Edev was not a planet of man-hating females, and neither previous nor current queen ruled the planet with a tyrannical fist. Instead, the whole of Edevian society and culture was slanted on keeping things in balance. Certainly, the entire planet was ruled by women, totally matrifocal, the men relegated to secondary subservient roles. But isn't that the way on Earth only reversed?
Well, yes in part. At least on Edev, the men do have many rights, but as Queen Gaja, Utina's successor, explained, there is a danger of upsetting that balance.
"Our world has always followed the feminine, honored mothers and daughters. From what I've gathered about your world, the women in the numerous nation-states have a long way to go. Too many of Earth's women are held hostage to antiquated rules and expectations; there is no chance to grow. Of course, the respect is not there. How can women progress if their men do not hold them in high esteem. We hold our men in high esteem, but we also know their innate weakness, and that is a tendency toward violence and aggression. Edev has enjoyed thousands of years' peace, save that one senseless near-rebellion. Unfortunately I cannot say the same for your planet. I pray and grieve for your world, Claire. So many wars and conflicts. How can Earth men honor and respect the women when they don't do the same for themselves?"
Good point. Claire never thought of it that way. So this is why Edev has never seen war, never had to slog through conflict after regional conflict. Earth, on the other hand, has been convulsed by war ever since the first man took up spear and sword.
...And the women suffered...Still suffer...
°°°°°°
When Claire and Emily arrived on Edev, the planet was in full mourning. Utina, Edev's beloved queen of several decades, had exited this life into the next. Aarien had arrived too late to say her goodbyes, so she had to console herself by giving the eulogy at Utina's state funeral. Her Majesty's successor, Gaja, was so impressed with Aarien's eloquence the she promptly promoted Aarien to commander of the entire Edevian fleet.
Gaja was also intrigued with the two Earth women Aarien brought back. When she questioned Claire and Emily about their life on Earth, she was taken aback by how 'backward' Earth seemed. And she became outraged at the women's maltreatment at the hands of the men of whom they supposedly loved and trusted.
However, Gaja understood and made this promise:
"You are now citizens of Edev. No more will you be forced to bow down to any man, as that is not our way. Here you shall find a place for yourselves. Women of your talents will certainly make your marks upon Edevian culture. All I ask is that you share your past experiences with our people. Thus they will know how much could be lost if respect and honor is replaced by greed and lust for power."
So, once Emily and Claire set foot on Edev, what changes have occurred? Firstly, since Claire had entertained notions of going into law, that was what she did. Instead of going the usual route of earning the bachelor's degree then spending three or four years earning her JD, Claire apprenticed in Edev's Royal Academy, learning all she can about the Edevian legal system. Since she was a fast learner, Claire, upon earning her legal certificate, was elevated to Queen Gaja's legal consul, overseeing domestic and family cases. It was what she'd always dreamed of and more, a chance to help those truly in need.
Emily Brown, once she settled on Edev, immediately dropped her married name. Why should she be reminded of Howard's cruelty and bigotry? While surnames were not used on Edev, Emily felt it was appropos to honor her parents by resuming her maiden name: Dorfman. It was also to help reacquaint herself with her Jewish heritage. While she knew Judaism had a decidedly masculine slant, there were so many prominent women of the faith, and they were Emily's personal heroines.
When she consulted with Legudia, she asked, "May I pursue my faith traditions here? While I will learn all I can about Edevian belief systems, it is important to me to keep and practice the faith of my parents. Howard took that away from me; he was so anti-Semitic and racist. I missed observing all the high holy days. It always kept me grounded and gave me so much comfort. So would it be asking too much if I could resume practicing my faith? I know Judaism is male-centered, but there is a strong feminine presence. I want to share that with your people."
Emily pleaded her case so eloquently that Legudia granted the request, and the Edevian priestess made a proposition.
"Emily, my sister in Imyn. While it is not our practice to worship male deities, we do not prevent such activities. Your faith heritage is intriguing. I am looking forward to learning much of your traditions. Tell me more of this 'Festival of Lights' and 'Yom Kippur'."
So Emily Brown found herself ensconced in the University of Libasa, teaching Earth religious studies and sharing her faith with Edevians. She also traveled with Legudia, who now became her lover. Yes, Emily faced the fact that she, like Claire, was lesbian. Sex with Howard was...Well, after he forced himself on her back in college, sex was a chore, a hated task. Besides, to Howard, sex was just for making babies, never for pleasure.
