Chapter 7

2 Section 29 -- McNeils get Linda, Valerie

"Linda and Valerie Norris," said the AI, "it is time that you also be relocated. Unsponsored concubines are being housed together with concubines in similar circumstances. The segmenting is imperfect, as each person's circumstances are different. You will be housed with other mothers and daughters as well as sisters or very close friends. All of them are desirous of being sponsored together. Elsewhere, units will house other groups, such as couples, or concubines with dependents, et cetera. As your roommates are sponsored, new concubines will be transferred in."

"Talk about a meat market," sighed Valerie with a shake of her head.

"It is deemed extremely important that family groups be established as quickly as possible. This system will allow sponsors to choose from a number of candidates all located in one place."

"I don't really care where we sleep at night," sighed Linda. "I agree that getting a sponsor soon is important."

"We should have bonked George before we split up," laughed Valerie.

"Amen to that," smirked Linda. "Maybe we'll get lucky soon, if not with a sponsor then with a male concubine or such. There's nothing of ours here. Let's just go."

Valerie and Linda arrived within a living unit that appeared to be empty. "This unit presently is home to two other mother/daughter pairs, plus sisters aged eighteen and fifteen, and three sixteen-year-old friends," the AI told them. "All are presently out in the corridor meeting with prospective sponsors. It is recommended that you join them at this time. Room assignments should be settled late this evening."

The front door was wide open and remained so after they stepped out of the unit. There they found what must have been their roommates and many neighbors from nearby units. Some were standing. Others sat on benches. There were benches everywhere. A number of fully clothed sponsors were interviewing.

Linda took in the scene. "I can see the benefit of doing this," she said to Valerie, "but it sure is a meat market."

A few of the people were crying, or appeared to have recently been crying. Some mothers were being consoled by a young adult daughter, or the other way around. Sometimes, both mother and daughter cried as they embraced. When she asked, Valerie was informed that the tearful concubines had just said goodbye to a husband or father.

Linda and Valerie settled themselves on a bench and watched the goings-on. They politely stood and conversed with sponsors who approached them, but neither of them felt any spark. They watched as test drives took place, some in plain view and some where sponsor and concubine hurriedly went into the concubine's unit. They watched concubines agreeing to be bound and leaving with their sponsors. They watched bewildered replacement concubines first emerge from the living units and begin to orient themselves.

The units on the opposite side of the corridor apparently housed sponsors whose concubine allotment had not yet been filled. They watched sponsors escort their new concubines into their unit, only to have a new sponsor soon emerge, as bewildered as the new concubines.

All this went on for quite some time. One or the other occasionally went into the living unit for beverage refills or to make a pit stop. The scene around them was at once fascinating and boring.

"May we join you?" asked a female voice. Linda and Valerie found in front of them a male and a female sponsor, arm in arm, both smiling.

"Why, certainly," smiled Linda. "Please sit down."

"I'm Nicole McNeil and this is my ex-husband, partner and best friend, Pat McNeil. We're both sponsors and are establishing a joint household. Pat is taking our twenty-two-year-old daughter, Amanda, as a concubine. He needs three more females. I am looking for one couple. Our first priority is a den mother, a woman to be in charge of the family when we're away. Is something like that of interest to you?"

Both Linda and Valerie smiled, their interest piqued. "I'm Linda Norris and this is my daughter, Valerie, who is twenty-two. I'm forty-six. Yes, your requirements are very much of interest to both of us."

The four continued, exchanging information about themselves and their families. Nicole let it be known that son Ryan and his wife/concubine would be occasional overnight visitors. The longer they talked, the better they all felt about the others.

Finally, Pat said, "Barring unpleasant surprises when we inspect each other's CAP cards, would you like to join our family?"

Linda and Valerie looked at each other and nodded sharply, grinning. "Yes," they said.

"Good," said Nicole. "Let's compare CAP cards. Then, if you don't mind, you can help me find a couple before we all go home to get better acquainted."

2 Section 30 -- Wong, Rodriguez become Forester

"Pete," barked Maria, "what are you doing? Come back here and sit down."

