Chapter 26

Susan awoke in the morning, feeling marvelous, with soft lips upon hers. She kissed back with her normal morning reserve.

"I have made us breakfast, drawing upon your mind for guidance. I would not find the taste of your mouth unpleasant. Will you honor me with a proper kiss?" Alice asked.

Susan smiled and pulled her back to her. Kissing her properly.

Alice smiled and moaned softly through the kiss. Susan sniffed.

"What's burning?" she asked.

"Whups! I fear I have left the stove on." Alice said, sprinting back into the kitchen.

Susan giggled and sipped at the wonderful coffee from the tray Alice had carried in.

"I see I have much to learn." Alice said, returning.

"As a first mistake as a human, that is minor." Susan giggled.

"Perhaps. But it was my fault. I shall endeavor to pay more attention to all your actions in the future." Alice said, joining her for breakfast.

"It shall be my deepest pleasure to teach you." Susan said.

"And it shall be my deepest pleasure to learn from you." Alice replied, using her fork upside down.

Susan giggled and corrected her. Even breakfast was a learning experience.

Afterwards, they bathed and Susan selected an outfit for each of them. Susan's clothes fit Alice snugly. A pair of Ron's tennis shoes left in her closet supplied a temporary solution to shoes. Alice wrinkling her nose at them. Susan giggled.

"No need purposefully experiencing all that life offers. Shit stinks and so do tennis shoes." Susan giggled.

"So I have learned this morning. Although my own did not seem as unpleasant as yours." Alice said, innocently.

Susan laughed.

"I think that is so we can stand ourselves in the bathroom. But for future reference, we do not speak of such things when out in public." Susan said.

Alice nodded as she fought with the shoe laces.

"Here, like this." Susan instructed her, as she would a child.

Alice was attentive, she untied them several times until she mastered the skill.

Susan took her out shopping. Alice getting tears in her eyes as she looked up at the sun for a moment. She blinked several times trying to clear the after image.

"Surely you remember this from your own life." Susan said.

"I wished but to remind myself. Now I know." Alice said.

Susan gave her an extra pair of sunglasses from her glove box. Alice was thrilled by the concept. Lifting them several times in comparison. She was like a child, fearful and laughing from the acceleration and braking as Susan drove into town. Drawing courage from Susan's confident and efficient control of the vehicle.

In the stores the sales girls were flabbergasted over the concept of someone not knowing their sizes. Susan explained her amnesia and the sales people became friendly and helpful in their compassion as they measured her. Susan purchased her an entire wardrobe. Down to sexy underwear. Hustling Alice into a changing room when Alice began to disrobe in the store. Susan paid for her selections with her credit card as Alice looked at other clothes in wonder.

"Money is an interesting concept." Alice commented.

"Yes, it is a useful tool of exchange for a persons labor for goods. But that is all. Some people lose sight of that fact. Money becomes a thing of desire by itself." Susan said.

"I guess I should get some." Alice said.

"I shall supply you with whatever you need or desire. All that I have is yours." Susan replied.

"I wish to pay my own way." Alice stated.

"That is a noble wish. But the rod has supplied for our needs. You have paid your own way, as it descends from you. But if you wish to enjoy the fulfillment of purpose from work, we will find a skill that you find rewarding to learn to perform. Until then please accept my support as it is not a burden to me in any manner." Susan replied.

"Yes, I will accept your support for the time, but I will select and learn a skill to perform that is useful to mankind." Alice said, seriously.

"Come. Let's go have you meet Cindy. She is a joy to meet in person." Susan said.

Alice followed, examining the threads of her clothes, in wonder at the weave of the fine cloth and the vibrance of the colors. Playing with the zipper on her coat.

Susan instructed her on how to act when they met Cindy and on what tests Cindy was likely to make. Alice nodded, without fear.

Susan introduced Alice to Cindy and stood by as Cindy ran a series of tests upon her. Alice wept like a child for a moment when Cindy took a blood sample. Cindy holding her to her breast to comfort her. A look of wonder and bafflement on her face. Cindy went off to make her tests and Susan comforted Alice further. They left Alice flipping in wonder through some magazines as Cindy drew Susan off to talk.

