As the car drove off he could sense the serious gaze of Gracie fixed on him - it was almost as if she had just become aware of him.
3311
“Robert, can you meet me?”
“At the Twiga?”
“No, at my apartment.” She gave him her address.
She made herself comfortable on a three-seater swing seat on her balcony, her upper body only slightly raised but turned to face him as he more primly occupied a normal wicker chair.
She grinned. “Are you shocked that I asked you to meet me here, on my own?”
He answered her grin with, “I would have been more shocked if there had been someone else…” He reddened as he realised what his answer implied and she laughed at him.
“I suppose everybody in Nairobi thinks I’m…a bad person?”
“Not really, I think they are just slightly shocked and maybe afraid of you because you speak so directly…you don’t bother to hint, like most girls here do. I like it, even if it is scary sometimes.” He paused and then added. “For those of us who have never been abroad, you feel a bit exotic to us.”
She stared into his eyes. “Nobody knows why I came back to Nairobi?”
He suspected, so he played the fool, widening his eyes with surprise. “I assumed you returned because you’d heard of me and wanted to meet me!”
She laughed. “I did not expect to like you. Robert, can you be my friend, even if I tell you things about me that you don’t like? I first want you to know that I don’t want you as a lover, so please don’t try.” He only stared without replying, so she added, “I’m in love with someone, but he is married.” He nodded and it was obvious he was trying to remember what the older man she was dancing with looked like.
She must have been discomfited by his silence, for she rushed on, “I need your help, I’m pregnant. I must get rid of the baby.”
Robert surprised us. There was no feeling of being judgmental; all we sensed is a deep compassion for her. We realised why when he asked her, “Is that why you had to return from London? You were pregnant there also?” She nodded. “Who helped you get rid of it?”
“I did it on my own - Robert, I don’t need you to do anything, just to be here with me. I’m scared of being on my own.”
He nearly pointed out to her that if he does and something goes wrong, he will be sentenced for a number of years, as abortions are illegal and she is still under sixteen. He mentally shrugged the thought aside and nodded. “Of course I’ll stay, but I must tell you that I don’t know enough for helping you if anything goes wrong.”
“Call for an ambulance and leave immediately - I promise I’ll never tell anyone you were here.”
She went inside for a while and when she returned, she asked him to lie down next to her and hold her. “It will take about an hour or two to work.”
He wanted to ask her why she does it, since she knows how horrendous the results will be, but then he decided that as a virgin he is not in a position to judge her. They chatted a while and she told him a little of how life in London had been for her and he sensed she had not liked it there and yet wished she could return.
Gracie sensed or felt his arousal and without saying anything she opened the buttons of his fly and once she had pulled it out, she put her arms around him and drew him in for a long and deep kiss. She then wrapped her finger around him and brought him to ejaculation. She pushed his hand away when he tried to feel her so he stopped and allowed her to control the situation.
Gracie pulled back a bit, with a slight smile, pleased she can excite him despite all she told him about herself, watching as he wiped with tissues and stuffed himself back in his pants. She then informed him, “I’ll never do it again Robert, I really want us to just be friends.” I did not try to understand him when I sensed he did not believe her, I’ve experienced too many Normals who refuse to see the truth for me to try to solve something so deeply a part of everyone - yes, sometimes even of us Cherinians.
3312
A few hours later she told him she is now okay and he should leave. We had been sensing the foetus and we knew she had not aborted it yet, but we left with Robert.
She met him at the Twiga the next day and we now sensed she is no longer expecting and wondered how she had managed it. She obviously had used something to scrape inside herself, for she was still slightly bleeding. Our empathy for her was a bit low, for we did not like her casual way of allowing herself to get pregnant without even attempting to prevent it happening and then her casual disposal of the foetus, so not one of us reached out to heal her.
It is at this point, during their meeting, with other friends present, that things took a turn towards the weird. Though she still felt she loved the man whose baby she’d rid herself of, it felt as if she grew more aware of Robert, as the kind of man he is, I guess, and she decided she wants to marry him. She did not say anything, but her attitude changed and even their friends felt she was claiming him as hers. At least we did not have to feel we are particularly stupid, as his friends also could not understand why she changed, since it is very obvious he is not the kind of man she needs or wants. Only later did we wonder whether she wanted him because she felt it would be easy for her to cheat on him.
