In Sulani at the Grant home, AJ is doing his homework with one of his best pals Alora Prescott.
His other best pal, Mew Mew, is "helping" them with their math problems.
Apollo and Naya are spending time together on the beach. They built a sandcastle together before watching a bonfire Apollo lit. While the couple still have tension between them at times due to Naya's work schedule, things have been calmer between them. They've agreed to put it all aside and just enjoy each other's company.
❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧
August Lewis surprises his wife, Aubree, at her job in the city at lunch time. Aubree takes a long lunch and they go to a poetry reading at the Stargazer Lounge in San Myshuno.
It's bit brisk, to put it mildly, for the couple to be out and about but they enjoy themselves nonetheless. August surprising Aubree at her job reminds her of one of the reasons she loves her husband. He used to surprise her with romantic gestures all the time but things change a bit when you have twins at home.
❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧
Rahmi Watson is out tending her chickens in Henford-on-Bagley when she hears a familiar voice call her name. Her heart skips a beat as she turns and sees him.
Ukanipo has been missing her since she left Sulani and their, in his mind, date. He knows this is Rahmi's first Love Day as a single woman and he wanted to do something special for her so she isn't feeling down. Before he gave it much thought, he was booking his flight to go see her. He has no regrets on his choice.
Rahmi is overjoyed to see him. She's been worried that things would be awkward between them once they saw each other again after what happened in Sulani, but her worries had been for nothing. The two spend the day watching movies together and talking since all her kids, even Rashidah, had agreed to go visit Thomas in Chestnut Ridge for a few days since her youngest two are on a small break from school.
❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧
At times, being married as long as Garrett and Denise Ambrose have been can make it hard to come up with something romantic for a day such as Love Day.
Garrett's surprise of cooking dinner and presenting his wife with chocolates and wine has done the trick. After a day of work Denise is more than ready to unwind with her husband and enjoy his company.
There's a gentle rain falling upon the island of Sulani as the Grant household wakes up for the day. It's a Saturday which thankfully means no school for AJ.
"Can't I do this later? I want to go talk to Rahmi. She has fun stories about her farm." AJ says with a sigh.
"It's best to get it done and out of the way. Then you have the rest of the weekend to have fun." Naya tells him, she's helping him with his homework while her husband stares at the TV, watching the ending credits of some movie he found to watch.
By the time Rahmi gets up and gets ready for the day, the rain had cleared up - almost like magic one could say. According to her weather app, it was supposed to rain all day. She leaves the house to go meet Ukupanipo at Sand Simoleon Beach.
"Is the weather around here always so unpredictable?" Rahmi asks after they've gotten in the water. She still isn't used to seeing her friend in his merman form. There's a certain ethereal beauty to him when he's in the water - in his element - but she won't be sharing that thought anytime soon.
Ukupanipo's face breaks out into a huge grin. "When you have those of us who can change the weather, yes it can be. Normally I don't meddle with nature but I did tell you I'd bring you here today..."
Rahmi's eyes grew wide "You...stopped the rain?"
He nods his head "We can summon clear skies, among other things." He doesn't want to give away all "secrets" yet.
"Well...thank you." Rahmi says with a smile, she feels a warmth spread through her chest at the idea of someone doing something like that for her.
After their swim, they grill out fresh fruit for their dinner. Tomorrow she would be spending time with AJ and Apollo while Naya is at work. The guys want to take her to a local museum so she can see some of Sulani's history.
The duo eat their dinner, chatting here and there about their lives.
"Since you go back soon, there's one more thing I'd like to show you." Ukupanipo announces to his companion. He isn't sure if she'll agree to it or not.
"Oh?" Rahmi asks, putting down a piece of fruit to look at him.
"I work at the island's bar and well, I'd like to take you there. Not while I work obviously but I'd like to give you a taste of the Sulani nightlife scene."
Many things filtered through Rahmi's mind in that moment. Is he asking her out on a date? Or is this just a friend thing? Then her emotions kicked in. Panic and happiness were the main ones. "Sure."
Night begins to slowly creep in and Rahmi finds herself putting on some warmer clothes she brought with her. The fact that it's wintertime and she's been at the beach most of the day while her kids are dealing with snow back home isn't lost on her. She's been keeping in touch with her kids and they seem to be doing well, from what they're telling her anyway.
