Bells Through the Leaves, chapter 3
Brandishing a new bottle of wine, Milele walked through the room and searched for empty glasses, chatting and laughing, patting the occasional shoulder, and checking to ensure that all of her platters still offered a variety of foods. As she passed the back window, she saw that it was finally dark enough outside that she could light her little lanterns, so she swung by the computer and quietly instructed it to turn them on. Beautiful! There were about a dozen guests standing out in the back garden, and they all smiled with appreciation before returning to their conversations.
She looked across the room to where her handsome son talked with two of his schoolmates. She had been so proud of him today—only nineteen, but graduating with honors from nothing less than the Centaurus Academy of the Arts and Sciences at London! When he had expressed his desire to begin university a full year ahead of schedule, she'd had her doubts, but when he enrolled in CAAS/L, she had been utterly horrified. She'd seen two of her friends' children wash out of that school just because they couldn't adapt to the long Centauran calendar, not to mention the fact that the classes were monstrously difficult. But her child had stuck it out, and tomorrow he would leave for his new job with the Hong Kong division of Cochrane Industries.
Glancing up, he met her eyes and smiled his dazzling smile. Sometimes he looked so much like his father, tall and dark with those beautiful eyelashes and high cheekbones, but when he smiled he was all hers, down to the dimple in his cheek and the way he crinkled his eyes. As they looked at one another across the room, he gave her a thumbs-up, just as he'd done since he was a little boy and he had liked the present she'd picked out for his birthday, or he'd scored the game-winning goal in a junior league game. She smiled and returned the gesture, but she had to turn away before he saw the sudden tear that threatened to spill down her cheek.
As she walked over to the sofa and refilled a wine glass, she reminded herself that life is change. Children grow up, men get married, women have babies. Old people fade while young people grow strong. Sons move away, but someday they come back. Hearing a familiar laugh from the front of the room, she grinned and shook her head. Sisters venture to the farthest stars, and return home with a Vulcan boyfriend in tow.
She wandered in the direction of the laugh. Nyota was standing near the front window talking with the parents of one of Sefu's chums while Spock stood at her elbow and participated in a second conversation with Yusufu, Father, and Grandfather. She couldn't get over how striking that man was. He'd looked good yesterday when he arrived, completely unrumpled despite twenty-odd hours in transit, but today he looked incredible. He was wearing formal black robes with writing on the front that evidently had something to do with the status of his family, and the severe Vulcan style made him look inches taller and, to be honest, more than a bit forbidding. That was part of his allure, though, and she'd been tickled to watch the reactions of her friends when they met this dignified, intimidating man. If only they could have seen him yesterday standing on the garden wall and weaving a string of paper lanterns through the branches with Sefu!
She stopped when she heard a voice at her elbow.
"Oh, Milele. Look at her. If she smiled any wider, her face would break."
Milele turned toward her mother. "I know. You should have seen her yesterday when they arrived. She was positively glowing."
Kasida Uhura frowned slightly and glanced back over at her younger daughter. "Do you think she's in love with him?"
Milele rolled her eyes in mock exasperation. "Mother! How many years has it been since you had your vision checked? She's wild about him. She adores him!"
"Don't you talk to your mother like that, young lady."
Milele laughed. "Well, you deserved it. Of course she loves him. Can't you tell?"
"Yes, I can tell that she loves him. It's just... It's just that she's my baby and I want her to be happy. He seems like a very nice man, but Nyota is such a warm, open, emotional woman. I don't want her to make any bad choices."
"You mean that you're worried about the fact that he's a Vulcan."
"If we're going to be blunt, yes I am. Oh, I know that she's known him for years and trusts him, and everything that I've heard and seen about him tells me that he's kind to her—"
"Mother." Milele rested a gentle hand on her mother's arm. "He's a good man. He makes her very happy. Remember how impressed you were when you heard Yusufu call me 'Azizi' for the first time? You knew from his use of the old-fashioned Swahili endearment that I was his 'valued thing,' and that he'd treasure me forever. Well, maybe you'll never hear a Vulcan declare something like that in public, but that doesn't mean that the sentiment isn't there. Trust me on this. She's his azizi."
As if in confirmation of Milele's words, Spock and Nyota happened to look away from their separate conversations at the same moment and meet one another's eyes. Although they did not linger, that brief, stolen instant of shared intimacy spoke louder than anything else Milele could have said. Kasida was quiet as she gazed across the room at her daughter.
Finally, she slipped her hand around Milele's elbow and leaned close.
"I'm going over there so I can get to know Nyota's friend better. Something tells me that he might be around for a while."
Milele smiled. "I hope you're right."
Returning the smile, Kasida said, "So do I. Come on, let's go see what those men are talking about. Nothing good, I'm sure."
Milele laughed and followed her mother across the room.
...
"Good night. Thank you for coming!"
Waving goodbye to her last guest, Milele closed the front door and immediately kicked her shoes into a corner. "Whew! That went well, don't you think?"
"Oh yes, it was a lovely party." Uhura stacked empty glasses on the low table in front of the sofa. "Everyone commented on how nice the house and the garden looked, and they loved the food. Especially those tiny little quiches. Where in the world did Yusufu find fresh asparagus this time of year?"
"I'm not sure, really. You'll have to ask him when he gets back."
"He was good to take Mother, Father, and Grandfather to the spaceport this late." She shook her head. "Mother just amazes me sometimes. She delayed their flight twice, but she wouldn't stay overnight. They're all going to be so tired tomorrow that they won't even be able to function."
Picking up an empty tray, Milele chuckled and walked over to the sofa. "Father told me that he was trying to talk her into staying tonight, but she wouldn't listen to him. As usual."
