Little Cherine Book 02 - BPost014

“Meli. How are things going with Daniel. Have they worked out the problem of him belonging to their circle, but being in another world?”
“They all go to visit him. Especially after dancing.”








Previous Post 013


831

“Lua, the girl who belongs to two worlds!”

“Not only her. What about Keith and Annabelle.”

“I’d forgotten.”


Our chatter was running out of steam. It had been seven hours and we were still waiting. We hoped there had been no delays with their connecting flights. As soon as she jumped back she got crowded by our bunch of excited girls and she threw each a smile as she petted and caressed them. When she was able to break away from them she was an excited child herself.

“It was so fantastic! They are strange!” She chatted non-stop about the trip, the plane, the airports and finally about the Ukraine. She’d had an adventure of her own and was revelling in the avid way the girls were listening to her. She did manage to do one thing that was very sweet. She talked in Greek so that Aganthi would not be left out. I listened to her carefully and noticed that something was on her mind that she was not talking about. Gently I eased myself into her thoughts and caught her hidden thoughts that were trying to pop out. I slipped out again, keeping my own thoughts neutral; when she is ready she will talk to me about the orphanage and what upset her.

Although it was not her turn, we had made love the previous night, the others all made way for her, sensing the deep need we had to feel and hold each other. She was my fire fox of old, biting, scratching. There was little tenderness from her that first time, though there was no lack of love flowing between us, just that it was a love that demanded we get as close to each other as we can, that we sense, taste and feel all of each other.

Our second time was a more lingering gentler time with that slow rise that gives so much pleasure also. Finally she slept upon me, her cheek to my chest so that she could hear my heart. I was so in love with the feeling of her upon me I could not sleep for a long time, just softly touching her limbs, caressing her warm, satiny skin. God but I love her!


She left very early to return with them to the orphanage. We all waited eagerly for her message and when we got the thumbs up we celebrated, sharing with Alki and Marian their joy. That afternoon they flew to Jordan. They were to sleep there that night and go by car to Iraq where they would be met and taken to see the child.

Cherine jumped back straight after supper and spent the night. Again she slept in my arms though I did not allow myself to get aroused, just both of us enjoying the feel of each other so close.

We got her thumbs up. She sent me the love that had filled Alki when he picked up the boy and held him. The child is still a toddler of about sixteen months. They had to stay there two more days to finalise the adoption papers and they left with the child.

They returned to give me back my Cherine. They left their son with us and flew off to the Ukraine again to collect their two little girls. It was a wonderful moment when they finally sat with their three children in their arms. The one little girl, Tania, of about three, is a restless little minx, curious about everything and not shy at all. The other one is only nineteen months old and has not been named yet. The orphanage told them the birth mother had not given them any idea of what to call her as she had been abandoned. They have given her a name for the sake of the documentation, but Alki is free to rename her at her christening. They decided to call her Theodora (gift from God).


Keith and Annabelle had joined us for this special occasion. They have become very close to Alki, from working together, and with Marian as she looks after Annabelle after school when she is not with us. It never fails to amaze me how mature Annabelle seems. When not in school she seems to prefer adopting the age of about seventeen. I am certain it has caused more raised eyebrows than if she had remained her true age, but I realised she is actually doing it for Keith, as he feels more at ease loving her.


Aganthi was silent the whole evening. I felt what worried her and took a few minutes to phone and ask Tasso to come around the next morning

.

We told Tasso the whole story, which he knew most of already, and what we want.


832

“Tasso it would be better if you deal with her parents. If they agree to you taking the kids for a monthly income, fine. They must sign all the documents so that they can be adopted. If they refuse, then we cannot avoid it. You will tell them that they have Aids. Get them to go to a clinic of their choice for tests at our cost. Then tell them their children all have Aids. Explain they got it from Aganthi, from selling their daughter to any man who had a thousand Drachmaes. We are ready to open a case with the police and have them charged. A statement will also be made about the father raping his children. The fact that the children all have Aids is proof enough.

Either way, we will give them the same monthly income, enough for them to survive. Explain that they are only getting this money because Aganthi pleaded for them. They will get the money from you or whichever way is safe for you. I never want to meet them, for I might become angered and kill them. If they ever try to find or contact the children, I swear I will kill them.”