"He's alright," said Juanita. "You should let him burn off some energy with that other boy. If you don't, he'll have to burn off that energy in our company and I really don't want to get in another pillow fight."

Pete and a somewhat younger Asian boy were playing with some sort of cloth. It was not exactly soccer and it was not exactly keep-away. Muriel wondered whether the game had rules. At least it was more interesting watching the boys than the milling volunteers and concubines.

A woman approached Maria and crouched. "If you don't want your son to play, I can call my Arthur back," she said. "My name is Lisa Wong. Arthur will be more manageable later if he has a chance to get some exercise now. I don't think they are bothering anyone. Do you?"

"Hi, Lisa, I'm Juanita, Pete's sister. This is my ... sister, Maria, and my sister, Muriel. I think it's great that Pete has found someone besides us to inflict with his exuberance. I apologize to you both for butting in while you were speaking with Maria, who still is somewhat shy."

"Hello, Juanita, hello, Muriel and hello, Maria. I'm glad to meet all of you. We just arrived wherever we are now from wherever it was that we came from. My ... husband, I guess ... Benjamin, my daughter, Vickie and my daughter, Tania are over there. Muriel, I know Vickie would love to talk to someone about her own age. Vickie is fourteen."

Muriel automatically turned to Maria, seeking permission. "You are an adult now, my sister Muriel," smiled Maria. "You should enjoy your adult freedom while you can. You will belong to a man soon enough. Go entertain Vickie for a while."

"I bet you've been with your family," smiled Juanita, "and you'd like a break. Maria and I haven't found anything new to talk about for a while. Would you like to stay and visit?"

Lisa looked back at her own family. Benjamin smiled and waved his acknowledgement that she would stay. "Sure," chuckled Lisa. "We're in about the same boat as you are. There's not much new to talk about for us, either."

Lisa and Juanita seated themselves close to Maria. "Lisa must wonder whether you speak English, Mom," giggled Juanita. "You haven't said anything to her yet."

Maria blushed. "Excuse me, Lisa, if I have been rude. I am overwhelmed by the changes that have happened in our lives. I can't get used to Juanita and Muriel being my sisters and not my children. I can't manage to accept that Muriel, Juanita and I will share the bed of one man. Juanita has forced me to begin to come to terms with the sexuality of my son, Pete, and to accept that Pete will be my lover." She smiled sadly as big tears ran down her cheeks. "I am happy that we will be safe. I will proudly bear children for my sponsor. I hope we four can remain in a single family. But at the same time, this entire episode is completely unreal for me, like a bad dream that won't let me wake up."

Lisa nodded understanding. "My Vickie is only fourteen years old. Here we sit, trying to give ourselves to a sponsor, to allow -- to encourage -- a man to take my Vickie's innocence. It truly is the hardest thing I have ever done."

"You should remember," said Juanita, "both of you, that the young women like Vickie and Muriel are excited and anxious to finally be thought of as women. They know that they are over the magic age of fourteen, but it still doesn't seem real to them. You just saw Muriel ask permission that she didn't need. They're scared, for sure, but that won't stop them. They want to be adults. They want to have sex. They want to be mothers.

"Lisa," said Juanita, "Over and over, I have watched Maria get herself all worked up about this. You seem at least able to keep your own spirits up. We're going to have a big family. We're going to raise a lot of children in safety and comfort. Would you like to talk about the good parts of going to the stars?"

Instead of answering, Lisa came over to Maria and gave her a big hug. After briefly hesitating, Maria returned the embrace with a wan smile. Maria asked, "You said you just arrived here?" Lisa nodded. "We've been here for a couple of hours. I guess we need to join with someone else or else we must accept that we cannot all be together. I don't think we are going to find a sponsor who needs three concubines. Two, maybe, or four, but not three."

"We also are three," allowed Lisa. "Benjamin, Vickie and me. We have talked to a lot of sponsors but we haven't found anyone that we really wanted to join with." Juanita and Maria agreed. "Maria, it must comfort you that you will be able to share your grandchildren first hand, to be able to guide your girls as they learn to become good mothers like you are."

