Page 2 of Her Alien Warrior
"This isn't some breeding kink, is it?" my mom asked carefully. "I've heard rumors about the aliens using humans as brood mares."
"Mom, as you've reminded me already, I'm old and not breed-able."
"Well, you aren't in menopause yet, darling."
I groaned.Conversations with my mother were never easy, and I was glad for Holden being here for this since Tyler had declined to be part of any goodbye plans. He accepted what I was going to do, but I knew as well as my mom did, that if I got on that shuttle, the only way he was taking me back when I got home was if I said I went and failed. If I came back begging for his forgiveness, and admitting I was having some kind of temporary mental break.
Which was a real possibility. And I wasn't certain I'd return to him even if I didn't get the answers I was searching for.
The door of Holden's condo flung open, and footsteps stormed up the stairs before I heard my daughter Laurel huff, "Oh good, you're still here. No one is having a meeting about this without me. Becky, get your ass up here."
My other daughter's footsteps tapped up the stairs slowly and they both took a seat at the dining table, passing by my travel bag that Becky stared at with a sigh before joining.
Laurel plopped down with dramatic flair, like she usually did and smiled at me.
"What are you two doing here?" I asked but added, "Not that I don't enjoy seeing your lovely faces, but you have classes later."
Laurel waved me off. "Every assignment is listed on the syllabus, mom. I've already done all of my assignments in the first two weeks of class."
I looked to Becky, who merely nodded to say she was telling the truth and it all made sense how she could slack off all thetime and not worry about studying. She disappeared for weeks in her room and spent that whole time getting ahead. My eyes watered up at how proud I was of her.
"Don't get emotional on me," she warned, but her arms were around me and squeezing before I could say more. "We're here to tell you we support you."
"What exactly are you supporting?" my mom clipped back.
"Mimah," Laurel groaned. "You think we wouldn't find out?"
"You too?" my mom looked to Becky, who was always a little more shy, but much more mature for her age than I ever was at nineteen, blushed and nodded silently.
I didn't tell them why I was going, but I did say I'd be gone for a year. I'd message them whenever I could and I'd be back before they ever had time to miss me, since they'd be busy focusing on their college studies. Laurel would be out of high school soon, and Becky had been accepted into a program for psychology. She swore she didn't want to become a psychiatrist and assured me that there were lots of different types of jobs that required researching why we do what we do. There was apparently some study abroad program she was enrolled in soon. I looked forward to seeing both my daughter's progress and how much they'll have grown in the year I'll be gone. I still couldn't believe I was leaving, and having Laurel's arms around me was making me reconsider leaving Earth at all.
Laurel pulled away and kissed my cheek, hard. "I'll take care of dad while you're gone," she said, and I smiled weakly, unable to voicethat her words broke my heart because what I was going to do would destroy what she'd known her whole life. I was ruining our family. For a moment, I worried she actually found out where I was headed to on Trillume.
And then my disillusionment shattered with her next words, "I hope you find a nice alien daddy to fuck, mom!" And she said it with an absolute devious smile on her face as my jaw dropped.
"Language!" my mom stammered, "Laurel Diane Grady, you will take that back this instant!"
"Mimah," Becky prompted quietly wanting to say something.
"Yes, little bean," I interrupted my mom from talking over her, to let her say what she wanted to say.
"Mimah," Becky began again when she had our attention, "We can see that dad and mom don't spend time together, and they haven't for as long as I can remember."
"What are you talking about? They haven't spent a day apart from each other since they dated."
Laurel groaned. "That's what Becky said until I pointed out that being in the same space doesn't mean they are together."
"Where is this all coming from?" I finally asked them both and they looked to each other before answering.
"Mom," she patted my knee like I was a toddler, "You are the most honest person I know. Why can't you be honest with yourself?"
Ipressed my lips together, not sure what to say, when my sweet, quiet Becs turned on me too.
"We didn't see it, not right away. Laurel's girlfriend said something that we couldn't get out of our heads."
"And what exactly is that?" I prompted, not sure I wanted to know the answer.
Laurel answered, "She said you had the same look she used to have when she dated her best friend sophomore year. He was everything she should want, but he wasn't me, he wasn't what she needed."
