22. Doran
DORAN
Sarah was in a much better frame of mind when I came back in for lunch, and her mood stayed that way.
We got to speak to the kits on the shuttle twice before they arrived, with Sarah refusing to talk to her parents yet.
Today was the big day of their arrival. The wedding was tomorrow and our governor, Prince Johree, or just Johree as he insisted we call him, dropped by with his mate, Jesse Wilson.
“We thought you might like to borrow the wedding arch. You can replicate different flowers if you want.”
“No, no,” Sarah’s hands fluttered to her throat. “Red roses are perfect and yes, thank you. All I have out back is a clothes line and where he’s cleared a spot further back for the greenhouse.”
“Okay, well, how about we set this up and leave you folks in peace then,” Jesse said, smiling. “And then we’ll see you at ten a.m. sharp to get you two hitched.”
Sarah nodded and I went on to help Jesse unload the arch.
He might always say to just call him Johree in private and only use the title of governor for official business here on New Haven, but I was not about to let one of my people’s princes do manual labor at my house.
Especially not when he was doing us a favor.
“Hey, listen,” Jesse said. “The bots will have the school finished the day after tomorrow. I know your kids arrive today and you’ll have guests, but do you think you could spare a few hours helping with some minor landscaping for the park and help put up the stage the day after that?
It’s a secret, but at the grand opening ceremony for the park, playground, and school, not only are Tarek and Darren making their public oaths of office and getting pinned with their stars, but Thalen is marrying Evan.
His Evan, obviously,” he chuckled, “not little Evan. And Evan has no idea.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Sure, I can do that, but is a surprise wedding really a thing with humans?”
“They’re rare, but they do happen. Evan’s going to love it,” he reassured me.
“Alright. What time do you need me?”
“Eight-ish?”
That would give me time for a quick breakfast, and permit me a quick escape in case any drama brewed with my new “in-laws” as Darren called them.
“I’ll be there,” I promised.
It didn’t take long to carry the arch into the backyard and find a spot to put it, one angled so you could see rolling prairie beyond it and not the greenhouse’s foundation site. Then the prince and his mate were off and I went inside to find Sarah anxiously making up beds for the kits
“I’ve already made a room upstairs for my parents,” she said, “and I’ve got a cake cooling that I still need to frost and write ‘Welcome Home’ on.
Ohh, we should stop at the general store and get them each one of those kid’s comms. And do you think Kaelor can pop back so we can wheel their bikes over so they see them first thing? ”
I laughed. “Slow down! They can wait to see the bikes until they’re ready to go join the boys on a bike ride. And I think a walk will do you good, help calm your jitters some. We’ll go to the general store and get those comms which you can give them while they enjoy some cake.”
“I just want everything to be perfect,” she confessed.
“It already will be. They’re getting to see you again, meet me and the rest of our friends and family, and settle into their new life.”
She nodded vigorously. ”You’re right. Not even my parents can say anything or do something else stupid now that can ruin any of that.”
We put Laura in her stroller, leaving a note for her fathers that we’d just gone to the store so if they came back for lunch before we got back, they’d know where we were.
I needn’t have worried; they were both sitting outside the sheriff’s office, playing a game of checkers on the porch.
They spotted us and waved, and we waved back.
“Paht-huh! Da!” Laura crowed, opening and closing her fist in a gesture meant both a hello and a goodbye with her.
“Yes, that’s your pata and daddy,” Sarah told her, as we strolled past.
Reaching the store, Sarah bit her lower lip as we went in. “Can we get the kids some clothes? I think a suit like yours for Caleb and a Stetson and a pair of boots. Oh, and slip on boots like the ones you wear with your suit. And for the girls, hats and boots.”
“I think they’d love that,” I agreed.
“And how about one of those prairie dresses and apron things and a sunbonnet for each of your girls?” Kelran asked, overhearing. “Folks have taken to the whole Little House chic thing, and several of the females have come to get the replicator pattern for those very items to wear as festival wear.”
She blinked. “Sell us the patterns, and they can decide if they want to wear them. I’ll make an outfit like that for me to wear at festivals. I’m sure the tourists and any guests we have will love it.”
“Any booked in yet?”
“I had an inquiry yesterday. A journalist and her film crew are coming here for a week as part of a small docu-series about life on the Dragonii frontier. Hopefully it’ll get us some more medical staff so there’s enough to run a proper hospital.”
“That would be nice, wouldn’t it?” Kelran replied. “I see the kits are all enjoying their bikes and scooters. I’ve seen them all over.”
