Drowning Mermaids

Chapters 5 - 15

Chapter 5: A Good Man

“He offered you to live with him?” the child almost shouted. “A complete stranger?”

“Hush, Corallyn. I will explain in a moment. I need to rest.”

“Of all the ridiculous…” The small girl furiously marched into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Aazuria slowly made her way to the bed, trying to keep her sore knees from collapsing. The joints felt like liquid that might give way under her weight. She finally crumpled weakly onto the mattress. A very quiet woman with a long braid rushed to her side and propped her legs up on pillows as she winced.

“Thank you, Elandria,” she whispered. “The twins will be here in a moment.”

Elandria nodded. Throwing her long braid over her shoulder, she began to knead the other woman’s calves.

After a few minutes, the massage seemed to soothe Aazuria enough so that she could speak. She reached out to touch Elandria’s wrist. “Do you trust me, sister?” she asked earnestly.

Elandria looked up in surprise. Her large, dark eyes were similar to Aazuria’s own, except for the shyness present in them. Before she could respond, the door to their motel room opened. Two identical redheaded women entered. They were laughing and chattering as they shut the door behind them.  When they noticed the state of the woman on the bed, it only added to their humor.

“Oh, Aazuria,” one of the twins scolded from across the room. “What is the point of having a doctor around if you never listen to my counsel? I told you not to dance on stage. You can make far more money by just lap dancing, and it’s much less strenuous.”

“Unlike you two, I feel greater comfort in dancing on hardwood than on the laps of men,” Aazuria responded curtly, with a small smile.

“You didn’t seem to object to spending a little alone time with that captain of yours—and his hospitable lap,” the other twin said coquettishly, with a bold wink.

“He is a kind man,” Aazuria responded, running her hands over her thighs and groaning, “but he barely even touched me. I certainly did not become acquainted with his lap. You always jump to conclusions, Visola.”

“What? You didn’t sit on his lap? Why in Sedna’s name not?” Visola stumbled over to the bed, revealing in her canter that she had consumed a few adult beverages. She clumsily tossed her purse onto the night table, and a cluster of bills spilled out. She grinned at this and launched herself onto the bed beside the other girls, landing face-first against the mattress. “Tell me everything!”

“He thinks that I am too young,” Aazuria responded drolly.

Visola snorted in laugher. “You! Young, indeed. Did you tell him how old you are?”

“Yes. He did not believe me; he thought it was a joke.”

“Typical,” said the other twin. She had been carefully removing her purse and jacket, but now she turned to Aazuria and crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s due to the deterioration of the quality of communication between men and women in this society. It’s really quite markedly manifest.”

“What do you mean, Sionna?” Aazuria asked, trying to focus on her friend’s words through her blinding pain. She saw the brilliant doctor tilt her chin arrogantly before speaking.

“You could tell a man anything, darling. Anything at all. Tell him about the secrets which make us unique—our biological faculties. Tell him about our rich heritage; tell him about our beautiful home and how it’s unlike anything else on earth. Tell him about your years of captivity, about how long and hard you’ve dreamed of this very moment when you could be in the company of a kind stranger and reveal all this. He will very likely respond with, ‘Och, that’s funny dear! Now let me see your titties.’”