"Poor Father! Overruled again."
Milele lowered her voice. "Did I ever tell you how Yusufu describes all the men in this family?"
"No. How?"
"He says that they're all pussy-whipped." Milele leaned close. "And I'd say that the newest man around here isn't any exception."
"You know that he can hear you."
Milele's eyes grew big. "No!"
"Sure. He's only in the kitchen, not next door."
"Here." Milele shoved the empty tray into her sister's hands. "You take this into the kitchen. I think I'll go out back and start putting away the chairs."
Uhura grinned as she walked into the kitchen with the tray and placed it on the counter by Spock's elbow. Turning off the water, he looked in her direction.
"You are amused by something?"
"Did you hear what Milele just said?"
"No, I did not."
She sidled up next to him. "She said that you're pussy-whipped, just like the other men in this family."
"I am unfamiliar with that expression."
"Pussy-whipped? Well, it's a crude way of describing men whose lives are dominated by women. Similar to 'hen-pecked.'"
He looked away, then raised both eyebrows and nodded. "That is not an entirely inaccurate description. Between you and Saavik, and to some extent Margaret, it does seem that my life has been dominated by rather outspoken women recently. And we have not even been to see my grandmother yet."
"What? You aren't hen-pecked!"
He glanced quickly at the kitchen door, then stepped so close that she had to crane her neck to see his face. "Ah, but if I understand the most literal use of the term, I am most definitely 'pussy-whipped.'"
Before she could reply, they heard the back door open. He moved as if to back away, but she placed her hand on his chest to stop him.
"And don't you ever forget it," she whispered.
Looking back over her shoulder as she left the kitchen, she saw that he was watching her with a raised eyebrow. She held his eyes until she was into the other room. When she turned around, she almost collided with Milele, who had just come in from the back garden carrying four folding chairs.
"Nyota! Quit making eyes at your boyfriend and watch where you're going."
"Sorry. Here. Let me take two of those."
They leaned the chairs against the wall, then Milele turned and looked around the room. Yawning, she said, "You know, this can all wait until morning. Yusufu should be home any minute now, and I'm sure Sefu will be out with his friends until some ungodly hour. Let's just call it a night."
Uhura heard Spock's voice behind her. "There is still a great deal of work to be done, Milele. I am certain that you will regret it in the morning if you postpone putting your home back in order."
Uhura glanced up to see that Spock was standing at her shoulder. She really wanted to go on to bed, but she felt guilty caving in so quickly. Trying to sound like she meant it, she said, "Spock's right. We can stay up and work on this for at least a little while longer."
"No," said Milele. "I'm too tired. I'd rather wait."
"All right. You convinced me." Turning toward Spock, Uhura said, "Let's go on up. We'll deal with this tomorrow."
Spock regarded her for a moment, then looked over at Milele. "Would it be in my best interest to object, or should I simply say 'Yes, dear' and comply?"
Laughing at Spock's obvious reference to Milele's earlier comment, Uhura watched as her sister's face turned bright red. Poor Milele. Her skin was just enough lighter than Uhura's that she'd never been able to avoid telegraphing embarrassment.
Retrieving her shoes from the corner, Milele said, "If you two want to keep working, that's up to you, but I think that this is an ideal time for me to say goodnight and beat a hasty retreat. See you in the morning."
"Goodnight." Uhura watched as Milele climbed the stairs, then turned toward Spock. "So how about it?" she said suggestively. "Do you want to go to bed?"
He brushed his fingers across her cheek. "Yes. I want to go to bed."
...
Roused by the sound of muffled voices, Uhura opened her eyes to discover that the room was dark and gray. Wasn't it too early for everyone to be up? Right before she had fallen asleep last night, she had crept from the bed and opened the curtains so that she could see the leaves and the sun when she awoke. Looking at the window now, though, she saw that the leaves were damp and the sky was overcast. So that's why the room was so dark. It was raining.
She turned over and was surprised to find that she was alone, but when she listened to the voices below, she realized that one of them was Spock's. She couldn't make out the words, but it sounded like he and Yusufu were walking out the front door. Maybe they were getting ready to take the folding chairs back to the rental agency.
Promising herself that she would get up to help in five minutes, she snuggled down under the covers and thought about the night before. No wonder she was so tired this morning—Spock had said that he wanted to explore her mind before they made love last night, and they had ended up staying awake until nearly 2:00 am. His request had surprised her a little. They touched thoughts often, but it was almost always during sex. Last night, he had said that he wanted to do something different.
The experience had been nice. Although she loved the combination of mental and physical intimacy that they shared so often, there was something to be said for a real mind-meld rather than a sexual link. Somehow, it seemed more concrete, a true communion of thoughts and beliefs rather than an almost gut-level sharing of one another's desire and pleasure. She had seen clearly how much he missed her, and without forming a conscious thought, she had conveyed how her heart sang at that knowledge. And when he had finally allowed his hands to move from her face to other parts of her body, their lovemaking had been slow and tender, without even the slightest sense of urgency, and it seemed at the time like it could have lasted all night. As a matter of fact, it couldn't have possibly been more different than their raw, almost animal-like passion of the night before.
She rolled onto her back. Now that she thought about it, there was something else different last night, something other than the type of mental contact and the slow, relaxed pace. Spock had been unusually cautious and in-control, and at no point had he completely abandoned his restraint. He had treated her like she was fragile, as if he feared he might break her. While it was nice to be cherished occasionally, she would have to make sure he understood that she was fine with what had happened two nights ago. For she was sure that what happened two nights ago had prompted the change in his behavior last night.
Rising from the bed, she picked up her robe and headed for the shower. It was a good thing she loved that man so much, because understanding him was a constant challenge.
End chapter 3