Category: First Draft

  • Chapter 1, scene 2 Koen is taken to hospital

    Chapter 1, scene 2 Koen is taken to hospital

    Title scene: Koen is taken to hospital
    Part of: Chapter 1
    # of words: 1146
    Status: First Draft

    Text

     

    With or without a uniform, Sandor, Sylvia’s and Koen’s second child, is in control of any situation that might occur. Jutta says he looks like his dad. He doesn’t. He is more decisive, more masculine and more stringent. Koen is a wonderful man, but he is always thinking of other people first. Prime example is this giving away his women thing. He is in pain; and is going to die soon, but he isn’t asking for people to comfort him. He wants to ensure these women he feels responsible for will be in a good place once he’s gone.

    With Jutta and Sylvia in the hospital all day, Ilse is in Amsterdam for her study psychology, and Sandor is at work on the Navy base in Groningen. To ease some of the stress, I offered to cook for them. First occasionally, after it became clear Koen would probably have to stay in hospital until — , well, until he died I was there almost daily.

    I was the only one that knew all of Sylvia’s secrets. All of those she wrote in her confession book ‘Bad Girl’ and a couple she didn’t write about. I wasn’t surprised to watch Sandor and see his tension increase. He was looking at his mother and his mother-in-law, still in their hospital clothes, and looked as if Koen was already gone. Ilse, however, more than made up for the quiet moments, her excited chatter about what happened in class today: a constant, bubbly stream.

    “Girl and Little One, in the corner. Now!” Sandor’s voice cut like a knife through their silent mourning.

    Without a second thought, both ladies stood up from the table and found opposite corners in the kitchen, facing the wall.

    “Hands behind your back.” He sighed. “I know this is hard for you, and it’s hard for all of us. Not wearing your slave robe in your Master’s house is unacceptable for both of you. He may not be here, but act as if he is.”

    Sandor waited a moment and looked at me. I nodded. I have seen weirder things in this house.

    “Why do you still wear these outdoor clothes? Undress!”

    Both of them hurriedly took off their clothes. Ilse wanted to sink to her knees and crawl under the table. But Sandor stopped her with a hand gesture. Both my best friend and her Mistress were in the nude now. Sylvia had this big, ugly rose tattooed on her back. She once gave me a book that would tell me all about this tattoo, but it was some weird science fiction book and I am not at all fond of SF, so I never got very far.

    Both women looked good for their age, not an ounce of fat where it didn’t belong, and a butt that was firm and didn’t look like a moon landscape. Neither of them looked visibly tense, their folded hands resting relaxed on their buttocks.

    “Little one. Get both of you slave robes. You have one minute. Go!”

    Jutta flew out of the kitchen, doubtless unaware of her boobies dancing right before my eyes. All she concentrated on was returning to the kitchen in time.

    “Why?” I asked Sandor. “What is suddenly so important is that she is nearly breaking her back to return to the kitchen in time.”

    “Great question. Ilse, why don’t you answer it?”

    Ilse looked straight at me. “She is trying to please my Master.”

    Duh, stating the obvious. Jutta came back panting, with two white linen pieces of cloth in her hands.

    “Make sure Girl is dressed before you get yourself ready. Return to your position when you are done.” It was nothing more than a rectangular long piece of white linen with a hole in it for the head. A piece of red rope kept it together at waist level. Even I could see it looked sexy, but I suspected sex was the last thing on their minds. Both women clearly had no objection to being treated this way, so I kind of was curious where this might lead to.

    “This is the third day in a row you have eaten only a few bites from the delicious meal that Zuzanna has made for us. She has been busy all afternoon to make delightful meals for you girls and not eating it equals to me as an insult to the cook. Ilse, grab their plates and but it in a bowl.”

    Ilse scraped the meat, baked potatoes, carrots, and peas off the plate into a bowl. “Puree it completely and put it back in the bowl. Put it on the floor in their corners.”

    I remember well that as a child, Sandor refused to eat his jars of pureed vegetables. Jutta and Sylvia did not have that luxury because they could not leave their corners until the bowl was empty and licked clean. They could use their hands just to hold the metal bowl into place as they sucked and licked their bowls empty. This was not the first time they ate like this clearly. You and I would take forever to eat without the use of utensils or even your hands. Just with your lips and tongue takes practice.

    If this had been my first time here, I would have been appalled. His methods might have been bizarre, but they were effective. He had taken both women out of their grieving funk by giving them orders and by forcing them to eat; they had actually had eaten a full meal in days. It would not have been my way of doing things, but this was their home, their rules, and the way they liked things to be done. I never judged Sylvia for her behaviour in the past, and I would not start now.

    Their demonstrably altered behaviour was clearly a show of respect towards me. I appreciated that, and I was getting ready to leave.

    “If you don’t feel comfortable, please feel free to leave at any time. We are deeply grateful you are helping us out in these sad times. But if you want to stay, don’t feel obliged to leave on our behalf.”

