CHAPTER 173: THE MAGNOLIA INCIDENT

Constantine told Malcolm to unload everything he knew. He told him about the album, told him about the pictures that Steven’s baby and the child that is in Hollis’s electronic photo looked like twins, plus the eerily resemblance of his oldest son. Stephen could not be a mistake.

"Well, I did invite them to stay here for the duration of his visit to the planet and I can’t go back on that. I cannot tell Stephen that he has stayed his home is not allowed out because the questions I take in misfits all the time. And if by chance I reunite a family I do it—look at Donnie and his son Chaz. We need to bring the two them together so that they can meet, but I want to question navigator Hollis about his past and about his pictures and his life."

Donnie had carried a welcome platter to the main house and walked into the library with it. Kevin was waiting on Zach to get through his meeting when he saw Donnie for the first time. He sheepishly smiled at Donnie and made a comment.

"I don’t know what smells better—you or the food that you’re carrying, because it’s a tossup."

Donnie blushed. "It must be the food because I’m just me. I smell like everything I’ve been cooking and I’m about to start."

"Oh, that’s the reason you smell like sweet magnolias. That’s the earth tree that flowers the most beautiful white blossoms with the most fragrant sweet smell. My Walt used to smell like that when it was his time."

"You are with a Genman, Sir?"

"I used to be. He has since passed on."

"I’m very sorry to hear that. I hope that you had enough time with each other. By the way, my name is Donnie. I am opening the new restaurant in the complex, and when I heard that we were having an off-world visitor, I wanted you to be the first one to sample some of our cuisine for the restaurant."

"Oh, don’t be sorry. We had a long life together—we also produced 14 children. Because of my interplanetary travels, I don’t age the same as everyone else. I stay in stasis most the time and up to 20 years would pass between my visits."

"Do you have pictures of you and your family? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours. I’ve got a three-month-old and I’ve got my oldest who has a child of his own. My grandson is the apple of my eye."

Donnie almost lost his breath when he saw the pictures of Kevin’s family.

"And this little thing right here—this was Stephen. He was kidnapped and placed into a stasis container when he was barely a month old during the raid on the station. I’ve been looking for him ever since. He would be about 23 human years old right now, if he’s still even alive. He was wearing a pendant around his neck, and on one side it was engraved in human language ’Stephen’ and on the opposite side it was in Genman language. I’ve about given up all hope of ever finding him alive, but I still look for him everywhere. Maybe he looks like me, maybe he looked like Walt, or even one of the boys. I’ll travel from place to place until I find him. That’s enough about me and my family—let’s see yours."

Donnie had to be really careful with the pictures because a lot of them were of Stephen and the baby, and Stephen holding his son, and there were the group pictures. He needed to talk to Zach. He told Kevin that he needed to leave but to enjoy the hors d’oeuvres and he would see him later.

No sooner than Donnie left the library, he was headed directly to Z’s office when the door opened.

"Uncle Zack, we’ve got to talk! You won’t believe this—I can’t believe what I just saw!"

"So, you’ve seen the pictures too, just like Malcolm. Are they...?"

"I wouldn’t have thought too much about it, Uncle Z, but when he talked about the necklace and pendant that his son was wearing when he was kidnapped and placed into stasis—it has Stephen written on one side and on the opposite it’s written in Genman language. Stephen still wears that necklace to this very day. He said he doesn’t know who he is or where he came from, but believes it is a link to his past every time he touches it. Kevin is his father! His dad is deceased from a broken heart, he has 13 brothers, nephews and great-nephews. We have to hook these two up! Plus, I’m getting ready to go to my cycle—I didn’t realize it until Kevin told me I smelled like some kind of flowering tree from Earth called a magnolia tree. That proves he has mated several times with a Genman in the past."

"Donnie, I need you to do me a favor. Why don’t you take Kevin Hollis to the diner in town? Get to know him a little bit, show him a little bit of our hospitality, but be careful around him. Because if he can smell you already, that means you’re getting ready to go into cycle, and I don’t want him tagging you. Your little one is only three months old—you don’t need to be swelled up again. Plus, if it is Steven’s father, can you imagine explaining how you two got wound up and you got knocked up by his father?"

"Okay, Mr. Zack, I’ll go out with him, but I’ll be very careful. I don’t think I’m ready to carry again at this moment, and I’ll watch myself just in case the desires come on strong while we are near."

Zack and Donnie went to the library, and Zack made up an excuse about something going on—he was tied up, but Donnie agreed to show him to Constantine’s diner. They could use the buggy and take a leisurely drive. He could show him the countryside, a few of the back roads, so he could get to know the planet a little bit. Kevin was very cordial and accepted the invitation because he didn’t know any difference about what was going on with their Stephen.

Donnie and Kevin went to the diner and they shared a malted. Donnie felt totally at ease around Kevin—it seemed that he had known the man his entire life. They laughed and talked, they both giggled. Donnie told him about his life and how he grew up in the breeding program and that he had two additional children that were unable to be located.

Kevin sympathized with Donnie’s absence of his children because of his situation and his Stephen was missing. The two had a lot in common. They left the diner and went driving on some of the back roads, just looking around, watching the sun trying to go down in the west as another three moons came up below. Donnie spread a blanket on the grassy area that they had parked by and he broke out a picnic basket. There was some cool citrus aid and a few tidbit morsels to nibble on.

They were lying down looking at the stars when Kevin made his move. He rolled over and kissed Donnie. Soon the pitcher of citrus aid was knocked over and the snacks were scattered about. Donnie’s knees were beside his ears as Kevin was tearing his vent up. Donnie started going into orgasm after orgasm, pawing and clawing at Kevin’s back as he pounded his vent hard. With a deep thrust, Kevin let himself go in Donnie. With a very familiar feeling, Donnie’s eyes flew open.

"Oh fuck, I’m pregnant! I can feel it happening right now! Oh shit, what the hell am I going to do about the three-month-old at the house? A man I just barely met just blasted me full of his hot seed and I’m creating another life!"

An exhausted Kevin rolled off the top of Donnie and laid there looking at the stars, not really realizing that they had just made a baby.

"I didn’t mean for that to happen. I really thought I could remove myself, and you were just too good and it happened. I hope everything is going to be okay between us." Kevin’s voice was soft with concern.

Donnie started to tear up because he realized that he let it go too far and now he was going to pay dearly.