Chapter 21

The summer passed way too quickly. The crops grew. The women grew firm and tan. John continued to grow despite his age. He began to wonder if the legendary dysfunction of age, came from living with older women who seemed to lose interest in sex, for sex sake, after their child bearing years had passed. He didn’t ponder it too deeply. He was, for all intents and purposes, a happy man.

The women around John —as that was what they really were now— seemed happy as well. They had purpose —their studies and their investments— they stayed physically active and healthy. In fact they seemed to have boundless energy -perhaps simply from youth. When they weren’t working in the garden, swimming or working each other and John into a sexual frenzy, they worked out in the gym. Putting endless miles on the treadmill.

Each afternoon they studied, really studied. Then it was sunning in the solarium followed by another swim.

In the evening they would all meet for a while on the deck and watch the sun go down and the incredible desert stars come out. Then they would retire to the kitchen where they practiced their cooking skills. Trying out recipe’s they found on the Internet. While dinner was cooking John would sometimes do some star gazing through his telescope, or retire to the Com room to do some research on companies for investment. Sometimes he would tinker in his workshop.

They would all gather together for dinner. John instigated the practice of actually getting fully dressed for the evening meal. The women didn’t object, in fact they came to enjoy it. It gave them a chance to wear the clothes they had been so hot to buy on their shopping trips.

After dinner they usually retired to the Com room and searched out a movie off the satellite. Usually towards the end someone would start feeling frisky.

It was seldom, that of the three of them at least two weren’t feeling amorous. But the relationship was now comfortable enough that even if two weren’t, it was OK. Even when not interested in sex, they were all always cuddly and sensual. Life was good. Perhaps too good to last.

The trouble seemed to sneak up on them in the early fall. Once Harvest came all worked pretty hard picking and preserving the vegetables.

Theresa being physically tired from her garden work, took to surfing the Internet, instead of her afternoon workout. After several weeks of this she began to get kind of moody and reserved.

John stumbled on the reason quite by accident, when his computer was tied up he used hers to search for something. When he called in her bookmarks he found a whole list of religious references.

“Oh Shit!” he said to himself.

He held back his fears and began to follow the thread of the bookmarks chronologically. Reading the information presented and developing a mental picture of the path that Theresa had taken. He was shaking with fear upon completion of the mental journey.

He cornered Cindy.

“We’ve got a problem.” he told her.

“Oh? Aren’t we giving you enough love?” she asked mischievously reaching in his shorts.

“Hardly ... Stop that. I’m serious.” he giggled.

Cindy pulled back in mock dejection, pushing her bottom lip way out.

“OK, what’s our problem?”

“Theresa’s getting religion.”

“Huh? Is that bad?”

“Maybe the worst. It could destroy our whole relationship.”

Cindy sat back and looked at him. He was quite serious, but she didn’t understand why.

“How so? Isn’t that her business?”

“Of course, but it could affect us both drastically as well. That sort of makes it our business too.”

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“Not yet ... Haven’t you noticed her moods lately?”

“Yah, figured it was just a phase.”

“Well I just found out why ... She’s been surfing religious information on the Internet.”

“And you think that’s bad?”

“I think you’d better follow the path I just did and decide for yourself. Just follow her bookmarks chronologically from about two weeks ago. In the meantime I think I’m gonna have a talk with her.”

“Without me?”

“No ... I guess not. Maybe we better talk about it again after you read what’s got me spooked.”

“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Yes ... very serious. It scares me to death.”

“OK, I’ll go see for myself ... Think you can keep her busy for a while.”

“Maybe ... I’ll try.”

Cindy hugged him reassuringly and then moved off to see what all the fuss was about.

John moved off to distract Theresa.

He found her in the library, studying.

“Hi ya toots. What’s shakin?”

“Oh Hi John ... Just studying.”

“Feel like a swim?”

“Not really, kind of bushed from working.”

“And what a cute bush it is.” John teased.

Theresa frowned at the pun, but put her book down and looked contemplative at John.

“What’s on your mind love?” John asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Oh, nothing in particular. Just my life and the way it’s going.”

“Not happy with your direction?”

“No, I’m not un-happy. But it seems like something is missing.”

John was silent for a time, formulating his response. He knew the signs, having been through them himself and having watched it again and again with friends and people around him.

There comes a time when a person starts to ask himself the meaning of life. The eternal questions: Is there more, what does this mean? Why is life this way? How should it be? All valid questions, but not necessarily with tangible or easy answers.

“Perhaps your life has required you to grow up a little too fast. A person doesn’t usually get that feeling till they’re in their twenties. Some people never seem to notice.”

“Notice what?”

“That yearning you’re starting to feel for answers to questions you don’t know.”

Theresa kind of nodded, but asked: “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh ... I think you know. Listen love. I want you to know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“That Cindy and I love you very much. And there’s nothing you can’t talk to us about.”

Theresa dropped her eyes and kind of swallowed before she spoke. Her words came hard to her, her voice soft and strained. “I know that ... I love you both too...”

“But?”

She just shook her head.

John moved to her side and hugged her. Theresa half let it happen, half hugged back fiercely.