Chapter 5: A Little Bit More Of History

The East Village is known for its culture, tattoo parlors, piercing palaces and its many theaters and restaurants. It is not known for is bad traffic and lack of parking spaces, which is beyond me why mom would decide to take the car into Manhattan and not the train. We get there in under 30 minutes, with Aunt Jaunita behind the wheel driving as if our very lives depended on it. Cathy, mom, was in the back seat behind me as I rode in the shot-gun position. Though we got there very quickly, it took longer to look for a parking space, with mom complaining about how 'for telepaths, we cant do a simple thing as finding somebody who is leaving so we can take their parking space.' Things are not always as they appear, and to have this gift is more like a curse at time.

While we look, Jaunita and Cathy talk about how things used to be in the 'good old days', but then suddenly, Cathy (mom) stops and then leans over to me.

"Sam, honey, we need to talk...", Cathy says.

"About what?", I ask.

"About you...", she answers.

"What about me?", I ask.

"Its more like about what you're going to do, or might do, you know...", Cathy stated with a bit of a nervous tone.

"If you think that I'm going around having sex, then forget it... I'm still a virgin and boys don't exactly interest me.", I tell her.

"Why cant you leave the girl alone?", Jaunita asks, "I'll tell you the moment when she looses it, where and with whom. Right now she still intact."

"Jaunita!", I yell at her.

"We're all here for your best interests.", Cathy says.

"Cathy, she's having the same problems with boys as I had.", Jaunita tells her.

"Then tell me what is that problem...", Cathy asks.

"As I grew up, boys tended to have only one thought in their minds everytime I looked at them...", Jaunita started to say.

"And what thought was that?", Cathy mockingly asks.

"Cathy- you know. With every boy I met, they all wanted to pull down my panties and put their penises in me. No matter how sincere or how nice they seemed to be, even inside their minds, deep down there was that thought that all of them had.", Jaunita explained.

"Every boy? Even Fernando?", Cathy asks.

"No, Fernando was the exception.", Jaunita answered. "Look all them fights we used to have, damn, I gave you too many chances to have him, and you eventually won. Maybe I should have given him what every boy wanted."

"But you didn't, and I married him.", Cathy says. "But You Still Owe Me...", she then saids, changing her tone to an angered one.

"I know, I know....", Jaunita said in a quieted tone.

For a brief moment, there was a flash of memory that I picked up from Jaunita, one of her younger self running scared, lasting less than a second. I turn to her to see what was her expressing, though she remained stead-fast staring at the road ahead.

"What's the matter hon?", Cathy asked.

"Nothing. Just nothing... mom.", I said as I turned back to my seat and sank into it a bit further.

"It seems to me that you had sensed something...", Cathy started to say.

"Its nothing mom...", I said to further my defense.

"Maybe I should be driving then.", Cathy stated.

I try to remain silent.

"It's a good thing you and Fernando did not have children, or else Samantha here would be a lot more trouble to handle.", Cathy said as she sat back on her seat.

"Huh?", I said.

"Come on Cathy, you know that is not true.", Jaunita said.

"Then answer me this then- if two telepaths as powerful as you two are, were to have children, how powerful would that child's telepathy be?", Cathy asked.

"You know that is a tainted question.", Jaunita refuted as she turned the corner down on 8th street.

"How so?", I asked.

"Look, dear... have you taken Biology yet?", Jaunita asks.

"Last year...", I answered.

"Then think, Mendel Tables of Traits.", Jaunita stated.

"OK...", I answered.

"I carry one gene for telepathy. As does Fernando. So that leaves 1 other gene that is not for telepathy. Got that?", Jaunita states.

"Yeah...", I answered.

"So, that means that there will be a 1 in 4 chance that our child would not be telepathic.", Jaunita saids.

"Right.", I said.

"But that gives a 1 in 2 change that the child would be telepathic, and a 1 in 4 chance that the child would have both telepathic genes from both you and him.", Cathy stated.

"But we don't know if a person with 2 telepathic genes would doubly express the ability or not. In the least it says that the next generation that there would be a 1 in 2 chance that it would be telepathic.", Jaunita explained.

"Look, Sam's telepathic, because she gets it from him...", Cathy started to say.

"But Fernando only carries 1 gene for Telepathy. His ability is augmented by the silver in his nervous system.", Jaunita stated.

"Sam also has silver in her system too.", Cathy stated.

"Mom!", I had to yell out.

"You do?", Jaunita turns to face me.

"Yeah, but as not much as dad.", I answered.

"But, that should make you more powerful than I, and you're not.", Jaunita stated.

"Well... I got red hair and neither of them don't.", I said to myself.

'That's because her blonde hair lightened his dark brown, giving you red.', Jaunita injected into my mind.

I could only turn to face her for a moment before sitting back into the seat.

"Will you two stop giving each other secret messages between yourselves!", Cathy yells from the back seat.

"We're not giving each other secret messages...", I said aloud.

"Your reactions speak louder than words.", Cathy stated.

"You did not let me finish, mom! Auntie Jaunita is the one sending me messages, not me to her!", I answered.

