Little Cherine Book 01 - BPost022
...I saw the love Cherine sent as her weapon. They felt my cynicism. If it hurt them, they kept it to themselves. There was no more dancing. I was not interested in joining and they would not go without me. They slept as mother with child, Cherine chastely in her arms for comfort only.
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After weeks of this, it happened I found myself alone with Cherine. I looked at her coldly. “Why don’t you at least help Dominique. Even if you do not want it, you should at least try to keep your slave happy so that her body stops aching from her need for loving. You don’t want to lose her too.”
Tears ran down her face. Softly she whispered, “She does not want me, it is you she needs. She always did. I was only part of her loving you.”
“Good.”
Dominique walked in and without warning she slapped me with all her strength. She glared at me then turned, picking up Cherine in her arms she carried her to the bedroom. After a time I was able to guess that Dominique was trying to be loving, to ignite some passion in both of them. I felt the result, an emptiness. I recognised it, it was my emptiness.
About three nights later I woke up to Dominique getting into bed. She put her arms around me and rested her head on my chest. I reached out to fondle her. She pushed my hand away, but continued to hold me. I tried to secretly spy on her. Cherine was trying to encourage her to make love to me. Dominique refused her, not wanting Cherine to not be a part of us. Cherine begged her, telling her I needed Dominique. She still refused. Cherine pleaded that even without her being with us, it was better than this emptiness. Dominique was gentle, but adamant. She explained to Cherine that to do so would be dishonest, that my accusation of her using me would become true. Cherine cried and her pain was too real for me to pretend it was faked. Shaken I pulled away, shutting them out again. Dominique stayed the night, but I woke to her tears soaking into my vest a couple of times. I do not understand how it is my protector did not attack me - has it really grown wiser or is it afraid of me?
Alki made it a habit of joining me at the coffee shop where I often sat to think and smoke. I refuse to smoke in the house, not with two pregnant…girls. He never intruded on my silence and if we talked it was only about the business. “Robert I had another enquiry today from a corporation. They have seen the last web site we designed and want us to do theirs also.”
“Have you quoted them a price?”
“No.”
“Up your quote. Charge an extra $100,000. I think I should get $250,000 in total.”
“Don’t get greedy Robert.”
“The first ones paid us without having seen our work. Alki, I suggested it last time, check what I’m telling you on the internet; multinational corporations are paying up to seven million dollars for a site - they will pay us a better price, we are still too cheap.” It was the first time ever I sensed Alki impressed…whether by me or by the amount, I do not know.
We sat silently again. I sighed, I would have to face the problem. “Alki, don’t worry about what I am to be paid, I’ll accept far less, that is if you even decide to pay me anything. Have you got any graphic artists who could do my work, who are good enough to mimic it? Otherwise we will lose your clients. I have tried, but I cannot create anything, I can only work mechanically. My mind is blank. Whatever I would do would only be a mixture of what I have already produced for our other clients. I refuse to do that.”
“Not your mind Robert. Your heart. Creation comes from the heart. Whether the heart is in pain or filled with love, either can inspire - not when it is empty.”
“I suppose that comes from your Greek wisdom and many years of experience.” I regretted my sarcasm, but held myself closed to even the regret. I have already accepted that Alki will end up being a supporter of the girls, not me, it has to be so, so I felt I was helping him by giving him reasons to turn away from me.
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He mildly replied, “No. Not from anything of mine Robert. It comes from the love you taught me.”
“What a pity it was such a fake then.”
“Robert, you are blinding yourself to the truth because you are hurting. The love was never fake. Once Cherine is gone you will see it and there will be nothing you can do to rectify it then. Your little girl will die thinking you do not love her. She cannot see that such great rage and pain can only come from a great love, but then she is only a child, what does she know?”
“I do not believe you, she is not dying. That is a dirty trick to try on me Alki. They would never allow it, not with the babies in them”.
He kept his voice very soft. “They are both dying. You only have to look.”
I shot up in anger, accidentally tilting the table so that my coffee and his whisky spilt over him. I was furious at his lying - however well intentioned it may have been.
