2nd Monday Evening: Part 2

2^nd Monday Evening: Part 2

When they opened them again, they found themselves in a plain, white room. Uhm ... what’s up with room Manny?

They watched as a door appeared in the room. And there’s our invitation in. Follow me.

Kara stepped through the door right behind him, and found herself staring around in awe. “This is beautiful!”

“It’s stunning...” Allison started, then glanced down. “I see we were given something to wear.”

“I think that’s to be polite to mom. Speaking of, where is she?”

Allison and Kara watched as a graceful figure with long black hair stepped out from behind a cloud. “Pequino! I was worried about you for a while there.”

“I was okay mama. I had my earthly angels looking out for me.”

Angels? Are you sure about that Manny?

Sure, you can be a pretty convincing devil sometimes. But, that’s not what you always are, and it’s your kindness and compassion that leads me to consider you both angels.

She laughed. “Angels? I see a pair of young rascals in disguise next to you.” She paused and held her arms open. “It is good to see you both again.”

Emanuel pulled them forward for a big, group hug. “I had forgotten what these felt like. Mom and Dad never hug like this” Allison replied.

“It’s been too long since I had one of your hugs” Kara added.

She let them go and pointed to a comfy looking couch nearby. “So, I understand you both snared a piece of my son’s heart.”

Allison grinned. “A piece? No ... we have the whole thing.”

She turned to Emanuel. “I told you your wife’s family would take you in. I wasn’t expecting you to find two wives.”

“Neither was I mama. I thought I was happy and complete with just Allison. Then Kara found her way into our lives; and I realized how wrong I was.” He paused, glanced out one of the large windows, then back at his mom. “You said wives. Are you saying that they’re right, and we should get legally married?”

“I can sometimes get glimpses of the future. So far, every one I’ve seen regarding you involves one of them. So, yes. I see no harm in making official what you three have already declared through your actions.” She watched him open his mouth. “Yes, I know it will take time; you need time to plan your legal ceremony. For now, as long as each of you has something you can give the others, you’ll be fine. It is what is in your hearts that matters most.”

“But, I don’t have anything. I was only able to save some of your things mama.”

“Did you save the little mutant plush?”

“Yes. The one you gave Allison for her costume.”

She laughed happily. “The little mad scientist! Her’s was by far the best of all three of your costumes that year. If you have the plush, then you have my most precious pieces.”

“What do you mean mama?”

“You will see when you take a closer look at her. Remember that I made her.” She glanced at the sky. “My time with you all grows short. Remember these things always: love each other with your whole hearts, forgive each other often, and know that your brain is often its’ own worst enemy. Remember these things, and your marriage will truly last the entirety of your lives.”

They watched as the room faded, and they found themselves back in Allison’s bedroom. Emanuel sat up excitedly. “I’m going to check the plush and see what mom meant.” Kara reluctantly moved so he could stand up.

“What do you suppose she meant by ‘your brain is often it’s own worst enemy’, my muse?”

“I think she was talking about how our brains can read meanings into things that were never there to begin with, and that we need to look out for that in our communications with each other.”

“That makes sense. That felt real, didn’t it?”

“I think that was real. The way Manny described the first visit, I wasn’t sure if it was real, or a product of his sleeping brain. But, having seen it myself? I’m convinced we actually got to meet Manny’s mom again.”

“She’s just as beautiful as I remember her being.”

“More beautiful I think.”

They smiled as Emanuel dashed into the room with the familiar plush. “I found her.”

Allison grinned. “That’s my little mutant alright. But what did your mom mean when she said ‘remember I made her’?”

“Watch this”. Emanuel flipped the plush around, and started feeling carefully through its strangely colored fur. “If I’m right, there should be a secret pocket in here somewhere. Ah ha! Found it.” He pulled out a hidden zipper, and with practiced care pulled it down slowly. “Reach in for something small and rectangular.”

Kara slowly reached in, and pulled out a small jewelry box. “How did you know that was going to be in there?”

“Mom liked building little hiding places into the things she made. The trick was knowing what to look for.”

“Why didn’t your dad find this first then?” Allison asked.

“Even before he went off then deep end, dad never paid much attention to mom’s creative pursuits. But I did. I should have remembered that with the little mutant, and thought to check when I first found it.”

