Chocolate Rewards: The Sweetness of Two Worlds Colliding Together (18 page)

Earth
Hilo, Hawaii

Amber
felt weird standing in front of her childhood home. She looked up at
Rokai. It was clear that he didn't understand why she was hesitating.
Amber wasn't sure if she should ring the bell or if she should just
walk in.

Her
parents could be sick in bed, or they could be eating. Her real worry
was that they would think that they were seeing a ghost. She didn't
want to be responsible if her father had a heart attack.

“
I
think we should ring the bell.”

Rokai
nodded at her. His fingers went to his throat. From everything Amber
had all told him he might have to defend himself. He wasn't allowed
to hurt anyone on this planet. He would have to restrain her father
if need be, but one thing was very clear. When he left he would be
leaving with his wife and the child within her.

Amber
reached out and rang the bell; its familiar sound reminded her of
being inside and hearing it. It had usually been for her. Her friends
had rung the bell to call her out to play.

The door
opened and she was standing face to face with her father.

“
Hello,
Dad.” She had to bite her lip. She felt very guilty about what had
happened. He had worried. His face looked older.

“
Amber?”

“
Yes,
Daddy.”

He took a
step back and then he stepped forward again. A second later, her
father wrapped his arms around her. “I thought I would never see
you again.” He broke down, crying on her shoulders. His hands
clasped together behind her back, holding her in place.

Amber
held onto her father. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to worry you
so.”

“
Just
never leave again. You have to stay by us.”

“
Oh
Daddy,” Amber sobbed.

Rokai had
a terrible feeling in his stomach. He was starting to realize what a
horrific thing he had done.

“
We are
here for a visit. The first of many.” He felt that words were
clear. They would see her again, but she wouldn't be staying.

“
Is
this the man who kidnapped you?” He stepped forward placing his
daughter behind him.

“
Daddy,
this is my husband. He was kind enough to bring me home for a visit.”
Amber wanted to calm everyone down, but she didn't think it would
work.

“
Amber,
baby, it's you!” Amber's mother came to see what was going on at
the door. She couldn't believe her eyes.

“
Mom!”
Amber opened her arms out wide.

Rokai was
pleased to see that Amber's parents loved her so. The two tiny women
were clinging to one another. His eyes moved back to Amber's father.

“
What
have you done to my daughter?”

“
I
married her. We are very much in love. She is carrying a child that
we made with our love for another.”

Amber's
parents both looked back at her. “It's true. We are going to have a
baby.” Amber beamed as she lovingly placed her hand over her tummy.

Both of
her parents looked at her waist. A round bump could be seen.

“
Everyone
in the house,” her father declared.

Amber
went to Rokai and took hold of his hand. She led him into the house,
straight to the kitchen table. He helped her with her chair before he
sat down next to her. He eyes looked around the room, wanting to see
everything that she had seen as a child growing up. All the while he
kept his eye on her father. He wasn't pleased with him. He wasn't
thankful that he had brought his daughter here for a visit. This must
be the reason why a clean break was normal.

“
Are
you all right?” Her mother sat down next to her daughter, moving
her chair as close to her as possible.

“
I'm
fine. Rokai has been taking very good care of me. This is Rokai, my
husband.” She looked at him and smiled.

Both of
her parents saw her face glow as she looked at him. Even Rokai
couldn't resist the look she was giving her. He had to smile back at
her.

“
Who
kidnapped you? Was it him, baby?” Her father worried that she was
suffering from some sort of disillusion, thinking that she loved him
when he was just using her.

“
Don't
get mad. Just listen to me. Rokai comes from a different world.”
She didn't want to come out and say that she lived with an alien.
They wouldn't believe her anyway.

“
In his
world it is okay to claim a woman, and then said woman is theirs to
love for the rest of their lives. You see the thing is, in his world
there are very few women. That's why they have different rules than
we do. At first, I was very upset with him, but he was very nice to
me. He was thankful to have me. A woman is considered something very
precious. He loves me. And I love him. When he goes back home, I will
go with him.”

Both of
her parents were shocked speechless. They looked their daughter and
at each other.

“
It's
true. I love your daughter. I have been taking care of her, making
sure that she is fed, and that she had lots of clothes to wear.” He
had to smirk as he said those words. “I make sure that she wants
for nothing.”

Amber was
glad that he was heeding her warning about talking so openly about
sex. She knew exactly what he meant when he talked about seeing to
her needs. That really was something that he took very seriously. He
didn't leave her wanting.

“
His
world?” Kulani finally found his tongue.

“
Yes.”
Amber just stared at her father.

“
Does
his world have a name?”

“
I'm
sure it does. But we don't live there. We have a plantation where we
grow cocoa plants. We are the largest supplier of chocolates in the
universe.”

