The Peacock 864

 The Mother promptly began to lecture me for drinking the water of my baptism, then painstakingly with imput from the Father, gave me a step by step detailed account of everything that had happened to me the previous year, beginning with my meeting with them both in Humlegarden Park, to my flights to Vancouver and Victoria, to my two nights at the community, then my apparently three weeks in the Refuge.  They only referred to the kid as their "Lord".  Some of the details I appeared to remember.  But following our visit, I was already beginning to forget.  They told me that once a month, they would join us, and each time remind me of what I had forgotten.  This went on for another year.  I really didn't have much spare attention for them, being busy with my classes, my students, my research and writing as well as with Marguerite and Yohanna, plus an affair I was launching into with a young male teaching assistant.  Then, on what would be my final visit with the ancient couple, I was warned that because of my immoral behaviour with Jens, the young TA, they would be taking from me Yohanna and Marguerite, and one week later, they both, my wife and my daughter, perished when a bus ran them both over in the downtown...

The Peacock 863

 My life continued in a pleasant, well-ordered and very predictable fog.  Very Swedish bourgeois.  Yohanna became fatter and fatter with our soon to arrive little girl, I continued planning, conducting and grading classes, continued going to the theatre, or the cinema and even to an opera with Yohanna.  We dined out a lot.  Sometimes I got drunk, which never seemed to end well, because that was another trigger for my forgotten weeks at the Refuge.  I couldn't remember anything but simply would get flooded with a sense of emptiness and dread anxiety.  And of course, Greta and I continued to meet every week for lunch.  She was a very attractive girl, but for some reason, I couldn't imagine trying to spark an affair with her, especially given how much she reminded me of the kid in the mansion.  Greta and I didn't really talk about stuff, just mundane matters about our daily lives and life on the campus and how her courses of studies were going.  Marguerite my daughter was borne, and a couple of months later Yohanna and I were wed in a small civil ceremony.  It was shortly after in July, I think, when I arrived just five minutes late to the restaurant, and realised that Greta and I were having company.  Flanking her at the table sat the two old people from the Refuge, resplendent in freshly laundered tweeds, Mother and Father both....

The Peacock 862

"when I returned to sweden I only remembered my time in the place of the Transfiguration, and simply thought of it as a retreat centre, and even without knowing it, invented a whole set of memories about the time I didn't spend there.  The Refuge did not occur even once in my mind, although I often dreamed of the place and especially about the kid.  I returned to my duties at the university, where a couple of weeks later Greta came to see me.  She sat down without my invitation and impaled me with her zircon blue eyes and said, I heard everything about your time in Canada.  Mother and father, her names for the old couple, told me that I must do everything I can to help you remember.

Help me to remember what?

Your time in the Refue.

Oh you mean that Christian community near Victoria.  Wonderful place with lovely, friendly and helpful people.

You were there just twice, for two days each time.  You have to remember your time at the Refuge.

I of course knew nothing bout what she was talking about, but on her insistence I agreed that we meet for lunch every week,.  meanwhile my fiancée, Yohanna and I, were planning our wedding and she was already expecting our child...

The Peacock 861

 "The following day, the two elders appeared, the old man and woman dressed as always in tweeds.  They sat with the boy and I in the library, and explained that my drinking the water of forgetfulness had deeply compromised me, that I would have no memory at all for the next year of what happened, and then it would come to me in brief lapses, through which I would accomplish a little, but still with great harm to myself and to others.  But that I must still follow through with my new duties, and that in time, after great suffering and turmoil, I would recover my memory.  That happened, Kenny, to me when they put me here in hospital, and as you can see, I have almost completely recovered, but still am not really that stable."

"I would imagine", say I, "that that was the visit Kenny had with him the day before I came with him to see Lindstrom, because that day he was completely zonked on medications or whatever."

"Read on", says Francois.

"I was seeing and hearing everything as through a cloud or mist.  The old couple escorted me down to the water, and then saw me off on the boat.  The ferryman was wearing as always his hoody, like the ferryman of Styx from Greek mythology and never once saw I his face or hear his voice.  Chris was waiting for me on the other shore, and escorted me to the community, where I spent two more nights.  The next day, he drove me to the airport...

