Chapter 11: The Family Visits

[Editor’s note: The majority of this chapter is in 3^rd person POV. That is because it is told by Marcia Shevat as told to her by her mother and brothers. The rest is in 1^st person POV as told by Marcia about herself.]

Twelve days later I stood on the tarmac of the airport apron watching my brothers and mother deplane. As they exited toward customs, I noted to Mykel Drakov, who had accompanied me, that my brothers seemed a bit taller and more athletic and my mother was absolutely radiant.

“Mom, Tyler, Timothy, OVER HERE!” I shouted and jumped up and down more like a schoolgirl than a uniformed military officer. Hugs, kisses and introductions were made, with Mykel first saluting then shaking the hand of each of my brothers and politely bowing to then kissing the back of the hand of Vida Shevat. Mykel hustled the boys off to gather up the family’s baggage and my mother and I chatted in person for the first time in over seven months.

“He is quite handsome, Marcia,” Vida Shevat began, “are you sure he is the one? Or is he just the first to show interest in you in a strange land. Oh, MY!” Vida gasped.

A totally nude, save for a collar, young man of about twenty-two trotted past mother and daughter carrying a large pile of bags while being trailed by a couple in their late fifties.

“That is the way in this country, Momma, a criminal must hold a public job and must remain nude at all times except for his or her collar. The collar is radio controlled and has a chip that sets limits for each criminal as to when they may work, how long they must remain in the public eye and how far they may travel. Oh, and see that girl over there?” I nodded in the direction of a tall red headed teenager also nude and wearing a collar. “She is a Temple penitent; you can tell because the collar style is different. She is trying to amend her life path and get right with the Creator by serving time in prayer and penitential nudity under the instruction of a priest.”

“Well, I have never seen anything more disgusting in my life, why did you not come straight home when you found out about this insane way of life?” Vida muttered in a flustered voice.

“Well, almost as soon as I arrived here, I found out my host family, the Siminovs, you have spoken to them, and you have told me you like them, Momma, were doing public penance as a family in support of their daughter Ivanka. As I was to be a member of that family for the duration of my Danubian stay I decided to join them in penance. I spent my first four months in Danubia naked and collared, Momma.” I watched the disbelief wash over my mother’s face, then continued, “And even now most of my work is done nude, Momma, as Danubian society disallows swimsuits or athletic clothing for sports and swimming. That is all sport and swimming, Momma, so families on the beaches, at the lakes, and on the river are always nude. Families sunbathe nude in their yards when the weather is warm and it is not unusual to see groups of nude children playing in the streets or on the front lawns of the residential neighborhoods.”

Vida Shevat looked as if she wished to get on the next airplane out of Danubia and go back to the States where sound heads were screwed onto clothed bodies.

“Hey, Mom, Hey, Marcia, did you see that red headed girl over there?” Timothy and Tyler were babbling with excitement over their first glimpse of a nude woman in public.

“Guys, you have seen me and my teammates plenty of times at home, why the oh my gosh moment now?” I asked.

“Yeah, but that was you and your girlfriends, heck that’s like family, and those girls saw us plenty, as well. This was a stranger in public for gosh sakes.” Timothy blurted.

Tyler added, “Oh, and did you see she is a natural redhead? Not like your friend Heidi whose curtains and carpet don’t match.”

Mykel jumped in with, “While I admire your powers of observation, boys, as your sister might say, ‘too much information.’ Now, in polite Danubian society we do not stare at a criminal or penitent going about their daily duties; however, should you need the assistance of one of them, say to carry a bag for you or if you needed directions, they are bound by their status to provide you with that service.” Mykel thought for a second, saw the expressions crossing the faces of the two boys and quickly added, “Not those kinds of services. Asking her for those services would wind up with you both dressed up like him,” Mykel pointed to the young man carrying the couple’s bags.

The ride on the express trolley to the Military Inn did not take long and luggage was quickly stored in the two rooms that had been provided for Vida Shevat and the boys. Mykel and I escorted my mother and brothers to the Siminov family home for a Danubian welcome dinner.

Proper introductions were made. Ursula and Ivan warmly greeted the mother of their guest daughter and richly heaped praises on Vida for raising such a beautiful, talented and adaptable daughter. Ivanka welcomed the parents of her ‘sister’ into her home and also thanked Vida for allowing me to become so much a part of Ivanka’s life path. Kivar, Timothy and Tyler were friends before they exchanged the few words of each other’s language each knew. Asking to be excused, the three boys wandered off to play a game of something or other in the Siminov backyard.

Kaleen and Martina were nowhere to be seen and I asked Ursula Siminov as to where the younger girls had gone. “They are out on the sunning platform, with three girlfriends,” Ursula smiled, “not even May yet and the warm weather has begun. It will be hard to keep a stitch on them if it is as hot as last summer.”

“Oh, yes,” Ivanka agreed, “I was happy to be collared and nude last summer, it was way too hot to wear clothing.”

“I have to agree, it felt wonderful to have the little breeze that blew do so on bare skin and not sweaty clothing,” I agreed with my hosts, “Momma, come on out and meet the girls.”

Ivanka and I pulled Vida out of the kitchen and out into the yard. Vida was shocked to see five young teens naked on the sundeck gossiping and giggling as girls have the tendency to do. Until Kaleen and Martina were called by Ivanka to come meet their guest and they quickly rose to come to Ivanka’s side, Vida said nothing, then to me, “They aren’t even trying to cover themselves.”

“Why should they, Momma? They are not embarrassed by their nudity, to them it is perfectly normal.” I whispered back to my mother.

