Makarovia! Yes, I Know Where That is! Sophomore Year - 75. Homeward Bound: Part Two

Homeward Bound

Part Two

We entered the canal again and I didn’t want to witness it again. The appeal was gone. It wasn't a novelty anymore. Peter and I didn't have to hide while we went through the canal, but the idea of seeing those rock walls of the canal changed my mind. I wasn't a scared y-cat...I think. I faced the President, didn't I? And her homophobic Vice-President. We spent time in the secluded library.

“There you are!” Mercea's voice had the sound of relief as if he'd searched for a looong time and finally found us.

Peter grinned at me, “I didn't know we were lost. Did you?”

I shook my head, "Not that I was aware of." I waved to a nearby sofa. "You can rest easy knowing Peter and I are just fine,"

Sitting down, Mercea wasn't bothered at our slight condescension. "It's a damned big and empty boat!"

Peter nodded, “Some times.”

He wanted to ask something, but was keeping it to seem like a casual inquiry, "Yuri told me you spoke to Mikell yesterday." I could see he wanted to ask more specifically about something. "How is he?"

I was sometimes a little mean just to be funny. But not this time. "Which one?" I asked smiling at him, "Cosmo or Mikell?"

Mercea laughed a little nervously and shrugged, “I worry for both of them.”

Peter nodded looking up from what he was reading. "Of course, you are." Cocking his head to the side he said, "Cosmo's getting better. We hope to talk to him today."

"Mikell is fine, too," I said calmly. "He's doing his job, but he wanted to be there for a friend. He was very tired last night." I smiled at Mercea. "You miss him."

Mercea tried to blow it off, “I miss both of them.”

Peter shook his head, “It's obvious how you feel about Mikell.”

I looked over at Peter, “Peter,” I warned, “You shouldn't force him to say what he hasn't said.”

Peter waved at Mercea, "He is a born and raised Makarovian! Not some closeted guy from the West!" He stated firmly. "It's so evident with him and Mikell. With where we've been and his upbringing he knows it's not condemned."

I nodded, "Yes, but you're dealing with someone very young."

“And?” Peter asked. “There's more here than hero worship. You were talking just this morning about...”

I looked at Mercea's face, “Yes, but it may be too much for him yet.”

Mercea looked very uncertain about what to say. “Mikell is a superior officer.” He admitted weakly.

“Are there rules about that?” I asked because I didn't know. There could be.

Mercea shook his head, "No, I don't worry about that. I just don't want to ruin what we have, making it awkward."

I looked at Peter, "In other words, he's not ready to let anyone know." I turned to face him. "Would you appreciate that?"

Peter got a look of indignation, “No one would have dared! I am royalty!” He grinned.

I rolled my eyes, “You can a royal many things.” I looked again at Mercea. “I don't know what experiences you've had.”

Mercea blushed, "I'm not a virgin if that's what you're asking about."

"Only partially," I admitted. "Sexual confidence comes at varying speeds." I began and then laughed. "Some never get there." I mockingly growled at Peter. "Did it never occur to you to proceed delicately?"

Peter looked away, thought a second and then shook his head, “No.” The smile came back on his face.

“That's so...” Now, I thought for a word, “Neanderathalistic,” I said in English, “of you.”

Peter's left eye squinted, "Is that a word?" He asked doubtfully.

“What did I said made you think about?” I asked.

"That I was primitive and extinct," Peter said.

I waved at him, “See? You knew what I said meant. Therefore; yes. I used it, you understood it; so of course, it's a real word!”

Peter gave me a shrugging nod, “Okay!”

I spoke confidentially. "I couldn't think of the word for Neandertal in Makarovian."

“Perhaps we say Neandertal?”

Confronted with truths Mercea wasn't certain what to do next. “I've had...five people in my life,” He confessed and grinned. “I'm not a slut, but...three were male and two female.”

Nodding, I went on, "All were consensual." That was needless to say. Nothing in his personality said he wasn't anything about him was dishonest. "Those in you're past are in the past?"

Mercea chuckled, "It would have been unfair," he shrugged. "When I was told this job would involve a lot of travel...it wouldn't be fair to have them wait until I came back."

"That was a wise decision," I nodded. "For them and you." I pondered about his affection for Mikell. "Is there something different about Mikell?"

Mercea blushed again, “Well, yeah.” He shrugged. “He would be the oldest person I became involved with.”

I blurted out a loud chuckle, "Okay." I scratched the back of my head, "When you speak to Mikell...you may want to leave that on any list of his attributes."