Tasso, his eyes cold and hard nodded. “It will not be necessary for you to kill them, I would do it. I have children Roberto, I too am loving them in ways I should not but that is needed. But I love them. I am careful to only give them pleasure and love. These are animals, you are too kind.”

I told him of what Aganthi had said, of her willingness to return to that awful life, to give up all we can offer her, out of loyalty to her parents.

“Tasso, it reminds me of something that upset me years ago. I was still not working and broke and I lived in a slum area. I had joined an animal welfare organisation, helping them care for animals they found, even having to have them put down. It was painless, an injection and they went to sleep and their hearts stopped. I then had to take their corpses and put them in the furnace. It was heartbreaking for even as they were held and injected, they showed they knew what is happening to them. I would hold and pet them until their hearts had stopped.

One day some kids came to where I was working, painting on the pavement with coloured chalks, for money to be tossed into my box, and asked me to go with them. They led me to an empty lot that was more of a rubbish dump, telling me they had found a wounded small dog. It was bleeding and they told me there were pieces of brain scattered around. I decided that if it was still alive they must be exaggerating.

I found the spot where they had seen it. They were right. Blood and tiny pieces of brain were all over the cardboard sheets. It was easy to trace where it had gone. The poor faithful animal had returned to its owner, the very same person who had taken a plank of wood, put a huge nail in it and had beaten the dog over the head, trying to kill it.”

I stopped, overcome even now by the memory.

“Aganthi has shown the same loyalty. For her peace of mind I have agreed to provide for them. I will not cure them, let them die as payment for the evil they have done. It is only for her that I am able to do as I’ve offered.”

“Rest my good friend, it will all be done as you ask. Have you anyone to adopt them?”

“No. Bring the little ones here. I need to heal them first. They will also feel better being with their big sister.”

As soon as Tasso left, I called Officer Savva and asked him to come after work to see me. When he came I told him the whole story. “If this should turn into a police case, it is better you know from before.”

“If it does, before you go to the station, call me. I will come to the local station and have a talk with the commanding officer. Who would adopt two Albanian children, Roberto? Not many Greeks would and certainly no Albanian family will.”

“I do not know. We can worry about that later. First I have to heal them.”


The next day Tasso called to warn me he is arriving with the two kids. I called Savva to let him know and he came over immediately.

“It was not necessary, there was no trouble. The father was quite happy to take the money.”

“I will stay.”


833

When they arrived, Aganthi rushed to take them. They clung to her, their only shelter in a world that had turned upside down for them.

“Aganthi, take Wendy to help you bathe them. Put on their new clothes, it will make them feel better. Soon as you have finished bring them here. We’ve got ice cream and cakes for them. Let’s spoil them a bit.”

Savva sat frowning, hardly speaking at all. I got us a couple of coffees and we sat on the balcony having a smoke, each of us deep in his own thoughts.

When the kids came out, the snot had been washed off their little faces and they looked quite cute in their new clothes. Aganthi’s little sister preened as she admired herself in a mirror. The little boy was more interested in the toys we gave him. Neither of them would stray more than a metre or two from Aganthi. She had also washed her face, her eyes still puffy from crying as she came and kissed me on the cheek.

“You kept your word.”

“Happy now?”

“Not until I can also make you happy.” Savva grunted and I kept my face turned away from him.

“You still have not understood that all I need is to feel your happiness for me to be happy?”

“That is you being stupid. I owe you.”

“Then let me be stupid. That is what makes me happy.”

“I know.” Savva grunted again and I realised he was laughing.

He returned that evening with his wife. They had brought presents for the two little ones.


The next morning was a big one for us, we were moving back into our own home, so I kept the healer, it would not harm the kids to wait a couple of days. When we got to our new home they disappeared, running wild, trying to see everything. Aganthi wanted to quieten them down, but I asked her to let them play, let them feel happy.

That evening Savva and his wife visited to bring us a house-warming (καλο ρίζικο) present - a plant, as is usual. We kept them with us for supper and his wife was soon sitting on the carpet playing with the little ones.

“When you are fully recovered Roberto, I would like us to start the broadcasting again. With so many illegal immigrants we are having a serious rise in crime.”

