The Heiress

Robi Meets the Legalos Family.

 

Yippie!  Today I get to go home!  Robi's coming home with me to meet my parents.  George has finals, so he'll come with me next week.  But I'm really excited about seeing my parents, I haven't seen them in ages.  Isadora and Plato are going to be there as well, and I'm excited about us all being together, because that happens so rarely now.  I'm curious to see how Robi fits into the mix. 

 

Ah, home again home again.  Sorry, it's hard to be formal, even if it is Shanley Manor, to me it's the house I've always lived in, and nothing is more home than mom and dad.  We had our proper greeting out front, but I couldn't wait to get inside and talk to everyone.

 

Plato brought Kissimmie with him, I hadn't seen her in ages, and this was definitely the first time since she was unofficially announced as my future sister in law.  Plato can't take his eyes off her.  Well, can you blame him?  She's very young, but surprisingly sure of herself.  Managing Llama Mama seems to have taught her a lot.

Mom told me she had a surprise for me and brought me into the kitchen.  There was a door where before there had been a wall.  "Look outside" she said.  My parents had added a beautiful new deck off the kitchen, as well as a driveway for dad's midlife crisis sports car.  "It's our gift to you sweetie, and the next generation.  This house will be yours soon."  Mom whispered.  Shanley Manor, mine?  That didn't seem possible.

 

The new deck was wonderful, I loved it, it was exactly what Shanley Manor had been needing.  Dad had a big new grill and was cooking hamburgers. 

We all sat down to eat, one big happy family.

 

"What are your plans after graduation, Robi?"  My dad asked.  He sounded so paternal.

"Well Sir, umm, as you probably know, my family owns and operates Ugg Bugg Pest Control, and I'll be taking over the company when I graduate."
Robi called my dad 'Sir'  I don't think anyone has ever done that!
"Where do you see the future of Ugg Bugg headed?"  my dad said.
  It was obvious to Izzy and Plato and I that he was just making stuff up to sound important, but if Robi knew, he never let on.

 

"Well Sir, Ugg Bugg is the largest pest control company in Legacy Land, we have regular contracts with 73% of the population and I look to see that number increase.  Everyone's got bugs Sir.  But my primary focus for the next generation of Ugg Bugg will be developing new pesticide technology.  For my senior research project I've been working on developing a product I call "Vapo-Bug" it's basically a spray that when it contacts an insect their exoskeleton is demolecularized."
My dad smiled, trying hard not to be puzzled.
"It makes bugs disappear." Robi explained.

 

Isadora's eyes lit up, she was instantly intrigued.  "So for your research, are you actually creating this product?"
"Well, I've been working on it, I'm just having a little trouble with the transmutase synchrosis chain electro metabolism."
I was going to laugh when Robi said that, and then I realized that Izzy knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Have you tried reversing the polarity of the bio integer factors?"  she asked him.
"No, Robi said.  "I don't have access to a Metropilator."
"I do."  said Isadora.  "Maybe I can help, ask me later."

And then the conversation went back to English.
It also seemed to satisfy my dad that Robi knew enough about his future career to be financially productive, not that money was important to dad

Much more important to dad was everyone having a good time.  After lunch he had a surprise for everyone.  He had a fleet of radio controlled cars.  "Alright, off to the races everyone" he said, passing out controllers. 

Robi looked like he was having a good time.  He kept flashing me those big apple pie grins.  I knew he liked being part of a big family, well bigger than his.  My dad is always so much fun when mom lets him get away with things like this.  We raced our cars all over the new porch until the batteries ran down.

After the cars we all went inside to the exercise/pool room.  Pool as in pool table, not swimming pool.

 

"OK - who wants to make a wager?" said Plato  "Whoever beats me gets free tickets to my next show."  And everyone laughed.  We can go to all his shows for free.  "Hey, he said, watch out, Llama Mama is all over the place, aren't we Kiss?  We see people all the time wearin our shirts.  It's only a matter of time before we're fillin up stadiums."  Kissimmie added "We've got 12 shows booked in the next month."

 

And so the pool game commenced, with it's imaginary stakes, but mostly we all just laughed as Kissimmie told us story after story about things that happened while touring with Llama Mama.

I could tell that it bothered Izzy, a little to hear about Richard, especially since everything that happened with Randy.  Richard was still very much in love with Izzy, and had no clue about anything that happened in Azahora, but he's been busy with the band, and assumed that Izzy would always be there waiting.  I didn't think Izzy was in love with Richard anymore, I mean, how could she be, after all that happened with Randy, but she hadn't talked to him, one way or the other.
Robi saw she wasn't really into the game and asked her "About that Metropolizer - can you hook me up?"
"Sure"  Izzy said and she took Robi upstairs.  Our family had an old Metropolizer, it belonged to my GGG Grandmother Cassidy, my dad said she was some kind of mad scientist.  It's just always been in the attic, I never understood what that thing did.

 

"Here it is" she said "It's really old, but I fired it up the last time was home.  It still seems to be working."

I honestly have no idea what they talked about or what they did on that machine, but whatever it was, Robi told me later that it was "Very helpful"

Plato and I sat down next to the stairs, it was this non descript area of the house where we loved to play as kids, mainly because it was open space.  We used to do our homework there, when Grandma Erika didn't chase us to work on a desk.  It was just the most natural place for us to sit down, we hardly ever used the furniture in this house, it was all leftover from Great Grandma Magna, and it occurred to me that Shanley Manor might be due a makeover.

