Return Encounters

"Oh yes! Indeed! Very serious!" Carlotta burst into laughter again.

"What I really love is that it's only a block away from the international school. I've checked them out. They have such a unique program for gifted children. She's so bright Carlotta! So incredibly bright! It's where Isabelle should be. It's really where she should be."

Carlotta frowned at me, and then gave me a sad smile. "Ah Gary... Don't joke about Isabelle like that."

"Dearest, I'm not joking."

Carlotta looked at me and blinked, and then shook her head. "Really? Gary, do be serious!"

"I am serious."

"Gary, for one thing, we're not married... But more to the point, even if we were, we could never afford a place like that. I know you build models for the bank. You're not the bank president."

"Carlotta..." We got lost in a kiss for a while. I was dying to get physical with her. She was a passionate kisser, and my head was filled with fantasies of undressing her, stroking her, mounting her... She finally broke the kiss when she realized how sexually aroused we were both getting.

She whispered, "I love you, but we should stop."

"I know. I love you back. Carlotta... Do you think you're serious enough about me, so I can finally show you my finances?"

"Well... okay."

"Really?! Great!" I pulled my laptop from the desk and typed for a while. I popped up my latest payment from New York. Carlotta's smile slowly faded from her face. "Two hundred and sixteen thousand dollars?!" she whispered.

"Yep. That's my payment for the fourth quarter of 2008. It's after taxes, all mine to keep."

"They send you this every three months?!" Her face looked white.

"Uh, not exactly. It's performance based. The hedge fund I'm managing made a hair over 3% last quarter. It's a large fund, over $200M in assets..."

Carlotta nodded slowly. "So there's a chance they might send you something like this again?"

"Oh yeah. Actually, 3% is a bit on the low side... Not much... I'm predicting most quarters will be in the 4% to 6% range."

"But what if you have a loss in a quarter?"

"Well, I never have to pay anything back, but the fund would have to recover the loss before I ever got paid again..."

Carlotta nodded slowly. "I think I understand... It's a lot more money than I dreamed... Oh, sorry!"

"Sorry about what?"

"Oh... Nothing, just dreaming. Gary, this still isn't enough to buy a million dollar house. The mortgage for the rest would kill you."

"Huh? Oh! No, this is just the latest payment. Here, let me punch up the balance."

I smiled as I turned the screen to show her. My account was nicely over $1.4M.

"My gosh Gary!" Carlotta looked upset. "Forgive me for sounding like a gold digger, but do you have anything else?!"

"This is most of it. I have a little in a pension plan. And after taxes, I have a little over $300k in restricted bank stock. I'll be able to sell it in about a year."

"So... $1.7 million?"

"Yeah, a little over."

Carlotta took a deep breath and blew it out both her cheeks. "This is a lot to think about."

"Well, think all you want. But meanwhile Isabelle and I are buying the house."

"What?!"

"Uh, just joking... I think... Well, maybe not. Carlotta?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you marry me?"

"You're proposing?" Her voice was a whisper.

We stared into each other's eyes. I nodded, my heart full of hope. My empathy kicked in. I felt strong waves of uncertainty from Carlotta. The bottom fell out of my stomach as I suddenly felt waves of fear and despair, and realized the coming answer would be no. "Wait! Carlotta, please, don't answer..."

Carlotta nodded. She was trembling and breathing in small gasps. I felt I was juggling eggs in a windstorm, trying to figure out what to say next. I finally decided to let her take the lead. "Talk with me? I won't mind waiting, a long time if you like..."

She leaned over and kissed me, and then rested her head on my shoulder. I had my arm resting lightly around her. We sat like that for many minutes, in total silence. I thought inside she was crying.

"Gary?"

"Uh huh..."

"I do love you."

"I know. I love you too."

Carlotta gave a deep sigh. "I don't know what I was thinking. I enjoyed our dating so much, I kept ignoring the fact I'm not ready for marriage again. And Isabelle! She adores you, trusts you, loves you! It's so beautiful, so completely different than what life was like with her father. You don't know Gary, how Isabelle has learned to turn into a clamshell when she's yelled at."

"My God... I never intend to find out either."

"Gary, my love for you, and my love for my daughter, is telling me to marry you. But I can't betray you..." Her last words were a soft whisper...

"Huh? I don't understand."

"Ah, sweet and gentle Gary. I'm sure you don't." She looked at me for a while. "Gary, marriages should be based on trust. At least, that's what I thought, growing up as a girl."