“I do not think it will help much, not when crimes are being committed out of hunger and desperation.”

Gradually the house filled up as visitors jumped over to visit us. When Socrati turned up with Sonja, they had Andrea and Britta with them. Claudia hung around her and they soon disappeared into our new bedrooms. Of course everybody had wanted to see my peculiar arrangements that they had heard of.

They stared at my bedroom and I must admit it was stunning but also strange.

Jonathan walked around, examining the layout. He called to me from the other side of the room. “Robert. Is this the typical future home of Cherinians?”

“This is only my own crazy idea of how I want to live. I’m sure others will find better ways of arranging things to suit our lifestyle.”

His face set and he took the plunge. “Which of these rooms will be my daughter’s?”

“I thought she had a room at your home. You kicking her out? Jonathan, she is still a child, she has two loving parents. Why should she move here. In the future yes, it will probably happen gradually, but not now. When she visits, she will have a choice of rooms.”


834

The atmosphere relaxed and we were soon checking out the rest of the house. There was silence when I showed them the underground room that is to be our tissue bank in Greece. I felt their feelings of awe, as if they were in a temple.


The next morning Cherine asked if we can go to Kefalari that afternoon as an outing.

“I was looking for a good excuse. Thanks love.” I called the wife of Savva.

“I want to take my girls out. Give them a chance to dress up and drive the boys wild. My problem is, what do I do with the two little ones. Could you watch them for me, just two to three hours?”

“I have a better idea. Make an evening of it. I know you enjoy going to tavernas for supper. Bring clothes with and let them sleep here. It won’t be a problem.”

As I closed the phone I found most of my girls staring at me. “That was sneaky.”

“I hope so. Wouldn’t they make a lovely family? Make sure none of you let Aganthi know what I am trying to do.”

“Why?”

“I don’t want to build up her hopes until we are sure.”

“You better tell us as soon as we are sure, because I can’t keep secrets from her. She feels it.”

“You two have become very close Wendy. Seems every new girl we get adopts you.”

“Claudia is still my special friend.”

“I know love. I think all the girls are your best friend. You are the type of person everybody falls in love with.”

“No. You are still my very best friend.”

“I don’t count my love. You enslaved me from the first second I laid eyes on you.”

Any parent, uncle, aunt, cousin or adult in general who has dealings with girls between the ages of eight and eighteen will tell you of the reaction such a conversation will have on the girls. It is too sweet, too sentimental for them. They will roll up their eyes, make fun of it. Not my girls - unless they want to tease me. They think normal girls are silly and have little patience for their giggles and cutting remarks.

Never slow to grab an opportunity, the girls made sure we made a night of it. During supper, Rosie wanted to know what had happened to the other half of our celebration.

“You told us it would happen over two nights.”

“The second half was exchanged for something even more wonderful. Aganthi.”

The twins nodded in unison. “That is better than a celebration.”

Cherine grinned, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “Diana, you are not doing a good job teaching your babies. They are letting Robert flummox (μπερδεύω, συγχύζω, σαστίζω) them with his sweet talk. Girls, Robert says things like that to melt our hearts to get out of having to think up a wonderful way for us to celebrate. You fell for it.”

Aganthi has by now learnt that the girls and I love to tease each other and does not get tense. Cherine though still scares her. She keeps expecting me to get angry. She watched my face, her sweet heart anxious.

“Aganthi, if you keep getting worried every time Cherine teases Robbie, you will spend most of your time worrying. Cherine is his first love, he will never get angry with her. He loves her cheekiness.”

“He got angry with me lots of times Samantha. He even died because of it. It made me afraid for a long time. I think my teasing slowly-slowly made him stronger, now he doesn’t die anymore. He just gives in because he knows he can’t beat me at teasing.”


835

“I think Aganthi has just made fools of both of you. You forgot what her gift is? She only looked worried to bait you and you fell for it. Cherine, what a weak story, I’m disappointed in you. Get Meli to help you next time.”

We baited each other and Cherine got the better of me in the end, which sent her spirits soaring and her love pouring out to me. I had my reward and was satisfied. As for Aganthi, reminded, she now used her gift and finally gave up, not understanding this kind of relationship. She is used to getting knocked down for saying anything slightly smart-ass. I look forward to the day she tries her hand at teasing me.