Robert had to return to work and because of the distance, he was usually only in Nairobi on the weekends, which Gracie found convenient, since her married lover could not be with her on the weekends.
Even ‘blind’ Robert was able to sense the suppressed excitement of Gracie when they met on Saturday. She could barely wait to properly greet him, which this time included a kiss on the lips, and to order her usual hamburger and chips.
“Robert, my father has asked me to invite you to our home for Sunday lunch. Please say you will come.”
“Why does he want to meet me?”
“You’ll see…he told me that he wants to make you a very special offer.” Since he knows her father is a civil servant, he was stymied, as it would not likely involve money.
Almost against his judgement, he answered, “Okay…” and was enthusiastically kissed before he could say anything else. She was so responsive and cheerful, even letting him rub a finger over her panty, that he only remembered to feel a bit nervous the next day, when he was on his way to her house.
Although the father works in an office, he is short and heavily built, with thick and pronounced features. What Robert noticed is that he has short fingers and suddenly he saw that Gracie also has stubby fingers, on hands slightly more slender. In that sense he is just like our Robbie; wanting all girls to look perfect…not so much beautiful, interesting is nicer for both of them, but certain prerequisites must meet their criteria, and stubby fingers is not something they like.
Her parents did all they could to make him feel welcome and the interrogation he’d expected was minimal - not that they did not already know of his father. They were just so pleased that their daughter is interested in a normal - and unmarried - young Englishman, from a decent family, that they would have pushed them into marrying, right then and there, if they’d thought of inviting a priest to be present. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but it was how they felt.
After lunch, the father asked Robert to join him for a walk around the garden. He is an insensitive man who truly believes that all any man can want is Gracie and lots of money…or maybe a good career.
“Gracie has told us how it is going between you. When you decide to marry Gracie, you must not worry about your low salary, I have already seen to it so that you will soon grow wealthier.”
Robert glanced at him, caught unprepared and also a bit surprised that a man like him thought he can make him wealthier. “I’m not interested in working in the Civil Service.”
“I did not intend it for you, I expect you to have grander dreams. I am about to confide in you a secret so that you see that you are marrying into a family with power. I am a Freemason.”
“You are a Knight Templar?”
He grinned, pleased by Robert's question and knowledge. “Yes.”
“er…Gracie and I have not discussed marriage…”
3313
“She has not!? It is so obvious her heart is set on you and she has been so happy recently, that I thought you had.” He held up a hand. “No pressure from me young man, think it over and discuss it with her. In the meantime I have arranged for you to be introduced so that you can become a Mason.”
We girls were struggling to hold back our laughter, for our Robbie was just as horrified as Robert was. We were curious how Robert will handle the situation, since we know he hates confrontations and will dread telling the father he does not wish to join any secret organisation. Naughtily, Cassie suggested to Robbie that he offers to take Robert on a tour around the world for the next five years.
Though Cassie was joking, Robbie was forced to jump to Nairobi to meet Robert, as he has no one to talk to and desperately needs to find a decent way to untangle himself from the scheming plans of Gracie and her family. Some of us went with and sat in the lounge of the Norfolk, while Robbie chose a table apart from us.
We were being distracted by the emoting of a young woman, about twenty years old, who sat on her own, pretending to read the book she held before her. It was the mixture of sadness and a fierce exultation, the kind we feel when we have seen a truth which we think nobody else knows. We were pleased when Dommi gave in to her curiosity and moved to sit with her.
“I am Dominique, a Greek, as you have probably guessed. May I join you?”
“No…I mean, why?”
Dommi smiled, taking a seat as if she’d been invited. “I find the nature of our species fascinating and the more I learn, the more beautiful I find we are - though the unveiling of new complexities that need to be unravelled and understood can sometimes make me feel I’m being driven crazy. To one such as I, your face speaks of mysteries, joys and suffering that war within you. Would it help, having a sympathetic - and interested ear, listen to your story?”
She was torn by her need to keep her secret and her need to share with someone and be reassured that she is not…wrong or crazy. She gave in to her stronger need.