Mercea didn't seem to know the problem and looked at Peter and then me. “He's fifteen to sixteen years older than me.”

“So, what?” I asked. “You aren't scared of Mikell, are you?”

Mercea looked away, but he nodded, “What if doesn't feel the same way?”

“Here's something you might consider,” Peter said. “What if he does?”

"He might not!" Mercea argued and got up, not to pace, but now was looking over a painting.

“And there's where it will remain until you speak to him,” I said. I turned to Peter, “It's a problem for some Makavovians.”

"I told you," Peter insisted, "I was sending the signals!"

"In Mandarin Chinese!?" I asked.

“We're married,” Peter shrugged. “It worked!”

I rolled my eyes at that and turned back to Mercea, "Are there emotions involved?"

Mercea looked back and touched his chest, “I have never felt it before, but yes. There are emotions involved. For me.”

I nodded, "I fell in love with Makarovia." I saw Mercea's smile was warm at hearing that. "I'll tell you why. I told this to Peter and don't you become offended. The isolation from the world as created and has a sense of innocence with the people."

“Innocence?” Mercea asked.

“That's right,” I nodded, “And that's a good thing.” I smiled. “You almost child-like innocence. I can honestly say I haven't met a single Makarovian that wasn't kind or just nasty.”

"Tell him what you said to Boris," Peter then did it for me. "He doesn't believe in regular people and us."

I looked upward for patience, “But, you and Mikell are human. You both have feelings. I hope this isn't just because he gives you an erection.”

“No!” Mercea blurted quickly and then gave a shrugging nod. “Well, he does often enough just standing there, but that's not why.”

I chuckled at that and looked over at Peter, “I know what you're talking about.” I muttered and turned back to Mercea. “I'll let you in on the reason you were,” I looked at Peter, “asked!" I returned my attention to Mercea. "In the United States and many of the powers in the West, the close relationship with others in the work-force can jeopardize efficiency. Judgment will suffer as the focus is taken away from the job!”

Mercea nodded, “As my attention would be taken away from you to Mikell.”

I gave a wobbling nod, "Or; we draw strength from it! Like they did in Greece!" I stated happily. "And my love of Greece is only outshined by my love of Makarovia!"

Peter chuckled and returned his attention to what he was reading. "And here he goes again."

“Why shouldn't I?” I asked loudly and returned the volume to normal. “I researched and I believe we're born what we are. I don't believe it's genetic, but it's a chemical reaction to enzymes and other chemicals that cause parts of the brain to develop when we're carried by our mothers.”

Mercea's eyebrows wrinkled, “Sooo, we 're the product of what our mothers made us?”

"Not exactly. That would be too simple and easy," I answered. "Human sexuality is too complex for that explanation. I've seen studies done on gay rams.

“Rams?” Mercea repeated, “As in sheep?” He sought confirmation that I had said what he thought I said.

I grimaced, "I'm not talking about the pickup truck or team mascot, either." I'd been to the various web-sites I knew where to go. "At first there were only a few University studies done." I pointed at one at Cambridge University in England. They included scans of various sheep. Ewe's and Ram's both gay and straight brains. "The Hypothalamus of these two shows this one," I pointed to the screen, "is twice the size of this Ewes." I pointed to another scan. "This scan is of a gay ram."

"Those two...the ewe and gay ram," Mercea pointed at the image. "things are the same size!" His finger wavered at the screen. "That's right!"

“Can adding the hormones or enzymes correct it?”

I shook my head, "No." I quickly got to the Web-page for the University of Oregon. "This where Dr. Larkin of Oregon and Dr. LeVay collaborated with Dr. Baltazhart from Belgium. Studies let us see what had happened. Did it cause our sexuality? I have to say yes." I leaned forward. "However!!”

Mercea was now smiling. Not because of what I was saying, but how I said it.

“We have moved far beyond instinct to mate to continue the species,” I said. “The time year doesn't matter.”

“Speak for yourself,” Peter muttered, still holding the tablet up.

"My point is," I sighed. "The instinctive drive to reproduce has been shifted from driver's seat in front and put it in the trunk."

“Was that a Southern Proverb?” Peter asked.

"If you want to claim it to be," I said. "By the time we're born we're pretty hardwired."

Mercea nodded, waiting for me to say. "How do you explain me?"

"I say," I pointed in Mercea's direction, "You're proof of the Kinsey Scale." As it was never really offered in Makarovia: he wouldn't know. "There is a test that, when completed, will put you on that scale from zero to six."

