by Robin Roseau
Mother had never in her life been cold, but we bundled her in cloaks, and she said, over and over, “So pretty. So pretty.”
In Talmonese.
I was so proud.
Then I stated, “Vendart, I wish a conference.”
“With me?”
“With all of us.”
“Of course, Maddalyn. Let us show everyone where she is staying.”
We got people settled in. I made hot tea, ample hot tea, and passed out cups as our guests returned to the main portion of the house. Then we collected in one of Sartine’s meeting rooms. “What did you want, Maddalyn?”
“We have two girls who need to learn English,” I said. “And four women who need to become fluent in Talmonese. Furthermore, there are aspects of Talmonese culture we have not taught them.”
“Yes,” she said. “And I wish to introduce this dance style to Indartha.”
“I do not wish the sort of rules you have implemented before,” I said. “But you are Vendart, and this is your home besides.”
She nodded. “And we have cross purposes. We have two that must learn English, and frankly, they should not learn from you. And we have four to learn Talmonese, and they also should not learn from you.”
“Yes. I agree.”
“And I have already considered this,” she said. “And I have a solution. You will accept my decisions.”
“Yes, Vendart.”
“Good.” She smiled. “I will explain within the hour. We’re going back outside. If you need to, bundle up. Indartha must greet our guests. And as important, Indartha must greet Laradain.”
* * * *
It seemed like the entire village was waiting, collected in groups on the green or in front of the vendart’s home. Sartine led all of us to the gazebo on the green, calling out to the villagers. “Come, Indartha. Come! We have such news. Come!” Here and there she spotted people and sent them running this way and that, collecting everyone.
Sartine waited until she was sure everyone had arrived, and then she said, “Greetings, Indartha!”
“Greetings, Vendart!” they yelled back.
Then someone yelled, “How is Laradain?”
“Well now,” said Sartine. “That is a very, very good question. I will give you a choice. Do you want that answer first, or would you like to meet our guests?”
Well, this was Talmon, and greeting of guests came before news, even if it was news of someone loved by the village. And so Sartine introduced everyone, although this time she made sure to mention that Felda was my mother. “Yes, I know, that is hard to believe, because she looks younger than most of us here, but it is true.”
But greetings were exchanged, and then said, “We’ll have more to say about that later. Now, you asked about Laradain.”
“Vendart!” said the woman who had asked about Laradain. “You forgot one.” She pointed -- to Laradain.
“Ah, yes,” Sartine said with a grin. “I didn’t forget. I was just coming to that. Perhaps you should ask Laradain herself how she is doing.”
And then she gestured, and the woman stepped forward to let all of them look at her.
They were hushed. Not a word until a woman, a somewhat elderly woman pushed through the crowd. “That’s not Laradain.”
“Hanistine,” said Laradain. “Have I changed so much?”
The woman stepped closer. Laradain jumped down from the gazebo. Then she leaned forward and whispered into the old woman’s ear. She whispered back. They went back and forth several times.
Then Hanistine embraced Laradain and began crying. “This is she,” she said. “This is Laradain. This is Laradain!”
Hanistine wasn’t the only one to cry. There were several pairs of wet eyes as they passed Laradain around, one after the other looking at her and hugging her.
I glanced at Cecilia to see her brushing tears from her own eyes. I moved to her side. She pulled my ear close and said, “This is why we’re here. What you’re doing with the farm equipment is good, too. And the power stations, and the other things. But this is most important. Maddalyn, how are we going to take care of all of them?”
“Did you write your mother?”
“Yes. She wrote back that she’s working on it.”
“I wrote Aunt Anna, but the message is on Urban Green. Governor, we only have another day to send any additional messages.”
“I already sent notice to ship your tractors, and to find additional attachments for clearing trees.”
I nodded. That was what I’d been thinking about.
It took time for the village to pass Laradain around. She was long laughing before finally they released her, although Hanistine claimed her again and kept touching her face. Laradain didn’t seem to mind.
“Well,” Sartine said. “I believe that answers the questions about Laradain, although I imagine it opens more questions. Indartha, I require your assistance.”
“What can we do for you, Vendart?” Laradain asked.
“We have four guests here,” Sartine said. “Four good women of the empire. They are beginning to speak our language, but they are only beginning. I need four women of Indartha to each claim one of these women, to teach her our language and maybe share a little of our ways. If you would like this responsibility, please step forward.”
Laradain was the first, and then there were ten others. Sartine laughed. “I ask for four, and I get half the village. Well, what we shall do is this. Each of you state your name and say a little bit about yourself. If you have your eye on a particular woman, you may say so. Laradain, perhaps you should go first.”
They each spoke, one after another. None expressed a particular preference. They finished, and Sartine said, “Very good. What we will do is this. Each of our guests will pick one of you. From that moment forth, our guests will speak only Talmonese. We will be forgiving of minor mistakes, but there will be no conversations in English or German.” She turned to them. “Am I understood?”
“You should say, ‘Yes, Vendart’,” I said in two languages.
“Yes, Vendart.”
“Excellent. Each of you has a comfortable room in my home. You may discuss with your hostess whether you will spend your nights in my home, or in their homes. Felda, you may choose first.”