“You are only visiting Nairobi, you are leaving soon?” Dommi nodded. “You will not tell anyone what I tell you?” Without waiting for her reassurances, she began her story. “When I finished school, I had to find a job. Nairobi has a limited range of jobs for non-Kenyan women; I could choose to be a secretary and hope to become a personal assistant, or a receptionist at a hotel. Both suck, so I waited until I was asked to provide care for a frail woman who is expected to die soon. It sounded different enough to be interesting.
Teresa or Tease, as her husband and all friends call her, was a bit loose, as her nickname implies, and had two affairs, about nine years ago. Her husband found out about them, but he did nothing. He is a very big man and they say he once knocked out a donkey with a blow of his fist, but he is also an extremely gentle man, so he pretended he did not know about the affairs. A month or two after her husband found out about the affairs, she was attacked by a Mau-Mau who cut her up badly with a panga.”
“Why would he hit a donkey?”
“I don’t know - maybe it was a bad-tempered donkey and it tried to bite him.”
“I’m sorry, carry on with your story about Teresa.”
“Tease lingered for weeks…can I start again, I’d rather tell the story as I lived it.”
“Sure. May I order you a fruit juice?” she nodded.
“When I was first given the job, I was only warned that the husband is not a nice man, but that he won’t hurt me as he needs me to look after his wife. All they managed to do is make me feel very nervous.
His driver collected me and when we arrived he came out to greet me. He must have been six and a half feet tall and his muscles made him look much younger than he is - sorry, I forgot to mention, Raf is seventy nine years old. He once told me that he used to be much taller, but so many short people kept asking for a bit of his height that he lost quite a few inches. He should have been the one called Tease, even though he does not tease often. I think he sometimes teased me because I am so young and he never had children.”
3314
Dommi smiled, “And maybe because you are pretty?”
“Go on, I’m not pretty - I have seen myself in a mirror.”
“Mirrors can’t tell you what you look like - all they do is show you how you think you look.”
She shook her head, not agreeing. “My name is Connie - after Connie Francis…my mum still thinks she is the best singer ever. When I first saw Raf I was afraid of him, but I soon sensed how gentle he is and I enjoyed talking with him. Dominique, I fell in love with him.
It sounds stupid, doesn’t it, a twenty year old in love with a man almost eighty. Maybe it says things about me that I don’t want to know, but all I cared about was that I loved him and was happy, even though I knew he will never love me. I must have made it obvious, for Tease became violent in the only way she could.
I washed her every day and saw the scars, but I politely tried not to look at them so as not to embarrass her. This day, when I entered her room, she jerked at her nightie and shouted at me, ‘Look, look at the scars. He is responsible for each one!’
She ran a finger along the valley of a long scar across her lower ribs and told me the doctors had not expected her to live so they had not bothered to re-connect her ribs, causing the flesh to subside between the bones. She told me, as if I had not seen and heard her moans and grimaces of pain every day for a month now, that each wound still aches deeply within her and her eyes filled as she told me her story. I’ll try to tell you exactly what she told me, but maybe it hurts me too much for me to get it right.”
She took a long breath, perhaps mimicking the breath Tease took when she told her the words she was repeating.. “Rafael was always a loud man, full of energy that made him a tiring companion. He grew up on a farm in South America and when I met him in London I could feel how uncomfortable life in the city was for him. When I came to realise that I love him, our ages did not matter, even though I was thirty six at that time, I felt it is not too late for us. I told my parents that I’ve met the man I want to marry and they flew from Kenya to London to meet him. They loved him.
We wed in London and returned to Kenya. Within two years my father handed over the running of our farm to Rafael, but until they died, Rafael took care to ask their opinions and even when he disagreed with their wishes, he did not argue. They loved him as their son, not as my husband - so much, that at times I was almost jealous.
The first strangeness happened two years after moving to Kenya. One day, without warning, he told me he is leaving, as he needs to take a long walk in the bush. He had been edgy, even slightly short-tempered, so I thought it might do him some good and agreed, only asking what he would be doing. He told me he has to fight with the Devil!
I still have not dared ask him what he means - for he took many such walks of three to five days. As the years passed and we did not have a child, he needed his walks more and more often.”
Connie looked at Dommi. “She paused to stare into my eyes, as if daring me to be critical of her as she bitterly added, ‘I knew how desperately he wanted a child and pretended I understood that he needed time on his own to allow his grief to overwhelm him without anyone present to witness it, but I did not understand, for I felt the grief is also mine and he should have stayed and helped us share our grief.
