Spreading Seeds Saga 03

Chapter 11 - Soul Sisters of Sappho

We had been in Barney for two months, I had planted the oats as soon as the pipes were laid for the subsoil watering system and the oats were starting to grow pretty well in the new field. The oats planted in the terraced fields as a safety measure were up and growing much better, probably due to the manure that was spread on the fields. The alfalfa patches we had sown were growing but the deer were eating it almost faster than it was growing, but it kept the deer out of the oats for the most part.

By now Astral and 10 other women were pregnant and everyone was happy, except the mothers of two go-fer girls who also showed up pregnant after the Clusterfuck. Andre had been fined by the Administration a million dollars for that and the Brotherhood had had fined him 25% of his proceeds from the Black Brothers Trust for a year. Andre wasn't sorry until it appeared that all the women refused to have anything to do with him.

My mules were all just about up to full weight now and forty had been shod with shoes the Administration had forged for them. The first mule train was being planned to take Burney's products to market into Nor Cal and Chief Mercer was happy.

Sarge had reached his limit on 'once a months' but had arranged for a barbeque and a sunshade to be built between the Bath house and the Kiva. He had five mule loads of various goods ready to go back home for the Kiva and were happily figuring the profit.

I had a good run of trades and had furnished my alcove with a couple of small rugs and some decorations, including the Bahia tokens Astral and Audrey had given me.

I had taken up a side business washing women's hair in the bath house at night. I'd had a shampoo chair built with a place to put a basin. The women loved the idea and it gave me a chance to hawk Sarge's line of cosmetics. I was making five cents a head for a shampoo and 20% of the profit for the cosmetics I sold.

I was washing the hair of the Bahia once a month for free to draw in some business and was washing Morgan's hair when I noticed June who I had met out in the fields a few weeks before standing watching me. Both Morgan and I were naked in the bath and I figured June was just appraising the goods. I waved at her, "June, good to see you."

She smiled and touched the woman next to her and said something.

I went back to washing Morgan's hair. Morgan came often to my hair salon and I ran a monthly bill for her. I feared that she wouldn't ever get pregnant. She was still beautiful and loved to have her body massaged, I was also running a massage parlor in one of the alcoves when the hair washing business was slow, but she would not consent to fornication with anyone since Raule had serviced her at 'The Great Burney Clusterfuck'.

I rinsed Morgan's hair and asked if she wanted conditioner. She said yes so I began to apply two cents worth of Sarge's Perfected Conditioner to her wet hair combing it through her hair with a tortoise shell comb that Sarge had sold me. I don't know what was in the conditioner. Alice of the Schmitt and Benders had gone in with Sarge on the cosmetics business and had supplied the goods; Sarge was just a middle man, as usual.

I dried Morgan's hair, wrapped it in a turban for her, and put on her robe. She held the robe open for me to adore her breasts and I kissed both nipples and caressed them softly then she wrapped her robe around her and took my chin in her hand and kissed me softly on the lips and went to rejoin the ladies on the pedestal.

June came up to me and asked, "Do you still offer Massages?"

I smiled at her and said, "Sure just go into my parlor and I'll be with you in just a moment. She nodded waved at her friend and walked toward the alcove where I had set up with my massage table and oil stand. I picked up the cosmetic bottles and put them in the wooden tray I had made to keep them in, dumped the basin into one of the urinals and wiped the basin out with a used towel.

I put my robe back on now that I was going out of the bath area. And found June and her friend in the 'parlor'. "Now what would you like, I offer a full body massage with olive oil or if you just need a back rub I can do that as well."

June said, "Oh it is not for me but for April," she said indicating her friend. I looked at April and asked, "Well what can I do for you April?"

April smiled, looked down and said, "I don't know how to put this but we were wondering if you could do us a special service." She looked up since I hadn't said no yet, she hurried on, "Well June and I are... We're..." Suddenly it came to her, "We're soul sisters of Sappho's."

She looked at me, hoping I understood her. I didn't really, oh I had an idea but it is very odd to find a true lesbian. Most women are bi-sexual if only from necessity and the acceptance of sex as a staple of life and not a "SIN" by the community.

