I am so excited about this new story, having not felt so excited since I wrote "Katia". It is 12:30 AM and I think I will write another several hours while the fire burns in me. I hope that you enjoy it.

I haven't shown who is Intersex yet. Who do you think it will be?

So, the day when she arrived home, as her father looked up at her approach, he knew that his daughter was not flying. The craft was obviously not on autopilot like her daughter used. No this was a very fast and expert, somewhat reckless, approach and landing that was better than he did when he was a pilot. Though Uma thought he did not know, he was a man and a warrior, he knew. But that did not mean that he would just let this young man walk off with his daughter unopposed. He would see about this intruder. He let Uma greet the daughter while he went into the dwelling and put on his sword.

Uma and Credence both knew a confrontation was coming when Father walked into the house. Credence was resplendent in her bejewelled Abaya and Hijab with the ancient Emirate style face covering. These days, it was no longer about religion but about centuries old customs. Knowing what she had to do to gain Father’s blessing, Credence bent to her duties. She had not worn an Abaya in over a year. The family all knew that she would be uncovered when she was not on the home world, but they insisted on observing tradition here.

When they arrived in the entry way, Credence’s stomach began to churn. Father would make this difficult, but she would stand up to him and let this man she loved have her. She knew that Baboo would be in the family meeting room where the men’s section was on one side and the women’s section, with the lower floor, was on the other, with a curtain separating.

She entered the room through the women’s door, walked slowly across to the thin curtain and stopped. “Baboo, may I enter and speak with you, please”. She said in her most humble voice, one she had not used since she left home.

“What do you mean bringing an outsider here daughter/” He thundered making the walls rattle.

“Baboo, I have to start my new job in two weeks, so there was not time to follow all the tradition. Please, may your loving and obedient daughter speak to you?”

Baboo had not expected, her to be under a time constraint, but he still intended to make sure that she really loved this stranger, would be obedient to him and that he was worthy of her. He would have no weakling coward taking his daughter from him!
“Come daughter, we will speak of this interloper, this intruder who threatens the virtue of my blood, my cherished child.”

The next words out of her mouth made her heart nearly stop. “Thank you Father for agreeing to talk to me about him, I will abide by your words”. Tears were in her eyes and her voice cracked in fear. She nearly wept. Yet she knew that true strength was the conversation, the respect, the love, and not yielding to his roaring, though she found him completely frightening. He had never struck her, but her love for him was so complete that to thoughtlessly displease him was unthinkable.