Chapter 20: SPACE, NEW FRONT or NEW REAR or new front TIER?

“ARRE!”

Flor hysterically shrieks, with terrified laughter as recklessly I carry her at breakneck speed, racing down the stairs. We arrive in the galley, un-killed.

“Can we do it again?” Flor is a thrill bug. We are also center of attention.

Laura, Sybil, Sylvia, Lindsay and Helena are having coffee at the galley table. All heads and eyes are turned in our direction. Smiling at Flor. Critical of me for endangering Flor with a juvenile stunt.

“Morning, ladies.” I smile. Flor adjusts her robe closed again. Blown open by the wind of our passage, exposing her cute teenybopper tits. I’m sorry she closed it.

We are warmly greeted, and Lindsay gets up to fetch coffees for us. Cream and sugar for us both. Flor and I only need one seat. The catbird’s seat. She clings to her perch on my hip. We sit at the head of the table. My place.

“I have a new guest on my ranch, I discover. An uninvited, and unwelcome, intolerable, adolescent male. “ Helena’s voice is calm and reasonable, but her eyes are shooting hot sparks.

“Dama La Huesuda sent him, to replace Lord Will.”

“La Huesuda my ass! Who is she? Thinks she can act imperiously high handed?”

“Oh, SHE is quite convinced and confident in who she is! Let me see if I remember all her names. The Skinny Lady (la Flaquita), the Bony Lady (la Huesuda), the White Girl (la Niña Blanca, also Ava the All Mother, Santa Muerte, and DEATH. Shall I call her, and you can argue her claimed status and authority?”

“You puny excuse for a man, you have no such powers to call her. I am a high priestess, and even I would not so presume! You are a liar, and you’re bluffing.”

“Mama Ava? Appears we have some skeptics aboard EROS and at the ranch.”

“YOU MUST BE MISTAKEN, MY LOVELY SON. CERTAINLY ALL BELIEVE IN ME, IN DEATH!” thundered in the galley, but apparently only in the galley. There are no sounds of panic, terror, running feet throughout the ship.

“It’s surround sound. Uncle Phil recently bought a slew of electronic toys. He’s playing a trick on all of you.” Gidget has just arrived and voices her opinion. Helena isn’t fooled. She is groveling on the deck, weeping, and wringing her hands, terrified to ... no, OF death. Helena knows the voice is real and believes.

The overhead (ceiling) in the galley is lofty, to allow room for all the exhaust and ventilation ductwork. In one of the clear, unobstructed areas, La HUESUDA materializes in her robed skeletal form, towering to the maximum height the compartment’s dimensions allow.

“IS THIS A TRICK, GIDGET?” Lots of weeping and fidgety hands now. Flor buries her face in my shoulder blinkering her eyes with her free hand. She peeks through her slitted fingers.

“YOUR FATHER, AND HUSBAND, WILL COX IS NOT RETURNING. HE DEFILED HIMSELF AND HE IS SERVING MULTIPLE CONSECUTIVE LIFE TERMS IN RESTRICTED INCARCERATION. I CLONED RANDY FROM PHIL, TO ASSUME WILL’S DUTIES. I APPRECIATE GRACIOUS ACCEPTANCE OF MY GENEROUS GIFT. NOW, I MUST GO. PEOPLE IN AGONY NEED MY RELIEF. BLESS YOU CHILDREN.”

The apparition vanishes.

“Randy gets to stay?”

“Randy is an honored and welcome guest.”

“Thank you Helena. I hope you can believe I would have preferred you had trusted me and accepted Randy willingly. Can I offer my personal condolences and perhaps consolation, on the loss of your husband, my brother?”

“Are you suggesting, taking me to wife, your duty to a brother’s widow? Don’t!”

“I should not have married Will. I’ve regretted it often. Never will I marry again. But, do come visit me. Bring Randy, too. Evenings are best, I can find time to relax then. I’m curious if two of you, together can fill Will’s shoes, or my needs.”

“I request permission to pay my respects to Dama Julia?”

“Better bring Randy, too. Mom’s in heat, since Will stopped visiting her...”

“Will you inform your sister wives, grass widows, of recent events, about Will unable to return, and offer our condolences? Please suggest we would like to call upon them earliest?”

“Is it your’s and Randy’s intention, to acquire all of Will’s wives and harem?”

“Roughly speaking? Yes.”

“Best of fortune to you. I hope you have the stamina, and the haha, Will power!” With these parting disparaging words, Helena attempts leaving EROS for the ranch Big House. I ran after her, catching up, as she is stepping off Regina’s porch.

“Quarters for Randy?” I pant breathlessly. Helena looks at me considering if I’m kidding or not. Not kidding.

“He can have Nana’s old cottage. Where the wild girls, Bebe, and Flor lived with her.” Turning her haughty back, she marches resolutely towards her palatial home.

I need to find Nana. What’s happened to her? Why isn’t she a resident in her own house? Did she move in with someone? I want to offer her space on EROS. I have none to offer. That is a problem inhibiting many plans, wishful plans. I return.

A resuscitating fresh mug of coffee steaming into my nostrils, I sip at the scalding liquid. I wonder why EROS can’t make use of space, unused space, better?

“Chief, Captain?” I distract them from professing renewed faith and plans to fill church pews when they locate one. “How big is our cargo hold?”

We have three cargo holds, I learn. The forward hold, the smallest, mostly used for storing rope and hawsers, wire cable slings and pennants, huge shackles, large pelican hooks, carpenter stoppers, blocks and tackle, and other assorted deck gear.

The main cargo hold is amidships, approximately equal in size to the engine room. Aft of the engine room, is the after hold, about half the size of the main hold because it’s divided. Half either side of the moon pool slot.

Which hold could be most easily converted, and result in the most comfortably habitable space, as additional quarters?

The aft holds would be simplest and quickest. After one side is plainly finished, it can be inhabited. Work on the opposite side won’t be an annoying construction zone for inhabitants of the finished side. After this side is completed luxuriously, folks can transfer, vacating the plain side, for luxury renovation. Three staterooms and a passageway, could be partitioned in each wing. Passageways exit into the subsea observation room. I want one larger stateroom each side, at the expense of two marginally reduced sized companion staterooms. Everyone agrees it’s wise.

. Are we ever going to require cargo space? If we do, it won’t be bulky. The small forward hold will suffice. Let’s do it then. Ready in a week? That fast? Great.

Randy carried Bebe to the galley after their session. Announcement of ‘Chow’ pried them out of my room. Everybody congratulated them. I kissed Bebe. That made things alright. No jealousy, well, not much. Are you hungry Flor? I’m hungry for you too. Our turn.

Flor and I did not fuck. We made love sweet love. She’s such a loving girl. Flor is as much advanced in loving ability, over normal people, as normal people are advanced over Flor in mental ability. I’m serious. Really, she’s a genius emotionally.

Showing Randy to his quarters, was a group excursion. Everybody wanted to be involved. It was cleaned and swept in half an hour. Furniture arrived from various corners all over the ranch. Used but sturdy and clean, maybe it didn’t match, but it functioned. In very few hours, Randy had a home. And volunteers for room-mates. Carlita and Luz were dejected because they were rejected, and decided to return to living in the great house, since it’s closer to Randy than EROS.