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We are waiting for the time to meet, but it is difficult because we can never meet alone. When we do meet, we can't manage the moment of separation. We always reminisce about the past and we walk together through our present and future life. I don't understand what I'm doing and what's going on. A memory haunts me and will haunt me until I find out the source of my fear!
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Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023
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Title Page
The Mute Enemies
Blame Ball
Jeremy McHarry
The Mute Enemies / 12th of series: Blame Ball / By Jeremy McHarry
Published 2023 by Bentockiz
e-book Imprint: Calkden Norsh
e-book Registration: Stockholm, Sweden
e-book ISBN: 9789198826616
e-book editing: Athens, Greece
Cover Images created via AI art generators
Table of Contents
Title Page
Introduction
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Introduction
Through books we come into contact with everything important that has happened in the past, analyzing also current events and putting our thoughts together to predict the future. The book is a window to the world, acquiring valuable knowledge and sparking our vivid imagination. It is a means of entertainment and is generally seen as a best friend, or as a slave that carries together all valuable information for us. The book is a friend who stays together without demands, a friend you call upon at every moment and abandon when you want.
It accompanies us in the hours of boredom and loneliness, while at the same time it entertains us. In general, a book does not ask anything from us, while it waits patiently on a dusty shelf to give us its information, to get us out of dead ends and to travel us to magical worlds.
This may be the travel mission of our books. Abstract narration, weird or unconscious thoughts difficult to be understood, but always genuine and full of life experiences, these are stories of life that can’t be overlooked easily.
This may be the start of something amazing!
Chapter One
The restaurant is busier than Angelisa ever remembers it being as she takes food to another customer then refills another drink while she slips past the line of customers who are waiting for the next table. Those who hadn’t been here last night want to find out all about what happened from those who were here and they are only too happy to re-tell what they saw and heard. When she’s asked, Angelisa honestly says, “I’m sorry, I don’t have time to talk, I have another customer.”
It’s such a ‘talk worthy’ event that people are even interrupting their own and even other people’s meals to discuss it which is something she’s never seen before and is even somewhat of a cultural taboo. As she’s hurrying from table to kitchen and back again, Angelisa is glad to hear that she can detect no embellishments to the story as it’s told and re-told.
* * * * *
After they have more food and drink in them, Sharlene and George take care of the stuff they piled in the front room last night. When they start to look at what’s available to fix for dinner, they see that either Maria or Angelisa had greatly added to their take home container of food. Although they’re tempted to serve that, they settle on re-heating some of the chicken soup they made at George’s yesterday and brought some in the cooler. Since there are a couple of more hours before Klara is due to arrive, Sharlene sends him to the love seat to read while she unpacks her luggage and gets a load of laundry going.
When there is nothing more pressing for her to do, she finds herself sitting on his upper legs and cuddling with him. He starts to put his book down, but she tells him, “No, George, you can keep reading. I just need to be close for awhile.”
He still puts his book down and explains, “But it’s better to hold you with two arms rather than one. Besides, it’s hard to kiss you when I’m reading.”
Because he senses she needs comfort rather than passion, he strives to keep his kisses gentle and comforting rather than exciting. And kissing the top of her head rather than her lips sometimes helps towards that goal. A couple of times she gets up to deal with the laundry, but she’s soon back to cuddle.
When she hears the doorbell ring, Sharlene gets up, goes to the door, opens it, and says, “Klara, come in.”
“Hello, Sharlene. It’s good to see you.” They hug.
“You made good time.”
“The flight actually got in a few minutes early, there were no lines to get the rental vehicle, and you gave good directions. By the way, I’m supposed to scold you for not calling your dad in over a week.”
“Ouch, sorry.”
“Don’t worry. Since we talked last week, he figures you must be doing okay. So, where’s your distraction?”
As they leave the front room, George stands up from the love seat and walks towards the ladies.
“George, I would like you to meet Klara Sohkohlov. Klara, this is my distraction, George Greyson.”
