Chapter 3

It was already the middle of February. Since early January, we had at least one sports competition every week. The chess and table tennis tournament in January motivated all the girls more and should now be held once a month. In addition, we had weekly basketball goal throw, nine-meter shooting with handball and with football, bicycle time trial on a circuit, 1,500-meter run and much more introduced by Mayari’s initiative. Every Monday there was a football tournament with three teams in all weathers, even if it rained heavily. Also, Cara could be activated to more sports.

Olivia hardly participated in the common sports from January, but Mayari trained individual muscle groups twice a week with our pregnant woman together with Priya. Our doctor had provided a book on suitable pregnancy gymnastics and took an active part. Luisa and Carmen also participated whenever possible.

Every Friday there was a cross-country run to the village with a destination at the ‘Saloon’. I had to try harder and harder to be first. The training was increasingly good for me, but even more so for the young ladies. The route has been selected again and again. Finally, the physical education teacher divided three performance groups, which started with a handicap at staggered points. When the weather was nice, there were swimming competitions, usually six lengths on time or in elimination mode. In addition to culture, joint sports became a very important part of our coexistence, of our life.

Every Wednesday there was a Spanish evening. Isabella initially taught us all simple Spanish children’s songs. Usually, a feature film was shown in Spanish as a crime or love story. Isabella initially found it very difficult to teach us all some Spanish, but over time she became more and more confident. She was proud when she was allowed to explain the content of Spanish films in English, so that everyone could understand the further plot. Luisa, Alejandra, Florence, and Leonie usually also participated. The four received writing lessons, mostly from Olivia at the Casa. Carmen supported her in this. After Olivia’s birth, Carmen was then supposed to give individual hours to the Peruvian women. Unfortunately, they were still almost illiterate.

I was very happy about the achievements of our children in mathematics. Even Sula and Kira were getting better and better. Every week I gave two hours of physics, first only mechanics, later also some optics and acoustics. Priya was allowed to explain the basics of electrical engineering if someone was interested. We had found a lexicon of electrical engineering. Esther once a week showed new ways of using the tablets and gave tips on sorting and archiving files.

We wanted to cover biology and geography in courses starting in the summer. My ambitious goal was to empower all the girls so that they could fit into a normal school class at any time without much trouble. Only in chemistry, Ramona did not find an approach to teaching, although she was perfect in many chemical issues and had previously graduated from all exams with ‘excellent’. She did not find an entry, as she could teach in the field. The basics of chemistry were so natural to Ramona that she was always amazed at how little the girls could follow her in explanations.

The English lessons now focused more on grammar and written exercises, after the understanding listening worked out excellently. At this time there were significant differences in performance. All thirteen girls received a long-term assignment from me to write down their story in English before arriving at the camp until the summer. I was also interested in the details about their families and their hometowns.

Each girl got a monthly personal lesson with me, where they could get rid of their problems and ideas. While my one-on-one conversations last year usually ended with tears or almost without results, the conversations now usually brought a good mood and interesting suggestions.

Also, I showed everyone my intended role as a father. I loved all the girls, we usually cuddled, they were so nice. All the girls were so kind, so wonderful, so extraordinary in mind and beauty. If Esther or Babette overdid it, I carefully untied myself and looked deep into their eyes. They knew at once what this meant.

The second month of the New Year was coming to an end when a new, actually old problem appeared, that of having children for the young women. Babette and Sula called me to the blackboard, where the height and weight of the girls were listed monthly. Only Priya met the minimum conditions for having a child, was the only one who was already fourteen years old, but I did not think about becoming active in this field. The children all had time to grow up.

Sula told me that Esther, with her height of 166 centimetres, had significantly exceeded the required minimum height of 1.6 meters, as well as the minimum weight. Furthermore, there was only one month left to fulfil the condition of: ‘one year of menstruation without problems.’

Our Hungarian had apparently sent my assistants to tell me that she was ready to give birth to a child, and she fulfilled almost all the conditions. After I did not give in to her repeated attempts at seduction, she tried this way. Smiling, I stroked my assistant’s hair. “Don’t let Esther send you ahead. Before the birth of my first child, she has no chance with me, and after a successful birth, she does not have one at first.”

