Benita turned her face away to hide her expression. Chad reached out and squeezed her hand.
Chiddy and Vess returned. The welcoming party gathered around the tall figure of T’Fees and then they strolled off, in no particular order.
“We have gained some time,” said Chiddy, drawing Benita away from Carlos and Chad. “One has told them of the predators, of your son’s capture, of your fear for his life. One has begged tolerance for his lack of manners, saying that time is needed for balance, for regaining equanimity. Please, Benita, may one speak to you sincerely?”
She nodded. He took her a step or two farther from the others and said, “T’Fees notwithstanding, Benita, one can help you with your boy, if you like.”
“What do you mean?”
“One’s hearing is keen. One heard his comments and saw his comportment. Such a demeanor is injudicious at this juncture.”
“That’s true,” she admitted. “But he’s still frightened. We gave him no time to get his balance after you saved him from the Fluiquosm.”
“One knows. So one offers a way of re-balancing. It’s a kind of therapy. A way of changing behaviors. It does work. Would you like one to try?”
She wanted to say yes. She wanted to say, he’s broken, fix him. She couldn’t. Suppose it made him happier? Suppose it made him a nicer person? Perhaps he enjoyed being unhappy, some people did. Perhaps hechose to be miserable! She shook her head, whispering, “Not just yet, Chiddy. Give him a chance on his own . . .”
“One understands, dear Benita. Individuality is very important to your people. Vess and I have seen that some humans think of their pain as their own, whereas they think of happiness as something they should have been given and did not receive. They do not know that happiness comes from within. They rant at the world for not providing it while they keep it from ever emerging. Your son would rather play tragedy than comedy. It is an individual choice.”
She wiped her eyes surreptitiously. “I do feel guilty. I should have controlled it, Chiddy. If I had married someone else, if I had not been impetuous, if I had waited until my judgment was better, maybe he wouldn’t be like this. It makes me sorrowful.”
“Ha. And would some other choice have produced some other result? Perhaps not. Your son would not have been like this, true. Also, he would not have been this son. Another son could have been happier only if this one had not existed. This argument is futile and silly. We will not discuss it further.”
She flushed and nodded.
Chiddy said, “This idea of cleaning of the Fresco is more dangerous than I can say. If we had known T’Fees was here, we would not have brought your son with us. Now, Carlos is, as you say, a loose cannon, and we cannot risk his crashing about. Will you allow me to give him a slight euphoric? One that will keep him happy and quiet?”
“Of course, Chiddy. I don’t want him to upset things. He just seemed to be so … useless, and it hurts!”
Chiddy patted her arm. “Don’t be so sure he is useless. The Pistach have a little saying: ‘Goff requos bemin pequos.’From this shit may verdure come. All kinds of people turn out to have a use.” He patted her again. “Enough of sadness. Welcome awaits at the guest house of the Cavita family.”
The house was small and elegant. It reminded Benita of pictures she had seen of Japanese houses: sliding screens instead of walls, simple surfaces, beautifully finished, only necessary furniture, a few storage chests, a few mats. Obviously the Pistach did not use chairs, but they did have slanting boards they could lean their ventral sides on, leaving their arms free on each side. There were three sleeping areas, separable each from the others, with soft mats on the floors, and each human adopted one, putting their belongings on the simple chests.
The sanitary arrangements were out back, so to speak, except for the bath, an anteroom leading to a tiled booth with nozzles in every direction. A carved chest in the anteroom attracted Benita’s attention, and without thinking she opened the lid. Something flew out of the chest and covered her, crawling under her clothing, into every seam and crease of her body. She screamed, and things crawled into her mouth. She gurgled, hearing the rattle of Chiddy’s feet on the floor.