They shake hands and say how nice it is to meet each other. Klara looks at Sharlene and asks, “You admit that he’s your distraction?”
She grabs his hand and says, “When it comes to George, I’ll admit to almost anything.”
Klara’s eyebrows rise in surprise as she looks back and forth between them until George shrugs his shoulders and says, “She seems to think there’s something special about me, but I haven’t got a clue what it is.”
“And he doesn’t listen when I tell him how wonderful he is.”
“Are you arguing already?”
“No, Klara. After decades of being ignored, poor George can’t believe I see something very special about him.”
“Especially after he’s been indoctrinated by society that beautiful young women can’t see anything positive about old men.”
George nods his head as he responds, “That’s an additional factor in the equation. I’m sorry, Sharlene, you’ve made it clear you do want me, but I still can’t understand it.”
Sharlene turns to hug him as she tells him, “I know, George. Yet to me, you’re so obviously wonderful, I can’t imagine how nobody else can see it.”
He kisses the top of her head then tells her, “I’m just grateful you see whatever you do see. Shall we feed Klara? It’s probably been a long trip and considering what they don’t serve on airplanes, she’s probably hunger and thirsty.”
“Of course. I’m sorry, Klara. I hope you don’t mind re-warmed chicken soup. We made it yesterday at George’s and didn’t get here until late. I wasn’t up to going to the grocery store today.”
“Chicken soup sounds good.”
“George, can you get it started while I give Klara the tenth-credit tour?”
“Sure.”
When they reach her bedroom, Sharlene can see the question in her eyes and answers, “Yes, Klara, only one bed. And yes, George and I have slept in this bed since I brought him home from the medical center. When we spent last week at his place he did have another bedroom for me, but I still ended up in his bed for part of most nights. And no, we haven’t made love. I’m not usually inclined to speak about my private life, but George and I have slept in the same bed for almost four weeks and we’ve done a lot of hugging, kissing, and touching during that same time and he hasn’t yet touched me intimately with his hands.”
“The way you say it makes it sound like you haven’t refused him.”
Sharlene shakes her head as she explains, “No, I haven’t refused him. I’ve even offered myself to him and have given him permission to touch me. And I know he wants to touch me, but he’s restrained himself, incredibly, to lead me on what he calls a journey of touching in which he takes small steps in touching me towards intimacy. Every couple of days, he touches me a little more than he’s touched me previously. In between, he touches me no more than before, but so often in new and creative ways.
“When we started touching, the reason he gave me for taking me on the journey was so I could call a halt to it whenever I thought the touching was getting to be more than I wanted. He didn’t want to overwhelm me with more than I could deal with. And he hasn’t. Not even close. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to try to persuade you. I just can’t seem to stop myself from wanting to convince people how wonderful he is. . . . He probably has the soup ready by now.”
“Well, let me wash up and I’ll be there in a moment.”
“Thank you for listening, Klara,” Sharlene hugs her.
“Thank you for being willing to tell me.”
A couple of minutes later, Klara stops at the edge of the kitchen and sees them standing in front of the stove with an arm around each other and her head on his shoulder. He turns his head and asks, “Klara, what would you like to drink? We have orange juice and iced tea, or we could heat up the kettle for some hot tea.”
“Iced tea will be fine.”
George dishes up bowls of soup, while Sharlene pours drinks and then sets out a plate with cheese slices and crackers. Since she guesses they’ll sit next to each other, Klara takes a seat on the other side of the table to watch them. He hands her a bowl and tells her, “There’s more if you’re hungry.”
“Thank you, George. It smells good.” She dips a spoon in, lifts it up, looks at it, then looks at them and asks, “Are you sure you want to call this soup? It’s thicker than many stews I’ve seen.”
“I suppose we could water it down if you wanted.”
“No, not at all.” She takes a bite and says, “Mmm, this is good. I guess I just question the term ‘soup’.” Klara finishes her bowl, and another half bowl then says, “Very good. Call it what you want, just don’t change the recipe.”