I translated, and Mother climbed back down from the gazebo and walked directly to Laradain. And then Mother got out a few words of Talmonese. “You. Want?”
“Yes, Felda,” Laradain said. “I will teach you.”
“We. Sleep.” And she pointed to Sartine’s house.
“We can do that,” Laradain said. “Yes.”
“Yes,” Mother echoed. “Good.”
“Serenity,” Sartine announced.
“Sartine, do they really have time for this?” she asked.
“They would not have volunteered, but you might find yourself with duties.”
Serenity laughed. She stepped down from the gazebo and stood before the waiting women. She looked at them then used her own Talmonese. “I sleep.” She pointed at Sartine’s house. “Who want?”
And all the women raised their hands, which amused Serenity. My friend looked amongst them then said, “One of you said you were baker.” She looked over her shoulder. “Sartine?”
“Estalarn is the baker,” Sartine said. “No more English, Serenity.”
“One more question. Just one.”
“One more.”
“Two more.”
“One more.”
“Which one is Estalarn, and will she teach me to bake?”
Sartine laughed and switched languages. “Estalarn, Serenity would like to learn to bake. Will you teach her that while teaching our language?”
She stepped forward and looked Serenity in the eyes, then she said very slowly, “A baker works very, very early hours.”
“Sartine,” I said softly.
“Fine, but then that’s it.”
“Serenity, she points out she works very early hours.”
Serenity smiled. “A doc
tor works very early hours, too.” She stepped to the woman’s side and took her arm. “Thank you, Estalarn,” she said in Talmonese.
“Pippa,” Sartine said.
“Sartine, I ask the vendart for her wisdom.”
“You do, do you?”
“One of those women is the village teacher, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“Two of those women are sisters, and they are carpenters.”
“They are cousins,” Sartine clarified. “And yes, they are carpenters.”
“That means they make things from wood.”
“Yes.”
“And so I wish your wisdom.”
“Ah,” Sartine said. “Pippa, this time is for you. If you partner with the teacher, she may seem familiar to you. If you partner with one of the cousins, then you have an opportunity learn from her, if you wish.”
Pippa smiled. “Do they live together?”
“No, but they work together.”
Pippa stepped down from the gazebo. She walked to one of the women. “You are Metarine.”
“No,” she said. “I am Lishbain. This is Metarine, my cousin.” She gestured to the woman beside her.
“I sorry,” Pippa said. “Lishbain. Metarine.” She paused. “Sartine, please ask if they would like to share me, and if they’ll teach me what I am able to learn.”
Sartine did that, and the women smiled and nodded. “Yes. We’ll share you. But you will live with us.” Lishbain pointed to Sartine’s house. “No.” Then she patted her own chest. “Sleep in our homes.”
Pippa stepped between them and took one arm from each.
“I wanted the carpenters,” Tranquility said. “My turn, Sartine?”
“Yes.”
Tranquility stepped forward then paused. “Sartine, is everyone here an adult?”
“Yes. I think the youngest is twenty.”
“That’s the really cute one second from the right.”
“Yes. Her name is Nalatine. Her family runs the public baths.”
“I thought that’s what you said.”
“We haven’t shown you the baths yet,” I said. “It’s an important part of Talmonese culture. I wanted to do it here, once we’re settled.”
“That’s not a euphemism for something, is it?”
“No,” Cecilia said. “Until we brought our technology, the public baths were the only baths. Now, even though we can shower at home, I still use the baths several times a week. It is a chance to socialize, and soak, and sometimes I take a massage, which is to die for.”
“They aren’t communal, are they?”
“Yes, but segregated by gender,” Cecilia explained.
“It sounds a little intimate.”
“Go to her,” Sartine said. “And I will ask her for you. Her entire family is here, and they let her volunteer. You would be welcomed.”
Tranquility nodded and descended the steps. She walked to Nalatine, who began grinning broadly. But then Tranquility looked over her shoulder. “Sartine, you don’t know me well. I’m a terrible flirt, and she’s really, really cute.”
“So?”
“I’m twice her age.”
“Cecilia is three times mine,” Sartine said. “So?”
“By ‘terrible flirt’, you know that was a euphemism.”
“Tranquility has never hurt anyone,” Serenity said. “Never.”
“Tranquility,” Sartine said. “Do I seem like a poor vendart?”
“No, Sartine.”
“Do you think I am naïve?”
She laughed. “No, Vendart.”
“Do you think perhaps Nalatine is also a flirt.”
She laughed again then turned to the woman. “Nalatine. I am Tranquility.” She helped pronounce her name. “Please tell her what my name means,” she said in English. “And my sister’s.”
“Of course,” Sartine said. And she translated. Nalatine smiled broadly and repeated the Talmonese word for a space of quiet, which wasn’t exactly the same, but it was close enough. Then she said both names slowly, pointing to each of the sisters.
“Sartine, please, this will be my last English. Ask her if she’ll teach me.”
“Of course she will,” Sartine said, but then she asked in Talmonese.
Nalatine nodded firmly and said, “Yes. I will teach you.”