I did not realise how strongly he felt about it, for he did not directly discuss or mention his wish for a child. I secretly went for a medical examination and learnt that I am not capable of bearing a child. It terrified me, for I felt he would leave me if he finds out.
Do you know what time does to you when you are afraid all day and night? I might have lost my fear if he had opened up to me or if he’d shouted at me, but instead he grew quieter year by year and spoke less often and more softly - almost tenderly…as if he could feel my pain. It made me hate him.
I had two affairs and I did not like either of the men, but I was not seeking love; what I did was out of spite…anger and hate, I felt I was avenging the loss of my dreams - the waste of my life. and behind it all remained the persistent buzz of fear in my heart, warning me without words that he’ll find out I am to blame.
3315
Are you old enough to have experienced a sudden shift in how you see yourself and others? One night, I could no longer bear the feel and scent of the man who held me and the image of Rafael came to me. Suddenly, all that had made me hate him was seen in a different light and I realised he had never stopped loving me. I recalled how he used to take his walks to fight the Devil and I saw his changes, his gentleness and withdrawal as his way of fighting his Devil so that he does not allow it to harm me. I would not even wait for the man to dress and take me most of the way home, I ran in the dark, comforted by the thoughts of soon being in the arms of my love and by the familiar scents and sounds of night time Africa, which I have always loved.
This was the night the panga cut into my side and as I fell to the ground, desperately trying to understand and also to escape, the panga slashed down at me again and again.’ ”
Connie stared away from Dommi in a strangely determined (fixated) way and Dommi did not try to call her back from her thoughts and emotions, for Dommi had allowed herself to turn the gift of empathy upon herself - and Robbie of course, so that the words spoken took her to the day of Robbie being slashed by pangas and then being sliced by a great number of bullets, experiencing it so vividly almost making the experiences hers. She sat with her hands in her lap, her face turned down and tears flowed.
Connie continued, without turning around, so she did not see how emotional Dommi was feeling, “She told me she is convinced she died, but returned so as to suffer even more. She gave me time to turn her words into feelings, so that I wept for her. Only then did she speak again.
‘My husband stayed by my side for all those days and weeks of pain and his gentle voice and warm touch gave me enough reason for me to want to live - and so I did. The love he gave me opened my heart so that I loved him more than I had ever before and now my broken body and the ugliness I see have broken my heart, for I can never share it with him again.
Four months later I was returned home and now I saw less of Rafael, for he soon was caught up with the farm problems. He did not ignore my loneliness and arranged for wives of friends to visit me almost every day. If only he could have foreseen where this would lead us, I think he would have remained by my side for every second those women were with me.
The first time I heard the whispers was when the two black women who nursed, fed and cleaned me asked the ladies to leave the room for a few minutes. The door was closed, but the window was open and I heard some of what they said…just enough for me to become curious. I recognised the voice of the person who’d awoken my curiosity, so the first time we were alone, I demanded she tell me the full truth.
She tried to squirm out of it, but in the end she admitted that all she knew is that it is said by some that the man who attacked me was not a Mau-Mau and the police were asking questions that led everyone to the conclusion that they believe the man was paid by my husband to kill me.
I did not believe her and strongly protested, telling her of how deeply he loves me, but, by the time she departed, she was not the only one who was not convinced.
It came to me that because I had been running back to him with love flooding my heart, I had painted a picture of his love for me which is not necessarily true. I remembered how I had suspected he knows of my affairs and that I am to blame for us not having the children he so desperately wanted, and now I began to see that perhaps it is true that his kindness and tenderness is mostly born out of guilt, rather than love as I had believed.’ ”
Now she turned to look at Dommi. “I don’t believe her, I think she made that last bit up because she realises that Raf is attracted to me.”
Dommi nodded. “Whatever her reasons, what is important is that you ask yourself what it is you believe. Do you think he is capable of arranging something so cold-blooded?”
Her face paled and looking drawn, she groped for her handbag and walked away. Dommi did not re-join us and we were not surprised when Cherine left us, to sit with her.