“Yes, well, when Nicky had them all come over to his house for the big reveal, they could barely contain themselves.”
That had been two days ago, and it was true.
Every child in the settlement had been presented with either a bicycle or a scooter, and most had already learned to ride the contraptions.
I was still working on my own skills with the bike I’d ordered.
I was looking forward to going on a family bike ride with our kits soon.
Sarah had explained the concept of a picnic, and that sounded like a perfect way to enjoy a break before riding home.
“Oh, I have something here for you both,” Kelran segued. “And it's not just your rings. Johree and Jesse ordered a gift for you, and it arrived yesterday. It’s in the back.” Instead of going into the back, he turned and called out, “Daisy, come on out.”
Sarah gasped as a household bot floated out from the stockroom.
“That looks like it's straight out of the Jetsons!” she squealed.
Kelran nodded. “Jesse said the same thing and calls his Rosie. He had yours named Daisy, so it wouldn’t get confusing, and ordered the little apron and hat.” Then, addressing the bot, “Daisy, this is the family you’re going to.”
“Hello,” Daisy said.
"Oh my gosh, it even has Rosie’s voice!” Sarah gushed.
“My vocal patterns were chosen by my original purchaser.”
“She had to be expensive; we can't accept this,” Sarah continued.
“She can’t be sent back,” Kelran informed her.
“I don’t think we should refuse a gift from the prince and his mate,” I added.
“Please, I wish to assist,” Daisy said.
“Is she like Bob?”
“Not quite. More like a much smarter Siri or Alexa from your planet if they had a body,” Bob answered, hearing his name. “And Jesse said to make sure you know you can’t refuse.”
She laughed then. “Okay. Some help around the house would be nice, especially once we fill up more rooms.”
“Kaelor said a few males working long term contracts at the spaceport were interested in renting rooms,” I replied.
“Really? Gosh, he should have sent them over to talk to us. We have nine bedrooms going spare at the moment, and Tarek and Darren’s house won’t take long to build once it’s started, so that will be two more. Okay, Daisy, you’re coming home with us.”
A small “ding ding” sounded as a little light above her head flashed. “Event recorded. Going home. Setting home location, in progress.”
“Let me fetch your rings,” Kelran grinned, going into the back. He came out with a small velvet box, which he opened to show us what was inside.
“Oh, they’re beautiful.”
I beamed. When I’d asked her about rings, knowing about them from having been to our governor prince’s wedding along with the rest of Walnut Grove, she’d simply said to choose something simple.
So I had. Two gold bands etched with sheaves of wheat is what I’d come up with, and Kelran had worked with Bob to make my design into something both beautiful and practical to wear before replicating them.
“And I’ve sent the replicator pattern to your registered account. You’ll be able to make the clothes, hats, and boots at your leisure.”
“We also wanted to purchase three of those children’s wrist comms. Two Minnie Mouses and one Mickey," I informed him.
“One Minnie should fit me, as Emma is old enough that an adult watch fits. Lucy needs a child’s one,” Sarah added.
Kelran nodded, going over to his replicator and creating what we requested. The wrist bands were bright red leather.
“Perfect,” Sarah said, admiring them and checking that the larger one would be the right fit.
I held out my wrist comm, and he debited my credit account.
“They just came from Disneyland, so I think they'll get a kick out of these,” she continued, slipping them into her pocket along with our ring box for safekeeping.
I beamed at her. “Ready to go home and ice that cake?”
“Yep!” She leaned up, pressing a quick kiss to my jaw. “Thanks for putting up with my bit of crazy there.”
“Not crazy at all,” I reassured her. “Just nerves. I’m rather nervous myself. I took the handles of the stroller and turned it round.
“We must make quite the sight,” she giggled as we walked back home. “Us with a stroller and a robot floating behind. Look, some people are staring and taking pictures.”
“Tourists,” I scoffed. “They come, gawk, make their vids and take their pictures of the ‘Prairie Town in Space’, hoping to capture the Tyridium doing their dance to honor Bob, sleep aboard their personal craft, and then go home.”
“Well, hopefully some of those tourists start staying in some of our rooms so we don’t have too many vacancies,” she laughed, placing her arm through mine. ”After our wedding.”
“After,” I agreed. I couldn’t wait. Tomorrow, we were going to do her people’s mating ceremony, and claim each other one more time, and afterwards, we both would have a new physical sign to let anyone we met know we belonged to each other.