The Peacock 860

 "One morning the kid came to my door, knocked three times, as he always did.  I let him in.  I had my shower and came out while towelling myself off in front of him where he was seated as usual in the comfy chair.   For some reason I felt completely at ease around him naked, and I'm usually not at all modest anyway, but he was so young and I would have been perhaps a little more discreet with a sixteen year old, but that didn't seem to matter.  Plus, he did also seem older than me.  Way older.

"Don't get dressed yet", he said as I reached for my underwear.

I looked at him, not comprehending.

"Today is the day of your baptism."  Then he gathered my clothes together in a bundle which he wrapped in a clean towel.  "We will have breakfast just after the baptism", he said.

"This all seemed to be part of a dream as I followed the kid down two flights of stairs, and outside.  We went to the pool of forgetfulness.  He told me to step into the water, which I did, still completely naked.  That was when they appeared, it was the first time I saw them.  They were tall, incredibly tall, and appeared to be shining with light or wearing bright shining robes.  I could hardly tell the difference.  They seemed like youths, but it was hard to discern which gender.  Their lovely faces were incandescent and their eyes shone like live coals.  They radiated joy and peace and such a force as I could hardly stand in their presence.

I was in waste deep and they both stepped into the water with me, one on each side as they both lowered me head backwards into the water, warning me first that I must not swallow any of the water.  But I couldn't keep my mouth closed.  I swallowed the water, a good quantity of the water.  They pulled me to the surface, and shivering and choking, everything seemed suddenly incomprehensible to me.

The two beings disappeared from sight as I stepped out of the pool and the kid began to methodically almost ritually towel me dry.

"You should not have drunk the water", he said. "But it will all come out well.  You are going to forget for a while, but then you will remember, first on occasion then frequently, especially when you begin to seek after the young man you have been chosen to bring to his calling and vocation.

"And Kenny, my son, it was you to whom he was referring..."

The Peacock 859

 "The kid never told either of you his name", say I.

"Yet", replies Jason, "We obviously knew who he was.  There was something particularly powerful about that physick garden, some kind of strange magic or power or force there.  I can understand his wanting to take us there every day. "

"Are you going to be all right?" asks Lazarus.

"I'm okay", says Jason.  "This is a bit of a trigger."  He appears to be trying to control his breathing.

"Chocolate?" says Carl, passing him the bag of chocolate chips.

"Don't mind if I do."  He puts a few in his mouth.  "Delicious."

"You're going to be okay", Carl says, rather than asks.

"Yes.  Thank you for the distraction."

"Chocolate to the rescue", says François, smiling.

The Peacock 858

 "I was the only person at this strange mysterious pace. Every morning the boy would knock on my bedroom door, to wake me up.  Then he would sit in a chair in my room and wait for me while I showered and made myself ready.  Breakfast was always sumptuous and delicious and varied, and already on the table when we arrived.  We rarely spoke to each other.  It seemed we were communicating telepathically.  We always spent the last hour before lunch seated in the midst of a circular physick garden in the midst of a large plantation of medicinal, culinary, and I suspect magical herbs.  There was a sundial in the middle.  It was an especially silent place, and we would sit together on one of the benches, quiet, not speaking for at least an hour, before returning to the house for lunch.  In the library, I know I was reading and absorbing a lot.  But to this day, I can't remember the books nor the writers.  But I was learning mysteries of the universe, the earth, our humanity, the environment, the centrality of the spirit to everything. I was a dry sponge absorbing pure living water."

"I never sat in the library, except a couple of times",says Jason  "I don't think I was able to read."

The Peacock 857

 "The boy and I ate lunch together in the dining room, which was a huge, elegant chamber full of mouldings and wood beams and paneling and wainscotting, clearly a place out of any of the most elegant estates from the British Isles.  The lunch itself was simple and lovely and very healthful: fresh fruit of all varieties with yogurt and various of the finest cheeses of Europe, various dark and whole grain breads, and what appeared to be different nut butters.  It was quite incredible.  Then we went to the library where we sat in comfy chairs with coffee, and he began to explain to me the plan for my stay.  I was to be with him for three weeks.  We would spend the mornings together, breakfast, then walks on the expansive grounds surrounding the mansion.  After lunch I would be on my own to research and read in the librry, and walk on my own and rest.  I was especially supposed to give priority to rest.