It was the same in Davis. Most women would come into the house of giving irregularly. Their more casual sex was done at home with friends or alone with a favored instrument of choice. There were a few true lesbians and they only came if they wanted to be impregnated.

Once in a while you'd find a woman who came in regular three times a week, but it is draining and after four or five months they start to slack off and another swinger would show up. So I pulled the drapes and invited them to sit on the chairs and I hopped up on the Massage table. "Tell me what you would like and if it does not break the law, damage the order of the Kiva or scare the horses, I'll see what I can do."

I watched April in the dim light of three candles. She appeared to be several years older than June who was only 21 if she had been Bahia three years ago. April was a large woman with dark hair and dark eyes. Her skin was olive to brown, in the dim light it was hard to tell. She explained that they understood the rules of the Kiva required actual intercourse but they wanted to do it in their own bed and together. They looked at me needing my services and June implored me with her eyes, while April's face was composed.

"By together what do you mean? I mean there is no problem but if I need to bring in another man..." I let that hang because I liked to work solo, Clusterfucks not withstanding.

"Oh No," June said, "We only need one man and after what you told me last time we met, Well I think you're just the man we need."

Now I was pleased that they had come to me, they seemed like very nice women and they had a right to ask me for satisfaction of their needs but there were traditions to be observed.

"First are you on Ginny's receptive list?" I asked.

"Oh Yes, April De Soto, I was on yesterdays list."

We had leeway to service a woman for the whole week after she was on the list. Ginny and Sarge had negotiated that, so she was 'legal'.

"OK then there is the matter of the trade." I said

"What do you want?" April asked bluntly.

I hesitated, figuring out a starting bid. "Socks," I said, "Good heavy wool socks with double bottom soles. Mine are all worn out and so are some of the other guys, so I'll need ten pair?"

April was surprised, but considered what I had asked for then looked at June. June was smiling and nodding at April, "I can get the Knitters club to do them, they know all about double bottoms and such. What do you think?"

"How soon do you need them?" April said.

"Well I need the first pair now but I can wait a while, see what you can do." I was reasonable.

April looked at my feet, she put her foot up to mine, and "I'll bet you could wear my socks. How about I give you a couple of new pair of my socks? Then we will be able to get the double bottom ones knitted. We'll get 10 pair to you as soon as we can." She looked expectantly at me.

I smiled and said, "Done. But if it takes more than a month you owe me another pair."

April smiled, stood and put out her hand, and shook on the deal. "Ah .. When could we ...Ah. I mean"

"How about tomorrow night?" I said taking her hand lightly in both of mine. "I need to rest up a bit and that will give you time enough to figure out the delivery schedule. I've got tomorrow off, at least after noon, let's meet at lunch and discuss the schedules?"

April smiled at June. June hugged me, "Oh Josh Thank you so much. I told her you were reasonable. Sarge wanted 100 kilos of barley and 20 kilos of hops. I was frantic then I remembered when we met and you were so kind."

"Well Sarge is branching out into the beer trade and probably doesn't want to be bothered." I said. "But I'm just happy for you two. June told me, how she tried, what was it three times?"

"No I've tried five times and that was the limit, before."

"At the same time? I mean or during one ovary cycle? I asked. "Well five times, that is just too much. Not when you're timed as precisely as I know Ginny is calculating."

I said, "As a complementary offer, how about a sample bottle of Mr. Thompson's skin elixir?" I got a couple of the small half pint bottles Sarge had made in Porterville where they had found a gas well that allowed the manufacture of glass. "It is very good as a cleansing liquid to put moisture back into the skin after a hard day in the sun." The women looked at the bottles dubiously, took them and smiled.

April took June under her arm and kissed her, then looked up at me grinning, "We decided I should try." April was now realizing that her dreams could still come true and she and June were lovely people but I had a customer who would be waiting. I hugged them both and said, "I'm so happy to see you two so happy, that I'm going to cry if you don't go home and love each other."

They looked at each other for a second and vanished before my eyes. I laughed, It is seldom you get to give anyone such happiness and still get to fuck the pretty one.

