Chapter 18
As the girls---and the two gents!---found seats, awaiting Carmelita's return from the restroom, Kitty took a seat next to a tired, yet smiling, Yuri Sing. Kitty was still fascinated with Yuri's pregnancy, and her upcoming children…although it did sort of embarrass her a bit to admit it to herself.
"Er, so, Yuri…exactly how many kids do you think you'd want? Er, if you don't mind my asking, that is," Kitty asked very softly and politely.
"Ah, our tomboy is curious, hmm?" Yuri answered knowingly, giving Kitty a small, teasing yet warm smile. "Well, Kitty, I would prefer a large family, you see. My parents had only Jacques and myself…and we were rather lonely at times. I do not want my children to be that way. I have talked with Bentley about this and he is all for it as well, what a sweet man he is." Yuri paused a moment to sigh adoringly, and Kitty had to hide her smile behind her hand a moment. Thankfully, Yuri didn't seem to notice. "He and I are hoping that we will have at least three children."
Kitty smiled, nodding. She then became thoughtful, which was a bit out of the ordinary for Kitty. "Well…you know, Yuri…I've thought about it---er, I mean, having children, you understand---for a long time," she admitted, blushing just a bit. "We've discussed this between ourselves, and er…Ling and I would like to become parents too, I think."
Yuri was surprised, and cocked a blond eyebrow, looked over at Kitty. "Oh? Really, cheri?" Yuri asked, intrigued by this odd little discussion she and Kitty were now having.
Kitty blushed again, smiling. "Yeah well, I know this all sort out of the blue and everything," Kitty admitted, rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment. "You know---before I met Ling, I mean---I was even more the tomboy than I am right now."
"Is that so, cheri?" Yuri asked, smiling at the dear rascal beside her. "I hope you will excuse me, Kitty dear, but that I have a very hard time believing." Yuri grinned mischievously, her green-gold eyes twinkling with fond teasing.
Kitty grinned in challenge. "So…don't believe me, huh? Well, you just ask Carmelita when she returns…she'll tell you!" Kitty announced, patting Yuri's hand to let her know she took no offense. "I was really bad, Yuri…I mean, before I met my Ling, anytime anyone asked me if I had found myself a boyfriend, I'd just give them a look of such disgust."
Yuri frowned at this, disliking impoliteness. "Really now, cheri…that was not very nice," Yuri softly chided her.
Kitty grinned in embarrassment, but continued on anyway. "Well, perhaps not,Yuri…but, I couldn't help myself," Kitty offered. "Look, I didn't like guys that way, okay? I mean, they could be great friends, you know…but beyond that, er…no thanks. Hey, I even ditched my sex education class at school…in part because I thought sex was the most disgusting thing I had ever heard of for one, and because every time I had to look at a man naked from the waist down, I sort of got this awful queasy feeling." Kitty saw Yuri looking at her doubtfully, and held up her hand as if taking a vow. "Really! I did…I'm not joking! It really happened, lady," Kitty assured her.
Yuri opened her mouth to comment, but then closed it and motioned for the unusually chatty Kitty to continue.
Kitty grinned her thanks…glad she could just continue without any interruptions. There were not very many times that Kitty was this open with folks, and it helped when she could just get it all out at once, you know? "Well, then I met Ling. He was such a great guy, so it came as no surprise to me that we became such great friends. He was so…er, easy to talk to, and would listen to me without interrupting, and…and well...er," Kitty began, then lost her confidence as she revealed more and more of her innermost workings to the patiently listening Yuri Sing. "Er, well…at least that's what I thought initially."
"Of course, cheri," Yuri said, understanding all too well the feelings Kitty was alluding to. "I have seen you two together…you are well-suited, you know."
Kitty grinned thankfully at Yuri, glad to have her on her side. Besides Carmelita, Yuri was the closest thing Kitty had to a mother figure. "Thanks, Yuri…that's sweet of you to say. Well, where was I again? Er, oh yeah, I remember. Then, when I was around Ling…there'd be times…times where I would find myself just…well, staring at him, you know. And then, I'd find myself getting all tongue-tied and uncomfortable, and…er." Kitty faltered.
Yuri knew this was hard, but wanted Kitty to continue, so she reached out to take Kitty's cold little hand and squeezed it encouragingly and comfortingly. "Go on, cheri…" she softly urged her.
Kitty grinned, then, blushing softly. "It was funny really…looking back, I mean, you know? I remember any number of times, blinking as Carmelita snapped her fingers in front of my face…me being lost in just thinking about my times with Ling. Man, was I ever embarrassed!"
