Chapter 13

I needed another look at the house details, to seek a construction date. The date I

found was about ten years ago. When I got home that evening, the girls were quick to notice that I was preoccupied with something, and asked what I was pondering. I admitted to being puzzled by a house I was detailed to show to clients; that it had aspects which made no sense at present, and I was trying to clarify the situation.

“Just leave me to worry about it, girls.”

Georgina intruded, “Bob, we have a visitor coming to join us for dinner this evening. It is a colleague from Sandy’s business operations, I understand.”

“Oh? Fine,” I agreed. “But numbers ... Do we have Patricia here tonight?”

“No. She has a church women’s guild meeting to go to, so she is eating at home. We have Jennifer, though.”

“I was expecting Jenny to be here anyway, seeing as she is living with us now.” I voiced. “Do we know the visitor’s name?”

“Sorry, no; not until he or she gets here with Sandy,” Georgie told me.

“Right. Should I dress better for the event, or stick to my usual nondescript clothing style?”

“Oh, stick to normal. That way, we can all be a normal family group. Naomi will see to feeding the kids in the nursery, so they shouldn’t get in the way, unlike Carol and Phyllis’s bellies!”

I shrugged. “Big bellies are normal in our household at times. The visitor might as well see that. Sandy is heading that way soon. Will Sandy have mentioned our odd lifestyle?” I ended.

“Who knows?, but she ought to have warned her colleague in advance,” Georgie averred.

Minutes later, we heard the front door open, signalling Sandy’s arrival.

“Hello! We’re here!” she called out, and Georgie rushed to do the official welcome. Once they had their coats off and essential visits made to the toilet near the front door, Georgie brought them through to the dining room, where we all stood around politely.

Janet stepped forward to announce for the benefit of our visitor, “It is chicken casserole for dinner tonight, folks. Are you okay with chicken, ma’am?”

Sandy turned to her colleague, “You fine with chicken, Alice? Janet is a good cook, I can assure you.”

“Perfect,” said Alice, a tallish blonde woman with prominent breasts. She was also good-looking; I was impressed. “Is this your family, Sandy?” she enquired.

“It is indeed. Let me introduce you. Janet was the one who told us about dinner. Our welcoming guide is my sister Georgina, and the others are the expectant Carol and Phyllis and lastly Jennifer, who joined us recently in unfortunate circumstances.

Our children are in the nursery with our excellent nursery nurse, Naomi. She will feed the youngsters so we don’t get disturbed. The personable young man with them is my dutiful husband, Bob McIntyre.”

She continued with her introductions, switching to our guest. “Alice works for a finance company that I have had dealings with. We are working on a problem that they have got themselves into and need help with resolving it. In addition, she is acting as my external auditor. She has come home with me so we can spend the evening discussing what we might do.”

Alice did the right thing and came round to shake hands with each of us in turn. When she got to me, she looked me in the eye and showing advance knowledge said softly, “All of them? Impressive. How do you do it?”

I allowed my eyes to drift towards Sandy before I spoke. “Ask Sandy. She has all the answers.”

“Yes ... about that ... she says I don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Worry? Worry about what?”

“Men. My elder brother took my virginity forcibly when I was twelve; He was fifteen. I didn’t know about these things, and it hurt badly. I bled, and complained to my mother. I don’t know what she said or did, but he never bothered me again; though once was enough. It hurt me in other ways, too, and I have been afraid of boys ever since; kept away from them, as far as humanly possible. I left home as soon as I could, and for years all my close friends have been girls. Sandy says you have a way to help girls like me.”

“That may be so, but Georgie is my conscience over girls. Speak to her, and see what she has to say. I listen to her views.”

“But you have several girls fawning over you, and some of them are expecting babies. Sandy tells me she is expecting a baby as well; her second, she says. So you must be special if they all want to live with you.”

“From my viewpoint, it is they who are special, being willing to put up with me. I suppose it is a matter of which end you look through a telescope, what you choose to see.”

“Yes, and there is the tale of someone looking through a telescope, using an eye that he was blinded in, saying, ‘I don’t see anything out there!’”

I chuckled. “You see exactly what you want to see, I suppose. Speak to Georgina, anyway, Alice, and she will tell you what she sees. I trust her perception of reality.”

Sandy came across and butted in to say, “Break for dinner, you two. The casserole dishes are on their way.”

As I apologised and left Alice to Sandy’s ministrations, I overheard Sandy saying, “What do you think of him so far?” I didn’t catch Alice’s reply, but Sandy appeared satisfied.

The dinner was tasty and filling, as usual, and I remembered to thank all the ladies who had participated in its preparation. ‘Thank you’ is a very useful social additive at any time, and in particular when a man is addressing a woman.

After dinner, I volunteered to help with the dish-washing chore, while Sandy and Alice left for the upstairs lounge to sit and chat about their business matters. I found Georgie beside me as we worked on the crockery and cutlery, and she said to me, “Well?”

I raised my eyebrows and replied succinctly, “Well, what?”

