Time Enough for Love (63 page)

“So?”

“Si. Ira has gone to his office—to work, perchance to sleep. Tamara has gone back to her patients with a message to you that she hopes to be home tonight—but with a word to Hamadryad to take you to bed and rub your shoulder muscles and put you to sleep early, so I’m not sure she expects to be back—won’t if she thinks her patients need her. Lazarus has gone somewhere and one does not ask. Minerva has the twins, and school may be in the ‘Dora’; it often is. Ishtar got a call to set a broken arm on a farm north of here. Hamadryad has taken our kids on a picnic so as not to disturb you, you lazy lecher. Boiled or fried?”

He was already frying them, so I answered, “Boiled.”

“Good, I’ll eat these myself. To hold me till lunch.”

“I mean ‘Fried.’”

“So I’ll put in three more, dear. You’re staying, aren’t you? Answer Yes or I’ll put the twins to work on you.”

“Galahad, I
want
to—”

“Then it’s settled.”

“—but there are problems.” I shifted the subject. “You said ‘Hamadryad has taken our kids on a picnic—’ Haven’t I met all your family?”

“Dear, we do not exhibit our youngest the moment someone sets foot in the foyer and thereby place on him the onus of being insincerely ecstatic. But there was usually someone with them; Lazarus has firm ideas on raising children. Athene keeps eye and ear on them—but can’t pick them up. Lazarus says that a frightened child needs to be picked up and cuddled
now
, not later. He believes in spanking right now, too; it evens out, our kids are neither spoiled nor timid. Lazarus is especially strong on not letting a young child wake up alone—so now you know why I kissed you good-night a bit early. So that Ishtar could help keep you awake while I slept with our youngest three.”

“Do you actually sleep with them?”

“Well—When Elf jumps up and down on my stomach, it makes me restless. But being peed on doesn’t wake me—usually. Having the cuddle watch isn’t bad; we rotate so it’s only every ninth night. Every tenth if you opt in. But that can change overnight. Suppose we have a rejuvenation client—One or more clients puts Ishtar, Tamara, Hamadryad, and me out of circulation much of the time. Add that Lazarus may leave as soon as he decides Laz and Lor are grown up. Then assume that all our darlings get cracking on making babies.”

Galahad grinned at me. “How long does it take four willing women to make four more babies? Or six, when the twins join the production schedule as they threaten to at least twice a week. Justin dear, we want you to stay but it won’t all be like last night. If responsibilities of family life worry you, you’d be better off in New Rome where you can hire people to do what you don’t fancy doing yourself.”

“Galahad,” I said earnestly, “stop stuffing your face a moment, dear. You can’t scare me with baby pee. I was getting up in the night to soothe crying babies a hundred years before you were born. I intend to colonize, I intend to marry again, I intend to raise kids. I had planned to go back to Secundus to clean up loose ends, then come back with the second wave. But I may say the hell with that and stay…as some of the Senior’s remarks last night were aimed at me. At least I took them personally—about having the guts to abandon everything and
go
. Secundus is a smoking volcano; that old vixen could set off a bloodbath. One that could include
me
, simply because I’m a major bureaucrat.”

I took a deep breath and plunged in: “What I don’t understand is why I seem to be invited to join the Senior’s household.
Why?
”

Galahad answered, “It’s not your pretty face.”

“I know that. Oh, I hardly ever scare dogs with it, but it’s just a face.”

“It’s not
too
bad. A cosmetic surgeon could do wonders. I’m the second-best cosmetic surgeon on this planet—there being two. The practice would be good for me and, as you pointed out, you’ve nothing to lose.”

“Damn it, dear, don’t farce me. Answer my question.”

“The twins like you.”

“So? I find them delightful. But the opinion of inexperienced adolescents could not have weighed heavily.”

“Justin, don’t let their clowning fool you; they are adult in everything but height—and they are our Ancestor’s
identical
twins. They have his talent for looking inside a person and spotting a bad one. Lazarus lets them run loose because he trusts them to shoot to kill…and not to shoot if they don’t intend to kill.”

I gulped inside. “Are you saying that those little guns they carry are not toys?”

My old friend Obadiah looked as if I had said something obscene. “Why, Justin! Lazarus wouldn’t let a woman go out of this house unarmed.”

“Why? This colony seems peaceful. What have I missed?”