Tranquility, without taking her eyes from Nalatine, stepped beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Then she looked up at us still on the gazebo. “This isn’t even subtle. You know that, right?”
“I thought you promised no more English,” Sartine replied. “You haven’t negotiated sleeping arrangements.”
“Wherever she picks.”
Sartine nodded. Then she addressed the assembly. “I wish our guests to spend some meals in my home, but they should also spend as much time with their new host families as they can. We will also have some outings, and our guests will attend. Their hosts may also attend, if their duties allow.” She didn’t translate that into English. Then she smiled at me before turning to Vessatine and Trallafain. “You two have a similar choice. Margotain, Mordain, Cecilia, or me.”
“Not Maddalyn?” Vessatine asked.
“Not me,” I said.
Vessatine nodded to her sister, so Trallafain stepped forward. She considered her choices then said, “Sartine, I don’t know how to choose.”
“Would you like me to choose for you?”
“Yes.”
“And you, Vessatine?”
“If she’s seriously offering, I’d take the governor.”
“She’s offering,” Sartine said. And so Vessatine stepped over. Cecilia hooked arms with her.
“Margotain, when you asked to come along, was it your intention to stay for a while? Does Baardorid expect you back?”
“He told me that if Maddalyn needs my help, that I am to give it,” she replied. “I’ll have to let them know.”
“I wanted to stay, Vendart,” Mordain said. “We could share her.” She turned to Margotain and switched to English. “Were you going to seduce her?”
“No. I’m thinking of someone else.”
“Then we could have a big slumber party in my room. Would you like that?”
“That would be fun.”
“Vendart?”
“Ask her,” Sartine said.
So she switched back to Talmonese. “Trallafain, Margotain and I would like to share you. We would make a slumber party in my room. You can have the middle.”
Trallafain smiled and nodded.
“Sisters,” Sartine said. “No more Talmonese. Not one word. Mordain and Margotain, you may teach in Talmonese, but all conversations are in English.”
“We understand,” Mordain said in English. “Are you going to make them read the poems?”
“If they need incentive, but we’ll try without that for now.” Sartine looked out at the assembled people. “It’s good to be home!” They cheered. “Barn dance tonight. We have a new style to teach you.” That was another cheer.
* * * *
For the next three weeks, Cecilia and I worked half time. We stayed at Indartha, although we took day trips into the cold mountains. It was so beautiful. We taught everyone to ski. I’d learned last year and was still learning. Cecilia was amazingly good, but she was amazingly good at everything. We took jumpers to the top of one of the mountains, picking our landing location very carefully. And we watched my mother and friends settle into the Talmon lifestyle.
The twins worked very, very hard at their English, staying up to practice with each other. They were quick to smile and quick to laugh, and it was a joy having them with us. At one point I stepped to Sartine and said, “Mother, they followed us all the way to Indartha. May we keep them?”
She laughed. “You have an eye for talent, Maddalyn.”
“They were obvious. So was Hazelvarn. I think I’m an amateur compared to your wife.”
“She didn’t recognize you,” Sartine replied. “That took Chaladine. She reco
gnizes you now, though.”
“I know,” I said.
Sartine nodded. “If they weren’t their mother’s heirs, I’d ask for a trade. But it would be heinous to split them.”
“Yeah, and do you know why I’m teaching them English?”
“Because we need more people who speak English?”
“Because the tractors that are arriving don’t come with directions in Talmonese.” Then I laughed. “I’d have found another excuse though.”
And so, the twins learned English, and far faster than I had. By the end of three weeks, they weren’t fluent by any stretch, but they were able to communicate, and I would have them for several more months.
* * * *
As a group, we visited the public bathhouse the next afternoon. We’d arranged for Pippa and Serenity to also join us. When we arrived, Nalatine and Tranquility were working at the reception desk. Tranquility looked at us as we clustered in front of the desk and said, “Good afternoon. Welcome.”
She looked cute. They were both dressed in “bath girl clothes”, which at the front desk meant they were bundled up, but I would see later that Tranquility wore the same sort of shift underneath that I’d seen Nalatine wearing.
Nalatine turned to Tranquility. “How many guests?”
Tranquility counted out loud, then said, “Thirteen.”
“Ask them,” Nalatine prompted.
“Thirteen baths,” she said in Talmonese. “Wish hair? Wish massage?”
“Bath so big?” Mother asked.
“Yes,” Tranquility replied. “Lots room.”
“Thirteen baths,” Sartine said. “Thirteen hair washes. Are there enough available?”
Tranquility turned to Nalatine for that. Nalatine said, “Thirteen hair washes. Yes?”
“Yes,” Tranquility said.
“How will we do that?”
“How?” Tranquility nodded. She counted, naming names. “Take turns. Three times. Is good?”
“No,” Nalatine said. “We’ll help, too. Two turns.”
“We here,” Tranquility said.
“Trust me.”
“Trust you.” Tranquility nodded. “Yes.” She looked back at Sartine. “Thirteen massage?”
“Pippa, Serenity, Felda, Laradain. Anyone else for a massage?”
Kalorain whispered into my ear, “I don’t want you accepting a massage from Tranquility. I draw that line.” I nodded.
