The Kids Grow Up by Trish Hanan (novel24 .TXT) 📖

have searched all over the galaxy for you,” he told her. “You know better than to fly so close to a Galatica ship. It’s only by chance that an asteroid storm made us fly near this system and we decided to check it out and read your signature. Now say goodbye to your friends, its time to go home.” He started to turn away. She protested.
“But father, these are my friends, they have been stranded here, they are from another galaxy, can’t we rescue them and take them home with us?” she pleaded. He looked around at the crowd of people.
“What species are you?” he asked. Max cleared his throat.
“We are humans,” he replied. The Baron nodded.
“I have never heard of humans, you are the first of your kind in this part of the universe. I would like to rescue you, however, it is forbidden for anyone but Nextarians to live on Nextarus,” he informed them. He wagged a finger at Jewel who bowed her head. “Surely you haven’t promised to take them home with you.” He sighed. “You were always trying to bring pets home with you.”
“Excuse me, but we’re not pets, we’re people,” Reverend Milo told him. The Baron nodded.
“Yes, of course, but we cannot take you with us,” he said. Sarek came forward.
“Perhaps you can take me and I can get a ship home and rescue the others,” he said. The Baron nodded again.
“You are minosian aren’t you?” he asked him and Sarek nodded. The Baron gave a big sigh. “Unfortunately our two planets are under diplomatic stress right now and you are forbidden to enter our system. If I were to bring you to my planet you would be arrested and put into prison for only who knows how many decades.” Everyone looked shocked.
“Now come along, Jewel, your mother is worried,” he said and Jewel nodded and turned to walk up the ramp. Harry cleared his throat.
“Jewel, have you forgotten Cassandra?” he called out. Her eyes lit up and she ran towards him and grabbed her little girl.
“Look, Father, isn’t she pretty, her name is Cassandra,” she told him. He looked appalled.
“Jewel, you have made an egg out of your species, you know that is forbidden, what could have made you do such a thing?” he shouted and she looked down at her feet.
“I didn’t know when you were going to come, if you were ever going to come, I was lonely,” she told him, tears filling her eyes. He sighed again and looked at Harry who the little girl looked like.
“You should have known that I would find you, that I would never give up until I did, now give the child to her father and come home with me,” he ordered. She shook her head.
“Why can’t I bring her with me?” she pleaded. He shook his head.
“Jewel, you know better than that,” he chided her. “What kind of life she would have on our planet? She would be ostracized, no one would talk to her, she would not be allowed to be educated; she would be forced to take a menial job as a street cleaner and never make a good marriage and never be permitted to have children. No, leaving her here with her father is the best solution.” Harry snatched his daughter from Jewel and she gasped with shock.
“Harry, she’s my daughter too,” she protested. Harry shook his head.
“That may be true, but she’ll have a better life here with me, we won’t treat her like that and she’ll have people here who will love her and treat her like a normal person not like that, you aren’t decent people,” he stated and everyone nodded.
“You aren’t decent people,” someone in the back shouted and they sounded angry. The Baron nodded.
“You might think that but it is our custom and has been for centuries,” he told them. “You humans should stay on this planet where you are safe and hope that no other species discover you. Most of the species in this galaxy would make slaves of you; put you in their zoos or eat you. I promise not to tell anyone that I found you here since you have rescued my daughter and treated her kindly. Now come along, Jewel, your mother is worried sick about you.”
“Bye everyone, I have to go, my mother needs me,” she called out and without another word; she turned and walked up the ramp. Then the spacecraft lifted up and flew off. They all watched with shock and then Gloria laughed. They all turned around to see what was so funny.
“Well, Harry, it looks like you’ve got twins again,” she said and they all laughed. Harry held his precious daughter and kissed her. He wouldn’t have let her leave the planet anyway, even if Jewel had wanted her and they would have treated her kindly, not without him.
“Let’s go back inside, I’m freezing,” Kate said and they all went back inside for dessert.
Afterwards Harry and the boys went over to Jewel’s house and got all of Cassie’s clothes, toys and bed. The next day they packed away all of Jewels clothes and things for her so that when she got older she would know more about her mother. Then they locked up the house. Harry figured one of his kids could live in it when they got older. He didn’t want anyone else living that close to him. So a few days later when Susie came knocking on his door and said that she and Violet had had a big fight and she wanted to move into Jewel’s old house and would he please let her, he gently told her no. She pouted but he gently pushed her out of his house.
