No Ordinary Love, Part 3, chapter 215
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“It’s good to know nothing changes here,” George concluded satisfied.
“Apart from you not being here,” Sweetie pointed out.
“Aww, is that jealousy I sense in your voice?” he teased her as he pinched her nose. She frowned but he pulled her on his chest. She readjusted her head so she could look him in the eyes as he played with her hair. “Damn it girl, you have no idea how lucky you are.”
“Tell me about it,” she said and the two drifted in conversation in their own mother tongue.
“What are they talking about?” Nik asked me in low voice.
“I don’t really understand only bits and pieces, but they’re talking about her hair,” Nik made a surprised face. “George thinks she has the best hair in the world. He’s obsessed with it.”
“It sounds nice,” Nik commented.
“I know, and you won’t believe how many profanities they have. I’ve never heard of any language so scarce with words in general but so rich with swearings. They swear literally everything,” I giggled. “I can teach you few.”
“Please do,” Nik nodded and the lesson began. Of course, thanks to weird sounds unknown to Finnish people it was tricky for him to pronounce certain words correctly. I on the other hand had considered myself professional dirty talker.
“Wow, you’re good,” George complimented me. “Have you began creating your own yet?”
“Yeah, he did,” Sweetie confirmed and told it to George who laughed like idiot.
“Dude you’re the first guy who cursed that particular part of the body,” he said to me.
“Well, I thought if we Fins can swear it why can’t you?” I returned.
“Hail to you,” he toasted and sipped a little of his wine. “I should go.”
“Why if Alex’s out of town,” Sweetie pouted. “You’re room misses you.”
“Ah, ok, I’ll stay,” he grinned.
Then Ana walked in. “I couldn’t sleep,” she said as she sat in one of the empty chairs.
“Ema?” Nik asked.
“Sleeping like a charm,” she returned.
“Wine?” I offered and she accepted.
“She sleeps so calm here,” Ana added. “Hopefully, she’ll do the same once we return home.”
“We all will,” Nik comforted her.
“That kid of yours is really something,” Ana quickly changed the subject.
“Tell me about it,” I chuckled.
“They teased him big time when you left,” Nik said.
“Why? I thought he was actually very sweet,” she said. “It’s the first time Ema got a compliment from a boy.”
“Just don’t say let him know that,” Sweetie added. “Or it won’t be just compliments for Ema.”
“They’re just kids, especially Kai, what can they do?” Ana shrugged.
“Oh, Ana you’re so naïve,” Nik shook his head. “And have you really took a good look at Kai. He’s younger than Ema only in physically age. Otherwise, they’re the same.”
“Yes, but still, they’re just kids,” she continued. “He didn’t even mean what he said the way adults do.”
“You really want to believe in that?” George asked her. “Well, good luck to you.”
“He meant it all the way, trust me,” I said looking Ana in the eyes. “I used to think like you until a year ago.”
“I don’t understand,” Ana shrugged.
“Kai has this friend that’s living with us but she’s away until this is over,” Sweetie began. “Her name’s Massa, they go to school together, spend all day together. Anyway they know each other for few years know. Since they met we were teasing him about her and he was constantly denying it.”
“Until a few months ago,” I took over. “He came to me and said how he and Massa got into fight. Apparently Massa was a little jealous of Kai spending lot of time with another girl…”
“Lily Rose, also older than him,” Sweetie filled in.
“He said how he panicked and didn’t know how to make Massa stop yelleing at him he kissed her,” I ended. “Still think they’re just kids?”
“What do you mean kissed her?” Ana was still refusing to admit she might be wrong.
“Kissed her, like really kissed her,” Sweetie simply said.
“Wow, I definitively adore him,” Nik giggled.
“Nik,” Ana scoffed. “ What did you do? What.. how…?” she had way too many questions she couldn’t actually properly ask.
“What can you do? Love is love,” George dreamily said.
“We listened, talked to them, they sorted thing out and life moves on,” I summarized.
“But they understood that what they did was wrong, right?” Ana asked.
“There’s nothing wrong in kissing other person who kisses you back,” Sweetie said.
“But it is wrong at that age,” Ana protested.
“It’s only way too early, but definitively it’s not wrong, Ana,” I said in calm voice. “We talked to both of them and they both said totally on their own that they think it’s a bit too early for them to kiss like adults. And that’s enough for me.”
“Did it happen again?” she asked.
“No,” I instantly replied.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because we have very open relationship with Kai and Massa. He tells us everything. He could’ve easily not say a thing about that kiss and we might not never know. But he came to talk to his dad and ask for advice. Same as Massa, “ Sweetie explained.