“Not much, I think. Lazarus’ advance party made sure that this subcontinent was reasonably clear of large predators. But we brought along the two-legged sort, and despite screening, Lazarus doesn’t assume that they are angels. He wasn’t looking for angels; they don’t make the best pioneers. Uh, yesterday Minerva was wearing a little skirt. Did you wonder about it? In view of the heat?”

“Not especially.”

“She wears her gun strapped to her thigh. Nevertheless, Lazarus won’t let her go out alone; the twins are her usual bodyguard. As a flesh-and-blood she’s only three years old; she doesn’t shoot as well as the twins do, and she’s more trusting than they are. How’s your marksmanship?”

“Just fair. I started taking lessons when I made up my mind to migrate. But I haven’t had time to practice.”

“Better find time. Not that Lazarus will ride you about it; he feels responsible for our women, not for men. But if you
ask
for help—I did, and so did Ira—he’ll coach you in everything from bare hands to improvised weapons…with two thousand years of dirty tricks thrown in. Up to you, old darling—but here’s what it did for me. As you know I used to be a campus narky—a scholar poring over old records—I never carried arms. Then I took rejuvenation and became a rejuvenator myself and was even less inclined to go armed. But for fourteen years I’ve had regular coaching from the all-time champion in how to stay alive. The result? I stand straight and proud. Haven’t had to kill anyone yet.” Galahad suddenly grinned. “But the day is young.”

I answered soberly, “Galahad, that’s one reason I agreed to run a silly errand for Madam Arabelle: to find out things like that. Very well, I take your advice seriously. But you haven’t answered my question.”

“Well… I knew you from long back, and so did Ira. And so did Minerva, though you have trouble believing it. Hamadryad had met you but did not get to know you until last night. Ishtar knew you only from your chart but is one of your strongest supporters. But the deciding factor is this: Tamara wants you in our family.”

“‘Tamara!’”

“You sound astonished.”

“I am.”

“I don’t see why. She arranged for someone to relieve her in order to be here last night. She loves you, Justin; don’t you
know
it?”

“Uh—” My brain was fuddled. “Yes, I know it. But Tamara loves everyone.’

“No, just those who need her love, and she always knows who they are. Incredible empathy, she’s going to be a
great
rejuvenator. In this family Tamara can have
anything
she wants…and she happens to want
you
—to stay with us, live with us, join us.”

“I’ll be…damned.” (Tamara?)

“Unlikely. If I believed in damnation, I wouldn’t believe that anyone picked by Tamara Sperling could be in danger of it.” Galahad smiled, a happy expression than was more his charm than was his extraordinary beauty. I tried to remember if he had been that beautiful a hundred years back. I am not indifferent to male beauty, but my sensuality is not perfectly balanced; in the presence of a homely female and a beautiful male, I tend to look at the female. So I’ll never be an esthete; I lack judgment in matters of beauty. I apologize in advance to any female who finds my primitive attitude offensive.

But I’ll share bed with Galahad in preference to a self-centered female beauty; he’s warm and gentle and good company, with a roguish playfulness not unlike that of the twins. The thought ran through my mind that I would like to meet his sister—or mother or daughter—a female version of him in character and personality, as well as in appearance.

Tamara! The above was froth at the top of my mind because I was unable to face at once the implications of Galahad’s announcement.

He went on: “Close your mouth, dear; I was as startled as you are. But, even if we hadn’t been friends years back, on Tamara’s motion I would have voted for you sight unseen—so that I could study you. Tamara never makes a mistake. But were you so mind-ill that you needed that much from her? Or so superhuman that she wanted that much from you? But you are neither, or I failed to see it. You aren’t ill, I think, other than a touch of wild-goose fever. You may be superman, but none of us found it out last night. If you are a superstud, you restrained yourself. Hamadryad did say at breakfast that a woman is happy in your arms. But she did not imply that you are the Galaxy’s greatest lover.

“Being one of Minerva’s parents is in your favor, none of them has any serious shortcomings; Ishtar made sure of that—Ishtar knows more about you than you do yourself; she can read a gene chart the way other people read print—and Minerva herself is proof that no mistakes were made. I mean, look at Minerva: sweet as the morning breeze and as beautiful as Hamadryad in her own fashion, and with an intelligence level so high you wouldn’t believe it—yet so modest she’s almost humble.