By the time I got home doubts were starting to eat at me. I have seen the loss of weight, the pale thinness of both of them. So what, I told myself, I’ve also lost weight. It does not mean I am dying. At the thought, I recognised the truth. I am dying. Gradually, but I am dying. I do not care to live anymore. No wonder the protector is not fighting me! I told myself their healers will not allow them to die. But they do not have the prime directive mine does. I thought of letting mine come out, to act independently, but feared it. I knew the protector would sacrifice me to save them. Protector! They do not have a protector, their healers are not protectors.
I entered the house, thinking to find them in the lounge. I found them on the bed. Not theirs, mine. They had not expected me to return early. They were lying face down, their faces to my pillow. They did not hear me enter. I let out a tendril to sense them, understand why they had not picked up my presence.
They were both too weak. They were smelling my scents and were deep in grief at their loss.
I strengthened the link, terrified I was too late. *Is there still a place for me in your hearts?*
Neither of them answered. I knew they had heard me, they had both moved in reaction to my sending them my question, so I took their silence as a refusal and left the bedroom.
I went out to the garden and lit a cigarette, the first time ever at home. I withdrew my contact to them and stood, enduring, feeling my inner emptiness. I now knew for certain that I have lost both of them and suddenly I could not hold myself in anymore. I opened myself fully and screamed at the stars above me, trying to rid myself of my pain and loss, my self loathing and grief. The stars stared at me, implacable in their lack of concern and I turned inwards, my body collapsing, I flung myself at the void. It threw me back out.
I tried to flee into that dark well in my own mind. It was blocked off. I thought, I rejected the gift and now it is rejecting me, I only have the alternatives any normal human has. I stumbled to my feet and went to the kitchen. I found a sharp paring knife and returning to the garden, I swung my hand at my chest, at where my heart is. The knife slammed into a rib and stuck there. I stared down at it, numbed, not knowing what to do. At least the physical pain was a comfort.
As the internal agony hit me again I pulled out the knife and began to slice at my chest, ripping open long bloody lines of raw flesh. After about fifteen slices the pain brought me to my knees. I curled on the grass and lay there sobbing, unable to escape anymore. I could not find the courage to stab myself again, but I could feel the warmth of my blood and my only hope was it would drain me so that I do not waken from the gathering darkness.
This was the day for not getting my wishes. I woke up, my chest a terrible burning pain. I was still lying curled up, trying to find my way through the block to the void, when Dominique looked out and saw me lying on the lawn. She came over to me, withdrawn, her eyes guarded, expecting to be rebuffed. She saw my face and knelt, putting her hand to my chest, to feel for my pulse. She felt the wetness and turning me saw the slashes, my open flesh, with the ribs open to the air. She did not shriek. She went back into the house and lifted the phone. Within minutes Alki was by me. He picked me up and carried me to my bed.
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Alki pleaded, “Robert, use your healer. For gods sake gie mou, do it now.”
I tried to tell him I could not, but could not speak. Dominique and Cherine placed their hands on me and I saw them straining.
“Pappou, he is blocking us, our healers cannot get in.”
I sent out to them, *Not blocking* .
“He says he is not blocking us. How can that be! We can hear him, why can’t we get into him? Robert can you hear us in your mind?”
*No.*
Cherine had tears rolling down her cheeks from her fear as she said, “Pappou he says he cannot hear us. If he blocked us out, we would not be able to hear him. What is happening?”
“Gammoto, I have had enough of this. If you cannot heal him, I’m taking him to hospital.”
*Tell him the ‘angel’ cannot go to hospital.*
They told him. He leaned over me, his face right by mine, white with anger. “At a time like this you are making jokes?”
“Robert,” Cherine single-mindedly ignored Alki and asked, “when you found us in the bedroom you asked us a question. Did you hear our answer?”
*No.*
“So you thought we were refusing you!?”
“Oh Cherine, how could we know? Robert, we welcomed you with all our love and when you, or so we thought, would not accept it, we lay in despair. We thought your question had been meant for taunting us. After that, we were too deep in our grief to hear you again.”
