Chapter 475 - Day MCMLXXXVII, Part I

I woke up feeling fresh and well-rested, then I went to take a shower, and quickly swung by the city center to get some food to prepare a nice breakfast for Tihana. I even made her some sandwiches for school.

When she finally got up and entered the kitchen while rubbing her eyes, everything was ready. A glass of orange juice, scrambled eggs, some bacon, and toasts.

- Good morning, sunshine.

- Morning paps... - she replied with a deep voice.

- Seat and eat. I'll take you to school later.

- Wow... We are like a real family now - she said, yawned, and finally took a seat. - Only a mom is lacking. You should look for one.

- Wow, so spiteful so early in the morning. To think that I made you this nice breakfast thinking I will get at least a 'thank you'. How foolish of me.

- Thank you. Happy now? And for the record, it's not my fault. That's what bad parenting does to kids - she said.

- Yeah. Sure. Blame it on me, when I even wasn't around.

- See? That's exactly what I'm talking about. You weren't there when I needed you. Instead, I had those two drunkards...

- Aww... That's so sweet. You just turned an insult into a compliment.

She winked at me and started eating. I already finished my portion, so I just poured myself a glass of juice and sat on the kitchen cabinet.

- So, what are you doing today, paps?

- I have a meeting with the architect.

- Are you building something? - she asked with her mouth full of eggs.

- A house for your grandma, in Dwarka.

- Cool. Does she know?

- Not yet. I want it to be a surprise. I'm also gonna build one somewhere in Poland. Maybe will get a private jet for her, so she can travel easily from there to here... We will see.

- I didn't know you were this rich.

- I sold some crystals.

- So you are dealing meth now, huh? - she joked.

- Very funny. Eat your eggs brat.

She did, then she went to prepare herself for school, and I shadow walked her to the city center, and then accompanied her all the way to the gate hall. She went to the research facility, and I to meet with Vikram Kaur, who already waited for me on the other side of the gate. I noticed that India build some kind of infrastructure around the other side of the portal.

One building was already finished, and more were undergoing construction. There was also a road and a parking lot. We took a car to the land I purchased to meet with the architect. The meeting took around two hours.

I was walked through every part of the house, and where it was supposed to be in the space. There were few markings put on the ground already. The plans needed a bit of change here and there, but it was mostly fine, so my assistant could start looking for somebody to take on the construction part of the project.

He already had few options prepared, and we discussed a bit of a coffee in the local coffeehouse.

He immediately made a few phone calls and booked meetings for the next day with some representatives of the firms. We agreed to meet tomorrow morning, and proceed from that. That's how our joined ventures concluded, and I returned to Ark.

I was welcomed by Tihana and Sudarshana Patel just as I passed through the portal.

- Hi - said the Indian woman, and smiled at me. - Could we talk?

I kinda ignored her at first, and looked at my fake daughter, thinking that she might have done something, but she just smiled at me.

- Hi... Did she just do something? - I asked the linguist.

- No. It's unrelated to Tihana. She just accompanied me here, since I asked her where I could find you.

- Oh... Ok. How can I help you?

- I made a blog a few weeks ago, shortly after we returned from our trip, to write about my life here, the research, and everything... It gained a lot of traction internationally, and I have been invited to a TV show, here in India. You are one of the people who can actually speak the language of Uhms, so I thought maybe you could join me?

- I would love to appear on TV - said Tihana, before I could even squeeze out a single word.

I have had a look, and she smiled again at me.

- I heard that you are not a very public person, but this would mean a lot to me, and to the world. You are very knowledgeable on the topic of aliens, and their culture. People really want to know about those things. I also want to take Ki'rai, the xuzard. People have been begging me to actually do an interview with her, and post it online. I thought you could help me with that.

I almost said no, but then I thought that this might actually be a good opportunity to introduce the lizard race to humanity. I wanted to show KI'rai my world. I wanted her to try all kinds of things. Food, music, movies, games. She had already a little piece of it here, but there was so much more out there.

- Ok - I nodded. - I'll talk to her, but you ow me one.

She smiled at me.

- Of course. I'll contact the producer, and set up a date. Do you have something on your schedule, or are you free?

- Not tomorrow, and except that as soon as possible.

- Ok - she nodded. - I'll let you know as soon as I will have something. Thank you, and bye.

She waved waver with her fingers and left the two of us in the hall.

- Wow. I didn't expect that - said Tihana. - I thought you would never agree.

She was actually shocked.

- Well, I did, and now we have somehow convinced Ki'rai, and also prepare her. She might be a bit too wild for a talk show...

- Oh, this is going to be awesome! - said Tihana with a big smile.

Then we finally left the gate hall.