“And you’re average?”
I propped myself on my elbow and she did the same, facing me. “Yep, I’m perfectly normal. Khan is tiny,” I lied and grinned. “It’s crooked too but don’t tell him I told you so.” I placed a hand over her hip and lifted my middle finger, hoping that Khan would both hear and see my protest of his spying on us.
“Why would I speak to Khan about such intimate matters?” she asked with that sweet triangle forming between her brows.
“Oh, you know, he’s not big on personal boundaries, so I’m sure he wouldn’t be offended if you asked him to see his small crooked dick. Believe me, he would have no qualms asking to see your naked body.”
She pulled her cover higher. “I would never let him see me without clothes on, and I certainly have no interest in seeing any part of him naked.”
“Good.”
“I don’t trust him,” she said.
“Who, Khan?”
“Yes, he’s trying too hard to be polite to me. I mean he definitely has a silver tongue and a charming smile, but the way he tricked me was awful.”
I lifted her hand and kissed it. “I don’t know, I’m kinda liking being your husband.”
She lowered her head and spoke softly. “Just don’t forget that I’m only staying for a little while.”
I didn’t like to think about it and kissed her to stop her from saying any more.
Christina
We fell asleep holding hands and woke up with my head resting on his chest. I think it made Boulder happy, because he was whistling when we went down to have breakfast.
Magni, Laura, Khan, and Erika were already there when we joined them.
“Christina, may I please introduce you to my mother, Erika,” Khan said with a cordial smile.
I walked over to offer the older woman my hands. “May peace surround you,” I said and although she looked at her sons with slight confusion at first, she eventually took my hands and returned my friendly smile.
“It’s a great honor to meet a woman from the Motherlands,” Erika said and gestured for me to take a seat between her and Khan.
“Boulder, there was a message from the Motherlands this morning. They’re expecting a status report from Christina as soon as possible.” Khan was looking at Boulder.
“Excuse me, but why are you talking to Boulder when the matter clearly concerns me?” I asked Khan.
Laura gave a small gasp and Erika put a hand on my arm. “Matters of the state aren’t for us to concern our pretty heads with. The men will take care of it.”
I gave her a stiff smile. “I’m sure they will, but I wasn’t raised to obey men and I’m fully capable of speaking for myself.”
Erika squirmed in her seat and Laura sat quietly with her shoulders up and eyes looking down at her folded hands.
“If only the Momsies didn’t block us from connecting to their network we could just send it from here, but I’m afraid we’ll have to record a message and deliver it to the border,” Khan complained.
“Do you have a messenger?” Boulder asked. “Christina wants to go digging and I plan on working from there.”
“It’s fine, I didn’t expect you to go. I’ll send one of my guards.” Khan picked up a pastry and finally addressed me. “Will you kindly make a recording that assures the council that you’re being treated well?”
I nodded and scooped up another spoonful of the delicious rhubarb yogurt, hoping that it truly was non-dairy as they promised me the first morning.
After breakfast, I held up my wristband and recorded a message for Councilwoman Pearl.
“Thank you for your concern. I hope this message finds you in peace and comfort. I’m pleased to report that I’m in good health and finally working on the digging site, which is looking promising. It took me a while to get started because selecting the right bodyguard turned out to be more problematic than I’d ever imagined.” I left out the details and continued by introducing Boulder. “This is Alexander, who has been kind enough to dedicate his next few months to keeping me safe. Say hi, Boulder.” I swung the wristband in his direction and my big scary-looking friend raised a large hand in greeting.
“Hey, council Momsies, come see us sometime,” he said with a crooked smile.
