Almost Human

By the time they're finished interviewing us, it's lunch time. As we head for the mess tent, Susan and Terry rush up to me both talking at the same time.

Terry tells Susan, "You go ahead. We both basically want to say the same thing."

"Are you alright," Susan ask me sincerely, "I mean, we know you're not exactly alright. But despite what happened, are you okay? You don't look too bad except for some bruising on the side of your face. Did they beat on you too?"

I answer the last question first, "No, they didn't hit me or anything like that. Gary had his hand over my mouth. And unless you're another gorilla, you don't have much of a chance of breaking a gorilla's grip on you. And other than being very badly bruised in my nether region, I'll recover faster physically than mentally. And thankfully, Xanthus came along and saved the day as usually."

"I wish I could have saved you before they hurt you," says Xanthus.

"I think you got there just in time," I tell Xanthus, "When Gary finally took his hand off my mouth and I started crying, Barlow suddenly got worried. He told Gary they had to shut me up before everyone heard me. Exactly how Barlow planned to shut me up, I don't want to know. You rushed in before he could do it."

"That's terrifying, Eli," comments Terry, "We're so glad that for the most part you're okay."

"Actually yes," I answer. "We met each other when we were both kids. But we hadn't seen each other since then. So we didn't recognize each other at first."

"Well, that's not fair," complains Terry. "He's the best looking guy here and you have an unfair advantage."

"Sorry ladies," Xanthus says unapologetic, "but Eleanor has owned my heart since we were children. I'm just glad I found her again."

Every woman wants to believe she owns the heart of the man she loves. It's torture to love and not be loved in return. To hear him say I owned his heart made my heart sore. I hadn't realized until that moment he had owned my heart all these years. No wonder none of my relationships worked out. Perhaps it wasn't just that they had all been jerks, even though they were. But maybe it also had to do with me being unable to give my heart because Xanthus already had it.

We all eat lunch together, Xanthus, Vala, Terry, Susan and I. Terry ask Vala why there's a current lack of service maidens because there were quite a few present last night. Vala explains that when a work site is close to home, the service maidens commute for the hours they would be most used. And even though this work site is relatively close to home for her, it's still nearly a two hour drive one way. It's just easier for her to stay here on site. Plus, she gets paid extra for being on site and available to help relax any stressed out men.

Then Susan and Vala talk about birth control, because even though she saw condoms being used, sometimes condoms break. Vala explained that like herself, most service maidens were also utilizing another form of birth control, either an annual shot or ten year implant. The condoms were company policy for disease prevention. The service maidens were screened once a month for STDs just in case.

It made me worry. I knew I was STD free before Barlow and Gary raped me, and I had received all my STD vaccinations when I went through puberty. But sometimes a vaccination didn't really take and you caught an STD you should have been protected from. It wasn't like they couldn't cure you, but you could suffer miserably while they treated you for the STD. And some STD could leave you sterile if not treated promptly enough. I decided I needed to double check with the doctor and make sure Barlow and Gary hadn't given me anything.

The pain meds the doctor prescribed for me make me sleepy. So I sleep a lot for the next few days. Vala stays with me when Xanthus is needed at the construction site. Every night we sleep together with Xanthus spooning me like when we were children sleeping under that debris covered picnic table.

As for the deal Smythly offers me, I will be a life time employee of the company. I will get paid every week no matter what, which basically means I get a free paycheck. And my pay after taxes will be fifteen hundred every week and I won't have to lift a finger for it, just keep breathing. I felt the offer was quite generous. It even came with full medical, dental and vision coverage. I accepted it because one, I'm not greedy, and two, I really don't want to involve my father.