Chapter 11

Bob Kempe, the Governor of Rehome colony, was at his office when he received an unexpected call from the Personalia.

“Governor, we have been analysing some of the statistical data that is compiled in major countries on Earth, and we have observed that there is a set of trends which may interest you. The statistics on crime contain data on assaults within families, and in recent months this has begun to decline, to an extent that indicates this to be a real effect and not a statistical glitch. This means that husbands and wives are assaulting each other less than before.

Another trend we have observed is an increase in percentage terms, of people getting married in the relevant countries. The data does not clarify this as to whether this is cohabitees deciding to get married, or whether more singles are meeting and deciding to get married. Such data by itself is not conclusive of any particular meaning, but was suggestive, so we considered that correlation with certain other data might be valuable.

We looked at the data on sales of Rehome truffles, country by country, and have found a bias. Unfortunately the cause of that bias is not clear. It might be the distribution services are better in one country than another; the effectiveness of the product’s publicity through word of mouth; or it might be the due to the number of sex shops which are available in a country, to sell the product.

The data suggests, in general terms, that the countries which have the highest sales of Rehome truffles, as a percentage of the population, also have the highest incidence of improvement in these assault figures; and also in showing the increase in marriages being performed.

Please note that we have discounted Earth weddings on Rehome; but that is an insignificant factor in the total Earth marriages. Nonetheless, there is a possibility inherent in these statistics that the use of Rehome truffles is having a positive effect on interpersonal relationships.

There may be other factors of which we are unaware, but on the face of it, the statistics may be indicating a beneficial effect through the use of Rehome truffles. We emphasise, Governor, that this is merely statistical indications. The relationships between them might not be what we consider to be valid, but we thought that the information may be of interest to you for future planning in the sale and use of truffles.”

Bob Kempe declared, “I thank you for this interesting information. Your statistical examination is, as always, fascinating, and I shall take note of it in my future planning as relates to truffles. If you see further relationships developing in this field, please make me aware of it. Thank you again. Kemp, out.”

Bob pondered this information for a while, then decided to take it home for discussion with his wives, and with Ruth in particular. As a psychologist, she may be able to advise on the reliability of this data, and what could be read into it. In advance, he copied the Personalia message from his phone to those of Ruth, Diane, Mary, and Helen, so that they could study it at their leisure. His accompanying message was, “Data for discussion at dinner tonight.”

Over the dinner table, Bob asked them, “What do you girls think?” He was not short of answers, but everyone tried to speak at the same time. “Ladies, please! Why don’t we take the responses in order of seniority? Diane?”

She replied, “It would make some sense. If you take the case of ourselves, we got a small taste of truffle, just once, and while it made us feel randy, I for one afterwards felt more in love with Bob than ever, and I also felt more loving towards Ruth and Mary. From what I gather from these two, the same happened to them. Now, look at what happened with Trevor and his girls: The truffle in the stew made them all fuck like crazy, as we know. Now, in normal circumstances, some at least would have revolted against that event afterwards, and turned away from Trevor. Instead, all four of them fell in love with him. I thought at the time it was a bit unexpected, so I now believe this was another effect of the truffle. It makes the participants love each other. That can be dangerous in some circumstances. That is all I want to say.”

Ruth came in with, “Speaking as an observer of social mores, I agree with Diane. To expect all four girls, who had met him for the first time, to fall in love with him, AND to be willing to share him as his wives; AND abandon their comfortable lives on Earth; none of it makes sense in normal psychological terms. The truffle MUST be an important factor in forming them into a family group. I would expect that the truffle previously played some part in the local ecosystem, but in connection with what animal, I could not say; perhaps one that is now extinct. Mind you, the predator may not be an animal as we think of the term. It may be an insect, a ground-burrowing creature or some flying beastie. The other possibility is that the drug might make any predator less likely to predate on the truffles; and that the drug is exhibiting that effect in the form of love in humans. Of course, it might also simply be that the active ingredient makes the predator divert its attention away from the truffles and on to its sexual and emotional interests.”

Mary commented, “As someone who suffered mentally from a trauma, I was surprised that none of the girls freaked out the next day.”

Helen said, “A man, almost a stranger, who gets involved with you in a drug-fuelled orgy would not be my first choice of a husband, I can tell you. So, I too think it is unlikely to have happened WITHOUT the drug having done something to their minds.”

Bob was pleased. “Thanks, girls. Your reactions fit in with mine. We should at some point get a proper scientific study done on the effects, but for the moment, let’s just consider the effect as proved in a small number of cases, but these are all cases of which we are aware. Leading on from that, is there any circumstance on Rehome where we should intervene and suggest a small dose of truffle in the family diet for one meal?”

