“I couldn’t live in a place with that sort of mind control,” Frederick declared and shook his head. “Where is it going to end? If we live our way and they continue to live their extreme way, we’ll be so different that even if the wall crumbled one day, we would be like two different species.”
I shifted my weight and wrinkled my forehead while Frederick continued, “Think about it. For two hundred years Motlanders have whispered about us like we’re some kind of demons. What if no one crosses over in the next two or three hundred years? Imagine the culture shock it will be? I kinda wish I would be here to see it. I’ll bet in the future Motlander women will find a way to make themselves hermaphrodites, just so they won’t need us men at all.”
Tyton laughed. “I’ll bet they would, except that they don’t like technology too much and nature doesn’t work that fast.”
“Ah, come on, in two hundred years they could have found a way to grow dicks,” Lucas postulated.
Tyton nodded. “Oh, they already have a way to grow dicks. How do you think they make Nmen? All the boys we get are made in laboratories and they control the exact number of boys and girls they make.”
“Tyton, stop. You make it sound worse than it is,” I protested. “Women are inseminated in a clinic, but the babies grow inside their mother’s womb just like here. You make it sound like Nmen are grown in some cold laboratory and that’s not true.”
“For now, but in two hundred years they’ll be growing children in laboratories, trust me.” Tyton took another sip of his beer.
“I doubt it, and before you decide that the Motherlands is hell on earth, let me just remind you that some amazing people live there. People like me who are kindhearted and caring.”
“Hmmm…” He frowned. “I don’t know about that. Last night you fell asleep before we had a second round of sex. That’s kind of cold.” He smiled and winked at me.
I ignored his joke and pointed out to all the men. “The Motherlands is a wonderful place. Trust me on that.”
Tyton got up and came to put his arm around me. “Just admit that you like it better here, my love.”
A quick look around the large family I had now and my children playing, with happy faces, made it easy to nod my head. “I love it here.”
Tyton broke out in a large and very satisfied smile so I added,
“For the most part.”
“For the most part? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just that there are days when I miss the Motherlands.”
“Why?” Frederick wrinkled his nose. “We just agreed it’s a shitty place.”
I sighed. “It’s not! They made some unfortunate rules that I don’t agree with and it’s not perfect, but neither is The Northlands.”
Tilting his head, Tyton argued, “Ah, but don’t forget that they banned our book, while the Nmen loved it.”
That comment made Frederick scoff out loud. “I don’t know about that. The sex scenes were a bit tame for my taste.”
Over the last seven years I had published five books and three of them had been co-written with Tyton, who didn’t take criticism too well. Flipping Frederick a finger, he squared his chest. “If you want porn, go find a book from the erotica section. Our books are fine art.”
“Sure they are.” Frederick rolled his eyes, but I didn’t get offended because this was so typical of the two brothers, who loved to rile each other up. Frederick turned his head and winked at me with a small smile just as Wilma came around the corner of the house.
At twenty-two she was more beautiful than she had been when I first met her.
We watched her give out hugs to the nieces who ran to greet her. With the boys she nodded and smiled but avoided touch.
“Where’s Emmerson?” Tyton called out to her.
“Oh, he had to go to the east coast but he’ll be here next Sunday.”
“What about Marshall and Czar?” I kept waiting for her two sons to come around the corner and on cue they came sprinting.
Wilma laughed. “We had a little detour because Dad took us to feed the chickens.”
“Are you hungry?” I nodded to the table with food and from behind me Claire called out:
“Hey, I’m hungry and still waiting for that plate you promised me.”
