Chapter 9 – My Unique Beauties

I was watching a movie on the television about a woman who met a man on an online dating site and he turned out to be the love of her life after accepted the fact that he lied about his career, his home, and his marital status. I was aware of such dating websites but I never applied for an account because I thought the online forms would require me to enter identifiable information such as my resident status and identification number so I was relieved when I discovered that no such information was ever requested.

The questions were superficial. I was asked about my looks – height, weight, hair colour – and then I was asked about my hobbies and the type of man I was looking for. It would not be wise for me to clearly state that I was looking for a man to father my child as I learned the hard way that being so direct only causes the men to lose interest.

‘Looking for a man who wants to have a good time’

That sounded reasonable to me. Everyone loves to enjoy themselves once in a while. These questions were not hard at all to answer. Within a short amount of time, I received messages from men who were interested. That was fast! I scanned through their profiles and ultimately decided on the man who was the most attractive by earth standards and who seemed to have better interests than the others.

His username was JHuntsman and we agreed to meet at a lounge that evening for 6 pm. I recruited Korey and Julia to look after the younger children so that I could meet the man who might potentially become the father of baby number eight.

I waited for hours and he did not show. I was ‘stood up’ as they say. I still do not understand that term but it is what happened. I was disappointed because I had to have another child soon. Korey was soon to be an adult and Jasper was soon to outgrow his bassinet. I needed to find a man soon to father my child. Just when I was prepared to leave, a man sat down on the bar stool next to me and initiated conversation. He was the bartender who had been serving me since I arrived.

“Hey there, my shift just ended and I hope you don’t mind me being so forward but why is a beautiful young woman such as yourself sitting at the bar all alone? Who’s the dumb fella that decided to stand you up?”

“An online date.”

“I pity him. He has no idea what he missed out on. You have a good night, beautiful.”

“What is your name?”

“I’m Mike. Mike Ambrose.”

“I am Freya Sindile. Are you busy right now, Mike Ambrose?”

“No, not at all. My shift just ended so I was going to head home? You want to have a drink with me?”

“I would like to have more than that with you, Mike.” I said flirtatiously before I kissed him. I could tell by the look on his face that it was unexpected but he enjoyed it nonetheless.

I wasted no time in asking him to return to my home with me. Once he changed out of his work uniform he joined me and we shared the cab to my house. He continued to compliment me along the way, even telling me how stunning I looked outside of the dim lighting of the lounge. Compliments are a nice gesture though it was completely unnecessary because I already knew I wanted him.

“Young women like you don’t usually go for an old geezer like me.”

“I am unlike other young women, Mike.”

“I like the way you say my name like that. You are very different Freya. Very confident and straight to the point. Are you sure my age doesn’t bother you?”

“You are very handsome despite your age. As long as you are a virile man then I do not see your age as a negative factor.”

“Uh…um…ok. I did not expect that response.” He laughed heartily.

“Let us not waste more time, Mike. Shall we go to bed now.”

“Well, ok. If that’s what you want then I’ll be happy to oblige!”

The experience of woohooing with an elder-aged man was not as fun as it was with younger men because he lacked the energy and flexibility. Despite this, I enjoyed my time with him and I knew for certain he enjoyed his time with me.

Once it was over I immediately went to take a pregnancy test. I hoped it was successful since Mike complained about exhaustion. At his age, one cannot go numerous rounds of woohoo in one night as it may be fatal. If he wasn’t allowed sufficient time to recover from such strenuous activities then he might collapse from heart failure! Thankfully I did not have to worry about that as I was indeed pregnant!

Mike was a nice man. I enjoyed our brief time together but once he began asking to see me another time and proposing a date to the park the following day I realised I was not so lucky to have him be like the other men who just wanted to bed me and leave.  I did not want to wipe his memory, but I saw no other way of getting rid of him.

The other children reacted neutrally when I informed them of my pregnancy except for Melina. She was upset to learn she would have yet another younger sibling. She is too young to understand my mission.

Some of my older children do not fully understand my mission either. Julia asked me why I continue to sleep with so many different men.

“It is really weird Mum. You have to understand why Melina is upset. It also bothers me a little too. I mean, can’t you just find one man and marry him and have kids with only him?”

“I cannot. My mission is to have children of diverse genetics which is why I can only have one pregnancy per man.”

“But that’s just crazy! No is checking to make sure you follow the rules. You said so yourself, your species is extinct. I’m sure everyone on your council is already dead. No one is going to know.”

“I do not know this for sure. What if they are not? My species was on the verge of extinction when I left Sixam, yes, but the council members and the others I left behind could still be alive and monitoring us. Besides, there are others who were sent to other planets with the same mission. I do not believe my species is extinct so I cannot forsake my pledge to complete this mission or even bend the rules. It would be dishonourable.”

“But don’t you want to be in love, Mum?”

“I am in love Julia. I am in love with all of my children. That is enough for me.”

“Seriously?” She asked with a tone to suggest she did not believe I was telling the truth. “I know you love us. We love you too Mum. But you’re really okay with hooking up with strange men and having lots of babies and never experiencing romantic love and a relationship?”

“Absolutely. I love having children and I love how different you all are. None of you resemble, save for your natural blue skin which you all inherit from me, and it makes you all beautiful. I feel a sense of pride in knowing I have brought some unique beauties into this planet.”

Julia understood my position and asked no further questions on the topic. I could tell she did not agree with it so I was glad she was not my only daughter. If the fate of this mission fell on her she would not be able to cope with the duty of having many children with many men as it seemed her views on male and female relationships were traditional.

Melina was not upset about the pregnancy for too long as Jody did everything he could to cheer her up and put her back into her normal happy mood. I love seeing my children play and interact with each other.

Sometimes I think I cannot relate to them well because I am too different from them. They may be half-Sixamian but they were born on Earth and therefore are as human in personality as any other human. None of them are as practical and logic-minded as I am. As much as I try I still cannot comprehend a lot of the social norms and behavioural cues that are acceptable on Earth. It is still very much a learning process for me in spite of the length of time I have been here on this planet but I will continue to learn not only to better adapt but for the sake of understanding my children so I can be a good mother them.

Baby Count = 7/100