"That is understandable, Kitty," Yuri soothed, squeezing Kitty's hand again. "You may of not known it, cheri…but that is fairly typical of a young woman falling in love with a young man."
"Yeah, I know," Kitty admitted, a bit shame-faced, yet smiled. "The only one I was fooling was myself. Heck, Carmelita knew…heck, she had to! She teased me all the time about Ling. And…er, all I did was deny, deny, deny! 'I am not!" I'd tell her. Boy, was I ever a dope! All those years with my matchmaking, and here I was missing every one of the signs I should know all too well."
"Seeing such feeling in others is easy, Kitty," Yuri told her, smiling. "Seeing them in oneself is a much more difficult task."
"Yeah, you got that right," Kitty said with a laugh. She then stopped talking, and became thoughtful again. "Who knows? Maybe I was just scared, I told myself."
"Scared of what, mon petite?" Yuri asked soothingly, motherly.
Kitty chuckled, her blue eyes thankful to Yuri. "You know, Carmelita asked me the very same thing. Gee, I don't know really, Yuri. Er, maybe I was scared that being with Ling was going to change me. And not for the better, I should add."
"A common enough fear…even for girls who have not grown up as tomboys, cheri," Yuri pointed out.
"Yeah, I sort of realized that too, Yuri. But, man…I found myself having nightmares even before I realised I was falling for Ling. I'd wake up sweating after having dreams of the two of us, in a house, surrounded by a horde of children. And, most horrible of all…I saw myself then…looking just like all the bimbos I used to gripe about, giggling every half a minute!" Kitty told Yuri a bit ruefully, but with a smile nonetheless.
"Oh, cheri…we all face such things, you know," Yuri told Kitty with a comforting smile, hugging her.
Kitty leaned her head to Yuri's shoulder, and continued on. "Maybe I was afraid that he---Ling, I mean---wouldn't want me to be a tomboy. What if he wanted a real girl to love…and not me?" Kitty paused a moment, clearly at odds with herself, but then continued again. "Then…then, Carmelita went and quit her job with Interpol…and I suddenly found myself alone, without a partner."
"Ah, mon cheri," Yuri said, gently stroking Kitty's arm, attempting to comfort her. Kitty appreciated that gesture…very much indeed.
"Besides feeling all alone, I had another problem too. I hadn't gotten myself a driver's license yet, and I couldn't really ask Carmelita to chauffeur me to work and back, you know. So, I picked up the phone and dialed Ling, asking him if he could pick me up and drop me off from work each day. He was such a dear…of course he agreed, and that was that," Kitty told Yuri, still leaning against the snow leopard's comforting shoulder.
"You know, I think that was the first time I had ever been so close to him. I mean, I had to hold on to him tightly when we commuted to work…I didn't want to fall off, after all," Kitty continued. She paused moment, then looked up at Yuri, speaking again. "The Chief then assigned me and Ling as partners, and I was responsible to get him up to speed on all of my and Carmelita's cases. Especially the Cooper case. Oh yeah, I told him the straight truth, all right. All about why Carmelita had quit her job, and why I didn't really want to pursue the case very much. And…you know what he did, Yuri?"
"Non, cheri," Yuri responded, stroking Kitty's arm. "What?"
Kitty smiled fondly then. "Ling simply smiled, and said that I had to be very brave to keep such secrets to myself. I blushed like a schoolgirl, of course, and we both clammed up. Now, after a while, I broke that silence, telling him, 'I am glad that the Chief assigned you as my partner.' Ling simply smiled, as he usually does, and walked over to me. He didn't say a single word, but instead leaned forward and kissed me." Kitty knew she was blushing…but she smiled a winning loving smile all the same.
Yuri smiled, feeling the heat from Kitty's cheek and knew she was blushing. "You're first real kiss, oui?" she prompted Kitty.
"Yeah, that was my fist real kiss," Kitty admitted, looking up into Yuri's eyes, grinning. "Soon after that, we---er, ahem!---began hanging out together. It wasn't too long after that and we were offically together, a couple."
"Ah, young love," Yuri sighed, hugging Kitty, who simply smiled and hugged Yuri back.
"It was really great! I just loved being with Ling…every single moment I could! We got along so well, and he treated me so kindly, and I just loved having him in my arms, holding him close," Kitty gushed, surprised at this outpouring of emotion, but pleasantly surprised that what she spoke was the absolute truth. "Now…after a long while, well…we two, we er, wanted to take the next step in our relationship."
