Sushi (gxg)

Chapter 32

"So, you're the girl that stole my daughter's heart, eh?" my mom said to Kit before bringing her into a hug. "I'm so happy she found you!" My mother was smiling down at my girl, and had hugged her with a bigger hug than I got! I didn't mind though, I was just glad to see that she treated Kit like a long lost friend already.

"It's so nice to meet you Mrs. Middleton!" Kit squeaked into her.

"Oh, sweetie, just call me Sedna. You might as well be family now from the way Nat talks about you." Yeah, after the ice bath I'd taken after I won my qualifying heat, we'd had a lot of time to talk while we watched Kit at practice, and my mother was very excited for the two of us. My love life was never something that had ever really been discussed, so this was new territory. As I'd told Kit, dating was never something I'd had time for, and so no talk was ever had. With Kit though, I could talk about her for hours.

Of course, her love life had never been discussed either, since for most of my life she was a slave to my father. But now that she was free, it turned out that she was mated to another Selkie, this one a female. It made me wonder just how miserable she'd been with my father if she was now with a woman, and if she had been looking out to sea for her all that time, or if she had just met her after she regained her freedom. But I guess, those were the kinds of questions I wasn't sure I wanted answers to, because it would make me hate my father even more for what he'd done to her. It was hard to hate someone after they were dead when you'd loved them all your life, and never realized what they were doing. I wanted to yell and scream at him, but I'd never have that chance, nor understand how he could do that so someone that he claimed to love.

Now that Kit's practice was done though, all of my mom's attention was on her, and I could tell that she was as charmed by my girlfriend as I was. We were just walking down the Parisian streets, in no particular hurry, casually looking for a place that struck our fancy for us to have a meal at. My mom, living in the water all the time, loved seafood, so that was what we were looking for. Kit and I were open to anything, so it wouldn't be hard for us to find something on pretty much any menu.

Using our smartphones, Kit and I quickly found a place called Le Crab Marteau which was perfect for our needs. We ended up making a big mess using wooden hammers on steamed crabs and lobsters and then picked out the succulent meats from the shells. It was both fun and delicious, much like Kit, and I was squeezing her thigh all night in happiness. She turned beet red every time I did it, and I couldn't help but to tease her again and again. 

"Nat says you'll be going to college with her in the fall and joining her in her apartment. That's a big step for the two of you," my mom pointed out. Hmmm... Was this a bit of a test?

"Not really," Kit told her. "I've been living with her since I met her, first as roommates, and then sharing a bed shortly thereafter. Obviously, we're moving quickly, and things will change once the Olympics are over, but I know that my feelings won't change, just the circumstances around our location and schedule. I'll still love Nat, and she'll still love me. Without the pressure of the games we'll be able to relax more and spend time doing things outside the pool like go on more dates." Kit seemed to have thought all this through, which made sense since I'd done the same. I wouldn't have offered to get her into my school and move in with me if I wasn't sure that we could, at a minimum, live as roommates. Though, if that was all we were, I'd be pretty heartbroken.

My mother nodded with a smile. "You're very mature for your age. When Nat was talking about you, I could sense that you were going to be a good match, and now I'm even more certain. Two women of the water belong together."

"And a Selkie!" Kit said in a conspiratorial whisper.

My mom turned pale as her mouth dropped open, then she turned to me with narrowed eyes. "You told her?" Okay, so when we talked earlier, I probably should have mentioned that.

"I did. I trusted her to handle it well, and to keep our secret. I wasn't going to hide anything from the woman I want to spend my life with." Obviously, I'd been nervous, and it may have backfired, but I'd had a feeling that Kit would accept it like she had accepted the rest of me.

Now my mom looked back at Kit. "And you're okay with that?"

Kit nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah! I mean, I might freak out a little bit when I see you change your skin, but I think that will be more like a freak out from how cool it is. Anyone that gave birth to Nat has to be a good person. Errr... Selkie. Umm, woman?"

"Any of those are fine dear and thank you for accepting that. I know it isn't the easiest thing to comprehend."

"Well, I mean there are so many stories about wizards, werewolves, or vampires and stuff, so who is to say that it might not be real?" Kit reasoned. "But are other things like that real? Do you know?" I should have known Kit was going to ask that, because I hadn't been able to answer it earlier. I guess when you find out mom is a mythological creature, the fact that there could be other kinds becomes secondary. You just want to deal with the shock of being only half human. But Kit liked me regardless, and that is all that matters.

My mom's face broke into a secretive smile. "There are many things in the world, and there used to be even more. To answer your question, yes there are. Vampires and werewolves aren't very plentiful, the wolves especially. Humans have encroached on so many of their lands that they have few places to hunt and roam, so they have been bearing fewer and fewer children. Vampires are similar, though they actually have plenty of hunting grounds. The problem is that there are so many more tools that the police have for investigation, and surveillance cameras everywhere that they're terrified to be seen. If even one gets caught, then their entire world will come crumbling down, because they know that humans will hunt them to extinction."

Kit's face had fallen with the story, and I could see that she was sad to hear about their plights. "Will they be alright?"

"I'm not sure," my mom replied. "Some species are still doing well, but they're the solitary ones like the naiads, dryads and other nymphs. Fairies are doing well in some areas, but not in others, and the same goes for the other hidden creatures like brownies and gnomes."

"How are you doing?" I asked quickly. As much as I was worried about others, she was my mom, and I needed to know.

She gave me a serene smile and reached out to hold my hand. "I'm well. There are many seals near our home, and we blend right in with them. To the naked eye we look identical, so there is no need for us to hide. The warming oceans, overfishing, and pollution don't help, but we're managing."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I didn't want my mother to be out there fighting the world alone if I could help!

She just shook her head, and then took another mouthful of the crab. When she was done, she finally replied. "I'm fine, and my little pod is fine. Just let me keep seeing you and being a proud mom, and I'll be fine. Oh, but I have a request. Since you'll have Kit with you, just take the master bedroom in the house. And please, renovate it. There are too many sad memories there, and it needs a fresh start."

I nodded somberly, knowing exactly what she meant. For me, there was comfort in seeing the familiar place of my youth, but for her it would be a stark reminder of my father keeping her. I was kicking myself for not thinking about how that must feel for her. "I'll take care of it. We might even add a few extra bedrooms since you need to bring your new mate in for a visit, and maybe we'll have some kids too."

"Kids sound wonderful. It would be nice to see little grandchildren in the house. You'll both make wonderful mothers too." She had a little secretive smile on her face that made me wonder if there was more to that, but I let it go for now.

We sat around the table for an hour, most of that was spent with stories of my youth, or my mom getting to know more about Kit. There were a lot of laughs and Kit and I spent a good amount of time blushing in embarrassment. Considering it was their first time meeting, I thought it was a great night. I had little doubt there would be many more nights like this in the future. Maybe my mom's new mate could spend dinners with us, or even spend the nights. It would be an interesting experience, that was for sure!

The future just kept looking better and better.