Chapter 20

We completed Florida before the spring break was over. We headed further north and west to check some of the coastal cities. There were a few people that came close but not enough. New Orleans though was very interesting but we only checked the major cities of these states.

With so little found for the effort we spent, it was decided to head to Europe. Portugal was going to be our place to begin but because of their manual record keeping we decided to start with Spain.

We went through this country as German tourists. This partially explained the expensive motorhome and the altered van that now looked to be Mercedes van similar to what we drove in North America.

This portion of our hunt turned out to be much more of what the Humans called a honeymoon We went from city to city and even took our time in the smaller population centres getting to meet the people in the more remote areas. Some times we would go to the mountainous areas to get where few others had ever gone. We were not afraid of fuel availability, paint scratches or even bridges that should not have held our weight.

It rained many of the days but the so called impassable roads were the same as cement to us. We were polite to the natives and even assisted the local authorities on a few occasions. One instance was related to an earthen dam needing some strengthening. We pitched in with shovels and bags and made a game of it. Another time we gave some assistance to a local doctor that found the patients suddenly stable and even starting to recover. This was done so that we would be long gone by the time the patient fully recovered.

In Toledo we stopped for two days. This was not a large city but only had seventy thousand individuals. Here we found our first possible crew member but again there were problems.

Damita Perez was a great-grandmother of seventy nine. Her entire life had been spent in this area and all of her family was here too or buried on the hillside. Damita meant little princess but she was tall and rake thin.

She had come into the market with her grandson and his wife and that was how we met her. Tom and Margaret had to leave quickly for Damita matched Tom very well. Her mind was working fine for a person of her age. She was very attached to this region and would not willingly leave. She was a staunch believer like many old people facing the end of their days and would not want to jump ship in a manner of speaking to gain a much longer and meaningful life.

We didn't talk to her yet but assessed her and those about her. To do anything else would have been premature. We had done a lot of thinking about situations like this. Damita was thoroughly intrenched in her community. If we could get her away for a while she could be brought up to the Seffra norm but at this point there would be problems.

Educating a person only added data to what they already possessed. They already knew that there were no aliens or space ships except those that Humans launched. They were so thoroughly integrated to their community that they would not be happy away from it even with a new husband that she was sure to love.

We would not take her and remove her memories though that was possible. We would not take her under false pretenses in the first place. Like finding a happily married woman, we would have to let Damita pass.

The next day we were on our way out of Toledo and heading for Madrid only sixty five kilometres to the north. Tom got a sudden feeling and pulled over at the side of the highway. Somebody had passed with another of the complimentary auras.

Probes were launched and we drove ahead until we were able to turn around. This was three kilometres down the road. We didn't race back into the town but the vision given us by the probes and our own minds. The small auto finally pulled up to a house we knew all too well.

When we got close, Tommy, Consti and I got out and walked towards the house. We stopped a few doors down and pretended to talk as we monitored the people in the house. This building was the home of Damita Perez and members of her family. One woman of thirty seven was our target. Herminia Serrano was the granddaughter of the older woman and both had similar auras much like Sandra and Megan.

In a minute we knew we had to hurry. Herminia was a divorcée with one child that the husband had custody of. She had found a new fiancé and they were getting married in three weeks. The ceremony would be here in Toledo to a man from a city not far away called Aranjuez where Herminia now worked and lived.

The rest of the family were looking over our shoulders in a manner of speaking. We were in luck to find that the woman was only mildly in love with the man but didn't want to remain without a mate for the rest of her days.

There was an opportunity coming up and it required Tom to be ready. Herminia along with her best two friends were going to a seamstress to check on the wedding gown. Her ten minutes turned out to be a half hour but the three women and a young girl now got in the small car and drove off.

The seamstress was a kilometre and a half away and all avenues to the house had been scouted. Tom nervously sat behind the wheel of the fake Mercedes with Margaret and the rest of us. Tommy said we would blitz the opposition.

This attack was as well planned as I had against the Suma. At just the right time Tom accelerated into the street and lightly struck the back bumper of Herminia's car.

He continued crossing the street then parked before getting out. Looking across the street he could see all of the women getting out of the car. He released his own aura to the full extent and walked toward the women.

When looking at Herminia he was shocked to see two matching auras not one. Immediately he thought of retreating and sending one of us. Damita was not seen entering the car. This had to be faced no matter what and he continued without looking to be faltering.

We all scanned the women and found the extra aura to not be from an old woman but from a girl of twelve.

