“Thank you for saving this city,” Janis said. “It has always been my favorite place, Los Angeles certainly isn’t.” “My ashes were scattered near the very bridge that may not be standing here today were it not for you.”
“You know there was a large musical event that was supposed to help bring about hope for a change earlier this summer, and I am sure it has, to some extent,” Greta said.
“Yeah but honey, those events just fade and it’s back to business as usual, fuck it up and let the next guy figure out how to fix it.” Janis replied. “You however, can change that, but you’d have to travel, you’d have to be able to do what you do worldwide.”
“Absolutely.”
“Onstage, I used to make love to tens of thousands of people, and then I would go home. I heard from countless fans how fabulous I was, how I changed their lives, but you know, I am sure that faded quickly as all things do. Take that magic, that love making session when the time comes, and tattoo it into the psyche of all the fans, let it spread like one of California’s wildfires.”
“Are you lonely?” Greta asked.
“You know, there are far more people that pass through here who can see me and stop to chat that you might imagine, oh they’re all dead unlike you, so I guess the answer would be yes and no.”
They took Janis by the hand and in an instant were on the porch at 710 Ashbury, not wanting to leave her alone in the park. The street was crowded and the passersby would look up at the empty stairs they were sitting on when they heard an outburst of laughter or the voice of Janis singing. “We’ll make it happen my dear,” Valia said as they hugged and said their goodbyes.
“I’m sure you will, and when you do, I’ll be there.” Janis replied. The twins vanished and reappeared in their hotel room standing at the sunlit window looking out.
“Never a dull moment my dear sister,” Greta said.
“I’m getting hungry, how about a pizza,” Valia replied.
Greta ordered a Screaming Tomato pie from Extreme Pizza and had it delivered. After dinner they settled into planning, to some extent, an itinerary leading up to the awards ceremony that was little over a week away.
“I miss New York,” Greta said.
“It is very beautiful out here, but I do as well.” Valia replied.
“Of course, when we leave here I am going to miss palm trees,” Greta giggled.
“They have beautiful voices.”
“So do you,” Greta purred before climbing all over Valia undressing her slowly. “I wonder who’s watching today,” she laughed.
“Who cares?” Valia replied as they settled into a night of massages and lovemaking.
The twins awoke to the sound of intense screaming. It was so intense they had to adjust their own psyche to turn it down, the sound of trees and plants screaming in painful horror that lasted about a minute than stopped abruptly.
“What was that?” Greta asked.
“That my dear was the sound of a forest fire humans cannot hear,” Valia replied, a tear streaming down her cheek.
“Valia, your first tear,” Greta said holding her in her arms. “Is there anything we can do?”
“It has not happened yet, so the answer is no, and yes, and maybe.” Valia replied. She opened her notebook and after a brief search pointed to the screen, “We must go here, tomorrow,” she said pointing to the state capital in Sacramento.
“It’s a date,” Greta smiled before turning off the lights and sliding back under the sheets with Valia in her arms.
Chapter 28
Seattle To Denver
In the morning the twins ordered breakfast delivered to the room. They showered and packed it up before leaving just before noon. After checking out, they loaded up the Pontiac and headed to the nearest Starbucks. “No latte for me today my dear, just a big bad strong cup of coffee, real milk, and three sugars in the brown wrapper,” Greta grinned.
“Hmmm, how do you say it in your language, how hard core,” Valia replied.
“Hardcore indeed, drive safely dear sister,” Greta giggled.
As they drove out of the city, headed for Sacramento, Greta heard Valia humming a song she had heard before on the roof of their apartment, a song she had written with a few plants. “You know what Janis said, about being onstage, making love to like twenty thousand people then going home, well I was wondering?” she asked looking at Valia looking at her. The Pontiac was on autopilot so to speak, as it made its way onto I-80 east toward the Oakland Bay Bridge. “We can adjust our lives to do just about anything, really,” Valia said.
“There is probably no better way to reach a vast audience than music.” Greta replied. “Oh sure, we could JTIK songs and they could be made to serve our purpose, but, if we created our own songs, even performed them, there would be nothing like it heard before, ever.”
“We will give it some thought,” Valia giggled.
It was a short drive to Sacramento. The governor of California was a movie actor, an action movie star mostly, but a very popular one. The characters he played were always strong, and strong he was going to have to be for what was coming his way. The twins were sure there was a horrible disaster on the way to his state, but they could not pinpoint when or why. “We are not omniscient,” Valia said. They parked the car with the top up, held hands, and in an instant were standing in Governor Stermonator’s office. He was talking on the phone looking out the window when they JTIKED him with a plan of action for when the disaster hit. Valia was sure the vision she and Greta had was something California had happen frequently, but not on such a grand scale. Stermonator was prepped for what to do and what to request when the time came. “The technology is there,” were the final thoughts given to him, “use it.”
As quickly as they arrived, the twins were back in the Pontiac and heading north to “Starbucks, oh I mean Seattle,” Valia laughed. “Did you know that Seattle was named after a Native American?”
“Hmm, let me guess, Chief Seathl?” Greta asked.
“Are you sure it was not Chief Shikaakwa?” Valia grinned.
