Chapter 4

“Why are you both in the nude?” Drew said, looking at his cereal. He had already devoured two bacon and egg sandwiches and was now starting on a bowl of cereal. How this boy stayed thin was an ode to metabolism.

“To prepare you for sponsorship in the colonies.” I said. People are not used to saying what we mean. We women like to beat around the bush a bit, revelling in the suspense as the excitement builds. The game of slow seduction — it’s not a game Drew would understand. Not because he’s stupid, but because he would interpret the words and gestures differently. So I learned to be direct right from the first time we met. Now that I have got used to it, I quite like it.

“Well, for one, it is better than watching porn movies. I know you do that at least four times a day, so don’t say you are not interested, mister.” Joyce said.

“Mom!” Drew cried in outrage.

I lowered my voice a bit. It works most of the time. “Joyce Giraut, that is not a thing you can say to your son. Shame on you. Stand in that corner with your face to the garden. You can stand there and think about what you have said. You will stay there until I tell you to come back eating.”

Joyce looked at me with a “you must be joking” look in her eyes. After 10 seconds, she stood up and went to the corner. Her naked body would be visible from the garden, but the garden was fenced, so it’s not likely anyone saw her.

“Good girl. Arms folded behind your back. Don’t move, don’t speak.” Drew was staring with his mouth open at his mother’s naked ass. Quite a nice ass, by the way.

“Now Drew. This is the last time you have called your mom, mother or mum, mama or mommy. From today, she is Joyce, and she is one of your concubines. Like me, she has no special rights above any other concubines you will take. She will remain your mother, and I will be your girlfriend forever of course, but if we do something wrong, I expect you to treat us the same as you would any of your other concubines.”

He just kept staring at his mother’s backside.

“Talk to me, Drew. I need to know what you are thinking right now.” I said.

“You both have gone crazy. Suddenly, my mama is not my mama anymore. She is naked. I have never seen her naked before. She is standing in the corner as if she were a child. I don’t understand why you are doing all of this.”

This was going all wrong. Me with my big mouth. “Joyce, come back and sit down. Listen, your mother and I have cooked up this crazy plan: Mission Einstein step 1: Evacuate Drew in time to the colonies, and step 2: make sure that Drew will be happy in the colonies. Things will get much crazier this year. And all we are asking of you is to go along with what we are planning and trust us. We will do whatever it takes to get you on board that ship and to get you out of here. Don’t think we are doing all of this just for you. A little selfishness is no stranger to either of us. Your mother is terrified of the Sa’arm, and if you are gone, there is nothing here left for me on Earth. So we are doing this not out of the kindness of our hearts. We are asking you to go with the flow. Trust us to know what is best for you, for all of us.”