Trials of a New Life

"Has he got a little scuba suit or something?" asked Sally both curious and surprised.

Jenny giggled and shook her head. Next to the large aquarium was a cloth, Jenny dipped it in the aquarium and she washed ehr hands with it. Then she put a finger on the glass and very gentle increased the temperature Herbert swam to the warm spot on the water, he seemed excited. She took a fish bowl  and very slowly pushed it two thirds into the water making sure she would not touch the water.

"It's important not to create a current, even though he knows what I'm doing he might gets scared and then he puffs himself. I heal if I get stung but you wouldn't. It helps to talk to him. Isn't that right Herbert?" Herbert swam into the bowl and seemed to wait for Jenny to take the bowl out. Very slowly Jenny took out the bowl and placed it on the table and filled the fish bowl with more water. The fish bowl had handels and once it was full Jenny lifted it up and showed Sally Herbert close up. The fish bowl had stuck to the sides fake plants.

"See this Herbert, this is my Sally. She is a good girl and we gonna live with her. I am sure she will take you out sometimes, but you got to be calm." Jenny smiled at Sally. "Easy, let's show Herbert to Hettie."

Sally was staring in amazement. "That.... he is one extremely intelligent fish! I thought fish couldn;t learn, but he seems to know what will happen." She just seemed flabbergasted about the whole thing.

"Well techincally Herbert is common porcupine puffer and some can be kind a smart. He is mainly poinsin in his organs but it is always said this poisin can reach the outside of the fish. I've used to take him out all the time so he knows how we do it. Oh this smells amazing Dad. Look Hettie this is my pet, Herbert." Jenny placed the bowl on the table in a safe distant from her daughter's electrical pet.

"Don't take this the wrong way Jenny, but I think Herbert is anything but common!" said Sally

Hettie stared at the little bowl with a massive grin. "Cwan I hwug hwim? PWEEEEAAASE?"

Jenny grinned at Sally. "I know he is more than special, Dad said I got him because I so badly wanted a dog but Mom was worried I set the dog on fire. I think in my memories I stole him not sure why I hadn't had to give him back."

Jenny carefully moved some of Hettie's parts aside and then pushed Herbert closer. "You can hug can but Herbert is like the opposite of you and me, he needs to be in water. You can hug his bowl and he will like your body temperature heating the water but you can't take him out. Okay?" Jenny was glad how much Hettie seemed to like Herbert. "You know kiddo when I was little I had a little red wagon and I strapped the bowl in and we walked around. Well I think I did that, I've seen pictures of it."

"Maybe one of those videos show you getting him for real?" suggested Sally.

"Awww, I wanna hwug hwim wif nwo boww!" said Hettie, but she still hugged the bowl with a smile.

"I still have that wagon," said Mark.

Jenny suddenly turned around and looked at Mark. "You do? I-I didn't think you... would have kept it. It was just a wagon."

Jenny wasn't sure what to say or what to feel. She stumbled over her own words not being able to form her thoughts into a sentence. "But why?"

Jenny turned around, shook her head and walked out of the kitchen. She loved her Dad, she loved to know that he always loved her and her memories were fake but still sometimes it overwhelmed her, like when she can't rememeber why she was allowed to keep a rare fish and then to find out her Dad kept a silly thing such as a little wagon she used. She was not freaking out as she did the night before when she walked into her Dad's room and got lost in her memory, but confused.

Mark gave a sigh, he knew what was troubling Jenny, but it didn;t make it any easier. Sally went to follow Jenny, but Hettie beat her to it. The little girl tugged on her mother's sleeve.

"Wha's wwong Mwama?" she asked.

Jenny looked for a while at her daughter and then she knelt down and pulled her in a tight hug. "Sometimes I get sad because I can't remember something. I... a bad person took my memories and gave me fake ones, very horrible fake ones."

Jenny breathed in her daughter's scent, she smelt so good. "Your Granda is such a great one he tries really hard to make you happy and he was like that when I was little with me, but I can't remember that and that makes me sad and confuses me."

"Who was tha' bwad pewswon?" asked Hettie angrily. "I'ww tweach hwim nwo' two mwess wif mwy Mwama!" Her body temperature started to rise.

"Whoa! Whoa! That is so nice of you, but that is long ago. They got what they deserved. Calm down kiddo before you set the house on fire. We can make new memories, you and me and Mommy." Jenny picked up Hettie and walked back into the kitchen.

