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21. SCHOOL-BOY IN PARADISE; Family.

We go to school every chance we get. We're on a mission now, to learn each other's language. I can approximate the sound, can make myself understood when we shop, almost, and converse with our friends. They get to talking fast and lose me, but I'm getting more adept. It's... ear training... listening for vowels, words in context, pitch variations, lots of 'clues'.

Eenunh's reading "Of Human Bondage", by herself!

Well, she comes to me and needs words explained, but she's doing okay with it. To find out how she's doing she tells the story to me. It's more of a human psychology novel than "Mockingbird", with its 'action' events. She notes the 'psychological' nuances of an ancient society, England. So our discussion leads into psychology, which she says helps her 'read' Patrick!

She read "To Kill A Mockingbird", aloud, to me, in bed. If I doze off, she wakes me up with a kiss, tells me, "Wake up Andrews!" or, an alternate address, "Wake up Oomam ass!" I explained the meaning in English and she laughed for days! She still breaks out in a giggle and explains that as the thought that came to mind.

Tinunh's speaking in a human voice too, using phrases Eenunh uses talking to me. "Stop it!" has become a favorite of hers too, when I'm trying to be too silly! "Don't gulp your milk!" came at me at the breakfast table the other day. I nearly squirted it out my nose! LOL

Eenunh got a job in a plant nursery, out on the top of the hive rock, or the separate, lower part of it that goes out to the northeast. There, just down below the fancy-smancy restaurantm she works, she tells me, "...with plants and dirt, in the open air". She loves it. Sometimes, when I'm up that way, I go look out the window there, try to see her. Sometimes I do! They're bringing plants in, she tells me, rotating them in the sunstarlight at the right time of day. There are long greenhouses there.

She took them the pine cones she collected, asked if they could be grown and planted anywhere near the... they don't call it the hive, or the patio; they call it Entemannh Garibe, Entemannh City. Entemannh was a leader in resisting and ending the Terror Wars, leading people to stop leadership decision-makers on both sides from engaging in terrorism, which led militaries to stop waging war. Peace, came, and, for now, has stayed.

They liked the idea, growing pine trees for planting here. They liked her. They hired her. She likes the work. She comes home smiling, tells me about her day. WE have houseplants! We take them out to the balcony, bring them in at night. Soon it may be too cool to take them out, too dark in here to keep them here. She'll take them back to the nursery.

We... take a nap... before Tinunh comes home. I put on my blue sportcoat, gray pants, and make the rounds of the pubs in the nearby entrances, an hour here, an hour there, and then everyone leaves and goes home to rest for the next day's work. I go further afield, along the patio, go through the closed spindle-door. I have to buy a bottle of wine, I think, until I realize some folk only buy a glass, and then I do that too, just to wet my whistle while I play. I don't need to drink while I'm playing, and it's illegal, a nice Commannh lady explained, when I tried to leave a pub with half a bottle to go to another pub.

Some places like me. Some don't. I make a little money in most of them, according to my money manager fiance'. Sometimes people buy me bottles of green or blue wine. I come home with one or two or three sometimes. It's only illegal to take it from one pub to another pub; not to take it home. I'm getting quite a stock. Eenunh sells them to the neighbors; brings them when we go visiting The Machinist at his girlfriend's house. Soda and Thin Man have a wine cellar of sorts, well-stocked. The Machinist lives in that 'hole' at the flea market. His girlfriend lives on the east side. She loves him like... like Eenunh loves me. They embrace, kiss, right in front of us and her kids. The kids think he's the greatest guy in the world, and they're probably right. Tinunh likes them all, greets them with genuine enthusiasm. The kids adore her.

Eenunh worried about my wine 'tips' being 'off the books', her 'wine sales' too, and getting us in trouble. "The Government's watching," she says. Sodaensus told her not to worry about it until it did. Eenunh keeps track anyway, counting it as part of my performance compensation, making a record, and the sales. If they confront us, she has a record to refer to. We'll... pay our Taxes or... whatevs.

We visit Patrick about every four days. No. Not 'about'. Eenunh got a more official lanyard and Identification placard. She's very pleased with the extra income. We visit every four days. Patrick's settling in, doing his time. They still have him manacled. He says they take them off back in the secure part of the prison. He says he's not having any trouble with anybody, and the 'pushing' is now replaced with 'gesturing'. He complies. Damned Patrick may grow up after all.

I awake, at night, and worry.

We have a positive vision of how we're going to make them see things our way.

But there's no guarantee our 'reasoning' will fit the point of view of the Koobahbahnnh.

Sodaensus advises that it will likely be a three-judge panel, thirteen irrelevant Citizens. The matrix of possibilities increases, exponentially, to the negative.

I stay cheerful, positive vibing, with Eenunh, with Soda. We shall prevail. Our family shall prevail.