"Sam!", Jaunita yells out.

"Jaunita!", Cathy yells out.

For a second, Jaunita pulls over and double parks the car, letting her switch places with Cathy. Once everyone was in their switched places, Cathy speeds away down the avenue, in search for that ever elusive parking space as we all sit back in silence.

"I don't know how you guys can do that, living with being able to hear the thoughts of other people around you...", Cathy stated.

"Many telepaths don't, they end up in psychwards and heavily medicated, labeled as severe schizophrenics.", Jaunita(Gloria) said.

"Now what are you trying to tell me, Jaun?", Cathy asks.

"Almost every person out there who suffers from hearing voices in their heads are telepathic.", Jaunita(Gloria) explains.

"That is a lot of people...". I said silently to myself.

"Its about 1/10th of the total population.", Jaunita stated. "The problem is that they do not learn how to control the voices in their heads. Many go crazy from it."

"It took me a while to get used to it.", I said silently to myself, "If it weren't for dad, I would not have known what to do."

Turning onto 11th street one more time from 3rd avenue, mom sees a car pulling out of a parking spot, so she stomps on the gas pedal hard to get there quickly. I get thrown back onto the seat of the car as all speed laws are now being broken by my own mother. At least dad waits until he's on the highway for him to start flying into the triple digit speed zone. The car screeches to a halt right besides the empty parking space.

"You'd think it will fit?", Cathy asks.

"Yeah, it should.", Jaunita saids.

Cathy drives back and then noses the car 1/2 way to claim the parking spot as hers, then she angles the car about to get it into the parking space properly. It takes longer to do this way, but it ensures that no one would try to nose their car in from behind you while you're trying to back into the space.

"Everybody- OUT!", Cathy yells as she turns off the car engine, and starts to open the door. Jaunita looks behind for any approaching cars that might come and take out my door.

"Its safe to get out.". Jaunita says as she taps my seat, and leaves on the street side of the car. I gather my things and step out after her, and together walk to the front of the car, where Cathy had already walked through.

Cathy takes me by the hand, "This way my dear- its 3 blocks down and 1 block over." I can do no better than follow her as she pulls me with her fast pace style of walking. Even Jaunita has trouble keeping up; but keep up we must and did, as we turn to the block on 8th street where we find many stores catering to many things, some including tattooing and body piercing. It was one of these store that as walk into.

"How may I help you ladies?", the guy behind the counter asks.

"Yes, we need our little girl here to be pierced. You got the earrings?", Cathy says to him and then asks me.

"Yes mom, they're in my purse.", I say as I reach into my tiny bag and feel for the tiny velvet box with the earrings in it.

"Lets have a look see...", the guy behind the counter says. I reach out to him, about to hand him the box with the earrings. "Not the earrings, hon. lets have a look see at you...", he then says, "just lean over here and let me check out those ears."

"OK...", I said to myself, as I step over the counter, and lean over to him.

"She's not exactly normal.", Cathy started to say, as he reached into my hair to part it away from my ears.

Then he notices that that were pointy, "My... where did you get these from?", he asks.

"She was born with them", Cathy saids.

"My, I got clients that would literally give an arm and a leg for this body mod.", he says, "Consider yourself lucky to have such a gift..."

"She take up after her dad...", Cathy says to herself, almost ashamed to say that she was somehow involved.

"So, what and where you want to be pierced?", he asks. I hand him the earrings, which he opens the box and looks inside. "My, these are lovely...", as he take one out and puts it besides the earlobe. "You know love, I was about to talk you out of getting pierced, but now in seeing these, it would be perfect. Come ladies- look.", he says as signals Cathy and Jaunita to take a look.

"Alright, alright... how much for the job?, Cathy asks.

"For her- nothing...", he says.

"Nothing?", Cathy and Jaunita asks together.

"OK, nothing, but I need to take a before and after picture, and place it on my wall there...", he says as he points to the wall behind us, where people got various piercings, including those in places I did not thought possible.

"OK... but as long as its placed away from the freakier stuff.", Cathy tell him.

"Deal.", he says, "Come with me my love, I'll make this as painless as possible for you."

We follow him to the back of the store, where several stalls were at. He leads us to the last stall of the row and tells me to sit on a barber like chair. He stands behind it, making adjustments to the height and angle to make me feel comfortable. When he was done with the chair, he puts on some rubber gloves and starts to rub a gel on my earlobes which makes them feel tingly numb after a while since he stopped rubbing it on. He then wipes the earlobes clean with a paper towel. "Smile for he camera...", he says as he takes two pictures of a 3/4 profile which includes my ears. He then turn his attention behind me, where I can hear him work on some tools, and Cathy, my mom, hands him the box with the earrings in them. He takes the earrings out and put them into a gun-looking object, which he carefully places on my left earlobe first. A slightly loud 'Snap' sound came out of the gun, and a heavy, pressure like sensation hangs on my earlobe. He then does the same thing to my right side.

"There, all done...", he started to say, "Oh, I almost forgot. Smile for the camera." He then took two more pictures of me with the earring on, then spin the chair around to a large mirror, while handing me a smaller hand mirror to look at them with.

