Page 14 of So I Married an Alien
It’s adorable how much he wants to learn, so I stand a little closer as we start the lesson.
ChapterSix
Roth’kar
I should likely not talk toomuch about the Hole, about life onNew Dro’thar II.I do not want or need Amara pitying me, and I also fear it might become too obvious why I came to Earth.I don’t think my plan would be received well.
Instead, I divert Amara’s attention to showing me how to cook in her home, using the “stove,” the “oven”—both of which appear to be the same device—and the toaster—which is yet another “oven” but smaller—for quickly melting cheese.
The cheese is, I must admit, my favorite part.It’s gooey and salty and absolutely perfect.I think, after our meal, that I could eat much more cheese.
“Earth has such a wide variety of flavors,” I say thoughtfully as I pack away my second portion.Amara is smiling the whole time, like my ravenous hunger for the food she made has pleased her.
“Oh, this is only a fraction of it,” she says, clapping her hands.“There’s so much more to show you.Indian food, Japanese food, Mexican food…” Her eyes fall closed, like she’s dreaming of this cuisine.“Food from all over the world tastes different.”
“And you can get all that here?”I ask.“You don’t have to go to another place to eat their food?”
Amara laughs.“Yes, we can get it here.It might not be authentic, but it’s good enough.”She taps her chin.“I wonder if you’d like sushi.”
“Soo-shi?”
“Raw fish with rice and seaweed.And other stuff, too.”
My translator supplies an image for a sea-faring animal, and I wrinkle my nose at the idea of eating it raw.Everything you eat in the Hole is cooked to eliminate disease.
“It’s good, I promise,” Amara says, registering my expression with amusement.“I’ll only take you to eat yummy food.”
After the two meals she’s made for me, I believe this is true.
That night, I wonder if Amara will invite me into her bed.It is my duty, after all, to make sure she is content in all ways.And I wouldn’t terribly mind it, either—she is appealing and attractive with her wide hips and long-lashed eyes.
But after dinner, when we’ve sat and talked for some time about different regions of Earth and the kinds of foods they have there, Amara bids me goodnight and goes to her bedroom, leaving me in the hallway alone.
I furrow my brow.I spent much of today looking up with the communicator what information I could about human anatomy, and I believe I’ve memorized all her potential erogenous zones.But she doesn’t seem interested, which worries me.
What if she sends me back because she doesn’t find me attractive?What if, by the end of the trial, she doesn’t want to complete the ritual, and I don’t get my citizenship?
I slink back to the futon and make myself comfortable, trying not to dread what may or may not happen in the future.This was only our first day.I still have time to prove to her I can be a good husband.
I’ll be the best husband.I’ll learn the ovenandthe stove, and make everything with cheese on it, and Amara will keep me until the deal is done.Then I can decide what’s next.
I awaken to sun coming in my window, and I blink hard at the brightness of it.The sun isn’t like other kinds of light—it’s brighter than any kind of artificial light we had onNew Dro’thar II, but in a gentle way.There’s a different quality to it that’s… magical.Life-giving.I rise out of bed and lift my head to the window, resting my cheek against it to savor the warmth.
That’s why I attempted to go outside yesterday.I wanted simply to stand in the fresh air and breathe it in.I hope I’ll get a chance today when we go to thistailor.I want to feel the sun directly on my skin, to soak it up and revel in it.
After putting on my shabby clothes and cinching my belt, I find Amara waiting by the door with a big smile on her face.I am beginning to appreciate her smiles, how they warm up her whole face.It is welcoming and genuine.
She offers me her arm, and I’m not sure what she wants me to do with it.With a giggle, she loops her hand around my elbow.The touch is so intimate, so companionable, that I stiffen.
“Are you worried about falling?”I ask her, holding her tighter just in case.
“No, no, not at all.”Amara gently squeezes.“I just thought it might be… nice.”
I try to relax.I am her husband, after all, and this must be a common behavior between husbands and wives on Earth.
After showing me the correct way to leave the building—notthe same direction as the exit sign, which makes no sense to me—we’re out on the street.Other humans pass by, many of them staring as they go.I pause there and close my eyes, lifting my head to feel the warm sun on my face.
“Do you like it?”Amara asks, and I open my eyes again.“You said you grew up on a spaceship.Was there a sun close by?”
