Page 2 of So I Married an Alien
The galaxy has very mid fashion sense.
Gazargo, the matchmaker, hops off the stool that keeps him at eye level with us.Now I have to peer down to look into his squat face.
“Roth’kar, this is Amara,” Gazargo says, gesturing at each of us as he says our names.“Amara, this is Roth’kar.”
I hold out a hand to shake, which seems like the polite thing to do with a stranger.Roth’kar stares down at my hand with his ethereal blue eyes, then back up at me.His odd antennae follow the track of his gaze.
Gazargo clears his throat.“They do not have handshakes in Karthinian culture,” he tells me.“She is trying to greet you, Roth’kar.How do you do it where you come from?”
Roth’kar brings both pairs of hands to his chest, pressing his palms flat, then lifts his chin and closes his eyes.
“This is how we greet one another formally,” he says in a deep, booming voice.
Wow, that voice is even stranger than his eyes.It’s almost hollow, reverberating through my bones.I’ve never heard anything like it; it’s as if he’s playing an instrument.
I imitate his gesture, placing my hands on my chest and lifting my chin, and say, “It’s good to meet you, Roth’kar.”
The corner of his mouth tweaks upward.That’s good.I think that’s a smile, though I can’t take anything for granted with an alien.Wish I’d gotten some kind of primer on his species before this so I didn’t look like an idiot, but here we are.
“How are you speaking English?”I ask.“I thought you were going to have a translator, but it seems like you’re fluent.”
He gives me a perplexed look.“I do have a translator.”He taps his temple.“It’s been implanted here, so I can communicate with all Earthlings.”
My mouth bobs open and closed.It’s inside hisbrain?Okay, that’s wicked cool and also kind of scary.
“It won’t catch everything, but most of it,” Gazargo interjects.“And it can provide Roth’kar some cultural context to help him adapt.”
I stare at them both.“Neat.”Maybe that’s why his voice sounds so strange and otherworldly.
“Now that you’ve met, let’s get on with the ceremony.”Gazargo waddles away to the adjoining room, and Roth’kar and I reach it at the same time.He nods at me to walk through the door first and holds it open.Up close, I realize how tall he is, almost whole head higher than I am, and I’m a fairly tall girl.
On the other side of the door is yet another dimly lit room, this time with a small window looking out onto the docking bay.This is where spaceships come and go, a port that was built not long after first contact was made.
The first aliens we met were all like Gazargo—small, gray, and kind of wrinkled with a face like a turtle.They’d gotten a permit from the Intergalactic Association of Civilizations to make contact with us so they could try to sell us… well,stuff.
Those aliens, the Frahma, opened the door for other alien species to take note of us.We had a unique plight here on Earth after the RVS plague, one that called for out-of-towners to be imported to fill the need.And so eventually, Gazargo established his matchmaking service.
That’s what the Frahma are good at.I think they could figure out a way to sell you your own clothes.
Gazargo leads us to a pedestal, pointing to each of us and then to either side of it.
“You, stand there.”Then he climbs up steps on the back until he’s about eye level with us and pulls out a tablet to read.“On this day, the third of October, in this year of twenty twenty-nine, I hereby match Amara Costin, with Roth’kar, the Fifth of His Name.These two will join in matrimony, to build a home together, and?—”
As the words go on and on, other thoughts float up to the surface.Roth’kar isn’t looking at me.He’s glaring intently at Gazargo, as if willing him to get to the end of his spiel faster.At least we have that in common.I want this to be over just as much so we can get on with our future life.
I was so excited about this, so ready to finally have a companion and a chance to fall in love, but now that I’m seeing Roth’kar with my own eyes—all four arms of him—I’m second-guessing myself.Is it just my imagination, or does he not look happy to be here?I know nothing about Karthinians, so I’m going to have to start from scratch.I knew we’d have differences, of course, but I’d hoped my new husband would be a little more… excited.
Perhaps it’s just cultural.I’ll find out soon.
I got a futon for my office, since we don’t know each other yet and inviting a strange alien into my bed seemed like we’d be moving a little fast.But thinking about it now, I’m sure the futon won’t be big enough for Roth’kar.I’ll have to trade with him and sleep on it myself while he has my bed.
“Amara?”Gazargo asks, startling me out of my thoughts.“It’s time?”
Time for what?I search my mind for what’s involved in a wedding ceremony.
“Oh!Right.”I had rings made for us.The one thing the matchmakerdidgive me was Roth’kar’s ring size.I pull out the box and remove both rings, plain but plated with gold, which earns a curious look from Roth’kar’s freakishly blue eyes.
“What are these?”he asks, peering closer at them.
