The Sea Taketh (Alex Singer) (32 page)

             
He immediately stands. A huge frown appears on his face. Henrik and Sven run to the doors, opening them. A beautiful mermaid with long, auburn hair glides into the room. She’s wearing an elegant gown and numerous jewels. Three more mermaids follow her.

             
“Oh, Christian!” she exclaims when she sees him. She raises her arms and fervently embraces him, kissing his cheeks. “I just heard a rumor you were here and had to come at once!”

             
“Merry Christmas, Mother,” Christian says.

             
“Merry Christmas, dearest! You must come home. What is Christmas without our only son?”

             
“Mother, of course you remember Marjory.” Christian gestures to the old woman in the corner.

             
“Wonderful Marjory!” she says kissing her wrinkled cheeks. “What would we do without your treasured friendship?”

             
“We like our merfolk.” Marjory takes her hand and kisses it.

             
“I hope they are behaving themselves?”

             
“Yes, yes. They are very good mermen.”

             
“Mother, this is Thomas Singer,” Christian puts a hand on Gramps’ shoulder. “He is a neighbor and friend of Marjory’s.”

             
“Any friend of Marjory’s is a friend of ours,” she says, joyfully.

             
“I feel the same way,” Gramps stands and smiles congenially. “It’s nice to meet you.”

             
“And you, Thomas.”

             
“Jenifer Marsh is here with Sven,” Christian gestures behind him.

             
“Sven’s Jen!” she exclaims. “We are so happy that Sven has found someone who suits him.”

             
“I just made her my declared this morning,” Sven interjects.

             
Christian’s mother squeals and hugs Jen. “This is wonderful news! Congratulations!”

             
“Thanks,” Jen says, obviously a little baffled by the excessive attention from a stranger.

             
She also hugs Sven. “I will have to congratulate your mother as soon as I get home!” He beams with pride as he takes Jen’s hand.

             
“Mother,” Christian interposes. “I have one more introduction to make.” He takes my hand and helps me to my feet. “This is Alexandra Singer. She is Thomas’s granddaughter, and most importantly, she is my declared.”

             
The smile disappears from his mother’s face. There is no squeal of delight or congratulatory embrace. I don’t even warrant a glance. Her eyes remain on Christian. There is no attempt at courtesy as she blows through her lips. Christian responds likewise. A heated exchange of blows of air ensues. The other merfolk keep their eyes on the floor.

Theory #8 is upgraded to Fact #14 – There really is something to the blowy thingy.

Proof – Christian and his mother are having a blowy conversation!

             
“Mother, I love her!” Christian speaks in English. He gently takes my face in his hands and kisses me.

             
She responds by shrieking frighteningly before storming to the door. One finally puff of air is propelled through her lips as she leaves.

Hypothesis #1
1 – Christian’s mother would like to feed me to a great white shark.

             
“I apologize for her behavior!  I told you that I have been a bachelor a very long time, and it came as a surprise,” he quickly says to me. He pulls off his Santa pajamas, exposing his ever present swim trunks. “We will have to postpone the remainder of the gifts. I leave you in Sonia’s capable hands. I must go.”

             
He runs out the door closely followed by Sven and Henrik.

             
“What in the world was that all about?” Jen asks aloud. “Everyone always loves Alex.”

             
“Mothers are very protective about their sons; that’s all,” Gramps sits next to me and wraps his arms around me. “Don’t worry about it.”

             
“Sonia, what’s the deal?” Jen presses.

             
She shakes her head. “It’s not my place to discuss it. Come, there is a beautiful breakfast waiting in the kitchen.”

             
“You guys go ahead,” I say, thinking of the heated exchange. “I think I’ll go back to bed.”

             
I don’t know what I had expected from Christian’s family, but this certainly wasn’t it. I had hoped that they would be excited or happy but would have preferred hostility to being ignored.  Perhaps it’s my vanity, but it was painful to be treated as though I didn’t exist. I suppose I can’t really blame his mother. He is the one who didn’t tell her about me.

             
Hail is hitting the large window in my room when I enter. I climb into my bed and wrap myself in the duvet. What began as a beautiful Christmas day has turned gray. A winter storm has blown in and waves crash violently against the shore. The weather matches my mood. It seems that being with Christian is going to be a never-ending violent storm. I cover my head and try to go back to sleep.

*     *     *

              “Where is she?” a woman’s voice calls in the corridor.

I open my ey
es and pull the blankets off my head.

             
“Kerstin, I am under strict orders,” Sonia says. “You’ll have to come back later.”

             
“Blow it out your blowhole! If you won’t tell me where the despicable human, who will be the ruin of my family, is, I will find her myself!”

             
“You’ll have to go through me!” Sonia counters.

             
“That won’t be difficult as there are four of us and only one of you!”

             
“She’s not alone!” Jen joins the conversation.

             
“Oh, you must be Sven’s human?” Kerstin says. “I have heard nothing but good about you, but there are still four of us and only two of you.”