The Peacock 856

 I arrived at the island, where I was met by a teenage boy, a very beautiful boy who I thought looked Swedish.  He wore a white shirt, almost like a short tunic and blue jeans.  He greeted me with a warm embrace, then led me up a steep hill in the woods.  We came out onto a huge estate with a rambling mansion in the middle.  The boy told me to stop and rest by the pool of forgetfulness, and he would come back to guide me to the house.  I sat on the edge of the pool, it was made of carefully masoned and set stonework, a very elegant piece of work.  But in the middle, on top of a fluted pillar, a bat-like gargoyle sculpture and water poured from his mouth into the pool  I had a sudden desire to drink some of the water, but then thought better, and declined.  I sat on the edge of the pool and stared out at the mansion.  The boy came out and smiling he asked me if I drank from the pool.  When I said no he smiled and said, that means you are ready.  Come  with me to the house....

The Peacock 855

 In Vancouver I had a couple of hours to wait for my connecting flight to Victoria.  My contact person did not appear to be there.  I sat and read a Time magazine, and really wondered what the hell I was doing there and who that old couple really was.  The thing is I had responded to them as though we had always known each other, as though they were my own mother and father, and now I am aware that in a way yes they are my mother and father.  It was a short flight just a half hour.  The plane was only half full, then just as we were landing, the man next to me said, "Welcome to Victoria, Mr. Lindstrom.".  His name is Chris, and he is the purported leader of a Christian community, the Place of the Transfiguration, just across the water from the Refuge.  I spent two nights there in the community, which occupies a no longer used convent.  It is multidenominational and the people received me with great kindness and hospitality.  Then, my second morning, after breakfast, Chris walked me to the beach about a kilometre away and waited with me till the boat arrived....

The Peacock 854

 "Oh my God!" says Jason, formerly known as Adam.  "Oh my God!"

"Yes", say I, "It's all making sense.  And this makes me really need to talk to Greta."

"Or to her brother", says Carl, "Could he be in on this"

"That's probably why he's coming to see me."

"I'm sure we'll have some questions for him when we meet him at the airport", says Francois.

"We?" says Carl, "Yes, but of course, Francois.  You are coming with us tomorrow."

"I wouldn't dream of missing out."

"I agree", say I.  "We seem to be much stronger when it's us three."

"How about you guys", says Carl, passing Jason and Lazarus the chocolate chips.

"It might be a bit crowded?" says Lazarus.

"I'd rather wait a few days", says Jason.  "This has all been very intense, and I need time to digest."

"That makes good sense", concurs Francois.  "Chris, do you want to continue reading?  This is altogether fascinating..."

The Peacock 853

 "We walked through the park to an apartment building.  It was actually an apartment hotel and we went to the fifth floor where they had a small apartment.  There was a suitcase.  The gentleman, and they looked incredibly British, said that I will find various changes of clothing in there, my taste and size.  Then he presented me with a passport.  I opened it.  If it was falsified, it was a very good forgery, but here was my photo, and my passport number, which I had already memorized, and my signature.

"We will accompany you to the airport", said the woman, "And there will be someone to meet you in Vancouver.  He will be waiting for you in the departures lounge and you will fly to Victoria together.

"I have to be at home in five minutes to grade papers and prepare classes", I protested.

"You will be back in a month.  In the meantime, a substitute professor has been arranged for you.  Now the cab is almost here.  Let's go.."

"Where is Victoria?"

"It is the provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada.  From there, your contact person will accompany you to the Refuge.

"The refuge?"

"We have to go...Now..."

The Peacock 852

 "I had actually almost completely forgotten my meeting with Greta, and thought nothing at all about our conversation.  I simply didn't want to believe any of it, so I didn't remember it.  Then, three weeks later to the day, while taking a stroll in Humlegarden Park.  I passed an elderly couple seated on a bench, when the woman called me in English, "Sven Ingmar Lindstrom."   I at first resolved to ignore her and kept walking.  Then she called me again, "Sven Ingmar Lindstrom."  I felt literally and bodily pulled towards them, till I stood before them where they were still seated on the bench. 

"How may I help you", I replied in a timid voice, because I was feeling rather overwhelmed, frightened and paralysed.

"We are Greta's friends.  She told you we would be seeing you, and now it is three weeks since you spoke with her."

