Entry 49
Recovered Memory
After our last cargo run we used the profits to pay the rent, food and we purchased a pre-owned speeder. It was a fairly large speeder that can seat six people, plus there is a small cargo area in the rear. Norro refers to it as the lame family speeder. He wanted us to purchase a two-seater with retractable roof. Sacha vetoed that idea by asking if she was to put her future baby in the cargo compartment when she drove anywhere with Jax. This vehicle is perfect for us. The back seats can fold down into the floor making an enlarged cargo area. This allows it to double as a cargo speeder for our trading profession.
Today was the day of Norro's school picnic, so Norro, Magash and I boarded the speeder and drove to 'The Bantha Grill' diner where we picked up the donated Bantha patties and buns from Norro's employer and placed them in a portable cooler at the rear of the speeder. When we arrived to the lake I was surprised by the amount of people at the outing. Entire families were present and represented ages from babies to what appeared to be grandparents.
I was relieved that I purchased the baggy swim trunks. Most of the men wore a similar type of swim garment. A few of the women were garbed in two-piece swimsuits, but the style was a bit more modest than the one Magash had tried on. Most women wore one-piece suits or simply shorts and a shirt. Magash and I opted to arrive at the event with our suits on under our tunic and trousers. Norro wore his swim pants and shirt and was ready to swim…that is if he knew how to swim. When researching the buoyancy of my chassis I decided to ask Norro if he had ever swam on Despayre. That is when I discovered he never swam in open water. I was going to keep him out of the lake, but Magash promised she would stay with him. She is a self-proclaimed excellent swimmer and I don't doubt her word.
I parked the vehicle and dropped the cooler at the nearest grill. Magash brought a blanket for us to sit on plus a small backpack with various items such as sunblock and pest repellant spray. As soon as we sat down Norro saw some of his friends wading in the water and ran up to them. I became nervous as he walked into the lake until the water was past his waist. Magash grinned at my fatherly concern and stood, "I will make sure he doesn't drown."
She stripped out of her trousers and tunic revealing her captivating bathing suit and toned body which resulted in a number of males turning to gaze at her beauty. Even the older teenage boys appeared entranced by her appearance. I cannot blame them. She is extremely stunning with dark shoulder length hair, piercing green eyes, and facial tattoos that give her an alluring and exotic appearance. She trotted off and waded out into the water making sure she kept a little distant from Norro so not to appear as an overly protective mother.
A few minutes passed before a man walked up next to me. "Is she your wife?"
I looked up to find an older gentleman blocking my sunlight. "Yes," I said as I stood and put my hand out in greeting. "Fyve Pavan. I'm Norro's adopted father."
The gray haired, bearded gentleman shook my hand with a smile. "I'm Jamen Lodden. I have Norro in my biology class. I was told he was a war orphan and is doing a lot of catching up when it comes to his education." He dropped his hand and stared out to the water. "He's a good kid. I've never seen someone with such a sense of wonder. He wants to learn everything."
"I am happy to hear that. We adopted Norro about a year ago. He had no formal education prior to the adoption. I have been teaching him to read and write basic."
"You are doing a good job." He raised his hand up to shield his eyes from the glare and gazed out to the lake. "Uh oh." He dropped his hand and turned to me. "You might want to introduce yourself to the two men talking to your wife. They're our local womanizers. They are extremely flirtatious, but they usually stay clear if a muscular husband is in the wings." He reached out and grabbed my hand and shook it. "I'll let you get to your wife. What's her name?"
"Magash."
"I'll let you go save Magash from our two foremost lecherous instructors." He stepped away and gave me a wave goodbye.
I turned and watched Magash interact with the two men. She didn't look distressed by their company. Perhaps the exposure therapy was working. I did not wish to interrupt her while socializing, but I did walk close enough to hear their conversation with my acute droid hearing.
"Yeah, I teach physical education at the school," the larger more muscular human said to Magash. "Hektor, over here," he pointed to a smaller but toned human male. "He's a mathematics instructor…meaning he's boring."
The smaller man rolled his eyes. "I think he means intelligent. My friend, Viscar, here finds academic pursuits tedious."
"No," Viscar disagreed with a smirk. "I love pursuing things."
I must admit I bristled with irritation when Viscar raked his gaze over my friend's body and eventually stopped to focus on her bosom. Magash, on the other hand, didn't appear to notice the men's preoccupation with her cleavage. In fact she didn't seem to give them much notice at all. She all but ignored them while she watched Norro play.