Ha! That's a laugh, thought Emily while planning upcoming Hanukkah festivities. Howard Brown, upstanding, upright 'family values' man, was nothing more than a pervert in disguise.
Oh yes, that bit of news concerning Howard and Van reached Emily and Claire's ears via Jen. Emily suspected her former husband was hiding something, but nothing prepared her for the shock of learning Howard and Van were anything but "good God-fearing, conservative, Christian family men".
°°°°°°
Howard and Van...
Before Aarien left Earth, she entrusted Jen Dorfman with the Astral Communicator, a highly prized device designed to transmit messages across the vast debris of space. Not too many people outside Edev possessed this device – the "AC" as it was familiarly known. Therefore, Aarien reiterated to Jen that no one see her use the AC. It may fall into the wrong hands.
Anyway, Jen used the AC to keep her sister and niece informed of all that went on at home. She was aware that Emily and Claire would, despite their newly won independence on Edev, become quite homesick. And she felt it necessary to inform them of Howard and Van's downfall.
So what happened that morning after Aarien and Claire fled the safety of Latoya's home? Seemed Pansie had her media connections, as did Jen and Latoya. Right after Howard and Van took off to chase down Claire and Aarien, Pansie called her friends at the TV and newspapers. In her line of work as a youth counselor, one of Pansie's clients happened to be the daughter of Kaye Summers.
She soon learned that Kaye's daughter fell victim to Van's pedophilic designs. How did the daughter find the courage to confide in her mother then in Jen? Appparently, one of the child's classmates stumbled upon a pornographic website that featured children engaged in various sex acts. The child was too embarrassed and grossed out when he recognized his classmate's image plastered all over the page, that young girl forced into depraved acts against her will.
Well, that embarrassed classmate informed his parents who in turn confronted Kaye. That's when everything began to snowball into a major sex crimes scandal. Once Kaye filed child molestation charges, previous victims came forth claiming that they, too, fell into Van's clutches.
Pansie, though fully aware of the 'doctor-patient' confidentiality, was bound by law to inform the police of what was going on. She had to tell the investigating detectives that one of her patients was a victim. And she wanted to inform the press. So she had Jen and Latoya call the local media; she herself could not do this because it might compromise her professionally. But it was a chance she had to take. Howard and Van had gotten away with too much, and their cruel hold over Emily and Claire had to come to an end. The media attention alone ensured just that.
Not that neither Claire nor Emily wanted to hear of the men's downfall, but the latter always had a feeling that her husband was doing something shady. Emily couldn't prove it; she was always kept in the dark as to Howard's business. He, as his wont, forbade his wife from any and all financial affairs. All she was to do was keep house, rear Claire, and that's that. No money of her own other than the paltry sum he gave her every week for groceries and general household expenses. She never saw the checkbook, never got to see exactly how much was in the bank. Howard paid all the bills, kept up with the accounts, and oversaw any major household expenditures. She didn't even know what he did for a living. Emily just assumed Howard worked in an office, perhaps in insurance or sales. She had no idea her husband was running a clandestine child porn ring.
"It's just as I suspected, Claire," she said to her daughter after Jen passed on the news. "I kept having these vibes that your father was doing something illegal, but I couldn't prove it. As always, I was compelled to play the devoted, submissive wife. I couldn't come out and ask him; it was just not done."
Nevertheless, it grieved Emily, albeit briefly, that Howard and Van were duly convicted of multiple counts of child molestation, possessing and distributing child pornography, and other charges too numerous to list. Then the inevitable. In the course of the investigation, it was learned that Howard's "Preserve Our Families" organization was just a front for racist, xenophobic activities that included the commission of several hate crimes. It was revealed in court that the sole reason Van Allen targeted Kaye Summers' daughter was that she was bi-racial. The child even testified that Van stated on several occasions that she was "damaged goods" because she was of mixed racial heritage. In fact, the child porn ring specialized in using children of color. It was, according to Van and Howard, to showcase the "highly animal nature of these mongrel offspring."
At present, both men are serving multiple life sentences; the judge's sentence was that harsh and sent home the message that exploiting children as these men did would not be tolerated.
°°°°°°
"What happened to Daddy and Van disgusts me. I would have known both of them would come to a nasty end."