The next morning, I had shaved and dressed for an early shift in the trading post to cover for Roy, who was too drunk to fuck the night before and would be sleeping in. I helped a woman who was looking for olive oil. I sold her a liter bottle for five Burney dollars. She signed the chit and I put it in the till and made the entry on the daily log.

Sweet Genevieve was doing duty that day too. I liked her and we had shared a blanket on the trail many times but she had found herself in a situation where several Burney women were seriously courting her and we hadn't seen each other for a few weeks.

"Oh Josh, Bernice is so sweet and knows a lot of poetry. But Judy is so strong, know what I mean?"

I didn't but nodded and let her go on.

"Well Judy and Bernice met in the dining hall and Judy said something and Bernice said, "If you think you're woman enough step outside." And they did. Judy took off her shirt and threw it on the ground; Bernice hung hers on the bench out front and they stepped into the street."

I was listening but knew the ending.

"Well it was nip and tuck. Judy was stronger but Bernice was faster and they chased each other and flipped each other every which way. Anyway it looked like it would be a draw until finally little Bernice grabbed Judy's hand and twisted it in some kind of nerve grip. Judy went to her knees groaning in pain. Then Bernice said, "And keep away from Ginny on Tuesdays"

Genevieve fanned herself, "Well I started figuring and Bernice always sees me on Tuesday and Judy generally saw me Thursdays, but I didn't know that they were sharing me, because of my extended libido."

Genevieve was a true nymph when she turned it on. I had tried to keep up with her often and succeeded several times, but had failed miserable a time or two. Genevieve, bless her heart never blamed me, "It's my extended libido." She would say and go looking for Raule.

The lunch bell rang and I kissed Genevieve on the cheek and said, "Freedom at last, See you."

I hadn't got to the Dinning hall when June came dragging April to meet me, June pressed two pair of socks in my hand and said, "I hope they fit."

I smiled at her and extended my hand to April. "How are you? Nervous?"

April smiled and said, "Excited a little." and took my hand warmly and held on.

"So June's bearing the seals to the bargain, yes" I asked

June smiled at me and said, "Yes the knitting club can provide 10 pairs of double bottom socks in one week. They will be grey, no dye, Is that good for you?"

"Excellent!" I said, and accepted the socks that June was still holding out. They were not strictly new, but they were a hell of a lot better than what I was wearing. I stretched one out and measured it on my foot.

"No take off your boots and try them on." June said.

I made my way to the bench outside the Dinning hall and sat. I took off my boot and pulled off the holey sock I had been wearing.

"Oh Josh, you did need socks." April said.

I looked up at her and said, "With the help of the Sympathetic Soul Sisters of Sappho's, I didn't have long to wait." I tried on the sock and it was very nice grey wool and good strong toes. They each had a small yellow sunflower embroidered on the cuff. They fit even though they were shorter than the ones I was used to wearing. I smiled up at April and June, then took off my other boot and put on a complete pair of fresh non-holey socks. I was pleased. I tucked my old socks in my back pocket and said, "Lunch Ladies?"

Now I had put the socks on fresh this morning so they didn't smell as bad as the goat slumgullian stew that they were serving in the dining hall. April stopped us before we had set down, "No, let's go to our house for lunch we've got enough for lunch in the cooler and I can't stand goat."

Soon after we started walking to their house they each took an arm and June was saying, "Oh you'll love our house we just finished it last winter it's the latest design, April designed it and I just love it. "

"Oh you are an architect?" I said to April.

"No just an engineer. I build most of the buildings in town the Administration is leasing me the equipment and provides the material but I'm really more of a project manager."

"Yes she was on a project last year that enabled us to buy the house. A horse driven combine thresher, for the barley." June said

"Really, I'm an agronomist in my spare time, tell me more."

April laughed nervously, "Well I took the initial design goal of eliminating the horse tramping down all the grain if he was pulling the machine. So I looked at various geometries and found that rigging the horse to push the machine, made the turning radius too great for our smaller fields. That left putting the horse on the machine, and just use the horse for power, not steering. We developed a tread mill with low flex treads and machined the power transfer mechanism to power the cutting bars and threshing turbine."

