Kissing Guests
Jellia raced frantically around the kitchen. Not because she needed to, but because she was so nervous that she just had to keep checking everything every ten seconds. She wasn’t even making anything very complex, just a simple recipe that she had made several times. But she was still nervous. Leah and her date were coming over! Her Mother and Ska-drek Iloh were going to ’chaperone’, whatever that meant.
Their beautiful doorbell went off and she ran to the door, expecting to see Leah. But when she threw open the door it was… him. “Oh!” Jellia said, frozen for a second. “Oh, umm, Jellia … En-kesh Jellia Kiladi,” she said, and then froze. What kiss to use?
“Ska Mortin Breinotte,” he said, while she stood frozen, and kissed friend to friend.
“Ah, um, sorry, yes,” she said, kissing back. “Come in.”
“I take it my beloved is not here,” he said.
“Ummm, no. Not yet.” Jellia said. “Come in, come in. I’m working in the kitchen.”
“This is a very nice house,” Mortin said, following her. “Perhaps we should live here.”
“Umm, what?”
“Perhaps your mother would rent us a room?”
“Ummm, I don’t think so…”
The door bell rang again and Leah raced off, leaving Mortin behind. “Oh, Leah,” she said, coming out the door and closing it behind her. “I’m so glad you are here! He’s talking about renting one of our rooms!”
Leah rolled her eyes and kissed her. “He’s kidding. I’m sure its just his way of saying you have a very nice house. Which you do. Now let me in, I’m sure he’s eager to get to kissing.”
“Are you going to… here?”
“Of course. We’ll eat dinner and all with you, but you have to leave us some time for kissing! It is my en-e-ska!”
“Umm, Ok. Well, would you like to use my room or…”
“Code and custom, code and custom! We will use the great room. It isn’t like we will be in the way.”
“I suppose not. I will be in the kitchen…”
“Best friend from another planet, calm down. I mean it is very large. Ah, Darling,” she said, going into an intimate kiss with Mortin and steering him off to the great room. Jellia should so not have done this, it was making her so nervous… she had no idea how to behave!
“Hello, Daughter,” she heard, a few minutes later as she stood in the kitchen and tried not to listen to the noises coming from the great room.
“Hello, Ska-drek,” she said.
“I hear that our guests have arrived.”
“Umm, yes.”
“It is an awkward time, Daughter, but not that awkward. They will have eyes only for each other. They will not notice any custom violations from you. Now, where will we be eating?”
Jellia had planned for them to eat in the great room but… “I think we will eat outside,” she said.
“Very well. Get everything ready. I will go chaperone.”
He walked into the great room and Jellia was pleased to hear noises of greeting and conversation. When she walked in, herself, a half an hour later, Leah was sitting on Mortin’s lap, and the two were talking with Iloh. “Dinner is ready,” she said. “Outside.”
“If you could get your ska-drek-a please, Daughter, we will meet you there.”
“Yes, Ska-drek,” Jellia said, and ran upstairs.
“Mother, time for dinner. Outside.”
“Very well,” Mother sighed, closing down three screens. “I suppose I must do my duty.”
“Bad time?”
“A rather awkward time. There is an auction going on for the first cutting of some trees, and I wish to send out samples to our trade desks on other planets.”
“Would they ship whole logs?”
“Well, they would, but not in the sense you mean. It is reputed to be a beautiful wood, and I am thinking that artists will wish to use it.”
“Oh! Like for bowls and things?”
“Exactly. Now, what did you say the name of this son was?”
“Mortin. Ska Mortin Brienotte. Lo-ska.”
“Poor child. Why on earth did she pick him?”
“Oh, its all the rage, picking an older man for your first, here,” Jellia said. “I even knew some daughters back on Ephemera who did so.”
“That’s very different,” Mother said and Jellia followed her, wondering why it was different.
—
Leah and Mortin behaved themselves… mostly… during the meal, chatting very nicely with Mother and Ska-drek, while Jellia mostly sat and watched and worried. Worried that her turn was coming up soon.
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Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von
Links
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed and, thus, how a society can go wrong.
Unlike those dystopias, Contract Marriage isn’t all horrible all of the time. The characters for the most part have a good time and get along in their society. But the issues of sexuality, of marriage or not, monogamy or not, faithfulness or not, and gender roles… keep coming up and causing tension and conflict and joy and pain.
My desire is that my readers would be thinking along with my characters about these issues and perhaps even arrive at the same place (minus the flying cars).
Introduction // Podcast Version
In which I lay out the themes that I intend to explore in this light Dystopia, and ask others to participate.
Trade Master: First Chapter // Podcast Version
In which Fenestra, our heroine’s mother, puts in her application for the job of 'Trade Master’ on the planet Libertas, and finds out that it isn’t that easy.
En-Drek Contract // Podcast Version
In which Fenestra finds out that, on Libertas, everyone must be in an ‘En-drek’ contract… a long-term, live-in, heavy date between a man and a woman for the purpose of producing one child after the other with one date after the other.
