‘Can’t wait to see you and dad. Love you too! Bye-bye!’, Mia gently replaces the phone in its cradle, closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. It does not help, her mind is racing, outpacing her heartbeat. ‘Shit! Shit, shit, shit!’, she opens her eyes and sees her reflection in the hallway mirror, her frustration clear as day. ‘There is not enough time!’. She turns and walks to the kitchen to break the news to Theo and the kids.

‘This weekend! That does not leave nearly enough time to get ready!’, Theo forgot about his food. Thick cut bacon, pork sausage, eggs and beans with toast; his favorite way to start each day. Mom and dad’s visits are always planned way in advance. This is the first time ever they simply called to announce they are arriving in a few days. Five days to be exact, counting what’s left of today. ‘Shit, shit, shit!’.

‘It can’t be done in five days’, Zoe says around a mouthful of oatmeal. Leo nods agreement, ‘Yeah, but what choice do we have?’. Mia sits down and picks up her fork, ‘No choice, none at all. We have to manage.’ She smiles at her family, beautiful Theo and the twins, and her resolve hardens, ‘It can and will be done. Eat up, no school this week, I need your hands. Theo, we need to call in a few favors to get all we need.’ Mia stabs at her plate, her mind settling down. They can do this. They just have to.

Mia’s parents live in Europe. Amongst their many properties they favor the castle in Germany, a medieval fortress on a hilltop, surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest. They are supremely wealthy, and very particular in their tastes. Their visits are always announced weeks, if not months, before they arrive. Until today!

***

Mia and Theo’s story is straight from a romance novel. She grew up in the lap of luxury, saw most of the world before she turned sixteen, and fell in love with Theo in her twentieth year.

Theo worked at her parents’ winery in South Africa where he started as an oenologist, but quickly became a sommelier of note. Her mother, Ava, recognized Theo’s talent and he was put in charge of her personal catering staff. Theo knew how to combine wine and food, and which ingredients of meals to omit or enhance. Hugo and Ava hosted many events with powerful and important people all over the world, and with them Theo saw the world. He loved it, but then he met Mia while planning her twenty-first birthday, and he loved her more.

Mia’s life was planned meticulously, and these plans did not include Theo. She chose him against her parents’ wishes, and when they announced their love and intention to marry one year after they met, Hugo and Ava left for their German castle, and stopped speaking to Mia.

Mia and Theo settled in the Cape province, with Theo finding employment at a competing winery. Years later, after the arrival of Zoe and Leo, one of her parents’ many lawyers called, expressing their desire to be part of their grandchildren’s lives. Ever since then they visit every year, with each visit scheduled well in advance.

***

Hugo and Ava arrive discreetly at midnight that Friday night. Strings of lights have been hung to show them the way to their quarters. The proximity alarm flashed red when they landed in the lighted circle, and Theo hits the button that flashes the bulbs on the strings in groups of three, and three groups in series at a time. The visitors immediately turn to these strobing lights and follow the indicated path.

When traveling mom and dad are a monstrous pair. She is seven feet tall, and he tops eight with each boasting a wingspan of more than twenty feet. When they came to this planet millennia ago, they were forced to disassemble their damaged craft, and use the salvaged parts to obtain coin to settle down. Since then, they either travel first class, or under their own power. Visiting family requires using your own power. This was the custom on their home world. Turning towards their quarters they fold their wings into place and lope along the path with huge strides, their taloned feet tearing up the turf.

These monsters will follow the lights without question but will not enter any building without invitation. The string of lights ends at the barn, with its interior brightly lit and the doors wide open. Mia stands in the doorway, waiting on her parents. This is the most crucial part of the visit and takes the most preparation. She has shifted to resemble her parents, and since she does not assume her natural form often, it takes time, effort and copious amounts of energy. If found wanting, her parents will refuse the invitation and not stay, putting animals and humans in the immediate vicinity at risk as potential food too replenish their energy for the flight home.

Mia proudly extends her wings and before she could roar the invitation her parents crossed the threshold and transformed into their human shapes. They can go back and forth effortlessly as long as they have the necessary energy in store.