The only ones who never tease me are Wendy and the twins. Whenever Wendy does, as she has tried to a couple of times, it was very gentle and satisfied some inner sense of the music of words and their meanings. As for the twins, all I can do is hope.


The next morning Savva called me, demanding I meet him. I agreed. Cherine got that set look on her face that warns me not to argue with her and refused to let me go alone. She had picked up his anger with me.

“Why did you bring her with? I cannot say what I have to say with Cherine present.”

“I did not bring her Savva, you did. She felt your anger and would not listen to me. How could I stop her?”

“Cherine, go to the kiosk and choose yourself some magazines, please stay there until we are finished. You know I would never hurt Roberto.”

“You will. Not hitting him. With your words.” She stared straight back into his eyes, not one whit intimidated by his fierce scowl. He tried to outstare her for a moment and sat back with a sigh.

“I promise, not even with words.” She proudly got up and he stared at her. “If I had a few men like her at my station, there would be no crime in our area.”

“You want to borrow her?”

“Damn you Roberto, I came here very angry and the two of you are making me give in before I can speak.”

“It is about the little Albanians?”

“You did that deliberately. I know you. The first thing you would have done is fix any physical damage, even if you had to wait to heal them. My wife gave them a bath last night and saw what their father had done to them, their torn…why Roberto? Why make a good woman see such a horrible sight. She spent the whole night crying.”

“Sophia asked to keep them for the night. I only wanted them to come for a couple of hours. I wanted her to play with them, become fond of them. I have been hoping you would love them and take them into your circle. Was I wrong to want that Savva?”

“That is not the point. You should have refused.”

“You want me to be entirely honest with you, so it makes it difficult for me, as I do not want to lose your friendship. Savva, the truth is, I did not think of it. Even till now, I have not taken a look at them. Aganthi insists on bathing and dressing them, only Wendy helps her and she has not spoken to me about it. Poor Wendy, what memories it must have brought back for her. Do you really think I would have let Wendy go through such an experience? What Wendy must have felt breaks my heart Savva, not the pain and tears of Sophia. Your wife is an angel, sweet and gentle, but she is a woman. Seeing what she did, it upset her, but she was actually seeing something she has heard about, read about. For the first time it touched her life. That is good. Tell me, she calls them ‘moro mou’ and holds them to her? She wants to care for them, adopt them? Is that part of what angers you?”

“You think you are so smart. Using our instincts against us to make us do what you want.”

“Savva, I will go to your home to collect the kids. As they are taken out by Cherine I will clear her memory so that she remembers nothing of them. They came, played with her a while and I collected them. No kids of mine go into a home where they are not loved by all.”


836

He saw Cherine staring back at us, her face and posture betraying her nervousness. He smiled and waved to her as he softly answered me, “You are a real bastard. You know that I know what you did, that I needed to let off steam, but that I too saw and my heart ached for them. You know you won and you will not even give me the chance to shout at you, I have to keep on smiling for little Cherine.”

“I should not say this to a police officer in public, but Savva, I really love you. Thank you. One thing more, I did not win - you and the kids did. Having each other to love is the best kind of winning. Tell me, you saw their bodies. Does that give you an idea of how their minds were scarred. Of how much tenderness and loving they will need? If they are naughty, will you be able to shout at them, knowing what fears it will bring back? In an important way, it was good you saw.”

He threw up his arms as if exasperated and then smiled. “You are like those old women, the matchmakers - only worse. I should have known better than to want to shout at you. I should have known the Roberto would make me feel foolish.”

“You would have only been foolish if you had closed your hearts to these kids because they are Albanians. You will have so many years of love and laughter from this.”

Cherine saw she could come back and returned, handing me back all the money I had given her. Savva grasped her shoulder. “You need not have come. Our Roberto, he has his crazy way with words.”

Once he had gone, she wanted to know from me what it was all about. I tried to grin at her, my heart not in it. “You were listening in, I did not flash a privacy sign. I wish I had. How could Wendy not tell me, how could I have been so stupid not to think of it?”

“You had to not think of it. For them. Savva and his wife, they will love them in the right way now.” She put her hand on mine. “Am I allowed to kiss you in public?”