Now Maria beamed. "Yes, that is the one hope that I hold to, that we three -- and Pete, too -- will share the day to day satisfaction of having and raising children. I am sure that Juanita and Muriel will be good mothers. They have big hearts and they love children. I hope I can give some useful advice to them now and then."

The three women continued their chat along these lines, trying to encourage each other and themselves. Their talk became light-hearted and they often laughed with each other.

None of them noticed the sponsor who invited himself to sit with Benjamin.

"You seem to have been abandoned," chuckled the sponsor, "while your mate gets a dose of girl talk. Good for her. Would you like some company?"

"Sure," Benjamin replied uncertainly, "have a seat."

"My name is Alan Forester," said the sponsor. "This family building is harder than it looks. I need six concubines. I decided that I need a male concubine. I've been talking to couples. I confess, the naked women are more fun to look at than the naked men. I have found several women that might make very good additions to my family. But when I talked to the male, it just didn't work. I've done that four times now. So, I decided I had better begin with the man first.

"To me, your wife being out of earshot for a time is a perfect opportunity. Would you like to talk about your plans and objectives? I'll happily share mine. Maybe we can find some common ground."

"I would like that, Mr. Forester," smiled Benjamin. "My name is Benjamin Wong. My wife, if you will, is named Lisa and is over there visiting. My daughter Vickie is right over there, talking to the daughter of the woman with Lisa. Vickie is fourteen. I'm not sure how old the other girl is, but she's wearing a collar.

"My son Arthur is engaged in some horseplay over there with Lisa's new friend's son. Arthur is eleven. Lastly, my daughter Tania, over there, is eight."

"First of all," smiled Alan, "I'd prefer that you call me Alan. You said your name is Benjamin. I take it that you don't like to be called Ben?"

"Alan, I have been called Benjamin for my entire life. I'd give up more than my name if it meant I could be sponsored with my family. I know I'm a drag on Lisa and Vickie. They could easily be selected together if I weren't here with them. You may call me anything you want."

"Lisa and Vickie must think you're worth the investment," smiled Alan. "I'm going to have five female concubines, Benjamin. There are going to be a lot of babies. Does that suit you?"

"Well, it does, Alan. I don't like to talk about myself very much. I hate braggarts and I can't help but feel like one when I'm forced to talk about myself. I want to be an important part of the lives of the children we raise. I want to be a good role model of a man for the children, even though I'm not qualified to volunteer.

"I also want to be a valuable and reliable resource for the mothers in the family. I want to do whatever I can to help. It's awfully hard being awakened over and over by a tiny baby. That's one way I shine. I'll be there for the baby. I'll do everything I can for the baby except nurse it. The mother can stay in bed, nurse the baby and give it back to me. I'll do all the rest. That's what I've always done."

"Lisa, don't suddenly look," said Juanita, "but there's a sponsor sitting with your husband. They seem to be having an animated, friendly conversation. I'll keep you posted. I think you should visit with us some more. You wouldn't want to spook the sponsor. Maybe the sponsor and Benjamin will come to talk with you pretty soon."

Lisa visibly struggled to control her excitement. "Juanita and Maria, I so desperately want Benjamin sponsored with Vickie and me, I'm about to burst. You're right about me freaking out the prospective sponsor." She took a deep breath and loudly let it out, visibly trying to relax herself. "Benjamin can hold his own. The sponsor needs a different relationship with a male concubine. I know if the sponsor likes and wants Benjamin, then at least one of Vickie and me will go, too."

"I hope the sponsor isn't gay," said Maria. That thought shook Lisa powerfully. "I'm sorry, Lisa," cringed Maria, "I shouldn't have said that. I wish I hadn't said that..."

Lisa took on an appearance of firm resolve. "I'm not going to worry. My Benjamin has always, always come through for us. He's going to handle this perfectly and we'll be glad of it. Let's talk about how fashionable the shifts are."

That produced a guffaw from Juanita. "I'm beginning to like you more and more. A positive attitude will take you far. I like being around positive people. My sister, here," and she pointed her thumb at Maria, "is usually very positive and unflappable. She'll be that way again once she gets settled into her new family. Muriel is a happy person with a positive attitude of her own. I hadn't really thought about making sure that the sponsor has a positive attitude."

