Part Four Canasta Melapis
Chapter 1 Stranger in a Strange LandCanasta came home from her first day at work feeling exhausted and depressed. "I'm still just a lowly technician," she complained. "I don't know when I'll be allowed to go into space."
I suggested that she use my portal to go visit Sixam. That should satisfy her hunger for strange places for a while. The next day was a Saturday, so she set out first thing in the morning.
She said the scenery was fantastically gorgeous. She picked up five geodes to use for a collection in case she wasn't able to gather enough aliens or space rocks.
She also met a few young men Hudson Helton and someone else. The someone else, she told me was hot-headed. But she invited Hudson to come for a visit. They disagreed about which captain of the Sim Trek Enterprise had been the best, but it was a friendly disagreement.
She invited Hudson to move in with us before Grandma gave her approval. "It would have been better if she'd picked someone with green skin," she groused.
"I gather that was the young man who was hot-headed," I said.
Grandma grilled Hudson for a while, and he seemed to be answering her questions well enough until she asked him why he chose the name "Hudson." (His Sixamite name is something I can't pronounce, let alone spell).
"Because it's the name of an explorer," he said. "I, too, have an interest in strange lands and primitive people."
I can't repeat what Grandma said it was in a language I'd never heard but her tone was unmistakeable, and Hudson reacted as if he'd been delivered a stinging rebuke. She told me later that she'd said the Melapis were civilized when his lot was still sitting on quillfruit. Her rebuke probably lost something in translation.
Luckily, Hudson's aspiration is to become an Angling Ace. Once he starts pulling in angelfish, Grandma will love him forever.
He has an unfortunate inclination to critique the paintings in the Museum, however. I'll have to warn him not to express his opinions to Grandma and Dad.
The next day Canasta took Hudson over to the Spa for a date. I don't know exactly what she and Hudson did, of course, but since she got a gold medal for the date, I can make some assumptions.
They probably did some flirting and sitting and talking.
And there was probably a kiss.
Since they both came back with slightly damp hair, I'm assuming they went into the sauna.
Beyond that, I cannot say...
Except that Canasta announced that another Melapis was on the way.
That night, Hudson was summoned back to Sixam. We were a bit worried that he might never return, but after a few hours he was ejected from a spaceship. He had to fill out a bunch of papers, he said, and everyone was cross with him for getting involved with a native without permission, but he was allowed to stay. They'd wanted to send an offspring back with him, but since Canasta was pregnant, there wouldn't be room.
Pinochle got Hudson to sit still for a few minutes, and managed to produce his portrait in record time. I just hope Hudson doesn't decide to critique it.
Canasta had Monday off, so we decided to go ahead with the wedding the next day. Before then, the two of them had get engaged.
"What a lovely prim-- and proper custom!" Hudson exclaimed when we told him what to do, and he got down on one knee immediately.
I think he was a bit surprised when Canasta leaped into his arms, but he managed not to drop her.
Rather than make drinks, we filled the buffet fountain with fruit punch. Marlene gave it her approval.
("Anything so I don't have to work," is what she said that's approval, right?)
My beautiful little girl said her vows first so that Hudson would know what to say, too. I can't remember what words she used, I was too busy blowing my nose.
Grandma got up in the middle of the ceremony. I had a moment's fear that she would forbid the banns or something, but it turned out that she just needed to use the bathroom.
Hudson placed the ring on Canasta's finger and promised to stay with her forever, and we all applauded.
Marlene sang "O Promise Me," for them. Canasta set down her plate suddenly because she had morning sickness, she explained. It wasn't a reaction to her mother's singing at all.
Now that Hudson is officially a resident and member of the family, he's started wearing sunglasses. Willow Creek is just too bright, he says. I realized that he'd been fishing at night, and had wanted to delay the wedding until evening. As a scientist, I'm just not very observant given how dark Sixam is, of course he'd need protection from the sun.