Claire sat in the comfort of the luxury apartment she shared with Aarien. This promised to be a happy day, for Claire and her Edevian lover were to be united in matrimony. While Claire was ecstatic, there was still that nagging feeling and guilt – yes, guilt – over what happened to her father and ex-fiancé.
"Don't beat up on yourself, Claire. What came out of all your suffering was all for the best. Think of it as a warning to all your Earth men: That such heinous crimes are and will be duly punished."
Aarien, resplendent in her tight and shiny white dress uniform, kissed her intended, adding, "Forget about them. I know he gave you life, but he also took so much from you and your mother. Always remember that I love you, and that we have so many adventures awaiting us."
That said, Claire soon found herself and Aarien standing in Imyn's Temple, before Legudia, repeating the time-honored vows. It was an interesting wedding, a mixture of both Earth and Edevian wedding customs, but no "obey" for Claire's vows as it would have been if she had married Van.
No, as Aarien said, forget Van, forget Daddy. This is the beginning for a whole new life for me, for Mom. At last, we are free...Free to pursue our dreams without the guilt or pressure...
"Claire," said Legudia during the reception that followed. "I understand you are accompanying Aarien on another Earth expedition."
Between bites of delicious chocolate five-tiered wedding cake Emily made especially for the occasion, Claire replied, "Aarien wants to do this. Seems she's acquired a taste for Earth foods, make that French and Italian cuisine."
To this, Emily, now a radiantly beautiful woman, not at all the mousy frump she'd become as Mrs. Howard Brown, rejoined, "And they have to procure a few items for me." She turned to Legudia, adding, "It seems you, my dear Legudia, have developed a taste for my potato latkes and matzo ball soup."
"In that case," said Claire laughingly, "why don't we bring back seeds, livestock, some cooking equipment only available on Earth, and enough recipes to fill a library."
In response, Aarien struck upon an idea. "Why not have a library especially for Earth's many cultures? I will speak to Gaja about this, and I'm sure Her Majesty would have you, my darling Claire, head up this project."
Hmm...Does she really mean that? Do Aarien and Queen Gaja really want to expose their people to Earth's sordid history? The darkness mixed with the good? The wars, slavery, genocides, unimaginable barbarism...
"It would be a valuable education for us," said Legudia. "We Edevians are, at times, too complacent in our own ways. We do not know everything that goes on in other worlds, so it would be to our advantage to learn if we want to preserve our way of life here."
°°°°°°
In the shuttle, on the way to Sythra, a tropical resort in the southern part of the planet, Claire and Aarien talked over future plans. There was much to do, so much that it would take more than a lifetime for Claire to catch herself up on what she had been missing. Indeed, she thought of what her life could've been if she hadn't abruptly left home, if she hadn't walked out on her folks in a huff, if she hadn't taken that shortcut along the river road.
"What could've been, Aarien."
"Say again, my love?"
"I mean, if Imyn's Crystal had landed elsewhere, if I hadn't taken that shortcut, if I had just moved on and wrote off my folks. Oh my Goddess, Aarien, it would've killed me to think of my mother still at the mercy of that monster she married. And Van, how sick can one man be? I would've married him then suffered through the fallout. I would've been disgraced, scorned..."
She began to cry, hiding her face as if not wanting her new spouse to see the tears.
"I'm sorry, Aarien. We're supposed to be happy, on our honeymoon. And I'm brooding over the past, what could have been, instead of focusing on the future."
Aarien comforted her spouse with a tender kiss and embrace. "Not to worry so, my love. You've been chained so long that, now you are finally unshackled, you have as of yet to become accustomed to your hardwon independence. Give it time, Claire. Don't let the past bog you down. Concentrate on our love, our future together. We have a home to build, children maybe."
"Children...I hadn't thought of kids yet. But we just got married!"
Both women laughed long and hard. Aarien wrapped her arms around her beloved, saying as the shuttle landed, "Well, not just yet. Besides, Edevian women, by custom, do not become parents for at least a year after the wedding."
"Hmm," said Claire with a smile, "maybe if you give me the Instant Ecstasy Blast...You know, the 'Love Lightning', maybe I can cut that wait down to six months. I want kids, Aarien, lots of kids..."
I hope you enjoyed this story. As always, I welcome feedback..Drop me a line!
Copyright©2004 by Pepper Shriver*
*My pen name :-)