They stood up.  "We would like you to come with us, please", said the gentleman, presumably her husband.  I found them both incredibly tall, at least two metres.  They otherwise looked very British, dressed in tweeds.  She had incredible hair, white and wild, flying in all directions...

The Peacock 851

 I pause, incredulous.  I read it again, silently.  "Her name was Greta."

"My ex-wife."

"Are you sure", says Francois.

"Yes, he's sure", says Carl.  "Chris, you don't have to keep on reading if this is gong to be upsetting for you."

"The show must go on", I reply.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

I continue:

"She sat down in my office and stared at me with the most impaling blue eyes I have ever seen.  Then she said

'Do you know who you really are?'

"I am your philosophy prof, Sven Lindstrom."

"You are also one of our watchers", she said.  There was silence for almost a minute.  But only because, just then, I also knew.

"Yes, you were sent to me", I said.

"You will go through a period of doubt and denial for three weeks, then two of my companions will approach you, and they will show you, and after that you will return to work with us.'  She said nothing else, but just got up and left.  I did not see her again in class, but then saw her on the grounds two months later, after the visitation from her two companions...

The Peacock 850

 I tried to direct us to the place where Christopher works, since I really wanted to feel safe and supported, but he insisted on Starbucks.  I hate Starbucks, but Lindstrom was not going to be swayed.  And really, once we sat down with our coffees, it really wasn't that bad.

"I owe you an explanation ", said Lindstrom."

"I would say you do". I replied.  "So, tell me everything.  Starting with, who the fuck are you?"

"My full name Sven Ingmar Lindstrom.  I grew up in Stockholm Sweden.  My mother was a nurse, my father a construction foreman.  I studied philosophy in Stockholm University, and graduated with honours.  I eventually won a teaching post.  And then came my first crisis.  One afternoon in April, one of my students, a young woman, approached me at the end of the class and insisted that she had to see me that same day in my office.

"She was one of my youngest students.  Still only seventeen.  An incredibly brilliant young woman.  She was majoring in environmental sciences, but was also taking a minor in philosophy.  Her name was Greta..."

The Peacock 849

 "Ready", say I, having just opened to the last ten pages or so of Kenny's diary.  "I just had coffee with Lindstrom.  And it turns out that his name is indeed Lindstrom.  Funny how it happened.  I had stepped outside the house for a walk, and there he was, lurking on the other side of the street.  I was about to go all Harriet on him..."

"Harriet?" says Lazarus.

"Harriet was Kenny's female alter ego.  Whenever he took on that persona, it diminished Lindstrom's power over him such that he had to go away.  Otherwise, Kenny was completely vulnerable to him, and very much under his power."

"That is really interesting", says Jason.  "Anima and animus".

"You know your Jung", says Carl.

"In our library at the Place of  the Transfiguration, we had a massive library, including all of Jung's collected writings.  I read and studied them intensively."

"Read on, Chris", says Carl...

The Peacock 848

 "Kenny was a family friend, who became like family for the five years he lived with me and my dad.  He left this journal which I only discovered recently.  He died twenty-five years ago, presumably suicide.  He had previously been a transvestite hooker, or sex worker as they say now.  He left the lifestyle and integrated really well with our family.  He had been a university student majoring in environmental sciences, and still had a passion for nature and the outdoors.  If he was alive today he would be around sixty.  He was being stalked by a tall, blonde haired man, allegedly Swedish or Scandinavian, named Lindstrom.  This man himself was particularly troubled, but also seemed to have supernatural powers and could possibly be the same person who has been seen round here over the years.  I saw him a couple of times, the last time as a patient in the local mental hospital where I visited him with Kenny.  Then they both disappeared together.  Two days later, Kenny's body was found, washed up on Ambleside Beach in West Van.  They think he might have jumped from the Lion's Gate Bridge.  Lindstrom would still be at large.

"He might also be the same guy who picked me up at the bar that night in Victoria and drove me to the beach where this other guy in a boat took me to the Refuge", says Jason.

"Curiouser and curiouser", says Carl, digging his hand into the bag of chocolate chips...

The Peacock 847

 The sitting room is at the other end of the corridor from my room, and actually takes up three rooms joined together with the walls knocked out.  

