Chapter 12

John was nowhere to be found. Theresa searched everywhere for him. Starting in the exercise room, and moving to the pool and the Com room. Cindy looked up from her studies in the library “Haven’t seen him in quite a while.”

He wasn’t in the workshop. She considered checking each maintenance stop on the outside elevator when she heard muffled music coming from above. She finally located him reclining in the dark in the solarium listening to classical music while he looked up at the incredible star field visible from the middle of the desert.

It had never occurred to the girls that the solarium was useful at any time other than daytime, when they peeled off what little they normally wore and soaked up some rays. (John was mildly worried a pilot would fly over and get a coronary from the two nude nymphs under glass in the apparent shallow pit in the desert.)

“What are you doing in the dark?” Theresa asked, flipping on the light.

John suddenly squinted and covered his eyes. “I WAS looking at the stars, but now you’ve ruined my night vision.”

“Oops, Sorry.” Theresa said, turning the light back off.

“Too late now. What do you need?”

“Nothing, I was just curious where you were. But diner’s about ready.”

“I’ll be down in a bit.”

“Sorry I spoiled your star gazing.”

“It’s okay.” John said.

Theresa looked at him a moment and then moved off. She knew it wasn’t okay, that John was just being nice. She didn’t understand though why anybody would want to be alone.

Solitude was exactly what John was thinking of. He had bought the Silo with solitude in mind. Lately he got little of it.

Once over their initial shyness, the two girls had taken to sex with the passion of an Amway salesman at a mud slide. It seemed like one or the other of them would corner him several times a day with carnal intent.

He had a hell of a time convincing them of the concept that he wasn’t always interested. No, nothing was wrong. He just wasn’t interested in sex at the moment. Finally they accepted the idea that nothing was wrong (telling themselves it was because of his age). Sometimes they would go find the other one to console themselves with. (From the camera’s John knew they didn’t even need the other to console themselves.)

Outside the wind was picking up, blowing in a winter storm. The wind in front of it had cleared some of the dust out of the upper atmosphere and the seeing had been good. Now it pushed high clouds in to obscure the stars.

John sighed and pushed himself to his feet. He tripped the control to roll the roof completely shut against the coming storm and made his way down to the kitchen.

For all the problems they created, it was still very nice to have the girls around.