“But still, it’s Tamara. Your fate was settled before you reached this house. Slow ride home, wasn’t it?”

“Well…one doesn’t expect speed from a nullboat. Though I was surprised to find one in a young colony. I expected mule-drawn wagons.”

“Lots of those, too. But Lazarus says that this time he traveled with ‘seven elephants’—we fetched a mammoth amount of equipment. That’s an overpowered nullboat, rebuilt to Lazarus’ specifications, and could have fetched you here in a fifth the time it did. But Ira let Lazarus know that he wanted time to make some calls. So Lazarus probably told whichever twin was in charge—or signaled her somehow; he is almost telepathic with them—to give you a long, slow ride. Which you got, and I bet that Laz and Lor never changed expression.”

“They didn’t.”

“Was sure of it. They are
not
children—you should see them handle a spaceship. Anyhow, Ira talked to Ishtar, then to Tamara; then we held a family conference and settled your fate. Lazarus confirmed it while you played with the twins—who were given a chance to veto it later. But they ratified it at once. They not only like you, but Aunt Tammy’s wishes are law.”

I was still bemused. “Apparently much went on that I didn’t suspect.”

“You weren’t supposed to. A better cook would have stayed to get your breakfast, had I not been deputized to tell you—old friends and all that—and to answer questions.”

“I’m confused about that conference. I thought Tamara got home just before dinner.”

“She did. Oh—Athene, are you listening, dear?”

“Uncle Cuddly, you know I don’t listen to private conversations.”

“The hell you don’t. It’ll be all right, Justin; Teena keeps secrets. Tell him how to call someone, Teena.”

“Tell me to whom you wish to speak, Justin; I have radio links to every farm. Or anywhere. And I can always reach Ira and Lazarus.”

“Thank you, Teena. Now if you must listen, pretend not to. The conference was here, Justin; Teena fetched in Tamara’s voice and Ira’s. Could have fetched voices from the nullboat—but you were the subject. By the way, Teena is one reason this family isn’t farming; instead we supply services that colonies usually don’t have so soon. Oh,
you
can farm if you want to; we’ve claimed quite a bit of land. Or there are other ways to make a living. All right, I’ve done my best. Want to quiz me?”

“Galahad, I think I understand everything but why Tamara wants me in your family.”

“You’ll have to ask her. I told you I was checking for your halo. Can’t see it.”

“I don’t wear it in hot weather. Obadiah, don’t farce around; this is terribly important to me. Why do you keep saying that Tamara’s wishes settled it?”

“You know her, man.”

“I know how important her wishes are to
me
. But I’ve been in love with her for many years.” I told him things I had long kept to myself. “So that’s the way it went. A great hetaera never proposes a contract and usually won’t listen if a man is bold enough to propose one himself. But I—well, I made a nuisance of myself. Tamara finally convinced me that she married only to have children and did not intend to have more. I feel sure that money was not a factor—”

“It wouldn’t be. Oh, I don’t mean that Tamara is silly that way; I’ve heard her say that since money is the universal symbol for value received, one should accept it proudly. But Tamara wouldn’t marry for money; she wouldn’t feel that—Or perhaps she would; I think I’ll ask her. Mm…interesting. Our Tamara is a complex person. Sorry, dear; I interrupted.”

“I say money was not the controlling factor, as she had suitors with ten to a hundred times my modest wealth, yet she married none of them. So I shut up and was content to have part of Tamara—spend nights with her when I was permitted to, share her company in happiness circles at other times, pay her as much as I could—as much as she would accept, I mean; she often set her fee by refusing part of a gift—she did with me; I don’t know what she did with wealthy clients.

“Years and years of that, then she announced that she was retiring—and I was stunned. I had taken rejuvenation during this time but hadn’t noticed that
she
was any older. But she was firm about it and left New Rome.

“Galahad, it left me impotent. Oh, not incapable, but what had been ecstasy turned out to be mere exercise not worth the trouble. Has this ever happened to you?”

“No. Perhaps I should say, ‘Not yet,’ since I’m still working on my second century.”

“Then you don’t know what I mean.”

“Only vicariously. But may I quote something Lazarus once said? He was speaking to Ira, but privacy was not placed on it; you’ll come across it in his raw memoirs.