Chapter 4: Tiennie

Tuesday, one week and one day after Chellie left, Freya had that look in her eyes again. You know the look: 'husband, I need your help with a project, and don't you dare try to say no!'

We were sitting at our breakfast table, eating (surprise!) breakfast. I must have sighed because she took it as a personal affront. "What's the matter now? Am I bothering you?" Freya's voice could never be harsh, and her personality could never be shrewish, but when she thought she was being was crossed, her sweet, platinum nature became a cold, metallic front. She had that sharp, metallic ring in her voice, and that hard, metallic glint in her eyes.

Backpedalling as rapidly as I could, I began, "Sweetheart, you know there is nothing I would rather do than spend time with you, but you have the same look on your face that you had when you wanted to help Chellie. There is something you want, I can see it in your eyes." Before she could interrupt, I continued rapidly, "I love you; and I love to help you. But couldn't you just ask for my help, rather than try to trick me, or make me feel guilty?"

She did look a little sheepish, now. But she was determined to continue. Once she had a plan, Freya stuck to it. The little-girl voice that I couldn't resist was put in place. "Johnny, I promise this isn't like it was with Chellie. You don't have to do your magic spell. You don't even have to make love to her. But she needs help, and she is a friend of mine. And you are so sweet. I just know that we can help her."

Still hesitant to promise without knowing what, exactly, I was helping with, I asked, "So, how can we help her? And just who am I supposed to help?"

By this point, Freya had her pre-planned arguments lined up and her enthusiasm up to a full head of steam. "Her name is Tiennie, and she went to college the same time Chellie and I did. She was our good friend, and she just needs a little help. Not money, or anything like that. It's just that she has trouble sleeping. She's afraid all the time, and without sleep, it's even worse. Chellie and I were telling her how wonderful it is to be held, all warm and safe, in someone's arms, and how we slept so soundly and woke up feeling so good. We didn't tell her that we were both sleeping in your arms, or what you did to us before we slept and in the morning that made us feel so good, either."

"Ten-nee needs someone to hold her, so she can relax? That's all?"

"Yes! That's all. And her name is pronounced tee - EN - nee. She's from San Francisco, before you ask. I don't want you surprised again like you were with Chellie. You get so difficult when you think I'm trying to trick you; and Chellie turned out to be so sweet, didn't she?"

Arguing did no good; besides, my beautiful wife was right. Chellie turned out to be almost miraculous, after I got over my stupidity about her skin color and looked at her as a person. One day, I would learn that Freya had everybody's best interests in her precious heart, and that she knew what I needed better than I did. I almost sighed again, this time realizing that I was wrong, again, but I stopped myself before it escaped. Plastering a smile on my face, I put my best foot forward, taking it out of my mouth, first. "Beautiful, I would love to meet your friend. And, if as you say, she needs to be held so she can relax, I would be glad to hold her, for you."

That evening, the phone rang. I was closest to it, so I answered, "Hello, Rocker household."

On the other end, a soft girl's voice with a British accent said, "Hello. You must be Johnny. I'm Tiennie, Freya's friend. She's told me so much about you. When she said I could come to visit, I just had to call and schedule our meet."

Harmless: that's the word that best describes how her voice sounded that night. Like she was a little girl in a story and wouldn't hurt a fly. Things showed me, later, that she was quite the opposite, at least to her enemies. I was glad that I was counted among her friends.

"Hello? Are you still there? Or are you thinking? Freya told us about your thinking and how you sometimes get lost in thought. I really am looking forward to meeting you."

"Still here, lost in thought." I answered. "Your voice just sounded so wonderful. I'm looking forward to meeting you, too. When can you come over?"

"Is tonight too early? I mean is it too late?" The gentle voice stopped for a breath. "I'm so excited. What I mean is: I know this is the last minute, but, if it's not inconvenient, might I drop by tonight, just to meet you and say 'hi' to Freya? I don't need to stay long; or we could arrange another time soon."

Like a lost little girl, was how she sounded. How could I say no? "Of course you can come any time. We don't have anything planned for this evening, and tomorrow and the next nights are open, too. Shall I go put the light on for you?" (When I wasn't being stupidly stubborn, Freya had been teaching me manners.)

