Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter twenty-nine of "Not Here II: The Journey Continues." I am glad it took just a week to get out. The next chapter features the trip to the beach. It is likely some troublemakers will make their first appearance. Stay tuned for chapter thirty.

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Chapter 29: Just Eating/Prepared to Go

Tyson, Minnie, Kinwon, and Tykwa were eating breakfast thirty-eight minutes later. Kinwon and Tykwa were still in the same seats while Minnie sat on Tyson's right. Tykwa picked up one of her two pieces of bacon. She bit into it and chewed at a slow yet steady pace. She swallowed with a quiet gulp. Kinwon got some eggs onto his fork. He put them in his mouth and proceeded to chew.

"This is a really good breakfast, Minnie," Tykwa complimented.

"It sure is," Kinwon added and swallowed.

"Thank you, Kinwon, Tykwa," Minnie replied and picked up her coffee to sip a tiny bit of it. She put it down. "I love cooking bacon and eggs for breakfast."

"Minnie doesn't do that on weekdays unless she is on vacation," Tyson added.

"I see," Tykwa whispered and licked her lips. "By the way, how long have you two been married?"

"We've been married for twenty-five years," Minnie admitted. "We've never had a desire to have any children."

"We don't regret that decision in the least bit," Tyson murmured and cleared his throat. "What about you two? Have either of you ever been married?"

"Nope," Tykwa said, shaking her head.

"Nor have we ever had a desire to have children," Kinwon said, grabbing his coffee and taking a small sip of it. He laid it down. "Neither of us regret either decision."

"I've never understood people pressuring others into getting married and having children," Tykwa said and let out an annoyed scoff. "If someone doesn't want to get married or have a child, then it is best to respect their decision."

"Some people were not meant to be parents," Kinwon commented bluntly.

"Society placed immense pressure on people to marry and have children in the old days. Husbands were expected to be breadwinners. Wives were expected to be homemakers. If men and women didn't fulfill these roles, they were harshly frowned upon," Minnie explained.

"Today is very different. Women are encouraged to have careers because men won't always be there to care for them," Tyson said honestly. "For example, a husband suddenly dies of a heart attack. If his wife has children with him and doesn't have a steady job, they are screwed unless his or her parents can take care of them while she looks for work."

"Women could have jobs unless they were married in the old days," Minnie said and emitted a soft snort.

"In our society, men and women have always been equal," Kinwon said and sighed softly. "Both are encouraged to have careers." He suppressed a yawn and smacked his lips. "If one spouse dies, the other one will fine as long as he or she has a steady job. It is very important to have one if he or she had children with him or her."

"Kinwon and I took care of Andros after his parents died," Tykwa commented, sniffling. "We had no idea what happened to Karone until after Andros told us she had been Astronema all along following Zordon's death."

Tyson and Minnie looked at each other. They were glad Karone didn't look back on her past misdeeds constantly. They knew she would've driven herself to insanity if she did. Of course, they understood she couldn't help but feel guilty about what she did sometimes. They shifted their attention back to their houseguests.

"Are you two nervous about wearing your swimsuits to the beach?" Minnie wondered with much curiosity.

"Not at all," Tykwa admitted with a laugh. "I have to say that it will be weird seeing women wear bikinis."

Kinwon chuckled. "Yes, it will."

"I pray to God that none of the teens who have made trouble for your friends show up," Tyson muttered in a little uncertainty.

"We don't either, but we are prepared for it," Kinwon said, sighing heavily. "It is possible Ashley could be body-shamed. She may be accused of putting on too much weight."

"It is disgusting that people will body-shame a pregnant woman like Ashley. She can't help having a large belly. She is carrying twins. Let's not forget that some pregnant women have small bellies, even if they are near the end of their pregnancies," Tykwa said while shaking her head in disbelief.

Tyson showed disgust. "Small-bellied pregnant women get body-shamed too. They are often accused of deliberately avoiding weight gain to keep as much of their pre-baby figures as they can."

"Body-shaming does happen on KO-35 occasionally," Kinwon admitted while picking up one of his two pieces of bacon. He took a bite out of it. He chewed quickly and swallowed with a loud gulp. "There is not a lot we can do about it, except teach people that it isn't right to do that."