"It was done before my dad took occupancy of the house, by who is anyone's guess", says Carl.  The room is reasonably clean with a slight odour of dust and neglect.  Carl has already opened all the dormer windows.  There is a made single bed in one corner, near the far window.  it is covered, like other beds in this house,in a white cotton counterpane. There is a loose and irregular semi circle of comfy chairs in the middle, and a couple of occasional tables.  The pale yellow walls are all bare and completely unadorned, casting a rather austere and forlorn aspect on the place.  There are no lamps, just three separate light bulbs on the ceiling.  We have already sat down, five of us, since Jason and Lazarus have opted to join us, Carl, Francois and I.  Carl produces yet another fresh club size bag of President Choice Decadent semi sweet chocolate chips, and with theatrical flourish cuts it open with the scissors he has in his right hand.

"Chocolate chips?" says Jason.

"This is the sacrament for our reading ritual", says Francois, smiling.

Kenny's diary is on my knee, and I open the book to the final pages...

The Peacock 846

 It is already nine and everyone seems to be running out of juice.  Tommy, Carrie  and Carlos have just left, and now Amanda is putting on her coat.  There are already several people in the kitchen doing clean up.  Sheila and Matthew have both excused themselves, and Michael has already complained that he is starting to fade.  Only Carl, Francois, and Jason and Lazarus remain with me in the salon.  Carol is playing something on the piano in the next room.

'Bye", says Amanda, as Sarah sees her out.  "I has been an amazing pleasure."

"Does that mean you're coming back", calls Carl from his armchair.

"You bet it does", she says.  "Do we get another floor show?"

"You are going to have to ask our two burlesque girls", he says.  "But I don't think they would be adverse to the notion."

"Do you feel like reading more of your friend's journal", says Carl.

"My friend had a name."

"Oh, sorry.  Kenny."

"That's better."  I am feeling right now unusually playful and punchy.  "Francois,what do you think?"

"I don't see why not.  How about you guys", he says, looking at Jason and Lazarus.

"Would there be enough room in my bedroom?" 

"There is also  sitting area up there.

"Really?"

"You haven't seen it because the door is always closed..."

The Peacock 845

 Oh darlings", you were simply divine!" rhapsodizes Matthew.

"I'm not sure if divne is the appropriate word here", says Melissa.  "But you both are very good at what you do."

"Not bad for a couple of Catholic priests", says Carl.

"You mean to say", says Amanda, "That you both are priests?"

"Yeah", says Jeffery, "We told you at lunch today."

"I must have forgotten."

"How did you guys find the time to rehearse?" says Sarah

"What else did you think we were doing spending so much time in our room together."

"And I am not touching that one with a barge pole", she says.

"Too late", says George.  "You just did!"

"what exactly does she do" says Carl to Naomi".

"She operates a resource centre for street and survival sex workers in the Downtown eastside."

"And what exactly is our relation to her?"

"Well, she is the daughter of your great grand uncle, and that would make her our first cousin three times removed, I think."

"I'll send her a text tonight..."

The Peacock 844

 "Could Mel fit into your household along with her big brother?"

"I don't see why not.  Eric will be coming as well, but Dad's office could easily be turned into a sleeping room, or even a full bedroom."

"One step at a time", says Carl.

"Agreed", concurs Melissa.

"Agreed", say I.  Naomi approaches Carl.

"I just emailed you Cynthia's contact information.  I already talked to her today.  She says she might have time Monday if you both would like to meet with her."

"Cynthia?"

"Another mysterious relative of ours.  She is a descendent of my great grandfather's younger brother.  She  was born in Vancouver, but her Mom moved here from Holland."

George and Jeff return, now dressed in jeans and T shirts, no makeup and their masculine shoulders still festooned with their pink feather boas....

The Peacock 843

 "Look, she can have the whole bloody house if she wants it."

"Then what are you going to do?"

"I'm going ot live with Chris in Vancouver."

"Are you so sure about that?"

"Tomorrow we are going to find out.  His house, or family home has just become vacant, so we are going to stay there while we re waiting for Mom's plane to arrive."

"You're really serious about leaving?" says Melissa.

"There are three bedrooms.  We could both live there.:"

"And what will Mom do?"

"She won't be alone here.  She'll have her two friends, plus some of the others are going to stick around to keep her in line."

"Is this responsible."

"Maybe.  Maybe not.  But don't you want to get free from this place."