"You are speaking of making love, no?" Yuri questioned, looking down into Kitty's eyes.
Kitty nodded, and gulped. "Yeah. Oh, but I was scared…you know, because of my past. Sex had always been so disgusting to me and now...here I was about to…er, um…to do it, you know?" Kitty was blushing a hot red now, her ears a bright pink inside. "Fortunately---or maybe not!---just as we both had er, taken off our clothes, and---ahem!---laid down, the phone rang. It was Carmelita, and she was telling us that she and the gang had busted Polarsky."
Yuri grinned. "Talk about bad timing, no?" Yuri laughed. "But, much time as passed since then, cheri. So, did you and your Ling…did you---I mean, that is is---er?" Yuri giggled as she stammered out the slightly embarrassing question.
"Oh, yeah," Kitty admitted smiling as she remembered that day fondly.
"So, was it as bad as you thought, Kitty dear?" Yuri asked.
"Quite the contrary, Yuri. It was one of the very best nights of my life," Kitty replied. "And…that's just about enough on that subject, okay?"
Yuri giggled, but nodded her agreement.
"It wasn't too long after that---ahem!---Carmen gave birth to her Maria and Enrico," Kitty went on. "I happened to be there with Carmelita and Carlos when Carmen was in labor, and we all waited together. It seemed like forever…but, soon enough we were allowed inside to visit Carmen and her children."
"I have seen them," Yuri reminded Kitty. "There are adorable."
"Oh yeah! And, they were so small, Yuri! I was so amazed that these two little things in Carmen's arms were actually two, living, breathing little people. Oh, and when Carlos took his little Maria from Carmen, he and Carmelita simply gushed so warmly over her, I felt my heart leap. Now, me…I just watched little Enrico. Carmen must of noticed as she asked me to come over to her side. She then asked if I'd care to hold him. Oh, did I ever! Mmm, Yuri…oh, the wonderful yet strange feelings I got when I held him...well, you'll know what I'm talking about before too long, you know, after your little ones are born."
"Of course," Yuri replied, smiling.
"It was so surreal, really," Kitty went on a moment later, snuggling her cheek to Yuri's shoulder. "In that small moment, it was as if I was holding my very own son. The boy I dreamed of, the one I wanted to grow up, become a success, and perhaps even make me a grandmother one day. Isn't that so weird…coming from me, I mean? Then, I sobered up---remembering that he wasn't mine, he was Carmen's son. I was curious then, and I asked Carmen if having her children was all worth it. You know…having them inside your womb for so long, then having to push them out, and finally becoming their round-the-clock slaves for a good long time. You know, I wasn't quite prepared for her answer to that. Carmen told me that she couldn't answer that for me, that was something I would have to figure out all on my own. But, at least for her and her Carlos, her answer was yes, yes it was worth it. I never really forgot the feeling the answer gave me."
"A most wise woman is Carmelita's older sister, I think, my Kitty," Yuri added, holding Kitty close.
Kitty then pushed gently away from Yuri, and looked into her eyes, still having more to get off of her chest, as it were. "After that, why that was Fashion Hell," Kitty said, her eyes gleaming most mischievously.
"Pardonnez moi?" Yuri said, frowning as she looked over to see Kitty shudder. "I am sorry, cheri…what was that again?"
"Oops! Sorry, Yuri," Kitty replied, backpedaling a bit. "It´s just...well, I hate make up that much. All right, okay, not as much as I did before…but, still I hate it. I swear, the only time I'm ever going to wear a dress will be at weddings..." Kitty looked around then, and grinned wryly. "And, judging by all the couples---and potential couples---I see here, that's more than enough for me in my lifetime, thanks."
Yuri laughed again. "It is a shame, cheri, that you feel this way. For, you do know, I hope, just how wonderful you look in one of my dresses, no?"
"Nice try, Yuri," Kitty allowed. "And, yes, I do know I look good in your dresses…but I still don't like 'em. So, enough with the subtle hints, okay?"
"As you say, cheri," Yuri replied, but she wasn't fooling Kitty…who could see she was far from done on that particular subject.
"Whatever," Kitty said flippantly, then smiled. "So…when the show was over and done, you and Bentley weren't the only ones having themselves 'a private celebration'." Kitty blushed, remembering being with Ling, and how wonderful she felt to be with him that memorable evening. "I realized a few months back just how much I really wanted to be a mother…to have my own children to love. Not just an Auntie, like I am to Maria and Enrico, but my own. So, as I said, I've changed a great deal since I first meet Ling, and changed for the better, I think." She then looked over at Yuri. "Um…er, so…do you think I'd make a good mother, Yuri?" Kitty wanted to know, her blue eyes full of hope and trepidation too.