“Not the way you are thinking of.” She giggled.


Little Petros (Peter) and Zoë were taken care of by my healer, with three other healers helping so that they can help in the future. The first day of healing, the appearance of their bodies and sexual organs were repaired. We had not warned Aganthi and when she next went to bathe them the girls rushed in to find her sitting on the tiles crying. They explained to her that it is part of the healing process. Petros was shy, but Zoë proudly showed off her slit, making them see how it has closed again, the large opening which had deformed her now normal. The girls kissed and hugged her wet little body. While they helped wash the tots, Aganthi came looking for me.

I looked up as she stood by my side. Before I could stop her she was on her knees kissing my hand - like I was some damn Greek priest. I got on my knees and pulled her to me in a hug and she buried her face in my chest. I let her cry for as long as she needed to.

“Aganthi, please, you must never do that again. Everything I do is from love. It will not be long before we are able to waken the healer in you and you will also be able to heal. It is not a miracle in that sense, just a gift all of us have. Can you see why I told you there is a price you have to pay? Could you have this power and sit by watching others suffer without helping? Can you feel the happiness it gives to be able to help?”

She opened her fist and showed the money to me, offering it. “I stole from you.”

“Any excuses?”

“No.”

“I am glad - that there are no excuses. I will tell you why you stole. You feared my promises were all a lie. That it was a dream, I would throw you out on the streets as soon as I got tired of you, soon as I realised what a rotten person you are. You saw me make love with my girls, but I did not touch you and you thought I find you disgusting. Am I right?”

“Yes.”

“I felt it in you and put the money there for you. I wanted you to have the comfort of knowing you have money. You are wondering why I did not give it to you. If I had, you would have feared that. You would have been certain I would take it back or it was my way of telling you to get out. I also wanted the day to come when you would return it. Then I would know you believe in my love.”


837

“Why won’t you use me for sex?”

“I will when you are ready. Not use you though.”

“I am ready.”

“No my little Albanian, you are not. When you really are, you will know and so will I.”

“I’m not an Albanian now!”

“I know, you are Greek. It is just an endearment love.”

“I am not a Greek either. I’m a Cherinian.”

“You are the first person ever to say that. Thank you.”

What an odd mixture this precious girl is. It was with a feeling of accomplishment and joy I felt another barrier fall down between her heart and us. Soon she will truly love, in the way we do. In the meantime she keeps on coming up with ways to humble me with the generosity of her spirit.

“Aganthi. It will take another three to four days to finish healing them. This time it is happening slower as I also need the healer to look after me. Soon as they are healthy, we have found a family for them. Before we give them, I need you to get to know the family, to agree they can adopt them.”

“Are they Cherinians?”

“Yes.”

“Then they will be loved.”

“More than you can imagine. One as you say, because they are Cherinians. The second reason is that they could not have children and this has been a pain in them. They now love your little sister and brother. They want them.”

“It is Sophia?”

“You saw the love?”

“Yes. I like her. She was meant to be a mother.”

“In a year or so, when she is younger again, they will have children. But there will always be a special place for the little ones in their heart.”

She gave me a grin, “He is one of the stupid ones, he would buy my flowers.”

“He looks so fierce, but you see that in him?”

“He thinks of you as some kind of god.”

“Yes.” I sighed. “He is like you, he has seen too much evil. Finding good has filled his heart, but he cannot accept I am just a man.”

“One day I will have all the powers you have?”

“All, except I think for the protector.”

“When I do, then I will tell you that you are not just a man and you will have to believe me then.”

“Aganthi?”

“Yes?”

“You can sell me flowers whenever you want.” I hugged her again and as she turned her face up to me I softly kissed the sweet lips she was offering me. I got up, but she remained seated, her head bowed. “What is it now love?”


838

“I wish I could have been a virgin for you, so that you would have been the only man in my whole life.”

I knelt again to look her in the eyes. “You are a virgin. When you were healed that was part of it. As is your sister.”

“But not in my mind.”

“Millions of people believe in reincarnation. That means they think or remember that they had past lives. That when we die we come back again. My little twins, they are virgins. If they lived and loved in past lives, does that mean they are not virgins?”