We did not spy on them so as to learn how their story ends, for we were already saddened by the twists their minds have taken, as we know that he is not responsible for the attack on her and he really does love his wife. It is for his sake that we are tempted to interfere by healing his wife, but then we’ll have to help the police arrest the attacker so that the truth can become known, so that she can be free to love him again. We’ll make our decision before we depart from this reality. There are too many odd and supple ways things keep on going wrong in this reality for us to take decisions lightly and only according to the manner in which empathy moves us. I wonder, did we find this reality because we needed to learn how to strengthen our empathy by tempering it?
3316
Robbie shared with us for a while from Dommi, but soon as Robert arrived, he concentrated on his alt.
“Why don’t you join me…I was about to say it is nice to see a friendly face, but you look too troubled to be called a friendly face. Is it really that bad?”
“What?”
“Whatever is making you scowl and look green at the edges.”
“Not now please.” He hesitated. “Actually, it may help talking to you, since you are a stranger…you will not betray my confidence will you?”
Robbie shook his head. “I can’t answer, since I do not know what it is you intend confiding to me; if you attacked a bus load of school children, I might betray you. Depends on whether you harmed any of them.”
“You’ve got a sick sense of humour - you are worse than me.”
They sat and Robbie waited. Once their order had arrived and Robert was still silent, Robbie took out a notepad and pencil and pushed it across the table. “Here, sketch something, keep your mind on your sketching as you talk and you’ll find the words come more easily.”
Robert obviously thought Robbie is being stupid, but he tried and we all forgot about Gracie. The shock rippling through us was felt by everyone in Freddie.
This is the first Robert ever who has close to zero talent for drawing!
Robbie resisted our urge to return to Freddie to discuss what we’d learnt, concentrating instead on first helping Robert.
Robert said, “Now that you mentioned it, I have worried about my being different from other men. I don’t sense in them the same need to protect and care for children - all children.”
Robbie nodded. “I think most men, even as boys sometimes, feel a need to protect smaller children. For some reason, especially us Europeans, we seem to have made it a sign of weakness, so that ‘tough’ men laugh at such men. Robert, do you go to the movies often?”
“Huh? Not very, to come all the way into Nairobi to watch a film is rarely worth it.”
“Have you seen any films where the hero, usually a semi-bad and tough guy finds himself having to watch over or save some kid…or a kid sort of adopts him as a father-figure…” Robert nodded, “have you noticed that all the men in the audience identify with the hero and get all mushy for a while? I’ve often wondered why it is seen as permissible just for that time.”
“Maybe because it is only make-believe.” He grinned. “Most of them have to, or else their girlfriend or wife will climb into them, calling them insensitive brutes and so on.”
Robbie smiled. “Actually, it is only the weak men who have to pretend to be tough; really tough men have no fear of showing love for children.” We mentally booed and teased him, asking him whether he thinks he is a tough man and he replied, *The toughest - I have to be to survive having so many of you making me feel so mushy all the time.* We let him win the argument…because his reply made us feel mushy.
“Gracie seems to have caused her parents to believe that I wish to marry her and her father has arranged for me to become a Mason. I hate the idea, but I don’t know how to get out of it without hurting his feelings.”
“Are you in love with Gracie?”
“In a way, but not for marrying…I don’t think we’d be compatible.”
Robbie nodded. “Normally I’d just think you are chickening out, but I agree, the two of you do not suit each other. The truth is, I do not think that either of you are in love - you just would like to be in love with each other.” Robbie leant forward, to stress what he is about to say. “Robert, you must take the blame for breaking up with her, allow her some pride, for she will not often be allowed to keep her pride, she tends to fall for men who will hurt her. Once she tells her father, you’ll find that problem solved without his pride being hurt. I don’t think it is likely the Freemasons will want you anymore.”
3317
Robert kept his eyes fixed on the glass in his hands as he replied, “I guess I knew the truth, I just didn’t want to see it.”
We all sighed a breath of relief and now really wanted to return to Freddie to discuss how his lack of artistic talent may affect his love for his Cherine - once he meets her. Robbie ignored our feelings and remained with Robert, knowing he’ll need to drink too much and get totally sozzled.
Although Robbie had got rid of the splatters of vomit on his clothes, he told us, “I need a shower,” and went straight to the bathroom. We were feeling a bit subdued by what we’d shared from him, so none of us teased or made to join him. We sensed he enjoyed having a shower on his own and we were glad we’d obeyed the feeling we’d had.
