Bedelia's Dilemma

Another Day Of Sleeping Zheien

I ate with my family. So awkward, sitting on a bed! Feel like I'm eating in a spotlight. I concentrated on chewing, counting it. Wish I could eat without this guilt.

Tom startled awake. "Where is Becky?"

I touched a mental map. Alb Seer. She went there, last night! Why? But, she sat up, right next to him. "I'm here! What's wrong?" His blue eyes went light and they hugged. She deserves to be his princess.

Why would I see where she went? It doesn't show on her record now. I closed the mental display. Saw the healers lean the Zheien back. They won't be getting up right now. I gave Keiley a hug. Becky and Elsie went towards the entrance, and Stacy got her kids in a line and followed. Yelena, too. Ella was still working, but mainly checking records. She smiled at Elsie, who had been about to go back. All of them kissed their husbands before getting off the bed and looked at them with guilty faces. Like me. Not fair that we can do what we want, but they have to sleep.

It felt funny to eat with my parents, but nice.

Margarite walked with me. "I am sorry I did not see you yesterday. I felt guilty to take time from your husband and the council. How did you meet?" Her brown eyes studied me. The worried look she always had when I talked about a boy. That amused me, for some reason.

We walked towards Piedmont Park. I told her about seeing my future and our quick marriage. Skipped all the upsetting things. Becky showed Stacy how to see if her husband's okay, and a holo of Ella came up! What's going on?

"Do you need to go?" Margarite pulled at her brown hair, and I saw a bit of silver at her temple. That shocked me. Did I think she'd never get older? "No. Just distracted."

"I'm happy for you about your council position. I wish I could do something important."

"You're important to your family!"

She looked down. "They all decided to have Zheien tutors. With the server, it's easy to manage a household. We are still friends, but I designed a house. I feel so out of place! No one needs child care."

"Oh, Margarite, you can still—" A red icon blinked on my mental display. A couple—a Zheien couple in Ferrimos wants to talk to me. Ferrimos? That's in Elshar Zheiea, not here! "Excuse me a minute."

Their holo stood there. They explained telepathically, after a couple false starts. They are adopting a kid from Earth and need advice!

I smiled. "This is Margarite, and she is a nanny! No one I know has more knowledge about how to care for an Earthan child." I looked at her and how her face brightened!

"I will try to answer your questions. How old is she?"

"She is 6 Earth years. Last year, she went to live with a couple, but they changed their minds about adopting her, so Annalisa is fearful about us. She loves to read about space, so she decided to move to Alb, if Atlanta decides she can come. But, our hands disturb her. For now, she lives with a couple who nae wish to leave. They think of Annalisa as a difficult and willful child. She wishes to sleep with them and they insist she is a 'big girl' and must sleep in her room! We offered for her to sleep with us, but her parents think we are wicked!"

I laughed. "Zheien are not wicked! In other countries than the United States, families share a bed and it's perfectly normal! Do they know about our progs?"

I explained, but this poor couple is distraught! "Look, call your healer. Server, can I talk to this social worker?"

Suma came up, one of her. "Hi, Bedelia! Their diplomat's going to see them tomorrow at 2 pm. I can talk to them. Margarite, hi! I'm Suma and I'm the Rainbow Therapist. Great to have you on board! Would you be willing to talk to all our adoptive parents at once? Zheien are volunteering to adopt Earthan kids, and Fulton County has 117,000 kids in foster care. The Alb Council divided them and Elshar Zheiea is taking 5,000 of them divided between the provs of Elshar Zheiea, K'hasa Zha, and the 5 cities of Rahn Estar.