"That's wonderful! I'm staying in town for a few days and my hotel is centrally located. I can be there in ten minutes. Is that all right?"

"We are looking forward to it. Would you like to speak with Freya?"

For some reason, she almost sounded as if she were panting. "I'll see her when I get there. Thank you, Johnny! I'll ring off, now. See you soonest!" And she did.

That college must have given degrees in punctuality. My watch showed ten minutes, exactly, since she had 'rung off' when the doorbell sounded. Freya had been warned, and had set out some snacks and iced some drinks; she answered the door.

Another thing I don't understand about women is why they always greet each other as if they had been separated since birth. I surmised that Freya had eaten lunch with Tiennie that day, and it couldn't have been more than seven hours since they saw each other, but they hugged and giggled like long-lost sisters. Finally, Freya made the introductions: "Tiennie, this is my loving husband, Johann Rocker" (here she hugged her obviously pregnant stomach), "the father of my soon-to-be son." She turned to me, "Johnny, this is another old college friend of mine, Chuang Tien."

There is no way that I would call Tiennie 'old.' She couldn't have been any older than Chellie, who was barely 21. If someone had asked me, I probably would have guessed that she was seventeen, about. Her skin was smooth, and a light golden color. Her hair and eyes were dark, even darker than Chellie's. Her figure was slim and she was barely five feet tall. Where Chellie was curvy, Tiennie looked willowy; as if she would sway if you breathed in her direction. I managed to smile and say pleasant greeting-sounding things while Freya got her seated, then followed Freya into the kitchen 'to help with the drinks.'

Freya's arms went around my neck and her lips went right to my ear. She whispered, "What's wrong now, Johnny?"

Barely containing myself, I whispered back, harshly, "You said she was from San Francisco. She looks like she came straight from Beijing. And her accent is direct from London. And you never said she was Chinese!" I was working up to a real huff when Freya's lips pressed against mine. As she knew it would, I stopped talking, thinking, even breathing. She let me go after a few seconds.

"Breathe, Johnny. It's all right." I started breathing again and while my brain was rebooting, she continued. "She is from San Francisco. Her family moved there a few years ago. She grew up in Hong Kong and learned English in the schools there, so she sounds British. And, being from Hong Kong, she is Chinese. Would you expect otherwise?" This time, Freya was looking at me like a teacher with a really slow student. "Are you gong to start again about skin color and whether you would have dated her when you were young and foolish?"

"No, Ma'am." I kept my mouth shut after that. I may be dumb, but I ain't stoopid!

We carried the tray with drinks back into the living room and Freya seated herself next to Tien and pointed next to herself for me to sit. I sat.

For the next half hour or so, they chatted about school friends and the things happening in their lives. Dutifully, I offered them snacks and kept their glasses filled, and kept my mouth closed, just listening.

When I looked at her more closely, the girl looked like she was falling apart. Her hands trembled when she picked up her glass. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for something fearful. Around her almond-shaped eyes were lines of worry. And she looked like she hadn't slept in a week. How was I supposed to help her with so much anxiety? Still, Freya had said I should offer to help, and she seemed sure that just holding her would help. The girl wasn't ugly, in fact, she reminded me of a statue I had once seen of the Chinese goddess of beauty. It was carved from ancient ivory and almost matched her skin tone. It had flowing robes and hair, done by a master carver. More than five centuries old, it could have been modeled after Tiennie.

If anything, Tiennie looked even less sure of the arrangement than I was. From time to time, her attention strayed from the conversation to me. When her eyes met mine the first time, she looked away, shyly. The second time, she blushed. The third time, she smiled, just a little.

Freya shifted gears when the conversation lagged. "I told you how great it feels when Johnny holds me. Would you like to try it?"

The blush deepened and turned Tiennie's skin from amber to orange. "Only if you two don't mind." She hesitated, then rushed ahead. "I don't sleep well away from my family; we are close and I have six sisters. Even more, since I came here I have felt like someone is watching me. When I do manage to fall asleep, I wake in a panic just a few minutes later." She was practically hyperventilating, obviously terrified. "Even if it doesn't help, I wouldn't mind being held by such a handsome man." Here, she gave a small smile, "If you're sure it's OK, Freya?"