“This Alice person; what is she here for?”

“Business matters, Sandy told me; though Alice asked a surprising amount about our complicated household.”

“Yes; she would. Sandy would have tempted her already, painting you as a heroic figure in the eyes of all your women.”

“Really? I told her that my women were special for putting up with me. I also said that you were my conscience, and she should speak to you about me.”

“Good man. Just as well that I love you, Bob; almost as much as Sandy does. I will give it to Alice straight, but who knows how she will respond? Almost all of your women were previously afraid of men, one way or another, and from what I understand from a few words with Sandy, Alice also falls into that specific category.”

“Oh,” I responded, slightly concerned. “Does that mean Sandy is pushing her my way? You warned me about that, Georgie.”

“Could be. It might simply be that you can show her that not all men are to be feared, but then us girls can do that for you just as well; tell her about what you do, and importantly what you don’t do.”

I sighed with relief. “If that can happen, as you say it might solve her problem. I’ll wait and see what results you get.”

An hour or so later, Sandy sought me out, asking me to come and talk with her and Alice. I came along and joined them in the upper lounge with its picture window, then gazed quizzically at Sandy.

She blushed slightly and said, “Bob, I want you to listen to Alice and learn about her recent experiences.”

I was quick to put in my provisos, for her protection. “Alice, are you comfortable, telling me this? If not, you are under no obligation to do so. Sandy is merely offering you a chance to speak. I am offering you the opportunity to refuse.”

“God!” she replied. “It is just as your ladies said: you never push a woman to do anything she doesn’t want. Can I have a minute to compose my thoughts?”

“Of course. I would not expect anything other than that preparation.”

We all spent a minute or two looking pensive. Sandy came to me and hugged me tight, pressing her swelling breasts into me, then kissed me solidly. She whispered, “Our new baby is a bit of a nuisance at times, but I’ll tell you more later.”

I took a quick guess this was her morning sickness rearing its ugly nausea again, but I said nothing, for Alice now cleared her throat before speaking.

“I am a chartered accountant, and expected the company I currently work for would be evenly-oriented, gender-wise, but it turned out I was wrong. I have been propositioned several times in the last few weeks by a number of male staff, and they don’t like being told ‘No’. I have some suspicions about the company’s books in recent times; someone is interfering with the financial operations, in my opinion.

I was therefore thinking about possibly giving in my notice when I was detailed to do an official audit job on Sandy’s business operation. I liked her as soon as I met her, and we swiftly got down to business, including telling her my doubts about the company I work for. She knew she was herself solvent in her operation, but needed some official reckoning for the tax authorities to accept; a formally audited set of accounts examined and authenticated by an external auditor.”

She went on to explain,” I don’t know if you are familiar with Sandy’s operation, Bob, but she is perfectly capable of doing her own accounts. The tax authority however, insists on a report by an external auditor, and that’s me for now.”

I told her, “I know the generalities of my wife’s company, but I leave her to her own business, while I stick to my two part-time jobs, in law and estate agency work. The other girls do much the same thing: stick with their own areas of expertise, and make money at it, or at the very least a living wage. We work together on family matters, but help each other out, as and when needed.”

“According to Sandy, you are all one family.”

“Certainly. As far as I am concerned, all of them are wives to me, and deserve all the attention that a wife expects. We are family, full stop; and that includes our finances.”

“What about children?”

“Why not come with me and Sandy to the nursery, and you can meet them, along with Naomi, our nursery nurse in charge?”

Alice seemed sufficiently interested, so we adjourned to the nursery, and walked in just as Naomi was changing one of the babies. She started when she realised there was a stranger present, and gave a quick queried glance to Sandy.

Sandy informed Naomi, “This is my friend and business colleague Alice, come to visit us, Naomi. She knows about us as an extended family, so you can answer honestly any questions she has about your work here.”

Relieved, Naomi said to Alice, “If you just give me a moment to finish with this smelly nappy, I can show you around, Alice.”

She expertly pinned the fresh nappy together then dropped the soiled nappy into the chemical bucket, and transferred the baby to the cot it shared with another baby.

That done, she showed Alice the other small children of various ages and the older youngsters in her charge, up to four years old. As to the two babies together, she commented, “They have to share a cot while they are small, Miss Alice, as the nursery space is not large enough for so many to all have their own cots and small beds for the older ones.”

I inwardly cursed myself for neglecting that aspect of the house planning.

Alice enquired, “How many children do you have here, Naomi?”

“Seven at the moment, miss, but in a few months there will be several more. The four-year-olds may have to move in with their mothers, at this rate.”

“Bob is Daddy to all your charges; am I right?”

“Yes, ma’am. I am not surprised, as they all love each other, miss. Mr McIntyre is a lovely man, but I am having to look for my own lovely man; such prizes are not easily found.”

“Tell me about it!” Alice responded with emphasis.

Naomi expressed surprise, saying, “With your looks and that lovely shape, Alice, I would have thought you would have no problem finding an interested man you could love and live with forever.”