 

As I wondered what the living room would look like in leather, Plato looked at me over the tops of his sunglasses.  "Sis - who's it gonna be?  Is this guy the one?"
"Oh Plato, I love them both.  I don't know.  And I love them for different reasons."
"Ok, I'm gonna help you out." Plato said  "The right one is the one who completes you, whoever it is that you're supposed to be, that other person, they have the other half.  But you won't find that half, until you know who you are."
"Is that who Kissimmie is?  Is she your other half?"
"Heck yeah" Plato said with his rockstar cockiness "That girl makes me feel like a million bucks every time I look at her.  Listen, I love chicks, all chicks, andespecially Llama chicks, I always have, you know that, we're the same that way.  But Kiss, it's like she's all those other girls put together."

Wow.  Everyone said they were really serious, but I've never heard him talk about a girl like that before.  And then I remembered about the baby, and I was about to ask about the future when Izzy and Robi came downstairs and Kissimmie sat down to join us.

 

We all sat and talked, mostly about The Heiress and my experiences on the show.  Kissimmie asked if I thought Derek would be interested in writing some songs for Llama Mama.  I think I turned pale before I caught her exchanging a knowing glance with Plato, who burst out laughing, and singing about a sad clown in a corner.  He told me that the band had done several songs based on Derek's poetry, but only for fun, never for real, Llamas are much too cool for Haikus.  Obviously.  Plato asked Robi about his friend Mr. Presley and wondered if he was a Llama Mama fan.  Robi didn't know but promised he would find out.  I think Plato is interested in some creative collaboration.  Kissimmie was really funny with her wise cracks and after awhile we were all rolling on the floor with the comments she made about Plato.  She obviously knew my brother very well.  Isadora was quiet, but I knew it meant as much to her, as it did to the rest of us to be all together, but I knew she felt like Randy was missing.  Robi  had a great time, he looked like a kid on Christmas Morning, there was no question that he really liked my family.

When the ride arrived to take him back home, I walked him outside.

 

"Well???"  I said  "What do you think?"
"I think you're the luckiest girl in the world.  And you deserve every bit of this.  The mansion, the great family, the legacy.  You're perfect for it."

 

He took my hand and kissed it.  "You are truly an Heiress.  I knew your family would be great, but to spend a whole day with them, wow.  Your mom is so sweet, and your dad is a real character.  Isadora looks like such a great sister, she really helped me out, and Plato, well, come on.  We all know Llama Mama ROCKS!"
I laughed and wrapped my arms around him.

 

"I'm so glad."

I kissed Robi goodnight and said goodbye.  I didn't want to, I wanted to take him inside, and show him the rest of the house, the nursery where all babies in this family grew up, where our babies would sleep, if we had them.  I wanted to take him upstairs, and show him my room, and many more things, many many more things.   I wanted to live in this house forever with Robi, having dozens of little Legalos babies.

 

And as the tail lights from the car disappeared over the hill, I slowly came to my senses, wondering what had come over me.  Since when did I think about having dozens of babies?  Good grief!  I checked the messages on my cell phone, George had called.  I would listen to it later though.  I was ready to talk to my dad.

Just as I'd expected, he was in the study, waiting for me.

 

"Congratulations"  he said.
"For what Dad?"
"For giving me another heart attack."
"What, Robi?"
"No, no this whole reality TV thing.  Do you know what it's been like for your mom and I?  Watching your future unfold on television?  Where did they find those guys Cali?"
"I DON'T know Dad.  I really don't."
"I really don't like that Randy London character, he was in highschool when I was there.  Something is seriously wrong with that boy."
"Yes dad, I know.  But he's gone.  What do you think about the last two?  George and Robi."
"I love'em"
"Which one?"

 

"Which ONE???"
"Both of them!"
"Oh Daddy, you can't love them both, I have to pick ONE of them."
"That's right, so YOU can only love ONE of them.  I'm not marrying either of them, so I can love them as much as I want to."  my dad laughed.  
He was making me very frustrated, which has always been one of his favorite things to do.  My mother, on the other hand, has always been a nurturer, which was why I was glad when she joined our conversation.
"What do you think Mom?"

 

"I think it's a decision that no one but you can make sweetie"
"I KNOW that mom, but HOW?  How am I supposed to decide?  How do I break the heart of someone I love?  No matter who I choose that's what I'm doing."
"You're thinking about it the wrong way, honey.  You need to think about what you need.  It's not about who's the best, it's about who's right for Calliopie.  And not just who is right for you now, because you're going to change, and keep changing, all your life.  I like Robi very much, but I haven't met George, so it wouldn't be fair to say.  But when you think about them, don't just think about today or tomorrow, think about what they will be like in 50 years.  You want somebody you will still want to be with  when his hair is gone, when your hip is bad and you can't see each other without glasses."

"Like me and your mom" my dad joked.  "She saw through all my wild ways, even when I didn't deserve it.  She knew I had loved her my whole life, and although many things about me might change, that wouldn't.  Pick the one you feel that way about - and you think feels that way about you."

"It scares me mom, to think that I'll never have another first date, to think about having babies"
"Honey, you're thinking about too many things at once.  You don't have to have babies until you're ready, and Lord willing, I'll still be here to help you.  And remember, the right man will make every date as special as the first."

I guess they were right.  Although I don't know if they brought me any closer to my decision.  Even though part of me wanted them to show me how clearly one guy was so much better than the other, I knew it didn't work that way.  I just can't help but feel like I'm under pressure to decide how my whole life is going to turn out right now.  I've always liked to have a lot of options.  That's why 8 Bachelors sounded like such a great idea when the Producers told me about the show.  But now it's not so simple.  It's not 8, it's 2.  And only one Calliopie.

 

I hugged my parents goodnight and went upstairs to my room, glad for the chance to sleep in my old room, the one that Isadora and I shared

 

And I slept soundly, in my own bed, just like I did, when I was a little girl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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