There are times when I'm not sure if my wife is happy because she gets her way, or because she's helping people. She smiled and stood up from between us. Taking the girl's hand, she pulled until Tiennie slid next to me, then pushed gently until Tiennie leaned her head on my shoulder. A nodded cue from Freya, and I wrapped my arms around the tiny girl; she felt like a child and I could feel her body shiver when I put my arms around her.

My wife's small hands guided mine to stroke Tiennie's long, silky, black hair softly. Once I had started, she let me continue and started talking in a low voice. "Do you remember how I used to help you sleep when you had nightmares? I would start talking about almost anything: my classes, the cute boy I saw in the cafeteria, the upcoming vacations, anything. You would lay with your head on my lap and I would stroke you hair like Johnny is doing now, and pretty soon, you would just nod off.

It was working. Tiennie's shivering slowed, then stopped. Her breathing changed gradually from panic to resting. Her eyelids drooped. When I thought she was asleep, I stopped stroking her hair. Freya frowned and shook her head at me, so I started again. All the time, Freya kept up the flow of her soft, silvery voice. Tiennie looked like a china doll, and weighed very little. It was no effort to hold her in my arms. It was even soothing to stroke her long, silky black hair. I could feel my eyes getting heavy, too.

"Psst! Johnny! Don't fall asleep yet."

I moved more towards awake.

"Let me tell you about her. She was almost the same age as Chellie when she came to school. She lived in the dorm with us and we had 'hen parties' and study parties, and end of term parties, and every other kind of party we could think of. I took care of them when they were sick, or just homesick. Tiennie taught us how to make and enjoy Chinese food. She also taught us about self defense; it doesn't show, but she is a seventh degree black belt in Kung Fu, and holds black belts in three or four other martial arts. Using her hands or any of a dozen weapons, ancient or modern, she is deadly. Against attackers, she can defend herself; against her fears, she has no defense. She worked hard, and graduated early, with honors. She was Salutatorian the year she graduated. Chellie was Valedictorian the next year."

My head must have drooped. "Stay awake, Johnny. I'm afraid that if she wakes and finds you sleeping she will feel defenseless. If you're awake, she can feel safe, even though she could take you apart with one hand and have fingers left over."

We chatted about the things we usually chatted about. How was the office going? Did Freya have any other friends I should know about? How much I loved her. I barely noticed the weight of the little girl leaning on my shoulder or my hands caressing her lustrous, silky black hair.

For more than three hours, she slept. When she woke, she came instantly awake. Her eyes looked deadly, but unsure of where she was. Freya's voice comforted her, and Tiennie turned to check that her friend was still there. Tiennie even looked at me and smiled, like a little girl waking from her nap. For just an instant, her eyes went soft and unfocused, gentle and warm. Then she was fully awake again and they reverted to deadly when she woke up.

Her blush warmed my heart. She turned to Freya. "I haven't felt like that since you used to hold me when I had nightmares, at college." Her face returned to mine, "Thank you, Johnny. You were wonderful. Freya was right, you are a treasure." It was a stretch, but she moved up and gave me the smallest peck on my cheek; I felt like I had won the Nobel Peace Prize.

"My pleasure, Tiennie. I would be glad to hold you any time you like." I looked over her shiny hair and smiled at my wife. "Freya told me I would be glad to help, and as you know, she's always right."

Fortunately for me, Freya smiled back at me. (It was rather chilly and there was quite a breeze that night, sleeping outside might have been uncomfortable.)

The British accent, so incongruous and formal in such a delicate flower, said that she was feeling better. "I'd best be going now. I've made you stay up quite late. I'm truly sorry. But I'm also ever so grateful."

Standing would have been hard for me, since Tiennie was practically on top of me. Fortunately, both the ladies rose at the same time. Freya simply lifted herself regally from the sofa and turned, hand outstretched, to help Tiennie. Tiennie needed no help; she flowed upwards like silk in a breeze, graceful as a dancer. Their hands met and pulled them towards one another, in a long-practiced hug.