“Besides the fact that we don’t believe in forbidding him things, from everything he sees from us he’s getting that such things are ok so how can we explain that it’s ok for us but not for him? It just wouldn’t work,” I added.
“Yeah, for you’re just being too liberal,” Ana said in strange tone that wasn’t approving but not openly accusing us either.
“You think we’re being wrong?” I asked.
“I think you’re actually great,” Nik said and Ana wasn’t happy about it.
“It’s simple for us Ana,” Sweetie began. “We hide nothing one from another; we trust each other; we talk about everything and anything. That’s why he felt free to come to talk about it. Do you know how many parents have absolutely no clue what’s going on in their kids’s life? There are thousands of parents who believe that their kid had their first kiss at 15, when he or she officially told their parents they were on a date. And reality is probably much closer to Kai’s or Massa’s. Those kids don’t talk because they’re afraid of their parents reaction. Ours don’t have that problem.”
“Exactly,” I agreed. “They know we’re here and we don’t judge. We always listen to them first then see what can we do. And in this particular case, we can’t really do anything but what we had.”
“Hopefully, anything serious in sense of sexuality is still years ahead, but it’s good to think in advance. Now we can hope he’ll come to us when the times comes,” Sweetie added.
“Ana,” Nik interfered. “They’re actually making all the possible sense,” he paused a little as Ana was still unconvinced. “And seriously, you can’t think there’s anything wrong with their system, can you?” he smiled.
“You’re right,” she nodded and went into silence. “It’s just I still think of ema as of a little baby and thinking about her in different light is…” she said nothing but shuddered.
Sweetie sat up and touched Ana’s shoulder.
“Our kids will always be our little babies in our minds,” she said. “But it doesn’t mean we should treat them like babies all their lives. The sooner we accept that the less mistakes we’ll make.”
“And it will be less shocking,” I added.
“What will you do when one day he comes and says he has a girlfriend?” Nik asked.
“Great, bring her over,” I replied. “I’d rather have them here than in some shady places.”
“We already talked to Kai about sex, he knows the basics, precautions and all that,” Sweetie added and Ana was shocked. “Well, he asked and we give the answers,” she simply replied shrugging.
“I just don’t understand how you can be so cool about it,” Ana said.
“Well, if you think we’re cold as ice, we’re not. We just act that way around him. He needs to feel comfortable to open up and whatever it takes him we’ll do it,” I explained. “Have I wanted him to kiss anyone until he’s 18? No. do I want him to have relationship or sex until he’s in his twenties? No. But what I want makes no difference. It’s not about me but about him.”
“And now it’s about Ari, too,” Sweetie added. “And that will be even scarier than Kai.”
“Hopefully, she’ll bond with him and learn from him,” I added and Sweetie nodded.
“Again, just for the record,” George interrupted. “You two have nothing to worry about. You’re doing all the right things with them.”
“Have you talked to Ema about tonight?” Sweetie asked Ana ignoring George’s comment.
“No,” she shook her head.
“Why not?” Sweetie pressed.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Ana shrugged.
“Well, if I were you, I’d at least tease her how a boy had said something nice to her,” Sweetie continued ignoring Ana’s little frown. She has probably understanding Sweetie’s words as lecturing though the tone was different, more like one of the advice. However, Sweetie didn’t stop. “I’d tease her just to get her opinion and reaction. Who knows maybe she likes him back, maybe she doesn’t, maybe she doesn’t like such compliments, maybe she takes them too seriously? Maybe she values herself through such comments? You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, and it’s none of your business. Ema isn’t yours,” Ana said upset and rushed out ignoring Nik’s calls.
“I’m sorry,” Nik said to Sweetie.
“No, I knew what I was doing, I expected this,” Sweetie calmly assured him reaching out to get herself a cigarette.
“But why?” Nik asked with a frown.
“Nik,” she exhaled the smoke and looked him in the eyes. “What happened to you and Ana doesn’t mean it will happen to Ema. Sure, she’s affected by it, but I think you both agreed that Ema deserves a normal life or at least a good shot at it. Ema shouldn’t be judged or judge the world according to you and Ana. She needs to figure it out on her own. I understand that Ana can’t see men in different light. But Ema should also see the good side in people. She’s already 11. Before you know she’ll have adult needs. How will they make her feel or act will depend on her previous experience, on everything she gathered mostly from her mother and you. Imagine that,” she ended.
“Nik, if Ana can’t talk to Ema about such delicated things, someone has to, for Ema’s own good,” I said in caring tone watching Nik’s face change. Things were slowly getting clearer to him. “When there’s a child involved it stops being everything about you to everything about that child.”
“You’re right,” he nodded. “I should go talk to Ana.”