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"There's been a change in the weather and a change in the sea…"

"There'll Be Some Changes Made" - Benny Goodman

The whole world had begun to look different to me. Right after Star and I were together, I thought maybe I was supposed to be straight now, but that was not the case. Everywhere I went I found myself looking at everyone with interest - women and men alike. After seventy years, I knew plenty about sex with men, and thanks to Frankie, I now knew some things about women.

When I left Frankie, I didn't go right back to Los Angeles and Star, but stayed in NYC to sort of reacquaint myself with old times. After a couple of months, and some minor recreational affairs with people of both sexes, I felt more comfortable with who I had become. I was careful to pick partners who wanted no more than what I did - some pleasant company and a little casual sex. I didn't want to hurt anyone. I had been in love with several men over the years, and I didn't know if I could ever really fall for a woman, but in any case, I wasn't ready to try. When it came to love, Star still occupied the majority of my thoughts.

I couldn't stay away from him for long, though, and leaped back to LA that fall. Having been out of touch, on purpose, my greeting was a surprise.

* * *

"Evan!" Star said, drawing me into a full-body hug. "You're back!" That was two exclamation points in less than a minute. I was pretty sure that had to be a record for him. If you imagine that made me feel good, you'd be right.

"Um… yeah," I said, doing my best to think about baseball statistics instead of the warm body in my arms.

"Vaira will be so pleased; you must come and stay with us!"

She would? I must? I found that I didn't want to turn down the invitation.

"Sure, I'd love to. Thanks."

He let me go-reluctantly, I thought/hoped, then led me to a chair in his office. "Wonderful. Please, tell me all about how you are feeling, what you've been doing."

So I told him about Frankie and a little about what else I'd been up to, and he seemed to hang on every word.

"I am so very pleased, Evan. I felt certain you only needed a little 'push' in the right direction."

Well, sex with Star had been more than a little push, but I guessed he was right. Whatever psychological block I'd had against sex with women had been breached.

The stoic Kareinon drove us to Star's house, and Vaira was at the door to greet me. I got the same sort of hug I'd had from Star, and even though I knew my feelings about women had changed, it was a shock to feel an attraction to Vaira. Luckily, with her I could override my body's instinctive reactions. Attracted to Star's wife? Can you say "awkward," boys and girls? Still, it was nice that they both made me welcome.

The twins had grown a lot in my short absence, almost a year old now and running everywhere. They seemed to remember me, though.

"Uncle Evan!" piped two high voices in chorus, just before I was hit by guided missiles - one for each leg. Uncle? I could live with that.

"Look at you two!" I said, grabbing a twin in each arm and swinging them up. "You're not babies any more."

Roca - the differences between the two were even more pronounced now - managed a disgusted look on his pudgy face. "No. We're big boys," he said, with dignity.

"That you are," I agreed, transferring his sturdy and Racho's more wiry form to my shoulders, where they clung like barnacles. Racho's face was more delicate too; rosy translucent skin and big round eyes regarded me with a shy version of his brother's enthusiasm.

Their development was way out in front of quote, unquote, normal human children, which was only to be expected, considering their heritage. From what little I knew of Vaira's people, they were fairly Earthlike in their abilities, if a bit longer lived, but it was obvious that Star's genes were dominant in these two baby geniuses. I wondered if Vaira had trouble keeping up with them, and decided that, if she did, she had plenty of help from Kareinon, who seemed capable of turning his big hands to about anything.

Dinner was good, and cozy, with the twins wanting to sit in my lap but finally compromising by pulling their small high chairs close on either side of mine. Star and Vaira beamed at them, and maybe me too, and being surrounded by so much familial affection kept me sort of misty-eyed for the rest of the evening.

The guest room was comfortable, once I'd evicted the babies… excuse me, the big boys. Thankfully, like most young children, they got sleepy around 8 p.m.

Well, I was back, and Star was glad to see me, but I had no plans for what to do with my life now. I was reluctant to go back to the Count's club, even though I felt certain that my singing job would open up if I wanted it. The idea of seeing CD, and knowing that we'd be virtual strangers again, instead of the hot and heavy lovers he and Eve had been, was depressing, to say the least. I wanted to see Dex, but maybe I could just phone him.

The next day, Vaira and I played babies while Star was off doing whatever he did at his office in Suria's lab. We took the kids to the zoo in Griffith Park and then the carousel near Elysian Park. I had a great time at both places, and the boys seemed to have fun as well. There's nothing quite like seeing the world all new through the eyes of children. I hadn't had that privilege in years.

These kids, however, weren't like any I'd been around before. As their bodies matured, so did their minds, and that included some of the special abilities they got from Star. I hadn't thought much about it when Vaira zipped them into harnesses, until we were admiring one of the zoo exhibits, and I saw Racho begin to levitate out of the stroller. I grabbed the precocious little rat before anyone in the crowd noticed, and Vaira shot me a grateful look. Without that intervention, she'd have had to rely on the leash attached to the harness to drag him back. The sign near the lion cage that warned "Please do not lean, sit, or climb on fence" needed "or fly over it" added. It seemed to me that the twins were going to need some very special instruction in how to behave around others in the "normal" world.

Thankfully, ice cream and cleaning up the mess afterwards was enough to send them off for naps.