By the time they released, I had managed to get myself up, too. I was about to shake Tiennie's hand good-by when her arms wrapped around my waist and she hugged me tightly. She was delightful, she even smelled of some faintly asian perfume. "Thank you again, Johnny. I can't tell you how good I feel now."

She blushed again, so I took a chance, bent almost in half and kissed her cheek and whispered in her doll-sized ear, "You're welcome. Freya and I would be glad to see you any time, so come back soon."

The smile on Freya's face let me know that I had said the right thing, at least this time. "That's right. Come back soon."

What is it about these college women and phones in the early morning? Precisely at 8 AM, the phone rang and it was Tiennie. Freya answered it and was inviting her back before I could figure out who might be calling that early. (It wasn't really that early; we were ready to leave for the office, but I wasn't used to talking with anyone except Freya or Chellie that early in the day.) Freya even asked her to come stay at our house, because we had plenty of empty beds, and they could stay up later chatting if they wanted, just like in college. The move was decided before I could have managed to croak out 'Good morning.' Tiennie would bring her suitcases and herself over at six that evening, for dinner and an old-fashioned hen party.

Ten minutes 'til six that evening, I looked out our front window and saw Tiennie sitting in her car, waiting for the appointed hour. Freya would never have forgiven me if I didn't walk out immediately and insist that Tiennie come inside. She was set to wait until six, but I prevailed. I even carried her suitcases and showed her the spare room that Freya had prepared for her. Then I took hold of her miniature, porcelain-like hand and led her into the kitchen, where Freya handed her a cup of iced green tea.

Since Freya remembered the drink was Tiennie's favorite, she had made a large batch. She poured one for me and another for herself. It was cool, refreshing, fruity, slightly sweet, and totally delicious. Tiennie and I stood in the kitchen while Freya stirred several dishes in their pots. When she tipped them into serving platters, we each carried some into the breakfast area and placed them on the prepared table. The plates were exactly what I expected, but next to each place setting were two dowels and no silverware. My unasked question was clear in my face, and Freya laughed before she answered. "Those are chopsticks, Johnny. Proper Chinese meals are eaten with chopsticks rather than the less civilized knife, fork, and spoon. I think the food tastes better when eaten in the proper manner. It will take you a little practice to get used to them, and that will leave more food for us!" She laughed again, a totally delightful sound that rang in my ears. I was too happy just listening to her to be angry. That night, I learned to use chopsticks.

After dinner, Freya took Tiennie's hand and led her to the couch. This time, she placed me at one end, and put Tiennie closer to the middle, but facing away from me. She sat herself at the other end of the sofa, facing Tiennie and smiling. "You are in for a rare treat tonight. Johnny is going to massage your back. But this must be kept completely secret; if other people found out about Johnny's magical massages, they would be lining up around the block, waiting for turns. There might even be fights over who gets to go next."

Tiennie smiled at this hyperbole. "Then I am one of the very few lucky ones, and I am sworn to secrecy. Even if they torture me, I will not let this secret pass my lips."

Before she started speaking again, Freya nodded at me, so I started gently rubbing Tiennie's shoulders. Freya continued the running gag, "We are the avowed sisterhood of Johnny's masagees and we solemnly swear never to reveal the existence of our secret, nor the reason for our sworn refusal to reveal it." It must have been a game they played at college, because they both went on in this florid language for ten or fifteen minutes. I got busy working on Tiennie's shoulders and neck.

For such a small, soft-seeming girl, Tiennie had hard muscles. At first, I thought she was just tense. (She was tense, but that was not the only reason. She had well developed musculature, probably from all the martial arts. Whether she looked like it or not, she was very strong.) After a while, I started working harder to soften the tight muscles. I must have gotten something right, because at that point, she started moaning softly. When I thought the pressure on one area might have been too much, I changed places. I worked on her neck and shoulders, swapped for a while by gently massaging her scalp, then went back to her neck and shoulders. After as much pressure there as I thought she could stand, I moved down her back. The sighs and moans became almost constant and I could feel the muscles relaxing under my fingers, at last. She was also leaning forwards more and more, and ended up with her head in Freya's lap.

