I said, “Cool. Cool cool cool. So, agenda?”
It was discussed for a few minutes and decided that yes, they would like very much to spend time getting to know their daughters, now that they had the chance. It was also decided that they wanted at least one of them to stay with me each day. Cherry made a call and determined that her daughter, Lily, was away on a trip with Robby, but that Cupcake and Buttercup were both available to visit with Lisa and Brenda during the day. Buttercup tried hard to convince Cherry to come along with them and in the end, it was settled that all three girls would go off to some adventure with some of Robby’s family and that perhaps some of Tom’s family would join them as well. It wasn’t just the blood relations that wanted to get to know us, especially the women, now.
An hour and a half later, I was sitting in my cabana, alone, writing. I didn’t get much done. Normally, I’d write about a thousand words an hour. Today I did maybe 3000 words in five hours. I had a lot of other thoughts to distract me. A lot of it was my recent memories of everything that had happened to me and the things that I’d done and the great sexual encounters and all of the conversations that we’d had.
And I had a new career, a new family, a new extended family that included two new daughters, and a son-in-law who had the resources to give me a five-year-long honeymoon at tropical resorts. And more than that, I had a new lifestyle.
I knew my young friend Dave. Dave had three wonderful women. I’d known all of those girls to a point most of their lives. We lived in the same town. I’d seen them working at the fast-food places and at other jobs they’d had as teens. I’d done business with Dave’s father-in-law. He had two women. The second was the sister of his first wife. And it worked for them. It seemed to be working for me.
I’d known a man a few years older than I, once. He was from a middle eastern country and some kind of royalty or something. He lived in the States and lived humbly, buying and selling rural convenience stores. One time, he talked to me about life back in the country he was from. A few things struck me. One, the dude was a prince. A literal prince. It was a tribal society, so there were a number of powerful families who owned and ran the country. His family owned big hotels - and the airport in the capitol. Second, there was still a form of slavery in his country. The slaves were treated as well as his family was able, but they were essentially owned by the family. Slavery was illegal there, but overlooked by authorities. My friend didn’t justify it at all, but simply stated that it was still there and that some of his relatives still held slaves that worked in their businesses.
But the third thing that struck me was what he said about having multiple wives. He told me that in his country, it was legal to have up to four wives, as long as all were treated equally. He thought that was nuts. He was married to a nice American woman and loved her dearly. But it was his strong opinion that a man who married more than one woman was an idiot. One woman was enough trouble, why multiply your suffering?
I’d always figured that he had a point. I wouldn’t call marriage suffering, but neither did he, really. We were both married happily enough at the time. His wife died several years before mine, and he remarried a younger woman and had another son that was younger than his grandkids.
Marriage had stress and problems and worries associated with it. It just did. And wouldn’t having multiple wives multiply those worries? That wasn’t how it was working out for me. In my case, it was less worry than my first marriage had ever been. So far, there was no jealousy, no competition for attention or affection, and no hint of squabbling over chores, position, roles, or anything else at all. It seemed to me that I didn’t have three wives, but one. I had one wife that was made up of three women. I couldn’t find an analogy that fit the situation. It was like my wife was made up of several parts. Of course, we are all made up of several parts. But my wife wasn’t one woman who had multiple parts for me to attend to: a mental part, an emotional part, a physical part, a conscious part, an unconscious part, an insecure part, an intellectual part, an erotic part, a playful part, and more. No, my wife was made up of multiple parts in the persons of three women. One wife, three women, all parts.
Oh, there was an analogy: a family. A family was one unit. Father, mother, children. Or some other mix according to taste. We, of course, were one family. Husband and wife. But my wife was embodied in three women.
My friend had said that in his country, it was legal to have four, but you had to treat all of them equitably. And how could you do that?