             
“Just stop it!” I open the door. “I’m here if you want to yell at me!”

             
A mermaid stands in the corridor with three mermaids behind her. With her blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and beautiful face, it is obvious that she’s Christian’s sister. Her jaw drops when she sees me.

             
“Holy puffer fish! You’re Alex Singer!” she exclaims.

             
“Yes, I am,” I spit. “Go ahead and yell at me because I want to go back to bed.”

             
She smiles widely. “I didn’t come to yell at you. I just wanted to meet my brother’s declared.”

             
“You called me a despicable human?”

             
“I was being sarcastic.” She laughs off the statement as she kisses my cheeks. “Oh, you and I are going to get along splendidly!”

             
I am dumbfounded.

             
Kerstin smiles. “My mother is usually a very kind mermaid, but my brother was very naughty to keep you from us. Let’s go have some lunch, and we can get to know each other better.”

             
She wraps her arm around my waist and directs me to the kitchen. Soon we sit down to a meal of sushi and Christmas cookies left behind by the Pedersens’ cook.

             
“When I saw you in
Vogue
I knew that you were going to be a star,” Kerstin says. “Did you start dating Christian before or after it was shot?”

             
“After, but we met before,” I say, playing with my food.

             
Kerstin’s eager eyes never leave me. “Did he ask you out or did you ask him?”

             
“Is this an interrogation?” Jen asks.

             
“No, I just want to know what led to my brother declaring his love to the girl most humans would consider the most beautiful woman in the world.”

             
“I tried to avoid him like the plague, but he wouldn’t leave me alone,” I answer.

             
Her eyes open wide in wonder. “Why? Didn’t you find him attractive? Wasn’t he charming?”

             
“Anyone with eyes knows that he’s hot, and just oozes charm,” Jen replies for me. “Alex just isn’t impressed with looks, charm, or money.”

             
“Is this true?” Kerstin asks me curiously. “Then why did you start dating him? What else is there?”

             
“Yes, it’s true,” I pause, “I started dating him because of the way he treats Marjory.”

             
She takes her napkin and blows her nose. “That is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard!”

             
Jen rolls her eyes. I can tell that Jen and Kerstin are two very different types of girls.

             
“I think it’s so romantic that you and Christian fell in love, and your best friend fell in love with his bodyguard!” Kerstin claps her hands.

             
“Sven is his cousin, not his bodyguard,” I correct her.

             
“Oh, merfolk all call each other ‘cousin’. We’re not really related to Sven and Henrik.”

             
“Come again?” Jen says. Sonia grimaces across the table.

             
“They always travel incognito. They pretend to be cousins from Denmark to protect Christian’s true identity,” Kerstin says, matter-of-factly.

             
“Which is?” I ask, completely confused.

             
Kerstin smiles as she pats my hand as though I’m already in on the secret.

“He’s the High Prince, of course!” She laughs.

              I drop my fork. My thoughts are scrambling to understand what exactly this means.

             
“I’m going to kick Sven’s merman butt,” Jen exclaims next to me.

             
“Kerstin,” says Christian as he walks into the kitchen with an enormous frown on his face.

             
“Merry Christmas, big brother!” she exclaims as she hugs him. “I can’t believe your declared is Alex Singer!”

             
“Was,” I correct her as I stand.

             
“Was what?” Kerstin asks with confusion.

             
“I
was
his declared but not anymore!” I pick up my plate and throw it at him. He easily ducks to avoid the flying dish. A dish of expensive chocolates soon follows. He cringes as I break a couple bottles of expensive wine on the floor. “You lied to me! You said you worked for the government!”

             
“I do work for the government,” he answers. “I serve my father.”

             
“You know it’s not the same thing! No wonder your mother freaked when she saw me! I’m not even close to being a princess! I’m just a human! My father was a fisherman and my grandfather before him! “

             
“That isn’t a problem among merfolk,” he says hurriedly. He can sense that I am about to explode.

             
I angrily pace the room. “Well at least I know the real reason everyone bows their heads to you and continually kisses your butt!”

             
Kerstin giggles like I’ve said something very naughty.

             
“Alexandra, I was going to tell you…”

“I think it’s time for me to go home!” I interrupt. I push past everyone as I stomp from the room.

              “Kerstin, haven’t I talked to you about respecting my privacy!” Christian’s voice echoes down the corridor.

             
“She didn’t know! She didn’t know who you are, and she loves you! That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard!” She blows her nose loudly.

Fact # 15
– Christian is a liar!

Proof – He’s a five hundred year old merman
prince –
whatever that means!

             
I turn into my room and slam the door, quickly locking it. Within minutes I’ve changed out of my flannel nightgown and into a sweater and pair of jeans. I pull on my boots and winter coat.

             
I go to Gramps’ room and find him reading my book and eating Jen’s chocolate.

             
“Gramps, I want to go home,” I say.

             
“Why?” He calmly continues reading.