Chapter 18 – Stacy LeeAt the moment, Stacy's life was not very interesting. She felt like she was stuck in a rut, where it took ages to make a sale to customers who were either angry or tense. There wasn't much to spark her curiosity, except to wonder why Bob Pancakes would buy another stove when Eliza had bought one the day before.
She'd reached level 5 of fishing, but she still had to cook quite a few more meals before she could get a job. And she wasn't sure she wanted a job as a scientist – she'd rather work as a doctor. Staring into the fire, she realized she needed some fun in her life – and not just from playing chess.
Waldemar came over as soon as she called him. He might be childish, gloomy, and a foodie, but he was her good friend. She tried flirting with him, and he responded with alacrity. And when she kissed him, she felt her heart race.
“Come up to my tent?” she suggested.
“Yes, oh yes, qiriqi,” he responded.
It was Stacy's first time woo-hooing, and of course, everyone said it was an out-of-this-world experience, but Stacy was pretty sure that in her case it really was.
“Are you...?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Waldemar. “Does that bother you?”
“It shouldn't,” Stacy said slowly. “After all, my mother was an astronaut.” She was on the verge of asking Waldemar to be her boyfriend when he left abruptly.
Later, when she took the test, she discovered that she was pregnant. Stacy was really happy about it, at first...
But by the time she'd finished building a house and buying a bed and some plumbing, she realized that she was going to have a tough time financially. And besides, Waldemar needed to know that he was about to become a father. She invited him over and broke the news.
“Ah, qiriqi!” he exclaimed. “That is surprising. But it is good news, yes? You are happy?”
“For the most part,” said Stacy. “I've been wondering – what does 'qiriqi' mean?”
“It's an endearment,” said Waldemar. “It translates as 'fruit tree.'”
“Oh, well, qiriqi, would you --”
“No, no,” said Waldemar, laughing, “only females are called qiriqi.”
“Well, what would I call you, then?” asked Stacy.
“You could call me 'jozu,'” said Waldemar. “But only if we were married.”
“So will you marry me, jozu?” asked Stacy.
They decided to have the ceremony right away.
Stacy noticed that when she put the ring on his finger, Waldemar started glowing green. “It's because I'm so happy,” he explained. “When I have strong feelings, they show up in a glow.”
After the wedding, Waldemar went back to the house. “There's someone I have to visit first,” said Stacy, “but I'll join you soon.”
She went to visit Alexander Goth so that she could help Cornelia grow up. “She's going to look just like you,” Stacy remarked to him.
“Let me see what you look like,” said Stacy.
“I can tell you what I look like,” said Waldemar. “I have green skin, two eyes, two pointed ears, and no hair. Everything else is pretty much the same as you.”
“Everything?” said Stacy, giggling.
Waldemar sighed. “I'll show you, then.”
Early the next morning, while Stacy was still sleeping, Waldemar got up to go fishing. He wanted to be an Angling Ace, but so far his job had kept him too busy to do any fishing. Stacy had told him there was a good spot by the little wooden bridge.
Waldemar tried that one, but the fish were too crafty for him. He went to another spot and caught a goldfish.
Returning home, he found that Stacy's brother Peter had stopped by.
He told Stacy about meeting Peter while he was massaging her shoulders. “Oh, that feels good,” she said. “This baby weighs a ton. Did you tell him everything?”
“I told him we were married,” said Waldemar. “I didn't know whether you would want him to know I'm from Sixam.”
“It shouldn't be a shock to him,” said Stacy. “After all, our mother was an astronaut. We even had a pet alien – a blue squid thing.”
Finally, the day arrived and not a moment too soon.
Stacy named her baby daughter Qatzi.
And she named the second daughter Qimi, Waldemar having explained that girls got names with the letter 'q' in them.
“Are they full Sixamites or half?” she asked Waldemar.
“Well, we know they're at least half,” he said. “I think we have to wait and see what powers they develop.”