This was a topic the women could sink their teeth into. They began their own animated, friendly conversation.

"Benjamin," smiled Alan, "I didn't know my next door neighbor as well as I feel I know you, and we lived next door to each other for eleven years. What are you and I going to do about collecting five willing slaves of the female persuasion?"

"You mean it?" asked a shocked Benjamin.

"I told you I struck out trying to find the ladies first," he chuckled. "If you like guy/guy action, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Otherwise, I can't think of a man with a personality and character that I'd rather have in my family. What say you?"

Benjamin pinched his face closed and sat rigidly for a moment. He shook his head, slightly but certainly. "I can't leave my family," he said.

"Oh, they're in, Benjamin," chuckled Alan. "If you were willing to go without your family, you wouldn't be the man I wanted."

"But you haven't even talked to them!" answered a surprised Benjamin.

"Do you love your wife?" Benjamin nodded. "Does she love you?" Another nod. "Does the rest of your family love you?" Another nod. "Are you going to be able to let me father children on Lisa and Vickie?" Benjamin looked down but nodded his head with conviction. "Benjamin, I asked the AI for some help here. I've reviewed the CAP scores of Lisa, Vickie and yourself. I found all the things I wanted to see and none of the things I didn't want to see. You don't think they'll decline to go with me if you're going, too?" Benjamin shook his head, now smiling broadly and looking Alan in the eyes.

"Okay then," smiled Alan, "two down and three to go. Let's just sit here and consider the folks that Lisa is talking with. Don't look at them. They're trying hard not to be caught looking at us. You have to look somewhere else. I want them to think that you and I are still negotiating the fate of the Wong family." They both chuckled.

As he looked directly at Benjamin, Alan began. "Maria Rodriguez is thirty-six years old. Ordinarily, she's as solid as a rock. These last two days have shaken her a lot. Her son Pete is thirteen and Maria is deeply troubled that she will have to have sex with him. The AI says it is the prospect of the act that distresses her. It says that, once they have actually been together, she'll be fine. Maria is a great mother, very practical and she has a powerful libido."

"You got all this from the AI while you were talking to me?" asked an incredulous Benjamin.

Alan smiled and nodded. "Call it multi-tasking," he chuckled. "Can we go on?" Benjamin nodded. "Your Vickie and Maria's Muriel are well on their way to becoming fast friends. Muriel is fifteen and she has all of the traits you would expect to find of a child raised by Maria. Fifteen is young and Vickie at fourteen is younger still. Both will be very good mothers. They don't have much experience yet, but Lisa and Maria will help them.

"Last comes Juanita, who is visiting with Maria and Lisa. Juanita is seventeen, very much like her sister Muriel and very much like her mother. She too will be an excellent mother.

"The Rodriguez family wants to stick together as much as the Wong family does. Pete and your Arthur are good boys, says the AI. There is a chance that Pete will become a volunteer one day, but probably not on his fourteenth birthday. Your Arthur is too young for a CAP score prediction, but he is smart and has a lot of good attributes.

"Now we get down to brass tacks. Benjamin Wong, on condition your Lisa and Vickie agree to join us, will you be my concubine?"

Benjamin solemnly said, "Yes." His face was flushed, his eyes were full of tears, but his smile lit up his entire face.

"Acknowledged," the AI said softly through Benjamin's collar.

"Good," said Alan. "I don't want to give away my game with the ladies just yet. How can we have some fun and still secure five female concubines?"

"May I speak freely?" asked Benjamin. Alan smiled and nodded. "Alan, this is too traumatic for you to make into a game. There will be a whole lifetime for practical jokes and the like. Please don't make this more stressful for them than it already is."

Alan sighed and smiled. "You're right, of course. They can't know that I've already decided to offer sponsorship to all of them. How about I stay here while you go over there and try to soft-sell the idea to them?"

With a nod and an expression of relief, Benjamin rose and approached the women. "Hello, Maria. Hello, Juanita. May I join you?"

All three women were surprised but made space for him. "How did you know our names?" asked Juanita.