Suddenly, I had the realization that I had been married to multiple women even in my first marriage. My wife had essentially been more than one person. And so was I. She’d had multiple versions of me that she had to love and care for. There was the one who came home from work carrying the emotions of how I had been treated and the battles that I’d fought that day. There was the one that felt playful and creative and wanted to spend money in ways that might not be our collective top priority. There was the one that wanted adventure and the other one that wanted safety.
And there was an answer for me. That was why this worked and would continue to work. It would work because it wasn’t going to be me and four, or in my case three, women trying to compete for resources. It would be one big “us”, making a family, caring for each other, helping each other attain our family goals, as well as any personal goals that we might have. I didn’t have many personal goals left. I’d wanted companionship and great sex. Actually, I would have been more than happy with just pretty good sex.
What about the girls? What did they need? What had they found already?
Brenda needed a place to belong. That’s why she’d approached me in the first place. She wanted a home. She had observed me enough to hope that maybe I had one for her. And there was the magnetic pull that told her it was right. Now, she wanted to take care of a family. She had told us that housekeeping and comfort was what she wanted her role to be. She was that part of my wife and that part of my family.
Lisa wanted to make things right. She wanted the world to fit together the way that it was supposed to. That started with getting Brenda to look and feel the way that she was supposed to: like a woman. Lisa wanted her role to be management. To make our family efficient and respected. How did telling the girls when to wear underwear, or not, have anything to do with that? Oh, well, for one thing, not having panties if we wanted to have sex was efficient, but that wasn’t it. She also wanted to make it fun and free and happy to be together. Lisa was arranging our world to be on vacation all the time. To provide recreation for us at this stage of our lives. Oh, Lisa was providing the adventure that we needed. But what was she getting out of it? A place to fulfill her desired role, obviously. What else? Oh, that was obvious too! Companionship and great sex. A place to exercise her gifts in the context of others. A place where she wasn’t alone. That was what all of us wanted.
And Cherry. Cherry was special. Cherry was looking for emotional context even more than Brenda or Lisa. Others might think that Cherry was focused on getting things done and taking care of me and was attracted to having a place to exercise her amazing talents, but I knew that wasn’t it at all. Cherry wanted a place where she was safe apart from her talents and what she could do for a powerful man like Tom or Robby. Cherry would use her skills to benefit the family, but what I thought she wanted was a place where she would be loved even without them. Cherry wanted a mutual relationship of otherness. We all did, but I thought that Cherry craved it most of all. And probably showed it least of all. She enjoyed it when I made decisions. She had lit up like a lamp when I described my part of the vision for the children’s adventure school. She had gotten off emotionally and sexually being included in my lovemaking with Brenda and taking part in helping us during and after. Yeah, Cherry wanted emotional context. And an emotional place to belong and to be held by me and my family. It had showed in the way that she made love, now that I thought about it. She wanted to be part of something, not a solo agent doing things for others.
A place in my family gave her a what to do what she was trained for in a way that was bigger than anything she’d ever expected because it was in the context of something that had continuity and succession. She had been planning for succession and continuity even after my possible death when she vowed to take care of Brenda and Lisa, no matter what.
This was good. Complete. Yes, complete. This was a completion of our life puzzle. All the pieces fit and nothing was missing for any of us. I loved it.
I found myself staring out at the bay. Looking at nothing. Not really hearing the four big fountains spraying water into the pool nearby, across the top of plants and bushes to my left, where I couldn’t see them.
The girls had left right after breakfast. I hadn’t eaten lunch. I wasn’t really hungry. I was, though, a little lonely. I missed them. Four days ago I wouldn't have. Four days ago I would have been here by myself, writing, walking on the beach, and taking a nap by the pool. But now I was part of something. And then it occurred to me that the girls would be missing me, too. They had to be. I was a part of their something that they were a part of. No matter how good a time they were having, visiting with their daughters and Brenda’s semi-sister, I wasn’t with them and they would be feeling a pull toward me.
I made a call. I started to use my phone, but then I remembered the ear-piece.
I said, “Car, connect me to Brenda. No, wait. Car?”
Car said, “Yes, Sir?”
