by Wilson, Maer
Soon it was time for me to change, and I traded my shorts and T shirt for nice jeans and a crinkled cotton blouse. I wore sandals, but my own toenails were naked, since I hadn't polished them, yet.
Thulu was already dressed in jeans and a print shirt in dark reds. He loaded the car while I changed. He'd set my bag on the counter after returning the tablet to it.
Parker and Jenna still sat in mid-air, watching all of this. I thought they seemed a bit forlorn. Thulu came back in for the final load.
Romeo and Juliet had changed and wore colorful little print shirts. He had on loose brown trousers and she was in dark green Capri's. They both wore sandals and neither had on nail polish.
I wondered if Ceil had brought the clothes, since they hadn't had them before. She confirmed that when I asked her. And of course the answer to how they fit in the small bag was “Magic” accompanied with a big grin.
Aela and Ceil had already gone to the car, and the goblins followed. Thulu and I did a last check of the house. As we went back into the kitchen, I gave Thulu a look, with a nod of my head at the kids.
Thulu looked at them and said, “Well, are you going to go or do you plan on sitting in the kitchen all day?”
They both grinned widely. I smelled cinnamon and kettle corn. Sophie started barking. “We want to go!” said Parker.
“Then I suggest you get in the car. The Thulukan train is about to leave the station.”
They popped out amidst whoops and laughter.
I stopped Thulu and gave him a gigantic hug. “Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?”
He looked at me in mock exasperation. “Only wonderful? Damn, last night I was fantastic. Going to have to step up my game, I guess.” I laughed and pushed him toward the door.
Chapter 31
Arriving at the Thulukan home was almost as big a production as leaving ours had been. The street was full of cars, so we double parked while we unloaded. Thulu's brother, Drew, must have been watching because he came out with his wife, Angie, and Becca's husband, Luke. They all grabbed several items, emptying the back of the car and quickly ushering our guests into the house. I followed with my bag and the last of the food. Thulu drove off to park the SUV.
I was the last in, but Mama Deb had come to the front door to greet us. Everyone was starting to crowd into the house as word had spread that we had brought surprise guests.
Mama Deb gave me a big hug and whispered, “You weren't kidding when you said it was a big surprise. This will be remembered for years to come. Well done, you two.” She turned, and I introduced the goblins, fairy and pixie to my family.
The off-worlders were greeted and welcomed warmly. Aela and Ceil were a hit with the female Thulukans. A big deal was made over their tiny polished nails, which pleased them. There was a lot of joking around and hugs and kisses from my family. It was home.
The family wanted the story about Romeo and Juliet's names. So, we took turns explaining different parts of that one. A few agreed with me that a goblin “Legolas” would have been just fine. Romeo had a big, smug grin on his face.
Nana Fae made her way through to give me a hug and a kiss. She had a big smile, but she still looked tired, dark circles peeking through her makeup. When I asked, she said that her gift had been working overtime and she wasn't sleeping as soundly as she usually did. She insisted she was fine. We eased our way to the kitchen, where I oversaw the unpacking of the things we had brought. The party drifted back outside, taking our guests with it.
Thulu came in and got his share of hugs. He got a beer from the fridge and handed me a wine cooler. We finished our unpacking and moved to the screened-in back porch, which led to a deck.
One of the nice things about the Thulukan home was that it actually had privacy. A high block wall and tall evergreen trees surrounded a nice sized backyard, effectively screening it from any of the neighbors. Other trees gave a nice cover to different areas. Mama Deb had a small vegetable garden against the back wall. Erik had a custom built rock grill, as well as a propane grill and a covered barbeque pit. One corner of the yard held a Jacuzzi, which was covered.
As I went down the back steps, I was almost knocked over by a flying mass of boy. Thulu had seen him coming and snatched him up just as he got to me. He tucked the child under an arm like a football, and we went down the stairs.
