The Lion King In The Human World Part 3

Six Days Until The Wedding.

ASHER

I still wish my mom and dad would get married, but I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. I can still hope though. No one can tell me to stop hoping that my parents will be married one day.

"Why is your dad marrying my cousin?" Tray asked as we played with toy cars under one of the tables of what Dad called a reception hall, "Isn't he already married to your mom?"

"I wish," I sighed, "I don't have a normal family Tray. My parents aren't married and they are both with other people. Rani's going to be my stepmother soon and Janja might be my stepfather before long."

"Why is your family so different?" Tray asked, "My parents are married and I don't know anyone else with unmarried parents."

I shrugged. "I want a normal family," I told him, "But this is my family. Besides, more parents mean more presents on holidays. I still want my mom and dad to get married. I'd like this wedding much more if Mom was the bride."

"Maybe we can get your mom and dad together," Tray said, "Then you can have a normal family like me."

I looked at him. "I don't think your family is normal," I told him, "You don't look like your mom or your dad. I at least look like my mom with my dad's birthmark, you don't look like either parent. They're Black and you're white."

Tray crossed his arms. "You too?" he asked, "Everyone in school talks about how I don't look like my parents. Now you're doing it."

"Sorry," I said, "But it's true. You don't look like your parents. Can you deny it?"

"Well," Tray said, "No, but that doesn't mean you can bring it up like that."

"But you can bring up my weird family like that?" I asked.

"That's different," Tray told me.

"How?" I asked.

A hand pulled the tablecloth up. "There you two are," Ballyo said, "You're both being rather loud you know. It sounds like a fight under here. What are you two fighting about?"

"Asher brought up my skin color," Tray tattled.

I huffed. "Tray mentioned my weird family," I told Ballyo. I had a feeling Ballyo would side with Tray, none of Rani's family really likes me for some reason. Maybe because I'm not Rani's son. But I like my mom.

"Both of you come out," Ballyo said. Tray and I crawled out, me expecting to be hated. "Asher," Ballyo said, proving me right, "Tray doesn't like people to talk about his skin color. He's been teased at school for it. He may not look like it, but he is part of the family. He takes after our grandfather, exactly like him in every way. It's not a bad thing. Now Tray." He was taking both our sides? I thought he hated me. "Asher may not like for people to talk about his family, just like you don't like to talk about your skin color. So neither of you two bring those up again, at least not until you talk about them like grown-ups."

"Okay Ballyo," Tray said. He walked away and left me with my soon to be step uncle.

"Why did you take my side too?" I asked, "I thought you hated me."

Ballyo stared at me. "What? Why would you think I hated you? I don't hate you. Why are you thinking that?"

"Only Rani likes me in your family," I told him, "Besides her and Tray, I thought you all hated me. You kinda avoided me when I visited you. Hardly talked to me and didn't make me feel like you wanted me there. Why didn't you want me there?"

Ballyo glanced around. "Could really use some help right about now," he said, looking around, "Nope. No one. Guess I'm on my own for this one."

"Who are you talking to?" I asked.

Ballyo turned back to me, pulled out a chair, and set me on his lap. "Asher," he told me, "We don't hate you. You were just born in a strange circumstance and we're not sure how we feel about it. It's not your fault. But I can promise you that we don't hate you. Do you understand that? We don't hate you."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

Ballyo sighed. "Where is help when I need it?" he groaned, "Come on. Let's find Surak and Nermala. They'll help me explain that we don't hate you. Maybe I should find your parents too, and Rani, and that other guy who's dating your mom?"

Well, it took a while to find people and then we all talked for a while more. But the point is, I don't think Rani's family hates me anymore. They just don't know how to handle the fact that I was born in a strange circumstance. I don't know what that circumstance is, but it's not my fault so I can't do anything about it. They're working on. They don't hate me.

Mom tucked me in next to Tray that night. We were sleeping over in Mom and Janja's hotel room that night. "Sorry you thought Rani's family hated you," Mom whispered to me, "I'm so glad you understand now."

"Not completely," I said, "What strange circumstances was I born in? Why won't anyone tell me?"

Mom sighed. "Asher, your dad and I were dating just like Janja and I are now when you came along. We were both very young, still teenagers. Not many teenagers are parents. To make things worse, when I tried to tell your dad that you were coming, something got confused and he thought I wanted to break up with him. It's all very complicated and I promise I'll explain more when you're older, but for right now I need you to trust that your dad, Rani, Janja, Surak, Nermala, Ballyo, Medoa, Pete, and all of our strange family love you very much and we all want what's best for you. Okay?"

I nodded. "So you had me before marriage?" I asked. Mom nodded. "Were you scared?"

Mom smiled at me. "A little," she said, "Specifically without your father, but Aunt Medoa and Uncle Pete helped me out a lot. And you want to know a little secret?" I nodded. "Aunt Medoa had me pretty young too. She did the same thing I did. Her parents just adopted me and raised me as her sister. But that's no excuse for you doing the same mister. I don't want Medoa to become the world's youngest great grandmother."

"But only girls can have babies," I told her.