Shadow of the giant

hug but still held her shoulders.
"You wanted these children more than anything, and you were right. Now you
want to avoid them because you think you can't bear the grief of the ones that
aren't there. And I tell you, you're wrong. And I know. Because I was there for
Stefan, during all the years you were gone. I didn't hide from him because I
didn't have you."
    "I know you're right," said Petra. "You think
I'm stupid? I didn't decide not to see them. I just kept putting it off."
    "Your mother and I have written to Peter, begging him
to order you home. And all he said was, She'll come when she can't help
it."
    "You couldn't listen to him? He is the Hegemon of the
whole world."
    "Not even half the world yet," said Father.
"And he might be Hegemon of nations, but he's got no authority inside my
family."
    "Thank you for coming, Papa. I'm demobilizing my troops
tomorrow and sending them home across borders where they won't need passports
because it's all part of the Free People of Earth. I did something while I was
here. But now I'm done. I was going home anyway. But now I'll do it because you
told me to. See? I'm willing to be obedient, as long as you order me to do what
I was going to do anyway."
     
     
    The Free People of Earth had four capitals now—Bangkok had
been added to Rwanda, Rotterdam, and Blackstream. But it was Blackstream—Ribeirão
Preto—where the Hegemon lived. And that was where Peter had had her children
moved. He hadn't even asked her permission and it made her furious when he
informed her what he had done. But she was busy in Russia and Peter said that
Rotterdam wasn't home to her and it wasn't home to him and he was going home,
and keeping her kids where he could make sure they were getting cared for. So
it was Brazil she came home to. And it did feel good. Moscow's winter had been
a nightmare, even worse than Armenia's winters. And she liked the feel of
Brazil, the pace of life, the way they moved, the football in the streets, the
way they were never quite dressed, the music of the Portuguese language coming
out of the neighborhood bars along with batuque and samba and laughter and the
pungent smell of pinga.
    She took a car part of the way but then paid him and told
him to deliver her bags to the compound and she walked the rest of the way.
Without actually planning it, she found herself walking past the little house
where she and Bean had lived when they weren't inside the compound.
    The house had been changed. She realized: It was connected
to the house next door by a couple of rooms added in, and the garden wall
between them had been torn down. It was one big house now.
    What a shame. They can't leave well enough alone.
    Then she saw the name on the little sign on the wall beside
the gate.
    Delphiki.
    She opened the gate without clapping hands for permission.
She knew now what had happened, but she also couldn't believe that Peter had
gone to such trouble.
    She opened the door and walked in and...
    There was Bean's mother in the kitchen, making something
that had a lot of olives and garlic in it.
    "Oh," said Petra. "I'm sorry. I didn't know
you—I thought you were in Greece."
    The smile on Mrs. Delphiki's face was all the answer Petra
needed. "Of course you come in, it's your house. I'm the visitor. Welcome
home!"
    "You came to—you're here to take care of the
babies."
    "We work for the FPE now. And our jobs brought us here.
But I couldn't stand to be away from my grandchildren. I took a leave of
absence. Now I cook, and change nasty diapers, and scream at the
empregadas."
    "Where are the..."
    "Naptime!" said Mrs. Delphiki. "But I promise
you, little Andrew, he's only faking. He never sleeps, whenever I go in his
eyes are just a little tiny bit open."
    "They won't know me," said Petra.
    She dismissed that with a wave. "Of course not. But you
think they're going to remember that? Nothing that happens before age
three."
    "I'm so glad to see you. Did ... did he say good-bye to
you?"
    "He wasn't sentimental that way," said Mrs.
Delphiki. "But yes, he called us. And sent us nice letters. I think it hit
Nikolai harder than us, because he knew Julian better. From Battle School, you
know. But Nikolai is married now, did you know? So pretty soon, maybe another
grandchild. Not that we have a shortage. You and Julian did very well by
us."
    "If I'm very quiet and don't wake them, can I go see them?"
    "We divided them into two rooms. Andrew shares one room
with Bella, because he never sleeps, but she