‘Hello dearest’, Hugo winks at her. Her mother looks up at her as they walk past Mia, ‘Stop showing off and join us in your human form. We have much to discuss.’ Ava looks around, ‘Where is our clothes?’. Transforming is always done naked. Mia points a taloned claw to a bench behind Ava, and then puts all her effort into shifting back to her human form.

***

Theo knew about Mia’s family and heritage. When their relationship became serious, she told him, and then showed him what she is. The same qualities that make him a great sommelier also make him a good judge of character. Just like the aroma and taste of wine reveals all its secrets to his senses, Theo instinctively knows the measure of a person. The eyes reveal most of it and looking into the monster’s eyes he saw even more of Mia’s beautiful soul. Her revelation brought them even closer together. She would have killed him if it did not, and thankfully he did not know or even suspect this. Some secrets must be closely guarded.

The twins are also able to shift, with their default form being human. When they were little, they had lots of fun hiding in plain sight, or switching their appearance. Theo’s perception developed with their abilities, and he always found them, or found them out. Mia simply used her nose and sniffed them out.

The rituals, practices and preparations for the familial visits were conveyed by the lawyers. Theo did not like the lawyers, they had a cold and curt way about them, and made Theo think of weasels. Their eyes were windows to vast grey filing cabinets, void of emotion.

The rules were to be followed to the letter. Every visit would be scheduled by Hugo and Ava using their lawyers, with plenty of advanced warning. The configuration of the lights was defined, with detailed plans on how to construct these from components readily available. All expenses were covered using a credit card sent for this purpose.

They required a place to sleep. Since they sleep in their native form, hanging upside down like bats, a normal bedroom will not do. Steel poles had to be fastened to strong beams, oriented in a manner that enables Hugo and Ava to face each other, and close enough for Hugo to wrap them both with his wings.

Mia had to welcome them in her native form and extend the ceremonial invitation. Mia never assumes that form because it requires too much energy. She only does it for her parents’ visits, and only on the night they arrive. In the weeks leading up to their arrival she would consume large quantities of food, and as her body stored energy, she would grow visibly larger. She does not become fat; she simply grows larger. This is a hardship because she does not enjoy all the food, and her clothes remains the same size, necessitating her to wear sheets, like some Roman statesman.

Hugo and Ava also have large appetites, and much effort goes into procuring and preparing all the food they require.

In the last five days Mia gorged herself on sugar and sugary food to build up enough energy, and Theo and the kids shopped online and in person to fill the pantries and freezers.

Visits from mom and dad always resulted in lots of work and stress.

***

Mia was still adjusting her clothes when she joined her family in the house. They were all in the kitchen, and the visitors were already eating.

‘You skipped the ritual!’, Mia complains,’ does this mean we have to move again after you go berserk?’. Mia realizes she buttoned her blouse wrong, she hurriedly started on the wrong buttonhole, and ended up with buttons left at the top.

‘Sit child’, Ava pats a chair next to her, ‘Have something to eat. The lamb is excellent!’ Hugo nods at her, and incredulously winks again! ‘What is going on here mom? And why do you keep winking dad? This is quite out of the ordinary!’. Mia gives up on her blouse, she will fix it later, and sits next to her mother.

Both Hugo and Ava wipe their hands and mouths, and each drains a glass of orange juice. ‘All will be revealed dearest, in good time. For now, let’s eat together like the civilized beings we are. Theo! Bring us a fitting wine would you son!’ Ava have never before called Theo that, and for a few moments only Hugo’s spoon hitting the inside of his soup bowl can be heard. Theo looks at Mia, Mia looks wide eyed at her mom, and the twins were grinning like loons, obviously enjoying this exchange. ‘Immediately mam!’ Hugo responds automatically, and the twins actually giggle out loud.

***

Mia sips on the wine Theo selected, and once again was in awe of his talent. It was perfect, it complemented the food, and even the company. Hugo feels the same, ‘Excellent choice son!’ He takes another sip and looks at Ava, who nods in agreement.