“I am certain it was not, shikaakwa is not the name of a chief, it was the Potawatomi word for wild leek or striped skunk, or the smell of onions, and was translated incorrectly by the French, not that surprising since their language usually makes others sound better, and is the original word used for the place of my birth, Chicago.” Greta replied.
“You passed your test, now take the rest of this beautiful day off and go out and play.” Valia laughed. “I saw that in a movie as well, does it work in this scenario?”
“Yes it does work well, and I am sure the country is beautiful between here and Seathl, but I could sure use another Starbucks,” Greta grinned.
The twins sat back held hands and sent the Pontiac into VIZU, disappearing from the road they were on and reappearing on Highway 5 less than an hours drive to Seattle. “So we did not go all the way in one leaping bound, I know how much you love to drive.” Greta said. She put a new c.d. in the player, and took in the sights on the final leg of the journey.
In the distance they could see Mount Rainier beginning to loom over the horizon. “You know, being in this part of this country is kind of like being in the corner of a balcony where you can get naughty and not be seen,” Greta smiled.
“Really, this balcony, you will take me someday?” Valia asked.
“Ooh baby, will I,” Greta replied slowly running her hand up Valia’s leg, “except they are very hard to find these days.”
By the time they parked a few blocks away from the Starbucks in Seattle, the twins were laughing so hard they were crying, in a mood of utter giddiness. A short walk to the Original Starbucks found them immediately being looked at and treated like celebrities. There was a group of musicians on one side of the front door, and a lone guitar player singing on the other side. “Look Greta, beautiful mermaid with gorgeous breasts,” Valia shouted pointing up to the original store logo. This caught her totally unaware and she burst out laughi
ng.
“Come comrade sister, we buy original lattes now,” Greta laughed.
“I suppose I could try to convince myself that the coffee tastes better here,” Valia said.
“You know what I would really love to do?” Greta asked.
“You would love to spend part of the day tomorrow at the Denver Botanical Gardens?” Valia asked.
“Wow, you read my mind,” Greta grinned. “You drive?”
“Yes.”
Greta called to reserve the John Lennon Suite at the Hotel Monaco in Denver. “We have just had a cancellation and that suite is available,” the clerk said.
Valia drove to I-90 and when the time was right, the Pontiac vanished from the highway and reappeared on I-25 heading south to Denver. “I am not sure what I love more, the ocean or the desert,” Greta said. Valia just laughed and continued driving straight through to the hotel, with no JTIK’s on the way.
Greta knew she was overjoyed with the suggestion to travel here, but could not help wondering if she planted it there to begin with. Either way she simply did not care as strong as her love for Valia was.
They parked the car and unpacked what they would need for a few days and checked in. On the way in, they passed an Italian restaurant that smelled fabulous as they went by. “Dinner here tonight,” Greta smiled.
Once again they were helped up to their room with their bags, even though it looked like they were traveling light. Once the hotel staff pointed out the finer points of the room and left, the twins curled up next each other on the bed. “That sure was a long way to go for a cup of coffee,” Greta laughed. Just thinking about it, and their brief stay in Seattle that had them cracking up the entire time they were there made Valia burst into laughter.
“Well at least we know where to go when we need a good laugh,” Valia replied before kissing Greta deeply. In a blink Valia had both of them naked, Greta lying face down, and began giving her a deep massage. “My gift to you for suggesting this visit.” As she massaged her slowly and deeply, she changed their hair color to match their birthmarks, which was now a rich cocoa brown. Greta was unaware of the change until she turned over for the frontal portion of Valia’s massage.
“Oh my, do we match?” Greta asked.
“Yes,” Valia replied. “Do you approve?”
“Yes, Greta approves,” she giggled.
“Can we stay like this for a while?” Valia asked.
“Honey you can keep us looking like this as long as you like,” Greta replied pulling her down on top of her. They made love to each other with the heightened passion a new hair color always gave a girl.
The sun was starting to set when they decided to get dressed and head back downstairs for that Italian dinner. Greta suggested they wear the matching red dresses they purchased in San Francisco. When they walked through the lobby, the front desk clerk gave them a strange look having seen them arrive as blondes and now sporting rich brown hair. They left him wondering, no JTIK necessary. The restaurant was surprisingly not extremely crowded and they were able to get a booth with a window facing the street. Even though they knew they would nibble a little on everything, they ordered each course the waitress suggested, starting with a bottle of wine, followed by a salad, then a bowl of soup, fresh baked bread, the main course and eventually, dessert. When Greta reached for the first glass of wine, she noticed Valia had changed the color of their fingernails, alternating in color to match the color of their hair and their dresses. “Nice touch my dear sister,” Greta grinned.
While they were sitting there finishing up the nibbling they were making of their main course, Greta received a call from Teddy. “Due belle donne nude, posso aiutarvi?” Greta asked. The bartender laughed when he heard her, “Assolutamente,” he smiled to Greta.
“Yes, uhm, bon giorno, I would like to speak to Greta or Valia, porfavor?” Teddy replied.
“Teddy you need to brush up on your Italian and your Spanish,” Greta laughed. “How are you?”
