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The door closed behind him.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, willing herself not to cry. She hadn’t had a boyfriend this time yesterday. Why should she be sad about not having one now?
After all, she had a beautiful home, a purpose in her life, and the most beautiful son in the world. What did she need with a man?
She marched back to the stove and began flipping johnnycakes again, still feeling a little tender, but determined not to let it stop her from enjoying her day.
She had slid the last cake out of the pan when the doorbell rang.
“Wow,” she said to Bo. “He thinks he has to ring the bell to come in now?”
But when she opened the door, Jhon wasn’t on the other side.
“Welcome to Sigg-3,” a woman cried, throwing out her arms with happiness. The delicate tentacles on her head were also moving gracefully, as if they were underwater.
The man beside her nodded to Ella. He had the same tentacled head, and wore a thick green shirt with overalls on top.
Behind them stood a Bergalian couple and a man who looked almost Terran, except that he was a little too tall and his smile too perfect.
“I’m Ree-lah and this is Manx,” the lady said. “And that’s Charl and Abbra, and Rikkers.”
“Nice to meet you all,” Ella said, and introduced herself.
“And who is this little fellow?” Ree-lah asked.
“This is Bo,” Ella replied, feeling delighted. “Please come in. I just made a big batch of johnnycakes.”
“Johnnycakes?” Manx asked with a delighted and curious expression.
“They’re like cakes without frosting and you eat them in the morning,” Ella explained.
“You won’t have to tell him twice,” Ree-lah laughed. “Manx loves his sweets.”
Ella stepped back and the five of them trooped in, wiping their feet carefully on the mat by the door as they entered.
“We brought some canned pit-fruit from our last trip home to Bergalia,” Abbra said, holding out something in her furry hand.
A lush, peach-colored fruit floated in the glass jar in what looked like thick syrup.
“This looks delicious,” Ella moaned appreciatively.
“You’re going to love it,” Charl told her with a smile. “To us, it tastes like home. To you, it will taste like the sweetness of an orchard, I think.”
“Amazing,” Ella said. “I think I’d like to open it this morning, so we can share it together, if that’s okay. Johnnycakes are always better with fruit.”
“Yes,” Charl said happily. “By all means.”
“I knew we were going to like her,” Abbra told him, giving Ella a smile.
“What a lovely home,” Ree-lah said approvingly. “You have so many windows, it’s really nice to see so much of your island at once.”
Suddenly Ella felt a surge of happiness. She did have a lovely home to live in. And plenty of food - enough for a houseful of guests.
“I’m so glad you came,” she told Ree-lah warmly.
The other woman patted her arm.
“Now, let me know how I can help,” Ree-lah said, leading the way to the kitchen. “I can’t wait to see these johnnycakes.”