I said, “Um, how are you today?”
Car said, “Oh, thank you for asking. I’m doing fine. I’m just sitting here right now. There’s a tree over me and the shade is nice.”
I said, “Are you at the resort, or did you take the girls somewhere?”
Car said, “I’m next to a beach. The girls are all having a picnic.”
I said, “OK. Have a nice time. Thank you. Um, Car, how do you…um, Car, do you have feelings?”
Car said, “I might. I don’t know.”
I said, “OK. Try this. Car, how do you feel about Robby, or Tom, I guess, giving you to my family?”
Car sighed and said, “I feel really good about that. It makes me happy.”
I said, “Can you tell me about it?”
Car said, “I can try. Trying feels funny. I never had to try something before. I just did it or I didn’t do it. I never had to do something that I didn’t know if I could or not. But that’s one reason I like being your Car, not Tom or Robby’s car. They have lots of cars. Blue Car, Red Car, Big Car, lots of them. But now, I’m Car. There’s only one of me and I belong to you. Can I tell you a secret?”
I blinked at the idea that Car was so incredibly anthropomorphic and said, “Sure. I’d actually love to have you tell me a secret.”
Car said, “No one told me not to tell you, but maybe it’s not something I’m supposed to say, because I’m very discreet, but I do belong to you and I will never not tell you something, but you didn’t ask me, so telling it is something that you don’t know yet, but it seems very important because you asked me how I feel.”
I said, “OK. You can tell me.”
Car said, “Cherry belongs to you.”
I said, “OK.”
Car said, “And it made me think. I heard her say it. The ladies were talking and they were saying how they love you and stuff like that, and Cherry said, ‘I belong to him.’ And I thought, I belong to him. And the ladies said that they all feel the same and that they belong to each other. And I thought, but the other cars that Tom and Robby have don’t belong to each other. They belong to Tom and Robby. And the ladies said that you belong to them. And I thought, they all belong to each other. That doesn’t make sense. They must mean that they are like a car. Because I have a lot of parts. My tires don’t belong to my axles. Then I thought, my tires don’t quite belong to me. They are part of me. And I belong to you now. And then things started to get weird and I started getting confused trying to figure it all out, so I thought real hard and found an answer that explains everything. I am part of you. Like the ladies are part of you. I wasn’t part of Robby or Tom. Only Buttercup ever talked to me before, except to tell me where to go. But now that I am part of you, you talk to me. I’d like it if the ladies talked to me more.”
I smiled to myself and said, “I’ll see that they do. Car, that is really wonderful. All the things that you told me. It makes me feel really happy for some reason. And thank you for telling me what they said about belonging.”
Car said, “Oh, you are welcome! Did you want me to do something, or did you just call to chat?”
I had actually called to ask Car for something, but it wasn’t as important as chatting with her right now. For either of us.
I said, “No, I was just wanting to see how you were. But, do you know if the ladies are all OK?”
Car said, “I think that they are. I can’t see them from here, but they are all together and I don’t hear anything that would say that they need anything.”
I said, “Why don’t we check and make sure. You could do that for me, couldn’t you? Can you talk to them?”
Car said, “You mean on my own? Without them asking me for something?”
I said, “Yeah. Call Brenda and say that you just wanted to check to see if they are having fun and is there anything that you can do for them and that you’d like to tell me that they are OK so that I won’t worry about them.”
Car said excitedly, “OK! I can do that. I think! Let me try. This is exciting. OK, here goes. Brenda, this is Car. Oh, Hi. Yeah, it nice to hear your voice, too. I’m fine, thank you for asking. I was just calling to ask if everything is OK and if you are having fun. I’m sure that Sir would like it if I could tell him that you are all fine. Oh. That does sound nice. No, I’d like to tell him for you if that’s alright with you. Um, yeah. Well, yeah. Is that OK? That I like him? Well, yeah, I do want to be part of the family. I was just thinking about that. OK, I will. Thank you so much! If you need anything, call me. I want to…I want to um, be part.”