Alice sighed, “If only, Naomi. Let me tell you, girl, that most men in real life are only interested in getting into your pants. They usually don’t care what happens to you afterward. Mr McIntyre seems to be unusual in that way. His women all seem to love him, and he them.”

“That’s correct, ma’am. He is a gem, is Mr McIntyre. The ladies all say so, and I believe them. He has never been anything other than correct around me, in the several years I have worked here.”

Alice commented, “Of course he has plenty of women to have sex with already, as I understand it. He doesn’t have to force anybody.”

“Yes, ma’am, but some men want to use every woman they can get their hands on. I have had to fend off a few boys in the last year or so. They don’t seem to believe the word ‘no’ means what you say. If that happens, that is the last time I go out with them, as far as I am concerned. Mr McIntyre is different.”

“Different, eh? Different in what way, Naomi?”

“He treats me as a valuable person, not simply as a female object, if you see what I mean. He speaks to me as a friend rather than an employee. It seems to be the way he was brought up, to behave properly around people. He also takes religion seriously, not as a matter of following church rules, more as treating people the way Jesus acted. Bob says that Jesus was never a man who stuck rigidly to the rules, just treated them as general guidelines for your behaviour with other people.”

“Ah, so that is why he has a number of wives, in contravention of the law.”

“Oh, no, miss. He has followed the law. It says he can only have one legal wife, and that is Sandy. The others are, in practice, wives by their own choice, and not through any formal civil or church ceremony. Their presence is voluntary.”

“But that is a basis for divorce, on grounds of adultery.”

“Yes, miss, if Mrs Sandy wanted that, but she doesn’t. In fact, I am told she was the instigator of the extra wives. Georgina can tell you about that, I know.”

“Georgina, yes. Oh. Am I right in that she is Sandy’s elder sister?”

“So I am told, miss. She is happy with being Bob’s second wife as well. The story is that she was dumped by her unfaithful fiance, years before, and was very wary of men after that, but Sandy had agreed to marry Bob, and she thought Georgina should have a chance at happiness as well. Somehow she arranged for her sister to get better acquainted with Bob, and that went so well that Georgina ended up as a second wife, and had his first baby.

It went on from there, with other girls. Weird and wonderful story, I know, but that is what happened. I only saw part of it, when children started coming along and I was recruited to help look after them.”

“Hmm ... weird, as you say, Naomi, but it all makes sense in its own way. Thanks for sharing that with me.”

Sandy and I had listened quietly to this conversation, noting that Naomi was simply giving the facts to Alice. Sandy grinned at me, wordlessly suggesting that the discussion was going the way she wanted. I was not really bothered about Naomi’s words, for I came out of it as a good guy, and I still like to think of myself in that capacity.

Alice in turn was thoughtful. At last, she turned to face Sandy and asked, pointedly, “What are you trying to get me to do, Sandy? This is more than just a business meeting, isn’t it?”

Sandy shrugged, saying,”Every time I am asked that, I have the same answer: Whatever you want for yourself. I never push a girl; like Bob, I just offer her a chance at learning more about my Bob, and she can take it from there.”

“What do you mean by ‘learning more about Bob’? Are you talking about social interactions with a man, or something a bit closer? I need to know what you are thinking, Sandy.”

Sandy paused, then said smoothly, “If you look at the other women in this household, Alice, you should see what knowing Bob has done for them. They are happy here, and happy with their children as well. Happy: a small word with a big meaning. Need I say more?”

Alice was quiet as she absorbed this statement.

I remarked to Sandy, “Too much information, my love?”

She retorted, “Not enough time, Bob. Alice is of ages with me, remember. She is not a teenager anymore.”

“So? She is still her own person; don’t push her too hard, Sandy.”

Alice came out of her reverie, having overheard us talking. She responded instead to the previous comment. “No, happy is a good target for anyone, Bob. Could you make me happy, do you suppose?”

“I can’t promise anything, Alice. It is all up to you. I can only try my best.”

“Good answer, Bob,” Sandy intruded. “We have never promised anything to any of the girls, other than doing our best for them. It worked; that is what matters.”

Alice spoke to me again, “What is your first step with your women, Bob? When you are starting to get to know them? What happens?”

Sandy went to butt in, but I held a hand up to stop her, and said to Alice, “Kissing. Most them had never even had a good experience with kissing a man or boy. For a few, it was a small step at a time, but as always, a kiss is the first intimate step between a man and a woman.

Georgie knew all about kissing from her past, but had long been reluctant to engage now with any man on a close level of interaction. She quickly taught me a few things about kissing, for Sandy was the only girl I had seriously kissed up to then.”

Alice raised her eyebrows. “She taught you?” she said, emphasizing the words ‘she’and ‘you’.

I admitted, “Yes, I was young and inexperienced, back then, just eighteen. Sandy was the first girl who had any impact on me; a massive impact in her case. I instinctively knew she was the one for me to spend my life with, immediately after we met. I never expected the ‘love at first glance to be true’, but it was like that.