“Why would she want to move in next door?” Fran asked after she left. Harry shook his head.
“I don’t think she does, I think Violet does and once Susie was in, they would trade houses or they would make up and Violet would just move in,” he told her. “You know how she’s always staring at Jake and trying to flirt with him, it’s embarrassing to watch.” Fran laughed.
“That girl’s insane, first she had a crush on you and now she’s got one on Jake, doesn’t she understand that you’re both gay?” she asked. Harry sighed and rubbed his round belly.
“I think the only reason she wants Jake is to get back at me for rejecting her,” he guessed correctly. Then the kids all ran into the kitchen and it was snack time and he forgot all about silly girls, he had more important things to do with his time.
“What did he say, can you move in?” Violet asked when Susie came home. Susie shook her head.
“He said no, he doesn’t want anyone but family living that close to his house,” she informed her. Violet gasped.
“What’s so fucking special about his damned house, he’s not the damned king of Eden,” she retorted. Susie flopped down on the couch.
“Well he said no, so you’re going to have to find some other way to get close to Jake, although I don’t know why you want to, the man’s gay Violet, do you understand what that means, he sucks cock,” she snapped. She was tired of listening to the other girl going on and on about the wonderful Mr. Jake Jackson. First it was Harry, Harry, Harry, all the damned time. And now it was Jake did this and Jake did that and how wonderful Jake was. Why couldn’t she pick one of the single men, why did she have to pick a married man and a homosexual one for that matter?
“Oh, Jake’s not really a homosexual, I was talking with his mother and she agrees with me that Harry took advantage of Jake when he was younger and he just needs the right women to show him the real path his life should be taking and she says I’m that woman,” Violet informed her smugly. Susie grinned.
“From what we saw at the waterfall that day, I think Jake’s real happy with the path he’s on,” she retorted and Violet glared at her.
“He was only nineteen when we saw that, he’s twenty-two now and I’ll bet he’s getting sick and tired of having sex with a man,” she stated. Susie sighed.
“Well I’m not and I’m going to go look for one right now,” she said and walked out the door and over to the boy’s house. Violet sighed and went up to the attic where she had a telescope, a present from her father. She could peek right into Harry and Jake’s living room, they had all those windows and even though the glass was the kind that you weren’t supposed to be able to see through, at the right angle, she could see quite clearly. Right now Harry was sitting on the couch reading while Jake was playing on the floor with one of his brats. Two more were playing next to him. Figures Harry would be ignoring his children and making poor Jake do all the work, she thought and fumed.
“Jake, listen to this,” Harry said and Jake looked up. “By the time a child is two, his moral values have been determined. Now how can they know that? When a child is two, they’re barely potty trained.” Harry threw down the book with disgust and looked at his almost two year-olds. Jackson was coloring with his dad watching and Emma was playing with the cars and the garage with Adam. He grinned and slid down to the floor.
“Those child psychologist don’t know everything, babe,” Jake said and he leaned over to kiss him and rub his belly. “Isn’t that right, Ryan?” he asked the belly. Jackson leaned forward to yell at the belly.
“Hello, Ryan, I love you,” he shouted. Then Emma came over.
“Ryan, come out and play,” she yelled. Then Adam came over to kiss his belly. Harry laughed and kissed him. Violet watched all of this and wanted to puke. Fran came to the doorway.
“Anyone want dinner?” she asked. They all smiled. Jake helped Harry to his feet and took the opportunity to kiss him, long and hard.
“Mm, save some of that for later, tiger,” Harry whispered and the kids all giggled. Jake picked up two and Harry lifted Adam into his arms and they went in to the kitchen. Violet sighed and went downstairs. She had to figure out a way to spy on them some more. Maybe sneak into their house and put up some cameras. That would be fun, if she could get the cameras. Maybe one of the boys would get them for her if she begged and lied and said she was going to put them in Gloria’s house.
Christmas came and everyone except for Harry had had their babies and the community was now a hundred and eighty-five strong. The main hall was filled to the brim with children and Gloria and David were disgusted with how many times people kept asking them when she was going to have her two other children. And Abby who was twenty and living with Chan was getting the same question especially from her mother who wanted to know when