"You know," began Melissa Stovall, as they ate a late brunch at the kitchen table, "I recall having a few dreams about my life as a were-mermaid, even before I married Martin and actually became one."
"Oh?" asked Eric Anderson, curious, as Julie just smiled and continued eating.
"I'll admit, I was flabbergasted when Martin first told me about were society, let alone revealed to me that he was a were-merman. It was about two years after that fateful first meeting we had the gas station he was working at, when I was on my way to Seattle about a job interview," recalled Mrs. Stovall. "I had just started work as a computer technician. My company, Stovall Systems, was still just a hopeful wish, especially since I wasn't Melissa Stovall back then, but there was just something about Moon Lake, and Martin, that kept pulling me back here every weekend and other chances I could get to visit."
"Kind of like how my attraction toward Julie, let alone my love for her, started growing," realized Eric, as his fiance blushed and smiled at him.
"Yes. If I only knew then what I know now. Anyway, that first night I dreamed about what it would be like being a were-mermaid caught me by surprise. I knew what a mermaid was, of course, but never had any fantasies about being one. Yet that night I saw myself underwater in all my aquatic glory, with Julie's father swimming by my side, and I was happy. But the next morning I pushed all those thoughts aside and just went back to work," said Melissa.
"Because you weren't ready yet," realized her daughter.
"Probably, but when I think back on that entire decade wasted because of my stubbornness, let alone more human emotions like being scared of the unknown..." said Mrs. Stovall, as a hint of sadness began creeping into her voice.
"Well, obviously true love prevailed," said Julie happily.
"In time, yes," admitted her mother. "But if I had just come to my senses sooner..."
"What finally changed your mind?" Eric carefully asked.
"Her father's persistence, for one thing," said Melissa, smiling at Julie. "By this point, I had given into my feelings enough to establish my business here in Moon Lake, although I was calling it My Tech Company at the time."
"Catchy name," commented Eric.
"Yeah. I thought so too. Already had the contract to bring Moon Lake into the technological age. Martin was already in town politics, but nowhere near the point where he would campaign to be Mayor yet. Anyway," continued Melissa, "on the ninth anniversary of our first meeting at that gas station, he proposed to me again over dinner, but once again I was stupid enough to turn him down, although I will admit his place in my heart was growing larger."
"Dad told me once that your eyes had already started changing color at times when you were with him, so he knew you were his soul mate, even if you didn't yet*," confessed Julie.
"Like I said, all that wasted time..." said Melissa, her voice trailing off.
Then, she decided to finish her story. "That night, alone in my apartment, I had my mermaid dream again. I had had them off and on since the very first one, especially after I relocated to Moon Lake, but this time, there was a lot more to it than just happily swimming with your father. I saw you," said Melissa, while looking at her daughter.
"ME?" Julie said in surprise.
"Yes. Your father and I were at the hospital. The necklace I proudly wear now as his wife only had pearls representing just the first couple of years of our marriage in the dream," recalled Melissa, while fingering the more advanced necklace now around her neck, just a pearl shy of their twentieth wedding anniversary. "You were just this tiny bundle of joy I had just given birth to. Your skin was still kind of pinkish since you weren't more than a couple of minutes old. There was a slight hint of blonde hair on your skull, but when you opened those deep blue eyes and smiled at me..."
Her mother grew silent for a moment, as she continued to stare at Julie.
"Then I knew. Martin, me. Us. You. There was no way I could deny you, let alone whatever your hopes and dreams for the future might be..."
Then Melissa Stovall put her head in her hands and cried.
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*For were-mers, the concepts of "love at first sight" and "soul mates" are proven scientific facts. The intended's eye color will occasionally change, indicating the were-mer has found true love, even if the other is unaware of this yet and might still be a normal human being at the time, as was the case between Julie Stovall and Eric Anderson.—tmw.