"So April got the Medal of Freedom and the three million for making it all work. Isn't she brilliant?" Junes enthused at my elbow.

April just smiled proudly and slapped at June.

We soon found our way to June and April's house. It was really four domes joined in a North-South-East-West pattern. "These domes are flattened ovoids," April told me, "meaning that they are flatter than the domes like the Kiva or the trading post.

We entered the south doorway and entered the first dome, it was divided into an entry way and a large expanse of glass where columns of ceramic pots stood. They were a grey color and had a rough surface finish. April said they were part of the solar heating and cooling system. I took her word for it. They took me around and showed me the house and all its refinements. April had devised a cooler cabinet that only used 10 pounds of ice a week and they had their own gas ring so June could cook at home. All the domes had skylights and the walls had been plastered with various colored sands, and the overhead was sprayed with a texturing compound made of hemp herds to improve the acoustics.

We finally sat in the kitchen while June and April shared preparing a lunch of cold sliced beef, a salad from the Agency's greenhouses and what June said was April's favorite beer. I looked at the bottle, it was marked "Sarge's Suds".

We cleared the dishes and rinsed them in the sink, running water was in each dome and both the kitchen and baths had water heaters fired with bio gas from the converter outside. April told me, "With goat droppings in such plenty, filling the bio-gas converter is more the cost of the labor to haul it up the hill." April had a studio and a bath on the east side in the same dome as their second bedroom. June had a laboratory room behind the kitchen and the master bedroom was in the smaller north dome.

I was impressed at the sophistication of the design and the skill it must have taken to not only make it all work but make it all look as smooth and finished as it did.

I complemented April; June smiled and held April's hand, looking at her with unvarnished admiration.

I finished my beer and wiped my mouth on a monogrammed napkin and put it on the table. "Ladies, we are going to be in most intimate positions you understand that?"

They both nodded, June enthusiastically and April with acceptance.

"You also understand that I will have to wash each of you since each of you will share in the Adoration of the Goddess that brings life, is that acceptable? I hate to use such blunt language but I have to satisfy myself that you understand and will hold me harmless if we are not successful this time in bringing a new life into being for you?"

April and June shared a searching glance and then both nodded. "Josh, we know you'll try your best and we know that it may take many tries to become pregnant. But Ms. Riley has confidence in you and so do we." April said patting June's hand.

"Well shall we start now?" I asked and waited while they looked and negotiated with smiles, winks and finally laughter.

April looked at me and smiled said "Yes lets start now, but I need twenty minutes to heat the water."

"Perhaps we could have a smoke and another beer while we wait for the water to heat and I can explain a few things that you might find strange unless I do."

June jumped up and said, "Oh Josh would you try some of my sativa strains and tell me what you think."

"Sure as long as you don't let me smoke too much of them and make me forget why I'm here."

"April, Go light the water heater and I'll get the sample array." June turned and ran into her laboratory room.

April got two fresh beers from the cooler cabinet and handed me one saying "She may be gone a minute or two. If I know her she will dither over strain 22b and 32cw or some such for a while. I'll go light the heater."

They left me in the kitchen, and I took a drink. Sarge seemed to have found the right subcontractor for his partner because the beer was excellent. April's cooler worked very well and the beer was cooling, smooth and powerful.

June came out of the lab with a small flat case and a hookah made of ceramic, actually it was a common beer bottle June explained. "This is special because it was April's. I found it one day while rinsing the empties in the sink. Josh everybody does what she can for the community. So when you're about 10 you take a ceramics class. They show you how to do every step using the standard beer bottle, although it is used for most everything and consequently is in demand.

When you're about eleven you work in a molding and detail line and manufacture bottles. Then they teach glazing, we just use a common grey glaze on everyday items, and we only glaze the inside of them but when the last batch is ready, everyone puts her mark on a perfect bottle. Well when we fire the kiln we generally fire several hundred bottles and your bottle gets lost in the scuffle. So you always look at bottles, looking for that perfect bottle with your mark on it. If you find it you get your name on the Bulletin Board. Well I found April's bottle the day after we met. Look at it."