"The same can be said here," Tyson said, patting the table three times. "There is an old saying from old timers. It is 'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.' However, it isn't true at all. Words can hurt, especially when they come from someone close to you." He frowned somewhat.

"For example, a teen daughter tells her parents she hates them because they won't let her date. They would be shocked and hurt she said that. She apologizes later on because she realized she said it out of anger and didn't mean it. They accept her apology and decide to do away with the no-dating rule," Minnie explained.

Tykwa snorted. "It is understandable why the girl said she hated her parents, but it wasn't right."

Minnie yawned. "No, it wasn't."

Kinwon and Tykwa laid their bacon aside. They picked up their coffee, sipping small amounts of them. They laid them down and got decent amounts of eggs onto their forks. They placed them in their mouths and proceeded to chew.

"Have you two ever gotten yourselves into silly situations?" Tyson asked.

"Plenty of times," Tykwa answered truthfully. She and Kinwon swallowed while letting out quiet gulps. "This is especially true when we were young."

"We've been the victims of a number of pranks. Andros, Zhane, Karone, and Carlos pulled a few of them on us when they visited KO-35 back in February," Kinwon added, laughing to himself.

Tykwa blew a raspberry. "At least one prank backfired on them."

"I have no doubt you two were scared when you had to leave KO-35 during the first invasion," Tyson whispered in sympathy.

"You bet we were," Kinwon replied, cringing as he remembered fleeing from KO-35 with Tykwa and everyone else. "Zhane was nearly killed by the Kerovan-Ouster when he threw himself in front of Andros in order to protect him. He ended up in a coma."

Tyson became thoughtful. "That sucks big time."

"No denying that," Tykwa agreed and pressed her lips together. "Zhane was in a coma for two years before he woke up."

"We were glad to see him when he and the other Astro Rangers stumbled across the world we had settled on," Kinwon added.

Minnie blew in a soft manner. "Had Rita never invaded Earth, we would've never known humans existed on other worlds."

"Yeah," Tyson said while nodding. "People think only Earth has intelligent life."

"Well, they were wrong," Tykwa said and slipped a lock of hair behind her ear.

"We may have telekinesis, but we are full-blooded humans," Kinwon commented in a calm yet firm voice.

"No one can take that away from us," Tykwa answered with determination.

Kinwon cleared his throat. "That's right."

Tyson and Minnie chuckled to themselves. They started talking about the time the latter was scared by a rubber snake the former had placed in the washer.

00000

Kinwon and Tykwa were watching Star Wars while sitting on the living room couch as they waited for Andros and Ashley to pick them up an hour later. Their beach bags were next to the front door, as was a beach ball. He wore red swimming trunks. She donned a one-piece blue bathing suit under her blue beach dress.

Kinwon leaned back while placing his hands behind his head. He clicked his tongue three times before laying them in his lap. Tykwa moved her head from side to side to stretch her neck. The scene where Han, Luke, and Leia were trapped in the cell bay while firing at stormtroopers played. The duo raised their eyebrows.

"I have to say this is a great movie," Tykwa said.

"I agree," Kinwon replied and stroked his beard. "Andros wasn't kidding when he said this movie got wild at times."

"The special effects hold up pretty well," Tykwa said in much awe. She laughed at Leia's grabbing Luke's gun and shooting at the gate to the garbage chute. "That is what I call taking charge of a rescue."

"It is obvious Leia didn't want to wait on making an escape any longer," Kinwon said truthfully.

"Some people say princesses should be meek and gentle," Tykwa grumbled with a roll of her eyes. "Give me a break. Princesses can be just as tough as anyone else can."

"Andros said that Xena was called a warrior princess in Xena: Warrior Princess. She wasn't royalty, but he believed the name fit because she happened to be a princess of war having led an army at one time," Kinwon explained.

"I look forward to watching that show while we are here," Tykwa commented eagerly. "Andros said it was really good."

"It is funny when people say they hate a movie or show, but they have never seen it," Kinwon said annoyingly.

"Why do I get this feeling people will deliberately vote one star on a movie or show on an internet database just to drive the rating down when they have never seen it?" Tykwa wondered, cringing badly.

