Erasure and Affirmation (Hypernaturals 11)

Gelato

A new raft of the family showed up. Denise, Nakoma, Diana, Rachel Helena, and Helen arrived.

Denise only let me out of her sight because I was guarded by Jessica and the Siren's are neutralized. Denise admits, especially after family training sessions, that Jessica is perfectly able to guard my poor worthless ass. As if I did not beat her to win a spot on the assault team. Sometimes, you just can't get past female Vampire perceptions of the world.

I call it overprotective. Denise calls it insurance for her future.

Our conversation moved away from important things to other things. I am glad Jessica is able to talk about it like that, but I am also glad that is over. So hard to hear.

Picnics like tonight are a daily thing in Ninovan. The way they were back in the original Ninovan when everyone ate in the big central community center. Denise and Helen's project to get some pride back in the community is bearing fruit. The paint on the pavilion is fresh. The building un-tagged.

The lack of graffiti may be a healthy fear of Helen and Denise. Baby steps. Looking around at all the chatting groups and remembering the way it was in Ninovan before: I think it is more than that. I see and hear healing. Adaptation. Pride of place and community.

The new protocol for help with babies that does not involve blowjobs is helping too. To go to bed with Alexander, you just have to want to do that. Having trouble getting pregnant? Now you talk to Jessica and my Mom. No Alexander sexual fees are required.

Since we are not talking about Alexander, he drifted away to a farther edge of things and looked alone and dejected. I tried to care, and I did slightly. Enough that I noticed it in any case.

Dinner was called, and we trooped up to the tables at one end of the pavilion to fill plates. Nakoma, Helen, and I helped Diana, Rachel, and Laura. Predictably, my little Rachel filled her plate with potato chips. Helen was about to get up into Rachel's face about that, so I intervened. Helen and my daughter have a love/hate relationship and it is easy to see why. Helen has a tendency to just explain how it SHOULD be, but not why. Rachel needs why.

"Rachel: if you eat all those chips, you cannot have any dessert. You will have used up all your junk food allotment for the day." I said.

Helen would have told her to put them back. End of discussion.

"What's dessert?" Rachel asked.

"Chocolate Gelato." I said.

"What's Gelato?" Rachel asked, curiously. That it had the word 'Chocolate' in it had her attention.

"Literally, it is Italian for 'Ice Cream', but there are laws in Italy about how it has to be made, and that makes it super rich and creamy. I have tasted the brand they have in those freezers over there, and it is like Chocolate silk being poured into your mouth. I know you don't like chocolate very much though, so..." I gently teased.

The chips were all returned to the serving bowl. Oops. Good thing Ninovan's are used to sharing everything. Helen looked at me and rolled her eyes. I sidled over to her and pulled her one-armed to me for a kiss since I have not kissed her yet since they arrived.

"You do know how to bribe our daughter. And me." Helen said after. "I'm putting my chips back too."

"You don't have any chips." I pointed out. "Can I bribe you with another kiss to keep you away from them?"

"Can we take the ice cream home so I can eat it off you?" Helen countered.

"Yes. All of the yes." I enthused.

'Big' Rachel is up in New York this week, and I like having more time with Helen. I would never tell Rachel that though. She is worried enough about the state of things, such as whether we are unhappy with her not marrying in. We are not. Marriage is not for everyone.