Little Carter waved at me enthusiastically from his captivity. He was an absolute doll. He was sweet, well behaved, extremely smart for three years old and I adored him.
I didn't adore his mother, who was Lynda-Jean, the friend of Ally's, from our childhood. She had remained a part of the family all these years. I'm sure Thulukan influence had a lot to do with her parenting skills. She certainly hadn't learned any from her own abusive, alcoholic mother. Her father had disappeared shortly after she was born.
I had some sympathy for Lynda-Jean. She had married a soldier who had been killed overseas, leaving her to raise Carter alone. She just never seemed to catch a break. I'd never gotten over my childhood distrust of her, but I did my best to hide it.
For her part, I don't think she really liked me, either. Sometimes I caught flashes of dislike and jealousy from her, but she was quick to hide those. I don't think she realized that I'd caught them.
Thulu put Carter down, and he immediately turned to me for mega big hugs and kisses. I was happy to oblige. He tagged along, holding my hand as I made the rounds of the rest of the family. Jude, Becca's twin, was there with her boyfriend. They were chatting with Tom, Evan and Mara about the financial repercussions of the portals opening. Evan said he and Mara had some concerns and they'd bring them up at the family meeting after dinner.
Drew's two boys, Marty and Josh, and Becca's daughter, Kalie, were playing hide and seek with some of the cousins. Carter was enlisted to help the “It” person, and he happily obliged. He thought being “It” was simply thrilling. Getting to be “Assistant It” was cool, too.
Ally had arrived and came out with a beer in hand. She had just recently gotten married to another veterinarian, Brent Morgan. They had met in college and had a mutual love and talent for working with animals. They had worked hard to get through their schooling and had waited until their clinic was making money before getting married.
I went over to give them both a hug, gave her a conspiratorial wink and whispered to her that we sort of had a dog, but it was a secret. She pulled me away, asking “How the hell do you sort of have a dog?”
I explained about Sophie. “So you see, she was once a dog, but is now a spirit dog, and she really belongs to the kids, I think.”
Ally gave me an odd look and a big hug. “I think a sort of dog is awesome – next best thing to a real dog. Although, I still say you guys should adopt a real one. Let me know when you change your mind.” I promised I would. She linked her arm in mine.
“Now, introduce me to these folks you brought with you,” she said.
We snagged Brent on the way, and I took them over to the foursome, who were holding court at one of the smaller tables.
Romeo, Juliet, Aela and Ceil were all surrounded by a large group of admirers. They were happily filling the family in on their home realms, how they liked Earth and what it was like to be a delegate.
The younger kids were trying to pet Aela and Ceil, who would fly up out of their reach. Nana Fae gently took an outstretched hand and lowered it. I heard her say that it was rude to try to catch the guests. Sounds of disappointment turned to laughter at something Aela said, but I didn't catch it.
We'd agreed earlier not get into too much detail on the situation, but we had to explain about the relics, portals and such. We also planned on telling the family about Light Ones and daemons at the after-dinner family meeting.
A few more cousins filtered in, and the back yard was filing up. Soon Reo showed up and was greeted much as Thulu and I had been. I lost sight of him as he made his rounds, disappearing into the Thulukan jungle.
Jones arrived with Stuart. Both were
laden with packages. He had brought beautiful roses for Mama Deb, some imported beer for Erik and several kinds of wines for the other adults.
We insisted Stuart had to stay, and Thulu and a couple others helped him unload the limo before he went off to park it. Thulu and I made the rounds with Jones and Stuart, introducing them to the family.
Of course, Jones was an immediate hit with the single females. He was at his most charming. I gave him a warning look, and he laughed and turned away. Lynda-Jean seemed particularly taken with Jones. He treated her politely, but I noticed he didn't spend too much time with any of the women. He soon found a place for himself with Thulu, Stuart and some of the other guys, who were talking sports. It was a good spot for him, I thought.
I caught a glimpse of Parker and Jenna in the trees at one point. They seemed to be having a good time, listening to the different conversations and trying to shout at the “It” person who was hiding.
