Chapter 3 "A Mystery "

Sarek

Two Weeks Later

I had a fascinating lunch with an old schoolmate who was also the headmaster at the Vulcan Academy, Seleuss. He suggested that I make friends with one of his teachers there to assist me in better learning the human language and customs that I found indefinitely frustrating.

"That doesn't sound plausible if your teachers are all Vulcan," I remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, Sarek. They are not all Vulcan, there is one earth woman who teaches the little ones, and she is quite amiable and generous. I think she is one of the better-looking human ladies too," he answered, taking a sip of water from his glass.

"Have I met this woman," I inquired, intrigued.

"Yes, I introduced the two of you four months ago," Seleuss paused to eat his meal. He seemed to be enjoying the suspense that he gave me, and Seleuss's gray eyes flashed amusement as he continued to eat.

"Miss Amanda Grayson," he finally conceded.

"Indeed, we have met," I quietly recalled,

"Do you concur with my assessment?"

"Yes, In fact, I offered her a business proposal," I offered after chewing my protein carefully.

"Clarify, my friend," Seleuss requested, halting his eating for a moment.

"That Miss Grayson oblige me in learning her human culture and traditions by becoming my wife," I offhandedly remarked.

"What was her response?" My friend seemed to perk up a little.

Shaking my head back and forth, I answered, "Miss Grayson said she would only marry for love."

"Most peculiar," he remarked, cocking his head to the left.

"I agree," I stated, "when I told Miss Grayson that she may not receive another offer of marriage, she became extraordinarily distraught. Then she ran out of her classroom without a word. I don't comprehend the reason."

"Highly irrational, but very much like a human," Seleuss replied, "would you like me to inquire?"

"No, it was clear that Miss Grayson did not think my proposal was acceptable," I stated, finishing the last bite of my meal. Truthfully, I felt unsettled by our conversation in her classroom, but I didn't know how to correct it with her.

Miss Grayson came back up during my meditation time during my afternoon break. With the limited conversations we had, I found myself appreciating her opinion on things Vulcan and impressed with her intelligence. I also recalled that Miss Grayson often worked individually with Sybok while she was an assistant at the Academy for Vulcans. Once I observed her patience and encouragement of my troubled son and thought that she would make a good teacher indeed.

After my unsatisfactory meditation, I questioned one of my human assistants, Bryan Lee, about it. He had worked with me since I became sub Ambassador to Earth twelve years ago, and I respected his opinion.

"Earth women like to be romanced," Bryan, the five-foot-five Asian man, generalized. He was currently engaged to a nurse, Veronica, and would be married soon.

When Bryan saw my perplexed face, my assistant cleared his throat and clarified, "They enjoy being taken out on dates and doted upon. "

"Doted?"

"Given flowers, chocolates, showered with attention, taken to shows or dancing, spoiled," Bryan simplified, gesturing with his hands to indicate his meaning.

"I thought my proposal was logical and mutually beneficial," I commented, and he shook his head.

"Most Humans marry for love, not business arrangements. Is that why Vulcans marry," Bryan inquired, baffled.

"Sometimes it is the wish of the families, and others, marry for mutual admiration," I specified.

"Admiration meaning love," Bryan asked, sitting up.

"Vulcans don't experience love," I replied, overseeing my assistant. He appeared to be nervous about the conversation.

"Well, I don't understand human women well either, any woman, really," my assistant concluded, running his hand through his thick hair. We went back to work for ten minutes and thirty seconds until he asked,

"Is that all you said to Miss Grayson to be upset with you, Ambassador?"

"I said that with my understanding of human marriage, she may not have another chance to marry because of her age," I pointed out.

"Uh oh, you commented on her age?"

"Yes," I confirmed.

"Now, I know that is a big "no-no." Never mention a woman's age to her," Bryan stated, with his eyes widened.

"Why?"

"Veronica explained to me once that it is considered rude. Additionally, you said that she was not very likely to be married," Bryan confided.

"That's not what I meant," I argued, "Statistically, Miss Grayson or any woman has fewer chances to marry as she ages."

"Yes, but that wasn't good, Ambassador. You criticized her," Bryan gently explained, appearing chagrined still.

"That wasn't my intention," I repeated, feeling defensive, " I meant it as an honor."

"I understand that, Ambassador, sir. Women are unique creatures, in all species," Bryan generalized with an apologetic smile.

Regrettably, Miss Grayson's sudden departure and hasty emotional outburst remained a mystery.