*You still want me?*
“Oh god yes, yes,” they both said.
Marian came back into the room. She was holding the knife. “He did it to himself. The tip is bent, that is why his wounds are so wide.”
I guess I was feeling a bit simple-minded and felt I had to apologise for spoiling the knife. *Sorry, I bent it by mistake when I stabbed and it hit my rib.*
“Stabbed, oh god!” Dominique collapsed onto the bed. She scrutinised my chest. “Cherine he tried to stab it into his heart. Oh god, we nearly lost him forever.”
Alki stood up. His face was cold with that terrible kind of anger he rarely shows - and never to us before. “I have had enough of this. You three keep on telling me this gift of yours is a thing of love. All I see is you hurting and trying to kill each other. I do not want to be part of this anymore.” He walked out. Marian looked at him and then at her daughter. She stayed.
*Cherine tell your mother to go and bring a little love back into Alki. He is hurting.*
Marian kissed my brow and left.
“What must we do Robert. We cannot leave you wounds open. If your healer won’t help and ours can’t, we really must go to the hospital. Please.”
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*No. I need to be with you. If it only fixes me in a day or two I can wait. I cannot wait to hold both of you. How about trying this? Take a clean shirt, put it in a basin of warm water and antiseptic. Wring it out and put it over my chest. Then cover it with a towel and some plastic bags. Then I can hold you without getting you bloodied. I also don’t want you and Cherine constantly looking at the wounds.*
I turned inwards and tried seeing what was blocking me. I could sense there was something, but was stymied. It was not alien, something from outside. If it was a part of me, where did it come from? I must have been broadcasting my thoughts for Cherine offered her opinion.
“I think it is your anger with me.”
I told Cherine it was not, it had died long ago. We tried to work out what it could be. Nothing made sense. I felt myself fading, passing out. The girls quickly lay alongside me, holding me in fear that I might not return.
“Robert, don’t faint, I know what is blocking you.” I forced my way through the faintness. “It is the protector. I asked my healer.”
“Do you three know how crazy you sound to any normal human being? What is going on here, who attacked him? And why have you left the front door open. Whoever it is could return.”
“Nobody attacked me Nicko. I did this. Don’t…” I realised I could talk and tried to say so to the girls and lost my voice again. “Nicko would you please tell them I can only talk to you. Soon as I try to talk to them I cannot talk.”
Cherine sobbed, her heart breaking. She explained so that I would not fear for her. “Robert, I can feel Alki and Marian. She is holding him and he is crying. His heart is breaking.”
“Nicko, I am too faint to stand alone. Will you help me, I must go to Alki to tell him he is wrong.”
The girls protested, but I was in no mood to indulge them on this. My Alki was suffering and I had to go and speak to him. Nicko helped and leaning on him and Dominique we walked over. Cherine clung to my hand, her pale little face staring at me the whole way. Marian finally opened the door. Her face was shocked when she saw me, my sliced shirt even further bloodied.
“What are you doing here? Are you all crazy.”
“My Alki is suffering, I have to see him.”
I went to their bedroom. I sat on the bed and pulled at his shoulder. As he looked up and saw me, his face froze in shock.
“Nicko, tell him not to tell me I am crazy for coming here. He left me with my two man-eaters, alone at their mercy. What kind of friend is he?”
“Roberto you must get to …”
“No, he must listen to me. I was hurt to hear him turn against love, against our gift. So, is he going to let me speak while I can? He is making a mistake. It is not the love or the gift that is to blame. It is us that are to blame. We are three children handed powerful weapons which we do not know how to handle yet. Every time I think I understand and can handle whatever is thrown at me, I mess up. The strange thing is that the girls are better attuned to the gift, it does not cause them problems. For instance, I cannot heal myself and now I am blocked from receiving the girls by my protector. I do not know why. Maybe it sees me as a threat to them. Now take the girls. They have only been able to conjure their own healers recently and yet they are able to communicate. After so many months I have still not learnt how to.”
