Oscar Meyers Part 2: Academia By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 Chapter 21 “I don’t get it,” Oscar said in frustration. “What don’t you get?” the Reverend asked with patience. “I keep hearing about the teachings of Jesus, but I’ve read the parts where he’s alive and I don’t see any teachings. Sure, there are a couple of stories and the sermon on the mount, but nothing that says these are my teachings.” “It is the story as a whole that constitutes his teachings,” the Reverend replied. “Most of it is about what his followers thought he meant. You can’t trust that. They argued and squabbled all of the time,” Oscar said. He flipped through the pages and pointed out example after example of where the apostles argued about what Jesus meant when he told them something. He frowned and said, “I don’t mean any disrespect, but if I were Jesus I would have gathered a slightly smarter crew to follow me.” The Reverend sat back and thought about his student’s observation. It was not a very flattering observation about the New Testament. Finally, he said, “What were the teachings of John Carter?” “There weren’t any really. We have the two rules. If it harms none, then do it. Protect the weak from the strong,” answered Oscar. “So if some people were to write about what John Carter said sixty years from now, what would they say about him?” “I have no idea,” Oscar admitted. “There are a lot of people who interacted with John Carter on a regular basis. Some of them have even written books about their experiences. Am I right?” “Yes, you are.” “If we were to package all of those books, or at least the better ones of them, together in a single volume, what would you have?” “Lots of second hand stories about what John did and some of the things he said to them.” The Reverend sat back and pointed to Oscar. He said, “You’d have a book that was a lot like the New Testament.” “I suppose so,” Oscar said. “The truth of John Carter would be sprinkled through it with little insights into what made him great. I knew John Carter and I can tell you that the stories would barely touch the surface of the man and what made him great. I view the New Testament the same way in how it presents Jesus,” the Reverend said. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “It becomes a very interesting book if you view it in that light.” “I’ll buy that,” Oscar said. Looking over at the Reverend, he asked, “So what are the teachings of Jesus?” Settling into his chair, the Reverend answered, “Let’s examine some of the episodes of his life in terms of what it says about the man rather than the son of God. Let’s explore the kind of character that he demonstrated in his actions. Does that sound like a reasonable approach to getting a handle on his teachings?” Nodding his head, Oscar said, “Sure. I assume that we’ll begin at the beginning, which in this case is his birth.” “Wrong. We begin with the bloodlines,” the Reverend countered. Holding up the Bible, he said, “Let’s begin with the book of Matthew.” Oscar commented, “Interesting that they trace the bloodline through the fathers until Jesus. He gets his legitimacy through Joseph even though it is said that he was conceived before Joseph had a chance to lie with Mary.” “That’s our second point of discussion,” the Reverend said with a grin. He said, “We have a couple of bloodlines to cover. Don’t forget about John the Baptist.” Head hurting from the discussion with the Reverend, Oscar sat down in the third year dining room and examined the menu. After two months back on campus, he had gotten used to the new living arrangements. Kirk came over to the table and sat down while saying, “Hello, roomy. You look tired. How’s it going?” This year, his roommate was majoring in physics. It was strange to have a roommate with whom he wasn’t having sex. Oscar answered, “I had four hours of nonstop dissection of the New Testament. I’ve read that book six times now.” “Sounds rough.” “How was your day?” “We had one of those really horrible lectures in thermodynamics. There are times when I think my head is going to explode,” Kirk said. He was taking mechanics, thermodynamics, and electricity and magnetism that quarter. They were all three semester courses. All of the engineering students were in his classes as well. He knew that after this year, his classes would be down to a handful of students. “Still enjoying mechanics?” “Love it. Sometimes I wonder if I wasn’t meant to be a structural engineer,” Kirk answered. He looked around the dining room and asked, “Where’s Debbie?” “She’s having dinner with Georgia tonight,” Oscar answered. Cole wandered over to the table and sat down. He had arrived just in time to hear Oscar’s answer. He said, “They seem to be getting along together now.” Nodding his head, Oscar said, “Ever since Debbie took care of Jean, she seems to be less hesitant about touching another woman.” “And Georgia? How is she dealing with the changed Debbie?” Oscar was silent as he considered Georgia. He answered, “She doesn’t say anything about the increased intimacy other than to say that she appreciates the attention.” “Does she ever initiate a hug or a kiss?” “That’s not her style,” Oscar replied. He saw the expression on Cole’s face and said, “Really, that’s not her style.” Rather than answer, Cole looked across the table at Oscar. He was willing to sit there all night if necessary. Kirk asked, “A woman who doesn’t hug and kiss? That doesn’t sound right.” “She hugs and kisses me. She just isn’t into that with women,” Oscar said. “All women hug and kiss each other,” Kirk said. He pointed across the room at two women who hugged on meeting at a table. