Chapter 10

On April 1, Matt took stock. All in all it had been a pretty good first year. He would consider it a theological success. Sunday attendance and offerings were up. Conversions were at a record high. He had made it through the winter without succumbing to Yuki-Ona and Hanna was feeding both of his hungers.

Mr. Tanaka had turned out to be a gem with the choir. Over the winter the ladies of the choir’s voices had become more vibrant and the volume filled the church.

Yoshido Yokato even in death is reborn in his child. His wife Meiko is pregnant with his child, sure to be a fisherman, who, Meiko has promised to have baptized a Christian.

Mrs. Fukushima and the Ladies Axillary had done a wonderful job with the Christmas manger scene, the flowers every Sunday, the planning of church events throughout the year, providing for his meals, the care and cleaning of his quarters and clothes, and most importantyprotecting him from any incursions by Yuki-Ona. Matt would include all this in his report to the church fathers except this latter. Nor would he include his close friendship with Hanna and her Kabala instruction that had been so helpful to his well-being.

Matt had changed his mind about continuing to have the ladies visit him. The more he thought about it the fewer reasons he could muster for such a plan. They may have been necessary to save his life while there was snow but that justification vanished with the melt. Matt never looked at their faces, he differentiated them by their smell, the size and shape of their breasts, the way a nipple felt in his mouth, the softness of an ass, the tightness of a vagina, the texture of their skin. Further he knew them by their skills. There were those who excelled at oral, those whose vaginas were most active, those who favored anal, those who had wonderful hands, a few who were proficient in all skills, and even one who used her feet. He would miss them but how could he preach the virtues of monogamy if he were a known fornicator?

Kiku stood in the center of her war room surveying her handiwork. There was the scheduling board with the names of active members of the Ladies of the Pillow scribed in neat kanji characters. On the far wall were likewise listed those Ladies of the Pillow who were at present not available to be called, and on the window wall a large graph with lines of five different colors going from left to right. There was a red line which started at the very top of the vertical axis and stayed there as it preceded across the horizontal axis throughout, as did the green line, the blue line which started near the bottom on the vertical axis and slowly ascended as it moved across the horizontal axis until in January there was a precipitous climb up the vertical axis, the same occurred with the yellow line. The pink line started low and tracked like a yo yo, until January when it also began a steady climb upward. There was no explanation for the colors on the graph. That information was kept in Kiku’s locked desk, to which only she and Hanna had access. The book listed the code as: Red-size, Blue-experience, Yellow-foreplay, Green-orgasm and Pink-Ladies of the Pillow orgasm.

There were four pregnancies including Meiko. Fewer than Kiku had anticipated but she didn’t know if any of the women had had an abortion. In Japan, being an unwed mother carried no stigma either for the woman or the child.

In filing cabinets, were Kiku’s notes of the reports by the ladies after each experience, forms requesting to be included in the Ladies of the Pillow, forms signed by each of the ladies accepting their obligation to Reverend Billingsley and their oath of secrecy and finally all reports of sightings of Yuki-Ona.

Much of the paperwork could be discarded but the rosters and the oaths she would keep in case there was a sighting in the area next year. They would save her time in ramping up another defense of the Reverend. Finally she could get some rest on two fronts. She was free of the burden of making sure that Operation Billingsley function properly and she could stop fucking Hiroto’s brains out. She was sure that secretly be would be relieved.

Kiku knew that Hokkaido had between twenty-five and forty feet of snow each year usually starting in mid-November and lasting through March. There would be plenty of opportunities for Yuki-Ona to reassert her presence. For now she had to prepare for tomorrow’s meeting of the Ladies Axillary.

It was April fool’s day and Hanna thought it was as good a time as any, to take stock of where she was and where she was going.

Her work at the hospital, and with the shut-ins was going well. The Jewish community continued to grow not so much by conversions as by a booming birth rate among the established families of the original settlers. They were propagating well above replacement. Such thoughts always made Hanna a little melancholy that she and Sol had been unable to have children.

Operation Yuki-Ona had been a resounding success for both Kiku and herself. Without the appearance of Yuki-Ona there is little chance that she would be having sex with Matt or with anyone else for that matter. She had not realized how much she missed it until she had it again. This last year had been a positive one for Hanna.

Hanna was thankful for Matt but this had been another year of missing Sol but then every year was. She cared for Matt but Sol was the love of her life.

Now that Matt had decided against continuing the Ladies of the Pillow’s services beyond the time of threat, Hanna wondered if she too would be unceremoniously dropped from his schedule. As he was coming for lunch she figured she wouldn’t have long to wait.

“Come on in Matt, I’ve got a brisket on the stove along with, you guessed it, cabbage. I just love this dish. Are you getting tired of it? I got a beer out for you when I heard your knock. It’s on the table.”

“No, not at all. It’s come to be one of my favorites. I had never had it before you made it for me.”

“Would you slice the bread? The knife is right in that drawer.”

“Sure.”

“Kiku tells me now that the snow is gone you have decided not to continue with the Ladies of the Pillow.”

“Where do they come up with these names?”

“Yeah, that one and Willow World for high class prostitutes. It’s all in the Japanese psyche. They see sex natural and healthy and would never classify it with a demeaning word such as whore, slut, cunt and the like so they have descriptions like Willow World or Geisha to show their respect. They have respect for the people who are members of those professions and the skills they possess. Japanese sexual attitudes developed separately from those of mainland Asia, as Japan, did not originally adopt the Confucian view of marriage in which chastity was highly valued. Monogamy in marriage was less prized in Japan.

“Confucianism was first introduced into Japan sometime in the sixth century and later adopted by the Samurai class but was never adopted by the commoners who maintained their original attitudes toward sex. Even with almost total over control of the lives of the common people neither the Emperor nor the Samurai class tried to impose Confucian views regarding sex on the people.

“Enough pontificating. So you have decided?”

“Yes, I thought it best under the circumstances. My life is no longer threatened and how can I preach the sanctity of monogamy if I’m not practicing it?”

“But you’re not married Matt.”

“I know and I know the Japanese attitude toward sex. I just feel like I shouldn’t do it.”

“Does that include me?”

“Oh, God no. My feelings for you are way beyond any mere act of fornication.”

Hanna’s eyes went from a dullness to bright and sparkly. “Finish your beer Matt. This is going to be an ureshii sake day.”

“Ureshii? Is that a brand of sake?”

“No, it’s Japanese for happy.”

They drank the entire bottle of sake with lunch. They were both a little tipsy when Hanna dragged Matt back to the bedroom. Matt was propped against the headboard supported by two pillows watching Hanna’s lips ride up the length of his dick and down again. When she got to the bottom she was able to run her tongue along the underside of Matt’s dick and lick his balls.

When he felt this, Matt’s hips raised up from the mattress to meet Hanna’s tongue. In that position she was able to rock her head to allow her tongue to wipe up and down Matt’s balls. Matt thought that if she was only a little longer she could reach his asshole. And just as quickly her tongue and mouth were gone.