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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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