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  Amanda looked at him sharply and appraised his expression. Should I trust him? she asked herself. She remembered Barla’s admonition not to tell anyone about being from Earth unless she was absolutely certain she could trust them. Barla trusts Bryon with my safety, she thought, but would he not want me in his house if he knew I was an old soul? She had to give him an answer, so she said, “There is, but Barla has asked me not to talk about it just yet. I hope you’ll understand.”

  “Do you think there might be some point where you’ll be able to tell me everything?” he asked hopefully.

  “I honestly don’t know. Can we play it by ear?”

  “Fair enough.”

  Amanda’s curiosity was peaked, so she asked, “What made you think there was something more to tell?”

  He shrugged offhandedly and replied, “Oh, it’s just little things here and there which you do or say differently.”

  “Am I terribly obvious?”

  “No,” he replied, “My wife tells me I always read too much into things, but more than once it’s come in handy!”

  “Will you do me a favor and let me know when I make a mistake?” she asked him quickly before she lost her nerve.

  “Sure. Do you want me to cough or stumble or something?”

  “Whatever fits the situation.”

  “That should be fun,” he replied and then lapsed into amused silence.

  After another few silent minutes had passed Amanda asked, “Tell me about your family.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “How long have you been married?”

  “Six anons, last mesan in fact,” he replied promptly. “One thing I learned; never forget your anniversary, it might just be the last thing you do!” He chuckled at himself.

  “There must be a story behind that one!” Amanda replied and then laughed. “I’ll have to ask your wife what happened. What’s your wife’s name?”

  “Alena,” he spoke with pride.

  “You also said you had a family at home. Do you have kids then, too?”

  “Yes, we have our oldest son, Justan, who is three anons old; then there’s his betrothed, Andera, who’s almost three anons; and lastly, we have our youngest son, Kyelon, who just turned two anons.”

  “Betrothed,” Amanda sputtered and stared at Bryon with her mouth hanging open.

  “There you go again,” Bryon smiled and then coughed.

  “But you said your three anon old son is betrothed!”

  “Yes, it is the Tualan custom. Where did you say you were from?”

  His question brought her back to Tualan reality. She shook her head and closed her mouth. “Sorry,” she said, “I don’t know why, but it just took me by surprise.”

  Bryon nodded, but he did notice she had not answered his question. He turned his attention back to the road in front of them while he considered who this woman might be who would be living with his family. If he did not trust Barla as he did, he might have considered placing her in someone else’s home. He had, however, promised Barla he would look out for her, and he would honor his promise.

  Amanda let Bryon’s statements sink into her head as she considered what else she might not know about Tuala which would be obvious to everyone else. Apparently, Barla had forgotten to mention child betrothals which seemed a pretty important detail to Amanda. She decided to ask Bryon more questions about his life and firmly told herself to accept anything he said as “normal” even if it seemed bizarre to herself.

  “Please, tell me more about your family.”

  “Well, let’s see,” he paused as he considered what else to share. “Like I said, Alena and I have been married for six anons, but our oldest son is three. We were worried we wouldn’t be able to have children since it took so long to have our first. After being married for an anon, we consulted a wise-woman and she assured us that many children were in our future. Of course, we had trouble believing it, but we continued trying.”

  He grinned at Amanda and continued, “I didn’t mind working really hard at it!” He laughed outright at his statement and saw Amanda blush, but smile at it as well. He cleared his throat and continued, “Well, after consulting the wise-woman, we worked on it harder than ever, almost every night in fact for over an anon, with no results. Each mesan, Alena would bleed and then she would cry; I hated what it was doing to her.”

  He paused to consider what else to say, then continued, “And then something wonderful happened.”

  “What? Did she get pregnant?”

  “No,” he replied with a smile, “I had to go away on a business trip for two mesans. Alena couldn’t go with me, so she stayed at home.”

  “I don’t understand; how’s it wonderful?”

  “Well the going away wasn’t, but when I came home, that was when it happened! Apparently, we’d been trying too hard. Alena says she knew the night she had conceived.”

  “How wonderful,” Amanda smiled at his enthusiasm.

  “Yes, it was.”

  “How’ll your wife feel about you telling me this story?”

  “Oh, she’ll tell it to you herself at some point! Don’t think I’ve been indiscreet. She loves to talk about it. She says it gives hope to other families who are still waiting,” he laughed. “I can just imagine how many young husbands are cursing me right now as their wives tell them, ‘not tonight, honey, waiting will increase our chances!’”

  Amanda laughed out loud at his comment along with him. She continued to chuckle as she asked, “Dare I ask about your second son? Was it another business trip?”

  “No, no. We learned our lesson. We planned ahead and abstained for several weeks before trying for him. Obviously, it worked.”

  “How did Andera come into the picture?”

  Bryon kept his head facing forward but allowed his eyes to glance curiously at the woman riding beside him. “We made arrangements for her to come live with us when she was three mesans old, as is the custom. Her family has been business partners with my family for generations. It was agreed upon when both wives were pregnant at the same time that if Alena had a boy and Zeka had a girl, then they would be betrothed.”