Cathy and Jaunita gathered closer to look at the earrings and at me. "Perfect..." Cathy says.

"Oh yes, very lovely.", Jaunita says.

"Mom, they feel like they're squeezing and pulling down on my ears.", I tell her.

"Don't worry, hon. You'll get used to that.", Cathy tells me.

"I hope so...", I said to myself.

"Its time to meet up with daddy...", Jaunita says with an annoying glee.

I slowly got up off the chair and turned to the clerk, saying, "Thanks..."

"Oh, the pleasure was mine!", he says.

"Alright, lets go...", Cathy says as she grabs on my arm and starts pulling me out of the stall and eventually out of the store. Jaunita stayed behind, staring at some of the more freakier pictures, until Cathy went back inside to get her too.

We meet outside, hearing the two of them quietly discuss that Auntie Jaunita was staring at; though I sorta had a glimpse through our quiet connection. Finally they catch up with me as I waited for them by the curb.

"I swear woman, the one time you get interested in sex that does not involve Fernando, its of some freaky picture of some guy having his thing pierced.", Cathy says.

"Huh?", I said out loud, asking, "What do you mean by that, mom?" They both stare at me blankly for over several silent moments. "Is this more serious than you two are willing to tell me?, I asked to break the silence. But the silence still hung there. "Did Daddy cheated on you through her?", I asked mom.

"Its not cheating, hon. They're just connected- you know, telepathically, and they cant get unconnected.", Cathy explains to me.

"I know about that part, mom, that is no secret to me.", I tell her. "But what you just said- Auntie Jaunita being interested sexually and its not about dad... did he reciprocate during those times? Did you seduced him or you two were alone and things got carried away?", I continued to ask, directing most of it at Jaunita.

"Sam...", Cathy started to say.

"No... Cathy its time she knew.", Jaunita said.

"Jaunita...", Cathy says.

"Go get the car and pick us up right here. We wont move from here as we have our little talk.", Jaunita tells her.

"I thought we were not going to say a thing until she was old enough.", Cathy stated.

"She's old enough now...", Jaunita says.

"Auntie...", I called to her.

"Listen dear... I'll core dump every second of living memories I've had with your father, but I need for your mother to get the car to pick us up, because after this, I don't think we'd be able to walk too far.", Jaunita explains. As Cathy starts to walk away from us, Jaunita puts her finger tips onto my temples. "Honey, just one thing- for good or bad, you will have 2 sets of memories in you, those you made through your life and selected parts of mine. The choice is yours, you can keep them or throw them away."

"Just let me know the truth, did you and dad cheated on mom...", I asked as the memories started to roll by, as of on a movie screen- every waking and sleeping moment they ever had together. Years worth of memories, compressed into a couple of minutes.

"No.", Jaunita tells me.

"What about before I was born?", I ask.

"During high school? They were some crazy years, and we had our chances then, but we never did.", Jaunita explains.

"Have you ever slept with him?", I asked.

"Yes...", Jaunita answers.

"Ever slept with him while he was married to mom?", I asked.

"Yes, but nothing ever happened between us.", Jaunita answers.

"Nothing?", I asked.

"We made have kissed, and showed how much we care for each other, but as for having him in me- never. Look, Sam... your father is a very special person. And yes, we are connected psychically to where we share everything, and at times we are as one. But we are one that level- the psychic one, not the physical one. Do you understand?"

"Have you ever wanted to... you know... have sex with him?", I asked.

"I would be lying to you if I said no, my dear. But it never happened between us.", Jaunita answered.

"Does mom knows what's happened between you two?", I asked.

"She does.", Jaunita replies, "Care to ask her yourself?"

"Then you and daddy are very close?", I asked.

"Inseparable.", Jaunita answers.

"If you two ever have, now or in the future, how you think would mom take it?", I asked.

"We had many talks about this and as you know, if you go to a memory long ago... during a snow storm before you were born, you will find your answer on a tiny bed with the three of us in it. I would suggest you go through that one first, even if you have to in a dream, because we showed each other how much three people can love and care about each other as friends and more than friends.", Jaunita stated. She reaches over and wipes a tear off my eye and smiles back at me, "I love your father a lot, hon, but your mom is my best friend, and the three of us would never want to hurt each other, although in the past she might have wanted me too, but those were crazy days. Now things are more calmer now for all of us."

"Just one last question...", I asked.

"What is it?", Jaunita asks.

"What's in the safe in the back of the hall where all the rooms connect.", I ask.

"The answer is in that memory, hon.", Jaunita answers.

Cathy pulls up to the curb and honks her horn to break our concentration. "Will you two get into the car!", she then yells at us.

"One more question?", I asked.

"Hurry, your mom's in a rush....", Jaunita said.

"If you and dad share everything psychically, does that make you my second mom?", I asked.

"No silly, I'm your Auntie. I don't share your flesh or blood, but I do my soul through him.", she says with a smile. "And if anything were to happen to him, I'll do my best for you forever. Come on, lets go."