Betsy
- 2 years ago
- 31
- 0
Chuck stepped out of the jet and looked around hoping to spot Betsy. A blur was heading towards him. He braced himself for the impact. She threw herself at him, landing with her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. He staggered back a step or two. She was kissing him passionately with tears running down her cheek.
In a husky voice, Chuck said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you.”
Chuck said, “We need to stop by my house.”
“Don’t worry, I straightened it up. I cleaned out your refrigerator,” Betsy said.
She knew that he hadn’t expected to be gone that long and stopped by his place to make sure nothing was spoiling. Whatever food could spoil, she had taken it home so that it could be eaten. In these current times, one did not let food go to waste.
She had also spent some time in the house dusting the shelves, vacuuming the floor, and cleaning the bathroom and kitchen. It was the kind of thing she felt a girlfriend should do. She also felt that she owed it to him. After all, she had asked him to go to the Druid College and escort the interns to the island.
Knowing how much he enjoyed the little garden off to the side of the store, she spent a little time working in it. She mowed the grass with that old fashioned lawn mower. She had a bit of fun running across the lawn pushing it and watching the grass fly from it. She decided that she’d do that from now on.
“We really need to stop by my house,” Chuck said a bit more intensely.
“Why?”
“I really missed you,” Chuck said a little more urgently.
“I missed you, too,” Betsy said hugging him tighter.
Chuck whispered in her ear, “I’m so horny that I’m ready to do you right here.”
“Let’s go,” Betsy said getting excited.
She had been hoping to hear him say those words. She had been worried that he would have engaged in a long good-bye session with some of the students before heading home. She glanced over at the interns and knew that they would have helped him out if he had asked. There were three real pretty young women on that plane.
The interns all stood around watching the interaction. They couldn’t hear the words, but the body language conveyed a lot. Dawn and Shelly looked at each other with a smile.
Dawn said, “How much do you want to bet that they’ll forget about us?”
“They will? They already have,” Shelly said with a grin.
Fred shouted, “Where are we going to stay tonight?”
“We’ve got some space in our modular offices that you can use for now. We’ll figure something out for the long term,” Betsy said.
Chuck said, “Let’s drop them off at your place and then go to mine.”
“That’s a good plan,” Betsy said with a grin.
Chuck and Betsy were seated in the garden next to the store enjoying the nice weather. They had made up for lost time, not just once but several times in quick succession. Chuck had really missed Betsy and the feelings were mutual. Now, both were sated, sexually, and were feeling lazy. Lazy was a feeling that Betsy had never really experienced before, and she thought the experience was novel.
Looking worried, Betsy asked, “So how was she?”
“Who?”
“The girl at the school,” Betsy said trying not to sound worried.
Chuck said, “I don’t know. I didn’t have sex with anyone while I was there.”
“I told you to,” Betsy said.
She was far more relieved than she wanted to admit. Asking him not to have sex in that environment would have been cruel and she knew it. It didn’t make it any easier to accept. She just wished that they had a chance to talk about it before he went there.
“I did talk to your mother,” Chuck said.
“What did she say?” Betsy asked thinking it was highly unlikely that her mother would give him advice that countered what she had told him to do.
Chuck said, “She told me to do the same thing you told me to do. She even told me which woman to approach.”
“That’s what I expected,” Betsy said smugly.
“I was about to do what you told me to do. I was approaching her when I noticed a guy sitting alone and looking miserable. He was the male counterpart to the young woman your mother had picked out for me,” Chuck said.
Betsy said, “There’s always a guy like that, too.”
“I introduced them to each other,” Chuck said.
Holding her breath, Betsy was hoping to hear something good. She asked, “And?”
“She didn’t need me any longer.”
“You must have been in pain,” Betsy said.
She was well aware of what on among first year students. She’d heard more than one young man complain about ‘blue balls.’ The Goddess had invested nearly every healthy living thing with an irresistible desire to continue the species. Those without the desire were not meant to propagate the species.