“No. But…”

“What happened to you was in a past life. You have a new body and now you are a Cherinian. This is a new Aganthi. Let the old one go, let her fade away. Like you helped our Wendy to let go her past.”

*Welcome Robert. You are well?*

*Better thank you. My body is still weak, it refuses to hold the energy to maintain itself. It will improve, but for that reason I cannot stay long. Ordinx, is Solomon also here?*

*I am Robert. I forgot to project an image for you to identify me.*

*I have thought of an idea. It would involve the Sparklers, Ordinx - your people and maybe all the races throughout the universe. It may be a little grandiose, but I think it is a dream worth pursuing. I will need time to think it out properly and my base on Earth must grow first. There are too few of us at present. Can you give me time? I am asking for one to two hundred Earth years.*

*It is but a short time to wait. You are confident?*

*It comes in two parts. The one I do believe we can do. The second is the one I call a dream for life.*

*We can wait.*

*The Sparklers will wait also. If it damages you to remain you must leave now.*

*One thing before I go. We have been named. Our group are now called the Cherinians, after Cherine, the one from whom our gifts come.*

*It is fitting.*


“What is your idea Robbie?”

“I do not want this discussed with your friend Sam. Only when we are ready.”

She looked hurt. “I would not do that!”

“You have made us all curious Roberto. Since all the Cherinians are here, I think you should tell us.”

“You will only think I am nuts, gone totally crazy.”

“Now you are making us even more curious.” Keith smiled at me with reassurance.

“They are holding a precious cargo, it is what stopped them from committing mass suicide. They hold the souls of a multitude of races. They cannot all be returned to their original planets as many of those planets are by now devoid of all life. We have an endless supply of planets that can be tailor made to suit each race. At this moment, I think, they only exist in the mind of Melina. We have seen they are not only imaginary. Lua, you are proof of that.”

They had all, except for Aganthi and the twins, been to Meli’s world, had seen and felt the reality of it and it's people. That was one thing, but to believe Meli can create on order millions of worlds to suit so many races, that was staggering. The hubbub of voices reflected the confusion in their minds.


839

“Robert, I have been there, to her world. I saw, but returned and placed it in a corner of my mind where I place stories I have read. I could not fit it within the context of our reality. What you are suggesting, it seems too fantastic.” There was a swell of agreement.

“I told you it was crazy, I felt the same way. Lua forced me to face the fact that they are a reality. You are all forgetting one very obvious factor.” That quietened them. “The concept is not mine. I stole it from Melina. She was the first to think of it. Ordinx has accepted her ‘bat’ people as ancients of his planet. Souls the void threw out and Meli collected and gave their original forms to. Even Meli cannot explain how it is she found them, when they existed in the void many hundreds of thousands of years ago - in some distant part of our galaxy! I cannot hide that in a corner of my mind. It is too impossible and too real to ignore.”

“What happens when Melina ages and dies as we all must. Will her worlds also die. It does not seem right to give any species life and take it in a thousand years. That is too short a time for whole races or species to exist.”

“I agree Themi. I think they are only, or partly in her mind. She made a comment once that stuck in my mind. She said the world was waiting for me so that it could be born. That it is a world to come.”

It had taken me a long time to accept, to even think of the idea, the possibility, my mind rejecting it until I was forced to consider it seriously. I had now done the same to them. It would be too beautiful a thing to know that through our Meli we have given life and hope again to so many races. To resurrect whole planets with all their species smacked too much of trying to be gods. I now left it to the reasoning part of their minds to mull over and was not disappointed when they left without believing.

“What you have asked them to believe, it is too big, they need time.”

I chuckled. “Are you saying you believe?”

“Cherine. Do you remember on Ydra I told you and Dominique that Roberto is your warrior. I also said that maybe it is necessary that our warrior be an artist. Who else but an artist could have thought of this.”

“He must be the strangest leader any people have ever had.” Marian spoke fondly, but I saw the mention of Ydra had brought back memories.

“I am curious. Robert said there are two parts to his idea. He said this was the one he believed in, that the second one was more like a dream. What would the second one be like - if it is so much more fantastic than this one!”

“Sorry Dommi, one thing at a time. Something else crossed my mind. Meli?”

“Yes?”