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” Oscar answered. He noticed that Cole was still watching him. Concerned, he asked, “What?” Shaking his head, Cole asked, “So what is Georgia’s style? I’m talking in terms of intimacy.” “She’s pretty gentle when she’s Georgia and she’s a tiger when she’s George,” Oscar answered. “I don’t think she has a split personality,” Cole said. He continued to gaze at Oscar. Shifting uncomfortably, Oscar didn’t know what to make of the comment. He hadn’t meant to suggest that Georgia did have two personalities. Cole continued to stare at him. Oscar finally asked, “What?” “I’m just thinking about George and Georgia,” Cole answered. Frowning, Kirk said, “Can’t you Druids ever come out and say what you mean? This is frustrating.” Cole and Oscar both looked at Kirk with identical smiles on their faces. Cole asked, “What would be the fun in that?” “How can we remain mysterious and aloof if we say things outright?” Oscar asked with a grin. Kirk got up and said, “I give up. I get enough of that in class.” Oscar watched Kirk walk off. Turning to Cole, he said, “I’ve heard other students saying the same kind of things about us lately. It’s like they are all frustrated. What do you think?” “You’re right. I wouldn’t worry about it though,” Cole replied. “Why?” “They are in the midst of learning to think for themselves. For the first time in their lives, people are not giving them answers when they are having difficulty coming to a conclusion. It’s frustrating when someone steals your crutch.” Oscar realized he had been doing the same thing with his peers without thinking about it. He wondered when he had stopped giving explanations and started asking leading questions. After a minute of thought, he realized that it had begun in the middle of last year. Now he was even avoiding the leading questions. Shaking his head, he said, “We’ve both been doing it. Were you aware of that?” “Not really. It was only when Oliver pointed it out to me that I realized what I had been doing. Recently, I noticed that you were doing it, too.” Oscar nodded and said, “I find that interesting.” “And I find it interesting how easily you changed the topic of conversation. Getting back to George and Georgia,” Cole said wiggling his eyebrows at his fellow student. “You think it is easy to change the topic of conversation like that?” Oscar asked innocently. Knowing that Oscar was going to avoid the subject with all his power, Cole stood and said, “You must have other things to worry about. Don’t bother thinking about it.” “I’ll think about it,” Oscar said flippantly. “Take my advice and try not to think about it,” Cole said. He emphasized the word think. After five minutes of trying not to think about it, Oscar slumped forward with his head in his hands. Every attempt not to think about it reminded him of Georgia. The waitress came over with a glass of iced tea knowing that he usually ordered it with his dinner. She asked, “What do you want to eat?” Oscar looked over at her and said, “Sometimes I’m too smart for my own good.” “It sounds to me like you should be ordering crow. Closest we have is chicken. Would you like that broiled, fried, or with dumplings?” Chuckling at her deadpan delivery, Oscar said, “Dumplings, please.” She winked at him and said, “Good choice.” Oscar watched her walk off thinking about how special the staff of the school was. Of course, that thought led him back to thinking about his girlfriend. He wondered what Cole was suggesting when he kept talking about George and Georgia. He hadn’t made much progress on the issue when the waitress stopped by with his Chicken and Dumplings. Seeing that he was still wrestling with whatever was bothering him, she asked, “What’s the matter, Oscar? You look like you have something on your mind.” “Cole was asking me about my girlfriend.” “Which one, Georgia or Debbie?” “Georgia.” The waitress looked at Oscar for a minute. She knew how they joked about George and Georgia. She said, “You know, my name is Roberta. It would really make me feel odd if my husband called me Robert.” “George is an alter ego for Georgia,” Oscar said. “Still, it makes her sound awful masculine. A woman can be aggressive without being masculine,” she commented. It was the clue that Oscar needed. He nodded his head and said, “Thanks, Bobbie.” “You’re welcome,” she said and then headed off to wait on another table. The Chicken and Dumplings tasted very good that evening. Dinner didn’t last long enough. He returned to his class room to learn another Christian myth. The Reverend was covering Lazarus, the Wandering Jew. It was a warm sunny Saturday before Oscar had a chance to be alone with Georgia. After being in the school all week, Oscar wanted to walk through the woods behind her house. She didn’t seem to have any preference about what she wanted to do. After a quiet walk through the woods, they ended up at the clearing by the stream. Once there, Oscar said, “Would you like to catch a few rays?” She shrugged and answered, “Sure.” Oscar removed his robe