Neutral Space(55)

Ren greeted me at the door. “Where are you off to in such a hurry Jackson?”

“Kheda is she all right?”

“She is resting and so are the babies.” He looked to Aya. “For shame Aya, letting him worry.” Ren took me by the arm “Go wash up then you may see them.”

“They’re here? Both of them?” I couldn’t breathe for a moment.

“Alive and well, but you must wash the sand off first.” He was right. I was covered once again with sand from the dreadful winds. Bhet came to show me where to wash up. I don’t think I’d ever showered so quickly in my life. Not only was Kheda waiting for me, but so were my children. I longed to have all three of them in my arms.

Kheda was in a small room on the lower level where it was cooler. She sat up in bed with a baby in her arms and another asleep beside her. She looked up when I came in, and I knew she wanted to get up to greet me, but she also didn’t want to wake the children. “God, Jackson; I’m so glad to see you.”

I rushed to her side and hugged her as best I could with the baby in her arms. I kissed her savoring the feel of her lips on mine once more. I let her go and looked at the sleeping child in her arms amazed. “Your daughter, Saleena Dynia.” She laid the tiny child in my arms and readjusted her before picking up the other infant. “Your son, Sen Michael.” She placed him on my other arm, and my heart swelled. She wrapped her arms around me from behind and lay her head on my shoulder. “They’ll be a week old tomorrow.”

“I see you couldn’t wait for me.”

“If I could have waited, then I would have, so I could have yelled at you in person.” Saleena opened her eyes at the sound of my voice. She stared up at me with opaque blue eyes, her mother’s eyes. She settled into my arm and fell asleep again. Her hair was thick and black, much the same as mine was when I was born. Sen’s, though, was light and more like peach fuzz.

“She knows you. She cries when Aya holds her and even Ren sometimes.”

“It’s because I talked to them every night. Where does the blonde hair come from?” I smiled down at my daughter.

She ran her hand through Sen’s hair, and he looked at both of us. His eyes were the same blue as his mother and sister. “My mother swears it’s from her.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Your mother is here?” Kheda nodded. “She doesn’t like me very much.”

“She is adjusting; she has grandchildren because of you.” Someone knocked on the door. “I swear she can hear through walls. You mention her, and she appears.”

“Speak of the devil,” I commented, and Kheda smacked my shoulder. “Come in,” I called.

Kheda’s mother wasn’t very tall for a Kelsairan at 5’10, ” but she was all legs just like her daughter. She had a mane of long blonde hair held back with a clip at the base of her neck. She wore a plain lavender dress, but her presence demanded attention. Her eyes were a piercing grey with a few spots of blue. I moved to get up, but she stopped me. “No need to get up. I see you have your hands full. I only came to introduce myself. It’s only fitting since you married my daughter.”

Her tone was cold, but I could tell she was making a real effort for her grandchildren’s sake, if not mine. “My entire family speaks very highly of you, Jackson. It’s obvious you care a great deal for my daughter. I would like to get to know you so I may overcome my prejudices. Would you allow me to do so?”

I looked to Kheda, stunned. “Of course I would.” She smiled at me, amused. “You didn’t believe I could speak Kelsairan, did you?”

“They told me you could but,” she shrugged. “I’m sorry; this will be hard for me. Will you forgive a stubborn woman in advance?”

“If you promise me one thing.” She stared at me “Never say anything to discredit me or undermine me in front of my children.”

She nodded. “Of course not, Kheda; you chose wisely.” She left us alone, and Kheda stared at me.

“That took a lot for her to come here like that.”

“I know it did. Trust me, I appreciate the effort, but I won’t have her undermining me with the children.”

“You sized her up rather well, she already favors Sen.”

“Just as she favored Aya. She loves you Kheda, but she pushed you into your life for his sake.”

“I know, and I let her, but it worked out for the best. We just won’t let her do it with our children.” She took Saleena from me and laid her in a pile of blankets. “Take a nap with me before they get hungry.” She took Sen as well and laid him next to his sister.

Late that night I couldn’t sleep. I got out of bed without disturbing Kheda or the babies. I sat in a chair staring at all three of them. I must have sat there an hour before finally digging out a pad and writing in my journal.

As I sit here now, on a foreign world with my wife and children, I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for any of us. I have no job or home to speak of. My wife is a different race, and my children are half of her and half of me. That makes us outsiders no matter where we go. Even with the peace negotiations, there is still 200 years of animosity to overcome. Yet, somehow I can’t help being optimistic. Kheda and I did the impossible, and if we could stop a war, we could raise a family as unique as ours.