    As I said before, Sandor was nothing like his father. Koen would have never, ever invited me to an evening of debauchery. It was tempting; I have to admit. As crazy as this family is, it provides free entertainment for an old spinster like me. Before answering, I used a piece of paper to clean my glasses. It seemed safe to assume the three women in the room were breathless with anticipation. I smiled and looked Sandor in the eyes. In every way, he was the definition of a man.

    “Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass for now. But it would be very impolite of me to decline your invitation again and again, wouldn’t it?”

  • CHAPTER 1, Scene 1 Walk in the forest

    CHAPTER 1, Scene 1 Walk in the forest

    Title scene: Walk in the Forest
    Part of: Chapter 1
    # of words: 926
    Status: First Draft

    Text

    I have never seen Koen cry until today. It is remarkable and exceptional. He invited me for a walk in the forest. I have been friends with his wife for fifty years, and so I know him well, of course, but we have never been friends. He tolerated me, and perhaps I simply accepted his presence all these years.

    “I am going to die real soon.” He got over his emotions quickly, as a real man should.

    “What?”

    “The doctors told me I have Pancreatic Cancer, stage 4. Jutta told me to see the doctor because I kept losing weight and my skin was so yellow. At first, my doctor thought it was gallbladder disease. But it wasn’t. When they found out, it was inoperable and had already spread.”

    “How long?” I asked, businesslike. He looked at me as if he would have expected such a question from me.

    “One to three months. Six months if I am lucky,” He air quoted the last word.

    “Is there no hope of treatment?”

    “No. It has spread out like wildfire.” He said.

    “How did Jutta and Sylvia react to that?”

    “They don’t know yet. You are the first person I confide in.”

    “You are not serious, I hope.” I said, appalled.

    He was quiet. The trees stand gaunt and motionless, their skeletal limbs stretched skyward as if in quiet surrender. Soaked from the rain these last few weeks. The trees look like they have given up their fight for life, as though they’ve forgotten the warmth of spring. I suddenly realise he will never see those trees coming to life again.

    Suddenly Koen starts talking again. “Both Jutta and Sylvia feel like I have betrayed their trust in me. They said more than once that I should outlive them both. You know enough of our life that they look up to me for guidance and structure in their lives. It’s something both girls need. Not want, but need. Jutta will feel lost, but she has Ilse here to comfort her. And perhaps Sandor as a potential replacement for me. For Sylvia it’s different. Jutta has been my twin flame for … years, Sylvia 6? x Times that long. My death is likely to have the biggest impact on Sylvia.”

    Koen stopped. I felt raindrops on my face. Frequent drops with the potential to turn into a huge rain shower.

    “We have never had a close relationship, but I know you are Sylvia’s best friend for such a long time for a reason. You have her complete trust, more than anyone, including her beloved Jutta. And I have a monumental request, completely unwarranted, and I feel incredibly awkward even asking.”

    He looked ill. Even his eyes were yellow. “Don’t take this the wrong way, please, but after I’m gone, I want to give Sylvia to you.”

    I know Sylvia for a long time. And I know all about the bizarre customs of the BDSM-lifestyle they follow religiously. This suggestion was a new low-point. Mildly I said:

    “You are not Jesus of Nazareth, you know. Even with the best intentions, you cannot rule over your grave. You cannot give people to other people just like that. You will have to discuss this with Sylvia and Jutta. They are human beings with a will of their own. But first you will have to share with them how ill you are. They both have a right to be with you, to stand by your side, to be strong for you. This is something you will have to face together. You always talk about being a team. Well, even if the team is losing a member, remain a team.”

    “I know it’s hard to understand, but it doesn’t work that way. It will comfort them both in their grief. It will aid their recovery, leading to a quicker and more thorough healing process. Trust me on this one. The death of a partner is traumatic for anyone. Losing her master renders a submissive lost and rudderless. It is hard for me as well to give them away, but I have to.

    “It would never work. You know I’m not into your way of living, and certainly not in Sylvia’s. She can be pretty extreme, you know?” I said.

    “I know,” he said drily. “It’s just temporary. I will ask my friend in Germany to find a new master for her. That will not be too difficult.”

    “You arrogant prick,” I said, suddenly angry. “Around the globe, people who outlive their loved ones often live fulfilling lives without the deceased seeking a new partner on their behalf.”

    “I understand you don’t understand our way of life. But I had to try anyhow.”

    In silence, we walked back to our cars. My Toyota Corolla is in stark contrast to his brand new polished BMW. They say a dog resembles its owner. My battered, 23-year-old ugly car also resembled its owner — rusty in the joints, prone to random wheezing, and desperately clinging to the glory days of the ’90s.

    Before we left, I gave Koen a big hug. “I know this is hard. I wish you strength. Talk to your wives. Let them mourn with you, allow them to feel a bit of your pain. Don’t do this all alone, please. Don’t be afraid of death. The universe always takes care of good people.”

    He nodded, got into his car, and left. With a sigh, I leaned against my car, the familiar scent of rust and oil filling my nostrils, opened the door, and slid behind the wheel.