Jellia was sitting laying in the great room watching a screeny, which she almost never did, but the whole family had agreed that they should try this screeny. It was a new production by the smallest of Liberta’s entertainment companies, and was about an imaginary colony being planted by Libertas on some new world, which turned out to have some kind of monsters. She was just begining to think she wasn’t going to like it, altho the comedy bits were kind of fun, when her wrist beeped and she idly looked at it, read the snip, and squealed. “Oh!!??!?”
Ben’nin stopped the screeny and everyone looked at her, but she had leapt up and was dancing around, “Oh, oh, oh!”
“Darling!” Ska-drek-a said, “Calm yourself. What has happened?”
“Oh, oh, I’ve gotten an internship! Already!! I didn’t think… I thought it would be a hundred days yet!”
“But, that is wonderful,” Gregory said, wrapping her in his arms and sitting down with her on his lap. “With what company?”
“Bendrek Soil. Oh, this is perfect!”
“What will you be doing?” Ben’nin asked.
“I’ll be a soil scout. Oh, that’s not its offical name, but that’s what we call them. You go from site to site and take samples and analyze them. It’s a marvelous opening job, and so fun!”
Jellia strapped Carl to her back and went downstairs. “When are you off, Dear?” she asked Endrek.
“My skimmer says it will be here in fifteen minutes, Delight of my loins,” he answered, kissing her and getting a bit handsy. “Just think, next progenitor’s day I will be coming for Carl!”
“I hope you don’t think that makes me excited,” she said. “I am not looking forward to your leaving. And poor Carl.”
“Ah, well, I suppose you are not used to it. But be careful with custom, Dear. It isn’t done to complain about the changing of the contract.”
“I don’t have to be happy, do I?”
“Well, no. That isn’t done either. Not about the leaving, anyway. It is customary to be, well, not exactly excited but that is the best I can think of, about the new en-drek. You will wish him to feel welcomed.”
“Well, it isn’t his fault, anyway. Now what shall we put out for when Illoh comes. Ah, some of those new jams that Mother had me buy. Those should go well, we have several opened already.”
Soon she had that arranged, along with some bread that she had baked yesterday and had just sliced. By the time she got done Endrek had kissed her again and left.
She heard the bell and raced to the door, opening it to Illoh, standing under the entry roof just out of the rain, which was kind of a cold drizzle. “Oh, Illoh!” she said, and cast herself at him, kissing him in no particular mode… just wrapping her arms around him and kissing.
“Well, are you going to invite me in, Daughter?”
“Oh, oh, yes, come in! I have set out lots of bread and jam but I am so looking forward to our trip.”
Just then Carl began to cry, and Jellia, rather confused, took him down. He was just crying, almost as if panicked, but nothing seemed to be wrong.
“Let me hold him,” Illoh said and, after a brief moment where his cry increased he settled down to quiet sobs against Iloh’s shoulder.
“Do not fret, Daughter, it is a common reaction. He has not seen me in quite a while. I have even seen larger kesh reacting in this way. Now let us see your breads.”
They sat around the table, greeted Mother and Trisha, who was much more interested in Mother’s breast than her progenitor, and welcomed Bobbin, when he came down from his nap. “Hurry into your clothes,” Jellia said. “We are going with Illoh on a trip.”
Bobbin was eventually dressed, Carl repacked, and Trisha being left home with her Mother on account of her age and nursing status, the three of them went off to the skimmer.
“And how are you, My Daughter?” Illoh asked, when they were all in the skimmer and Bobbin occupied on the otehr side looking out the transparent aluminum shell at all of the passing houses.
“I am not happy,” she said, glad for someone to talk to. “I am not looking forward to En-drek leaving. Not at all.”
“Ordinarily I would warn you that custom forbids this conversation. But I am, actually, the one person you are allowed to have this conversation with. Are you so enamored of your current Endrek?”
“He is wonderful! But… but mostly it is that I just don’t want to change. I doubt he does either… although I guess he wouldn’t tell me, would he?”
“I see no reason to assume in either direction. But you will not help yourself, Darling, if you complain about things you cannot change.”
