20: Their First Home

Three days later, the dwelling is complete and Eve and Evan are moving in. They have hot and cold running water, a small lavatory with a shower, a microwave, a counter height refrigerator and freezer. Conveniences Eve and Evan are both unaccustomed to.

"This will wash and dry the clothing for me," Eve uncomfortable with the idea.

Ben is smiling, "That's correct. It's a washer/drier combo unit. You'll only need to fold them and put them away. Occasionally, you may need to spot treat an item or two in this sink or the lavatory sink."

"But I won't need to wash our garments in the river anymore," Eve processing this new information, "This machine washes them and dries them." Eve knew this technology existed but has never had access to it before. For her, life has been very simply lived accept where pursuing her talent as a healer has been concerned. There's where technology has value for her.

"Yes," Ben nodding, "Where are the clothes you need to wash today?"

Eve walks out of the dwelling and returns with the basket of laundry she was going to wash in the river. Ben takes them from her and she listens as he explains.

"You just place them inside the unit. Close the door securely." He pulls open a small compartment, "In here you place the soap." Eve pours in some tree-sap-soap herself. "Now," he tells her, "you decide if the clothes are heavily, moderately or lightly soiled." Eve touches lightly soiled. "Good. Next, do you want them washed in cold, warm or hot water?" Eve selects warm and a red light lights up the word: WASHING.

"What do I do now?" ask Eve.

"Whatever else needs to be done or you want to do," Ben tells her, "This light will turn off and a buzzer will sound when it's finished washing. Then you touch dry. If the buzzers are too disturbing, you can turn them off here. You'll just wait for the lights to turn off."

Eve's not quite sure what to do with herself.

"These will become quite useful after the baby's born," Ben's not sure what's wrong.

There's an uncomfortable moment. Eve almost has a confused look, "Thank you for not overreacting and keeping an open mind. I know this wasn't what you expected or wanted to find."

"I'm thankful Everant talked with me first," Ben replies, "If we hadn't come across him first or I had gotten here first, my first encounter with Evan may have been unpleasant to say the least."

"Really," Eve trying to sound lighthearted, "To be beaten up by your pregnant daughter for trying to kill her life-mate."

Ben laughs, "I'm mostly relieved to have found you alive, in strange yet good health, and most of all to find you happy… Evan seems like a fine young man. I can certainly see the love in his eyes when he looks at you."

The dwelling's door opens and Evan enters followed by Mr. Chan. Eve's face lights up at the sight of Evan.

"What do you think," Evan placing his bag on the table.

"I think it's fine," Eve wrapping her arms around Evan, "but with all these conveniences, I may find myself with little to do."

Evan pushes a wayward lock of hair away from Eve's face, "Your inquisitive nature will lead you to something."

Ben and Mr. Chan can't contain a chuckle.

Eve puts her hands on her hips, "What's so funny?"

Ben shakes his head, "Nothing."

Eve looks at Mr. Chan.

"My godchild," Mr. Chan smiling, "You know better than anyone, your inquisitive nature, your curiosity, has made things interesting more than once."

Eve shrugs her shoulders, "Well, somebody has to keep things interesting. Evan, show me the rest."

Evan walks Eve around the table to the sofa, "The layout is as we planned. Ben thought some extra conveniences would be helpful. The furniture was in storage on the ship. Living area, three sleeping rooms, ours is the large one in the middle, lavatory. In the future we can plant a garden outside those sliding glass doors."

Evan finds himself catching Eve as she starts to collapse.

Eve clutches Evan's arm, "That was different. Felt as if the floor was slipping from under me."

Evan sits Eve on the sofa, "Could someone get my medical scanner?" pointing to his bag on the table.

Mr. Chan rummages through Evan's bag and after finding the scanner hands it to Evan, "Here."

It only takes a few seconds to scan Eve, "You need a nap…Your also low on potassium and some minerals."

"I'm fine," Eve insist.

Evan ignores her insistence, "Good time to show you our bedroom," helping her up, "Ben calls this a pocket door," sliding the door open into the wall.

Eve is actually more overwhelmed than tired or under nourished. She had planned on leaving out many of the extra luxuries they installed. She sees no need for a washer/drier, nor even a microwave. But the sight of the bedroom brings tears to her eyes.

After catching her breath, Eve gives her assessment of their new bedroom, "It's beautiful, like something out of a fairy tale." The head of the bed is against the back wall directly under the window. Rays of sunlight are pouring in through the screen of the open window onto the bed. Her own parents don't sleep on anything this nice. It's only a full sized bed, but to Eve it's huge. It has built in drawers underneath and a built in desk on one side.

"Ben says these are for storing clothes," Evan finding the sudden fear he senses from Eve a bit confusing, "This you can study at. It even has a PC. And this is a closet, more storage for clothes or other things."

Evan leads Eve around to stand in front of the closet. It has sliding mirrored doors. Eve has never seen herself in a full-length mirror before, only her face in a hand held mirror. She reaches out toward the mirror shocked, then backs away from her reflection.