Diane said, “I presume you are thinking a family that is not meshing together very well?””

“Yes, that sort of occasion.”

“Well, my opinion would be: don’t do any such thing, except as a last resort.”

“Why?”

“Because there are other ways to help families, without resorting to drugs. It would be better to get people to love each other without any form of coercion; and that truffle is a form of coercion, is it not?”

Bob was thoughtful. “That is a very good argument, my darling. Yes, I am forced to go along with it. So I shall not push for any such doping. Shall we keep the truffle knowledge restricted to as few people as possible?

What about its use on Earth? Should we be doing something in the way of warnings?”

Ruth made a suggestion. “Perhaps our exports to Earth should have a standard warning and disclaimer. Something like: “Side effects – this product may cause emotional disturbance, for which Rehome takes no responsibility.”

Bob was pleased. “Excellent suggestion, Ruth. How about you girls trying a number of variations on that idea, and we can decided which would be best?” He paused, then said, “Anyone got any other topic we need to discuss? If not, we can take our coffee into the living room, before I go through to have a look at the children.”

In the Defreitas home, the spouses had reached a similar stage in their meal. Trevor had just suggested withdrawing to the sitting room, and asked did anyone have anything that they wanted talked over.

There was a distinct silence, as if no-one wanted to say anything, till Amelia said, hesitantly, “Have any of you girls had calls from your parents today?”

There was a distinct pause, then Annabel admitted, “Yes, I have, from Momma, but I didn’t think it was suitable for the dinner table.”

Amelia said, “I got a call from MY mother. Do you think it was the same subject?”

Annabel responded, “I expect it was. Shall we talk it over through in the living room, with our coffee?”

Once settled, Trevor wanted to know what was going on. “Girls, is this something that I should be here for, or should I get out of the way of girl talk?”

Amelia told him, “No, it is all right for you to stay, Trevor. You have a need to know. Annabel? Do you want to lead off?”

Annabel cleared her throat. “It is really quite simple, in essence. Our parents want to get married!”

Tracy was startled. “Eh? I always thought they were married!”

Dinah added, “Yeah. I am positive they are. I have seen the wedding photos. What’s going on, Annabel?”

Amelia spoke next, “Annabel was being factually correct. To repeat: Our parents want to get married.”

Tracy suddenly twigged. “You mean, our mum and dad, and your mum? Weird!”

Annabel said pointedly, “What’s weird about it? On Rehome, where the four of us married Trevor?”

Dinah squealed. “Oh. Yes. Wow! ALL our parents are going to be married, together? Then Amelia would REALLY be our sister? Lovely!”

Amelia added, “I don’t know if this should become public knowledge yet, but my mum says she thinks she is pregnant, by your Dad!”

Annabel gulped, “The old folks getting married, I can see that as a comforting situation, but I never thought they were fucking already!”

Amelia interjected, “Hey, less of the “Old Folks”. My mum is still less than forty. She is, I think ... let me see, she had me at sixteen, so that makes her ... thirty-eight or so. See, she is still young enough to have kids. She could make me a brother or sister!”

Dinah added, “If our Dad is the father, it would be our brother or sister as well. Golly! I could have a new brother or sister younger than my own child.”

Trevor interrupted, “If they are getting married on Rehome, when and where? And, are they sending out invitations, or just having a quiet ceremony, with just family – in other words, US?”

Amelia exclaimed, “Uh, I don’t have the answer to that, Trevor. Perhaps they haven’t fixed it yet. Annabel – any indication in your message?”

“Nothing at all, Amelia. Just the intention. I suspect they want to know that we are all right with their plans. Should we send them a reply, telling them we want them to go ahead, with our blessing on their decision?”

“Great idea, Annabel. I hope they don’t wait long, as we are already starting to show our baby bulges.”

Dinah intervened, “But I WANT our parents to see our baby bulges. I am proud of mine, I can tell you!”

Trevor agreed. “Dinah is right, this time. You have something to show your parents: how fertile you all are, and I am also very proud to be daddy to all four babies. I shall be happy to be involved in changing nappies once they arrive, for they are my kids and worth anything I can do for them!”

Tracy announced, “We will hold you to that, Trevor. Our babies will need to bond with their father as well as their mothers. That will give me a break from being a full-time mother as well.”

When the Governor heard of the coming nuptials, he called George Montford.

“George, my congratulations on your impending marriage. Do we need to arrange for Mrs Cross to be collected as before?”