The interaction between the three was almost comical. As the two men continued to boast about their mental and physical strengths Magash was trying to suppress a yawn. I can't blame her for being bored; these men loved talking about themselves. I would interrupt and save her from the mind-numbing conversation, but that would defeat the purpose of the therapy. Magash should interact with organic males. Unfortunately Norro did not appear to hold the same belief. He splashed up to Magash and said, "Hey Mom, where's dad?" Before she could answer he turned to me standing on the beach and waved. "Oh there's Dad. Hey dad!" He waved enthusiastically before addressing the two men. "Dad's a veteran of the Clone Wars. He wasn't a clone, but he was on the frontlines. He's a great fighter."
I groaned to myself. Norro either didn't like these two men, he didn't want Magash finding any mate to marry or he noticed her aloofness and decided to give her an out. The two men turned and looked to where Norro was waving and spotted me. Not knowing what to do, I simply waved to the group…and that was the end of Magash's first attempt at interacting with potential mates. They immediately said their farewells and waded off in a different direction. Once they were gone Norro went back to playing with his friends. Since possible suitors no longer occupied her attention, I decided to join Magash. I stripped down to my shorts and waded out to my friend who smiled brightly at my approach.
"The therapy is working."
I paused mid-step. "Oh…you are interested in one of those men?"
And incredulous expression tugged at her lips. "No, but I was able to suppress the urge to drown them."
I chuckled at that comment as I strode up to my 'wife'. "That's a start." I turned to watch Norro splash with his friends. "He's having fun." I startled when Magash sidled up next to me and snaked am arm around my waist, mimicking the actions of other women and their mates nearby. I looked to her and smiled warmly. "You are not going to attract a mate if you are publicly affectionate with me."
She made a soft snort. "I don't want to rush into anything. I am just starting to feel comfortable interacting with you in a more… intimate manner. I think I need more practice before initiating contact with any possible suitor." She gave my waist a squeeze as she laid her head on my shoulder. "He looks so happy."
I watched Norro laugh with his three male classmates as they roughhoused and splashed each other enthusiastically. "His life has changed dramatically and for the better. He appreciates life fully."
"He does," Magash said with a nod before falling into a contemplative silence. After a few moments she turned to me. "The women in my culture are doing themselves a great disservice. Men can be more than workers and breeding stock. We have effectively cut ourselves off from establishing any meaningful relationships with half of our population and we turned our own sons into slaves."
I nodded somberly. "That's true and maybe things will change, but we're supposed to be having fun now and not contemplating such serious matters." She gave a gasp of surprise as I scooped her up in my arms and held her over the water. "I think I will toss you into the lake. Isn't that what happened in that Holofilm we watched,Gorgeous Vixen? The Jedi playfully tossed the female heroine into a lake to get her into the mood for more amorous activities."
"You really weren't paying attention to that holo, were you?" Magash laughed. "I believe he tossed her into a wastewater treatment pond before jumping in himself. They needed to disguise their scent from the tracking neks." She smirked with a chuckle. "But yes, they did find time to fornicate after climbing out of the sewage. I don't think you will get the same result in a pristine lake."
A mock frown crossed my lips. "Unfortunate." I was about to set her down on her feet but she reached down with an arm and splashed water in my face. I recognized this behavior as the initiation of a 'splash fight'. Having never participated is such an activity I am unaware of the rules, therefore I decided the most discernible way to win this encounter was to unceremoniously dump Magash into the lake. As soon as she hit the water I reconsidered my decision as I remembered she knew how to fight while submerged. To my great relief Magash resurfaced sputtering and laughing.
"I will get my revenge," she laughed. "When you least suspect it."
I gave her a good-humored grin. "I find your threat oddly stimulating. Perhaps the holovid was correct about danger arousing intense sensual feelings within humans."
She rolled her eyes as she pulled her hair back away from her face. "This is such an odd conversation. Is this the way people talk while courting?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. If you find it objectionable I will stop."
"Not objectionable." She shook her head. "Just different. I am surprised that I enjoy such playful banter."
At that moment Norro ran up to us while pointing to the shore. "The burgers are ready. They're calling us to come in to eat." He ran past us and fell into a queue leading to the grill.
I turned and offered Magash my arm. "We should get you a plate of food before the seared animal flesh gets cold."
She linked her arm in mine and smiled. "Let us do so."