"Hmm," Kinwon whispered. He raised his eyebrows as Han leapt into the chute and ended up in the trash compactor. "The trash compactor isn't a place I would want to end up in."

"It wasn't the best place for Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca to end up in, but they didn't have a choice," Tykwa said, scratching her chin.

"You have to do what you have to do," Kinwon said and cleared his throat.

"That's right," Tykwa murmured.

Kinwon folded his hands and laid them in his lap. He twirled his thumbs around while emitting a soft sigh.

"I hope Andros and Ashley get here soon. I am ready to see the beaches of Angel Grove," Kinwon said in much eagerness.

"So am I," Tykwa agreed. "It is nice they and their friends get to go to the beach while the rest of the country freezes during winter."

"We can go to our lake beaches only during the spring and summer," Kinwon mumbled with a heavy sigh. "It sucks, but it is what it is."

She giggled. "Ain't that the truth?"

"Hey, you are not supposed to say ain't. It isn't a word," Kinwon responded and spoke gibberish.

"You just said it," Tykwa pointed out and shook her finger at him.

"Only because you made me," Kinwon said, slapping her in the back of her head with a delighted laugh.

"If you slap me again, I will give you a knuckle sandwich," Tykwa growled playfully and presented a fist to his face.

He smirked. "Bring it on. I dare you."

She pressed her fist to his chin. He leaned back and spread his arms out to the side. He made a funny noise, causing her to laugh. He brought his body forward, laying his hands in his lap.

"I wonder what time Ashley went to bed last night," Tykwa said in much curiosity.

"I would say she went to bed early," Kinwon suggested and rubbed his nose. "Coming to meet us, taking us to their neighbors' place, and spending time with us can take a lot out of a young expectant mother like her."

"She gets tired more easily than most moms do because she is pregnant with twins," Tykwa murmured.

"Though she is taking good care of herself, she is still at risk for giving birth prematurely," Kinwon commented seriously.

"It is said that half of all twins are born preterm," Tykwa said, swallowing hard.

Kinwon blew softly and bit his lip. "Preterm twins often do just as well as preterm singletons do."

"Andros and Ashley are doing everything in their power to prepare for the possibility of premature birth," Tykwa commented.

"That's why they wanted the nursery to be ready earlier than most parents do," Kinwon added.

Tykwa nodded in agreement. "That's right."

The sound of a honking horn startled the duo. They stood up and went to the window. They could see Ashley's van in the driveway. Andros was in the driver's seat. They formed big smiles on their faces.

"Andros and Ashley are here!" Tykwa yelled in great joy.

"Tyson, Minnie, we are heading out the door!" Kinwon said as he looked toward the stairs.

"Okay!" Tyson called from upstairs.

"Have fun at the beach!" Minnie added.

"We will!" Tykwa assured and went over to the coffee table. She grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. She returned it to its spot. "We will see you later!"

Kinwon and Tykwa went to the door. They grabbed their bags and put their over their shoulders. She picked up the beach ball. He opened the door and stepped aside, allowing her to go outside. She stopped in the driveway. She peered over her shoulder, seeing him lock the door and step outside. He closed it behind him. They made their way toward the van.

Kinwon went to the door behind Andros, as did Tykwa to the one behind Ashley. They got in, sitting in the first backseat. They set their bags on the floor in front of them. She tossed the beach ball into the second backseat. It landed there and fell on the floor. Andros and Ashley looked toward them, smiling at them warmly.

"Good morning, Kinwon, Tykwa!" Andros said joyfully.

"Good morning yourself, Andros," Kinwon answered.

"Are you two ready for the trip to the beach?" Ashley wondered hopefully.

"We definitely are!" Tykwa answered in much proudness. She and Kinwon buckled their seatbelts. "Let's get going before the day is over."

"After all, Andros does need to be home before noon since he has to work this afternoon," Kinwon added, chuckling.

"Okay then," Andros said, laughing to himself. "It's good to know you both are excited to see Angel Grove's beaches."

"Well, it is our first time going there," Tykwa pointed out.

"Enough talking," Kinwon said, clapping twice. "Let's go!"

Andros started to back out of the driveway. He came to a stop close to the edge when a car passed. He resumed backing out once it was gone from his sight. He proceeded to go down the street.