"Yeah, me too. Well, I didn't grow up as a girl, but... yeah, me too."

Carlotta smiled for a brief moment. "Do be serious! Trust and obedience, that's what I thought. A good wife should obey her husband, and never keep any secrets from him. Answer truthfully Gary, could you stand a wife who was disobedient and kept secrets from you?"

"Sure."

Carlotta blinked. "What?!" It was almost a shout.

"I think marriages should be between equals. I think of you as my equal Carlotta, from every perspective. I'll never want obedience from you."

Carlotta was looking at me with a totally shocked expression. How I had missed all this in our earlier dating, I'll never know. I went on, "And as for secrets, I don't mind if we keep some things from each other. The important thing is to be honest in our care for each other, isn't it?"

"Gary, some of the things I did... did in obedience... So humiliating... so perverted... I don't ever want to tell you. Not even on a marriage bed."

"Carlotta, I'll never pry. I promise."

Carlotta started to cry, finally letting her tears come out into the open. I just held her, stroking her soft hair with my hand. She cried for a long time, and then relaxed, inhaling in deep breaths and exhaling in long sighs. I felt all the tension leave her body. "Oh Carlotta, you are all softness and warmth and gentleness and so beautiful... I love you..."

Carlotta trembled and then was still. We were both so calm and peaceful, I thought we might fall asleep in each other's arms, but then she leaned close to me and whispered a single word into my ear. "Marido..."

Husband?! Yes!

Chapter 7.

The rest of January was a whirlwind of activity. Once Carlotta made her decision, neither of us wanted to wait to tie the knot. We picked a Protestant Church, one that didn't mind the fact that Carlotta was divorced. The earliest we could schedule everything was for the end of March. Planning for the wedding, closing on the house, all the demands of work, life was so hectic then, now that I look back, I forgot about A'moth, incredible as that may seem. That is, until she popped into my hotel room late at night on the first Saturday of February.

"Congratulations Gary!" she said brightly.

She caught me in the middle of drinking a glass of water, and I snorted the water up my nose.

"Oh, hell! So sorry! Can I get you a towel?"

She stood there smiling at me as I dried my face. I finally smiled back. "So, you know, huh?"

"Oh yeah! I have a wedding present all picked out for you. Promise me one thing."

"Okay. What?"

"Don't keep it."

I didn't know quite what to make of that comment, but as we chatted I felt A'moth was sincerely happy for me. We also both knew the purpose for her visit. I went over and lay down on my bed. A'moth turned all business. I had the impression of a nurse giving me an enema. She was caring and loving and trying to be as non-sexy as possible. Quick, light strokes to get me erect, a brief smile of thanks to me and then she began to feed. Being inside her mouth though was still wildly erotic, and my orgasm was intense. She still had her finger up my butt near the end. I guess she really needs all she can get from my prostate. She dried me with a towel instead of licking me clean, and then it was over.

"A'moth, how are you feeling?" I asked, as I was putting my pants back on.

"Fine. More full and content than I have been in centuries. If you're still willing to feed me once more, before your wedding, I'll take less than a pint, and I won't have to feed again until 2013." I suddenly felt she was going to jump out of my room very soon.

"A'moth, wait! There's no reason for you to starve yourself again. Come to me whenever you're hungry. How about twice a year?"

A'moth stared at me. "Gary? You won't be betraying Carlotta? I've tried to keep this as non-sexy as possible, but I'm sexually aroused right now, and I need to arouse you and orgasm you to feed. Are you sure you won't be betraying Carlotta? Twice a year?! Gary, you'll be married!"

"Uh... No... It's okay. Carlotta and I had a discussion... The night I proposed..."

"What?! Gary! Does she know about me?!"

"No! Sorry! That's not what I meant. We had a discussion, about how we can keep secrets from each other. I won't be betraying her, and I'll be helping you not to murder. The cause is just. My heart is at peace with this."

"Well... Let me think about it. You think it over again too Gary. If you change your mind, I'll understand."

"Uh, okay."

A'moth looked at me thoughtfully and then smiled. "Goodnight Gary."

I nodded. "Yeah... Goodnight A'moth. Take care of yourself." And then she was gone.

And then for a long while, A'moth left my life. We met briefly once, at the very end of summer, March 20'th I think. After feeding her, I showed her around my new house. I had the impression she already saw it though. We chatted for a short while, told each other we loved each other, and then she was gone. Carlotta and I were married a week later, Saturday, March 28, 2009.