“Almost everyone falls somewhere in between,” Peter said lowering the tablet. “Very few make the very top or the bottom of the scale." He laughed at his wit.

I resolved to just keep going. He did have his moments. “Now, you,” I waved at Peter, are like him, “I think.” I looked at Mercea's attempt not to smile more. “You didn't get locked away from others for a decade, did you?”

Peter attempted to clear needless phlegm from his throat, "Which you got me seen about and helped me get rid of."

I moved slightly back and thought out loud. "Was that a locative preposition?" I shook my head. "I hated this in Ukrainian. I'm not that happy about it being in Makarovian." The rules for the parts of speech. Nouns, verbs and all that. Articles! The tree, a trip, and other things that described what has happened in the past, present or will happen.

Don't you get tired of all these sidebars? I get tired of doing them. So, pay attention so I don't have to repeat myself! That means no scratching the head and no "huh" at the end.

"You were raised where there was no stigma attached," I shook a finger at him. "I am so jealous!" I waved with both hands off the Duchess. "It was a Rite of Passage here!" I did it again. Stopping and held my finger up. "My problem would have been at the end." I touched my chest over my heart. "I am never giving Peter up."

Peter smiled compassionately at me, "I won't either."

"So," Merdea began, "How will we know?" He pounded his chest once. I got the impression of a gorilla. Be it gorilla or guerrilla as in warfare. They were pretty much the same. "Do you think it's better in Makarovia than the West?"

It pleased me that he didn't give a short answer, but thought about it. "I can't say." He shrugged. "I never have been there."

I chuckled, "This next year I might ask that question again. What Makarovia has more than anything else is plain Common Sense." I shrugged. "My Grandfather said there needed to be another name for it because of it sure as Hell is not common!"

Now, Mercea laughing even more, “We were warned about you.”

I felt a single eyebrow raise on my left side. "Warned?" I had to out more this before getting offended.

Mercea nodded, “Yuri said working from Boston he bit many times to keep from laughing.”

The left eyebrow went to a normal position and then narrowed, “He did?”

"Just two or three days ago," Mercea stated matter-of-factly. I'd deal with him later. I paused to think a second, "Where were we?" The title and subject came rushing back, "Oh, that's one elsewhere." I looked at Mercea and shook my head. "I always wondered how a society like Makavorvia could develop. No pressures socially for anyone to conform. I should say that on the whole. Makavovia is wwaaay ahead of everybody when it comes to Human Nature. We are born for certain tasks. We breathe in the air our noses and mouths. We will grow larger by consuming food and we have organs to help with that so we can grow!" I laughed and pointed at Peter, "His family shocked the Hell of me!” I cocked my head at Mercea. Did you jerk off?" Okay, I still had a lot to learn in Makarovian. What I said was masturbatuysja,

Mercea's face looked confused, not even a second later and said, “Oh!!” He pointed at me, “You meant perekynuty!”

My eyes widened and growled. Just a little one, “You're asking me!?” I asked exasperated. “If I knew what the word was I wouldn't have to ask.” I looked at Peter. “Is it? We've both used it!”

Peter nodded. “They mean the same thing.”

“Why?”

"Oh," Peter began raising a finger, "There's jerk off," he raised another finger, "toss off," he progressed to another, "wank," he raised another, "another personal favorite is spank-the-monkey and has nothing to do with a primate other than one's self and no slapping involved..." he stopped and looked at me, "Is there?"

I waved at him as if I could clear the air of his confusing ramble.

“The first one seems to need a degree to even try,” Mercea chuckled. “I've done it since...” he thought and had to think. He grinned, "I was little then..."

"That's impossible to visualize," Peter muttered, putting the tablet up again.

I nodded quickly, "Originally, I was so embarrassed when I found out King Olek knew because Peter told him." I reached over the small distance, "And, then!!" Mercea was now laughing even harder. "I find out King Olek never stopped...until recently."

Mercea was now confused, "Why? He's male."

“Yes!” I nodded. “And there's the common sense! In the West, in the United States, the idea of their baby is a sexual being many parents are too worried will happen too soon.” I held my fingers close to my head wiggled them around. "All arguments about nature versus nurture come to play with all your hard programming. You never had that!"

Mercea looked even more confused, “Someone has to tell the next generation.”

I nodded again, "That's right." I threw my hands out helplessly. "There are many who enter a marriage that had no clue as to what is supposed to happen." I sat closer a little. "I know the night I kissed Peter the first time, I was scared I would lose him as a friend." I waggled my left ring finger. "Just be patient.”