My same sex parent was near death. The signs all pointed in that direction. I lost my mother some time before and I was still grieving for her. At least I never had to deal with my sire's death because I never knew him. I was not alone in this because none of us knew who our male parents were.
I did not want to think of Beloved Parent's death so I distracted myself by taking a walk. I liked to take long walks but that was becoming more difficult with each month that passed. Growing up I remembered how empty the decks were and how huge the central common area appeared to me. Then when we were grown, the old ones put us to sleep, as they had done with every cohort upon reaching maturity. My own cohort had been awakened only two months ago and it was a shock to encounter so many new faces. Everything seemed so much smaller now. I had just talked to some people from one of the earliest cohorts and they had been asleep for so long that they had never heard of AM. I mean I grew up listening to radio and I could not imagine that there would be those who had never heard of rock and roll. "Hey ,this is Bulldog Davis, and you are listening to the morning show on WKOR,120 on your dial, bringing you the cool summer sound of the Beachboys and their newest hit, 'Good Vibrations' . I could only feel sorry for those companions who had never listened to the groovy tunes of the 60's.
There were tens of thousands of people awake now and more were coming. When I was a kid I knew that most of my companions were asleep and I knew there would also come a time when we would all be awake. That did not prepare me for the reality of the population explosion that I found myself in. I knew what this all meant but I found it so upsetting that I preferred not to think about it.
Having nothing better to do, I returned to my quarters. It was home to me and my sibs, Jo Jo the slob and Ten Speed. I swear puberty had taken what little brains they had and punched them out. Mating, mating, mating, was all they thought about. Occasionally a stray thought or two drifted by but hormones ate them immediately.
Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a loner
But he knew he couldn't last.
Jo Jo left his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some
California grass.
Get back, Get back, Get back to where you once belonged.
Yeah, get back, Jo Jo, you slob. Mama would throw a fit if she saw how this place…
All of our mothers were dead. It was a miracle they lived as long as they did. Their male mates had died during the trip. I was never sure what happened to them but I heard that they were quite fragile. Anyway that happened a long time before I was born. Under most circumstances the old ones just did not survive the death of their mates. We young ones were the only reason they lasted as long as they did. I suppose regular people would have thought mama was a walking horror. (And she was when you didn't keep your room tidy.) But she was beautiful to me and I loved her deeply. And in the beginning she probably thought her unlikely offspring were also hideous. That is to be expected when an alien mother gives birth to alien children. But I know mama loved her hyperactive biped babies. I remember when she called us in to say good-bye. It felt like this…
You say yes, I say no,
You say stop, I say go, go, go.
Oh no.
You say good-bye and I say hello,
Hello, hello,
I don't know why you say good-bye I say hello.
I say high, you say low.
You say why and I say I don't know.
Oh no.
You say good-bye and I say hello,
Hello, hello.
I don't know why you say good-bye I say hello.
I have always loved the music of the Beatles. Ten Speed often said I was obsessed with them but I always thought I was a typical fan. It was just that I often thought about the lyrics. I wish I knew what the boys from Liverpool looked like! But then I wish I knew what any regular earth type person looked like. The old ones said they didn't want us to go to earth with any preconceived ideas about physical beauty. Oh they told us things about them like males are big, females are small; blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada. Big hairy deal. What I wanted was 8 x 10 glossies. I really didn't know what glossies were, except they were some type of pictorial representation that all the big stars gave to people.
When I was young I dreamed about mating with John and Oko. I remember, after I was wakened, how I cried my hearts out when I learned that he had been shot.
Anyway that is how I got my earth human name, Pepper. From Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. (I named my youngest sib Jo Jo.) I went by Sergeant Pepper for a long time until I learned it was a military title. Hey man, make love not war. Because we were created to make love I dropped the Sergeant but kept the Pepper.
I can name that tune in five notes. That was because I had memorized all the Beatle's songs. It's true! I knew every lyric by hearts. (I should explain that hearts is not a metaphor. We have two of them.) Mama thought their music was strange but you should have heard the old ones' music.
I was still feeling down. Maybe I would feel better if I wrote a letter to Paul. I know that sounds silly writing letters to people you will never meet, especially when you can't mail them. I started writing to them early on when they had just stared to get air time on the BBC. Really, I knew about them a long time before they did the Ed Sullivan Show. But, since the last long sleep, I rather doubted than any of the Fab Four were still alive. Still, I always felt better after writing.
Dear Paul…
No,
this time I would do something different. I would write to George.
I had never written to him and he deserved a letter.
Dear George,
I am nineteen years old, live on a
spaceship and am a great fan of yours. I would like to request
an 8 x 10 glossy of you and if it is no trouble please sign it.
I am such a fan of yours that if you would like a fine healthy
baby I will make you one.
I am five foot, six inches and weigh
one hundred and thirty-five pounds. I have black skin and very
long white hair. Well, it is not really hair but motile sensory
organs. I can taste/feel/smell with them. I have a similar fringe
of "hair" that runs from underneath my arm to the wrists,
and from my buttocks down to my ankles. I have a soft down over
my body that I think you would like to feel. Along with this I
have what looks like two braids of hair which hang down my back.
