It was great settling into our new home. We put Ten Speed in the guest room. I did not see much of the temperamental twit after that. I swear it had lost what little mind it had left. They had a house that was as big as a docking bay. We could put three triads worth of kids in here. It seemed like we were quite well off. We got things stowed away and I volunteered to make dinner. (Nobody objected strenuously.) Mike lit a cigarette as I left the room.
"My God this tastes horrible. Pepper!"
I looked shyly around the door. "Yes."
"What did you do to me?"
"You can't smoke anymore. Its bad for your health so I changed your body chemistry to prevent it. Smoking will make you ill but you can still drink in moderation." I screwed up my courage. "You also can not do heroin." They started at me in amazement. I thought they would be furious at me, but instead, they were frightened.
"How did you know," asked Pat.
"You can't hide a thing like that from me. I can read your body chemistry like you read a newspaper.
"We will go crazy," Mike said desperately.
"I already need a fix," Pat cried.
"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to let you suffer. Look," I said pointing to my chest.
"You've developed breasts," said Mike.
'Yes I have great control over my body. I can make any substance inside my body including methadone. I knelt before them. "Come relieve your pain." And they sucked at my breasts like infants.
I am ashamed to admit that I took a perverse pleasure in that act. Physiological addiction I could quickly cure but I did not know how long it would take to cure their psychological addiction. From that day on my mates would nurse at my breast several times a day. I didn't know then that it would take years to wean my life partners away from their opium dreams. Maybe I was overindulgent with their weakness. But I loved them.
Mother Mary, I thought. I am not your son or daughter. I think you had no part in my creation. Am I welcome in your house? I looked to either side of me and was embraced by love. I heard in my mind the sounds of children at play. Boys and girls and triunes together. And who can say with certainty that these future lives could not the result of a higher power.
There was an answer.
Copyright 1997 by Dennis Tallent
You can e-mail Dennis at: tallent@earthlink.net
Dennis Tallent is a native son of the state of Texas; the direct desendent of an officer of the Texas Revolutionary Army. He is an active member of MENSA, The Libertarian Party and Tebala Shrine Temple. At the moment he is a nursing student at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois.
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