Keeping Time

Chapter 20

First, they took a pit stop. There had to be a few things cleared up first. Formalities to be undone. Adam was ready to go into their wedding and solidify his union with Lux, but was she ready? Was he happy?

When Lux looked at Adam, she could see that it was clear their adventure had brought back the feelings of his past relationship with Maoko. He wasn't over her quite yet.

More so, she realized that she was unbound by the limitations of her time. She did have some obligations, namely to help in the upcoming alien invasion, but she also had the right to explore her options.

Lux laughed because she didn't realize it at first but now it came to be so clear that she never would let it happen again. She hated this wedding. She didn't want it to happen.

So when she woke up that morning, her cousins and aunt rushed into the room. She held her hands on her hips.

"Lux you are wearing your wedding dress and it has a few stains. I told your father that I would watch after you because you get so distracted but you are completely a mess. You woke up late and we are hours behind."

"I don't want to do it anymore."

"What?" they said in unison.

"You heard me. Lace and this elegance. It isn't me. I'm tired of being told what to do. For being judged because my father didn't keep in contact. My mother loved my father because they were both concerned with having a happy life, not formalities and telling other people what to do."

She got off the bed and turned to face her aunt.

"You are different aunt. You tell your husband what to do and never show him any affection. You judge me because I am not one of your own. Cause I don't bend to your will like your daughters - canceling appointments because you told them to, allowing their children to be judged by you and judging other people - namely immigrants - because they don't throw expensive parties like you or sit in the front pew of a chapel every Sunday with a smile plastered on their face to hide what they are feeling inside. I don't want your money. I am telling my father I'm canceling the wedding."

She opened her mouth, shocked.

"Lux if you leave this room right now, there will be no wedding. You have taken for granted all that your aunts and uncles have done for you. You selfish, ungrateful child. You know from the moment you came out of your mother's womb, I felt sorry for your mother. To have a child that always questioned authority and who didn't act correctly in public..."

"Goodbye Aunt," said Lux.

She shut the door behind her, hearing her cousins erupt in giggles and her aunt sigh in rage.

She first came into Adam's room. He was half dressed. He quickly put on some pants.

"I'm not doing this wedding," she said.

"Sit down," he said.

She sat down on the bed and turned to Adam.

"I don't know if I ever want to be married" she confessed.

Adam opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He closed his mouth.

"I love you," she said. "We are just too young to get married. If we ever decide that we want to in the future, I will but there's more than I want to experience. I want to travel to the future. Get to know a different time when people are more accepting. You are welcome to join me."

"I will," he said.

"I can't do the Time Queen thing," she said.

"I wasn't expecting you to. It's a big responsibility."

"I don't want to be directing people and living in a remote castle at the beginning of history. I want to be inventing things. Those bracelets I made were the most advanced project I had ever undertaken but I want to do more. I want to help make aircraft to prepare for the invasion. I want to work for a military. Maybe the United States?"

"They would be more than lucky to have you."

"You could join too."

He shook his head.

"I am done with the military. I would like to work in development though. To build cities of the future. Maybe I could take an apprenticeship."

Lux gasped.

"I didn't even know."

"That's okay."

"Not it's not. You haven't even explored your passions."

"I never thought it was important."

"We aren't ready to be in a relationship. We need time to explore our passions and interests. If we come back together, then great. If not, that's okay too."

He nodded.

"Should we tell your dad?"

"Yeah."

They left his room. They saw Lux's aunt storm down the hall with her bags, hurrying to get out of the hotel. The oldest cousin turned back to her.

"Thank you, Lux, for what you said."

Lux's eyes popped.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Absolutely not. She told me recently that she wanted to send my kids to boarding school. They're not even older than 5. My son has been mad since her father had been away on business and she suggested instead that he had a behavior disorder. Don't even get me started on my younger sister. She's been advocating for workers unions lately and she told her that if she did any more activism, she would cut off her inheritance. My mother needed to have some sense knocked into her. I'm glad you were the one to do it."

"I guess that means we won't visit for Christmas anymore."

"No. I'll be visiting your father. I'm moving to New Zealand."

"That's great."

"Australian society is too big, too formal and too industrialized. It will be good to get away from the hustle and stress."

They walked into her father's room.

"Hey, dad. We are canceling the wedding. I'm sorry you spent all this money and everything."

"Why? Did you guys have a fight?"

"No. We have different interests right now. We are taking a break. I might move to America and he is going to work in architecture."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah. I think I am. We will always care about each other but for now, we have to grow as people before we do something serious about getting married. Are you mad?"

"No. I'm proud of you. You shouldn't sacrifice your life for the expectations of others. You were always different than others. You may have tried to fit in but you had your own ideas about what it meant to be a woman. I feel sorry that I put too many expectations on you with finishing school. I should have said something to your aunt and your grandmother that this was too extravagant but I thought you were happy. I'm glad that you aren't doing anything you don't want to do."

"Thanks, Dad."

"It will be okay. Just come and visit now and then."

Lux now works for the NASA program designing new rockets that also served as weapons. From time to time, Taylor and Nicole visit to show her their latest inventions and talk about life in the Time Agency, working with their teacher and classmates. Adam designed an underwater city to live in on Europa. He lives with Lux in Orlando and every year, they go and visit their dad. Lux's aunt got over herself and the aunts and uncles came to visit. Things are better even though Lux and Adam still have to keep time travel a secret, they couldn't be any happier. That and they are waiting for the alien invasion may still occur. They keep in contact with the Time Travel Agency to prepare for the time that they must once-more fight.