“What do you suppose is in there then?” Kara asked.

“Mom’s most precious jewelry. It’s not a very big box, so it probably can’t hold much.” He gently took the box from Kara. “Let’s find out.” Emanuel flipped the mini lock on the box, and gently opened it. “There’s a note on top.”

“What does it say?” both girls asked at the same time.

“To my wonderful son: If you’ve found this box, I know that your secret finding skills are still strong. And I can only hope that your father doesn’t take my imminent passing too hard.

I’ve left here, for you, as many of my favorite pieces of jewelry as I can fit in this box. Hopefully there will be plenty of positive memories in the pieces here.

Love always, Mama.”

“Aww...” they both intoned. “Wait, is that what I think it is?” Allison asked.

“I think so. You used to ‘borrow’ that ring all the time, my muse. I remember it was way to big on you, and would only fit on your thumb.”

“Maybe she included the ring you were always borrowing too, Kara.”

“She did.” Emanuel handed her the ring. “Here it is.”

She stared at the simple silver and turquoise ring. “Hey, it fits on my ring finger. How about you Allison?”

Allison rolled the simple rose gold band in her fingers. “I always loved the way the simple etchings looked like one of those paper flip books in motion when I twirled it like this.” She slipped the ring onto her finger. “It’s the slightest bit loose, but not enough that I’m worried about it falling off.”

Emanuel smiled. “May I see those rings for a moment?” The girls reluctantly relinquished the rings. Turning to Allison, he held up the ring. “Allison, will you accept this ring as a symbol of my commitment to spend the rest of my life with you?”

She beamed. “Of course.”

He turned to Kara, holding up her ring. “Kara, will you accept this ring as a symbol of my commitment to spend the rest of my life with you?”

Kara grinned, pounced, and pinned him to the bed. “Yes, yes, yes!”

“Kids! The Fosters are here!”

“Guess we better head downstairs before your mom sends up the search team” he joked.

“Yeah, we definitely don’t want that. She’d send either Sarah or Dad...” Kara began to pepper Emanuel with kisses. “Not now darling. I know you’re ecstatic and want to show it, but we can’t leave your parents waiting.”

“Oh ... you’re right.” She reluctantly climbed off of Emanuel and got off the bed. “Guess I should go first.”

“We’ll be right behind you darling.”

Emanuel smiled as Kara bounded out of the room. “Has she always been this bouncy Manny?”

“Yes. When Kara decides something is worth doing, she goes about it with all of her energy. That’s always been the case; you should remember some of that from the awakened memories.”

“I’m still processing those. That was an awful lot to get at once.”

“Very true. By the way, do you think your mom has mentioned to your dad how wrong he was?”

“Ordinarily, she would have by now. But I’m sure she’s been much too busy getting everything ready for the Fosters’ to actively rub his face in it.”

“Actively ... that’s not a very flattering way to describe her.” Right, partner?

“And here they are; the trio of the hour. Did you have a nice nap?”

“Yes mom. It was” Allison paused dramatically “eye opening for all of us.”

“Good. I haven’t seen those rings in ages. Didn’t they use to belong to your mother Isabella, Emanuel?”

“Yes.”

“And I’m sure you have a good reason for giving one of them to my daughter.”

Why is your mom doing this to him?

She’s trying to give us a ‘natural’ place in the conversation to make our announcement to your parents. I’d suggest one of you take it before she starts to pull out the really heavy handed prompts; this is one are mom isn’t very ... subtle.

I’ll do it precious. She basically left it open for me. “Why, of course. I needed something I could give my lovely wives while we wait for the new law to take effect.”

The fathers turned towards them as they sat in the three open seats. “Wives?”

Emanuel smiled and grabbed their hands. “Yes, wives. Mr. Foster, you know how long Kara and I have been close friends for; surely this shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. And Mr. Kirse, did you know Allison and I became friends about the same time Kara and I did?”

“Is that true dear?”

“Why, I’m surprised you don’t remember. It was mostly before that incident, but yes; those three were inseparable for the first eight years of their lives. And, probably would have been; if not for the passing of Emanuel’s mother.”

The girls gently squeezed Emanuel’s hands. Mom loosened her grip a little more.

“But, after just two weeks?” her dad paused, and turned to the Fosters. “I mean, I know how you two bucked tradition on that; but that was, you know, different.”