Instead of answering, Benjamin motioned to the man he had just left. "That is Alan Forester. As you know, we have had a nice long chat. I really like him. While he and I chatted, he used the AI to learn quite a bit about all of us Wongs, and about all of you Rodriguez's. What he learned made him very happy. He asked me to come over here and ask you whether he can come visit with you. Alan wants to invite all of us to join him making one big, happy family."

The expressions on the faces of the three women were priceless. As his words registered, their eyes became as big as saucers before they burst out screaming for joy. Alan sat back in his chair, satisfied that the explosion was a resounding 'yes.' Vickie and Muriel raced to their mothers, frightened. Pete and Arthur simply looked on, perplexed.

2 Section 31 -- June Davidson

"Mind if I join you?" she asked.

"I don't mind at all," he replied. "Pull up a chair. Rest your hands and face."

She chuckled. "I never heard that one before. I'm June Davidson." She held out her hand.

He rose and accepted her hand. "I'm Roger Wilson. I'm pleased to meet you."

"You appear to be alone," she observed. "I'm alone now, too. I decided I couldn't raise another family with my husband. I'll let him choose someone else -- a couple of someone else's -- and have a fresh start. I want to make a fresh start, too."

"I am alone," he said. "I'm recently divorced. I was just transferred a few months ago. My grown kids are back where I came from. I didn't have anyone I wanted to ask to be extracted. I figured whomever I asked would wind up being my concubine, and I didn't know anyone that I wanted to live with."

"Kind of like two peas in a pod," she chuckled. "You have any candidates yet?" He shook his head. "Me neither. Maybe I oughta tell you a bit about myself?" He nodded. "I'm forty-four years old," she said. "My seventeen-year-old daughter is here in the moon. She is also available to be a concubine. My twenty-year-old son is in the army. I've been a bookkeeper for the last seven years, and more before the kids were born. I don't care too much about politics or religion, one way or the other. I like sex a lot. I like a lot of sex."

Roger began his own bio. "I'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma. I have a daughter who is thirty and a daughter age twenty-seven. They're both married. I work in logistics. I was at a meeting in the attorney's office when the extraction happened. I suppose I'll work in logistics for the Confederacy. I have four concubine positions to fill."

"Do you have any idea what you want in your concubines?" she asked.

"Not a clue," he replied, shaking his head. "I guess I want at least one who is closer to my age. You said your daughter is here? Is she available? Would you want to live with her?"

June shook her head. "Leah said that if her mom and dad weren't going to be together, she didn't feel she could be with either one of us. It wouldn't be fair to the other, she said. We could ask her again if you like."

"You don't sound like you care one way or the other," he said. "She's probably right. There are lots of choices. There's no point in asking her to do something she'll regret."

"Did I mention that I like sex?" she chuckled. He nodded. "I don't know what they put in the water, but it's getting harder and harder to ignore my urges. Do you feel like a test drive? It doesn't matter whether I pass. You're not that much older than me. Maybe it'll work between us."

"That sounds like a very good idea," he said. "Let's go back to my place."

"The concubine June Davidson has been selected by a sponsor," intoned the AI.

"I'm surprised," said Ken. "That was fast!"

Leah shrugged. "I guess I'm not as surprised. AI, do you have further details? Can I meet her sponsor?"

"No further details are presently available. The sponsor does not wish to meet with you at this time."

Leah slumped in her seat. "I hope she's happy," was all she could say.

"It sounds to me as though you don't think that that is the most likely outcome," Ken said softly. Leah shook her head.

"Well, if you want to meet one of your new step-mothers, I guess we'd better get back out there and do some more shopping." They left the living unit and headed for an area that they had not yet tried.

This time, Ken decided to search for small children, figuring that their mothers would be nearby. As they walked, they kept an eye out for a potential match for Leah.

"Amanda!" chirped Leah. "I'm glad to see you! I didn't know you were here! Amanda, this is my dad. Dad, Amanda is a friend of mine from school."

"These are my mom and dad," said Amanda. "They're both sponsors and they're making a joint household. I'm going to stay with them. Are you staying with your dad?"

"Well," said Leah, "I'm only staying long enough to fix him up with two concubines. My mom decided to go off on her own. I don't feel like I can stay with one of them and not the other."

