walked over to Nadine and hugged her. Then she walked to Slim.
“Give me a hug, boy.”
She reached out her arms and Slim hugged her fearfully. To his amazement, she reached down and slapped her hand around his dick, which by this time felt gigantic and obvious. He would have pulled away, but Mother Phillips seemed to exude an aura of goodness, mixed with a subtle threat, as if this were a test that Slim had to pass or go no further, either with Nadine or with this world.
Mother Phillips released him with a smile and returned to her seat on the hummock. “Sit down, you two,” she said.
Slim sat first and he swore that, if Nadine sat cross-legged, he would explode. She did. He didn’t, but it was a close call.
“Nadine,” Mother Phillips said. “This is a good man. He’s a little desperate, but he’s got a good heart.” The old woman looked at him and her eyes seemed to pierce him. “Do you know he’s in love with you?” she said.
Slim groaned out loud. Did everyone see his feelings? Nadine looked at him harshly.
“Yes, I know,” she said. “But that doesn’t do me any good at all until he tells me.”
Slim wanted to protest, to say something to turn the conversation away from himself, but Mother Phillips put her hand over his mouth.
“He can’t,” she said. “I can feel inside him. He’s been hurt too bad, too many times. And he feels that he has something to prove to you.”
“He does,” Nadine said, looking straight at him. “He’s a little slow, and I haven’t even heard him play guitar, yet.”
“Is he a player?”
“Daddy says he is. He took him on as his apprentice. But I have to see it for myself.”
“That’s fair,” Mother Phillips said. “How is your daddy? Still ornery as ever?”
“He’s good,” Nadine replied.
“Tell him I said hello and he’s welcome here,” the old woman said. “I’m glad you’re giving this boy a fair chance to make it. For a minute I though you were being your mean old self.”
“She is ,”Slim blurted.
Nadine turned on him angrily, but before she could say anything, Mother Phillips broke in and stopped it. “No, boy,” she said. “If she was, she’d never have brought you here. You’re the first man she’s ever brought here.”
“Oh,” Slim said. “Sorry. Do you people always talk so— personal, here?”
“Yes, I guess we do, at that. Without clothes, there’s little need to cover up other aspects of reality and life, so we do tend to get right to the heart of things. Our beliefs don’t allow for any other attitude.”
“What is it you do believe?”
Mother Phillips smiled and closed her eyes. “That’s a hard question.Basically, we believe in the two Mothers, the Goddess Without Name and our Mother the Earth. We celebrate life and love and lust, all the growing things. We believe in what we can see and feel and know. Past that, it’s hard to say. We’re just a community that loves life and freedom, sex and love and the enjoyment of the natural human being. Does that explain it for you?”
“As well as anything,” Slim said, more confused than ever. “It’s at least something I can halfway agree with.”
“Good,” the old woman said, turning back to Nadine. “Now that the air’s clear, tell me why you’ve come.”
Slim and Nadine told Mother Phillips about the Gutbucket and about Progress’ plans. They told her about their meeting with T-Bone. The old woman hmm’d and scratched and oh my’d throughout the story, and when it was finished she shook her head sadly.
“That’s bad,” she said. “That’s very bad. I don’t talk about it much, but Pickens has been after Tralfaz for years, trying to buy us out. He hates us, I think. Hates anything good that doesn’t make money. Wants to put more tall buildings here, I guess. So, yes, I will be more than happy to bring the whole community out to give the blessing for you.”
“Thanks,” Slim said, feeling he needed to. He wasn’t sure why,
“Give me a hug, boy.”
She reached out her arms and Slim hugged her fearfully. To his amazement, she reached down and slapped her hand around his dick, which by this time felt gigantic and obvious. He would have pulled away, but Mother Phillips seemed to exude an aura of goodness, mixed with a subtle threat, as if this were a test that Slim had to pass or go no further, either with Nadine or with this world.
Mother Phillips released him with a smile and returned to her seat on the hummock. “Sit down, you two,” she said.
Slim sat first and he swore that, if Nadine sat cross-legged, he would explode. She did. He didn’t, but it was a close call.
“Nadine,” Mother Phillips said. “This is a good man. He’s a little desperate, but he’s got a good heart.” The old woman looked at him and her eyes seemed to pierce him. “Do you know he’s in love with you?” she said.
Slim groaned out loud. Did everyone see his feelings? Nadine looked at him harshly.
“Yes, I know,” she said. “But that doesn’t do me any good at all until he tells me.”
Slim wanted to protest, to say something to turn the conversation away from himself, but Mother Phillips put her hand over his mouth.
“He can’t,” she said. “I can feel inside him. He’s been hurt too bad, too many times. And he feels that he has something to prove to you.”
“He does,” Nadine said, looking straight at him. “He’s a little slow, and I haven’t even heard him play guitar, yet.”
“Is he a player?”
“Daddy says he is. He took him on as his apprentice. But I have to see it for myself.”
“That’s fair,” Mother Phillips said. “How is your daddy? Still ornery as ever?”
“He’s good,” Nadine replied.
“Tell him I said hello and he’s welcome here,” the old woman said. “I’m glad you’re giving this boy a fair chance to make it. For a minute I though you were being your mean old self.”
“She is ,”Slim blurted.
Nadine turned on him angrily, but before she could say anything, Mother Phillips broke in and stopped it. “No, boy,” she said. “If she was, she’d never have brought you here. You’re the first man she’s ever brought here.”
“Oh,” Slim said. “Sorry. Do you people always talk so— personal, here?”
“Yes, I guess we do, at that. Without clothes, there’s little need to cover up other aspects of reality and life, so we do tend to get right to the heart of things. Our beliefs don’t allow for any other attitude.”
“What is it you do believe?”
Mother Phillips smiled and closed her eyes. “That’s a hard question.Basically, we believe in the two Mothers, the Goddess Without Name and our Mother the Earth. We celebrate life and love and lust, all the growing things. We believe in what we can see and feel and know. Past that, it’s hard to say. We’re just a community that loves life and freedom, sex and love and the enjoyment of the natural human being. Does that explain it for you?”
“As well as anything,” Slim said, more confused than ever. “It’s at least something I can halfway agree with.”
“Good,” the old woman said, turning back to Nadine. “Now that the air’s clear, tell me why you’ve come.”
Slim and Nadine told Mother Phillips about the Gutbucket and about Progress’ plans. They told her about their meeting with T-Bone. The old woman hmm’d and scratched and oh my’d throughout the story, and when it was finished she shook her head sadly.
“That’s bad,” she said. “That’s very bad. I don’t talk about it much, but Pickens has been after Tralfaz for years, trying to buy us out. He hates us, I think. Hates anything good that doesn’t make money. Wants to put more tall buildings here, I guess. So, yes, I will be more than happy to bring the whole community out to give the blessing for you.”
“Thanks,” Slim said, feeling he needed to. He wasn’t sure why,
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