Alki sat up, “You came here to tell me this?”
I answered Alki through Nicko, “I came because of his pain and our love.”
He got up. “Nicko help me get this crazy man into my car. We are taking him to a hospital right now.”
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“Tell Alki I need help. I need medicine, but not for my chest. For my soul. Only the girls can give that to me. I need to lay beside them tonight and feel their love. I cannot wait any more. We can see tomorrow about the healing, if my healer is till rebelling. Boy, am I going to have a mouthful to tell it when I learn to communicate with it.” I really was angry, almost in a rage at my stupid protector.
A dizzy spell hit me and they lay me on the bed. I felt guilty about dirtying the covers with my blood. Then I remembered. “Nicko tell your sister and Cherine to talk to their healers. To get them to try and talk to my healer, protector or whatever the damn thing is. To tell it I am not a threat to anyone, not even myself anymore.”
Even as I finished talking Nicko was pulling back in shock. My wounds were visibly closing. The girls with glad cries came in, their love the balm I craved. Lost to everyone else I held them to me, kissing them wildly as my tears ran. They responded with an abandon and we were soon tearing off our clothes.
Mad with joy I tried to kiss their bodies all over while they would not stay still for me, crazy in their own passion for me. Cherine grabbed me first and placed me in her and I rode her, only vaguely aware I was controlling my strength so as not to hurt her. When I came, she and Dommi screamed. I was soon in my Dommi and my passion, not spent to any degree, now was free to hurl itself at her without restraints. I felt them in me again, all three bodies in one, each wild in it’s own hungers.
Finally we were satiated and I lay kissing and drinking their breath, my passion now a tenderness, yet I also felt I was filled with energy. I felt a hand stroke my hair. I looked up and saw Marian and remembered the room was full of people. As I quickly looked, embarrassed and afraid of the shock I would see on their faces, Marian reassured us.
“I got rid of them very fast, soon as I realised what was happening. I had to stay. I had to see how my daughter is loved - by both of you. Thank you. I felt it all even as I saw it and I can now thank you, thank you for loving her as you do.”
All three of us hit her with a gush of love and gratitude. I looked her in the eyes, knowing I would shock her, but it was the way I felt. “If you did not belong to Alki, I believe I would take you now, with the same love.”
“I believe you would. You really are perverted. I think I better get out now while I can. And, I’m not trying to kick you out or anything, just remember I watched and went through what you did, I need this room fast. Before I end up doing what you nearly did in front of Nicko.” She walked out laughing.
The girls turned and kissed me. “I think you really did want to make love to my mummy. She is lovely isn’t she?”
“Robert,” Dommi was running her fingers over my chest. “Why did it heal you, but leave the scars?”
Only then Cherine noticed them. They had not mattered during our passion. Now she was shocked. Before they could start making the scars seem more important than they are at this time, I spoke, “We can discuss it all later. Right now we have a friend out there who needs this room. And what about Nicko?”
“Yes, what about him!” they said in unison and giggled.
Nicko was a man in confused distress. He was aware of what had happened in the bedroom. He had also been shocked when Marian stayed behind. He thought she had joined her daughter in our lovemaking. Then she came out and the reek of passion between her and Alki confused him further. I thought, as we walked home, it would be better I be honest - else he will think we are a real bunch of degenerates.
“Nicko, Marian only stayed behind to make sure I did not hurt her daughter. She wanted also, I think, to see that we truly love her.”
“You mean...” He stopped, standing still in shock. “That is why you two refuse to marry. You are also in love with this child!!” He stared at me. “What do you mean - both of you?”
I realised I might not have been so clever. How would he ever understand?
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We made him come in with us and I tried to explain. I was sure I’d made a hash of the job and worried as to how he’ll handle what he has learnt.
“Robert. Dominique, if I had not seen, actually seen with my own eyes, what happened tonight, I would not have been able to understand. What you say about needing each other after using your powers, I felt that need. It was so powerful I could hardly stop myself. I better go now. I need to think about it on my own.”
“What did you actually come for Nicko?”