“
This
is too much information all at once,” her mother sobbed. “I'm
just so happy that you area alive. I had given up hope. I was staring
to forget what your smile looked like. We were never able to catch it
just right on a picture.” She laid her head down on her daughters
arm. “I'm so glad that you are alright. I cry myself to sleep every
night.”

Amber
looked over at Rokai and gave him a look that said 'I told you so'.

Rokai was
once again feeling guilty that he had caused her parents such pain.
“In my world, it is normal that a man one day claims an available
woman and takes her home with him. Parents expect it. I didn't know
the rules here. I would have done things differently if I had. I
apologize.”

Amber
looked at her father to see how he would react. “You apologize and
think that everything is okay? You're wrong. One day the police are
standing at my door. They tell me that a tall red man took off with
my daughter. He got into a – spaceship, which took off into the sky
and disappeared. Months go by, you mourn your daughter thinking that
she is dead. And then the person who caused you so much pain sits
across from you, at tells you that that is how things are done in his
world and that he's sorry. Would you just forgive someone like that?”

“
I'm
not in your position. I grew up seeing things a different way. I
cannot guess how you are feeling or predict how you will react.”

Those
weren't the words that a father wanted to hear. Kulani asked himself
what words the odd man could have said that would make him forgive.
Such words didn't exist. Nothing could heal a father's wounds over
the loss of a child.

“
If
Rokai isn't welcome here we will leave, both of us.” Amber knew
just the words that her parents needed to hear to get them to be nice
to him.

Her
mother raised her head up from Amber's arm and looked her daughter in
the eyes. When she saw that her daughter would turn heels and leave
with this man, she looked at her husband. With her eyes she begged
him to welcome the odd looking man.

“
I
think it would be best if you stayed in a hotel.” Kulani thought it
would be best if he called the police. If they could just get their
daughter away from him than they could help her see that he was just
using her.

Amber
rose to her feet. She looked at Rokai. “We can go now.” She could
hardly say the words through her tears.

Rokai
stood and wrapped his arms around her.

“
Kulani,
you can see that they love each other. Let them stay, both of them,
for as long as they can.”

“
Amber
will always be welcome here but not him.”

Emily
stood and laid a hand on her daughter's shoulder. She flashed her
eyes on her husband. “How often,” Emily yelled. “How often have
you told me that you would give anything for just one more minute
with her, anything. Well, anything is letting him stay with us. It is
worth it to have time with her. Don't ruin this for me or for
yourself.”

Kulani
knew that she was right. If Amber walked out of the door and he never
saw her again, he would regret it, forever. It would be the last
thing he would have thought about before he died.

“
He can
stay,” he muttered.

Amber let
go of Rokai and threw herself at her father. “Thank you. Trust me
you grow to like him very much. We have a surprise for you. With his
kind a pregnancy goes very fast. We won't be leaving until the baby
is born. You will get to hold your grandchild in your arms.”

“
That's
great. When is the baby due?” Her mother asked. “Rokai thinks
that it will be five more days tops. In ten days we have to be back
home.”

“
That
baby is going to need more than five days to finish up.”

“
I
wasn't pregnant month,” she informed her mother.

Emily
looked at her daughter's stomach. “But you have to be five or six
months along.” She was thinking that the two must have been dating
before they ran off together.

“
Things
are different where he comes from.” Amber just shrugged her
shoulder, figuring that they would need to see to believe, just like
she had.

Kulani
watched his daughter. She was explaining things to him. What
different things were good for. What she wanted to do while she was
at home, what she wanted to take with her.

Rokai was
especially interested in the mailbox. He liked the idea of organized
mail.

Kulani
also watched the red man with his daughter. Rokai shoved food into
her mouth and saw to it that she was comfortable. He placed pillows
around her and rubbed her feet while she babbled at him about
anything that popped into her mind.

His
daughter was happy. She was a glowing mother. He had never seen a
woman who was that happy.

When her
mood changed and she had to cry he would hold her on his lap and kiss
her. He appeared to be the best son-in-law imaginable, but Kulani
didn't trust the situation.

When
Amber fell asleep on the sofa Kulani called Rokai outside for a
man-to-man talk. “What are you?”

“
I came
from far away.” Rokai answered him.

“
My
daughter is very pregnant. It is all happening so quickly. I don't
understand.”

“
Where
I come from this is normal. In fact, I think this planet is slowly
her down. I thought the baby would be here by now. She is being very
brave.”

“
What
has all happened to her since I have seen her last? I need to know.”

Rokai
thought about what he should say. In the end he decided on the truth.
“I met her at the hotel that I was staying at. She didn't like me.
She had plans for shopping that I ruined. I wanted her and then I
took her along with me. She didn't believe me; she kept saying she
was dreaming and that I wasn't allowed to claim her.