Chapter 7

Already art thou o'er excited,
And, if it last, wilt soon be plighted
To madness and to horror, sure.
Enough of that! Thy love sits lonely yonder,
By all things saddened and oppressed;
Her thoughts and yearning seek thee, tenderer, fonder, --
A mighty love is in her breast.

Reprinted from 'Faust' Trans. Bayard Taylor. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1898.

The three couples chatted, teased, laughed and just generally acted like old friends. Severus and Ulmdeh were as fresh and exciting as any couple they had ever known. Their love for each other just radiated from them and their unashamed passion made the younger couples feel at ease groping, hugging and kissing their own new founds lovers. There existed a ready fondness and friendship for the couple that Esmeralda and Betty Sue could not explain.

Even though neither showed any visible signs, both wondered how they had fallen in love so hard and so fast with their two new young men. That the two women would find them the same day and the pair were so much of the same personalities to appear as brothers seemed too much a coincidence. Inwardly, the two young women analyzed where their relationships were going and where they were now. Simply, they were doing what all young women do when a new relationship starts to get serious, their insecurities and doubts simmer just below the surface.

All enjoyed the meal and at the end every man bemoaned he had eaten too much and thanked the women for their efforts in pulling all this together on short notice. As is common, the women migrated to the kitchen as a group to chat and clean up. The left over food put in storage and dirty dishes washed and stowed away. After the last of the dishes were put away, the three women sat around the kitchen table continuing their discussion.

The long summer shadows had descended to twilight as the discussions continued both inside and outside the house.

"Why do men just come into a relationship without a care in the world and as long as ya keep them fed and fucked are as happy as pigs in mud?" Esmeralda had many more relationships in her history than Betty Sue. The Latina had been the beauty queen of the area and she went through men like soft pine through a wood chipper, gobbling them up and spitting them out when finished.

"You just think men do not have the same fears and insecurities we do but they do," Ulmdeh interposed. "Their peers deride them at the first sign of self doubt so they learn not to show their innermost feelings unless you know what signs to look for. If you ever get them to open up be prepared for a deluge of emotions. Remember that all men are little boys inside and they have built this hard outer shell over the years that they show to the world and those unexpressed feelings will come out in a flood once released. You will have to deal with his anger at himself for showing his weakness when it happens."

"Wow that is deep. Abuela has taught me much about how to catch a man and what to do to keep him if his worthy of keeping, but she never described how they worked inside like ya just did." Esmeralda was shocked by the insight because it all made sense to her.

"Before Bo, all the men I have known just treated me like a possession. Take me out and play with me on his terms and then put me away when done not caring about how I felt about anything." Betty Sue sniffled.

"That is because all that came before him never saw you as a person first and a companion second before considering you as a possible mate. You had to take the initiative with Bo, did you not? He did not make any move on you that was not initiated by you." Betty Sue nodded her head confirming that was true. "And you Esmeralda, has Phil ever acted like you were his play toy? Has he not put your needs ahead of his, relatively speaking?" Esmeralda blushed as she remembered their afternoon tryst, how Phil had worshiped at her body looking for new and exciting ways to please her. The young women had no idea that Ulmdeh had been in their minds and knew exactly what memories and feelings each had. Never try to keep a secret from a twenty thousand year-old woman that reads minds.

"Ya really have insight on things Ulmdeh," Betty Sue was ready to mention the pink elephant in the room. "Severus told me ya two had been together over five hundred years. Why would he yank my chain like that?" The comment made Esmeralda's eyes bug out and her jaw dropped comically.

"It is actually five hundred and twenty five years and he was not joking with you. It is true." Ulmdeh tone became somber indicating that playtime was over and now the truth time had begun.

"How can that be? Ya look younger than either of us," Queried Esmeralda.

"Before I can explain, let me show you something."

Ulmdeh got up and drew a small, sharp paring knife from a drawer by the sink. She poured them three glasses of the same white wine they had enjoyed while cooking and brought all back to the table. Looking at each in turn, she picked up the knife and deeply sliced open the palm of her hand. The girls gasped at the sight and Ulmdeh told them to keep their sight on her wound. Not a single drop of blood spilled and only a minute later the deep cut had closed and healed leaving not even a scar.

"Now that I have shown you proof, let me tell you my tale. I was born twenty six thousand years ago on an island continent called Mu."

Ulmdeh proceeded to give the women a similar story as the one Severus had shared with Bo. Her version though filled with actual memories and impressions of the time that her mate lacked. She described the markets and streets she used to frequent, how the fashions changed over time and even her first love affair. She told of her exodus from her birthplace and the subsequent disappearance of her land under the sea.