The Mating Game

Finding My Place

The house is bigger than any other building I have ever been in.  It has a large front porch and is very neatly maintained on the inside and out.  Each item in the house seems to have its own meticulously placed area or space within the home.  Aaron leads us down a short hallway and opens the first door on the left.  “This is the ladies' bedroom.” Gesturing with his arm for us to enter. Laura walks over to the bed in the corner as if it has always been hers.  Oh, wait that probably was her bed at one time. Katie takes the top bunk on the other side of the room which leaves me with the bottom bunk.  “We’ll discuss jobs and chores in the morning.  If you get hungry, there is some dried jerky in the pantry. If you need anything just ask Laura, she is familiar with everything here.  Please make yourself at home because this is your home for the next year.” Aaron nods his head and closes the door behind him leaving the women alone again.  It feels like I’m back in containment, sharing a room with other girls, and being sent to bed early. Well, at least I only have two roommates this time.  “There are some nightclothes in the drawer over there against the wall,” Laura says as she points to the dresser in the corner.  “Also, in this closet are various dresses for us to share.” Laura opens the closet door to show us. In unison Katie and I thank Laura. Then trying to keep my mouth shut and not say anything else stupid for the rest of the night I silently walk over to the dresser and choose a white gown from the top drawer.  Slipping off my beautiful “non-wedding dress,” I place the airy knee-length nightgown over my head. Tiredly I climb into my new to me but still used bed and pull the covers to my chin.  This day has not gone as planned. Well, it can only go up from here. I do not stare at the ceiling this time because I am too exhausted and merely shut my eyes and fall into a deep dreamless sleep.

The next morning Laura wakes me, and I quickly realize that she is going to be my much-needed mother hen.  “It’s time for breakfast and job assignments. Come get dressed and join us in the kitchen.”  Laura pushes a strand of hair out of my eyes before walking out of the room.  Almost simultaneously Katie and I moan.  “It can’t possibly be morning already.” Katie says from beneath her pillow.  Dragging my feet towards the closet, Laura showed us last night I choose a plain sleeveless dress and absentmindedly trail my fingers through my hair.  My braid must have come out during the night, and I now have what resembles a bird’s nest on top of my head.  Spotting a brush on the dresser, I try to regain some control over my unruly hair and pull it back into a ponytail.  Exiting the room, with Katie following behind me we make our way to the kitchen.  Each of us takes a chair and waits in anticipation for the job assignments. Yeah, not really.  Aaron begins “Alright, Laura. You will be in charge of taking care of the animals and all of their needs. Katie, you will be working with me around the farm repairing fences, planting crops, harvesting crops, fishing, hunting, and so on.”  Taking a breath and slightly sighing Aaron looks my way “Addison, you will be in charge of the meals and maintaining the home.” Looking around the table, Aaron asks if everyone is comfortable with their assignments.  Glancing worriedly around the table from face to face I slowly raise my hand up to eye level.  This is so damn embarrassing. “I was never really that great of a cook while in containment.  I learned the basics, but all of the girls at camp always said my food tasted like dirt.  Maybe I would be better-suited fishing, hunting, and repairing things around the farm with you.  That’s what I mostly did at camp.” I say looking at Aaron.  “How bad of a cook could you possibly be? We’ll give it a chance and see how things go.  How about you start with something simple this morning like scrambled eggs.” Aaron says in a positive go get em kind of way.  Great my mate is encouraging me like a child. So Laura is the mother hen, and I am going to be the baby that needs their hand held by all the real adults in the room. I stand up from the table briskly.  I am a woman on a mission.  So he wants me to stay in the house and clean and cook.  Well, I’ll be the best damn cook he’s ever seen.  “Where are the eggs?” I ask curtly.  “I’ll show you; they’re in the pantry over here.” Laura guides me to the pantry and hands me the eggs.  I quickly whip up some pretty damn amazing scrambled eggs if I don’t say so myself and serve it to my new strange family.  Thank god he said scrambled eggs! At least that was one of the things on my very short repertoire of things I can cook.  Everyone eats every bite on their plate, and I am soon left alone in the house.  That’s one meal down… two more to go.  What the hell am I going to make now?  I don’t think they would appreciate scrambled eggs for lunch and dinner. I busy myself with becoming familiar with the kitchen and pantry. Luckily, I find a few slabs of steak.  This will have to do.  After deciding on the steak for lunch, I busy myself with sweeping and scrubbing the floor.  Before Aaron left this morning, he told me what time to expect everyone back for lunch so I decide after I’ve finished cleaning the floors in every room that I would begin cooking the steaks. While the steaks are cooking, I try to maintain a sense of action. The last thing I want to look like is an idol or lazy mate and continue with my cleaning by moving onto dusting. Followed by making all of the beds.  Humming a lullaby to myself while making Laura’s bed I am scared shitless by Aaron’s screams coming from the kitchen. Throwing open the bedroom door I am instantly engulfed in smoke. s**t, clearly I started the steaks too early.  Stepping into the kitchen, I find Aaron taking the steaks off of the fire.  “Are you trying to burn the damn house down on day one?” he screams while throwing the smoking steaks out the window.  “s**t, Ouch!” Aaron screams as the pan drops to the floor making a loud clattering sound.  Then begins waving his hand in the air.  “I’m so sorry! I told you I couldn’t cook. Did you burn yourself?  Here let me see your hand.” Rushing over to where Aaron is standing I try to grab the hand he is flailing in the air.  “Just leave it be. I’m fine. Christ, didn’t you smell the smoke?” Aaron says ripping his hand from my grip.  “I was in the back making the beds. I didn’t realize.” I am interrupted by Katie “I guess that means we don't have any lunch then.”  “No, No, I’ll just clean up this mess, and then I’ll make” I don’t get to finish my sentence.  “Don’t bother we have to get back to work. I want to finish those fences before dinner. However, you will actually have an edible dinner ready for us tonight… right?” Aaron says in an encouraging but sarcastic tone. His muddy brown eyes meet mine.  I begin nodding like a complete fool. “Of course and this time I promise I won’t burn the food.”  While Katie and Aaron are walking out the front door, I hear Aaron mumble to Laura who’s on her way into the kitchen to not bother with lunch because it’s laying out in the yard. Laura gives me a sympathetic look and shrugs her shoulders and walks back towards the barn.  That went well.

