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"And we need to have sex in front of him and…?"
"Three other witnesses."
"Thankfully, I don't have anyone to ask here, and by your own law, I can’t ask Scarlett."
"Ivy," I pull her close to me now and into a strong embrace, conscious we're being monitored. I run my hand over her unruly brown hair that's extra wavy from the shower. I'm reassured when she doesn't push me away. I say softly, "It would also mean a lot to me if we married legally. The ceremony isn't like pornography; it's tasteful. It's what we do in my culture. It's a throwback from ancient times when men needed to prove two things to be worthy of a woman. First, a man needs to know how to sexually please his wife, and second, he's capable of fathering children."
"Were there lots of problems with either of these things in the past?"
"I don't think so, but I come from a matriarchy. That means that almost everything in society is reversed from how you know it."
"It's difficult to imagine that…"
"And it's difficult to explain until you live it. Basically, men used to be seen as only existing for women's needs, not our own."
"Are you telling me you just exist for women?"
"Not now, but in the past, yes. Alliance men have gained some equality through the centuries." I trail off. I don't want to talk about this now. "I know this must sound completely unattractive to you."
"I don't know how I feel," she says after a minute. "I'm just trying to take all of this in. You don't act like a submissive."
"I'm not in the way you'd view it. Alliance women and men have been, and are still, in a tug of war for power. Neither sex is submissive; rather, one would like to dominate the other.”
"Oh," she says in that way. I know she doesn't really understand, but she doesn't want to discuss it anymore now. Which is good because I don't think I can really explain it right now. My mind is muddled with emotions and worry for her.
"The only reason I'm bringing it up is to assure you that no part of our marriage ceremony is to make you look bad. It's merely a test for men, for everyone to be assured that I am worthy of a wife. It’s not to sexually humiliate you.”
"But we will be having sex in public. And you say this isn't our punishment?"
Thirty-Two
Ivy
I can hardly focus on his words. I just keep thinking about having to have sex with him in front of other aliens. I'm in shock, to say the least.
"I can't."
"You'll be in limbo until you do."
I begin to cry. I look down at my hand in his large grey one and cry even harder. How did this happen? Were the signs there, and I missed them?
"You're not the only human who has married an Alliance man."
"What do you mean?"
"Caroline is married to an Alliance man and had an Alliance marriage ceremony. It's not uncommon. It happens on the base all the time. Alliance men marry human women and then go out into the galaxy."
"You mean there are lots of you running around on Earth looking for wives?"
"No, it's complicated," he says, and the way he says it reminds me of what I heard in the cage onboard that other ship.
"You mean they were stolen and forced to be wives, or what did that woman say, 'pets?'"
"I'm not going to lie to you. Some were yes. But the laws regarding humans have changed now, and trust me, it'd be so much easier if Earth would join the GC, but they refuse, saying humanity isn't prepared to know they're not the only ones in the universe."
"What's the GC?"
"It's like your UN but a governing body in the galaxy and more powerful."
