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Bella had managed to get her sister Enni’s partners together in private and without Enni. “Thank you all for coming,” she began professionally. “The thing you don’t know about Enni, and need to, is that she’s a Facilitator. Now your relationship is established, you need to find her replacement so she can withdraw and move on to her next task.” She added gently, “It’s time.” Bella liked to help.

Four months later, Enni was taking a break from painting the rooms of their new house when her partners, all five of them, came to see her. It was Baleran who said, “Enni, we thought you should know as soon as possible. We’ve found someone, she’s called Sula, to replace you.” Nothing else anyone said registered as Enni put down her paintbrush, gathered her things and left.

Four years later she was painting the nursery in the house she and her new partners had just bought. “Enni?” It was Aneurin speaking, the dramatic one with his silver hair and its one black streak, and being deadly serious. “We’ve made the decision I’m sure you’ve been waiting on,” he reached around the corner and pulled a corn-silk haired girl into view. “Plarabel has agreed to be our cowife when you leave.”

“When I leave?” Enni could hear the world falling apart around her and nothing else. She remembered walking past everyone to leave but nothing else for some time later.

Another four years later and Enni was humming to herself as she climbed the ladder to start painting. She had exciting news to share when the others arrived and could barely contain herself when she heard the first car. As it happened, they’d all arrived together and when they came into the room, they were six. Enni began to feel an impending dread but said brightly, “Good, you’re all here! I’ve got wonderful news.”

“Our turn first,” said Malk, the third man in the relationship, and he looked at Genef who was definitely the dominant one.

“Yes,” and Genef smiled. “This is Tenasel,” he introduced the plump red head Enni didn’t know, “and she’s agreed to be our third wife.”

“She has?” The others didn’t notice that the world was freezing.

“Now you’ve finished with us.” Genef smiled encouragingly. “So, what’s your news?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Enni replied, climbing down the ladder and putting down the paintbrush. “You’ve decided I’m not part of your life anymore.” She looked around, added, “I’ll need you to pay me back my share of the deposit, I can’t afford to start again with nothing,” and left.

Three months later, Enni was talking to her new therapist, her hand resting on her swelling belly, “So, as I said last time, I’ve no idea what I’m doing wrong, whether it’s the people I pick or something else. Whatever’s going on, I know I need help.”

“It might be differing expectations,” the therapist told her seriously. “During this last week, I was helping another client find a Facilitator, and you were recommended as excellent and available.”

“But I’m not a Facilitator! I’ve never been-.”

“But your ex-partners thinking you were would explain almost everything,” pointed out her therapist.

Enni was bewildered, “But who’d say that and why?”

“I don’t know.” Her therapist added, “Perhaps we can find out.”