Chapter 5

Bruno, of course, didn't come back. While Fair Tribe didn't let men divorce their wives, this was desertion, tantamount to divorce. Lora didn't seem particularly upset. She was too busy kissing me in tandem with her sister. I think that she was relieved to be rid of her husband, to be honest. She saw me as a more reliable man, though I feared what might happen if I vanished suddenly.

At supper, that cause of worry materialized, though not as I expected. Instead, the three of us were in my trailer. Flora and Lora were both a little scared, but I wasn't afraid, so they quickly realized that there was nothing to fear. They then became curious, as they discovered that this was my residence.

"What are these things?" Flora pointed to my TV and other electronic equipment, such as my laptop.

"Electronics. This is a television and this is a notebook computer. That's a microwave. It cooks food. That's a refrigerator. It keeps food from going bad. These are things that aren't available in your world. You would have to know to make them and keep them working. It's too soon for your, er, our tribe, dear. As much as I'd love for you to have those conveniences, it's too early," I explained to my wife.

"I know. These things seem like magical to me. I have lived without them all of my life. I don't see a reason to worry about that. What do you think, Lora?" she asked her sister.

"I agree with you and our husband. Okay, he isn't technically my husband yet. But he will be soon enough, once I am fertile and can mate with him in the stream. I'm going to love being married to him, especially since he's also married to you, my favorite sister. As for the equipment, as I said, I agree," the redhead told us.

"That doesn't mean that I can't use them while you're here. After all, our supper got interrupted, so you're probably hungry. I get the feeling that I won't live here much longer. My time in your world is growing longer and my time here shorter. Here's possibly my last chance to cook with my own oven. I don't know how traditional it is for a man to cook in the other world, but it's more common than you would think here," I announced, as I began preparing grilled cheese sandwiches for us.

It was simple fare, but on such short notice, and with no guarantee of sticking around, I didn't want to drag the process out. I also knew that the women would view this food as every bit as fine as their own. My guess proved correct, as both of my wives (I already thought of Lora that way) raved over the way I made it.

"I like this bread, cheese, and butter sandwich. It's very different, but good. This beer is nice as well," Flora praised me, to which Lora added her smile in accord.

"You're very welcome. I'm glad that you girls liked it. I thought that I should at least cook for you ladies once," I replied to their amusement.

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted us. I was a little annoyed (or perhaps a lot, since I enjoyed my time alone with these women). However, I still answered the door, only to find Heather standing there.

"Heather, what are you doing here?" I was truly astonished, because none of my students made a habit of visiting me at my place.

"Mr. Rogers, you're still alive! Thank God! Everyone's been worried, 'cause you seemed to vanish in mid-air and haven't been seen since then. I know it's Saturday, but word gets around when high school principals go missing. I have to admit that I had my own reasons for worrying, though. By the way, who are those women?" Heather showed more than a little curiosity and concern about me.

"It's a little hard to explain, but those are my wives, Flora and Lora. What were your personal reasons, as you put it, Heather?" I acted calmer than I was, since I didn't know how she would take that news.

"Wives? They're naked, too! You have two naked wives, Mr. Rogers? That's totally cool! Those girls are lucky. I'd love to be your wife or even your girlfriend. I worried because I'm in love with you, Mr. Rogers. Can be your other naked wife?" Heather confessed.

"Heather, I'm the principal of your high school. I know that you're eighteen now and I certainly appreciate your feelings about me. This can't happen while I run the school. I don't know how much longer that will be, but until then, I have to wait," I tried to let her down easy.

"Mark, my lord, you won't be staying here much longer. What's the harm in marrying Heather, too? She looks really nice and she seems to care a lot about you," Flora encouraged me.

"I like her already. She's right, Mr. Rogers. If you're planning to leave, why not take me with you? I'll be very good to you. If you can handle two wives, why not three?" Heather pleaded.