"She is the healthiest damn woman I have ever met. I can find no hint of physical trauma. She even has an intact hymen. She giggled like a school girl and blushed when I examined it and took a pap smear. You say you just found her in the Temple?" Cindy asked.

Susan nodded, as it was true.

"What about her clothes, they seem brand new. Any hints there, no papers or anything in the pockets?" Cindy asked.

"No, nothing like that. I just bought her those she is wearing, they are brand new. The ones she had on were a bit too small for her. But there were no clues there. No labels or such to give us a clue about location or identity. I think she was guided to us. She is as a child. She is also utterly adorable and I shall take great pleasure in mothering her." Susan replied.

"Yes, she certainly is adorable. One of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Perhaps the most, not counting you of course." Cindy said.

"You need not stroke my ego. Although you are welcome to stroke anything else. I am fully aware of her beauty. She is the most beautiful I have ever seen. As if an image of the perfect woman were lifted from my mind." Susan said, grinning to herself.

"What of her mind, what do you see? I can probe no deeper than her memories of when you led her out of the Temple. It's as if she were born into the world at that moment. But she is not stupid at all. She is quite brilliant according to the tests, but she is completely ignorant of the world. As a child, as you say. The only skills I can detect, is an unusual propensity for languages. She is totally fluent in all that I know and perhaps many more that I don't. But there again she is innocent. She has no understanding of technological concepts in any language that I could determine, but has incredible skill at mathematics." Cindy said.

"Yes, I determined much the same. I could detect no memories earlier than the temple. As I say I think she was guided to us by Aphrodite herself. I willingly accept her as my ward. Perhaps this is a test of our compassion for innocence. I detect no malice in her at all, none. She is as pure as the driven snow." Susan said.

"It is an awesome responsibility, but I accept that you know what you are doing. I will send her fingerprints off to the authorities and her photograph. Perhaps that will help determine her identity.

"It's funny. I had to keep her from smearing ink on her clothes when I fingerprinted her. She is as a child, but an adult child.

"I have a hard time fathoming someone as lovely as her reaching her late twenties -as she appears to be- and still be a virgin. Perhaps she led a religious existence before. That would explain her seeking shelter in a Temple. Perhaps she witnessed some great traumatic experience that shocked her out of her previous life back to that of a child, but I can find no abnormal brain patterns. It's as though she was just born last night." Cindy said.

"Well, see what you can find from the authorities, something tells me that it will turn up a blank, though. I think we will need to build her an entire identity and life from here on out. Just a feeling, but I don't think anything will emerge of her past." Susan said.

"You may be right. But be prepared. It may emerge suddenly and be a total shock to her. How did she react last night? You slept with her. She had memories of being snuggled to you all night. She quite enjoyed it. That may explain the presence of her hymen if she was homosexual all along." Cindy said.

"She seemed eager to accompany me to bed. She snuggled to me as a child to it's mother. She showed not the least amount of modesty or discomfort over my own nudity. I should check on her. She is as a child, although an exceptionally bright one." Susan said.

"Yes. One thing I did note was an unquestioning trust in you. She trusts you absolutely. I think we should take advantage of that. Although she showed great trust in me. She felt no anger towards me for taking the blood sample. She accepted it as necessary but reacted like a child to the pain. But she felt no resentment towards me. Her trust in all people is open and innocent. Most unusual." Cindy mused.

"Well, see what you can find. I'm going to show her around. Maybe I can jog some memories." Susan said.

"Yes, good luck. Oh, how did you choose Alice for her name?" Cindy asked

"From her wonder. She reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. I named her Alice Brock after the character in the Lewis Carrol books. She seemed to quite like the name." Susan said.

"Yes, it's certainly appropriate." Cindy chuckled.

Susan found Alice playing with the light switch in the room where they had left her.

"Shall we go see some more wonders, Alice?" Susan asked.

"Yes, how did it go with Cindy?" Alice asked.