“No, sir. She left her house and moved in with us temporarily. We had the space, with all our kids having left us. As a result, we shall all come to Rehome on the next suitable transport vessel. I have resigned my job on Earth, and put our house up for sale, just like Georgina did with hers. We don’t need to wait for the sale. The agents will do all the showing around that is needed, and our son John will sort out anything that comes up. It doesn’t need us to be around.

Georgina brought with her all that she wanted to keep, so we are more or less ready to go. We can book our wedding in Metropolis. Neither Marina nor Georgina kept their original wedding dresses, and probably would not be able to get into them, anyway, after twenty years or so. We will hope to buy new ones in Metropolis, if they are on sale there.”

“They are, George. The Lownie Stores cater for that need, and all the dresses are made by local women. Do I take it you want your ladies to dress identically; like your girls did?”

“Yes. That is what we intend. I was going to ask you: Should we ask for our furniture to be shipped by the Personalia, or is it simpler to buy on Rehome?”

“Either is possible, George. As long as there is available space on the Base ship at the time. If not, then the next ship would bring the furniture. Just make sure it is wrapped well, as the Landerships can’t take big containers. Either pack them in wooden frames not much larger than a table, or just loose if they have enough protective covering. The Personalia don’t offer an insurance policy for anything they carry: at least, not yet! However, they have transported lots of furniture over the last couple of years, and I have heard no complaints.”

Three weeks later, the Montford/Cross wedding went ahead in Metropolis. The guests were the Defreitas family and the Kempe family, and a couple of other people who had been helpful in some way, such as John Frederickson. Mary Kempe catered for the event with a finger buffet. As the newly married trio lined up afterwards to accept the plaudits of their guests, the four daughters made a point of pushing out their bellies as they congratulated their parents. Amelia asked her mother, “Have you been confirmed pregnant yet, Mum?” Her mother just nodded, and gave the thumbs up, but then whispered, “George did well, my dear.”

George was told by the Governor that they should christen their new house by a little family celebration, just the three of them. “Mary wants to prepare a special meal for you three in your home, so that you can all concentrate on yourselves, and not be concerned with the meal details. She will even wash up afterwards for you. How would you like that, George?”

George was impressed. “That’s a lovely thought. When does she propose to do this?”

“Tomorrow, if that suits you three. Have a word with them ASAP, George, and let me know.”

George quickly did so, and told Bob that his ladies were delighted by Mary’s idea. Bob went home as soon as he was free, and told this to Mary, so that she could get started. “What have you planned, Mary?”

“Oh, nothing too outlandish: Melon as a starter, followed by potato and leek soup, then a beef stew, followed by cake and cream, ending with coffee and some of my biscuits. Nothing too difficult to digest, so there will be nothing to get in the way of a pleasant time in bed afterwards.”

“Sounds good, Mary. Are you going to use your Comfort herb?”

“A very little, as that is all one needs; oh, and just a smidgeon of truffle in the stew, to make their lovemaking a bit more intense!”

“Mary! Isn’t that risky?”

“Not at all, darling. I will use so little that it will not turn into an orgy; just enough to enhance their love towards each other, and make it permanent. I think that would be nice, don’t you?”

“Oh, very well. Just make certain that your quantity is exact: double check it, please.”

Mary reassured him. “I shall ask someone else to confirm the amount before I add it, just to keep you from being concerned, Bob.”

So she did that, calling in Ruth to watch the procedure. Ruth was happy that the correct minimal amount went in, then the stew went in the oven for cooking. Mary went on to prepare the other courses in the meantime. She had everything timed, so that when she was ready to go, everything would be boxed for transport in the limousine to the Montford house.

She was starting to heat up the soup when disaster struck. A tin not properly on its shelf, toppled over and fell, landing on the handle of an small empty pot. That impact flipped the pot up and over, clattering to the floor. The sudden noise cause Mary to turn sharply towards the noise, twisting her ankle enough that it gave way under her weight, and she fell over the stool she had been sitting on shortly before. She fell to the floor, banging her head on the worktop on the way down.

Dazed, but not unconscious, she tried to get up, and her ankle gave her immediate pain. She squealed, and this brought through 17-year-old reserve babysitter, Judith O’Hara. She replaced Cleo for times when Cleo had a college appointment, or was unwell; anything that prevented her getting to the task. On this occasion, Judith was filling in for Cleo as it was Cleo’s college night.