Meanwhile, in December and January, more ladies had gently received their mens. Eleven of the thirteen girls had now reached the biological status of ‘woman’. The two smallest, Sula and Daja, still needed some time, but it was also becoming increasingly clear to them that they were on the way to become a woman. In my opinion, Sula showed the influence of Coca tea and the few consumed leaves of coca bush. The theory of the positive influence of the Coca plant on physical development and better balance seemed to be confirmed. In my opinion, it was now time to talk to Daja about drinking her Coca tea regularly, and also about consuming some Coca. Sula had grown five centimetres in this year, Daja, on the contrary, only one. That’s what I wanted to discuss with Ramona.

Almost every day I consulted with our pregnant doctor about how I could respond to Esther’s urging. Finally, she sent her assistant with Priya to Olivia. There she should also realize that it was not an interesting game, but a pregnancy would be a huge intervention in a woman’s life.

Esther did not come back with the desired understanding. On the contrary, she informed us that Olivia was approximately 1.50 meters tall and only 40 kilograms at the time of conception, but we didn’t know one thing yet, Olivia had never had a menstrual period. Ramona did not want to believe it, but it was true, as Olivia and Priya confirmed to me the next day. Olivia would have been full of anxiety when Priya got her period in January. Olivia didn’t know that.

Ramona feared that Esther might become psychotic. Nevertheless, I told her that a pregnancy always includes two and I would not be ready. We brought Esther in. I repeated the same clip and clearly. Besides, I told the doctor’s assistant sternly that Esther would have to work as a doctor when Ramona will have her birth in May. Esther can’t help with a big belly. That was the end of the topic for me.

There were tears, but I had no pity. If Esther gets herself under control again, I might be ready for a partnership later. Then all the minimum conditions would have been met with Esther. “It is not my duty to have babies. It should be done with joy and also love and should not harm you young women. If you are not ready to wait now, you can wait forever, but at least until your 14th birthday, if I still want a child with you at all. You are doing everything at the moment that I stay away from you and don’t really like you anymore.” She turned on the spot and ran up the stairs.

Esther was not there for dinner. Sula reported that she was lying on her bed crying. Lenya wanted to get her, but I didn’t want that. For everyone, slowly and clearly, I said that I have thirteen dear girls here, for whom I accidentally became responsible. “I can’t be responsible if someone puts his health, perhaps his life, at risk in order to be the first girl to give birth to a child. The minimum criteria that have been established apply. Every month later is good for the future mommy. And having children is not a duty, and we still have so much time ahead of us.”

Unfortunately, I was then carried away by a stupid question. “Which of you wants a child in the next few years, should we not be saved?” Immediately the hands of Priya, Lenya, Babette, Sula, and Cara came up. A little hesitantly, Mayari and Isabella followed. I thanked them for their honesty and trust in me. Then I allowed myself the next question. “Who of you would like to go home immediately if we have the opportunity to leave the valley?” Only Lenya came forward and called the condition that her parents were alive and she would get in touch with them. Everyone else seemed to like it better in our secluded valley, in our paradise, than where she used to live, and what probably awaited her at home.

After dinner, I asked Lenya to come to me. I explained to her what I had told Esther. Esther should actually be glad that we were taking care of her health. With Rus, she would certainly already be pregnant. For this she would have been taken without consideration, maybe she would have been like Olivia with the three men. “Please ask Esther how she would be at home. Pregnant at the age of thirteen, the child would have been taken from her by abortion and she would have spent her life in a youth home until her eighteenth birthday. She has stepped into something that no one understands anymore. I also made the mistake of caressing her lightly from time to time, but that doesn’t happen again.”

Lenya nodded understandingly. She wanted to help me. I told her, “You don’t have to help me, Lenya. My decision is clear. You, and surely only you, can help Esther. The only danger is that she will do something to herself, maybe jump off a rock. I want to prevent this with your help.”