Yuri smiled, and reached out to gently caress Kitty's cheek. "Ah, so that is what this whole story was about, hmm?" Yuri deduced with a grin. "As for that, Kitty, I hope you do realize that you are practically but a child yourself. You know just what kids are like, what they like to eat, and what they don't. That is no small talent and it sounds like the makings of a truly spectacular mother to me, I know."
"Really?" Kitty said in wonder, her big blue eyes alight in happiness and wonder, her smile making Yuri nearly glow with her own happiness.
"Ah, but of course, cheri!" Yuri answered her, hugging the now bubbly petite vixen. "You shall make a wonderful mother." Yuri paused, thinking, then uttered, "Now…as for myself…er, the jury is still out, I should think."
Kitty smiled, then laughed softly. "C'mon, Yuri! You'll be a great mother too."
"That is very sweet of you to say, cheri. But, how could I be, oui?" Yuri asked. "I do not know the first thing about being a good mother, you know. My own mother was most often away on business, meetings and the like, so often hiring a nanny for myself and Jacques."
"Trust me, Yuri," Kitty assured her, patting her hand. "You'll be a great mother, and…you wanna know why?"
"Very much, oui," Yuri replied, nodding, her glorious green-gold eyes curious.
"You will be because you already are one, silly!" Kitty replied with a smile.
"I am?" Yuri replied with a look of confusion.
Kitty simply pointed across from where they now sat. Yuri frowned, but looked over and saw both Svetlana and Maria, happily talking with their two new friends. "I've had enough talks with those two to know that you are the closest thing they now have for a mother. And, quite frankly, I couldn't agree more. Look, a good mother is the woman who just wants only the best for her children, yes?"
"Of course, Kitty," Yuri agreed, still puzzled.
"Agreed. And, look here…believe you me, Yuri Sing, you have managed that feat most handily. If you don't believe me…just ask Svetlana. Or Maria." She then took Yuri's hands in her own, and gazed into the lovely snow leopard woman's startled green-gold eyes. "Or…just ask me."
Yuri's eyes welled up, and her breath caught in her throat, gazing with adoration and love at the rascally scamp of a tomboy vixen that had so neatly wrangled her way into Yuri's own big heart.
Luckily just then, Carmelita chose that moment to return. "I'm back!" she declared, feeling much better now. "So…what did I miss?" She was unprepared for Kitty to hoot with laughter. "What?"
Yuri regained her composure, smiled at all of them, then stood upp. "Very well now, my guests…one and all," she began, her voice sonorous and smooth on the ears. "We have had a memorable night as of yet, no? Of course! All my parties are that way, non?" She smiled, and was rewarded with their soft, appreciative laughter. "Before dinner is served for the evening, I thought it might be beneficial to us all to get to know one another a bit better, don't you think? So, since we are all here, all comfortable and snug in my salon…I thought we could have ourselves a little chat of sorts, just among friends, as it were. Does that not sound like a very good thing, mon amis?"
"Sound like a bonzer plan to me, Yuri luv," Jack opined, then grunted as Sean caught him with an elbow in the ribs. Jack glared at his friend a moment, then grinned.
"I'm all for it, chums," Kitty threw out, only to grunt herself as Carmelita replicated Sean's action to silence his chatty big friend.
"That's it," Kitty said, getting to her feet. She moved over to Sean. "All right, pal…up and over by Svetlana…now!"
"Right away, yer Ladyship! Beggin' yer pardon, o' course," Sean replied, grinning, waiting for Carmelita to get up and move over beside Yuri.
Kitty then took the seat beside Jack on one side, while Maria occupied the one on his other side. "Finally, mate…we're safe from those bloody elbows!" Kitty declared, and Jack---being Jack, of course!---laughed and gave Kitty a big hug, which left the little vixen nearly out of breath.
Jack saw the effect of his hug, and grinned apologetically. "Sorry 'bout that one, luv," he apologized.
"Don't worry about it, mate," Kitty told him. "I'm sure my circulation will return…eventually."
Jack blinked, looked incredulously at Kitty, then roared with laughter. "You're all right, you are, Kitty luv!" Jack declared, making Kitty beam.
"Oy," both Sean and Carmelita opined simultaneously a moment later. They exchanged a startled glance, then joined in with the warm laughter their comment had caused.