“Forget it, now is not the time.” He left and we were immediately in each others arms again soon as the door closed.
If the passions should have been more gentle, more lasting, they did not obey the rules. We hardly made it to the bedroom. Not only were we in a desperate need for each other, Marian and Alki were broadcasting their own violent coupling. I had to tell Cherine not to include them in her emoting, they needed their privacy. She did not send to them, but greedily took from them and used it to send us on a wild chase for something we will never find. The ultimate satiation from our passions.
“Dommi, what did Nicko mean when he said he could hardly stop himself? From taking you or me?”
“Oh Cherine!!”
“As long as it wasn’t me.”
They both looked at me and Cherine had her special little smile, but it was Dommi who dared tease me this time. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was you. You looked like a god, a really horny one too.” She turned to Cherine. “They both went to an English boarding school. You know what the boys get up to in those places? Most of the homosexuals in England became that way in school.”
I mock threatened, “I promise I will get you for that.”
“Oh yeah? How!! You going to do something to prove to me that you are a normal male who prefers females?”
I groaned. “You are really insatiable. If I’d known I was shacking up with two nymphos I would have run away from the first day - well, at least from the third day.” As usual they ignored my humorous comment and Cherine also demanded I prove myself. I tried. Very hard.
It was very tempting to let things slide without speaking about our fight and my anger, especially as I could sense the girls and the others did not want to talk about it, probably out of fear that such a conversation will drag back the feelings that caused our problems. It seems they still don’t know me as well as they think they do.
“If my stupid protector doesn’t interfere again, I want to discuss what happened and clear the air wherever we can. Do you trust me enough to try?” Cherine just cringed, leaving any answer given, to be from Dommi, which confirmed for me that I was right to force myself to speak.
Dommi said, “The truth? No, I don’t. Roberto, it frightens me, but I agree, it is necessary - thank you for making the first move.”
I spread out my hands, “I don’t know what to say…I do know it is not necessary for us to discuss what caused it, Cherine is a fast learner and I am certain she has understood why she was wrong. Cherine, in this kind of thing, though your mistake was caused because of you being a child, you are wiser than most adults and it is not necessary we speak any more of it. However, I deliberately lied to myself, trying to force myself to stay bitter and I wanted both of you to know that the attempt was not even half as successful as I attempted to make you think it was.”
Dommi, sweet soul that she is, asked me, “I don’t really care about that. Roberto mou, what I want to know from you is, underneath it all, did you ever stop loving our Cherine?” Cherine was caught by surprise and then she gave Dommi such a look and then she tried to send enough love to fill an entire planet of hearts. I waited, to give Dommi time to recover.
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“I am told that Alki tried to explain it to you, but he felt he was not able to help you see the truth, so I’ll try - the most simple and straightforward answer is no, never, not Cherine and not you. The less simple answer is also important, so please bear with me. Cherine, if I give power over me to someone I do not love and that power is used against me, I would not be bitter and angry with that person, nor could I claim to have been betrayed - all I can claim is that I was stupid and be angry with myself. Cherine, I gave you that kind of power…can you tell me what a chronic ailment is?”
“No. Is it from the Greek word hronos? It means it is a time sickness?”
I grinned. “Damn, but you make me proud when you use your brain like that! A proper definition would be ‘persistent bodily disorder or disease’. Let’s imagine, before we got our healers, you play a lot of tennis and you twist your ankle. You get it bandaged, maybe stop jogging and playing tennis for a few days and once the swelling is down and it is not too sore, you return to your normal life, since you have been told that exercise helps you heal faster. A month later, if someone asks you how your ankle is, you’ll say it is fine, good as new. It is not the truth and I’ll try to make it easy to understand why. Seven months later you twist the same ankle again and you go through the same process again, except, it takes half a day longer to heal. Then a few months later you twist it again…and so on every few months. Finally you find it is taking you much longer for your ankle to heal, so you visit your doctor and he tells you that every time the muscles and tendons get damaged, they do not repair to a hundred percent of how they were. Instead, your body may try to add a bit of muscle because of your exercise, so it feels as if you have been completely healed, but in fact you have been weakened.