Sharlene explains, “This batch of soup is a little different because George had slow cooked a couple of chickens over the grill for Aunt Paula and Uncle Paul on fifth-day. We cleaned out his fridge yesterday and used what we thought would work and added some vegetables from his garden, and, presto, soup.”
“Klara, would you like something else?”
“No, thank you, George. Oh, maybe some more iced tea?”
“Coming right up.”
After the table is cleared, the kitchen is cleaned up, bathroom trips are done, and full glasses of iced tea are in front of them, Klara looks at him and says, “George, let me be honest with you. When I heard that Sharlene had taken you into her home, I about freaked. Quietly, of course, I didn’t want to alarm her parents. So I did a discreet, but very thorough background check on you. Other than an occasional speeding ticket years ago, you’re about as squeaky clean and legally boring as a person can get. So I calmed down some.
“You need to understand that I’ve known and watched over Sharlene since before she was born. I worked for her grandfather, I worked for her father, and I currently work for her dad. For most of her life she didn’t know me as more than a nice lady in her dad’s office, but I’m also a friend of her parents and so have taken a somewhat parental view of her over the years.”
“I’m glad. And thank you for checking on me to ensure her safety.”
Klara raises her eyebrows in surprise then goes on, “But I still wasn’t satisfied. So I made some other inquiries. I checked into your credit, your property, your finances, your legal papers. I found out about the fiasco at the library reading program, I found out about the ad you put in the paper, I had a couple of long talks with Paula and Paul. I even talked to Jean and Rachel. After all I could find out, I came to the conclusion that either you’re the world’s best actor or you’re nothing more than who you claim to be.”
“Thank you.”
“And that’s why I flew in early, to meet you and judge for myself if you’re real.”
“I hope you take your time, because nobody can reveal all sides of themselves in a short period of time. Just last night I got really angry. I’m sorry, love, I wasn’t going to bring it up.”
“But George, you were so wonderful. You were . . .” and Sharlene almost flings herself into his arms and begins to sob.
* * * * *
2147-09-01 (e2)
With raised eyebrows, Klara watches them closely, but sees nothing more than Sharlene huddling within his arms and George snugly holding her while he kisses the top of her head and murmurs gentle words. Several minutes pass before Sharlene calms down a little. He reaches around and grabs the tissue box from the counter and gently dries her tears. He even tries to get her to blow her nose with the tissue he holds, but she insists on doing that herself.
Klara asks, “What happened?”
While he continues to hold Sharlene and gently caresses her head, George tells Klara what happened last night.
It the silence which follows, Sharlene whispers, “I didn’t mean for him to get hurt. I just wanted him to go home and grow up.”
“I know, love. You didn’t try to hurt him. Your kick was meant to disarm him and not hurt anyone. You protected yourself. Afterwards, I realized you also tried to protect everyone else at the same time. When you tried to kick the knife out of his hand, you directed it towards the only place where no one was standing or sitting. Instead of thinking about him, think instead about the other women he won’t be able to rape. Think about the families who won’t have to fear him and his extortion.”
“You’re right, thank you,” she kisses him then turns and says, “I’m sorry, Klara, I didn’t mean to put on a show.”
“You’re not. If something like that had happened to me, I probably wouldn’t have gotten out of bed this morning. If George’s description is accurate, and I have no reason to doubt you, then you were both completely within your legal rights. Do you happen to know which police department those officers were from?”
George shakes his head as he verbally answers, “No. That’s something I didn’t pay attention to. I don’t even remember what color their uniforms were. I think they gave us their business cards. I’ll have to check my shirt pocket. If I can’t find it, I can call Maria at the restaurant because I think she knows them.”
“It doesn’t have to be now. Have you thought about any kind of response?”
“No.”
“Sharlene?”
