And now the three men were really surprised, the looks on their faces astounded, taken for a loop. Because although it’s not proven, it’s likely that twinship is a genetic trait, passed on through the generations. So yeah, Kato or Karl’s sperm could have caused the zygote to divide. Or even Kristian, as the brother of twins, could have spurted the semen that made the little girls, his sweet cream taking hold inside of me.
“Please,” growled out Kato, dropping to my side on one knee. “Come home with us Tina. Stet. Pronto. Like yesterday.”
And Kristian was just as vehement as he took the chair across my desk.
“The sooner the better,” he growled out, “Now,” he commanded.
And Karl just nodded, his eyes fixed to my belly, its hugeness somewhat explained by the fact of two babies within. “Twins,” he whispered to himself. “Fuck me.”
And that brought me back to the present because it was the fucking that had gotten us here in the first place. My seduction so long ago by the twins at the Old Dog, then meeting Kristian at a cocktail party. If they’d kept their penises in their pants, my kitty off those dongs, we wouldn’t be here today. And so I wasn’t so sympathetic, I had my piece to say and was going to say it.
“I can’t leave,” I said firmly. “I have clients here, I’m doing good work, making a difference. I won’t leave, and besides Cambodia has been welcoming and warm, I love the people, the food, the culture. I’m all settled into my apartment and I’m scheduled for delivery at the expat hospital in six weeks, it’s going to be fine.”
But the men shook their heads.
“We want our babies to be Venetian,” said Kristian, his brows lowered. “The Venetian blood runs through our veins … and theirs.”
And at that, I almost blew my top, lost it.
“I’d think that your last thought would be St. Venetia,” I said tightly, “given everything that’s happened to you, everything that’s gone down. Why are you still loyal to them? To this city-state that’s caused you so much pain, so much hardship? Don’t tell me it’s because of the ‘blood royal’ and all that bullshit,” I said.
And the men were silent for a moment.
“Baby, it’s not the blood royal,” said Karl gently. “After all, Kato and I were bastards all our lives, you know we’ve never been formally recognized.”
I snorted. The Venetian royal house was in turmoil right now with their Crown Prince forfeiting his succession rights and rumors of a total shake-up imminent. Further, Queen Agatha, Kristian’s so-called mother, had gone into hiding and hadn’t been publicly seen for months now, the speculation rampant, gossip mags going crazy as to what would happen to the family.
But that was none of my business, not anymore at least. In the instant moment, I was busy with Cambodia, with the non-profit I’d started, with my clients, and most of all, my babies. Here halfway around the world, so far away from everything poisonous, everything messed up and twisted, my babies would be born, pure, innocent, and sweet, and I was going to stay no matter what the men said or did.
So I shook my head again, sweetly serious, forcing myself to draw upon the reserves of calm I’d developed in my few months here, my resolute focus on being centered, happy, going with the flow of Fate rather than struggling and making myself miserable.
I took a deep breath and began.
“Please don’t come in here and tell me what to do,” I said civilly but with an edge to my voice. “I’m my own woman and these babies are going to be born in Southeast Asia.”
And the brothers switched to persuasion then, turning on the charm, unaware of my transformation. They still believed I was a naïve eighteen year-old girl, ready to bend to their every will, swayed by their power and confidence, the sheer certainty that infused their every action.
“Baby, it’s not too late to come back,” said Karl reasonably. “After all, you’re what? In your second trimester? You don’t need to worry about flying.”
And I rolled my eyes. Hadn’t he heard me? Flying was the least of my worries.
“Honey,” added Kato, “we can look after you better in St. Venetia. Sure, we’re military men now, all three of us, but we’ve pledged to stay in the vicinity until everything gets worked out. And clearly that means until after the babies are born.”
And I interrupted then.
“I don’t need you to be with me, I can do just fine on my own, thank you very much,” I said archly. “I’ve been here on my own for months now, and in that time I’ve started my own non-profit. See?” I said tapping the banner in back of me. “Khmer Outreach Center, or K.O.C. as I like to call it. Isn’t it cool? I’m doing the same thing I did back with Roma Outreach, except here I focus on Cambodian women who want to open their own businesses, whether selling flowers, or wheat, or providing child-care. I’m only lending small sums, maybe up to $100 per business, but we have a 75% payback rate and I’ve got a waiting list for women who might want a loan,” I said proudly.
The men were silent for a moment.
“That’s wonderful,” rumbled Kristian. “I, more than anyone, know how dedicated you were to microfinance back in St. Venetia. But why do you have to do it here? There are plenty of non-profits back home, why couldn’t you go back to Roma Outreach, work with the Roma again, or join any number of charities in St. Venetia? They all do good work,” he frowned.
And I blew a strand of hair out of my face.
“That’s it exactly, you see?” I said slowly. “You run over my hopes and dreams, making it all about you and your family drama. Not that I blame you,” I added quickly, “there’s been a lot of drama lately. But we didn’t experience it together. The moment things got bad, the three of you guys got the hell out of Dodge, leaving me alone to deal with everything by myself. And was that the right thing to do? Leaving your best girl home alone, pregnant, to pick up the pieces?”
The men look shamefaced but tried to defend themselves.
“We had to leave, Karl and I,” protested Kato. “We needed jobs baby, we needed dough to keep paying rent, make good on our debts. You know we can’t live on nothing but dreams.”