Tom got closer and all of the females were in awe of him for a well known reason. He got closer and looked at the woman then the girl. There were two women that had just dropped into his life. Herminia had dark brown hair that was held by a piece of cord behind her head. She had been considerably prettier at twenty but was still good looking. She had a gold tooth she thought pretty. She was a hundred and sixty three centimetres high and a little overweight with a large butt and thighs.

The child was named Alita. She looked like Herminia for she was the daughter of the failed marriage. The child was thinner and would grow taller than her mother. She had not filled out yet but her mind was the kind found in all explorers and this was one of the reasons the aura seemed to match so well.

Tom got very close to Herminia so there was but a hand span between them. He said in very proper Spanish, "I am sorry Herminia for doing this but it was necessary to meet you. I have been looking for months now."

Herminia regained part of her composure and said, "You have been looking for me? How do you know me? I don't think I have ever seen you before."

"I have never seen you before today. I thought your grandmother was the only one."

"The only what?"

"I have a home on wheels that's a much better place to talk. Will you and the rest of the ladies follow me? It is just a kilometre and a half away. There are many things to discuss and this cannot wait."

The woman had no chance of refusing for Tom held her hands in his as he looked down into her eyes. He didn't need the reply. He just looked both ways and jogged across the street to our van.

Margaret said, "What are you going to do with the child Tom?"

"The same as Mary I guess. Wait for her to grow a bit but she has already met me. Now they will meet you too."

Tom turned the vehicle around and crossed the road. He had to park fifty metres down because the women had still not recovered. When they got in the car they almost had an accident getting into place. Tom drove off and in a few moments parked behind the motorhome. The small car stopped just behind ours with barely a centimetre to spare.

When Herminia got out of the car, Tom had his hand out palm up and for some reason Herminia gave him her keys. When everybody else was out Tom said, "This is my family," and introduced us by name and not relationship.

Herminia did the same thing but added that Alita was her daughter.

"Leif will you show our guests our home while we go for a drive to discuss the damages?"

"I can do that. Perhaps we should go for a drive too in the van to a restaurant and you could meet us there."

"Good." He turned to the women and said, "Will you accept our hospitality for a few moments while we get this matter straightened out?" Turning, he said, "Herminia will you get in the passenger seat? Alita will you get in the back with Margaret? We have some things to discuss." The women meekly did as Tom asked and in a few seconds they were driving off.

I said to our new guests, "Would you ladies like to see our home away from home? We are quite proud of it because we made it all ourselves." My aura had come out too and the two women entered the vehicle but we left the door open to make them feel safe.

Sandra and Megan took one of the women while Tommy and Consti took the other. They showed the things made for public consumption which was enough to keep the women interested. We had nothing new, just a better way of presenting it.

One of the women had to ask, "Who was that? Is he a soldier or a government minister?"

Tommy said, "He's a soldier, a scientist and an engineer. He can act very forceful when he needs to."

The other heard and came closer to ask, "Who are you people? You are not Spanish even though your speech is perfect. What are you doing here in Spain and in Toledo?"

Sandra said, "All of us seem to get special feelings around people. We are just looking for those special others. Most would not know what we are even talking about but feel us nevertheless. It is something like looking for a person that looks very much like each of us. It is painstaking work but we do get to travel. Herminia just happens to be one of those people and Tom is now talking to her to join us if she wants. She is under no compulsion but she will feel a closeness soon and will not want it to end."

"She won't want to stay. She is getting married soon," one said.

Sandra replied, "You better wait and see. I know that when I met Leif I knew that we belonged together."

Tom drove down the road and said after thirty seconds, "Is there a quiet place we could talk without getting disturbed? What I have to say is important."

"The river is nearby and there is a park up ahead where people feed the birds."

"That sounds good." He didn't ask her where the park was but just drove there and pulled into a spot under a tree. When Tom got out, so did the rest. The park was not crowded this time of day but it did have some people walking across the grass or on the paths. An old man a hundred metres away was fishing in the Tagus river that ran through the town and the park.

Tom took not only Herminia's hand but Alita's too and walked to a place to have the talk. Everybody sat on the grass within a small circle. Tom started the conversation with, "Herminia, I hit your car on purpose to have this talk."

She nodded her head because that is what she felt was true. "Why? You could have just phoned or walked up to me."

