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“Neither do I, pa.” She perks up suddenly. “On the subject of Humans, did I tell you that this Melinda that Kiritela keeps asking about will be coming to my university today to give a lecture?”
My ears prick up at this. “No, I had not been aware. When is she due to give her talk?”
“At nine beats before midday.” She studies my face curiously. “Do you plan to come along too?”
“Possibly,” I prevaricate.Mostprobably.
“Then I shall save a seat for you,” smiles my insightful daughter.
I smile back. “Very well.”
I spend the morning in the temple, going into a holy trance to scan the twelve individuals who had access to the cargo ship on which we suspect the boral crystals were smuggled. I have Pirofena and Cleotola with me, in case there is a need to aspirate any negative energy. In the event, they are not needed. My scans do not uncover anything untoward. On the contrary, I see good, positive energy in all the individuals—one of them indeed going as far as having a perfect bright aura with not a single spurt of negative energy. I send a communication to Denishar, informing him of the inconclusive results of my scans, then I glance at the time dial on my communicator. Ten beats to midday.
Hurriedly, I bid my drashas goodbye and go to my drone, programming it to fly to the university. A beat later, I walk into the large auditorium just as Melinda is beginning her lecture. She pauses at the disturbance, casting a glance up at me. I stand, hands on hips, capturing her gaze with mine. I see that tell-tale flush appear on her cheeks again. My chest rumbles in pleasure. Oh what a delightful female! Then I let my eyes travel across the audience to land upon my daughter’s amused face. Slowly, as if I have all the time in the world, I strut towards her, lowering myself to the seat she has reserved for me. All this time, Melinda is silent, instinctively knowing that she must wait for the sicortar to sit before continuing with her speech. Once I am comfortably settled, I nod to her in signal that she may resume her lecture. In a slightly hesitant voice, she begins again.
I listen intently to her lecture, keen to learn all I can about her world. She pauses every now and then to take questions from the audience. I am displeased to see a number of students challenge her with questions that border on the rude, disparaging Earth for its lack of technology and wondering what possible benefits there could be for Krovatians to foster greater cooperation with Humans. I am tempted to step in and give these insolent pups a piece of my mind, but Melinda calmly diffuses their antagonism, responding with wit and charm to every question. I see her win them over bit by bit.
Towards the end of her lecture, she plays us video footage of the different types of cuisines on her world. People from different countries address us, showing us how they cook their most famous national dish. The last one is a blond haired man with startling blue eyes, who smiles at us and says, “Hi there, I’m Wyatt Garcia, and in case you’re wondering, I’m Melinda’s other half. Hi there honey!” He waves at the screen and blows her a kiss. My hands clench at my side. This must be her mate. Her mate! Then on the back of that thought is another. Why is he not with her? My tail snaps forward into my lap, flicking back and forth in my agitation. Kirimara takes hold of it and strokes it soothingly.
On the screen, the male continues speaking. “I’m going to show you how to make a famous American dish called burgers…”
I watch as he forms a meat patty and cooks it on an open fire. While the meat is cooking, he jokes and chatters showing us how he splits a bread bun in two and garnishes it with some sauce and sliced vegetables, before sliding the cooked meat patty into it. He holds it up with a smile, “And here you have it. A burger.” He takes a bite out of it and chews ecstatically. “Hmm, absolutely delicious.” Then he puts it down and speaks to us again. “So, my Krovatian friends. I have a challenge for you. Send us your videos showing how you cook your favorite dish, and we will try to emulate them over here on Earth. We’ll send you a recording of our efforts. Let’s see how well we do. Looking forward to receiving all your entries. Take care and go in peace.”
The moment the video ends, Melinda is bombarded with endless questions and comments about this male. “Your mate is very good looking!” “How handsome your mate is!” “What amazing eyes your mate has!” “Will your mate be joining you here on Krovatia?” “Does your mate have a brother handsome like him?”
Melinda holds her hand up for everyone to stop. “Yes, I agree, Wyatt is very handsome. However, we are no longer married, or in your terms, we are no longer mated. He is just a very good friend of mine now, that is all.” I let out a hiss. They are no longer mated.Good.
As more questions are pelted in her direction, she holds her hand up again. “I am happy to answer questions about my planet, but please, no more about me or Wyatt.” It takes a few more beats of questions before Melinda signals that her lecture is over. At this, I stand and walk over to her, placing a possessive hand on her shoulder. Energy pulses through her body at my touch. I address the crowd. “Thank you all for attending today’s lecture. I have learned so much about Earth as I am sure have you. Please show your appreciation of Melinda on the count of three. One. Two. Three.”
At three, the audience begins to hum together, a Krovatian way to express gratitude and appreciation. The louder the hum, the greater the appreciation. Melinda listens to our humming, a pleased but puzzled expression on her face. When the humming comes to an end, she places a hand to her heart and says, “Thank you all. It has been an honor and a privilege to speak with you today. Go in peace.”
Everyone in the audience chants back, “Go in peace.”
I stand beside her, my hand planted firmly on her shoulder as slowly, people begin to filter out of the auditorium. She remains still, feet rooted to the ground, her face beautifully flushed. A few hardy young students approach, as if to ask her further questions, but one look at my glaring face has them back away. My daughter comes to us just as the final few spectators make their way out.
“Melinda,” I say, “this is my daughter, Kirimara.”
“Oh, nice to meet you Kirimara.”
My daughter steps towards her, placing a hand on her chest in the traditional greeting and then bowing. “The honor is mine, Melinda. May I say how much I enjoyed your lecture. As pa said, we have learned much about your planet. It makes me hungry for more knowledge.”
Melinda smiles. “Thank you Kirimara, I’m so glad you found my talk informative. I hope in time, the people on our two planets will become much better acquainted.”
“I hope so too. For too long we have remained closed off from others. I understand the reasons for this, but I agree with pa when he says it is time to open up communications with other friendly races.”
Up until now, Melinda has been studiously avoiding my stare, but at this, she glances up at me. “Was it your idea to open up Krovatia to foreign delegations?”
I incline my head. “I may have had something to do with it.”
“Then I thank you, sicortar.”
“You may thank me, Melinda, by taking a ride with me.”
She looks at me sceptically. “Where to?”
“You are here to learn about our ways, are you not?”
“Yes.”