“How are you, that is what I am calling to find out from you, where are you?”
“We’re in Denver Teddy, we’re thinking of starting a rock band.”
“What, a rock band, no you can’t do that, well you could, anyone who looks like the two of you do could start just about anything you want, but seriously, are you really in Denver?”
“Yep.”
“So I am going to be in California when you arrive for the Awards ceremony, but of course I will not be attending, but I want to talk to you about something important if you would be so kind, it is like, yes, I would rather speak to you in person,” Teddy continued. “Are you ok, are you eating good, I hope you did not get too sunburnt out in that desert, thank God you did not get bitten by a rattler or a scorpion.”
“We’re just fine Teddy, really,” Valia replied since half way through the last reply from Teddy Greta put the phone on speaker. “As a matter of fact we are having dinner even as we speak, only today, we are not wearing the pasta.”
“Not wearing the pasta, that is good, but shhh, don’t talk about that to anyone, they have to see it in the picture when it’s released,” Teddy laughed. “Girls, I will have Amelia send you all the contact info and hotel info and all the rest, you know this is coming up quicker than I could have imagined, and I hate to fly.”
“See you in L.A. on the fifteenth,” the twins chimed together, “goodbye Teddy darling.”
“Yeah, take care and, yeah, how do I turn this thing off?” they heard Teddy say before they ended the call.
“Do you think he’ll still love us in Cocoa?” Valia giggled.
“Honey, he’d love us in garlic and butter if that was his only option,” Greta laughed.
When it was time for the check, the bartender came over and, offering them a pen and a menu, asked for their autographs. “I just got a feeling I am in the midst of a couple of superstars,” he said and thanked them when they finished his request.
The twins took a walk after dinner. It was the first time Valia had seen and walked through a fog bank rolling through. “It is romantic,” Valia said as they walked around the block. What Greta found is that, if she so desired, she could see clearly through the fog. “It is how we have evolved,” Valia told her. “Mine is a Misty World.”
“I would love to see it with you one day, even though I would probably be a laughing stock, I wouldn’t care.” Greta said.
“My people would embrace you, nurture you, approve of you,” Valia replied, “indeed, they already have or I would not be here with you now.”
“Would you care to explain that?” Greta asked.
Valia went on to explain how a member of her species had already visited them the first time they went for a swim together at the beach, before their metamorphosis.
“When Gyba allowed me to remain here, she approved of you, knowing where it would lead us.” Valia said. “She sensed the love I had for you, and for your world.”
A tear rolled down Greta’s cheek hearing that. “Let’s make that our first hit single then,” Greta said, “My Misty World.”
“Yes.”
They rounded the corner back to the hotel and went back to their room. Once inside, they resumed their massage where they had left off earlier, this time the masseuse was Greta. “I will use this hot oil for body massage,” she grinned as Valia retired their dresses to hangers in the closet. “My oily girlfriend,” Greta said as she slowly poured oil over Valia.
“My oily girlfriend,” Valia replied, “let’s make that a hit single as well.”
“Yes.”
When Greta awoke, Valia was lying next to her eyes wide open. “Breakfast in bed?” she asked.
“Sure honey, why not, what time is it?”
“The day is seven hours old,” Valia replied. “The garden opens at nine.”
“Am I going to need to have my mental earplugs in place when we go?” Greta giggled.
“I have no way of knowing, that’s what is so exciting,” Valia laughed. She called
down and ordered blueberry pancakes and a small pot of coffee. While they waited for their food to be delivered, Greta got up to go to the bathroom, stopped at a c.d. player provided by the hotel and put on the Meet the Beatles album. “Weren’t they pretty?” Greta asked showing the album cover to Valia.
“Long nose like a beak on John, rather large ears on George, Big nose on Ringo, and a huge ego on Paul, they were gorgeous,” Valia smiled.
“If I was into guys, I would have shagged them,” Greta giggled.
There was a knock at the door. Greta JTIKED room service to see her clothed as she handed him a tip before leaving. “Would you mind, ahem, pouring the coffee?” Greta asked, knowing that if she did, Valia would make them taste like Starbucks.
“Well she looked at me, and I, I could see, That before too long I’d fall in love with her, She wouldn’t dance with another, Woooooh, When I saw her standing there.” Greta sang as she smeared butter on the pancakes before lifting each one and covering them with syrup. “Your breakfast is ready madame.”
Greta loved to watch Valia eat. She looked as though she was communicating with each piece of food as she did. She couldn’t help wondering what she was like as a child, was she ever a child, there was still so much she did not know about the lovely being that transformed her life.
“I was born in a cross-fire hurricane,” Valia began in answer to Greta’s thoughts, “And I howled at my mama in the driving rain, But it was all right, in fact, it was a gas, But it was all right, I’m jumpin Valia flash, and I’m a gas gas gas.”
Greta was laughing so hard she inhaled part of her pancake and could not stop laughing and coughing.
“Do you need assistance my darling sister?” Valia grinned.
“No honey, I will survive.”
When finished eating, Greta pushed the cart out into the hall. She walked over and opened the drapes to see a rather grey day outside.
Immaculate Fetish Page 26