The pair spend time around a bonfire someone built on the sand until it gets late and they part ways.
Once Rahmi returns to the Apollo and Naya's house, she goes to Vera's old room and finds Naya sitting on the love seat.
"Did he ask you out yet?" She asks, almost giddy. Despite her own struggles in her marriage lately, Naya is a fan of love. She loves love and seeing people in it.
"No. Yes...I don't know." Rahmi says, staring at the blonde. She tells Naya what happened at the beach.
"That's totally a date! Don't worry, I got your outfit covered." Naya beams. It's not often she gets to dress someone up. Apollo let her play dress up on him once and that was it - but that story is for the bedroom only.
"Do you think she'll be impressed?" AJ asks his trusty sidekick, Mew Mew.
He gets purring as a response so he takes it as a yes. AJ had joined the scouts as an afterschool activity and he's earned a few badges. He's excited because it won't be just his parents in the house but his Aunt Vera's friend, Rahmi Watson - is coming to stay with them for a few days.
"Thank you again for letting me stay with your family." Rahmi tries to tell them as the couple as they have a spirited debate over which way the toilet paper roll should go.
"It's not a big deal, Vera insisted on it." Apollo tells Rahmi which earns him an exaggerated hand gesture from his wife. "I mean, you are most welcome. We are happy to be helpful."
Naya looks at him and shakes her head. "We're glad to have you, Rahmi. I'm looking forward to interviewing you on Henford-on-Bagley's well known Cottage Core fashion but most of all, getting to know you better."
Rahmi smiles at them both, Vera had given her a nudge to go to Sulani to visit Ukupanipo and asked Apollo and Naya to let Rahmi stay in her old room. It'd save money, which Rahmi is grateful for - and she's also looking forward to getting to know the other half of the Grant clan better.
After breakfast, Rahmi follows the directions to Ukupanipo's house. She meets him outside and gets to meet the famous Mr. Whiskers, who Ukupanipo adopted from Brindleton Bay after Mr. Whisker's term as mayor ended.
She busies herself looking for seashells. She wants enough for each of her kids to have two of their very own, plus she wants a few for herself. She figures she better get started on her quest.
Naturally, Ukupanipo invites Rahmi out for a swim. She stays on shore for a bit, watching him swim around in his merman form. It's the first time for her seeing a merfolks beautiful tail. Despite knowing Vera for years, she's never seen her friend in her mermaid form. It's something she plans to tell her kids about, with Ukupanipo's permission of course.
Rahmi finally joins him in the water and she decides she likes swimming in the ocean over swimming in a pool. The island is beautiful. She can understand why someone would want to live in Sulani. Although she was very hesitant at first to leave her kids and the farm, Rahmi is glad she's taken her friend up on his invite to visit the island. She feels relaxed and happy, something she hasn't felt in longer than she can remember.
Ukupanipo is pleased Rahmi has come to visit him, he wants to show her his world and most importantly, he wants her to enjoy herself. He hopes this visit brings them closer in her friendship because he really likes hanging out with her. Sometimes, it's been a bit lonely for him. He's waiting to find his soulmate and while he's friendly with all the other merfolk on the island, they all have families now. He feels a bit like the black sheep of the clan.
Thanks to Vera's phone call, Apollo and Naya Grant knew to expect a visit from Dakota Laws. Vera also coached her brother on how to summon the island spirits - it doesn't however guarantee Apollo can do that. As Vera told Dakota the night before, not all merfolk are have that gift.
When Dakota arrives in Sulani, he's invited upstairs by Naya to visit AJ. The boy is growing quickly, though Naya seems to be able to still lift him with ease. Must by the extra yoga she's been doing lately.
After Dakota gets to watch AJ while Naya uses the bathroom and feeds their cat, Mew Mew, he finds Apollo outside, by the water.
Apollo and Dakota's relationship hasn't exactly been the closest and not because they live in different places. They often butted heads during Dakota's relationship with Apollo's sister. Still, that seems to be water under the waterfall now.
"I just need to know if he's alive." Dakota tells Apollo. Dakota feels Thaddeus Laws is very much alive due to everything he's learned over the past year but also he just feels it in his gut. Still, he wants to make sure it's not all in his head.