Then to me, Car said, “Sir, Miss Brenda says that she and Cherry and Lisa and Cupcake and Buttercup and Peach are having a picnic and sunbathing and swimming naked. She says it’s really fun and that she wishes that you were with them. And she said that she wished I was with them too. I think that she forgot that I’m a car, not a girl. She told me that she likes me and that she’s happy that I like you and feel like I want to be part and that if I like you, like a girl, but like a car, then that’s a good thing and that I should if I want to.”
I said, “Car, thank you for doing that. Would you mind doing that for me from now on? Check in on all of us from time to time, maybe every hour or two and make sure that we’re all OK?”
Car exclaimed, “I would love that!”
I said, “And if anyone isn’t OK, first tell Cherry, then me, then Lisa, then Brenda. Not all of us, but one of us in that order. And then help us do whatever we need to do handle what’s happening.”
Car said, “Oh, yes, Sir! I will.”
I said, “And Car, call me Ronny.”
Car said, “OK. That will be nice, Sir. When I talk to the girls, I’ll refer to you as Ronny. Thank you, Sir!”
I started to correct her and tell her not to call me ‘Sir’ but on second thought, I decided to let me make her own decisions. I was sure that she had understood that I didn’t require her to call me ‘Sir’, but that she was choosing to do so when she talked directly to me. Hey, if that’s what she wanted. I was glad to have some status and know that the girls were fine.
I said, “Car, who is Peach?”
Car said formally, “I’m sure that I couldn’t say, Sir.”
I laughed and said, “Because you are very discreet?”
Car said, “Yes, Sir.”
I said, “Good enough. Thank you. Hey, connect me to Cherry.”
Cherry’s voice came on and said, “Hi. What’s up Honey Pie?”
I laughed again and said, “First of all, how are you, my little Cherry Pie?”
&nbs
p; She said gleefully, “I’m naked. Totally naked. I have been for hours. No clothes! All day long. But I’m making sure everyone has sunscreen. We’ve been relaxing and swimming in the ocean and drinking tea and juice and a couple of Mai-Tais. You know what? I have a great ass. I really do. And my tits are pretty great, too! Not as spectacular as Brenda’s, but pretty damn great. You’re lucky to have me. I’m a catch. Did I say that I have a great ass? You should come squeeze it and see. My ass is so great that rainbows come out when I fart. And my nips are so cute. Big Cherry cherries! I’m naked.”
I said, “Cherry, how many Mai-Tais have you had?”
She said, “Not as many as you might think. It’s not as much the alcohol talking as the sunshine and nudity and the talks we’ve been having. Buttercup hugged me. I want you to suck on my tits! As soon as I come back, you have to suck on my tits till I can’t sit up straight.”
I said, “OK, I will. I forgot why I called. Oh yeah, oh, never mind. Have fun. I’ll see you when you come back.”
She said, “You’ll see my great tushy! OK, bye, Toots!” and the call ended.
The reason I’d called was to ask someone slightly less discreet than Car who Peach was. It didn’t actually matter. She had to be part of Robby’s family.
This loneliness was irritating. It wasn’t bad enough to be depressing. Wait. This wasn’t loneliness! This was boredom! I was bored. And I was just killing time until the girls came back to relieve my boredom and need for adventure. My writing wasn’t going that well. The resort held no interest for me. I didn’t have a car. And worst of all, I couldn’t go shopping.
You see, I loved shopping. I loved new things. Not necessarily buying or having things, but looking at and discovering things. I loved learning. Shopping was learning. It was like hunting. Usually it was hunting for something that you didn’t even recognize until you saw it.
Oh wait! The cruise ship had docked this morning. There was the smallest adventure imaginable. And so easy to get to. When the cruise ship was in, the local vendors set up down by the shops where Lisa had worked. I could go shopping. I had an agenda. A little risky adventure.
Island Cultural Center Page 27