AZOTUSLAND Chapter Eighty
That next week Fred was called in for more work on Silo 2 and was congratulated and given a year's free pass for food and drink at Azotus for his stellar work on Silo 3 and also on what was now called Chez Malraux...the apartment on the top floor that Maug and Martine shared.
Fred and his crew had quickly swept in and reconstructed the small flat into a true living space. A small kitchenette was on the Western wall where the computers had once been and they had a small divider that made their space private. There was one big window overlooking the valley with a small table and Fred had built shelving up high around the rim of the room. Maugham, taking a clue from his own dream, bought many large candles and placed them strategically around the room to make it warm.
They had a new bed, a queen size, brought all the way up the stairs and installed and it had a headboard that had room for books and candles.
At night when he looked at her in the candle light he was amazed, aroused and comforted, all at the same moments. Martine looked into his clear eyes and felt utterly loved.
Still, Maugham set the alarm clock so he could get back to business when needed.
*********
There was a battle at Sabine's house. She had subtly dropped clues to Matisse about her father and it had caused confusion. Matisse already knew her father was "different" and she trusted Sabine utterly..so she was at a loss.
She just wanted to bounce on her new bed and look at the lobster and the crab and watch the other fish and do some art. But she sensed things were not right and her mother disapproved of her new room.
**********
Ked-woman had kept away from the cafe for awhile. Some of it was because of Rachel and respecting that, some was just frustration. She was also still sad about Jacob. She decided to send Jim an email and express herself openly. She did this out of self-respect.
**********
Templar was upstairs on a cool Tuesday night reading a long manuscript written by Sex. Dan, her husband, sat across the table. Templar liked Dan a great deal and admired the loose symmetry and balance that the two long-time lovers had achieved and now shared over years of marriage. Men came on to Sex often because she was, well, a flirt and alluring. But she loved her husband alone and just enjoyed the safe company of men like Templar.
"It's quite good and intricate," Templar said. "You must be quite proud of her."
"I am," said Dan. "She's the most unusual woman I have ever met, and I met her at 17."
Simon smiled at Dan's vision of her.
***********
Down on the slope Alice was ready to fire up the pumps and have Jonathan add water at the bottom. Jim was visibly pleased and he had Manfred bring a basket full of croquet balls. Hans was in attendance but was not pleased.
Alice walked up into Jim personal space and bumped him. "Well big guy, here it is," she said. Then she walked over to the wall and hit a switch and yelled down to Jonathan to start. The pool at the top gurgled and sputtered and finally spit out sprays of water then a steady flow into the top pool. Jim walked down the pathway and looked at the bits of shells, beach glass and rocks. Many had been collected over the years by both Ian and daughter Matisse. The water rumbled over them and began to fill the middle pond.
It had been Alice's idea to add small lights into the undercurve of the cement and she had added this without further expense. It was darkening and the water seemed to leap about over and down the rough mosaic and spill into the pool, then turn once it had gathered and begin the final descent. Jim stayed at the middle pool for awhile and just listening. Then he suddenly reached in and grabbed up a large handful of water and drenched his face. Alice laughed. "He get's it," she said.
Jim walked back up the hill smiling and hugged Alice.
Then he nodded to Manfred who started to roll the croquet balls down the slotted trough. The first one rimmed off the the middle pool rim and landed somewhere down on the street with a loud bouncing, but the rest rimmed right around and sped down into the bottom pool with a big splash.
"What about your crystals?" he asked her.
"Darlin, give it a rest..plan your deal for next Saturday."
Fred and his crew had quickly swept in and reconstructed the small flat into a true living space. A small kitchenette was on the Western wall where the computers had once been and they had a small divider that made their space private. There was one big window overlooking the valley with a small table and Fred had built shelving up high around the rim of the room. Maugham, taking a clue from his own dream, bought many large candles and placed them strategically around the room to make it warm.
They had a new bed, a queen size, brought all the way up the stairs and installed and it had a headboard that had room for books and candles.
At night when he looked at her in the candle light he was amazed, aroused and comforted, all at the same moments. Martine looked into his clear eyes and felt utterly loved.
Still, Maugham set the alarm clock so he could get back to business when needed.
*********
There was a battle at Sabine's house. She had subtly dropped clues to Matisse about her father and it had caused confusion. Matisse already knew her father was "different" and she trusted Sabine utterly..so she was at a loss.
She just wanted to bounce on her new bed and look at the lobster and the crab and watch the other fish and do some art. But she sensed things were not right and her mother disapproved of her new room.
**********
Ked-woman had kept away from the cafe for awhile. Some of it was because of Rachel and respecting that, some was just frustration. She was also still sad about Jacob. She decided to send Jim an email and express herself openly. She did this out of self-respect.
**********
Templar was upstairs on a cool Tuesday night reading a long manuscript written by Sex. Dan, her husband, sat across the table. Templar liked Dan a great deal and admired the loose symmetry and balance that the two long-time lovers had achieved and now shared over years of marriage. Men came on to Sex often because she was, well, a flirt and alluring. But she loved her husband alone and just enjoyed the safe company of men like Templar.
"It's quite good and intricate," Templar said. "You must be quite proud of her."
"I am," said Dan. "She's the most unusual woman I have ever met, and I met her at 17."
Simon smiled at Dan's vision of her.
***********
Down on the slope Alice was ready to fire up the pumps and have Jonathan add water at the bottom. Jim was visibly pleased and he had Manfred bring a basket full of croquet balls. Hans was in attendance but was not pleased.
Alice walked up into Jim personal space and bumped him. "Well big guy, here it is," she said. Then she walked over to the wall and hit a switch and yelled down to Jonathan to start. The pool at the top gurgled and sputtered and finally spit out sprays of water then a steady flow into the top pool. Jim walked down the pathway and looked at the bits of shells, beach glass and rocks. Many had been collected over the years by both Ian and daughter Matisse. The water rumbled over them and began to fill the middle pond.
It had been Alice's idea to add small lights into the undercurve of the cement and she had added this without further expense. It was darkening and the water seemed to leap about over and down the rough mosaic and spill into the pool, then turn once it had gathered and begin the final descent. Jim stayed at the middle pool for awhile and just listening. Then he suddenly reached in and grabbed up a large handful of water and drenched his face. Alice laughed. "He get's it," she said.
Jim walked back up the hill smiling and hugged Alice.
Then he nodded to Manfred who started to roll the croquet balls down the slotted trough. The first one rimmed off the the middle pool rim and landed somewhere down on the street with a loud bouncing, but the rest rimmed right around and sped down into the bottom pool with a big splash.
"What about your crystals?" he asked her.
"Darlin, give it a rest..plan your deal for next Saturday."
posted by Obi-Mac BakDon | 2:43 AM
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