Shrugging his shoulders, Chuck said, “I let Mrs. Thumb and her four sisters take care of it.”
“Five women?” Betsy asked sitting up and frowning. “We did not discuss you going off with five women.”
Chuck raised his hand and waved it at her. Laughing, he said, “Betsy, meet Mrs. Thumb and her four sisters.”
“Oh,” Betsy said feeling embarrassed by her reaction.
Getting a little more serious, Chuck said, “I couldn’t do what you told me to do. We didn’t really talk about the expectations we have about our relationship. I thought we should discuss something like that before I did anything I might regret later.”
“We did talk about it over the telephone,” Betsy said remembering every word of that conversation.
“That wasn’t really a face to face discussion. For something like this, you need to do better than a three minute phone call,” Chuck said.
“I agree,” Betsy said relieved.
“I guess I assumed that we were in a monogamous relationship,” Chuck said.
During his stay at the Druid College, he had learned that assuming everyone in a relationship had identical expectations could develop into a source of harm. He had also listened to Ed and Kelly talk about love as an infinite resource. Initially, he had thought that idea was just a way to excuse immoral behavior, but after listening to them talk about their marriage and life together he began to have doubts about his initial belief. Seeing them ‘live the talk’ had convinced him they were being exceptionally honest.
Betsy said, “I assumed that too, but I know what kind of pressures a person suddenly immersed in the first year protocol can experience.”
“It was pretty intense,” Chuck said.
Intense wasn’t a strong enough word to describe the experience. It was a pressure cooker with a complete lack of privacy and crowded living conditions. The normal frames of reference didn’t apply with people walking around naked and living in mixed dorm rooms. On top of that was the demands of classes, study groups, and counseling sessions. There wasn’t a moment of peace where one could sit back and make sense of it all.
“I grew up around it, so I didn’t think anything about you going there. I didn’t even think of the possibility that you’d be thrown into the first year protocol. It wasn’t until you mentioned it on the telephone that I realized that it might be a problem.”
“You know that I love you,” Chuck said.
Betsy said, “Yes, and I love you, too.”
“So are we going to be monogamous?” Chuck asked.
Betsy didn’t know how to answer that question. Her parents weren’t. Even William wasn’t monogamous to Lucy although he fought against having other lovers. Few servants of the Gods and Goddesses were monogamous, but they were all honest about it.
She answered, “I don’t know.”
There had been a time not too long ago that that answer would have enraged him. He understood things a little better now as a result of his time at the Druid College. More than one black spot had been erased from his heart.
Betsy said, “I may have a different understanding of love than you.”
“You’re talking about love as an infinite resource, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Betsy said. “I grew up watching my moms and dads. They really love each other and they demonstrate that love openly and honestly. They love a lot of people and a lot of people love them. I’m not talking about superficial crushes or lusts. I’m talking about a deep caring for others in an honest emotional way.”
“I saw that,” Chuck said.
At first, he didn’t want to believe it, but he had seen how they interacted with each other. There was an open honesty and integrity in how they dealt with people. They were honest in their emotions and were not afraid or ashamed to have affection for others. It was kind of humbling to watch them.
Betsy said, “I love Sally and Steve.”
“I know,” Chuck said.
One night while talking with Ed, Chuck had come to an important realization about Betsy and Sally. It dawned on him that the two women shared an intimacy that transcended sexual attraction. It was a pure sharing of emotions about what affected them. They talked about very intimate and personal matters. What hurt one of them affected the other just as strongly.
“You know?”
“I know that you and Sally share everything. You give each other strength. That’s a kind of love.”
“I’m glad you understand. We’ve never done anything sexual,” Betsy said.
“I knew that, too.”
Betsy said, “Unlike William, I don’t know what the future will bring. Will we bring others into our relationship? I don’t know. You’re the first man I’ve ever loved as a lover. I never thought that would happen. I don’t know what will happen a day from now, much less a year from now. I don’t want us to make promises to each other that we may not be able to keep.”