Trying to remain as calm as possible, Vida Shevat exchanged greetings with Kaleen and Martina and then was surprised to hear them say, “Oh, your boys are just delightful, we so enjoyed meeting them before Kivar took them to play football with his friends,” Martina acted as translator for the girls and had spoken loudly enough that the other three girls still on the platform nodded and one muttered a very coy, “Oh, yes, dreamy.”

Ivanka whispered in my ear, “You know if they are playing soccer in the park, they are probably playing naked. How is your mom going to react to her sons running around chasing a ball naked?”

“I’m waiting to see if the steam in the kettle makes it whistle or blows its top off, Ivanka, Momma is in sensory overload right now and I do not think she is processing Danubia all that well.” I noted.

Just then Vida blew the whistle and let the steam out of the kettle, “Well, if you can’t beat them join them,” Looking over at me she said, “If this is Rome, I guess I should do as the Romans, think these girls would make room for an old lady to join them?”

Ivanka and I exchanged glances that barely hid the laughter we wanted to let out. Ivanka spoke, “Momma Vida, you feel free to get comfortable and join the girls and if you wish Martina is excellent at braiding hair, I am sure yours would look beautiful in a Danubian style.”

I turned to go into the house, with Ivanka following, “Momma and Poppa Siminov, it seems my Momma has converted to Danubian. She is now sunbathing with your daughters and their friends. MY MOMMA! The prude ... is out in your yard getting naked to sunbathe with your daughters.”

Ursula slipped the caftan she was wearing over her head. Under it she was nude. “I should join your mother so she has the company of an adult. Those girls are a joy but they can wear you out quickly.”

Ivan looked at Ivanka and Marcia, “Well, it looks as if the meal will be delayed, unless you two take over momma’s kitchen. An act I would not recommend if you value your lives. Therefore, why do you not join the rest of the girls while I go see how Mykel and Kivar are getting along with Marcia’s brothers.”

The older girls were soon outside and mingling with the youngsters, largely fielding questions about the strange layers of garments Vida had removed. Pantyhose, girdles and corsets were unheard of in ‘tween and teen girl wardrobes in Danubia.

I found myself having to explain to a culture accepting to the human body as natural and ever different as blessed by the Creator, and why older American women found it necessary to force their bodies into shapes of conformity using elastic, bones and restrictive garments. Sadly, I found I did not have much interest in defending such a practice.

One of the girls, not the twins, broke the ice with Vida by telling me she wished to compliment my mother on her beautiful full breasts and she hoped the Creator blessed her with just such richness of body.

“Richness, my sweet,” Vida began, “Hardly richness. This body was left to me by three pregnancies and three nursing babies.” I translated to the girl.

“Yes, Mother, that is exactly what I meant,” the girl responded and I acted as translator, “After three children, the Creator has blessed you with a mother’s body. It is what all Danubian women wish to have as their blessing in their thirties and forties, a mother’s body.”

“It is true,” Ursula added. “Vida, in our culture a woman’s body is revered as a thing of beauty during pregnancy and afterward as a mother. You might be padded about the rear or your breasts might sag a bit after being suckled by babes but that is all beauty in a culture where a nurturing mother is the center of the family life.”

Dinner was, indeed, delayed that evening. The males had found in the soccer field the one common language between them all. Mykel returned from the park with three very dusty teenage boys in tow, all of them nude and needing the Siminov shower. Ivan Siminov walked between Kivar and Timothy using hand gestures and single words to demonstrate a technique of a left footed pass between players. The smiles and nods were all I needed to see to know that Ivan Siminov had just adopted two more children into his family.

The women, during that same time frame, sat around the sundeck until other moms opened kitchen windows and began calling the three girlfriends home to their own houses for their meals. Leaving only Ursula, Vida, Ivanka, Marcia and the young twins Martina and Kaleen to continue the rather deep philosophical topic of what is true beauty in the Siminov soak tub.

“Momma Shevat,” Kaleen entered the conversation, “When Marcia first arrived in our home, she told us how Americans look upon pubic hair and body hair as a bother to be removed. Martina and I could not understand this. After all, what woman wants to go through life looking like an immature little girl? In Danubian culture the development of a girl into a woman is celebrated both in family and Temple rituals.”

Ivanka entered the conversation, “Yes, they are called the First Budding, First Blooming, and Blossoming celebrations. After the Blossoming, girls are allowed to wear the adult prayer robe to Temple services and may enter the Temple service corps as acolytes.”

As Vida looked confused, Ursula offered the explanations, “First Budding is the showing of breasts and beginning of curves in a girl’s body. First Blooming is the beginning of Pubic Hair. Blossoming is the first menstrual cycle. Girls in Temple service assist the Priests and Priestesses in the ceremonies and services at the Temple and within the local chapels. This work is deemed part of the public giving back to the Creator which all Danubians seek to fulfill.”

Vida was beginning to realize that not only externally, but also philosophically and culturally, Danubia was an entirely new world to the American mind set.

“Are your girls in Temple Service?” Vida asked Ursula.

“Not yet, they are late in the passing of Blossoming,” Ursula said, “but all women know the Creator has the right time for them to Blossom,” nodding to the girls.

“True,” Kaleen said,” one of the girls you met this afternoon, Andre, has passed Blossoming and is now studying to be a Maiden of the Four Positions at the Temple.”

The look on Vida’s face indicated her mind had gone to a place the young Kaleen had not intended.

“Momma,” I interjected,” the Four Positions are Fetal, Kneeling, Standing, and Prone. Each High Holiday ceremony has a maiden posed in each position facing in each of the primary compass points. Sixteen girls, nude, and who must remain absolutely stationary. This is the hardest job a Maiden can have and it requires long hours of discipline and training.”