"Hey, sorry that was silly to walk out. So you still have the red wagon, of course you do you aren't what I remember so you would have kept it. It just surprised me." Jenny mumbled not daring to look at either Mark or Sally. She felt stupid for freaking out over a little red wagon.

"Owkway Mwama! I wan evewy dway two be hawooy wif you!" said Hettie, giggling as she was picked up.

"It's alright Jenny, we understand," said Mark as Jenny returned. Sally nodded, a bit surprised she was agreeing with Mark.

Jenny sat Hettie on the chair again, kissed Sally and went over to her Dad. "Do you need any help?"

Sally smiled blushing a little, while Hettie bounced impatiently waiting for food.

"It's almost done" said Mark. "You could pot out some plates and forks."

Jenny got out four plates and cutlery, turned around and looked at the table, full with Hettie's stuff and Herbert. "Looks like we got a little problem here. Hettie can you move your wires and things of your pet or your pet will be part of our lunch."

Jenny smiled at Sally, she was glad that Sally at least sort of tolerated Mark. She might still not like him or trust him but she seemed relaxed even though he was in the room. She put the plates on the table and kissed Sally. "Do you know how much I love you?" She whispered as she played with her girlsfriend's hair.

"Awwww, I dwon' wanna ewat mwy pwet!" giggled Hettie as she carefully started moving the parts to another table.

"I think I might have had a few hints!" winked Sally.

Jenny wrapped her arms around Sally. "Good I want to make sure you know that and that you are okay... being here I mean," Jenny mumbled. She didn't want to ruin he calmness they had at the moment. She had a thought but would wait a little bit longer to ask Sally.

"I'm starving, let me get Herbert out of the way don't want you to eat him accidently."

"I... I think so..." said Sally. "It's weird, but I think I can manage. For you and Hettie." She managed to laugh. "I think Herbert would stop me before it got that far!"

Jenny kissed Sally and sat down next to her as she placed the plates and cutlery. "Oh we need glasses."

Jenny jumped up and quickly went to the cupboard. "Dad are you okay if Hettie gets a normal glass or do you want me to look for a plastic cup? I don't think she will break a normal glass though." Jenny was holding three glass in her hands waiting for Mark, she was still learning to be a mom. "Can three olds drink out of normal glasses?"

"You can give her a glass with a straw in it. Everyone wins then!" said Mark.

Jenny nodded, took out a straw and four glasses she walked back to the table and suddenly stopped and walked back to the cupboard to get out another straw... and two more. "There we go a green one for Dad, pink for Sally, yellow for Hettie and red for me, that way neither of us feels left out." Jenny grinned very childlike as she sat down between Hettie and Sally.

"So what we gonna do this afternoon? Any wishes Hettie? I got to get my bike which is still in the hotel's parking lot, I don't really like my baby out there. But other than that I do anything you want Hettie. I am kind a sorry that Mommy and I had to do so much grown up stuff since we got back from Egypt. But you had fun with Granda right?"

Hettie turned around she was watching Herbert in his bowl. "Mh-mmh." She mumbled absentminded and then suddenly turned around to look at her mothers. "Mwommwy? Mwamwa? Cwan I awsk ya swom'fing? I fwound aw schoow I wanna gwo. Fow smawt kiwds. Wook iwt pwetty." Hettie pulled out several pages she had printed off showing a large old house with children in uniforms of all ages, teachers in small classes and descriptions of the way of teaching, values and aims. Jenny was actually impressed that Hettie got all this information it seemed a very good school for children like her that are beyond normally intelligent.

Jenny looked through the papers. "When did you get all this information?"

"When Gwandwa wa' uwndew the showew." Hettie said looking hopeful at her Moms.

"That... um... Hettie you are three years old, I didn't realise you want to go to school. I hated school. Your Mommy and I well we aren't even sure we want you go to school at all." Jenny turned around and looked at Sally.

Mark gave a little chuckle as Jenny put all the different straws out.

Sally was looking surprised. "Hettie.... how did you even find out about school?" she asked.

Hettie looked at her mother as if she just grew another head. "I seawchwed onwine fow schoows? Duh!"

Jenny had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing out loud, Hettie could be so funny sometimes. "How about Mommy and I look at this school and talk about it and then we see?"

Sally couldn't help but laugh. "You've got me there little genius!" she smiled, patted Hettie's head. "But I meant, where did you first here about schools at all?" Sally glanced over to Jenny. "That would be best, yes."