‘Let me start with an apology’, Ava puts her wine glass down and wipes the corners of her mouth with her napkin. ‘Dad and I had an epiphany recently. All your life Mia, we took you for granted, and we desired to control your life. Like you were property. On our home world you would have been just that; property. Property that would have been used to broker an alliance with another family, establishing a foothold. Giving us a way to influence and control them through you and whomever husband or wife you took.’ Ava empties her glass and smiles at Theo, ‘A little more please dear.’ Mia makes eyes at Theo. ‘Dear’ was always reserved for her! Theo smiles and obliges.

‘Your dad and I always held out hope that we would be rescued. We had good reason to believe we would eventually be found. The homing beacon from our ship has been sending a signal since the day we crash landed. Last week it went silent.’ ‘Battery grandma?’, Leo asks, being familiar with battery powered gadgets that always run out of juice at the most inopportune times. Ava shakes her head, and Hugo answers, ‘It fell silent because it received an instruction from one of our scout ships. It was told to stop broadcasting since help is not coming. We have been marooned!’

During the time of slavery in the USA runaway slaves often lived secretly in groups, in very secluded areas. These people were called Maroons. In the early seafaring age people were left on islands with no hope of escape as punishment for some transgression. This was known as being marooned. Ava and Hugo were literally marooned maroons!

‘Now for the apology’, Ava reminds them. ‘We always believed we will eventually return home, and kept out traditions alive to make it easier for you Mia. Not for one moment did we think that this was home. We wanted to return to our place of birth, to our extended family!’

Ava turn to face Mia, ‘Your father and I are so very sorry that we missed the fact that home is where your kids are, where you are Mia. And that everyone in this home is family. We were so tied down by tradition that we risked alienating you Mia, pun intended! And your wonderful husband, and our grandchildren, that thankfully look like you, thank all the gods! Please forgive us.’

***

A million thoughts flashed through Mia’s mind, and the one that floated to the top falls out of her mouth, ‘You are saying that all these years, all the crap that you put us through was a conscious decision by the two of you, part of an attempt to prepare us for a move to a place we have never seen!’ Hugo nods and adds, ‘Just you my dear, Theo and the kids would not be welcome on our planet.’

Mia gets up so fast that her chair slides back and crashes into the wall, ‘Just me! Without my family, my home! How dare you make that decision for me!’ Mia slams her hand on the countertop, and her talons cuts deep gouges into the granite. She is not even aware that her right arm transformed.

Ava puts her hands on the claw, and a tear rolls down her cheek. ‘You have every right to be furious with us, we understand that. We only did what we were taught by our parents. And you my dear did what you were taught by yours! Know yourself and be true to yourself, just like we were. But for you it was a different thing altogether, and it brought you and Theo together and gave you these beautiful children. Hugo and I could not see that, blinded by our own desire to be saved, selfishly ignoring the fact that this is your world. When the beacon fell quiet, and we realized why, that revelation hit us like a ton of bricks. A person is never too old to fuck up, and right now we are at a crossroads. What will it be, more fuckery or peace!’

Mia has never heard her mother utter so many words in one breath, and has never ever heard her swear, and was amazed that she was capable of shedding a tear. The rage left her as fast as it filled her mind, and was replaced by confusion, and an infinite sadness for all the time lost. ‘Help me free my hand please mom’, Mia says softly, and the twins burst out laughing. They inherited their fathers ability to see behind the curtain, and understood what was happening here. Their family just grew by two.

***

No change is without pain, and in the next few days many difficult decisions were made. Ava and Hugo put their company up for sale, and instructed the lawyers to first distribute the proceeds amongst the employees, each to be rewarded for their years of service, and then fire themselves. Most of their personal fortune was put in a trust for Mia, Theo and the kids, and except for the German castle, they sold all their property.

Everything was settled in four weeks, and Ava and Hugo boarded a plane back to Germany.

Being a parent is not easy. One can only do it with what you know about yourself and the world, and what you consider good and right for your kids. Almost always your children will suffer because of it. You do not stop being a parent when your kids are grown, and just like your children you can still grow and learn and adjust, making you a better parent, and possibly a great grandparent!

The retired aliens fly home holding hands, looking forward to many summers spent with their daughter and her family, at their German home, on their new home world. Home is where the heart is, or in their case, where their hearts are!