"I've never done this but I'll give it a shot." Apollo comments. It's always been his sister's gift, that and singing. If you ask him to summon a rainstorm, that he can do for sure.
About 25 minutes later ~
After a few failed attempts and one more phone call to Vera, Apollo is able to summon one lone island spirit. He's thrilled he's able to do it but notices he feels very tired afterwards.
Dakota asks his question, the response he gets fills him with dread.
"Hele ʻo ia me ka pilikia."
Of course, Dakota doesn't know what this means until Apollo translates it for him into "He walks causing trouble."
Dakota finally has confirmation his father is alive but the news isn't good news.
Evening is coming as AJ Grant greets his trusty sidekick, Mew Mew.
"Potty play!" AJ exclaims as the cat looks at him with expectancy of a few pets.
AJ has his little heart set on playing in the toilet with his buddy while Mommy and Daddy are outside and Lily is washing the dishes left over from dinner.
It's been a rough few months for Mr. and Mrs. Apollo Grant. Months of trying and no baby. They're finally starting to accept that AJ will probably be their only child, unless they adopt someday. With the weight of trying for a goal off their minds, they are actually feeling less stressed the past few days and are simply enjoying each other's company.
Apollo is about to launch into his joke about bees and ghosts when he hears what sounds like a howl rip through the night air.
"Did you hear that?" He asks, looking at his wife. He feels insane over the thought that crosses his mind. It doesn't sound like a dog's howl but a wolf's. There are no wolves in Sulani.
"I think I did hear something..." Naya comments, her mind on going inside and putting AJ to bed.
Lily thought she could contain herself until The Grants came back inside but she had to rush out of the house. Thankfully she had gotten AJ ready for bed and tucked in with his favorite teddy bear before she felt the urge to transform. It had been years since her fury had crept up on her like tonight. Her emotions had been all over the place since she learned who Apollo's sister is married to - her cousin, Caleb and that they are expecting a baby together. Part of her wanted to quit when she heard that bit of information but another part of her knows she's getting older. Maybe, maybe it would be good to see her cousins one last time before she passes.
Spring is inching its way closer in Sulani. Apollo Grant is spending his morning working with his son on his animals and colors flashcards.
Upon seeing a flashcard that has a wolf on it, AJ shouts and claps his hands happily. “Wily!”
Apollo looks at the card confused and shows it to his son again. “This is a wolf. They live in the woods.”
“Wily!!” AJ shouts again. Apollo tosses the card over his shoulder and shows AJ a card of a cow.
“Mooo!” AJ exclaims “Milk!”
Apollo smiles and nods his head in approval.
Naya comes home from her errands to the grocery store and they get ready for their appointment with Naya’s Obstetrician. They have been trying for a baby again and figured it might not be a bad idea to see if there’s anything they can do to increase their chances while also making sure Naya is completely healthy for another pregnancy. After giving birth to AJ, Naya’s periods had become irregular, though she never said anything to Apollo about it. It was starting to concern her.
Several hours later…
The couples’ visit to the doctor’s office did not go as planned. While Naya is healthy, her doctor broke the news that Naya has developed Secondary Infertility after having AJ. The couple had never heard of it before. Now Naya was wishing she hadn’t had it explained to her.
“I don’t understand. I’m young still! I didn’t have any problems with AJ…” Naya whimpers and cries as her husband tries his best to soothe her.
“The doctor didn’t say we can’t still try. Just that it’ll be more difficult to conceive.” Apollo reminds her.
“More like impossible pretty much!” Naya exclaims, tears streaking down her cheeks.
“Hey.” Apollo says gently, pulling Naya closer to him and getting her to focus on him. “We are still blessed. We have a little boy. He’s great and healthy.”
Naya sniffles and smiles a little, thinking of their son. “I know.”
Apollo is sad about the news as well but he believes things happen for a reason. “Besides, we can have fun trying. If it don’t happen, it don’t happen. We still got to have a child together.”
Naya nods a bit. Part of her had been worried that maybe Apollo’s attention would stray now that she probably wouldn’t be able to give him another baby.
Apollo put her fear to rest. If they have another baby or not, she’s grateful for what she has.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Small note. Secondary Infertility is a real medical condition. My apologies if this upsets anyone.