"Yes.  I do."

"Chris", says Carl, "Tell us your opinion, please..."

The Peacock 842

 "I was basically sheltering and looking after Stephen, who was a friend of Kenny's.  He was working as a hooker in drag at the time, just in his early twenties.  He basically stalked me and followed me round until I let him stay with me for a while.  I also saw him perform on stage a couple of times before he hung up his heels.  He wasn't bad actually."

"You are full of surprises", says Carl.

"Aren't we all?"

"How often does this happen here?" says Amanda.

"First time", says Melissa, without enthusiasm.

"You're worried about Mom", says Carl.

"This is not going to go over well with her at all."

"Did you enjoy it?"

"I loved it", she says, "They were both incredible."

"Well", says Carl, "We are not censoring anything or anybody just to please our Mommy Dearest."

"Agreed", replies his sister in a nea whisper.  "but then, whose funeral is it going to be..."

The Peacock 841

 "Did that actually happen?" says Glen, his plate full of uneaten cheesecake sitting neglected in his lap.

"The first drag show is always the most impactful", says Carl.

"He's not that innocent", says Michael.  "And Glen, you'd better hurry up and eat your cheesecake before I tear it from under your nose."

"You've seen this before?" says Carl, leaning towards him like a coconspirator.

"What a magnificent performance" rhapsodizes Carol  "Those two must be professionals."

"They were pretty good", says Jennifer.

"Incredible", chimes Sarah.  "Best drag performance I've ever seen, and I have seen a few."

"And you too, Glen?" says Carl, satirically.

"Back in the day.  You probably still hadn't learned to wipe your bum when I had my first contact with drag queens."

"That's right", says I, "You knew some friends of Kenny's."

"Did I ever."  And now, Glen appears to have shed like an old skin his holy and consecrated visage as he begins to remember his own distant past...

The Peacock 840

 The cheesecake is one of the best I have ever had.  Mine is smothered with chocolate and orange sauces.  They made lots, and seconds are going to be pretty likely.

"Carol, are you going to play for us", says Sarah.

"Perhaps after my third serving of cheesecake", she says between mouthfuls.

Suddenly the lights go out.  Even with filtered light coming from the extended daylight of May, it is surprisingly dark in here.  Then one light in the centre of the room comes on, like a spotlight and suddenly the music of the Pointer Sisters, I'm So Excited.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iwBM_YB1sE

And out come strutting two visions of shocking pink chiffon with matching feather boas, George, glamorous in a flowing blonde wig that cascades over his shoulders like a peroxide waterfall, followed by Jeffery with a similar auburn wig.  They are actually very good, all made up and moving and swaying and swinging wiggling and lip synching to drag queen perfection.

We are amazed, stunned, like a rat cornered by a cobra, and the mesmerizing performance picks up steam and stamina as the two men embody and transmit the wild and joyous abandon of female sensuous joy.  The song is soon finished, followed by another, Jump for My love, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyTVyCp7xrw

and the whole room is swaying and throbbing and pulsing and breathing, and then it's over, it is dark it is silent, the light comes back on and George and Jeffery are both gone.

The applause and cheering and laughter is as wild and unstrained as the performance that has just delighted us....

The Peacock 839

 Tommy has arrived with his wife and uncle in tow.  This dinner has turned into a special occasion,  everyone in the house is present, so we are all eating a la buffet in the reception room.  Everyone except for George and Jeffery.

"Where are George and Jeffrey", I ask Carl.

"they should be here shortly."

"Did they go out somewhere?"

"They will be here in a few minutes.  Just after dinner."

"Are we having them for dessert?" says michael, snickering.

"Never mind.  You'll soon see."

"And besides, dessert is on us", says Tommy.

"You really didn't have to, you guys" says Carl, smiling broadly.

"what did you bring us?" says Carol, cheerily.

Then  Melissa, Sarah, Jennifer and Maureen come out, each carrying a huge entire cheese cake, and followed by Glen and Matthew, each carrying crystal cruets in both hands.

"Choice of sauces and syrups.", announces Carrie, "creme Brulee, chocolate, cherry and orange.

"Who made all this?" says Carol."

"My handsome hubby", says Carrie, hugging Tommy from behind.

"Oh, you shouldn't have", she squeals like a delighted upper class school girl.

