Dinner was by no means extravagant, but was delicious and much needed by Mister and Mrs. Anderson, who found themselves quite famished in the aftermath of dealing with the rogue were-vixen Yvette Smith.
During the meal, the Andersons and the Stovalls traded details about their backgrounds. After William and Martha related a slightly edited version of their life up to and including their first weeks in Moon Lake because Eric and Julie were present, Martin and Melissa Stovall began talking about their lives.
"I'm Moon Lake born and bred," bragged Mayor Stovall. "My ancestors first swam here as part of a migration long ago. The river that feeds Moon Lake eventually connects with the Pacific Ocean. Somehow they found the way, looked around when they arrived, and decided to settle down. Unfortunately, it's all oral history, so I have no way of knowing for sure, but it was a rough time being out at sea even back then. Not as much pollution to worry about then compared to now, but fishing interests, especially the commercial type, have always a risk to the mer community."
"I imagine, like all the other were-species, it's hard for the mers to distinguish between fact and fiction after all the time that has passed and the efforts to protect were-society," surmised William.
"I'm afraid so," admitted Martin. "I couldn't even begin to hazard a guess about Atlantis or the Bermuda Triangle. But I can tell you that the subplot concerning mermaids in that last movie about pirates is pure hogwash. Mers may be long lived, but so are most weres. Immortality is just wishful thinking on the part of some humans, like Ponce de Leon and the Fountain of Youth."
"I see," said Martha. "What about you Melissa? Were you already a were or—"
"Actually, I was born normal," admitted Melissa, "although until I moved to Moon Lake, I didn't know weres really existed, and I certainly didn't know what I was missing until I married Martin," she added, while smiling at her husband.
"How did the two of you meet?" asked Eric, while sneaking a quick glance at Julie, who simply smiled while staring at her parents.
"Well, I was born and raised in California," began Melissa. "Graduated with honors in computer science from UCLA. I was driving up to Seattle for a job interview when I stopped at a gas station here in Moon Lake to fill up and grab a quick bite. There was this very handsome man working there at the time."
"It was a part time job to help defray my college expenses," added Martin. "When she first pulled in, I thought it was just another customer. But when she got out of her vehicle and I got a good look at that beautiful face of hers, I just lost it right there. Almost proposed on the spot, but managed to restrain myself. It was definitely love at first sight for me," he confessed, while reaching out to hold his wife's hand.
"I'll admit I was interested, but with everything going on, the best I could do at the time was remember what the name on his name tag was as I drove off," said Melissa. "Anyway, Seattle turned out to be a bust. Someone more experienced than a recent grad got the job, but I had the bright idea of checking the job situation in all the towns and cities I passed as I worked my way back to California so the trip wouldn't be a total lost. There were a few computer tech jobs here and there, but again, everyone wanted the applicant to have years of experience. Yet when I got back to Moon Lake and checked it out, I was surprised that no one even knew what tech support was."
"You have to remember, at this point in time, computers might have been around for over a decade already, but the were community was skittish about exposure on something called 'the world wide web'," explained Martin.
"Anyway, I took my laptop and resume to the Town Hall and knocked the socks off the administration in office at the time. I was instantly hired as Moon Lake's first tech support person. I had to go back to California to gather my personal belongings before settling here and starting work, but soon I had all the major city services wired and running better than they ever had in the town's pre-computer days."
"Interesting," said Eric. "Julie and I have science interests ourselves. But how did you deal with the discovery of weres?"
"Well, when I first came back and settled in, I honestly didn't even know what a were was outside of a few late night TV movies," admitted Melissa. "Being by myself when I arrived, I didn't get the speech about becoming one for mutual protection that Samantha Twist gives. There was a few mentions of them in all the non-disclosure forms I signed to work for the town, but I thought it a joke, You know, hazing the new kid on the block. Stuff like that."
"So then what happened?" asked Eric.
"Well, I got wrapped up in my work for a while, but whenever I needed gas, I made sure to go to that same station until I saw Martin again," said Melissa, with a sly smile on her face.
"Unfortunately, I only worked Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays; so it took her a while to catch me on duty. But I did ask her out that first time we saw each other again," added Mayor Stovall.
"And I did say yes," Melissa reminded him.
"Yet it was almost a full ten years before you finally said yes to my marriage proposal," said Martin.
"Well, that beautiful summer day when we went to the lake and you revealed to me that not only did weres exist, but that you were one also, did give me pause to stop and think," admitted Melissa. "I was already falling in love with you, yet that was quite a shock."
"I know what you mean," said Eric. "If it wasn't for Julie, I'm not sure what I would have done."
"It took me some time to adjust also," Melissa told Eric. "Yet other things, like establishing our careers and my own stupidity, kept getting in the way as well. But thankfully Martin was persistent."
"Melissa was definitely worth the wait," Martin said happily.
"We kept seeing each other the whole time and finally one day it dawned on me, what the heck was I waiting for? Martin Stovall was the man I loved, and nothing else mattered. The next time he proposed, I finally said yes, although to this day I still mentally chastise myself sometimes for wasting all that extra time we could have been together."
"Then the two of them got married, and Mom became a were-mermaid on their wedding night," added Julie, looking at her parents.
"Quite a story. I'm beginning to think Moon Lake is a very special place and has a way of working things out for everyone," said Martha, while looking at everyone gathered around the Stovall's dining room table.
"I certainly won't disagree with that," said the mayor. "But now, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask Eric a question," as he turned to look at the youngest Anderson. "My daughter is quite taken with you young man. How do you feel about her?"
Eric blushed a bit, but didn't hesitate when he looked directly at Mister Stovall and replied, "I just met Julie recently, but I've also never met anyone like her before. We're both the same age, in the same grade, and like a lot of the same things. She's intelligent, and there are times when we talk where I have to stop and think about things, let alone every once in a while admit I was wrong about something. Back in Minnesota, I was just a nobody who was picked on and bullied a lot because I'm what you would call a nerd or a geek. Yet she makes me feel special and good about myself. I can't tell you what the future might hold, but I would like your permission to date your daughter, sir."
Julie tried to discretely wipe a tear away from her eyes as her parents smiled at the Andersons. Then Mister Stovall turned back to face Eric and said, "Permission granted."