Ooh ... Dad’s on thin ice now.

Yeah. I wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that stare; or what comes after it.

Then be careful not to get Allison’s bad side; I’m sure her mother’s trained her well.

They all shared a ‘laugh’ as Allison’s dad opened his mouth again. He never learns.

“Bob, you agree with me, right?”

“Yeah. How can you really claim to know someone well enough after just two weeks?”

The moms sighed. A moment later, the fathers yelped in pain and looked down at the table. As soon as my dad said that, I knew he’d been in trouble. He knows that’s one of mom’s only real sore spots.

That’s what he gets for listening to my dad. Shame on him for goading someone else into doing something stupid.

“I do have a concern, kids; giving each other rings of commitment like that, while you’re alone is not a strong enough ceremony to make such declarations. Now, if you’d done that with witnesses present, it might be enough ... maybe.”

Now she’s trying to goad us into doing things her way. Not that I’d really mind; but still.

And don’t forget that we don’t have rings to give to Manny.

That’s probably not entering into her mind as a requirement. These rings are effectively engagement rings from her perspective.

Emanuel merely smiled. Just look at the grin on your mother’s face precious.

Oh ... Yeah. She has the perfect thing to say in mind.

“Clara, I know you used to be able to read auras. Can you still do that?”

“Of course! I may not use it very often now, but you never lose an ability like that.”

“Then, why not try to read their auras. It could be very enlightening.”

Mom can read auras?

Partner, I always told you that she was sharper than she may appear at first glance. She somehow always knew our moods growing up, even when we tried to hide it. Now I know how she knew.

“Oh ... I see what you mean.”

“What do you see Clara? That’s one gift I never had.”

“Well, their auras are all very positive. But, that’s not unusual. What is, is how they’re mingling with each other. If I was less skilled, I would have sworn they were all sharing one.”

She completely let go of the box.

And your mom looks very happy, Ally.

“Anything else you can say about them?”

“Yes. I see a tiny thread that seems to be binding the three of them together. But it’s more than just the ‘red string of fate’ that most folks know about. There are three other colors intertwining around that string. I can’t quite make it out...”

Kara watched her mom suddenly shield her eyes a little. “Whoa!”

“Whoa? What happened Clara?”

“They suddenly flared brightly. And I could finally see that intertwining layer properly.” She paused, opened the box, and extracted something from it, then turned to face them. “These rings were made for two of us currently sitting here. We once had seriously considered binding ourselves to each other. But, it didn’t work, and they’ve been effectively without owners for close to thirty years now. I feel you three should have them.”

She said two, but I see three rings. Who do you suppose the third person was? Kara asked.

“Uh ... kids?”

Kara smiled. “Oh, sorry mom. We got lost in a conversation for a second.”

“Conversation? But you three were all...” she turned to Allison’s mom “do they have what we always wished we could have?”

“Telepathic communication? Yes. And apparently your daughter brought something very explosive with her and when she joined in their ‘network’.”

“She was mentioning something about ‘projection of sensations’ in her excited state earlier. She wasn’t forthcoming about which sensations though.” Kara blushed deeply. “Oh, THOSE sensations.” She looked back at the rings in her hand. “I think you three were supposed to be the ones to have these rings all along.”

They took a closer look at the rings. “They’re beautiful. Are they a blend of gold, silver and bronze?”

“Not quite. They’re Damascus steel; I forget which metals were included in the mix. But, the colors certainly look like silver, gold, and bronze.”

“Why did you choose these tones mom?”

“They represented each of us. I’ve been told by others who can ‘read’ that I tend towards bronze most of the time.”

Allison looked at her mom. “Are you the silver portion, mom?”

She laughed softly. “Yes. I’m not sure how you figured it out though; I thought we were being pretty stealthy about it. Have you figured out who our third was?”

Emanuel looked at the rings in his hand. “Based on the size of the largest ring, I’m almost certain my mom was the third. She tended to wear her rings on her thumb or on a chain, and I remember dad referring to her as his golden goddess; well, before he went mad with grief.”

“Is Kara as sharp as you two?”

“In my own way. Can we exchange them now?”

“Only if you allow us moms to be present. You do need witnesses.” he mom responded.

Let’s do it outside, at the tree we were under earlier.