“Not for me personally. I think I’ll get over it after some time has passed. I had thought of asking you for a recommendation of a lawyer on behalf of the other victims who he claimed to have raped and extorted.”
“Ask no further. I would be privileged to take on the case. I’ll double check the laws, but I don’t think there have been any significant changes since you were born. By the way, my time on this one is free.”
“Klara, I know there will be other costs and I’ll gladly cover them if I can. Maria and her family were always very welcoming to me, and I helped her kids learn to read. If that . . . so and so had hurt Huleeoh or raped Angelisa, I . . . I . . . I would have killed him. If I had known he had raped women when I first stuck my gun in his gut, I would have pulled the trigger then and there.”
As she gently caresses his face, Sharlene tries to comfort and encourage him, “George, calm down. He didn’t hurt Huleeoh or Angelisa. He’s gone now and won’t hurt anyone else. You stopped him, George. You called his bullying bluff. You stood up to him. What you did made him lose face in front of his supporters. My guess is that’s why he pulled the knife. He felt he had to regain his power.”
“George, Sharlene is probably right. Sometimes all it takes is for one person to stand up to a bully. I suppose I should ask if you think the other victims will accept me as their lawyer.”
He thinks for a moment then says, “I really don’t know, Klara. I think Maria might on our recommendation. Whether she can convince others to step forward, I don’t know. It will probably help that we’ll do it without cost to them. Some of them might prefer to put it all behind them and forget about it and try to let time heal their wounds. I suppose we could take you up and introduce you to Maria and see how that goes.”
“How far is it?”
“Usually a couple of hours, but I normally drive it on the weekends. It might be a little longer of a drive during the week.”
“Well, let me think about how I want to coordinate my time with the Project and maybe we can make a trip or two up there. If I need more time, is there a nearby hotel I can stay at.”
“No, but you can stay at my place. I have another bed I can take out of storage and set up for you. Or I could let you have my bed and I can sleep on the sofa.”
“I wouldn’t want to chase you out of your bed. I assume you and Sharlene will share a bed.”
He pauses before he explains, “We have and I welcome her when she’s willing to join me in my bed, but I won’t make her feel obligated or forced to share my bed. When we first came here, she made it clear we were going to sleep in the same place so she would be able to monitor my medical condition. Since she preferred to sleep in her bed instead of on the love seat or on the floor, we slept in her bed. Since then, I’ve been selfish enough to enjoy cuddling with her even though I don’t think my medical condition any longer requires her to monitor me that closely.
“If she decides that at any time she doesn’t want me in her bed or her life, then I’ll sleep on the sofa or leave, whatever she wants, whenever she wants, no questions asked. That’s one of the reasons I won’t ask her to marry me. I want her to be free. I understand she has a life insurance policy from her biological parents which she can use to help her while she’s out of a job, but those don’t last forever. I’ve already told her that I’m perfectly willing to support her as long as I can with no obligation on her.”
Klara nods her head in understanding then says, “Since I’ve looked at your financial situation, if you remain careful with your spending that should be for the rest of your life and beyond.”
“That’s my intention.”
Klara turns and says, “You’ve been rather quiet, Sharlene.”
“What can I say? This kind gentle generous loving man is willing to support me, care for me, protect me, and give me pleasure without obligation, coercion, or force. I’m sorry, Klara, I can’t refuse such an offer. I don’t mean to make it sound like a cold hearted business deal. Most people would see our age difference as an insurmountable barrier, but in so many other ways, we’re very compatible.
“I think the first thing I noticed about him which made him special in my eyes, is that I was comfortable with him, I felt safe to be in his presence. I think you have an idea of how many other males I’ve been comfortable being around. I’ve felt comfortable discussing topics with George and asking him questions which I’ve never done with anyone else. The longer we’re together, the more I like about him and the more I want him, not only to be with him, but in all ways.”
“Thank you, both of you. I appreciate your willingness to tell me things which are essentially none of my business. Before I deliberately change the subject, I need to make a trip down the hall and refill my drink. Excuse me.”