Robbie joined us in the sittingroom, wearing a bathrobe. He grinned when he saw a coffee and avocado sandwich were waiting for him. “This has been quite a day. Dommi love, what made you go to that woman?”
“It wasn’t pain, I think it was more her confused state of mind. I sensed she is a nice person, so I decided to help.”
“I’m glad. Cherine, do you really think Robert won’t be able to love his Cherine as he must, because of his lack of talent?”
“I don’t know…it’s more that I am afraid he can’t, or that it will make it different for her…”
He nodded. “Why don’t we first spend some time with her. I’m looking forward to learning in what ways she is different.”
None of us were in the mood for strong passions that night, but we enjoyed our feelings and woke up the next morning feeling full of energy and good cheer.
Cherine is living with her mother and father. She is nine years old, while he is twenty - yes, their difference of age is smaller.
Of course the first thing Cherine did was check on whether her alt has the gift of empathy. She does, which is a relief; we had not realised that the lack of talent in Robert had made us fear learning the truth about his Cherine.
Once we began to look deeper, we grew worried again. Cherine is a happy girl. Not only because she has her daddy; she is also popular at school. It turns out that she learnt how to use her gift to help those around her and she is very popular…because she is such a sweet and nice girl!
Robbie groaned. “I think we should return to saving the alternate of Arthur - it will be easier.” He said it to make us laugh, but we only stared at him, half-convinced he might be right. We’ve faced the problem before, how to make a Cherine suffer for her own good, but this time it feels like it is impossible.
Then Rosie asked her mum, “May I?” Cher hesitated a second, but then she nodded.
Rosie disappeared and arrived by Cherine. “Hi. There is someone who is very unhappy and only you can make him feel good again. Do you want to try, or are you too scared?”
Robbie chuckled as Cherine took umbrage and declared herself unafraid of anyone or anything. Rosie touched her and jumped to a quiet spot near Nairobi. Cherine gave a squeak and then turned on Rosie, her fists raised, ready for a fight. Rosie stepped back with a delighted grin on her face. It was not what Cherine expected, so she paused to try and understand.
“Good, so you are not just a silly little girl - I thought so. My name is Rosie, Rosie Teller.” Cherine just glared at her, while trying to puzzle out what it all means and where she is. After a few minutes, Rosie explained (if it can be called ‘explaining’), “I am your daughter.”
Cherine’s eyes half closed as she reached out to sense Rosie, but she could not accept what she sensed, so she said, “You’re nuts!”
3318
Rosie laughed. “Maybe. I could take you somewhere…magical, where you would meet yourself - and she is my mother, but you might get afraid and think you’ve gone crazy. Do you think you can handle it?”
As we sensed she was about to jump them, we quickly sat down, as we’ll be less threatening that way.
“Cherine, this is Cherine, my mother. Did you know you are so beautiful?”
Cher giggled. “Don’t let Rosie mess with your mind, she is loving seeing you so confused. Relax and I promise Rosie will explain herself to you.”
Rosie did. Then she added, “If I had just taken you to help your Robert, you would have refused. Because he is an adult, you would have thought you must not let him sense that you have a gift. It is the gift you have which will make him stop to really listen when you tell him why you teleported from England to Nairobi. He loves psychic gifts and it will make him half fall in love with you.” Rosie took on a serious look and told her in a severe manner, “The other half must be because of your cheekiness.”
Robbie laughed. “Cherine, she is still enjoying herself teasing you. The best way for you to understand is for the girls to do a storytelling for you. First, let’s take a walk to our taverna…restaurant, for a meal. It will give you the opportunity to see more of our world and if you are not afraid, a few aliens will come to meet you, they are excited to be meeting another Cherine.”
The first thing Robbie did was ask Freddie to jump realities so that Cherine is not absent from her home for too long. By the time the girls were to do a storytelling, it was no longer as necessary for convincing her of the truth, it was just necessary for helping her understand her Robert and why she must not give up on him.
Our Cher was the first to notice another strangeness. Cherine is not attracted to our Robbie and inside her only sees him as an adult - not as a man. Even stranger is that she does not pay much attention to the fact that our Cher loves him.