You know that us British love our soccer and rugby. If you meet a rugby player who is over fifty years old, you are likely to find he has problems walking, because he has a chronic problem with his knees. Tennis players get tennis elbow. In other words, any often repeated damage to the body creates a condition where the body has too much accumulated injury for it to heal.
By thinking like a child, during your anger, you felt that since you can save me at the last minute, you are free to use your link for punishing me, to make me suffer. Cherine, just like with any other often repeated damage, the body and the mind find it less easy to recover as damage is inflicted repeatedly. This time, even after you linked me again, I had no zest, no wish to live, for I saw no purpose in recovering. You had made it obvious that since I cannot escape from you, any time I anger you, I’ll be cut off and made to suffer until I die…or want to die - and then, I will not be helped to want to live, I will just be forced to live. It is not a future I feel I deserve Cherine, and though I must answer Dommi by admitting I never stopped loving you, it does not mean I wanted to be with you, not when I was at my most angry. I still love you, I know I cannot ever stop, and love makes me seem to be resilient, but I cannot say I trust you as much as I did a year ago. I’ll need a lot of time and proof that I can, before I do again.”
By this time, Dommi was holding Cherine tightly and both of them were hurting, though Dommi seemed to be hurting for Cherine and me. She told me, “Robert, you have changed. Before this, you always tried to take the blame so that Cherine does not suffer.”
I nodded. “I am partly to blame Dommi, as they say, it takes two to tango. But in this instance, if Cherine does not learn how terrible her act was, how lacking in empathy, she will do it again, with the excuse that she is teaching me a lesson, and I will be forced to find a way to escape - even if insanity is the only option. Cherine, the healers cannot heal a mind, only love can. How can you heal me if it is your love I am terrified of?”
“I won’t do it again Robert, I swear.”
I sighed, for my dream of the future has lost some of its rosy glow. “I don’t need to know the future for me to know that it will happen again. Just be careful my love, for, if I do not know where my breaking point is, how can you?”
For days, the three of us were subdued and our lovemaking has lacked the spark we have grown to expect each time. Slowly, we are returning to normal and though the hardness, the brittle shell meant to protect my heart is thawing, I feel there still is a child deep inside me crying for a dream he lost. Can even Cherine teach him how to dream again?
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Over a week later we were sitting, just having finished a game of Monopoly. They had ganged up on me and kept changing the rules to suit them and were happy that they had trashed me, taken all my money and properties. In a light-hearted camaraderie we were teasing each other and joking. The girls left to boil some eggs, that being the only meal they claim they can make without destroying. I sat back and my mind started to turn to what faces us. After the meal I told them my thoughts.
“It is strange how information about our gifts changes without explanation - I’ve been wondering whether it is the healer which lets me know as it learns…anyway, it turns out that projecting does not draw much mental power and we can do it almost on a permanent basis. If this latest information is right, then I am going to be able to project on a permanent basis so as to cover the entire period of your pregnancy Cherine. We don’t have to start immediately, as it will not matter too much the first months, everyone will just think you are getting fat, but after that, we would be looking for trouble to let others see that you are pregnant.
I think we must plan for a home birth for both of you. If your healers can help you time it so that both babies are born together we can call in a doctor afterwards. We will tell him that you had twins Dommi. That means that as far as the world is concerned, you will officially be the mother of both. Because of our unique situation the kids will understand. That mean no scans or even visits to doctors Dommi, well, at most a visit or two.
Dommi I do not want Cherine to grow breasts. Do you think you will be able to feed both infants? Thank you - and Cherine stop trying to project your need for breasts. I have given in to a lot, but I will not on this. First of all, I treasure the way you look and second, a nine year old girl, okay a nearly ten year old girl with the body of a child does not need breasts, even if some of your friends do have them growing already. Will you give me your promise on this, no tricks, no forcing me to change my mind. Just as a favour for me? Thanks love.