Disappointment and Meditation // Podcast Version
In which Jellia, the daughter and our heroine, finds out about her mother’s job opportunity, including its difficulties, and commits herself to meditating on the situation. (And internally commits herself to encouraging her mother to take the job.)
Decision Reached // Podcast Version
Jellia tells her mother that she thinks she should take the job, and so her mother puts in her application… and gets the job!
First School // Podcast Version
Jellia goes to school and gets to tell everyone about her new adventure.
First Work // Podcast Version
Fenestra goes to work, and tells her coworker about her new opportunity.
Writing Class: Podcast Version
Jellia writes a poem (a limerick) and tells her classmates more about her new adventure.
Trader Galloway: Podcast Version
In which a man comes over for a ‘date’ (Ie to sleep over with her mother) and to tell them all about his time as Trade Master for their company on Libertas. And as how he was almost executed for asking a woman out on a date.
Shopping: Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother go shopping for the last time, and we explore some of the nature of the planet she is leaving.
Language: Podcast Version
In which Jellia starts using some new words at school, and everyone gathers round to find out what they mean.
Kesh-i Cooking Class: Podcast Version
In which Jellia finds out that children (Kesh-i) on Libertas are expected to cook.
Trade Master Training: Podcast Version
In which Fenestra begins her training for her new role, with an old enemy.
Two Week Date: Podcast Version
In which Fenestra and Alex decide to date for the next two weeks.
The Facts of Life: Podcast Version
In which Fenestra brings Alex home, and Jellia isn’t impressed. Although she is interested in how dating works for boys.
Snips: Podcast Version
In which Jellia spends time snipping with a boy, and brings him home.
Kissing: Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother both have a sexual ‘last fling’ before they leave, and Jellia practices the new kisses she will need for her new planet.
Off Ephemera // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother arrive at the shuttle port, go through some annoying formalities, and take off!
And Fly! // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother board their spaceship, and Jellia starts doing her homework.
Abstinate // Podcast Version
In which Jellia gets bored, rejects an older gentleman, and rejects her mother’s idea of dating.
Older Kesh-u // Podcast Version
In which Jellia learns more about what Kesh-u (children) are allowed to do on Libertas.
Fertility // Podcast Version
In which Jellia and her mother are taken off birth control by an odd doctor.
New Girl // Podcast Version
-Added out of order- Jellia meets a new girl on the shuttle, from a strange culture!
Decon // Podcast Version
Jellia and her mother arrive on their new planet, go through an awful decontamination, get sent to a briefing, and receive their first kiss/greeting!
Briefing // Podcast Version
Jellia and her mother are warned that the laws on Libertas can be very serious.
En-drek File
Fenestra reads up on her new ‘en-drek’.
Justicia // Podcast Version
Jellia rejoices in the new planet!
The House // Podcast Version
Jellia explores her new house.
Shopping and Greeting // Podcast Version
Jellia uses her new ‘kesh liberty’ and runs off to do some shopping. And has to kiss everyone all the way home.
Ska Illoh Kiladi // Podcast Version
Jellia meets her new Ska, who has business with her mother.
Ooops // Podcast Version
Jellia makes a mistake, gets chastised, and hates it here!
Neighbours // Podcast Version
In which Jellia goes off the cry, and meets neighbours.
Breakfast // Podcast Version
Jellia wakes up, makes breakfast, and runs off for a new day!
Kesh Liberty // Podcast Version
Jellia takes off for town with two younger kesh in tow, and has a fun time shopping!
Dinner // Podcast Version
Jellia comes home from her day in town, raced to unpack her new noodle machine, and cooks dinner!
Testing // Podcast Version
Jellia shows up at her new school, has to check herself it, gets tested for math, art, engineering… and whether she’s mature enough for a live in date.
Great Room // Podcast Version
Fenestra was finally Trade Master, and finally by herself, and finally got to start her new work! Sitting in her new living room in her PJs!
Great Hopes // Podcast Version
Iloh Kiladi shows up at work and gets grilled on how his new relationship is going.
Physio // Podcast Version
Jellia has to do ‘Physio’ at school… which involves running and climbing and getting sweaty.
Engineering // Podcast Version
Jellia finds out that what her engineering teacher cares about is that she learn, not that she come to class.
Basic Bio // Podcast Version
Can there be anything more embarrassing than being at a new school and having all the other girls discuss where you are in puberty?
Pastels and Colic // Podcast Version
Jellia’s next was with pastels, and they had a nursing mother and her baby for a study! Until the baby started crying.
Physio // Podcast Version
PE by any other name would be as annoying.
Report // Podcast Version
School is done for the day, and Ska-drek picks her up… and quizzes her on how it went!
Second Day // Podcast Version
Jellia begins her second day in school all excited, and much less nervous.
Leah and Mortin behaved themselves… mostly… during the meal, chatting very nicely with Mother and Ska-drek, while Jellia mostly sat and watched and worried. Worried that her turn was coming up soon.
Beautiful foreshadowing...