Bitter Waters by Wen Spencer Read Free Book Online

lifted the bottle out of the water, and tested it on her wrist. Satisfied with the temperature, she handed it to Ukiah. “What bothers me are the kids at Cally’s school.” Mom Lara did volunteer work at his five-year-oldsister’s elementary school, teaching astronomy and running science fairs. “They’re scared silly that an alien fleet will be invading tomorrow. I could reassure them that there’s no danger, that there was only that one damaged ship, and that the Pack forced it to self-destruct. But I can’t. I can’t even tell Cally, at least until she’s older. It wouldn’t be fair to ask her to keep a secret of that importance.”
    A clatter of little feet on the stairs announced the arrival of Cally, and they fell quiet. While born to Mom Lara, Cally had Mom Jo’s dark curls and stormy nature, a result of in vitro fertilization. She paused at the doorway, frowning slightly at the feeding Kittanning. “Is he still here?”
    â€œHoney.” Mom Lara sighed, tugging on Cally’s dark curls. “We’ve told you, Indigo only took him for a little while.”
    So things quickly turned to the second concern to the family: Cally was not taking well being suddenly supplanted as the baby. She pressed tight against Ukiah, frowning slightly at the feeding Kittanning.
    â€œWhy can’t she keep him?”
    â€œShe might,” Ukiah said carefully, getting a surprised look from Mom Lara. “If Indigo and I get married, Kittanning and I will go live with her.”
    â€œI don’t want you to leave.”
    â€œHe’s not,” Mom Lara said, setting out a cereal bowl for Cally. “He’s too young to get married.”
    â€œYou know that I’m not,” Ukiah said.
    Mom Lara pressed her mouth tight to keep from frowning. “You two barely know each other. Your Mom Jo and I dated all through college before deciding that we wanted to be together the rest of our lives.”
    â€œThat’s different,” Ukiah protested. His mothers had been young when they first met, and by their own account, not even sure if they were homosexual or just horny. In the end, they decided that they were simply in love, and nothing else mattered.
    â€œNot by much,” Mom Lara said. “We had to decide whether to marry someone that our families might like, but would never fully approve of. We had to decide that we could take the pressure to find a ‘more acceptable mate,’ one thatconformed to society’s mores of what is proper. We had to come to terms with the possibility of being ostracized by friends, family, and neighbors. It takes courage to fly into the face of normal. You’re asking a lot of Indigo. You’re not the same race, age, or religion.” With Cally listening intently, Mom Lara probably intentionally left out “species.” “Give her time. There’s no reason to rush.”
    â€œI’m afraid that if I give her time to think about all that, she’ll say no.”
    Mom Lara came to wrap her arms around him, as if to shield him from harm. “If it’s right, all the time in the world won’t make her say no. But if it’s wrong, it’s better to figure it out before you get too deep and get hurt.”
    The problem was, Ukiah suspected that he was already too deep.
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    The wheeled garbage can sat empty at the curb when Ukiah pulled up to the office. He walked down the driveway and pushed it back to the garage. It took both hands and his teeth to carry Kittanning and his assorted baby accessories into the kitchen. Max stood washing dishes, by the smell, mostly containers of various refrigerated leftovers that had gone bad while they were gone. Max wore only his sweatpants, his lean muscled frame damp from his morning workout.
    â€œMorning, kid,” Max called without looking up. “I heard you bring up the can. Thanks. I was in the middle of my last set when I