Judith did what she could to make Mary comfortable, and searched for one of the other adults, but all were out on various tasks. Judith took the initiative and phoned for the doctor. She knew to keep the patient in the same positon, but made comfortable with a blanket if necessary. While they waited, the still dazed Mary suddenly realised she had a delivery to make; one she could not possibly do now. She grabbed Judith’s arm.

“Judith, you are a competent young lady. If I looked after the children – I can sit to do that; do you think you could take this meal to the Montford household and dish it out for them? It is all prepared, just needs a little boost to the temperature of the soup and the same for the stew. Nothing else to do. Everything else is room temperature dishes.”

Judith saw that she had little option. “Certainly, ma’am. I help my mother with the meals at home, so I can cope. Just show me how to pack it all up. Will Peter take me in the limousine?”

“Yes, he is ready for that. When it is ready to go, he will take it to the car and strap it in on the back seat, and you take the front passenger seat. He will help you at the other end. I will phone Marina Montford and get her to show you the kitchen, and you’ll be set. You are okay with that?”

“Yes, ma’am. No need to worry. I can do it all, I assure you.”

Peter knocked at the front door, and Judith went to let him in. “Is Mary ready, young lady?” He enquired of the personable young girl, noting she had her hair done up and looked good with it. He again wondered how the Kempes managed always to get good-looking staff, then remembered HE was staff and admittedly not so good-looking!

“Sorry, Peter. She had a fall, and can’t manage, but I am going to fill in for her.”

“Right-O, then. Where are the boxes of food?”

She led him through to the kitchen, where the full boxes were sitting. He picked up the heaviest one, with the stew, and took it out to the car. Judith grabbed the starter box and carried that out, handing it to Peter, then returning for the dessert items. Peter came back to collect the soup tureen encased in its protective plastic seal to stop the liquid spilling during transit, and Judith carried the box containing the bag of ground coffee parked beside the percolator and coffee cups held by bubble-wrap.

Ten minutes later Peter drew up by the Montford house, and tooted his horn to let them know he had arrived. George opened the door for them and watched as Peter and Judith processed to the door. “Mary feeling better?” George asked solicitously.

“Not really, sir. She has had some paracetamol, but we were still waiting for the doctor to arrive when we left. She will be all right, sir.”

“Right. This way to the kitchen, young lady. What is your name?”

“Judith, sir. Judith O’Hara.”

“Fine, Judith. Thanks for stepping into the breach, and saving the day.”

When everything was unpacked, Judith set to, and had the starter laid out in seconds, ready to be taken through to the dining room. She got Peter to place the soup tureen on the cooker, where Judith ladled the contents into a soup pot to reheat, and switched it on. She then turned to the stew, which Peter had also placed on the cooker. Judith switched on the oven, set the temperature required, and transferred the stew into the oven for it to get back up to temperature.

Lastly she unpacked the cake, to cut it into slices, and pulled out the cream to whip it a little just before serving.

Peter vanished as soon as he had unloaded everything, saying, “Just phone when you want me to collect you, Judith.” George Montford was standing there, and said, “Can I do anything to assist, Judith?”

“Oh, no, sir. You are supposed to just sit at table and enjoy your meal. I take care of everything else.”

“Very well. Thank you for all your help, young lady. It is really appreciated.”

With that, George left the kitchen to return to his ladies and report.

On time, the three newly married family members sat down at the dining table and were waited on by an attentive Judith. They sampled and finished their melon, which came complete with ginger to sprinkle on top. Judith whisked away their melon rind and plates, and returned with the steaming soup. They had to wait a minute or two for it to cool sufficiently to taste, and the trio showed voluble indications of pleasure. Judith had allowed some spare soup to stay in the pot, so as they finished, asked “Anyone for seconds: there is a little more?”

George was agreeable to a little more. “I’ll be a touch greedy, Judith, and have a bit more.” She was able to accommodate that, while the ladies declined the offer.

By the time she had cleared the soup plates, she reckoned the stew was ready to dish out, so she hurried to lay the plates, then placed the dish with the stew in the middle of the table. She asked politely, “Shall I serve, or do you wish to decide on the size of your own portions?”

Marina decided, “George, you can be mother, and dish out our portions. Start off small, for us girls, and we can have extras as we go on.” Georgina nodded at this suggestion. “Yes, please, George darling.” So Judith retired to ready the pouring cream for the cake, and get the coffee started.

As soon as she was able, she returned to see what the situation was, and found their plates cleared. George told her, “That was absolutely delicious, Judith. It was too much for the ladies, so there is some left. You should try it – absolutely tremendous! Mary’s reputation is well founded.”

“I am pleased that you enjoyed Mary’s work, sir. I shall clear this away and bring in your dessert now.”