"I will tell you this first. Everybody has a special light shining from them. I am lucky that I can see this radiation. The light has different properties but has to do with honesty, a work ethic, diligence, and thousands of other small details. What it boils down to is that your aura fits in very well with mine. I think the happiest couples are those that have been lucky enough to find each other like two poles of a magnet.

"It also means that it is very difficult to get the two poles apart after they have met. Do you feel this now?"

There was a pause and Tom tucked in most of his aura so the conversation would not be unduly influenced by it. Herminia said, "I felt something about you. I don't know what it is. It does not feel bad but other than that I do not know."

Tom knew she was lying but he let it ride. "I am afraid I do know what it means. You are fated to be with me always. I have the same feeling you have and understand it much better. Your grandmother has the same aura and I had to stop to find out about her. If she were not so wrapped up in her ways she too would want to come with me. We have never met and this is the only reason she and I were spared.

"Your upcoming wedding will not happen I'm afraid. You will be going with us. You will be my wife instead."

Herminia's eyes got big at this and she tried to deny this. "But the wedding was planned for months. All our friends are coming. There was so much to do and you are so young. You are not much older than my daughter."

Instead of answering all her questions Tom said, "You do not love the man very much. This I know. Tell me that you want to live the rest of your life without me."

No answer came and Margaret reached out and held Herminia's hand in hers. Margaret said, "It is true what he says. You want him with all your heart and it will only get worse." Herminia was looking at her. Margaret continued, "Can you feel my aura. Ours are almost the same. We will be like sisters but only closer."

Herminia looked from one to another and eventually said, "I can feel it. I don't know what it is but it is not like this young man. It's different."

Margaret said, "I'm his wife too. Everybody with our type of aura are linked. We are also linked to auras like Tom's. Are you going to join us? This I know is sudden and will be a lifetime commitment."

"I want to but what about Emilio? We were going to be married."

"Emilio will have to find someone else. You belong with us."

Herminia bowed her head and said quietly, "I know that, somehow I know that."

Alita was looking back and forth not knowing what to say but she felt she had to say something before it was too late. "Momma, forgive me but I have this same feeling. What am I to do?" Her face went into her hands because she found something precious and now it was slipping away.

Margaret said, "Relax Alita, You mother and I have this aura and so do you and your grandmother. You too will be in our family and Tom will be your husband one day."

This shocked Herminia. "This cannot be. I may have to share but my daughter is too young."

Tom allowed Margaret to do all the talking and she said, "I agree with you that Alita is too young but eventually she will enter puberty. It may be just a month to a year away. When she matures she will join us. She will not be pushed or allowed to do anything beyond what all children do until it is time. One day she will be pregnant like me and the children will be taken care of by all of us."

The two Spanish women looked at each other and Tom said, "Alita is safe until you say she is ready and not before. Now, do you want to go to the restaurant to celebrate or go back to the motorhome to do the same thing but in a different way?"

Herminia knew what this meant and said with a wide smile, "Your home but Alita is here and the others..."

"Alita will be with us later and she can watch now and learn. The others will be going to the restaurant."

Sandra and Megan had heard what the status of the negations were and said to the two women, "Let's go for a drive and then go to Esteban's for a meal. I'm famished."

One of the women said, "What about Herminia?"

"She will meet us there in a while. They already know about it."

I added, "I am hungry too but I want to see a bit more of the city and then go for the meal. Will you ladies show us some of the special points of interest? We have not been here long enough to see even a fraction of them."

Sandra drove the 'Mercedes' and we still had the same number of passengers. With more wives coming we would have to find a better way to carry more commuters.

Tom knew the motorhome was now empty and pulled up behind. The two women and the girl almost ran into the large vehicle. Margaret stripped quickly and assisted Herminia to go quicker. This was uncomfortable for Herminia had not done this before especially in the presence of another woman.

Instead of making the bed in the dining room they went to the back and used the large bed already made for this occasion. Tom took off his clothes slowly with three pairs of hungry eyes watching him. When he was done he gently pushed Herminia onto the bed. The woman was more than ready but Tom felt for sure and spread her lubrication where it needed to go.

With very little preliminaries Tom was in his newest wife. Soon she was bucking to meet him. Tom went purposely slow to make this last. Soon a block had to be put in and Herminia bucked savagely to get just that little bit more. She had never felt anything like this before even with her first husband Salvador. If she could she would want to complete this union with her having another child by this man.

When the stimulation was too much she groaned out her pleasure but the feeling now did not stop. The orgasm went on and on and she now knew this is where she was meant to be as no words could have proven.