The exact point at which Tiennie fell asleep was never clear, but she did fall asleep. Freya signaled me to press more softly for a while. Then she touched my hand and thought at me silently that I should just caress her head, hair, neck, and back, so I followed her suggestions and gently stroked the sleeping girl while Freya spoke to her in soothing tones and soft words. I carried Tiennie to her bed that night and Freya tucked her in. Whatever was bothering her had finally relaxed its hold, at least for the night, because she slept straight through until Freya woke her in the morning to tell her we were going to work.

The office was having computer networking problems, and I had to work through lunch. Freya ate out, with Tiennie, and came back smiling. She even brought some take-out for me, so I wouldn't miss lunch entirely. She kept me company while I ate and worked on the computer problems, and told me of her plans for the evening.

Tiennie had 'stopped in' as she put it, and bought some 'takeaway' for our dinner. There was a selection of what she described as 'Curries and Veggies' and which I was informed were Indian food. I had never tried these foreign seeming dishes - the colors, smells, and textures were all unexpected. They were a gift from our guest, and Freya was there to be sure I remembered my manners, so I tried some of each, and went back for seconds on several of the dishes that pleased my palate. Especially the desserts, rice pudding with pistachios, and yogurt with several types of fruit, were delicious. I scooped up the last dribbles in the serving plates with some bits of 'naan', a thin bread that had been toasted and which I also found delectable.

Freya's plans included a full-body massage for Tiennie tonight. Tiennie had heard from my wife that, whenever she was tense, or feeling out-of-sorts because of the baby, one of my full-body massages made her feel wonderful and she always slept like a baby afterwards. Unfortunately, Tiennie's business suits or other outdoor outfits were too heavy to get the full effect. Tiennie was ready to do almost anything to feel this magical effect, so she agreed to wear her pajamas while I massaged her.

Her pajamas were silk, and consisted of a sleeveless top and a pair of short shorts. She had agreed, since Freya insisted, that she would forgo underwear. (Did I mention that Freya could sell ice to eskimos?) Tiennie giggled when she came into our bedroom wearing a robe over her pajamas. "I'm still a little embarrassed to be wearing so little, and I don't know you that well yet, but Freya promised that I would be safe in your hands, and I believe her. The robe slid off and was draped over a chair back; The tan silk of Tiennie's costume wasn't transparent, but it clung to her delicious-looking body and I could tell she had followed instructions, she wasn't wearing a bra or panties under the delicate material. The peach blush on Tiennie's skin went well with her light colored fabric as she walked over to the bed and laid her tiny body down where Freya was pointing.

"Now, don't you worry a bit. I'll be right here next to you the whole time. And Johnny is good as gold when it comes to keeping his hands away from places you don't want them. Just relax and tell him your life story while he works and I'll hold your hand. When you are tired of talking, it will be my turn. And we will just lay here and relax as if we were still in the dorm, scaring away nightmares."

A little sigh of acceptance escaped from Tiennie's soft lips as my hands started stroking her shoulders. Her voice was low, but carried well enough that Freya and I, who were only a foot away from her, could hear it. "I was born in Hong Kong. My family was fairly well off and my sisters and I went to the best schools. We learned English as well as Mandarin and Cantonese. When we reached the minimum age for the sport, we each were enrolled in Chinese martial arts. I did well and ended with black belts in Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Chinese kickboxing, and a few other disciplines. Several years before Hong Kong was returned to Chinese ownership, my father managed to arrange a job here, in the States, and moved us all to San Francisco. We are now all American Citizens, and proud of it, but will not forget that we are also Chinese."

"My schooling continued here, in California, after we moved. Some of the other forms of martial arts, from countries other than China, appealed to me, and I learned Aikido, Karate, Ninjitsu, and several others during my High School years. I went to the same college as Freya, and she was a real friend to me. Because I was advanced in my schooling, I graduated from college when I was sixteen. The Air Force Academy accepted me for advanced education and I earned dual Doctorates in Security Planning and Physical Education, specializing in teaching self-defense. After I graduated, the Academy administration offered me a staff position teaching cadets the different types of self-defense and martial arts. Of course, being the military, I had to become proficient in many different types of modern weapons and I teach those in my classes, as well. I am in California for an educational conference discussing cross-training and competition between the different styles, including using the ancient weapons. We are also considering adding classes in weapons invention and competitions against modern weapons."

