Gorg smiled. “That’s alright. We’ll have lots of time to adjust. Now look…there’s Earth. See it? Third planet from the sun.”
“I see it! Oh, it’s beautiful. I’m going to miss it.” Ebbie didn’t realize how much he’d miss it until that moment. Tears welled up and lifted off his cheeks, floating to the ceiling.
Gorg caught one on the tip of his finger and brought it to his lips. “Your tears taste like the sea, but far less salty. I think your people may have had their beginnings in the sea, as mine did.”
Ebbie nodded. “If you believe in evolution, we did. As single cells, floating in the deep darkness.”
He looked out the window, marveling at the unfathomable scope of space and the improbability of how one lone alien could’ve traversed it and found him on that little blue planet and changed his life in so many incredible ways.
Chapter 13
Jizm was a purple-and-brown planet that looked much like Earth from a distance aside from the color scheme.
“The Great Inland Sea of Jizm is purple,” Gorg explained, although not for the first time. “Although we don’t have as much ocean as Earth does. We have more land mass. But when it rains, the drops are prismatic.”
“That must be beautiful,” Ebbie said. He was feeling nervous. They would be landing shortly, and he’d be meeting Gorg’s family for the first time. Aside from Hivery, of course, who’d proven to be a nice enough guy.
“Our mountains do not have snow on them, though, unlike yours. We may need to manufacture some snow so our child can go sledding.” Gorg was babbling as if trying to keep Ebbie’s mind busy and not thinking about the upcoming landing. He knew Ebbie was nervous.
“What if they don’t like me?” Ebbie whispered. “Can we go back to Earth?”
“They don’t much like me on Earth, remember? Scientists, labs, etcetera? And they won’t like the baby there either, Ebbie,” Gorg said. His tone was gentle and reassuring. “But everyone here will love you because you are a wonderful person. You have nothing to worry about.”
But Ebbie did worry, right up until the moment the spacecraft landed, and the outside hatch opened.
Gorg stood up and helped Ebbie to his feet. Now that microgravity was gone and the ship’s interior gravitational device was deactivated, Ebbie felt as if he weighed a thousand pounds. His belly had grown rounder on the trip, even though it was technically only three days. Something about the speed of light accelerating everything.
Not enough to really affect his due date, but enough to make him feel clumsy and awkward.
Gorg slipped an arm around Ebbie’s waist and helped him negotiate the gangplank.
Ebbie looked up from his feet where he’d been staring, trying hard not to trip over them and make a fool of himself, and froze.
At the end of the gangplank, a group of people gathered, and thousands more stood waiting beyond them.
And every one of them looked like Gorg.
At least they did until he got closer. Then, small differences began to emerge as individuals came into focus.
However, they all had eight tentacles, and they were all waving at him. Or at least, at Hivery and Gorg. He couldn’t be sure.
Gorg led him down the gangplank to the first group of people. He kept an arm looped around Ebbie’s waist, although Ebbie wasn’t sure it was to steady Ebbie, or make his claim on Ebbie clear. Either way, Ebbie was fine with it.
“Mama, Papa. This is Ebenezer Splooge, my Earthling life mate. As you can see, we are expecting already!” Gorg grinned and introduced Ebbie to an older pair of Jizmites. He finally let his arm slip away from Ebbie’s waist. It was none too soon.
“Call me Mama!” the older female cried and threw all eight of her tentacles and two arms around Ebbie, giving him a warm, tight, hug. “How far along are you? Oh, we must plan a baby shower! We’ll have food and cake, and gifts, and we’ll dance the Great Pregnancy Dance around the Sacred Penis Statue. I’ll get Listeria to help me plan it!”
“I didn’t know they had baby showers on Jizm,” Ebbie said. “I mean, Gorg told me about the, uh, Great Pregnancy Dance, but I’m very happy to meet you Mama, and have you plan one for me.”
“And I am Papa!” Gorg’s male parental unit joyfully exclaimed and gave Ebbie a hug identical to the one Mama had given him. “Another grandchild! How exciting!”
“He has no tentacles, Mama,” a small voice squeaked. “Not even two, like us.”
Ebbie looked down and saw a small red-haired girl with one large, golden eye clinging to the leg of a female Jizmite, who held a baby in her arms. All three of them had only two tentacles. “You must be Listeria,” he said to the female. “And this is your child…?”
“This is Fosterina, who needs to learn manners, I’m afraid. The baby is Posterino, and I am very glad to meet you. We didn’t think Gorg would ever find his life mate!” She smiled at him and hugged him with a free tentacle.
“I’ve heard a lot about you from Hivery on the trip over. I’ll be glad to get to know you personally now.” Ebbie returned her smile with one of his own.