Music was playing, some soft rock that didn't compete with conversations. With Thulukans, it was all about communicating and seeing each other and catching up with those who had been out of touch briefly. None of us were out of touch for very long, though.
Erik called me over and handed me an apron and a chef's hat. He already wore an apron that said “Erik, Grill King.” Mine was embroidered with “Erik's Minion.” I happily put the bib over my head and tied the back strings around my waist before perching my hat on my head at a jaunty angle.
Someone had brought the meat out from the coolers and fridge, and we started the job of getting it cooked. We put the chicken breasts on first, along with burgers that were to be well done. We had thick steak strips. Skewers held mushrooms, green peppers and red onions.
We had long picnic tables, smaller patio tables and kids' tables strewn around the yard. Mama Deb had her army of helpers setting up the table cloths. Kids had been put to work carrying out paper plates and plastic tableware.
Covered bowls of potato salad, macaroni salad, cole slaw, lettuce salad and melon platters were carried to one end of a long picnic table. The kids added bottles and jars of different dressings and condiments.
We had platters filled with sliced tomatoes, lettuce, olives and pickles. There were several veggie trays. Pitchers of Kool-Aid, lemonade and iced tea were carried out, with ice clinking merrily. Coolers holding beer, sodas and wine coolers were placed around the yard.
There was enough food for a small army, which was good, since that's about what we were. Our meals were served buffet style, so people could help themselves before finding a spot to sit and eat.
I saw Jones watching the parade of food and the crowd of people. I got the feeling he was intrigued. He saw me at the grill and gave me a wave before turning and saying something to Thulu and Stuart. Thulu also turned and gave me a wink.
Erik and I flipped burgers, hotdogs and chicken and put buns on for warming. He'd stashed ears of corn in the coals of the pit earlier and started pulling those out and stacking them on top of the coals.
Parents got plates for the smaller kids and started filling them. They hit the grills for the meat. My burgers were popular with adults, but the small kids preferred the plain ones, more often than not, or hotdogs.
Mama Deb ushered our guests to start serving themselves. Erik and I took their meat orders, and the family made sure they had places at the tables.
Someone had put books out for Romeo and Juliet to sit on. Although jokes were made about putting them at one of the kids' tables. The goblins took the joking well, but said they'd sit at the adult table, thank you very much, since they were almost the oldest people there.
That remark invited comments, and the goblins told their ages. The other magical guests had to be quizzed about their ages, too. Ceil was the youngest at three hundred and fifty-eight. Aela was six hundred and two.
I looked at Jones and wondered his age. I would have to ask him sometime. He saw my look and, laughing, shook his head and put his finger to his lips. I smiled ruefully, catching Stuart's eye.
I wondered about Stuart. As we spent more time with Jones, I'd realized that Stuart was more of a friend to Jones and not just a driver. Jones clearly trusted him. Something I didn't think Jones often did. I'd have to get Stuart's story sometime and made a mental note to ask.
Mama Deb provided a small plate for Ceil, who had her own silver knife, fork and goblet. She made quick work of picking and choosing items to heap on her plate. At her request, I sliced off a small bit of chicken and added a little tiny Burger à la Fi, made especially for her. I'd had to put it on foil to cook it, though. She flew off and found a spot on the table where she set her plate before turning to help Aela.
Aela had brought her own eating utensils, plate and goblet. They looked gold to me. She stood next to heaping platters and bowls that were larger than she was, directing Ceil, who would cut off a tiny piece of this or that and add it to Aela's one inch plate. Aela's portions were mere shreds of chicken, beef and vegetables. I smiled when I saw she had one kernel of corn on her plate.
Everyone surreptitiously watched the two tiny creatures as they flew around the platters. A few phones were slid out of pockets and pointed in their direction.
Once the guests were settled in and served, the older kids and adults started in. It might have looked like chaos to the casual outsider, but we had been together so long that we pretty much knew the routine.