Luckily we have our own healers, which are far more capable than any doctor, to see us through this. Marian will not be able to help us, she will have her own problems at that time, so maybe we will have to find a midwife…we’ll have to wait and see how and where we’ll find one. By the way Dommi, I am designing a special bed on the computer for the actual births. The most stupid thing women ever did was to allow male doctors decide how they would find it most comfortable for them to assist women during birth. I’m not suggesting you squat in a field, but lying down to give birth is wrong - and my healer agrees with me. I’ll have the bed ready beforehand.
Dommi, I have on purpose avoided trying to find out the sex of your foetus. Do you know yet? No, I do not need to know, just would love to have you share it with me as soon as either of you know. What else is there, have I forgotten anything? Yes, I have. School is starting soon. Two things we have to do before then. The first is something very important. I regret I am late on this but I still want it. Dommi I want a weekend alone with Cherine. We did not celebrate our anniversary and I need it. Why don’t you stay with your parents? I knew you would. Thank you my love. You do want this also Cherine?”
Demurely she nodded. “Yes. There is only one problem.”
“And that is?”
“It is nearer to our anniversary of when Dommi joined us. I want to celebrate that one also.”
“Of course. We’ll do that in December. Oh sorry, I just realised, you mean you want to celebrate that one alone with her, a wild weekend of female passion?” Cherine was too scared to, but Dommi hit me and we all laughed.
“Cherine. I am getting tired of apologising to you. I was wrong. I should not have got angry with you. I think it was because you hit too hard; in other words, it was not done playfully, but to hurt me - that is what I objected to. When I tease you and you want to hit me, without intending to hurt me, I will not mind - just like I hope you don’t mind my play-smacks.’ She pretend slapped my tummy but it stung a bit. “Ouch! Couldn’t you have waited for a next time?”
We tussled as I pretended I wanted to spank her in return, a very erotic occupation when done with two such lovely girls.
“What was the second thing you forgot?” Dommi asked as she sat breathing hard.
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“What? Oh, yes, we have to take Cherine to a doctor. You need a letter from a doctor saying you are not allowed to do sports or physical training.”
“What is the doctor going to say? That I’m pregnant?”
“Now that was my turn, I should have hit you. How ’bout you having a spinal problem? We’ll have to think of how to do this, maybe it would be better we pay for the letter without the doctor seeing you. That was all, as far as that went.”
“Cherine the way he said that means he is now going to tell us the really bad things he wants us to do.”
“I’m afraid so. Dommi, we cannot keep it a secret for long. We have to tell your parents and Nicko that you are pregnant. I promise to handle this any way you want.” I saw what would be the best way for me to deal with the problem. “Would you like me to go alone and tell them. Let them get over the upset before you have to face them?”
She threw her arms around me and kissed me. Cherine impatiently pushed at her, “Dommi, get out of the way will you, I also want to give him a kiss for being so sweet.”
They managed to delay any further conversation for the rest of that night. It is not often anymore that lovemaking has this sweetness. Afterwards when they lay all over me, breathing the deep breaths of sleep, it was as if they had never done this before and were giving me the most beautiful gift of love. I lay for a long time treasuring them, the warmth of their bodies, the weight of an arm or head, the feel of a leg. Finally when I decided I had to sleep, I moved my Cherine and cradled her body as it half lay on top of me and drifted off to a sleep of peace and beauty.
In the morning Nicko phoned indecently early. He asked me if he could see me that morning; he added that he would prefer to meet me elsewhere, not at my home. I agreed at once.
“I think I better meet him alone since he doesn’t want to come here. Once he has told me why he wants to see me, I’ll tell him about our baby.”
Dommi became upset with me. “You promised to let me decide Robert.”
“Sorry, still valid. I am asking you if I should. You tell me.”
“No. If he needs you to help him and you agree and then tell him, he will think you are forcing him to accept it in exchange for the help you are giving. You know Nicko, he always thinks in terms of manipulation.”
“You are right. Okay, it can wait. I love it when you use your brains to correct me. I think our baby is going to be very gifted, if it has my looks and your intelligence. I wonder what it will inherit from our little wife.”
