LiTTLE CHERiNE Book 02 - post035
“She is worried your healer will make me too young. She says she likes me as I am. How young will I become?”
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“We have gone beyond that Keith. I kept making presumptions on what seemed logical to me. Turns out I am nearly always wrong. You will stabilise for a long time at the physical equivalent of about sixteen to twenty. As for appearance, you decide. If you prefer to continue looking about seventy then tell the healer so.”
“He doesn’t look seventy!”
“I’m not so sure Annabelle. He does sort of look like old meat to me.”
“That is horrible of you! Keith I think you look perfect.”
Claudia pulled Annabelle to her. “If we are going to be living together for a while, you better get used to the fact that Robbie is a terrible teaser. Don’t get upset with him Annabelle, fight back. Tease him. If you are smart enough he will get scared of you and stop teasing.”
“Squiggle tail, you taking her side now?”
“I think every little girl has the right to be warned about you. Claudia was only being fair, she is our sister now.”
“You too Cherine? I would have thought Annabelle is more like a niece to you.”
“That would feel silly. I prefer her as a sister. Keith, are you going to marry her? The way we did?”
“Cherine, that was wrong. How dare you! Go to your room right now!”
“But Rob…”
“I said now!!”
“Robert it is okay, she meant well.”
“And the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Excuse me, I need to go and explain to her. I think it might be a good idea you girls come in too. Dommi, think you could make me a fresh coffee?” Just my way of excluding her and she realised it.
I shut the door behind me and looked at them all. They saw I was not angry and were puzzled.
“Cherine, you may have meant well, but it was very wrong. You have stolen something extremely precious from Keith - and from Annabelle.”
She stared at me, her eyes dark with the anger of the humility of my speaking to her that way in front of others. Slowly the look changed to dismay.
“I see you understand. I think it would be good for all the girls to understand how it can be bad sometimes to speak from good intentions, but without having thought first. Wendy, Diana, how did you feel when I asked you to marry us? Was it a wonderful warm feeling, something you still treasure?”
“Yes.”
“What is Annabelle going to feel now if Keith asks her? That he did so because Cherine asked him? Do you think it will be the same for them now, do you think he will feel as I felt when I asked you?”
“Oh shit!! How could I do it Robert? I was so stupid!!” She burst into tears. I saw the others had also understood.
“When you finished crying, go wash your face and then come out, like the brave wonderful girl you are and ask them both to forgive you. It is all that is left for you to do now.”
I left, my heart aching to hold her, and returned to Keith. “She understands and will soon be coming out to ask you to forgive her. I am very sorry Annabelle, it was thoughtless, but she did not mean to steal your joy from you.”
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She looked at Keith and then at me again. “She did not. Keith had already asked me to marry him. He told me about your diary that he read, about how the circle will grow so we should not marry in Church. He then explained what you did and asked me to marry him. I said I wanted more time first. It is scary to be married from now, I am too young.”
“Keith, I wish my girls were so level headed. Even the babies are beginning to want to marry me.”
“You cannot refuse?”
“I can, but I find it very difficult living with their need. We are so closely linked it hurts me.”
“Then you must marry them.”
Dommi brought my coffee and sat down. Annabelle sat next to her and Dommi put her arm around her shoulders, hugging her. Her little face looked blissful as it rested against Dommi. Keith stood up.
“Rob, I still like a smoke now and then, will you join me.”
We stood in the garden smoking. He was silent a long time.
“Seeing Annabelle like that, with Dominique, it made me realise how I missed out. I forgot about her need to be a child, to have a family she belongs to. It is not enough for her to just have me. Do you really believe that Dominique alone is enough?”
“What do you mean Dominique alone! Do not underestimate the benefit of having the girls as her sisters. I think what will make a big difference is having the twins as her nieces. It was brilliant, and sweet, of Diana to ask her to name them. It will bond them even further.”
“She asked me if the name Nicole would be alright.”
“Perfect. Tell her to find another name also.”
“She is not the only one who needs a family. You have made me feel as if we are part of your family. Thank you.”
“I would not be too hasty at thanking me. If you really want us as family, I warn you, you will go through hell sometimes. Ask poor Alki and Marian. I have a question for you, it is not something you need to answer right now. You have to be at least three to be able to form your own World. Have you found anyone you both like very much?”
“Yes, but they are all taken.”
“I mean it Keith. Having your own World is important. Alki may be adopting. I think they might even adopt two kids. That is one route to take if you feel strongly about having sex with your own children.”
“It is only postponing the inevitable. I did find it distasteful, but my love for Annabelle, that too would have been distasteful some time ago. For I would not have thought of it as being a thing of love. Loving her has changed me, opened my mind and made me a lot more tolerant. I see you and your daughters and the love between you, it is so beautiful it breaks my heart.”
“Thank you Keith. Again you surprise me. You are the first to speak of our love without a feeling of distaste in the back of your mind. It means a lot to me, for I still feel guilty at times.”
“Do not. The love you have for each other, it is precious and you must nurture it. Help them feel how proud it makes you feel that they love you. Guilt will only poison your love.”
“As I recall mentioning before, you are one weird farmer.”
“As a farmer I do not see this incest problem amongst the animals. They do not have the taboos we have. Are they wrong Rob?”
“To be honest, under other circumstances I might say yes. With our healers though, the ability to prevent the ill effects of in-breeding, maybe not.”
“There is far more sex within families than you realise. In some cases there is a lot of love too. I no longer see it as wrong as I used to.”
Still worried, I replied, “I am using the yardstick that love justifies all, but maybe it is not always the case.”
Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)16th September
* posted on Steemit: 16th September, 2018
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O Robert tov Keith theloun na pisoyn i ta koritsia na panteutei thi Annabelle...
Thes miname gia poles wres xwris steemit lelen ekane anavathmisiii... kalimera..
I Cherine ekane to lathos na prospathisi kai thimose o Robert. Otan katalave to lathos tis, i Cherine eklapse. O Keith kai i Annabelle den theloun na pantreftoun akoma.
Nai, eipan oti kanane "fork" - diladi, kanane allages sto systima. Den ksero ti allages...kai oute me noiazei. Otan den eheis dikaioma na engrinis i ohi, giati na asholitihis me tetoies sizitiseis? As kanoun oti theloun kai ean ftasei sto symio pou den antehoume tois allages, tha fygoun polloi....eidi ehoun anoiksi 2 alla san to steemit, kai nomizo tha anouksoun kai alla polla...ego omos, tha meino edo gia oso mporo.
Perimeno na do ean tha gelaseis me to epomeno post...
tha prospathisw na to diavasw mes tin mera....