After Klara steps away, they share another kiss and while he catches his breath, Sharlene makes her own trip down the hall. He’s just getting up to refill their drinks when Klara returns and asks, “Where’s Sharlene?”
“She made her own trip down the hall and now it’s my turn.”
When they’re all back at the table with refilled drinks and everyone is in their own chair, George hands Klara the business card which he had received from the police officer last night.
“Thank you, George. I guess I have one more question before I change the subject. How do you feel about me snooping into your affairs?”
“I’m not pleased that my affairs can be looked into, either by you or anyone else. Since your motivation was concern for Sharlene’s safety, then I’m not going to get bent out of shape over it because her safety is more important than my privacy. If it had been for some other reason, I would be inclined to find a good lawyer and sue your pants off for an invasion of my privacy.”
“But if you sued my pants off, that would be an invasion of my privacy.”
“I’m sorry I used the wrong terminology, but you know what I mean.”
“Yes, I do know what you mean. Thank you.”
Sharlene looks back and forth between them before she says, “I don’t know what you mean.”
Klara looks at him and he waves a hand at her to indicate she should explain. “I guess George and I are dating ourselves because the phrase of ‘suing one’s pants off’ isn’t often used any more. Essentially, it means suing someone for everything they own, including the pants they’re wearing. The laws have changed so a private party can no longer collect very large punitive or punishment awards, only the government can do that. A private party can only collect compensation for damages received, probable future loss, and an equivalent punitive reward. Of course, there are ways to manipulate the figures to anyone’s advantage, but no more suing the pants off another person. Change of subject, Sharlene, what have you been doing in regards to getting your new company ready to go?”
She pauses before she admits, “Not much, I’m afraid. I’ve been writing notes about ideas I’ve had for how I would like to see the company function and what its philosophy ought to be. Mariam knows more about the practical side of it, but I’ve been hesitant to talk to her since I don’t want to compromise her position or have it somehow come out what our plans are.”
George taps her headband and reminds her, “Don’t forget the emotional recordings you’re collecting.”
Sharlene turns to him with a dreamy smile, kisses his cheek, and tells him, “Thank you. I do tend to forget about that.”
Klara looks puzzled and asks, “Emotional recordings? I guess I’m the one who doesn’t understand something.”
“A major part of the Project is the gathering of emotional responses through digital recordings.”
“Yes, I know that. But how do you fit into that?”
“After Mariam talked me into trying out for the Project, most of my emotional recordings were so low level Mariam threatened to use them as a sleeping pill. The last week I would probably have been with the Project and attempting to collect emotional recordings, I took a week of vacation and spent it with Aunt Paula, met George, and had my first sexual experience. When Mariam saw my emotional recordings from that week, she about came unglued and said parts of my recordings were the cleanest recordings she had seen.”
“If I remember right, there are two main measurements to the emotional recordings, one is the intensity and the other is how clean or singular the particular emotion is.”
Sharlene nods her head and says, “That’s right. Anyway, that happened at just about the same time the Project was starting to melt down and Mariam had done a preview of my emotional recordings and hadn’t entered them into the system. She told me not to submit them, but to save them on my computer. When the message came to turn in our headbands and equipment, I turned mine in. After the inventory was taken, Mariam had some turned in which had already been recorded as lost, so she gave me one and insisted that I continue to record my emotional responses and save them on my computer.”
“I assume on the basis that since some of your previous emotional recordings had been clean and strong enough, Mariam figured you would probably have other strong clean recordings.”
“That’s right.”
“Interesting. I would like to come back to that in a little while.”
* * * * *
2147-09-01 (e3)
Klara pauses then says, “So, you’ve been jotting down ideas about how you want the company to operate and what it’s philosophy ought to be and you’re making emotional recordings which you hope will be able to be used to support the company. Have you been doing anything else?”
She drops her head in embarrassment then answers, “No. I really don’t know what else I can do.”