A'moth left us a bombshell of a wedding present. It showed up in Emilio's shop, the Sunday before the wedding, inside his safe room. It was extremely well wrapped, with an anonymous card wishing us the best. The present sent shock waves around the art world, a completely unknown work from Claude Monet, 40" by 40" square, universally judged authentic and arguably his best work. Carlotta and I had a long talk, and we decided to put in up for auction. Emilio thought it might bring $25M to $30M, and the actual sale price was close to $36M.

All the proceeds are in a trust now, set up to provide for our extended family. Carlotta and I and her brother and wife are the four trustees. A'moth's gift presented me with an interesting option. Did I want to retire while I was still in my twenties?

No worries, be my own boss, manage a $20M trust and make keep 100% of the profits, rather than manage a $200M hedge fund and keep 6% of the profits. But I love my job, and somehow I think A'moth would be disappointed in me if I used her gift that way.

It was Saturday, October 31'st, 2009. Isabelle had turned seven two weeks ago, and Carlotta had just left the house to take her to a Halloween party at her school. I thought I had a couple of quiet hours to try out a new modeling idea.

A'moth popped into my study a few minutes after my wife and daughter left the house. "Hi Gary! Nice to see you again!"

I gasped when I heard her but recovered quickly. After a brief hug, we walked to one of the guest bedrooms.

My sex life with Carlotta is perfect. She's tender, loving, and a wildcat in bed. I felt a bit strange as A'moth prepared me for feeding. She kept looking at me, asking with her eyes if it was okay to go on. But I love A'moth, not as I love my wife but in other ways just as deeply. I kept nodding yes to her.

She was super gentle. As always, I never felt her insert into my erectile tissue. Unlike the last time, her hand returned to her old habit of caressing my testes as she suckled. I panted as I orgasmed, thrusting my hips as the intense pleasure washed away a distant trace of guilt. A'moth helped me pull my pants back on, after one lingering kiss on my drained sac.

"Thanks Gary," she whispered. More words weren't necessary. We locked eyes and just read our love for each other.

"Stay for a while A'moth? Tell me how you've been?"

"Okay!" She pulled her legs up and sat in a lotus position on the bed, smiling and looking happy.

"Get enough?"

"Yep. Topped off my tank. I took a pint, maybe a swallow more. I'm good for another four years now."

"Remember to come back when you need a pint."

"Okay..." We locked eyes again. I could read she was happy but also still sexually aroused. I offered to hold her. She was lying down in my arms a moment later. I rested my head against hers and sighed. It felt morally okay, I still wasn't betraying Carlotta, but this was as far as I could go and A'moth accepted that. She just relaxed and enjoyed being held.

"How have you been?" I asked.

"Busy. There're some strange things going on in the world. Recent things, things I don't understand." She turned her head and gave me an affectionate kiss, then settled back into my arms. "I went to the North Pole last week."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Geo or Magnetic?"

"Geo." A'moth yawned and sighed.

"See Santa there?"

"No, just some really big ice-cubes..."

"Yeah, well, what did you expect?"

"No idea. But I've felt the strangest vibrations from there. I jumped and triangulated. Dead center at ninety degrees north."

"Huh? A'moth, what are you talking about?"

"I really don't know. I'll explain though. My mind's eye, I can probe with my mind's eye before I decide to make a jump."

"Yeah, I remember."

"I've been noticing distortion waves, coming from several places around the Earth, just this last month. Not strong enough to stop me from jumping, but noticeable. So I went to investigate."

"Find anything?"

"No. The North Pole felt funny though."

"Funny? Funny how?"

"It's so difficult to describe... Like a hunch that there were two North Poles, and I was only standing at one of them."

"You mean like the Magnetic North splitting in two?"

"No. Geo, not magnetic. And there's only one axis of rotation. So what I just said makes no physical sense. And yet..." A'moth was quiet for a while, and then sighed.

I petted her head for a while. It was freshly washed and combed. She was wearing natural human colors on her nails and lips too. "Uh, you mentioned other places too?"

"Yeah, around Calloway, Nebraska, and Tucker County, West Virginia."

"Huh? What does that mean?"

"I really don't know. I've gone to the places and looked around a bit. The feelings are very diffuse... And then there are the new biologicals... This has been the strangest month of my life."

"Biologicals?"

"There's some sort of new biological material in the air. My body is producing antibodies against it."

"What?! Are they dangerous to humans?"

