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Date Posted: 15:34:32 11/18/02 Mon
Author: CCCook
Subject: Studs, Texas - Book Two - New segments

From Hywelis:

On Thursday evening, after dinner, the usual quiet had descended on the boarding house. India was lying down on her bed, curled up on her side, holding the latest issue of a medical journal in one hand while with the other one she caressed Florence, who was lying in the curve formed by India's body in a very similar position as her owner and purring loudly. For the third time in a row, India began reading the same paragraph, trying to make some sense of it, but her mind was too full with other thoughts. It kept wandering back, most annoyingly, to the workshop that Peter and she had hold at the Culture Preservation Center the previous evening, or rather, to the moments following it.

****************

India greeted the last of the kids who had come forward to get the information brochures and the leaflets detailing the possibility of further encounters and watched them leave the room. She turned around to Duncan, who now was the only person left there with her: as soon as the workshop had ended, two boys had requested a talk with Peter, and he had withdrawn with them into Duncan's private office, which the Center's founder had put at their disposal foreseeing the possibility of such an occurrence.
- A very responsive group. - India remarked
- And an amazing workshop, conducted by amazing people. - Duncan complimented her.
- Thank you. Peter is really something, isn't he? -
- Well, he is, but you were wonderful, too. Would you like me to get your things to your car? - Duncan asked, gesturing to the placards and the printed material box.
- Don't worry, Peter and I can carry them out when we leave. -
- As you prefer. Can I offer you a warm drink? The real coffee pot is in my office, actually, but the stuff in the vending machine is not bad, either. -
- Yes, thank you. I'll have some tea, please, with no sugar. -
Duncan walked over to the vending machine and returning carrying India's tea and some coffee for himself. They sat down on two of the chairs which had been lined up for the workshop, angling them so that they would be able to see each other as they talked. They discussed the evening's events and general topics regarding addictions and adolescents for a while, then they inevitably found themselves discussing Stud's major event for the week: the opening of the Texaroo Park.
- Did you have a chance to visit it yet? - Duncan asked.
- Not yet. I have been so busy during the past couple of days. Did you manage to go there? -
- I haven't gotten around to do so either. But I'd certainly like to. -
- So would I. As a rule I do not approve of zoos and such, but this is a completely different kind of structure, as I have learned from the press reports, and I do love animals. I didn't think I'd ever get a chance to see kangaroos, koalas and the like unless I undertook a journey to Australia. -
- We could go to the Park together, if you want. What about Friday afternoon? -
India felt the familiar tightening in her shoulder and back muscles, the urge to sit up straighter, to put on a mean expression, to scare off what a part of her perceived as a potential threat, and at the same time she felt an unknown urge to quell all this, to just smile and accept the kind invitation in the same spirit as it had been extended. She drank a sip of tea to gain a few moments .
- Friday afternoon? - she finally repeated - Well, I need to check with Dr. Jones. I need to ascertain whether he requires both me and my colleague to be on duty that day, according to the clinic's necessities. Is it all right if I give you a ring tomorrow and let you know? -
- That's perfectly fine with me. - Duncan replied. Here it was again, he noticed, that shadow in her eyes, that conflict in her body language, just as the first time they had met. What could be the matter? He was more and more impressed with her every time he saw her or talked to her. She came across as a very warm and caring person… most of the time. Then it was as if something snapped inside of her, and her eyes turned almost reptilian. What could be the cause of those sudden changes? He put the thought aside for the moment. It was worth it to explore a possible relation with her, the nature of which it was far too early to even speculate about, and that was all he knew and he needed to know for the present.
- I'll call you in the evening, then. Shall I ring you here or at the Prickly Pear? -
- At the Pear. I'll be working there till late tomorrow. -
In that moment, Peter came out from Duncan's office together with the kids he had been talking to, who said a quick goodbye and left. Peter joined India and Duncan, and the conversation once more turned to the issues relevant to Peter and India's efforts, till it was time for them to head back to the boarding house.

*************
India put the journal on the night stand and pulled herself up in a cross-legged position. She sighed in exasperation. What on earth was the matter with her? She seemed to be unable to keep that guy Duncan from creeping into her thoughts in the least suitable moments. She resented how she felt when she thought about him, let alone when she was in his presence. It was as if her well-trained mind was fighting to let her down, as if all her accurately built control was slipping away from her. She realized she had treated anyone of opposite gender outside work-related situations just about like dirt in the past year or so of her life, but she thought this had begun to come to an end after she had got settled in Studs, mainly thanks to her friendship with Peter. He was such a nice guy, a great person to be friends with, and she had been able to open up to him and treat him exactly like that: a good friend. It had been a major advance in her inner healing process and she was disappointed that she seemed unable to treat Duncan in the same way. But that was how things were. As soon as she saw him, or heard him, or just happened to think about him - which was happening a dreadful lot, she noted bitterly - all the old defense mechanisms kicked in and her most ugly traits surfaced with a vengeance. And yet there could be a reason behind it all. Peter was a friend, period. Duncan, instead… she needed no more than conjure up the image of his face or the sound of his voice in her mind, and she felt a surge of emotions attempting to sweep through her, threatening to send everything in her soul out of balance. And that would not do. It would never do. If she allowed this to take over… "Don't even go there, India" she warned herself.
She seemed to have reached another crossroad. Either she let the acquaintance with him drop right then, or she learned to relate to him like she did to Peter. None of that warm-tingling silliness, none of that stiffness to keep him at a distance, just plain, good-natured camaraderie. Anything different would indicate weakness, due to different reasons but weakness all the same, and India was not going to allow any of that to take over her again. She had come too far in her new life, the new life she adored and wanted to continue just like it was, to allow something like that. She took a deep breath and formulated her decision. Duncan Night Eagle could give her much as a friend, she could see that. He was a profound person, one that could and would bring a deep enrichment to those who he came in contact with. She was not going to miss out on that because she lacked control over some whimsical, misguided, half-formed thought which lurked in the swamp of her subconscious. Having spelled everything clearly in her mind, she reached for the phone, pressed 0 and asked the operator to be connected with the Prickly Pear.

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