  “I see,” Amanda said as she assimilated the information. “So, if Andera is Justan’s betrothed, what do you call her in your family…your daughter?”

  “You’re doing it again, but I’ll answer because you obviously need to know. A betrothed girl is considered a first-daughter. We can introduce her as our first-daughter or as our son’s betrothed; either is acceptable.”

  Wow, I am not doing a good job at hiding my curiosity. He already suspects something so what’s the harm, she thought. Then she asked, “How come your younger son doesn’t have a betrothed?”

  “They don’t usually get one unless something happens to the older son or if circumstances called for it, which would be pretty rare.”

  “What would’ve happened if your son had been a girl? Would you have given her away to be betrothed to someone else?” She tried to wrap her thoughts around the idea of not raising your children.

  “We might if we were approached by a reputable family and we could make the proper arrangements within the allotted time frame.”

  “What’s the allotted time frame?”

  “Usually within three to six mesans after they’re born.”

  “What would happen to Andera if something were to happen to Justan? Would you keep her or send her home?”

  “If she were younger than seven, we would have the option to send her home. Older than seven we would give her the option of either becoming our adopted daughter and staying with us, or going back home to her birth parents.”

  “What if they grew up hating each other?”

  “That doesn’t happen. It’s the reason they’re raised together, so they will have the same parenting style, same morals, and same beliefs.”

  “What if one of them found someone else they wanted to marry? Could they break it off themselves? If they did, what would happen to them?”<
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  “It has been known to happen, luckily, not very often. The parents usually feel obligated to care for the girl for the rest of her life. If she refuses their help, she can go on and find someone else to marry or she can return to live with her birth parents. It’s considered one of the greatest insults to the family of the girl, and it can have serious social consequences for her and her family.”

  “Don’t you feel a little bit sorry for the two kids not having a say in their choice of spouse?”

  “Not at all, it’s considered a blessed union and gives them even higher status in the community. What parent wouldn’t want to give their children a leg up in life?”

  “Why is it considered blessed?”

  “Because it has to be approved and been blessed by the Elders before it can occur.”

  “So what do you do, write up a proposal and send it to the Elders for their approval?”

  “Basically. We request a betrothal petition from the Elders which we fill out with each family’s different abilities and what color of crystal each child bears. Then we submit the names of the children to the Elders and wait for approval. If they feel it is a superior union for the good of the society, they prepare a blessing for the two children together, and then they become betrothed.”

  “Do the children receive anything from the Elders to commemorate the union?”

  “It depends on which Elder presides over the occasion. They may give them a pair of matching bracelets or sometimes matching rings with a precious stone.”

  “Do the families have a celebration for it like they do with the crystal ceremony?”

  “Usually, unless it’s a controversial betrothal.”

  “What would make it controversial?”

  “Oh, say, if two families petitioned to have the same girl to be betrothed to their son. The family who receives the betrothal blessing wouldn’t want to rub it in to the other family which didn’t get it. They’d hold a private celebration at home in such a case.”

  “Why would two families submit for the same girl?”

  “If the girl’s family is wealthy or already has a high standing in the community. Sometimes, I’ve heard people say there’s a long-standing agreement between two families for a betrothal to happen. Other times families believe they can bring something more to their family by having the betrothal. I’ve even heard of some families submitting them just to cause trouble.”

  “Do the Elders have to petition for a betrothal for their children?”

  “No, but they can choose to submit their requests to Jehoban Himself if they think it might cause a difficulty. Most of our Elders are pretty old, so it doesn’t happen very often anymore. Right now we only have two Elders who have children of an age where it might be possible.”

  “How long did it take for your son’s petition to be approved?”

  “From start to finish about one mesan; requesting the paperwork can take a week, filling it out another week, and receiving approval about two weeks.”

  “Why would the Elders refuse a request?”

  “They don’t have to have a reason, but if they say no, then you’re forbidden from pursuing the union.”

  “What would happen if they grew up and decided to marry anyway? Would they not be allowed to marry even on their own choice?”

  “No, they could marry, but the ceremony wouldn’t be blessed. It’d be extremely rare if they did get together, though, because both families would discourage it. In most cases the families move away from each other if the petition is refused, so the chances are lessened even more.”

  Amanda lapsed into silence as they rode along the dark, deserted road through the countryside. They had left the houses behind and now they rode past empty fields and small copses of trees. Amanda looked up at the clear bright stars and half moon and wondered what time it was. She wondered if Neal were looking at the same stars as well.

  Bryon kept expecting another question to come from Amanda and, finally, looked over at her when the silence continued. He could see in the moonlight that she was deep in thought. He wondered what she was thinking. He had a lot of questions about where she was from. He could not imagine why she would not know about betrothals and the Elders. He was even more confused because she knew about the crystal ceremony for newborns. Once again, he wished he had had more opportunity to discuss this matter with Barla before he had to return home.

