«Poor fellow. He's bitten a wooden leg and his teeth hurt.» They found a quieter room; Sam said, «I had been saying that these troubles can be expected — and will get worse before we will control enough public opinion to be tolerated. But Mike is in no hurry. We close down the Church of All Worlds — it is closed. So we move and open the Congregation of the One Faith — and get kicked out again. Then we reopen elsewhere as the Temple of the Great Pyramid — that will bring flocking the fat and fatuous females, and some will end up neither fat nor foolish — and when we have the Medical Association and the local bar and newspapers and politicos snapping at our heels there — why, we open the Brotherhood of Baptism somewhere else. Each one gains a hard core of disciplined who can't be hurt. Mike started less than two years ago, uncertain himself and with only the help of three untrained priestesses. Now we've got a solid Nest … plus advanced pilgrims we can get in touch with later. Someday we'll be too strong to persecute.»
«Well,» agreed Jubal, «Jesus made quite a splash with only twelve disciples.»
Sam grinned happily. «A Jew boy. Thanks for mentioning Him. He's the top success story of my tribe — and we all know it, even though many of us don't talk about Him. He was a Jew boy Who made good and I'm proud of Him. Please note that Jesus didn't try to get it all done by Wednesday. He set up a sound organization and let it grow. Mike is patient, too. Patience is so much part of the discipline that it isn't patience; it's automatic. Never any sweat.»
«A sound attitude at any time.»
«Not an attitude. The functioning of discipline. Jubal? I grok you are tired. Would you become untired? Or would you rather go to bed? If you don't our brothers will keep you up all night, talking. We don't sleep much, you know.»
Jubal yawned. «I choose a long, hot soak and eight hours sleep. I'll visit with our brothers tomorrow … and other days.»
«And many other days,» agreed Sam.
Jubal found his room, was immediately joined by Patty, who drew his tub, turned back his bed without touching it, placed his setup for drinks by his bed, mixed one and placed it on the shelf of the tub. Jubal did not hurry her out; she had arrived displaying all her pictures. He knew enough about the syndrome which can lead to full tattooing to be sure that if he did not ask to examine them, she would be hurt.
Nor did he feel the fret that Ben had felt on a similar occasion; he undressed — and discovered with wry pride that it did not matter even though it had been years since the last time he had allowed anyone to see him naked. It seemed to matter not at all to Patty; she simply made sure that the tub was just right before letting him step into it.
Then she remained and told him what each picture was and in what sequence to view them.
Jubal was properly awed and appropriately complimentary, while completely the impersonal art critic. It was, he admitted to himself, the goddamndest virtuosity with a needle he had ever seen — it made his Japanese friend look like a cheap carpet as compared with the finest Princess Bokhara.
«They've been changing a little,» she told him. «Take the holy brith scene here — that rear wall is beginning to look curved… and the bed looks almost like a hospital table. I'm sure George doesn't mind. There hasn't been a needle touched to me since he went to Heaven … and if miraculous changes take place, I'm sure he has a finger in it.»
Jubal decided that Patty was dotty but nice … he preferred people who were a little dotty; «the salt of the earth» bored him. Not too dotty, he amended; Patty had whisked his discarded clothes into his wardrobe without coming near them. She was probably a clear proof that one didn't have to be sane, whatever that was, to benefit by this discipline; the boy apparently could teach anyone.
He sensed when she was ready to leave and suggested it by asking her to kiss his goddaughters goodnight — he had forgotten. «I was tired, Patty.»
She nodded. «And I am called for dictionary work.» She leaned over and kissed him, warmly but quickly. «I'll take that one to our babies.»
«And a pat for Honey Bun.»
«Yes, of course. She groks you, Jubal. She knows you like snakes.»
«Good. Share water, brother.»
«Thou art God, Jubal.» She was gone. Jubal settled back in the tub, was surprised to find that he was not tired and his bones no longer ached. Patty was a tonic … happiness on the hoof. He wished that he had no doubts — then admitted that he didn't want to be anything but himself, old and cranky and self-indulgent.
Finally he soaped and showered and decided to shave so that he wouldn't have to before breakfast. Presently he bolted the door, turned out the overhead light, and got into bed.
He looked around for something to read, found nothing to his annoyance, being addicted to this vice above all else. He sipped part of a drink instead and turned out the bed light.
His chat with Patty seemed to have wakened and rested him. He was still awake when Dawn came in.
He called out, «Who's there?»
«It's Dawn, Jubal.»
«It can't be dawn yet; it was only — Oh.»
«Yes, Jubal. Me.»
«Damn it, I thought I bolted that door. Child, march straight out of — Hey!Get out of this bed. Git!»
«Yes, Jubal. But I want to tell you something first.»
«Huh?»
«I have loved you a long time. Almost as long as Jill has.»
«Why, the very — Quit talking nonsense and shake your little fanny out that door.»
«I will, Jubal,» she said humbly. «But please listen to something first. Something about women.»
«Not now. Tell me in the morning.»
«Now,Jubal.»
He sighed. «Talk. Stay where you are.»
«Jubal … my beloved brother. Men care very much how we women look. So we try to be beautiful and that is a goodness. I used to be a peeler, as you know. It was a goodness, to let men enjoy the beauty I was for them. It was a goodness for me, to know that they needed what I had to give.
«But, Jubal, women are not men.We care what a man is. It can be something as silly as: Is he wealthy? Or it can be: Will he take care of my children and be good to them? Or, sometimes, it can be: Is he good? As you are good, Jubal. But the beauty we see in you is not the beauty you see in us. You are beautiful, Jubal.»
«For God's sake!»
«I think you speak rightly. Thou art God and I am God — and I need you. I offer you water. Will you let me share and grow closer?»
«Uh, look, little girl, if I understand what you are offering — »
«You grok, Jubal. To share all that we have. Ourselves. Selves.»
«I thought so. My dear, you have plenty to share — but … myself — well, you arrived years too late. I am sincerely regretful, believe me. Thank you. Deeply. Now go away and let an old man sleep.»
«You will sleep, when waiting is filled. Jubal … I could lend you strength. But I grok clearly that it is not necessary.»
(Goddamit — it wasn't necessary!) «No, Dawn. Thank you, dear.»
She got to her knees and bent over him. «Just one more word, then. Jill told me that if you argued, I was to cry. Shall I get my tears all over your chest? And share water with you that way?»
«I'm going to spank Jill!»
«Yes, Jubal. I'm starting to cry.» She made no sound, but in a second or two a warm, full tear splashed on his chest — was followed by another … and another — and still more. She sobbed almost silently.
Jubal cursed and reached for her … and cooperated with the inevitable.