"I don't think so. Or at least not in its present form. It feels very inert... just... there..."

"A virus?"

"No. It doesn't feel like anything I've ever experienced. It's not a virus, not a fungus, not a bacteria..."

"What's left?"

"This stuff. Call it X the unknown. It's very strange stuff. Humans aren't even detecting it."

"Where have you found it?"

"Oh, it's everywhere. All over the planet, in the air. It seems harmless, just... weird..."

"Big as a bacteria?"

"Oh, much smaller."

I blinked. "A virus then."

"Oh, I don't think so. I don't think it has DNA or RNA."

I nodded. "Something more primitive?"

She was quiet for a moment. "Maybe something more advanced."

I felt a shiver of fear. "What?!"

A'moth yawned. "It took my body several days of noticing it before it figured out how to make antibodies... I've never felt it take that long before..."

"And you say it's harmless?"

"Seems to be... I could inject my antibodies into you Gary, if I wanted to. But I don't see the point. My guess is this stuff is completely inert with DNA-based life."

I nodded and was silent for a while. "Bizarre. Could it be from a Chungieran ship?"

A'moth shook her head. "My group taught me quite a bit, while we were at Caral. This doesn't seem like Chungieran technology..." A'moth sighed and cuddled against me, relaxing in the simple joy of sharing my warmth. I looked at her in love, and she fell asleep in my arms.

I stared down at her. Asleep in my arms she reminded me of Carlotta, my perfect wife. I have a wonderful marriage. Carlotta is devoted to me. I knew of her goodness and intelligence from dating her, but as her husband she's shown me... well... Let's just say she is intoxicating by being both playful and submissive in sex. It's a delight to sleep with her, provided I've got the energy to keep up with her playful urges to explore."

I had my head resting against A'moth's, my arm across her hips. I was drifting, thinking random thoughts of love for both of these beautiful women in my life, when I blinked and looked at the clock.

"Uh, A'moth."

"Hmm?"

"Carlotta and Isabelle are due back any time."

"Huh?! Shit! Uh, good thinking Gary. See you in seven months?"

"Okay, end of May, 2010."

"Sounds good. Goodbye Gary. I love you. Thanks for holding me, and for loving me back."

I nodded. "Oh! Before you go. You should know. Carlotta and I are expecting."

A'moth smiled and sat up. She gave me a quick kiss. "Great! When's the baby due?"

"End of April. Maybe you'll get a chance to see him or her, the next time you come."

A'moth nodded and then gave me a sly grin. "Carlotta having a baby shower?"

"Huh? Well, in a few months, I guess... Hey!" My eyes went wide. "No more Monet's, okay?!"

"Oh no, something MUCH more interesting!" And she vanished before I could reply.

Chapter 8.

It was less than two months later, a Monday night, December 21, 2009, 8:13 PM Santiago time. The thunder had been rumbling for hours. It was warm and sticky outside with frequent showers, but delightfully cool and dry in the house with the AC on. I was playing a game of chess with seven-year-old Isabelle in the play room.

I learned chess early in life and loved it. I'm a U.S. rated expert, and played a lot in college. When Isabelle asked me to teach her the game during my engagement with her mother, of course I said yes. I was very impressed how she learned all the piece moves in a single afternoon, and I bought her several books on chess openings and strategy. A few months after the marriage, I was astonished to see her approaching my level of expertise. And then...

I could hear the rain beating against the window as I stared at my current position. Despite my best efforts, Isabelle had me in a vise. She had chosen the Sicilian defense to my pawn-to-king-four opening. My daughter allowed me to get into one of my favorite positions as White, the King's Indian reversed, but then she started doing strange things with her pawns.

Nine moves after she left the book openings, I was staring at a completely unexpected and bizarre tactical battlefield, and a half dozen moves after that all the winning possibilities seemed to lie with Black. I was squeezed in the center and had attack threats coming in from both wings. I moved my queen, protecting against two tactical threats.

Isabelle sighed. "That's going to lead to trouble. You should strive for counter-play by opening the queen-bishop file. Want some help?"

"Uh, no, that's okay..." I glanced up at Isabelle as she sat on the floor with me, her young face intently pondering her next move. She had already taken her shower and was in her pajamas, her bedtime was 8 PM. But her mother was on her way to Spain, traveling with her extended family to visit her parents for Christmas. Isabelle and I would follow in two days, when Isabelle's school program closed for the holidays. I've always been a little more relaxed about bedtimes than Carlotta, and Isabelle knew it.