“I understand. It’s easy to cause harm by breaking promises,” Chuck said.
Betsy said, “The greatest harm one can do to another is to break a promise. That’s why adultery is such a horrible activity. It violates a vow that one person makes to another. The violation negates all other promises that have been made. It destroys trust. It destroys lives. It destroys people.”
“I never want to be guilty of that,” Chuck said solemnly.
Until talking with Ed Biggers, Chuck had believed that promises had been made when, in fact, they hadn’t been made. He felt that Betsy’s casual attitude towards nudity was a violation of a promise, but she had made no such promise.
“I will stop undressing in front of others if it will make you feel better.”
“There’s no need to do that.”
“Are you sure?”
Chuck said, “There was a time when I didn’t understand how you could disrobe like that. Every time you undressed in front of others, I got angry. I felt like you were advertising your availability to others. I know better than that, now.
“When I undressed that first day of school, I was naked. I was vulnerable. I was terrified by that vulnerability. I was ashamed of my body. I didn’t like that others could see that I had an erection.
“When I looked around, I saw a hundred people standing there ashamed and afraid. Some people were terrified that they’d give in to their lusts and passions of the moment. It didn’t take long for those negative emotions to be replaced by something different.
“I think that it was about a week after class started that I realized people were once again looking at each other in the eyes, rather than off to the side or staring at the sexual equipment of others. The fear of having their bodies on view had begun to die. Nakedness was being replaced by nudity.
“Before I made that realization, it never dawned on me that when you are undressed, you are nude and not naked. You aren’t vulnerable. You aren’t ashamed. You just are.”
Betsy nodded her head, but didn’t say anything.
Chuck said, “I guess I didn’t really grasp the full significance of the two rules. They seem simple, almost superficial. However, there are depths to them that may take me a lifetime to grasp.”
“My brother thinks I skirt the very boundaries of the rules. I don’t know if I do or not. I worry about it,” Betsy said.
Chuck said, “I think you do the best you can. As a result of your service, you are exposed to abnormal circumstances. There will be times when you deliver great harm, but it will be to prevent an even greater harm.”
“William thinks I enjoy it too much. I don’t.”
“What about those Russians?”
Betsy said, “I made a promise of what would happen. They chose to test that promise.”
“I guess I can understand that,” Chuck said.
“The initial delivery of that promise changed the dynamics as well. Some who were capable, but retained a certain level of morality backed off. The brutes, many of whom were not capable, stepped forward. I ended up dealing with some of the nastier individuals,” Betsy said.
“Do you know that for a fact?”
“Yes and no. I did talk to one man who had been waiting and watching to see what happened. He told me that he had suggested to certain individuals that they should take the contract. He wanted to see how I did against brute strength, cunning, and speed. Many of them were just evil,” Betsy said shaking her head.
“I never really believed in evil until I heard your brother talking about it,” Chuck said.
“I’ve seen it and I’ve fought it,” Betsy said with that same flatness of voice that William used when discussing evil.
“I’ve seen how good you are at fighting. I think the only ones I saw who could stand up against you were William and Ling,” Chuck said.
“I’ve beaten Ling. No one can beat William,” Betsy said.
She had heard the story of how he had counted coup on the woman who had tried to hurt Lucy. It was scary the way he had done it. No one could defend against something like that. She’d sparred with him often enough to know that without using his gift he was formidable. When he used it, he was unbeatable.
“He’s faster than you?”
“No. He’s special. He doesn’t need speed,” Betsy said.
“You can dodge a bullet,” Chuck said not understanding how William could defeat someone who could do that.
