Page 86 of Master
I held onto Tarook's promise to visit as we moved through the village square. Most offered sincere appreciation for our help with the mumje attack. Many offered hugs and offers of a home should we choose to stay.
Mei stood under a massive tree in the center of the square, watching Bartholomeus and the small boy, whose name I knew to be Cuietsu, play with a toy spaceship. Tarook joined the boys in play as I sidled up to Mei's side.
"I think I might love him. How crazy is that?" she whispered, dark eyes trained on Bartholomeus. His gray skin oddly complimented the little boy's reddish color.
"Not crazy at all." I nudged her with an elbow, grinning. "Be happy."
"I'll be busy," she chuckled with a roll of her eyes that told me while she might complain, Mei secretly loved it. "The Alliance wants me to develop a strain of sweet potatoes that makes it easier to extract the DMNT."
One of the few times I’d left the cottage in the past few days was to join Mei in a videoconference with the head of the Alliance science unit. The lavender female with green tentacles for hair seemed duly impressed that a couple of backwater humans found a cure for the worst drug in the universe. Sheseemed even more impressed when we gave the cure to the Alliance, turning down the small fortune she offered for the formula.
"That's wonderful, Mei." I hugged her so tightly the small woman gave a faint grunt.
"Bartholomeus said he'd help me with Cuietsu." Her eyes glazed happily at the male giving the childa ride on his shoulders.
I knew that look. Mei was totally in love. I let my gaze filter toward where Tarook stood, laughing at the pair. My imagination immediately painted a picture of Tarook giving our son a ride on his broad shoulders, and my heart nearly snapped in two with joy. My daughter and granddaughter would always hold a special place in my heart. I had engraved it there, unchanging. But life moves on for everyone, and as much as I regretted , as much as I missed them, I needed to continue with my own journey.
Nearby, Daisy and Daicon moved through the crowd. Daisy's hug found each child, while Daicon promised each one, just as he'd promised Daisy, to visit soon. At their side, Ewok lingered, the sadness he felt at leaving friends on Tau Ceti replaced by the adoration he felt for his adoptive parents. The same adoration I saw in little Cuietsu's eyes.
We left Mei and Bartholomeus ensconced in their happily ever after, with a whispered warning that she better not have a wedding without me. Mei feigned shock, but the curve of her lips suggested a wedding might not be too far off.
Lingering by the dessert table, Buck and Lula explained to their new son Fred the many wonderful uses of sweetpotatoes. The relief on the boy's face when we interrupted made me giggle.
"We'll miss you so much." Lula pulled me in for a tight hug while Tarook shook Buck's hand.
"We will visit again soon," my mate promised.
"Isn't Fred just the most handsome little man," Lula gushed, watching as her brand-new son sampled every dish on the dessert table, an expression of rapture on his strange features.
"I'm so happy for you." I hugged her again, laughing through tears.
"I'm happy for you, too," Lula shot back. "Tarook is one of the good ones. He'll make a great dad."
"He will, won't he?" I sighed as the vision of myself, belly swelled with Tarook's child, flashed through my mind in premonition. A tingling warmth spread through me as the knowledge settled. I wanted babies with Tarook. I wanted everything with him.
Our farewell was a typical one for close friends, full of both laughter and tears. I wiped the wettness from my cheeks as Tarook and I walked away from a place that had become special to us in such a short amount of time. The place we fell in love.
"We have one more stop to make," Tarook steered me toward the general store.
"Why do we need to stop here?" I wondered aloud. The darkened storefront obviously wasn’t open for business.
"Back here!" Bartholomeus called from the rear of the store as a bell over the doorway heralded our arrival.
Tarook took my elbow, steering me through the stacked shelves toward a doorway to the right of the counter. While the space appeared to serve as a stockroom, a small desk stood in the corner. Stacks of computer equipment and what looked like a satellite dish covered the surface. Bartholomeus sat in a chair that appeared much too small for his frame in front of a keyboard, fingers flying.
"I was afraid you would miss your window." His dark eyes darted to us briefly, a broad grin splitting his gray face as one eye closed in a conspiratorial wink.
"What's going on?" My gaze bounced from him to Tarook and back.
"Do you remember your daughter's telephone number?" Tarook asked as he led me nearer to the desk.
"Of course." I rattled off the number, a tingled mix of confusion and excitement growing along my spine.
"Why?"
Tarook only grinned in answer.
The low beep of dialing codes sounded while Bartholomeus handed me a piece of paper.
