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Excerpt
“Have you had a sexual encounter yet?”
“Father!”
“Well, you think this player is hot and
another is kissable. I figure, even though you were on the emotive path, you
might’ve been sexually active. I need to be sure you’re prepared for what
could happen. Men can be rather rough and uncommunicative when lust is riding
them.”
“No, I haven’t but I’m sure I’ll find a
man I want and who wants me just as much.”
“You’re lucky Sui, not all young women are
as comfortable in their skin as you are.”
“It’s the one I was born with, not much I
can do to change it.”
“Would you—change, I mean—if you
could?”
“No, I wouldn’t want to be anything other
than me. I’m different and that’s fine. There are times I wish I were
taller, all the men back on Zandia prefer women who are tall and have thin
muscular frames. When I stand beside a man I often feel like an overweight
child, and I’m sure my appearance doesn’t inspire sexual feelings.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge the male
species. They’re intelligent beings who, unfortunately, often listen first to
their bodies, and only later to their hearts or brains. Remember, like women,
not one is the same as the next.”
Sighing deeply, she felt the inevitable sadness
at being far away from home and her fold, her closest family members, settle
over her like a chill. Her mother was a traditional Zandian woman, there to make
her path-mate’s life easier and therefore more fulfilling. In relationships
like theirs, the man moved on to his companions for sexual satisfaction once the
usual three children had been conceived. The Seccuses were different in that
they’d remained together, despite not being able to have any more children
beyond Sui. She liked that about them both.
It was clear to her now, she’d never have
survived long on Zandia living true to the pathline chosen for her. Here on
Earth, she felt secure and confident in her ability to live through her own hard
work. It pleased her to be able to make this declaration. Who knows, maybe it
was being older, but on this planet she interacted with men on equal footing and
not from a position seen as beneath them.
She’d even taken a lover.
Sui giggled into her cup. No one from home
would recognize her now, she appeared even less like a Zandian woman than she
had before. She blended in with everyone else and liked that very much.
There was no doubt in her mind, the time spent
with her father had been everything she’d needed. Last year, when the time
came for her parents to return to Zandia, Sui’d remained behind on Earth.
Unlike other occasions when she’d said goodbye to them, this farewell would
most likely be the last time she’d ever see them. On the other hand, she’d
also felt oddly happy to know her father meant something more to her than he had
before this adventure. They’d made a connection on their journey here that
she’d always remember fondly.
Standing up, she made her way into the kitchen,
rinsed out her cup and walked back into the living space. Picking up her bag,
she checked to make sure she had everything she needed and made her way out the
door.
Life was good and about to get better. The
Universe Speedball Cup competition was in town and she was working it.
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