Only one thing stopped me from thinking that someone has arranged this reality to pull our leg - before learning who or what Jade is, she showed she is fascinated by her and developed a small crush on her. It seems this is as close as to having a Cherine of this reality be fascinated by at least some form of Robbie - Jade does not feel hurt by my saying so, as she is just as puzzled as I am and understands why I say it.
Cherine asked to be returned home after ten days in Freddie, but she promised to come with to Nairobi to meet the local Robert a week later.
“Robert, a distant relative of mine is arriving next week and as she will be alone, I have to watch over her. She is nine or ten years old and I would appreciate some adult company. I’m taking her on a photographic safari for two days, if you take pity on me and come with us, you will be my guest.”
Robert had been surprised to see Robbie arrive at the farm where he works, but he quickly unbent. He was about to reply politely, agreeing, when a thought came to him and he tried to hide his grin. “Of course, it would be a pleasure, though I must not be held responsible should I happen to find her company more pleasant than yours. I trust you will find other ways to amuse yourself? You do know how to use a camera?” He was gratified by the results of his sally, but also could not understand why Robbie found him so funny.
The hunter who was taking them on the trip was out on safari and asked to meet them at Kitui. Robert knows his way around and it would save some time, so Robbie agreed. Robbie was not hoping for dazzling herds of wildlife, as he mostly wished his two guests to spend more time interacting. The hunter was able to show them much worth photographing and the excitement and appreciation of all she saw turned Cherine into an enchanting pixie and Robert could not seem to keep himself from touching her shoulder, arm or hair. She was sensing him and liked what she felt from him so she did not resent his touching her, but she was not attracted to him as a man - more like an older brother.
Cherine’s visit ended with a lunch at the Norfolk Hotel; she had a big hamburger, and then they walked in the back for her to see the large cage filled with dazzling birds and sulky monkeys. Robbie found himself stumped when Robert insisted on coming to the airport to see Cherine leave. Cherine was aware of Robbie's worry, but she only played at being happy that Robert is coming with so as to provoke him. Robbie amused us by welcoming Robert, who stayed to watch as she presented a ticket and went through immigration. The moment it was safe, nobody looking at her, we brought her to Freddie. Cher let her watch-share through Robbie as the two of them drove back to Nairobi.
3319
As they drew close to where Robbie was to be dropped off, Robert said, “I owe you. Meeting Cherine and enjoying myself looking after her helped restore my perspective. I never should have become involved with Gracie and I’ll end that story as soon as I see her. What a pity Cherine is not a little bit older, I think she is going to grow up into a stunning woman.”
“A little bit older?…What, she would be old enough if she were eleven or twelve?”
Robert flushed. “You’re a perv! I meant closer to being an adult, even eighteen would be fine.”
Robbie chuckled, knowing Cherine is sharing, and teased, “I bet that even at the age she is now, if she wanted, she could make you fall in love with her. The problem is that you are too much of a fuddy-duddy for her to fall in love with you.”
He pulled over at the curb. “Go on, get out before you drive me crazy with your perverted way of looking at the world. By the way, will you be around for us to meet on Saturday - after I’ve explained myself to Gracie?”
“Sure - just don’t hurt her self-worth Robert, she may have had sex, but she really is far more innocent than she seems and was living a fantasy with you as her hero.”
Robert stuck his head out the window as Robbie turned to leave. “What exactly is your relationship with Cherine?”
Laughing, Robbie replied, “You’ll find out next time you meet her.”
Cherine withdrew into herself, so Jade sat by her. After a while, she asked for Cher. Jade returned to us so that they can speak privately.
“Cherine, I understand what you’ve tried to show me about my Robert and me, but I don’t think I can love him the way you love yours, but, I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t think I should meet him again.”
Cher shook her head. “We must return you to your home…”
A look of alarm filled her eyes, “How will I explain being gone for two and a half days? I can’t tell them I was on safari in Kenya!”
Cher giggled. “You won’t have to, as soon as Robbie arrives we will be jumping realities. You are, at this moment, at home with your parents. Cherine, we’ll jump and return to within half an hour of the time you joined us. We’ll collect you again after your parents go to bed.”
When it was after midnight in England, Robbie went to collect her. He arrived in her bedroom and saw her lying in bed with headphones on and tears slowly drifting down the sides of her face. He could just hear the music and knew she is listening to ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen; the 1984 original studio version. He waited and only made a slight noise once the song was ended. She opened her eyes and stared into his without embarrassment.