Fenstra supposed that that note would always be in their file. Their writcomps had buzzed an hour ago, curse them, reminding them to be on their front porch to meet her daughter’s new en-drek . And so here they stood on the front porch her, Ben’nin, and all three children. Carl and Bobbin playing in the yard together… to the extent Carl could play… and her Trisha busy at the breast.
She wondered what her daughter must be thinking and feeling. She was becoming more of a mystery to her. ‘Going native’, as Laura often said. She had participated vigrously in the discussion of the qualities of this new en-drek and, in the end, without much fuss, given in to everyone’s suggestion that it be an lo-ska and, indeed, this lo-ska. But if she was content, or excited, Fenstra had no real idea. She proffesed to be excited, of course, but that was every inch code and custom. Certainly she had seemed quite upset at the idea of Gregory leaving.
Which, Fenstra admitted, made some sense. She had hated the kesh when he first arrived, but he had certainly thrown himself heart and soul into his duties and, by his lights, had done an excellent job.
Her comp beeped. It was Shan, one of their other captains that frequently came by this planet. She had increased their traffic by almost fifty percent since she had taken this desk. He was asking if she had anything knew for him… which she did indeed. The local fisheries had finally ramped up their catch of a local shrimp… which had a tinge of blue color and so was known as ‘petite bleu’… someone on planent obviously having studied some archaic languages… and she had arranged for a stock of the canned variety. She thought it would do very well exo. It tasted, to her, pretty much like most shrimp did, and wasn’t that large, but the color, she thought, would help make it a popular appetizer.
She was halfway through her answer when her daughter barked out, “Bobbin! Carl!” and the two came over. Ben’nin took Bobbin… she having her arm full of Trisha, and she closed her comp. Her daughter had gotten quite authoritative with Bobbin since he had started going with her to work but, since she did a very good job at it, Fenstra never objected. It actually carried over into their home life and, as a result, freed her up for her work. He had once even called Jellia ‘Mama’, but Jellia had chastised him and that had put a stop to that. Code and custom, if nothing else.
Finally a skimmer came around the corner and pulled gently to a stop. And the lo-ska got out. Yes, he was older. Defintely older. Older than Illoh had been, even. But, she admitted to herself, very distinguished looking. He looked just as calm and serious as his file had indicated.
He got out of the skimmer and lowered two bags to the ground. The other’s had all had their bags sent seperately, no doubt to avoid breaking up the formality of this ceremony. But at his age no doubt he was so confident of himself that he believed he could carry off the ceremony even with bags.
He strode up to them and Fenstra realized, to her shock, that he was looking at her. Surely he did not think… but of course not. She was standing the regulation two steps behind, and standing with Ben’nin… no. He was coming to greet her.
He stopped, put his bags down, and came forward. “Ska ErThom Mixin,” he said, putting his hand on her side, child to ska-drek-a, and kissing her.
“Ska Fenstra Korvau,” she replied, putting her hand on his hair and kissing her back.
The greeted Trisha and Bobbin, ska to kesh, and they awkwardly greeted him back. Then he greeted Ben’nin, child to ska-drek… which was rather amusing to think about.
Then he turned to Jellia… no… to Carl and greeted him, ska-drek to child. Then, finally, he introduced himself to Jellia.
“En-drek ErThom Mixin,” he said, taking her head and kissing her. A long and intimate kiss… with smoothness but not… not eagerness.
“En-drek-a Jellia Mixin,” she said, and kissed him back. She, at least, was more eager. Or perhaps more nervous.
“Shall we adjurn to your room?” he asked, her, and took her by the waist… almost as if he had done it a hundred times before. Which, of course, he had done… altho not with Jellia.
Contract Marriage
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).
Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!Thank you for reading Von’s Substack. I would love it if you commented! I love hearing from readers, especially critical comments. I would love to start more letter exchanges, so if there’s a subject you’re interested in, get writing and tag me!
Being ‘restacked’ and mentioned in ‘notes’ is very important for lesser-known stacks so… feel free! I’m semi-retired and write as a ministry (and for fun) so you don’t need to feel guilty you aren’t paying for anything, but if you enjoy my writing (even if you dramatically disagree with it), then restack, please! Or mention me in one of your own posts.
If I don’t write you back it is almost certain that I didn’t see it, so please feel free to comment and link to your post. Or if you just think I would be interested in your post!
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Thanks again, God Bless, Soli Deo gloria,
Von