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“Amazing,” Mia muttered.
She returned to their shared bedroom and helped them decorate it with their favorite toys and personal items. When Mia was laying out their bed sheets, she felt a tug on her pants.
“Yes, honey?” she said.
Cian was uncharacteristically bashful, rolling the hem of her T-shirt.
“We love you, Mia,” she said, looking sheepish. “We wanted to ask you if you could be our new mom?”
Mia felt like her heart was going to explode out of her chest. She ruffled her hair, then crouched for a kiss. Triat ran into her arms at the same time, nearly knocking her over.
“I would love to be your new mom,” she said with tears in her eyes.
ELEVEN
THARON
Tharon came home to Mia and the children jovially talking in the house. “What’s all the laughter about?” He was happy to see his children smiling but wanted to be in on the joke, whatever it was.
“We were just talking about how long I will be here with you all. Cian and Triat seem interested in the idea of me sticking around quite a bit longer. As much as I would like that, I told them this is a decision for you to make.” Mia looked at Tharon with that twinkle in her eyes that he had seen once or twice already.
“Yeah, Dad, can she stay?” Triat struggled to contain his excitement at the idea.
“Please, Dad, can she be our new Mom?” Cian seemed just as excited.
“Children! Go to your rooms. Mia and I need to have a conversation about boundaries.” He was not expecting this to be the outcome of his innocent question.
He started in on Mia as soon as they left the room. “I thought we had a conversation about our cultural differences already.”
Surprised at his sudden change in demeanor, Mia started to tear up. “I don’t understand what I did wrong. Cian and Triat are more than happy with having me around, and last time I checked, they are the primary reason that you hired me.” Mia crossed her arms.
“I did bring you on to take care of them and soothe my conscience so that I can focus on my job. If I come home to incidents like this, I am going to have to let you go.”
“What is wrong with taking care of them so well that they want me to stick around essentially forever?”
“It is inappropriate for children to talk about replacing their mother. It goes against our culture to replace mothers. I caught enough flack for hiring a nanny to help me take care of them.” Tharon watched Mia’s reaction with an almost cold stare that she had not expected.
“I had no idea. Having a nanny back on Earth has become almost customary, even with a mother still in the house. Most households have two career parents and need another set of eyes to help.”
“It is not the same here, and I thought we had already discussed the differences in our cultures. Now, I must explain to the children why you can never be their new mom.”
“We only talked about the way you interact with them, not the idea that it is culturally unacceptable to replace their mother. How am I supposed to know about something that is unacceptable if you don’t tell me, and it isn’t something that I would be used to from Earth?”
“All right,” he said, raising his palms in a calming manner. “You got me there. I know we have been getting a lot closer. But we have to be cautious as my society will not approve of you appearing like a replacement mother for the children. I do not want to cross too many boundaries and cause a misunderstanding between us.”
“Perhaps you are right … for now, anyway.” Mia uncrossed her arms as the tension settled. “We can talk to Cian and Triat together. Explain to them the cultural differences and how I was mistaken to allow them to think that I could replace her.”
“I appreciate that, but with reinstating some boundaries, I think it would be best if I talked to them alone. I will recount stories of their mother to help them understand better.”
“While you talk to them, I will make dinner so we can all eat when you have finished.” Mia thought for a moment. “At least I don’t have to clean mud off after this misunderstanding.”
He chuckled to himself as he walked down the hallway to the children’s rooms. He spent the next hour talking to the children and regaling them with loving stories of their mother. By the time they all sat down to eat, spirits in the house had lifted considerably, and everyone was in an almost jovial mood again.
“This meal smells amazing.” Tharon was starving by the time they all sat to eat. After a long day of training individuals and fielding security calls, he had worked up an appetite.
“I’m glad you think so. I think I am really getting the hang of your cuisine … and the cooking apparatuses here.” Mia ruined more than her fair share of meals at the beginning of her time on this planet.
“By the way, I heard more about what Kiek has been planning, which I would like to discuss with you after dinner.” He knew he should probably keep this information to himself, but he couldn’t bear the thought of his children and Mia being caught off guard when he wasn’t home.