Okay, dinner… what should I make for dinner? How about fish? I have always been good at catching fish, and I’m sure cooking fish is similar to cooking steak or chicken in a pan. Right? As the sun sinks lower in the sky, I become more and more nervous as dinner time approaches.  I was able to busy myself with the cleaning and the various household chores, but now I am too anxious to get anything done.  I may be more nervous about tonight’s dinner than I was about the grouping ceremony yesterday.  Carefully I begin cooking the fish. Well, at least it used to be fish until I butchered it trying to get the bones out. I will not burn it. I will not burn it.  I brown what used to look like fish on each side trying to make sure it is cooked but not too cooked. I am just taking it off the stove as all three of them walk in.  “Something smells good,” Laura says lifting her nose in the air.  “Well, I’ll eat about anything. I’m starving after today’s little debacle.” Aaron says sitting down in a huff and with a smirk on his face.  Quickly I place a plate full of mashed-up fish in front of each member of my new family, but I’m sure to include a side of carrots with the mush.  “Um… what is this?” Katie says stabbing her food. “Fish,” I say eagerly.  “Last time I checked fish didn’t look like this.” She says picking up a piece and dropping it to her plate.  “Yeah, well the damn things are hard to debone. So this is what’s left of the fish after the bones have been taken out. I said I was good at fishing. I can catch them but I didn’t say I could cook them or debone them.” I say while giving Katie a cocky grin.  I hear a snicker come from Aaron’s side of the table.  “Well dig in everyone,” Laura says in a cautious but hopeful voice.  I don’t dig in. Instead, I watch as each person takes a bite. Laura is the first one to brave the mush.  She takes a forkful of the mashed fish and places it in her mouth.  Almost instantly her nose scrunches up, and her lips pucker.  I can tell she is forcing to keep it in her mouth.  She swallows deeply. “Mmm yummy,” she says sticking her tongue out quickly and bringing it back into her mouth hoping no one saw.  Aaron is next, but as soon as the fish touches his tongue, he has an instant reaction and heaves the fish into his napkin while coughing and choking at the same time.  I begin hitting him on the back. “Well to hell with this, I’m not trying that stuff,” Katie says standing up and throwing her fork onto the plate.  “It couldn’t possibly be that bad,” I say while placing a bite in my mouth. Instantly I want to spit the rank fish from my mouth, but I’m trying to prove a point, so I just hold it in my mouth for a few seconds.  Everyone’s eyes are on me waiting to see what I am going to do.  Oh dear god, I can’t do it. YUCK! Giving in, I spit the fish or what used to be fish into my napkin. “Okay, that tasted like s**t, sorry for my language,” I say standing up to dispose of my food once again out the window. “I concur it was very similar tasting to what I would suspect s**t would taste like,” Aaron says chuckling as he joins me next to the window to dispose of his meal.  “At least it wasn’t burnt this time,” he says nudging me with his elbow.  Turning around to face Katie and Laura, Aaron announces that new jobs will be assigned first thing in the morning and that there is indeed plenty of jerky still in the pantry.  Later in the night after I have finished cleaning up the disaster and eating more pieces of jerky than I can remember eating in my entire lifetime. I spy Laura following Aaron to his room.  “Hmph” I whisper under my breath trying to act unbothered by the sight I have just witnessed. Well, what did I expect they have two offspring together already so of course, he would take her to his room first.  But Laura is so motherly and old… I think she told me she was 41. Why wouldn’t he choose someone closer to his age to take to his room? The connection I was beginning to develop with Aaron tonight at dinner begins to dissipate, and it is replaced by burning anger.  My stomach is tight and achy.  This is a shitty feeling. I need to remember that there are three of us and Aaron must try and impregnate each one of us but I still feel this sudden urge to kill Laura, or maybe just smack her in the face… really hard. Silently I  make my way to my bedroom to get some sleep.  However, visions of Laura and Aaron together torment me through the night.