and appreciate it. Then she closed the box tightly. “Give me your hand.”
Leaning forward, he let her open his hand palm up, where she set the box before closing it firmly. “This will be for you to give to Ceci when the time is right. In our culture, you might need to wait a time, get to know all of us, then ask her to marry you. When you’re ready, this belonged to my mother. It is old, but is very powerful in meaning. Take it.”
“Thank you. I’ll take good care of it until Ceci has it on her finger.”
“When you’re ready, we will all help you to celebrate.”
God, I loved that woman. My eyes went filmy. “Thank you, Grandma.”
“Thank you, Nena.” Tabron said somberly. “I want you to know that I love her with all of my heart. I didn’t know I had a heart until I met her, and I will protect her with all that I am and all that I have until the day I die.”
His words were so beautiful, I could feel the emotion balling in my throat. Feeling movement behind me, I turned and saw that my parents were standing there. My mom was already tearing up and my dad had a tight hug around her shoulders, but they were both smiling broadly.
“Finally. Maybe I can get a good night’s sleep now.” My grandma nodded again. “Everything is going to be all right.”
Epilogue
It was the last quarter of the soccer game and the parents were cheering from their respective sidelines, creating a din of excitement. My little soccer player was out there.
I looooove her. Isn’t she absolutely fantastic? I just want to give her big smooches and hugs for being so awesome and representing for the team. Go Team Estrogen! A young woman standing next to me was shouting exuberantly at the field. She turned to me with a great big smile. Her warmth was infectious. Isn’t she wonderful?
I found myself nodding. Absolutely. I can’t believe how talented she is. I played soccer as a kid, but I was better at throwing elbows than scoring goals.
Ha! Really? I can’t picture it. You’re, like, five feet tall.
Yeah, but I’m fierce, and I hate losing. I appreciated the “you rock” look. We were all in the girls-kick-ass club.
Took a while to learn good sportsmanship, did it?
I’m not sure I’ve learned it yet.
I like that! I do. You’ve got to be a badass in this world. In any case, she is a phenom! I haven’t been here long, but she has dominated.
Scholarship for sure.
Man, I could have used one of those, but I had no skills in anything but being a smartass, and they don’t give you money for that. She said this with a rueful expression.
I’ve noticed that. The “Twilight Zone” moment came when I realized this woman was actually willfully interacting with me in my dream. I didn’t have control over her. I mean, I was used to Carlos coming to me, but never had a random person interacted with me in my dreams.
It was likely this thought that turned my expression into a furrowed question mark, which prompted a diamond-shiny smile and an outstretched hand from my new friend.
I’m Taylor Lane, and I won’t be offended if you don’t remember me, because frankly, I’m starting to get used to this. I thought we should still get a moment where we see each other and say “what’s up?” There’s some serious shit that’s going to happen, and we’re going to be working together on this. Hence, the dreamwalking conference, which I do not do for just anybody, however, we do not subsidize mental health care. Oh, wa
it! You wouldn’t need that anyway. You’re a doc, so you have access. Anyway, there will be group work involved.
The powers that be? My brain tried to logically piece together what she’d just said, but gave it up. What is it we’re going to have to do?
The friendly smile faltered before she added, I’m not sure. Not sure I want a heads up. Again, the powers that be, the spirits watching on, seem to think playing peekaboo is the best bet at this point. They’re probably right. If it’s really bad, it’ll give me too much time to wonder what the hell I was thinking getting involved, not that I had much of a choice. I seem to be a conduit for anyone needing to get a message from the gods’ plane to Earth. Call me the human Faceconnect or Tweeter. Anyway, I pinky-swear we’re going to be good pals soon.
There was a sudden breakaway group, and my favorite soccer player broke free to dribble the ball down the field. Out of nowhere, a bigger kid, a boy, caught up with her and tried to steal it away. His elbow checked her gut, and when she tried to jump over his outstretched kicking leg, he took the opportunity to trip her.
She went tumbling down hard, her body hitting the ground with little ability to break her sprawling fall since she’d been in fast forward.
Taylor let out a loud “boo” and hiss. Hey! That’s a foul! Red card him! C’mon ref, that was a punkass move!
Anyway, I have high coolness factor. I can dive into your dreams whenever I need to, and today, it appears I need to. Please examine evidence, exhibit A, the soccer child in question. She was in a bad way last you saw her. Now take a look.
My little soccer player was trying hard not to cry as she limped to the edge of the field for water. There were grass stains on her jersey, mud on her knees and shin guards, but what I realized was that she was walking toward a couple who were not the people I’d met at the hospital. And they had a Golden Retriever puppy on a leash. The young woman gave her a tight hug, and the man rubbed her back comfortingly, handing her a water bottle as she pulled away.