Margaret got off the bed and went to Alita. The girl was unconsciously rubbing her mons but the feeling she felt had not been there before. The strange yet familiar woman went up to her and assisted in removing her clothing. The girl thought it was wrong to be naked before others but it also felt so right now.

When the girl was completely naked Margaret took her to the bed and put her close to her mother and Tom. "Look close. That will be you one day. Your mother is having so much fun that she doesn't even know we are here. Put your hand out and touch your future husband's body."

When the girl did she felt a thrill again. Tom and Margaret were feeding her a small portion of what Alita's mother and he felt. This way she would know what this was all about when the time came.

Margaret said, "That smell is coming from your mother and me. It means we are very excited." After a pause she said, "Your mother is coming even more now. She will start to scream but it will not be in pain but in joy."

Alita looked at Margaret as if not understanding. "It is true Honey. Tom makes all of his wives happy that he is their husband. The feeling gets so good sometimes that we faint."

"Faint?"

"Yes, now watch. Tom hold her back a bit and show Alita how her mother acts when you are really making love to her."

Tom moved his face over and kissed Margaret but he didn't stop his thrusts. Margaret rubbed herself against his side hoping to get the same feeling. When she pulled away she moved Alita to where she just was.

The connection now intensified and the child could almost feel this man moving in her. Her mother was so excited and tried frantically to get something she knew about but never felt this strongly before.

The explosion came soon after. Herminia started to scream and then so did Alita for the first time in her young life. Both women clung to their husband as if their very life depended on it.

Herminia collapsed completely. In a moment when Alita recovered, she saw that her mother was breathing correctly and was not worried. The beautiful man that looked only a few years older than her reached over and kissed her lips tenderly like as in the movies. He moved her body to lay beside her mother. She felt safe even though she was naked and fully exposed to this stranger.

"Rest now Honey. Margaret needs some attention too."

With the smiling girl to spur him on, he took no preliminaries with his current partner and began to move vigorously. In less than a minute Margaret was urging him on for more, as the animal in her came out to play. Tom took his hands and held her wrists so he could have no interference or pain for that matter. Margaret's legs were wrapped around his hips to make sure he didn't get away.

Tom put his block in and continued well past her usual point of orgasm until she could take it no more and overcame the obstacle. Her long piercing scream was even louder than Herminia's. Her arms were so strong that she pushed Tom up. He continued to thrust and Margaret simply collapsed in mid scream

Alita looked at the woman that looked almost her age and felt both kinship and something else. She had to assume it was love.

Tom took out the cleanser and med units and ran them over the three females. The first two took much longer for there was much more to do. When the girls were now very presentable he went to the pile of clothes and dressed the only one awake and kissed her before patting her bum. "I have to get your sister/wife dressed too." Alita liked the term a lot better than mother though that fit much better.

He thought of new clothing but that would be noticed. The way the three now looked at him would let a blind person see that they were in love.

Tom got the women into the small car and drove it to Esteban's, the best and most expensive restaurant in town.

Tom and Margaret toned down their own auras down to a minimum and he walked in with a Spanish lady holding each of his hands. Herminia was surprised when the maître d' took them immediately to the other table and they saw the rest of their group. Tom sat each of his wives before talking a seat for himself.

The other two women looked at Herminia with questioning looks and even more piercingly at Alita. They had changed. They were happier now and it even looked like the strange young people were right. Their friends had seemed to have found a special place for themselves that they never had before.

Herminia said, "I am going to tell Emilio that I cannot marry him." She looked at her two friends and could see that they understood or at least had been informed of this possibly happening.

One of her proposed bridesmaids asked, "Are you going to stay with this family now." She looked around and added, "They act very nice but you hardly know any of them."

"I know enough and that this is the way it has to be." Herminia paused to look at her two friends. "You are told this first but I want you to keep the secret for a week until I have everything straightened out. Will you remain silent?"

She got one nod then in a moment one more. She smiled at each. "Thank you. This is much more important than just a simple wedding and I need the time to plan."

We had a nice meal with the girls not being shy about ordering after getting a bit of encouragement. Alita liked the different food. Her family had made similar dishes but now that her father was single she didn't get quite the same diet. Herminia's friends began to talk more. Sandra tried hard to get them to talk about themselves and soon it was like they were all old friends.