Erik and I had relinquished our cooking attire and joined the family, with our own heaped plates and fresh drinks.
The afternoon was lovely. A light breeze kept us from getting too hot. A few lacy clouds floated overhead in a brilliant azure sky.
The sounds of people who love each other, sharing good times over a meal is one of my favorite sounds. It has a music all its own, and I sank into its warmth gratefully. Compliments to all those who had helped prepare the meal were sent around as new dishes were tried. People got second and sometimes third helpings.
Ceil asked for another of my special burgers and followed me as I put another tiny one on the grill for her. She thanked me again for the invitation and said it was a wonderful party. It didn't take long for her burger to cook, and I slid it onto her plate before we rejoined the others.
Questions, answers and comments bounced around the tables, often involving our guests.
When everyone was done picking at the main meal, we moved the remaining food into the kitchen to wrap up leftovers. Since a lot of people pitched in, this went pretty fast.
Everyone sat around chatting afterward. Our off-world guests were curious about our family and asked many questions of their own. Some were even given straight answers, but there was a lot laughter.
While Jones was able to remain mostly anonymous, being taken for human, he had his fair share of unattached female attention. He was still careful to not spend much time with any one person, I noticed. The thought of moving targets not getting hit crossed my mind, as he gracefully circulated the different groups. At one point, he, Reo and Nana Fae had their heads together over something.
Dessert consisted of cakes, pies, puddings and homemade ice cream. We started that process and, although there were a few groans of “I'm stuffed,” they always found room for their favorite dessert.
I helped myself to homemade strawberry ice cream and made the rounds to chat with those I hadn't gotten to spend any time with earlier. I checked on our visitors, and they seemed to still be having a good time. Stuart told me he was enjoying himself immensely and appreciated being a part of it.
“I'm glad you stayed,” I said with a smile and a quick hug.
I was moving on when I saw Aela had something in her hand that I didn't recognize. I realized that someone had brought tapioca pudding, and she held one of the tapioca pearls. She flew over when she saw me watching her and told me that it was one of the best things she'd ever tasted.
She got a sly look on her tiny face and asked if they were very expensive. I told her they weren't, and she said we'd talk later ab
out possible export opportunities. She gave a big smile, baring her teeth, which were bright white and sharp as needles. She might be tiny, but Aela was a predator. I was sure the smile I returned was probably a bit shaky, but she didn't seem to notice. She looked around as if afraid we'd been overheard, put her finger to her lips and went back to sitting near the pudding bowl.
I thought she flew a bit unsteadily and wondered if she'd gotten into the alcohol. I later found out it was the tapioca that had affected her. She was ecstatic with that news, and she said she would be wealthy beyond imagination if she could export. Go figure. A tipsy, avaricious fairy - with lots of sharp teeth. I briefly wondered about the other worlds, before I got distracted by Carter, who wanted more mega big hugs.
Things were settling down a bit, the sun was thinking about setting and blankets were spread on the grass for some of the smaller kids. The teenagers were enlisted to oversee the little ones, while all of the adults moved into the house for a “family meeting.”
We shut the doors to the large family room, which would hold all of us, although it was a bit cramped, with even floor space at a premium.
Erik started by saying, “This is Thulukan business. What happens with Thulukans, stays with Thulukans.” Everyone smiled at the old joke that had started with his father, who had died five years before.
He quickly turned the floor over to me and Thulu and our guests. We gave them the short version and brought them up to speed about Light Ones, Dark Ones, relics and portals. We didn't give a lot of specifics, only a broad overview. We also didn't mention that Jones was one of the “Dark Ones,” but we did tell them he was a client involved with all of it.
There were a few questions, but this was really an FYI meeting. There was nothing for them to actually do. We just wanted them to be careful because we weren't sure what was going to happen.
Lynda-Jean seemed to have had a few more drinks than usual.
“I don't see why the Light Ones are bad.”