"Maybe not", says Tommy, chuckling, but we did!"

The Peacock 838

 "That's not going to be somewhat awkward?" says Carl.

"Not in the least", proclaims Amanda, now seated on a couch with Naomi.  "Naomi is the only one there who didn't turn against me."

"Despite her scandalous boutique?" says Carl to Naomi.

"I see it entirely from a health care perspective", says Naomi.  "Especially during this pandemic.  You can't expect everyone who's a couple to sit up all night playing Scrabble."

"Harm reduction?" says Carl, clearly wanting to stir the pot again.

"Call it what you want", says his half sister.  "But we are all sexual beings.  Okay, some of us are more asexual, but we are still sexual beings.  As far  as I'm concerned, Amanda is performing a public service."

"I'd like to hear you say that to your pastor."

"Brian has already heard it all from me verbatim."

"And have you left?."

"Oh hell no.  He respects me too much."

"Everyone in the church respects Naomi.  I only wish I knew how she does it", says Amanda.  "So, Naomi, how do you do it?  What is your magic?"

"Without actually taking sides, I appear to have everyone convinced that I am on their side", she says.  "And in a way I am, even when we don't agree."

"But how do you do it?"

"Hell, I don't know.  By the way Amanda you have to try this drink, it's all tropical fruits, no alcohol and it is exquisite."

"Let me bring you a glass", says Jennifer, getting up from her chair...

The Peacock 837

 "Amanda," says Naomi, "What brings you here?"

"It all started with my darling son".

"How is Tristan?"

"Long story.  He's staying with me now."

"Since when?"

"Since today."

"How is he?"

"Meh", she says with a slight sour downturn to her mouth.  "You know what he's like."

"You two know each other", says Carl smiling.

"And we also seem to know you, Carl", says Amanda, laughing.

"Carl and Melissa are my half siblings."

"That's right!  I remember."

"And you know each other...where?" sys Carl.

"Church", says Amanda proudly.

The Peacock 836

 Naomi has just arrived.  She is still wearing her work clothes, which would pass well in almost any venue that is not strictly formal.  

Carol has left the piano and sits next to her.  "I imagine you were jabbing folks all day", she says.

"That I was", says Naomi.  She seems not quite at ease, not quite guarded, as though she has already made a pact with this place and is only now accepting the terms.  Her dark eyes shine with sensitivity and intelligence from behind her glasses.  Jennifer brings her a glass of blended tropical juices.  She seems almost spellbound as she looks around at everyone seated in the room.  "You people are exactly the transformation this place has been needing."

"You've been here before?" says Carl.

"Until I was seven.  I knew all about you and Melissa, and your father was determined to keep us apart.  Both mom and I hated coming here."

"Is she nearby, your mother?"

"She lives in an apartment in Mission.  She doesn't know yet that I know you."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"I believe that's going to be inevitable", she says with a tiny sly smile.

The doorbell rings again.  And Jennifer escorts Amanda to sit among us her new best friends...

The Peacock 835

 There isn't a lot to do in the kitchen.  A huge vat of a bean and rice concoction is simmering on the stove.  Michael and Glen are chopping vegetables and Melissa is putting whole wheat rolls in the oven.

"Nothing for us to do?" says Carl to his sister.

"You guys can sit and watch, if you want.  I just got a phone call from Amanda, and she's on her way over, and will want someone to keep her company.  Naomi also should be on her way over.  She said she'd be coming early."  There is suddenly music coming from one of the reception rooms as Carol scampers over the keyboard with one of Brahms' Hungarian Dances.  She has an audience: Francois, Sheila, Matthew, and Jennifer.

We are seated across from Jennifer who, as Carol finishes the piece, asks us if we're going to Vancouver tomorrow.

"It looks that way" say I.  "Carl needs a break from this place."

"Ha!" she says, "And to think that you came here on retreat!"

"My family home has also become suddenly available."

"And you want to inspect it, of course."

"Of course."

"Maureen was also mentioning that her tenants are leaving sooner than later, so we just might be moving back in a couple of months."

"Is this a certainty?" says Carl.

"I've done my time.  So have Maureen and Sarah."

"And so have I ", says he.

"But this is your house."

"We just might have to see about that."

"Oh yes, your mother."

"Oh yes.  My mother..."