"After you do your duty for your dad," grinned Amanda, "why don't you contact me about joining our family?"

"I will!" chirped Leah.

2 Section 32 -- The Godwin family expands

"I'm Sarah Lang. This is my sister, Sandy Broderick, and my mother, Beth Roundtree. What can we do for you?"

"I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Martin Godwin. This is my trophy wife, Diane." Diane sneered at the appellation. "I love Diane very much. She's not keen on the idea that I will have eight concubines. Nevertheless, I am in earnest building our new family. I would like to explore with you whether any or all of you would be a good fit in our family. I think there are few sponsors here willing and able to take all three of you into one family. If that is of importance to you, then I hope you will carefully consider whether we make a good match for you. I want to be completely candid with you to minimize misunderstandings later.

"I want a lot of children, a lot of children. My first wife..."

"May her sainted soul rest in everlasting peace," Diane interjected snidely.

" ... was only able to have one child," Martin continued. "He's grown and gone now. My lovely Diane has never had children, and she's leery of the prospect. Once Diane puts her mind to a task or a skill, she invariably excels. I have every faith that she will be an excellent mother.

"She is a very proud woman and sometimes can be imperious. Like me, like you, like everyone else, Diane has strengths and weaknesses. I am going to try my best to play to her strengths and surround ourselves with those who can help minimize her weaknesses.

"I want to begin assembling our family by finding self-confident individuals who are already experienced mothers. I don't have a clear idea what the gender makeup of our complete family will be. Perhaps I ought to stop here and let you ask questions."

The three women sat for a moment, digesting the words -- and the visual cues -- that they had collected. Beth looked at Diane and said, "Diane, you have made it plain that helping Martin choose your competition isn't your favorite sport. I would like to hear directly from you whether we ought to even continue this discussion."

Diane blanched. She was not accustomed to anyone being as direct as Beth had been. She looked down; gathering her thoughts, then looked at Beth. "You're right about competition. Martin does love me, and I love him. But I have been a princess in my home for a long time.

"I have a great urge to sabotage his taking of additional women. Another part of me knows that it is inevitable, and that I should cooperate and assist in choosing my 'competition' and making a happy home for all of us. So then I begin to think I ought to steer Martin towards mousy, vulnerable women who won't be competition for his heart. But then I'll be stuck all day, every day, with women who aren't my equals.

"I'm a mess, Beth. I'm also not accustomed to apologizing. I have acted the bitch with you so far. I really would like to have a discussion with all three of you to see whether we are a good match. I don't know whether we'll fit together. I sure need someone to help me get my head screwed on straight."

"Are we going to have a completely frank discussion?" asked Sandy. "Are we going to put all our cards on the table?" Diane nodded. "Okay, then," she said. She sighed and gathered her thoughts. "When Martin began, your snippy remarks were intended to put us off. I was offended. At first, I wanted to simply end the exchange and let you two move on.

"The opportunity for me to live together with my sister and my mother is very attractive to me. Martin is right: there won't be very many opportunities for us to see that come about. I'm willing to pay for that privilege, but I'm not sure just how much I'm willing to pay.

"You strike me as the ultimate Queen Bee, the rich bitch that no one ever stands up to. The woman who always has her way, no matter what. I imagine you are an expert party hostess and a witty and provocative guest. I shudder to think how you treat your domestic help but I have no doubt that you had domestics. Tell me why I should believe we won't spend all our time fending off your brow beatings?"

Martin felt a powerful urge to step into the discussion at this point. He wisely bit his tongue and let Diane handle it herself.

Diane sighed. "You were more than a little right about my domestics. I didn't abuse them on a day-to-day basis, but that was only because I established the ground rules when they first joined us. They were staff. I was always polite to them -- well, I was civil anyway -- but we did not engage in any socializing at all. We never shared a cup of coffee and chatted. I didn't know about their personal lives and I didn't want to know.

"I admit that I have been insulated for much of my life. We lived in a gated community. Beyond our back yard was the golf course. Only members of the country club could buy homes in the development. I count myself a very good friend but, admittedly, all my friends were within my social strata.