  “What kind of work do you do?”

  Startled out of his reverie, Bryon responded to her slowly as he processed what she had asked, “I work with the shipping warehouses in Kirma. I make arrangements for the storage and transportation of various goods needed throughout the region.”

  “How long have you been doing it?”

  “For the past eight anons. I wasn’t as lucky as some others when it came to the lottery. Since I didn’t go to post-study, I had to draw from the short list. Alena was luckier. She gets to stay on retirement for another declan. I guess it’s worked out okay. She can stay home while the kids grow up, and I can build my reputation before I’m too old to care about it.” He smiled at his own joke and looked over at Amanda when she remained silent. She actually looked confused, and he wondered what she knew of the retirement pool.

  He took pity on her and asked, “Do you want me to tell you how the retirement pool works?”

  “I’d love to hear you tell it.”

  “Okay, let’s see. The simplest way of describing it is this: when you finish your education, you begin your retirement. During your retirement you are encouraged to pursue hobbies and build skills in your chosen field. After your retirement, you go to work. The length of your retirement depends on two factors; how much education you obtain and which lottery pool you are assigned.

  “The two lottery pools are called the short list and the long list. You have to draw from the short list if you decline from continuing to post-study education. The short list retirements can range from nothing to one declan.

  “The kids who go on to post-study have two choices in their lottery pools: study for general arts or declare a major. There are two different long lists because of this. The long list for the general arts students’ retirement range anywhere from one declan to fifteen anons. The long list for the students with a declared major can have a retirement anywhere from fifteen anons to three declans.”

  “When you say retirement, are you saying you get paid to not work?” Amanda asked in disbelief.

  “It’s exactly what I’m saying.”

  “Who pays for it?”

  “The Elders do, of course!” He laughed out loud at the expression he saw on Amanda’s face.

  “Why would they do it?” she asked, still not believing what she was hearing.

  “It’s simple, really,” he began, “older teenagers aren’t ready to settle down to a job and do it well. This way, they can have their adventures, get married, start families, and most importantly, grow up, before they have to enter the working world.”

  Amanda nodded as she thought about all of the pros and cons of the logic of it. “It sounds pretty interesting.”

  “Is this really the first you’ve heard of this?” Bryon asked, not fully believing it could be possible.

  She looked at him hastily trying to decide if she should lie, but his look of sincerity convinced her to tell the truth, and she replied quietly, “Yes.”

  Bryon whistled and said, “Wow! Are you sure you can’t tell me where you’re from?”

  “Sorry, not yet,” she replied as she looked between her horse’s ears at the road.

  “I’m sure, when the time’s right; it’ll be a fascinating story. I’ll look forward to it.”

  You don’t even know how right you are, Amanda thought to herself. She sat again in silence as she felt a breeze stroke her face on one side. She could hear the leaves on the trees start to rustle as they rode through another small patch of trees.

  As they continued on their journey, Amanda finally thought to ask, “What does your wife do
to keep busy if she is still retired?”

  “Well,” Bryon answered, “I wouldn’t exactly say Alena is retired, even though she receives retirement pay from the Elders. She’s a healer, and she works out of our house.”

  “Is a healer the same as a wise-woman?”

  “All wise-women are healers, but not all healers become wise-women.”

  “How do they become a wise-woman?”

  “They start like Alena has and if they receive enough recommendations to the Elders, then they go and study for a period of time with the Elders. If the Elders certify them then they are supplied with ceremonial crystals and receive a ring showing their status as a wise-woman.”

  “Is Alena a wise-woman?”

  “Not yet, but she has been asked to study with Elder Debbon. She hasn’t given her reply yet.”

  “Doesn’t she want to go?”

  “Yes she does, but she doesn’t want to leave the children alone.”

  Amanda thought about the dilemma; she was excited for Alena’s opportunity and did not want her to miss it. Then a thought occurred to her, and she asked, “Do you think she would go if I agreed to take care of the children for her?”

  Bryon smiled at the idea and then replied, “You’d have your work cut out for you. The three children are a handful. Alena still has a couple of weeks to give her answer. Maybe you could talk to her about it after she gets to know you a little better. I’d be grateful if you could give her this opportunity.”

  They left the tranquil shelter of the trees straight into a fierce cold wind. Amanda grabbed the hood resting on her back and hastily covered her head from the current of frigid air. Amanda hoped they were getting close to where they would stop for the day.

  As if reading her thoughts, Bryon yelled over the wind, “We don’t have too much further to go. Let’s push the horses faster before this storm really blows in.”

  “Sounds good to me,” she yelled back as she applied her heels to the sides of her horse. Maga was all too willing to go faster and promptly quickened her stride to a smooth trot.

  Amanda looked up at the sky and was surprised to see the dark clouds rapidly obscuring the bright stars. Within minutes the bright moon and its comforting light were gone. To keep the wind from tearing the hood back from her face, she used one hand to hold it securely while the other held the reins.