They are really exaggerated nerve roots that come off my spinal
cord at T1. I can use them like an extra set of arms. With them
I can also get inside people so I can cure them of illness or
make babies. I can use them to do other stuff (giggle) but I would
want to show you, not tell you about it. I also have two small
antennae on my forehead which I use to perceive the electromagnetic
spectrum. I can often pick up radio signals when the conditions
are right. That is how I know so much about regular earth type
people. Well, the old ones have taught us a little about regular
earth type people but not much. We don't tell them about being
able to hear the radio stuff because they might tell us not to
do it.
Please do not be concerned about my
appearance because I am not a bug eyed et from Mars but a real
human being type of person just like you. So we can get along
real well. I am single so maybe you and your spouse would like
to go out on a date with me. We could go to a movie, go out for
pizza, or anything else that regular earth type people like to
do.
Sincerely yours,
PEPPER
I did feel better but for once I was glad
that I could not mail my letter George would think I was a terrible
flirt or maybe easy. I was not really either of those things.
I just wanted someones to love.
Nothing you can make that can't be made,
No one you save that can't be saved
Nothing you can do, but you can learn how
to be you in time,
It's easy.
All you need is love, all you need is love,
All you need is love, love, love is all
you need.
How could I learn to be me? There were plenty
like me in Triskelion society. I am not really Triskelion though
but a real red blooded all-American. OK genetically I am a little
bit Triskelion. About .01% of my genetic material comes from my
same sex parent. It's no big deal. And yes I have never been to
earth. But I am still an American.
I did worry about being accepted by regular
all-American earth type people. Would they allow us to have mates?
I was like the old ones in that respect. If, when the time came,
I could not obtain mates, I would die
Jo Jo came in from playing football just covered
with sweat and crud, and flopped onto the bed. "Jo Jo, you
crud, those are clean sheets, you slob! A fine example you will
be to your new family. I don't want to think about how your children
will turn out."
"And if you get any more irritable I
am going to move out," it said sullenly.
"And where will you go?"
"I can room with Dodger. And what do
you care?"
"I care a lot about you even if you are
a crud. Besides I think we should stay together because I think
we may be leaving soon."
"You really think so?"
"I have heard that all the old ones have
been in the Comm Room for more than a week now. You can figure
out who they have been talking to."
"You think that they will take us in?"
"What choice do they have?"
Disembarkation. That was the nearly sacred
word we were both thinking about. It had been endlessly discussed
by every cohort since the first of us were born. And that was
a long time ago. Every time something out of the ordinary happened,
from a menu change in the commissary, to adjustments in tennis
court reservations, there was always one who said it was due to
the coming exodus.
But I did have a strong feeling that Disembarkation
was close at hand and the thought frightened me. The idea of leaving
home, as well as never seeing Beloved Parent again made me feel
sick. And the thought of meeting those violent, crazy, interesting
earth type people both repelled and attracted me. My third sibling,
Ten Speed, came in saying nothing to either of us and crawled
underneath the covers of its bed. The Blue Meanies had attacked
it again.
The message indicator on my comm screen began
to flash. I did not have to read it to know who it was from. Jo
Jo knew also. With Ten Speed, it was any one's guess what it was
thinking. No use postponing the inevitable so I left Cohort Level
13 CQ and went up to the Parents level.
I hesitated before entering my Beloved Parent's
door. Don't cry I told myself. The old one will think you are
still a child. Be cool like Ringo. I stepped into its chambers
and softly approached my aged parent. I could see its sensory
tentacles drooping listlessly, and they were devoid of healthy
color. I smelled/touched/tasted its fading life force. I couldn't,
I couldn't hold it in. Falling down on my knees I began to sob
uncontrollably. My sweet parent coiled its tentacles gently around
me. It did not try to communicate with me until my crying fit
had passed.
"Felling better?" its smell asked.
"Yes. No!"
"Why morn the inevitable?"
"It is selfish but I want to keep you
with me for a little while longer. I want my children to know
their grandparent."
"Yes, I would like to be able to taste
my grandchildren. I have often speculated upon what form their
mind-body-spirit unity will take. But what is important now is
to consider the symmetry of your future trinity."
"Instruct me."
"You like me, are of the triune sex.
Your position in your future family is a grave responsibly. You
are the guardian of your children and your race's genetic destiny.
You are the point of balance between your spouses, your children,
your siblings and your community. Much will be expected of you.
Take your position seriously but never lose your sense of humor.
Never dominate your spouses. Allow them the freedom to be themselves.
Allow them to take care of you as you take care of them. Balance
in all things is desirable. Guide by example and persuasion. But
in times of crises do whatever you must to protect them. As your
life is theirs so are their lives yours. Go and rest now. Tomorrow
takes you into a new life. Goodbye. I love you."
"I love you also, Beloved Parent."
It quivered for a moment and then, passed
away.
Copyright 1997 by Dennis Tallent
You can e-mail Dennis at: tallent@earthlink.net
Dennis Tallent is a native son of the state of Texas; the direct desendent of an officer of the Texas Revolutionary Army. He is an active member of MENSA, The Libertarian Party and Tebala Shrine Temple. At the moment he is a nursing student at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, Illinois.
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