* * *

We all went out for dinner that night, my treat, and that's where I got the next surprise. Seated across from each other at the table, Star and Vaira exchanged obvious conspiratorial glances, and then Star came out with it: "Evan, we've decided to relocate."

"Huh?" I said, that being one of my favorite responses around Star.

Vaira took over: "The smog in the valley is getting to be just terrible, and I hate the city. Star, and even Suria agree, so we're moving!"

I looked from her to Star, and he nodded. Roca, calmly demolishing a hamburger patty on my right, using nothing but his hands and mouth, said, "Snow," and Racho nodded, beaming up into my eyes.

"We've decided on Denver, Colorado," Star said.

I had instant visions of the soaring snowy heights of the Rockies to the west, open plains to the east, a jewel of a city with clear air and plenty of level land on which to expand. I'd never lived there, but I'd passed through it a time or two. Bemused, I nodded.

"Is that all right with you?" Star asked.

"Huh?" I said again. "You don't need my approval."

Vaira reached over and took my hand, which startled me so much I didn't pull it back. "We want you to move there with us, don't we, Star?"

Star's eyes were shining. "Yes, of course. We thought to buy a large acreage in the foothills - plenty of room for the children to play and grow."

The way those kids were going to develop, it sounded like a good idea, but… they wanted me?

"I've designed the house," Vaira said proudly, "It's going to be white, with columns, like Tara in Gone With the Wind."

Tara in the Colorado mountains? That idea left me speechless.

"If you agree, we'll get started on it right away," Star said.

"Um… sure, sounds great," I said. Why not?

"Wonderful. Suria and her staff will make all the arrangements, and...." Star stopped to exchange glances with Vaira again, making me really regret my vow not to eavesdrop on someone else's thoughts. "While the construction of the house is going on, we thought we'd take a trip."

Great, I thought. They say they want me to move along with them, but right away the lovebirds are going off on a vacation. Probably a second honeymoon, I thought bitterly, envy making an ugly reappearance in my psyche. However friendly Vaira and I had become, I couldn't deny that I still wanted Star. Maybe I'd be better off staying in LA, or even going back to NYC. Dinner went on, but my good mood was gone with the wind too.

* * *

By the next morning, I was feeling more phlegmatic. Whatever happened, I was "Uncle Evan" and thereby an official part of the family. How could I stay depressed after that?

"Singing in the rain, just singing in the rain…." I sang. Well, it was more like in the shower, but who cares, I'll sing anywhere.

I was just about to reach for the shampoo when I heard footsteps - feminine footsteps. With Kareinon to care for the boys, Vaira had slept in. I'd had coffee with Star before he left for the office, so… should I play a dirty trick?

"Star?" she called. "That you in there?"

Very Star-like, I reply, "C'mon in, honey."

"It's hot this morning, I could use a shower."

Nasty old Evan, she can't see you, but you can see through the frosted glass. Shame on you… hmm… a pink bra….

"Shut your eyes, dear," I say, "I have a surprise for you." No kidding.

"A surprise? In the shower?"

"Um, hm."

"Well, all right. Take my hand."

I slid back the glass, and she placed her hand in mine. Looking at her slowly, down and then up again, (well, her eyes were shut), I couldn't help thinking, other women or not, that I envied Star. Maybe he and I were more alike than I was willing to admit. Who would have thought?

"Can I open my eyes now?" The water was painting wisps of golden-brown hair around her forehead and neck. I stopped to admire a droplet suspended from the end of her nose before releasing her hand and saying, "Okay."

To my great surprise, she didn't blush. Those green eyes widened a bit as I smiled at her, then she turned her back and said, "Hand me the soap, please."

Intrigued, I watched her lather for a while, then remembered the shampoo. Fresh scented foam ran down my shoulders. "Smells good," I commented. "Green, like your eyes. Want some?"

"I guess so." She faced me again. Gallantly I tipped the bottle onto her head. She curtsied. (And without a skirt, it's not easy.)

"Merci. You gave me quite a start, y'know."

"Who? Me?" I said innocently.

"Yes, are you happy now? I mean, now that you've seen me in the nude… that was the idea, wasn't it?"

"Yep." Girl catches on quick.

"Well…." she looked up at me coquettishly, all soapy hair and pointed breasts. "Do I excite you?"

I smiled. "What do you think?"

Her gaze dropped to my pelvis. "I can't tell…." she said thoughtfully.

It was my turn to show her my back.

"You can blush!" she crowed, delighted. "I thought so… Star can."

"So, I'm just like Star, huh?" I busily rinsed my hair.

"No… not exactly."

I slid the door wide enough to get out and did so - gathering up a gigantic towel as I made my escape.

Vai's voice followed me down the hall. "Evan, I don't think you're a bad prototype of Star… really."

* * *

That experience did little to sustain my good mood. I dressed and left quickly, not returning until dinner time when I knew Star would be home. I didn't know if Vaira had called to tell him of my little prank, but I figured he probably wouldn't care if she had. There was no way I could measure up to him in the attractiveness department. He had nothing to be jealous of from me.

I'd decided that one more night under their roof was my limit. I would still move when they did, or maybe head out to Denver and find a place of my own while they were gone on their trip. But for sure, I was finding a hotel the next day.