Chapter 13: Future Dreams

Later that day...

Time: January 24, 9570 3:00 PM UCT

Basel finished cleaning up from dinner and found Eliana making a selection on the entertainment system. She was still dressed for the day but barefoot, and she had placed their two plush leather lounge chairs side-by-side. As he smiled and started to walk towards her, a haunting melody of a men's choir came from the surrounding speakers.

"Recognize this?" asked Eliana as she made an arm gesture for him to sit.

Basel sat down in the offered chair and smiled as Eliana knelt down and started to take off his shoes and socks. "Sure, early Bel'darian Chant. Sounds like something right after the Wild Times."

Eliana nodded. "Very good. This is from the reign of Abdul Nur, servant of the Light. You can almost hear the weariness in their voices. Three hundred years of political chaos, and the world had had enough."

Rather than sitting in her own chair, Eliana continued to kneel and started massaging his feet. Basel sighed happily and closed his eyes. "Hmm, that feels nice..."

"You have such beautiful feet. I should do this more often."

Another sigh. "Sounds good to me. I'll write you reminder notes. Lots of notes... Ah... Yeah, right there, perfect."

She held his foot firmly in her hands and ran her soft lips up the inside of his arch, and then traced her way back with gentle kisses. "And I want to thank you for a truly scrumptious dinner. I loved your lamb sauce."

Basel nodded. "It was a recipe my great-great grandfather taught me. I had a hunch it would be great with the wild rice."

"Ah, your grandfather. What's he like?"

"Oh, he's a really nice guy. His name is Jafar. You should meet him someday. Happily married, three wives, Gila, Yemima, and... uh... Merav... I'd like you to meet them all, very interesting people..." Basel wiggled his toes in appreciation as Eliana pressed her thumbs into the ball of his foot. "The family has been at Karbala for close to a hundred years now."

Eliana's eyebrows went up. "That long?"

Basel nodded. "They are all such expert shepherds, they have permanent permits from the Sheep Guild for residency... don't have to shift... Yes, you should meet them. Ah, that feels so nice Eli..."

She lowered her nose to sniff between his toes. "Oh, you deserve this. I love petting your feet. I love your man-smell. And besides, you cooked me a fabulous dinner and even did the cleanup."

Eliana continued with her head bent down and kissing and licking his feet as she massaged them. She gave a small laugh. "My moms would be so proud of me! When I was growing up in Cuba, they would sometimes joke and warn me when father wasn't around to be sure not to repeat their mistake. They kept telling me to pick a husband who was good in the kitchen."

"Oh? Your father can't cook?"

"Well, he's been accused of trying to, but my moms have taken over the job. You on the other hand are a fabulous cook. Very attractive!"

He laughed. "Ah yes, the way to a woman's heart is through her stomach."

"It's true Basel."

"I should make you one of my desserts sometime. Do you like chocolate pate with raspberries, or maybe amaretto cheesecake with toasted almonds?"

"Really?!"

"Yep."

She laughed back, "Oh, you are such a fabulous catch!"

He grinned. "But Eli, you're a very good cook too."

"You're being too kind. I approach cooking with cold, military precision. Get into the kitchen, get the job done, move out. You by contrast approach cooking as an art form. I love to watch you while you work! You truly love the job, and you're such a master at the craft!"

"Well, when I'm by myself, I usually eat very simply. I enjoy preparing meals for you."

More kisses on his feet, and then Eliana returned to an earlier thought. "I'd like you to meet my family too Basel, my parents I mean. And I do love my father, in spite of how I might have sounded earlier."

"What's he do?"

"He's with the Literary Guild, works on holo-scripts, mostly entertainment, occasionally a documentary. My family is living in Tehran now. Have you been there recently?"

"Tehran? No, not since I was a child. It's just a short train ride from Baalbek, a hundred kilometers. We used to hop down there all the time."

"Yes, of course. Tehran is such a beautiful city. I saw it for the first time just a few years ago. They were just finishing re-building the golden gate bridge."

"Yeah, the huge earthquake, what a mess..." A contented sigh. "I'd like to meet your family very much. Maybe in July or August, after our test is over... Assuming the monster doesn't eat us first of course."

Eliana stiffened for an instant and then realized Basel's remark was simple playful banter. She decided to reply in kind. "Hah!" A playful nip on the inner arch of his foot. "Basel! You know how sensitive I am about being teased about my monster." Eliana gave one last playful lick to the underside of his big toe, and then got up and sat down in the chair next to him. They held hands and quietly listened to the winsome chanting.

The next recording Eliana had programmed was a pleasant fourth millennium symphony. After the first few movements, she sighed and squeezed his hand. "My love."

Basel nodded. "My love."

"Basel, you're very sweet to give me all this time to think about monogamy. Do you think we can spend some time for a while, talking about ourselves, what a marriage between us would be like?"

"Sure, that's a great idea. And the monster outside is a patient monster. I'm sure it won't mind waiting a bit before we find it."

Eliana reached over and playfully pinched his nipple, and then began to caress him with her fingertips, resting her arm on his chest. "What are your dreams Basel?"

"My dream is lying right next to me."

"Oh, good answer future husband!"

"How about you Eli? A full Priestess, a military Commander and aviator, such an ambitious life, so unusual in these times. What drove you to it?"