I worked on her neck, shoulders, and back as she continued.

"As for the problems with being unable to sleep - I have always shared my room with one or more of my sisters at home. In the Academy, I was in a dorm with lots of other cadets, or in an apartment with up to four other students. After graduation, I found a friendly girl to 'split' the expenses for my new apartment. So, I have hardly ever been alone. When I came for this conference, I discovered that I had extreme difficulties sleeping with no other people nearby. I want to thank you both for allowing me to stay here, by the way. I feel like I am back home and can finally relax."

"There is more than just feeling lonely or homesick to my current problems, however. I have had the feeling, ever since I arrived, that someone is watching me, and my nerves are constantly on edge, seeking the watcher. I have not found him, but I feel him. He must have lost me when I moved from the hotel to here, because I have felt him at the convention center, but never around your house."

Softer and softer, her voice was weakening as I relaxed the tense muscles. When is was just above a whisper, Freya took over. "What she didn't mention, Johnny, was that she is the youngest instructor, ever, in the Air Force Academy, and she is probably the smallest, too. And yet, she still throws full grown men, including Air Force Football players all around her classroom. Don't get on her bad side, if you want to live." This remark made smiles grow on both women's faces.

"There was one time, when we were at school, that one of the athletes tried to take advantage of her size on a date. Fortunately, there were witnesses that she told him multiple times to stop touching her and to leave her alone. After he was released from the hospital, he was kicked out of the college. None of the coeds missed him, even his girlfriend said she was happier with him gone. But Tiennie has been very shy of dates since that happened."

The voice Freya was using gradually got softer and softer and she moved her mouth closer to Tiennie's ear, until I was no longer able to hear her and the conversation became private, between the two of them. I continued with my massages, working on her scalp, down her arms, and even down her legs.

As I had told Freya, I had never considered even dating a girl who wasn't white, but the proximity to this girl's yellowed ivory skin and smooth body was starting to turn me on. I'm sure Freya knew, the way she kept looking up from her one-sided conversation every few minutes. She put one of her hands on my arm and I could feel her thinking, "Johnny, don't rush. Take it slow. If Tiennie isn't smart enough to want you, I'm sure I can find something to do which will make you happy."

"I'm sure you can, my love. And you do make me happy, just by being with me. You make me ecstatic, every time I can see our baby inside your beautiful body. Oh, I enjoy the sex, too."

Have you ever imagined what a giggle would sound like if it were silent. Freya's response reminded me of her platinum laughter, except it was muted. "Would you like to see her naked? I think she is relaxed enough to start on my more devious plots now."

My stern look was betrayed because Freya could feel my body's stimulation at the thought of seeing this China doll naked. She giggled silently again. "I'll try not to disappoint you." And she returned to her whispering, this time loud enough for me to hear.

"Tiennie, Johnny is going to take off your shirt so he can do your back better. Is that OK?"

Muffled moans were the only reply, but she didn't object when Freya and I started pulling Tiennie's silky shirt up her soft body. She even lifted so we could slip the top out from under her shoulders and head. Freya held Tiennie's hands over her head and slipped the fabric up to her wrists, then held it there while I applied my magic fingers to Tiennie's arms, neck, shoulders, back, and legs. I could see the side of girl's breasts, compressed under her torso. The shorts, which were the only thing she still had on, left her legs uncovered, and I could see occasional flashes of her cheeks under the shorts. Her beauty was starting to turn me on. I ran my hands up Tiennie's sides so I could feel her breasts; they were soft. I worked my way up her legs until I reached her bottom and it was warm, but firm.

Constantly, Freya was talking in Tiennie's ear. "Doesn't that feel good? Just relax and let the feelings take you. You are completely safe; I'm here, Johnny's here. Let yourself go."