Alita's father though presented one more problem. All of us knew that Alita was in love with Tom and age had nothing to do with it. Herminia's friends could see that the moonstruck girl was watching Tom as much as her mother. The only thing I could think of to make this situation work was to have Herminia gain custody of her child. There were two things in our favour. First, Alita's father was dating off and on which would put Alita in the way some of the time. The other thing was that fathers usually couldn't handle young ladies as well as their mothers.

To get the situation changed would require Herminia's complete cooperation. We would not be able to do this ourselves. The help we could give would relate to what her ex-husband Salvador would be thinking at the time of the meeting. We would of course feed her data right up to the discussion but we would have to inform her a lot more about ourselves if we were going to give some guidance during the talk.

This was discussed silently all around the table but none of the natives were aware of this. We all stopped when three musicians came out and took their places on a small platform only thirty centimetres high. They tuned their instruments and started to play.

Today they played traditional Spanish music that was a real treat to listen too. I looked through the musicians' minds and found that one was from the extreme southern edge of Spain where it bordered both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The area was called Andalucía in Spanish. It was famous for the dances performed by the Andalusian Gypsies. The woman would stand tall and haughty while stamping her feet to the rhythm of the guitar and the castanets she held in her hands. One or more singers would accompany her to make the music very stirring.

I excused myself and left the restaurant. I took the van and drove to the motorhome. The family were all trying to find out what I was doing but I only allowed them into my public mind. They found out nothing.

The fabricator made two voluminous dresses. One in red and the other in deep blue to match what was in the musicians' minds. Many accessories were made along with some very special shoes. They had ceramic inserts at the heal and toe to provide a sound when required. It would be a sure thing that I would be called to participate so I changed my clothing to dark pants and white silk shirt with similar shoes. I was back in less than ten minutes and put a load in front of each of my wives.

They asked me with their mind then with their voice, "What is this for?"

"Please put them on if I can convince the band to play some suitable music." I had two girls smile very widely at me that made all my efforts worthwhile. They liked what had happened at the musical auditions and wanted to do something like it again.

When one song ended I walked up to the band and had a conversation with the three men. The patrons had been staring at us all night and now had more reason to. I pointed out my wives and explained that they would dress if the music were played. A gratuity was silently passed. The band suddenly thought it was a great idea to assist the amateurs.

The girls left for the washroom right away and so did Margaret and Herminia at Tom's urging. The band continued playing until the girls emerged from the back room. Margaret and Herminia came first bearing the old clothing then out came two very beautiful women dressed in opposing colours. Their heads covered in scarves and ivory combes put high into their hair to hold the arrangement. They wore long black boots with hard ceramic plates at the toe and heal that made a noise as they walked. A long scarf was around their waists and draped over their arms.

Though the heals were high the two women walked forward as if they had been born into this costume. When Sandra and Megan got to the stage they looked at the band then at each other as if angry. Sandra commanded the band to start as if it was her right. She acted as an aristócrata, the wife of a very powerful hidalgo of old.

The restaurant patrons were now wondering what was going to happen until a lone guitar started to play quietly then picked up power and speed until it was very forceful. The beat was slow and Sandra's foot tapped out the rhythm very strongly while she appeared to look down at her sister. The man with the guitar liked this and began to play quicker for Sandra. The other two sang the old gypsy song that went with the music. Her feet hit the floor like cannonades that brought the kitchen staff out to see what was happening.

Many tourist would watch this as performers went through the motions. Sandra had true duende. She went far beyond technical mastery to express her deep inner feelings.

The audience after a few moments were shouting encouragement, olé or ¡baile! ¡baile! They could see readily that Sandra was not just a good dancer but a great one.

Her castanets flashed in her hands as they rose above her as if a bird of prey waiting to strike for some sections. Mainly she produced a staccato handclapping that got even the Spaniards motivated. This was done by bending her arm at the elbow with the hand about shoulder high. It was just slightly cupped to trap air. The fingers of the right hand slapped the left crosswise, covering the hollow.

She performed with passion and fervour. She even produced tortured expressions but always striving for grace and dignity. Some lesser skilled performers just relied on expression rather than allowing the dance to express their full range of emotions.

When the song was over Sandra more or less showed with her look and mannerisms her utmost distain for the woman facing her. The audience was too stunned to even applaud. We didn't either because more was to come.

The next song started with Megan demanding her chance to speak through the song. The musicians had seen true talent and now began in earnest for Megan. She danced just as well even more energy was put out. The guitarist now had another man playing a similar instrument to make the dance even more impressive. They were now trying to find either of the women's limits and played faster and faster but Megan looked unperturbed as if this was to show the woman facing her how she felt.