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The modern person, who has lived a significant percentage of their life in a digital economy, can not imagine what life would be like without checks, credit cards, debit cards, and online banking. Mortgages, rent, utilities, and insurance are paid with check or by electronic transfer. Large purchases and consumer goods are paid with credit cards, or checks. Plastic is not reserved only for big items. People will whip out a credit or debit card to pay for a five dollar lunch, or a cup of...
With Sally away on her honeymoon, Betsy was at loose ends. After Chuck’s kidnapping, she just didn’t want to take off for the ocean for a week at a time. At this point, it wasn’t necessary. She had all of the biological data necessary for her dissertation. All that was missing was sufficient tracking data to support her arguments and time would take care of that. She didn’t need to tag any more sharks since she had already tagged far more of them than was necessary for her dissertation. For...
Ling said, “You look like hell.” “I’ve been around your daughter for a couple of days,” Gary replied pointedly. He tried to count the days, but they all ran into a blur of move and move and move. He had never been so tired in his life. Trying to keep up with Betsy was a constant effort. She was always in motion and that required him to always be in motion. The normal human being wasn’t built for that level of activity. “You should get some rest,” Kelly said. Gary pointed at Ling and said,...
In what has to be one of the greatest plays on words of all time, Mark Twain wrote: ‘Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.’ “This can’t possibly be happening. It’s impossible. I just won’t accept it.” Everyone has observed denial at work. Everyone has experienced denial for him or her self. Denial is a universal experience. One can deny it, but that denial rather proves the point. Denial is an unavoidable consequence of how the human mind works. The human mind makes gross generalizations...
In the short time she had worked for Betsy, life for Charlie had been interesting. Still unable to get around with any kind of ease, Charlie was more than happy to sit behind the desk and take care of the hundreds of little things, that had been ignored by Betsy. She’d been stunned to discover that Betsy hadn’t even bothered to open a local bank account. She had been shocked one day, to discover a past due statement buried with the stack of mail that had accumulated over a couple of weeks....
Betsy was pacing around outside the construction site. The site engineer (Stan Kubrick) and one of the foremen (Jim Franklin) were there with her, wondering why she had literally dragged them away from their homes. Chuck was standing under a palm, enjoying the shade, while George was nervously licking his lips. A man wandered by and stared at the group for a second. Finally, he approached and said, “Hey, Jim!” “Hello, Kirk.” “What are you doing here?” Kirk asked. He had been working on...
Betsy stood in front of the little stand that was selling meat. The stand had once been a little souvenir hut that had sold glitzy trinkets to tourists. It had a fake grass roof, giving it a kind of hokey appearance that tourists expected of a tropical island. She wondered where it had come from, but wasn’t interested enough to ask. A bird flew overhead and landed upon a branch of a nearby bush. She turned to look at it. It was a red crested cardinal. Like many of the more common birds on...
Betsy skipped down the hallway pausing to read the sign on each door. The other students in the hallway would move over to the other side to avoid getting hit by the jump rope. She stopped in front of one of the doors and read the name off the nameplate aloud, “Sally Tilton.” She stepped back nearly hitting a student with her jump rope and read the sign on the door aloud, “Keep out.” She stopped swinging the rope around, but kept up the jumping motion while knocking on the door. She called...
Betsy paced the floor, criss-crossing the living room in her house. Fortunately, the house was built with a wide open spacial style that allowed her a lot of room to move. If the room had been a bit smaller, she would have been bouncing off the walls ... literally, not figuratively. Not for the first time since returning to the house that morning, she asked, “Where is he?” “I don’t know,” Charlie answered without having to ask who he was. “Why isn’t Gary here?” “He had to go to the...
With the destruction of the economy, a number of things had changed in the world. One, which almost no one would even think about, was the disappearance of certain specialty shops, of which bridal stores were a good example. There just wasn’t a place to buy what had become a traditional wedding gown. What few dresses had remained on the shelves of stores at the time of the collapse had long since disappeared. Young couples getting married now tended to wear nice dresses and suits. The new...