"What's wrong?" her father asks from the doorway.

"I am…so short," Eve answers, "I mean, I knew I was short but… And my stomach is huge, and it's going to get bigger. And I, I… I look terrible." Her short legs are more thickly muscled than the average human female. Her hips are more rounded than her mother's. Her nearly waist length deep mahogany hair stops above a heart shaped bottom that she's afraid might be way too generous. Never having seen another woman as short as herself while in this condition, she doesn't know what to make of herself. She certainly doesn't think she's beautiful. She thinks she's the lucky one in her relationship with Evan and hopes he never realizes he got cheated and could have gotten a better deal with another human female.

"Nonsense," says Evan putting his hands on her shoulders, "you are more beautiful than first I saw you. You were washing clothes in the river and talking to Maw. You seemed angry or upset about something…Come, lie down. You are over tired." Evan has an appreciation for Eve's curves that only another male could understand.

"Over tired, I don't see how," Eve letting Evan lead her by the hand, "I hardly did anything the past few days."

Now Evan understands. They started the dwelling together and Eve was looking forward to them finishing it together. Then suddenly, she was left out of their project. Turned into a watcher, when she likes to be involved. It left her way too much thinking time. He may know what she's feeling, but never what she's thinking.

Evan sits on the bed and Eve sits next to him. "[We laid the foundation of this dwelling together]," he tells her, "[We gave it its soul. It may not feel like home now, but it will. I promise.]"

"Daddy," Eve looking up.

"Yes, Pixie," Ben walking over to the bed to hear her.

"Do you think Cinderella was a bit uncomfortable when she first went to live in the palace with the prince?" The ancient fairy tale is the only thing she has to associate this experience with.

Ben nods, "She was probably very overwhelmed and feeling extremely out of place." Then he kisses her forehead. "Get some rest. It will help," as he walks out of the bedroom, he slides the door shut behind himself.

Evan's touch is reassuring, "[Lie down. I will lie with you.]" Eve complies and Evan wraps his arms about her.

"[It feels strange]," Eve complains.

"[You are accustomed to feeling the ground beneath you]," Evan strokes her hair. She's in need of rest more than she realized and soon she's asleep. It's not a deep sound sleep, but she is sleeping.

Evan slides off the bed. He scans her and determines what she needs to eat. He slides the door shut behind himself. He finds his father and hers sitting on the sofa. John and Vor are sitting at the table with John doing most of the talking. Mr. Chan and Dr. Matos are standing by the sink looking out the front window. Evan can hear Maw protesting outside the door.

"How is she," Everant asking everyone's main question.

"She is sleeping," Evan answers, "Not comfortably, but sleeping." He looks at the scanner, "There are some fruits I need to gather for her."

"What do you need for her," Mr. Chan asks.

Evan shows Mr. Chan what he needs for Eve on the scanner.

"I'll get these for you," Mr. Chan volunteering, "You should be here when she wakes."

"Thank you," Evan grateful for the help.

"No problem," Mr. Chan glad to be of assistance.

"Didn't know you were getting so much woman in that little package," Ben smiling. "Just a little stubborn sometimes, huh?"

"You wouldn't know where she got that from," Dr. Matos stone faced, "Would you, Ben?"

Ben squirms a little in his seat, "So, she's stubborn like me."

Dr. Matos and John chuckle at Ben, who's not as offended as he looks.

Veioray steps in from outside, "Would you like me to take down your tent?"

"No," Evan answers, "Leave it in place for now?"

"Your other items?" Veioray looking at the pile on the table and a chair, wanting to be of some other assistance if possible.

"Leave everything for now," Evan answers, "Our completion of the dwelling without Eve's assistance has made her feel incomplete. We didn't finish together what we started together. She needs to make this our home. Wait for her to ask you herself, but do not be surprised if she does not ask… Please, excuse me; she will be more comfortable if I am beside her… And I did know," Evan directly to Ben, "her strong will, her inner strength are part of why I was drawn to her." Then Evan enters the bedroom sliding the door shut behind himself. Eve is trembling slightly in her sleep. Evan climbs onto the bed with her. The second he touches her, the trembling stops completely. She instinctively rolls over into his arms and buries her face in his neck and hair. She's finally sleeping peacefully and he dozes too.

Evan was correct to not allow their guests to put away their things and take down their tent. When they wake up, they are alone in the dwelling. A bowl of fruit is sitting in the center of the table like a welcome home gift. Eve selects a piece of fruit to eat without Evan urging. And together, they put their things away with Eve doing most of the deciding on what should go where.

Eve spots their tent still up through the front window over the kitchen sink. They go outside and no one is around except the shoats and squines. Maw runs up to Eve for a quick ear scratching. Together, Eve and Evan take down their tent. Eve wonders aloud where everybody went. Evan thinks it's nice it's just the two, well almost three, of them. Then he expresses curiosity about mating on a bed. Eve doesn't need a second hint.