When I saw Nicko, I sensed he was getting ready to chicken out of asking for whatever it was he needed. To put him at his ease I ignored his outstretched hand and hugging him gave the Greek style kiss on the cheeks. It is done without putting lips to cheeks, but can convey warmth of friendship if done correctly, with just a little extra pressure and the hug maybe lingering a few seconds extra, for instance.
“Life is very strange Nicko. Who would have thought at my hour of need, at the moment of death, you would be the one to save me. And then at my next time of need you were there for me again. I never thanked you. I hope you understand it was not out of ingratitude.”
“Forget it. It was nothing.”
“Spoken like a real friend. The only trouble is that at the time you had real reason to hate me. No Nicko, I will not forget it. You showed me you have a heart bigger than your anger. Not many people have the good fortune to have friends like that. Now, before you start protesting again, I want to know, you going to offer me a coffee?”
240
The ice had been broken. I’d felt I was taking a risk by mentioning the matter of his hatred for me, but I have often found that when problems are confronted openly like that, they are not left to fester and it clears the air; in this case, it also meant that Nicko now knows I no longer resent what he did. I let the conversation wander until he was able to lead it to where he wanted.
“Robert I saw the recent site you designed for the American corporation. It is brilliant.”
“Thank you. I’m working on another one. It looks as if I’m going to have to change my preferences, I always disliked making sites for large corporations, but the pay is far better.”
“How much do you charge?”
“I can’t tell you what Alki charges. He obviously has to charge for his programmers who do the HTML coding, scripting, linking and setting up and there is other artwork not handled by me. From my side, I get about a quarter of a million.”
“Drachmas!”
“Dollars.”
“Wow, if you can do three or four a year, you are going to be wealthy very soon. I never imagined you could charge those kind of prices.”
“Well, if Alki is charging, say half a million, for the large corporations that is still peanuts, many are paying fees in the millions of dollars - and every time I check the market, it seems the fees have gone up again. Of course, no private company is going to commission me for that kind of money…I actually have a problem. Alki got an enquiry for a religious site from an American sect. I hate doing them, I hate helping them sell their bullshit so as to fleece people who need something to believe in, but I can’t accept the commission and deliberately not give my best. It also requires a lot more thought and inspiration. I’m thinking of demanding double or triple, even more, in the hope they refuse.”
“If I asked you to do something for me, is that what you would do, charge me double?” He smiled at me to show he did not mean it.
“I’ll answer your question seriously, even though it was flippant. If it is for you, no charge from me - you just pay whatever Aki charges for his part. If it is for a business where others will benefit, partners and other investors, for instance, then I’ll charge my normal fee with a substantial discount for you. Fair enough?”
“I need something special for my ISP. We must really stand out from the crowd.”
“For that I think you will find the money would be a lot more if you go elsewhere. Our usual quote for medium sized customers is for a maximum of five pages designed by me - they tend to use the same designs over again for the extra pages, plus a secure payment page. For an ISP you will need more unique pages. You’ll have to, if you want to compete with the big boys and we have to impress the customers. Not that it will push up the charges substantially from my side, very little actually, as most of the graphics are only varied so that the entire site maintains a theme the surfers can identify with. Do you have any ideas of what you want, in appearance I mean?”
“No, I would leave that to you.”
“You would risk it?” I teased him. “In that case why don’t you let me talk to Alki. I will need to know the impression you want to project, for instance, ornate or crisp? Beautiful and sophisticated or plainer and giving an impression of being functional and easy to use, maybe friendly but professional? With regard to the fees, I will point out to Alki it is worth our doing it at a greatly reduced rate for the exposure we would get. He is keen to become known as an international Greek company, so I’ll push that aspect of it.”
“You sure?”
“Leave it to me. There is still something worrying you. Spit it out.”
“I would need to ask you for credit. I’m starting to run out of funds. I was not able to raise all the money I need.” I thought to myself, he is short because of spying on me, but quickly killed the thought.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)16th March, 2019
* posted on Steemit: 16th March, 2019
@nikosnitza
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