The desert stretches from horizon to horizon, existing in both time and space. One man gazes upon it and sees paradise. Another man gazes upon the same scene and only sees desolation. One desert, two men, and three entirely different worlds. It is not a mystery why people argue and bicker over nearly everything. If two people can’t agree on something as vast and as timeless as a desert, why should it be a surprise if they can’t agree on much of anything? The variations in preferences of even...
Charlie was wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair. As with a lot of patients, she had argued that it wasn’t necessary, except that it was. Her prosthetic was packed away in her luggage, which Betsy was carrying. Either the infection had been a little more aggressive than she had thought, or she had really been a lot more tired than she had felt. She was so weak that she was afraid that she might not be able to use the crutches she’d been given. Once they were outside, Betsy handed the...
Tight-lipped, Ed stared at the man. Talking with him was a constant assault on his truth sense. The longer he talked, the worse the lies got. It was as if one lie emboldened the next. Ed said, “She was drugged.” “The test results were lost,” the man said with a smirk. Ed’s truth sense stabbed him in the brain upon hearing the lie. He said, “Quit lying.” “I’m not lying. They were lost.” “She was drugged, and you know it!” Ed shouted. The man replied, “She chewed his arm off and beat him...
Chuck wandered over to the security center and office building construction site, searching for Gary. The building was still a long ways from finished, but he could imagine what it would look like when it would be completed. The foundation was in place, the framing was complete, and some of the exterior walls had been added. Chuck found Gary inspecting the building. Gary was checking to make sure that nothing that didn’t belong had been added to the walls. There were folks who would be...
Chuck was seated in the backyard passing the time by watching a couple of birds working together in building a nest. Watching them build a structure for the results of their mating reminded him that he was going to be married soon. He was looking forward to the event without the kind of nervousness that plagued many grooms. There was only one downside – he wished his parents were still alive to see him get married. He wished his parents could have met Betsy. He was sure they would have loved...
Sally walked into the room thinking that she had made a horrible mistake. There were a lot of people, none of whom she recognized, moving around. She grabbed Gary’s arm to prevent being separated from him. Betsy had disappeared somewhere into the heart of the party. It was a typical frat party – a lot of testosterone driven young men, scantily dressed young women, too much booze, not enough light; and loud music, which made talking impossible. The air had the lingering hint of a sickly sweet...
The sound of waves crashing along the beach provided a background noise that Betsy found particularly relaxing. She was sitting tailor fashion on the beach, looking out across the ocean at the distant horizon. This was about as calm as Betsy could appear to act. It truly was an appearance of calm rather than true calm. She was digging two holes. She was excavating one hole with each hand, and using the sand in the other hand to fill it in again. The strength required to shove her hands into...
By the morning after the altercation with Kyle, the swelling in Carl’s face had reduced to the point where he could see again. His nose was still tender, but most of the pain was gone. It was hard to believe that Kyle had been able to hurt him so badly, with just two punches. He’d been beaten up a few times in high school, but that had been nothing compared to the previous day. He had awakened that morning to find Betsy, wearing a knee-length skirt and white blouse, seated in a chair reading...
Ling, pulling Cal behind her by his ear, followed Millie and Melvin out of the plane. Betsy was inside with Kelly and the rescuers planning how to free the two men trapped in the chairs. Jimmy was over by the fire piling branches on it after getting it restarted. Ed was with him giving him pointers on the care and management of a good campfire. Ling threw Cal to the ground. Looking at Millie, she asked, “What’s the story with him?” “He’s an asshole,” Millie answered. “I figured that much...
“I agree. I will see what I can do to convince a certain young man to become a caretaker.” Harry stood behind the young man watching him. Unable to keep silent any longer, Harry said, “You’re talking to a mongoose.” “I know,” the young man answered. “They don’t talk back,” Harry said making reference to the weird one sided conversation he’d been listening to. “You don’t know that. In fact, she’s quite talkative,” the young man said while rising from his kneeling position to face...