I can’t think of anyplace better Manny. Are you okay with that darling?

Yes. Shouldn’t we allow our dads to be present too?

They nodded.

“Without your husbands?” Kara asked.

“Oh, no, dearie. They’d be more than welcome if we are. But I think they don’t want to be present. Difference of opinion about the wisdom of your decision.”

Kara smiled. “That’s okay. I still love him even if he doesn’t trust me to make intelligent decisions.”

Clara smiled. “Give us a moment, and we’ll be right out behind you.” She glanced at Allison’s mom. “Don’t give me that look. I have an idea.”

Emanuel stood up and followed the girls out to the tree. “What do you suppose your mom’s idea is?”

“Probably something to do with something else in the box. She glanced at it briefly before telling us to come out here.”

They glanced over as the two moms came through the door; one holding a large cup, the other a bundle of colored rope. “Now, before we agree to be your witnesses, we have one question you all must answer. Have you come to this sacred space, with all the seriousness and intentionality a joining like this requires?” Clara asked.

She’s giving us a chance to back out if one of us has any doubts. Do either of you?

No, I’m sure this is the right decision Manny.

Me too.

“We have” they replied in unison.

She smiled. “Good. Then let me explain what I am offering, and you will each have one more chance to back out if you wish to. Until the new law goes into place, this can not be considered ‘legal’. But I can perform a binding that will be good for a year and a day; at which point you will have the chance to make it permanent. Is this acceptable to you?”

She’s offering us a hand fasting. I knew mom could do them; she’s done that for some of her friends before. This is an honor.

Then we’d be mad to refuse it. Do you agree precious?

Yes.

“We accept this honor” Kara replied.

She grinned. “So be it. Face each other; Kara and Allison, please move the rings you currently have to your other hand, then take Emanuel’s ring and hold it together.” She nodded once they were done. “You may choose the words you wish to speak when you present him with this ring.”

Let’s just all use the phrase you used earlier. Keep it simple.

Sounds good, my muse.

“Emanuel, will you accept this ring as a symbol of commitment to spend the rest of our lives with you?” they asked in unison.

“Gladly.” Working together, they slid the ring onto his finger. It fits perfectly. Almost as if mom knew...

It’s possible Manny.

“Kara and Emanuel, take Allison’s ring and hold it together. Again, you may use whatever words you wish.”

“Allison, will you accept this ring as a symbol of our commitment to spend the rest of our lives with you?”

“Yes!” she squeed happily. They slipped the ring on her finger. Perfect.

“Allison and Emanuel, take...” she started, then laughed. “You know what to do.”

“Kara, will you accept this ring as a symbol of our commitment to spend the rest of our lives with you?”

“Of course” she replied, a huge smile on her face. This one’s perfect too.

Clara stepped forward, the cup in her hand. “Into this cup, we have poured wishes of joy, peace, forgiveness of wrongs, and honesty. Will you drink of this cup, and take into yourselves the wishes it contains?” They passed the cup around, each drinking heartily from it. “As you have taken these wishes into yourselves, always strive to encourage those in the others as well.” She took the cup back, and exchanged it for the bundle of rope. “Each of you, put your left hand into the middle, and grasp each others’ hands. I will ask you a series of questions; answer each with ‘we will’, ‘we do’, or ‘it is’.”

She stepped closer. “Do you enter this binding ceremony willingly?”

They smiled “We do.”

“Will you honor and respect each other?”

“We will.”

She took the rope, and wrapped it once around their hands. “Will you encourage each others growth, be it intellectual, emotional or spiritual?”

“We will.”

“Will you support and encourage each other during the difficult and challenging times, so that you may grow strong in this union?”

“We will.” She wrapped the rope around again. “Will you share each others laughter and joy, and look for the brightness and fun in life, and the positive in each other?”

“We will.”

“Will you each encourage and support the other in fulfilling their goals and dreams?”

“We will.” She wrapped the rope around again. “Is it your intention to bring peace and harmony into your every day ways of communicating?”

“It is.”

“And when you falter, will you have the courage and commitment to remember these promises and take a step back towards one another with an open heart?”

“We will”

She wrapped the rope around one more time. “Then, in the presence of these witnesses, I declare you to be joined as partners in this triad.” She tied a knot in the rope.