“If you make a world for the ‘bat’ people, would it be possible for the people of Ordinx to leave their Worlds, return to physical bodies, live their lives and return to their Worlds again?”

Her eyes withdrew from us, deep within her own mind. We waited, almost afraid of her reply.

“Ordinx came and took a physical form. It was temporary, but if the world moves closer to this reality, I think he could.”

I saw the joy in Sam and grinned at her. I let them wonder at this idea and rejoice for our friends. I waited, but nobody seemed to think of the obvious. Cherine turned with a quizzical look, but did not speak.

“Alki, you tell me in business, when I think of an idea I must think it through, all the way. None of you are thinking it through.”

Even with that hint they still could not see what I was thinking of, the dream that had caught fire within me. They pressed me to explain.

“You all know I have been the butt of many jokes for not liking the ‘I’ of our World. The idea of being stuck with it for an eternity has not been pleasant for me.” There were a few gasps as some minds saw where I was heading. “If what Meli said can be done, what is to stop us from taking ‘holidays’ from our World by taking on our bodies again in a world of Meli’s? Her worlds do not cease to exist while she is with us in our World, so it should be possible.”

840

“We could do that whenever we want?”

“I do not see why not. It should also be possible to have a number of such worlds so that we can experience a different life each time.”

Suddenly our future had blossomed and their need to believe in it made believers of them. I hope I have not given them a false dream.


Cherine stood up, her stance a warning to those who know her. “If this is true, then I have a million lives I can live with Robert. This makes him even more precious and I am not willing to risk his life in any way until he has healed. You must all leave so that he gets his rest.”

My face turned a bright scarlet, but they all meekly obeyed her. Once they were gone, she turned to the girls.

“Nobody, and I mean nobody, lets him see your pain. Nobody goes to him needing his loving. If he wants it, first the healer tells us it is okay. No dancing. We wait for his body to give strong healthy tissue so that we will never lose him.”

“Cherine love...”

“You keep quiet! You do not treasure your life the way we do. Ask them, they all agree with me.” I knew they did. “We will make these kind of decisions from now on, until you are the same as us, fully alive, your cells able to guarantee we will never lose you.” They all ganged up on me, so I gave in without a murmur, for how can I fight them when their needs are out of love for me. My sense of humour came to my rescue and I told myself, if it is any compensation, throughout our history, all great leaders ended up being bullied one way or another in private by their love(r)s.


Within days I was champing at the bit. Cherine had reverted to the Cherine of the past. I would even sense her wake up to check I am breathing. Everybody is walking on eggs, afraid to even smile at me. Except Dommi of course. She is the only one Cherine does not dare try to intimidate. Dommi was sympathetic, but left it to me to handle.

It got too much for me when I overheard her telling the girls that they must take turns staying awake to watch over me while I sleep.

“Cherine love, there has to be some limits to this. You are making life miserable for everyone, including you and me. Quality of life…”

“…is not important. Not in the short term. In a few months you will be well. For now we look after you. You have spent your life till now looking after us, it is our turn.”

“You are using the same excuse every dictator uses. You will obey, you will sacrifice your freedom, your rights, so that the rest of your lives and those of your children will be safe etc, etc.”

“I will not listen to you Robert. I know that when you really want to, you can out-talk me. If I am wrong, then maybe it is right to be wrong sometimes.” She glared at me and I saw there was no point in continuing.

I called Niko and asked if he could meet me for a coffee. He agreed and I ‘suggested’ he invite Alki and Themi. Cherine allowed me to go without her since Dommi would be with us.

I told them of what is happening. Dommi sat smiling, not saying a word.

“I cannot take this anymore. What do I do?”

“Therapy will not help you Robert. If she even agreed to see me, which she will not, it would take too long. Before then you will be cured.”

“Niko, I think I will have to find myself a mistress or two.”

“This is so ironic. The man with the most girls in his life needs to find a mistress.” I let him have his laugh.



Next [Book 02] - Post 015

I hope you enjoy reading this story of fantasy, adventure and love.




Αλέξανδρος Ζήνον Ευσταθίου
(Alexander Zenon Eustace)
8th May, 2019

* posted on Steemit: 8th May, 2019



For those who wish to be notified of sequels
@nikosnitza
If you wish to have your name added above, I would be honoured.


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