"She senses that there is something that I'm not telling her. She's an excellent doctor. She knows you are not an normal case of amnesia, but she will treat it as one. Her trust in me is unquestioned too, as she said yours was of me. She thinks you are incredibly attractive and is quite taken by your child like innocence. She will not allow herself to question my motives, but knows it its a ruse. She will treat it as a true case of amnesia. She will send your fingerprints and photograph to the authorities in an inquiry over you, she will not be surprised when they turn up negative. She will help establish an identity for you based upon your purported amnesia." Susan explained.

"You choose your friends wisely. I found her a joy to be around. Her vibrance is sexually thrilling. But I sensed she would feel uneasy about early intimacy. You taught her that for her own protection. Her complete respect for your judgment was educational. I could not ask for a better teacher than you." Alice said.

"Thank you, shall we go. First I will show you through the hospital and then my office." Susan said, guiding Alice by the hand.

The tour of the hospital was cut short when Alice broke down in tears in the children's wing. Susan guided her to her office in tears.

"I'm sorry. But if found it overwhelming to deal with in person. I have known of children's suffering, but have never witnessed it so closely." Alice said, sniffing back her tears.

Her nose was running from her tears and Susan wiped it for her, showing her how to do it. And showing her how to blow her nose to clear it and her eyes.

"Do not be ashamed that you feel compassion. Compassion is good. You will learn to control your emotions with time. We do all for those children that we can do. Plus we show them love and compassion that they may not receive elsewhere. After that, that is all we can do and we must accept that, as they do. I should not have exposed you to such an emotional situation until you were better suited to handle it." Susan said, hugging her.

"I truly admire your great strength in dealing with such things on a regular basis. Your strength of character is great. No, do not blame yourself for my discomfort. If I am to learn, I must know such things." Alice said.

"Perhaps, but I will introduce you to them gradually from now on ... I think ... that television may be called for. It will expose you to much about our world while giving me control over what you are exposed to. I will pick programs for you and you will learn much as you watch and listen. It can be a great tool of learning, if you avoid the soap operas and news." Susan giggled.

"I trust in your judgment." Alice said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Knock, Knock. Cindy said you had a new friend. I came over to meet her." Jill said.

"Jill, this is my new friend Alice, she's going to be staying with me from now on. Alice, this is my dear friend and love Jill. She is very dear to my heart." Susan said.

Alice stood up and smiled at Jill. Jill extended her hand and Alice took it ... and kissed it.

"Like this Alice. Take your right hand and place it in hers like this. Squeeze just enough that it shows someone that you are pleased to meet them, but not enough to hurt their hand." Susan explained.

Alice took Jill's hand and shook it, copying Susan's gesture.

"So nice to meet you Alice. Any friend of Susan's is a friend of mine." Jill said, smiling compassionately.

"Then we will be great friends I am sure, as Susan is my best friend on the planet." Alice responded.

"Then we share that feeling. Susan is my best friend on the planet too." Jill said, dislodging her grip and grinning at Alice.

She tried to read Alice and got exactly what Cindy had from her. Wondering at her intense trust and love of Susan.

"She is as a child. How wonderful." Jill said, mentally.

"Yes, I think so too. I shall enjoy teaching her as my own child." Susan replied in kind.

"Seems a shame to take that innocence away from her. But I will help any way I can." Jill responded.

"I think that we will all be her teachers. But I think she mostly wants to be just one of the girls. We can help her best by letting her be." Susan said.

"Gladly. Let me know if she gets to be too much. I will gladly spell you off." Jill offered.

"I accept your assistance gladly, but she will never be too much. I love her dearly." Susan said.

"Yes, she is utterly adorable, but I know that's not what you mean. I would enjoy teaching her myself. We all will contribute to her education. " Jill said.

Alice was looking innocently between them as if ignorant of their conversation. Susan had no such delusion.

"I think that Jill would enjoy watching some television with you, Alice. I think we will all enjoy sitting and watching with you. We can explain things to you as you see them and answer any questions you may have. I think we should start with tapes of movies Perhaps some Disney movies as a beginning." Susan said.