“I didn’t sense you, I was lost in the song - it is my very favourite. I don’t know why it makes me cry, the words are not sad…or maybe they are without me knowing it? Maybe it is his voice?”
“Oh girlie…” He remained silent for a while, but she sensed an odd poignant confusion within him, mixed with some feelings of love for her and waited. “I come from a time that here is still in your future and we have in Freddie a version he sang much later, as an old man. Did you know that he actually wrote the song with eighty four verses - not that anybody has tried singing all of them.” His lips twitched. “Wendy wrote an eighty fifth verse…to tease me I think…at least I hope so, for I still blush when I think of others hearing it. It is one of the few songs she refuses to change in any way or sing often, despite loving it, as she says it has a part of the soul of Cohen still linked to it and the song only belongs to him.”
“Do beautiful things make your Cherine want to cry?”
“Mostly she wraps her arms around herself - hugs herself, when she feels too strongly. Our Samantha is the one who lets the tears flow.”
3320
“She feels so strong - is she?”
“Not as strong as Cherine or Dommi, but stronger than me.” She giggled and put her hand to her lips to prevent her parents hearing her. With a grin, Robbie reached out his hand and she got out of bed, put her shoes on and placed her hand in his.
This time we did a full telling and she was deeply affected. Our Cher watched her like a hawk, ready to act instantly if she feels there is a danger of Cherine falling in love with our Robbie. We can sense she has opened to him - she has liked him from early on, so that doesn’t count, but she still does not think of him in a sexy way, despite having shared some of our lovemaking - which also did not make her tingle. I think Cher will have to share from her so that we can untangle whatever has gone wrong inside her.
It was Candy who gave us our first clue - which had been staring us in the face all along. She asked Cher, “Have you noticed that she is not a daddy’s girl, as you were?”
“I still am.” She smiled fondly. “Even if I mostly am a daddy’s girl for Robert.” She turned to Dommi. “Do you think her dad did something to make her like this, or do you think somebody outside the family hurt her?”
“I’ll be very surprised if it is Eric, I did not sense any meanness in him.”
We decided that Robert must be brought to Freddie so that he learns the truth and hopefully finds a way to attract his Cherine to him. Even as Robbie jumped to him, his face was flushed with embarrassment, for now Robert is to learn how he has been manipulated.
As he arrived in Freddie, Rob gave a sigh of relief as he looked around. “Thank goodness! I was starting to think I’ve got a screw loose.” He gave us a nice grin. “Especially when I kept on dreaming of loving little goddesses.” He saw there are two Cherines and gave a start. “Which one of you is it that I met?”
“Me,” said little Cher, “I mean I’m the one you went on safari with; I don’t know whether you’ve met the other Cherine - she is his Cherine.”
We were so happy to discover he has at least some vestiges of the gifts we thought he might not be capable of opening, that we did not mind his comment about loving us. Anyway, it is not his fault if he did dream of us making love with our Robbie. Hmm, this has happened before, with other newly met Roberts, but since becoming Cherinians, none of them have reported to us that they still share our lovemaking. I wonder whether it is because their levels of frustration take a nosedive once they have their own loves, or whether they stop because they know us now and don’t have the excuse of thinking we are not real, or whether the extra controls becoming Cherinians bestows on them helps them avoid peeping on us. I guess I can’t very well ask them.
Rob asked, “When we were on safari, did you already know the truth about them?”
“Most of it, yes.”
“Damn, I feel stupid.”
“Why?”
He blushed, but answered her, “Because I was attracted to you and felt weird that I felt that way about a kid.”
In a serious voice, she replied, “I guess we’re lucky that I did not feel the same way about you. I don’t really understand what makes Cherine like having sex with an old man, but I don’t.” She stared at him. “Maybe sex would be interesting if you were younger, I’ve wondered about it, but didn’t care enough to want to try it.”
“Oh boy, she sure is different from me!” We giggled, but we agreed with Cherine and privately sent her comments, like, ‘thank goodness’.
I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love - and should some of it be true for our reality, I hope you will love our Cherine.
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)29th November, 2019
- posted: 29th November, 2019
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