and turned to watch Georgia undress. She was listlessly removing her clothes. He waited a moment and then said, “I’d like to talk to George.” For the first time that afternoon, she showed the emotions of which she was capable. Her eyes flashed with fire and she demanded, “Why?” “To tell George that it is time to become one with Georgia and to disappear,” Oscar said. He had thought long and hard about the hints that Cole had given him. She faltered at his reply. It was not what she had been expecting. Rather than answer, she continued to get undressed. Once she was naked, she sat down on the robe Oscar had spread out on the ground. Her posture indicated that she didn’t want him close to her. Her knees were tucked under her chin and her arms wrapped around her shins. Oscar sat down beside her. He said, “Georgia, you are an amazing woman. You are beautiful, sexy, smart, witty, and strong. You see the last bit as being wrong.” “I do not,” she replied. “You only allow yourself to demonstrate your strength and aggressiveness when you are acting like George. You allow George to come out so that the femininity of Georgia remains unquestioned,” Oscar said. He sighed and said, “You are never your whole self at any time.” Looking over at him, she said, “Well, you seem to like George well enough.” “I love Georgia.” Georgia didn’t know what to say. She started crying. Oscar moved closer and put an arm around her. She cried harder and said, “George has chased you away. I knew he would.” “George hasn’t chased me away. I’m still here,” Oscar said, “I love Georgia. That includes her aggressive, strong, and demanding nature as much as her sweet, caring, and gentle nature.” “You don’t want him,” Georgia cried. “When did George become a he?” Oscar asked noticing for the second time her use of the masculine pronoun. The question shocked Georgia. She stopped crying as if someone had flipped a switch. Looking at Oscar, she asked, “What do you mean?” “You’ve referred to George as he several times. I love a woman, not a man,” Oscar said. His observation was correct. Frowning, Georgia wondered when she had started thinking of George as a male. She wondered if it was on his birthday when she had retreated into the masculine nature of George to shore up her attempt to have sex with Debbie. She changed her posture so that she was sitting tailor style. The change in position gave Oscar a much better view of her female bits. His eyes slid along her body taking in her smooth skin, her luscious breasts, and, that most marvelous of parts, her vulva. She was not a soft woman in the same way as Debbie. There were obvious muscles beneath the skin. “I’m so confused,” Georgia admitted. “It was fun to refer to George in the beginning. For you, it was like I was accepting your sexual aggressiveness. For me, I enjoyed how you tapped into a part of yourself that you tried to hide from everyone. It made me feel doubly blessed to have you in my life,” Oscar said. “Okay. So how has that changed?” “I’ve accepted and enjoyed your sexual aggressiveness. I really enjoy your sexual aggressiveness. I no longer enjoy how you try to hide that part of Georgia from the rest of the world. It has begun to hurt you and our relationship.” Georgia was silent while she thought about it. She asked, “How about when I don’t want to be sexually aggressive?” “Then I will wine and dine you. I will read love poems until you are so turned on that you’ll grace me with a long leisurely session of making love on a bed of roses,” Oscar answered. Georgia laughed at the image and said, “I’ll never be that much of a softy.” “You never know,” Oscar said. He leaned back and said, “Roses are red …” Georgia growled and said, “One more line and you’re dead, mister.” “Yes, ma’am.” Georgia stood and walked a few steps away. She leaned her head back feeling the rays of the hot sun over her entire body. A soft breeze tickled her skin. The sound of the water in the stream created a background symphony against which birds added their voices. The scent of fall tickled her nose. Turning to him, she said, “I’ll try to control George.” “I’m not asking you to control George. I’m asking that you accept George as part of being Georgia. I’m asking that you become a strong, aggressive, driven, beautiful, gentle, loving, and intelligent woman. I want it all in one package who I can call Georgia.” “You don’t want much, do you?” “I want it all, but more than that I want you to be happy with you,” Oscar said. For Georgia, this was the second most important moment in her life with Oscar. The first had been the time he had accepted George when she had fully unleashed it in Afghanistan. She realized that today he had accepted her as being more than just Georgia and George, but as an integrated being. Oscar came to her and took her in his arms. He led her back to the robe and laid her on it. Getting down on the ground with her, he began to kiss her. Their love making was gentle and tender. For the first time in a long time, her normal sexual aggressiveness did not burst forth. When he kissed her breasts, she gently held his head. She arched her back when he slid between her legs to kiss her lower lips. The session was slow and passionate. Oscar made sure that every inch of her body was treated to special attention. Georgia accepted his attentions and gave them back with tender kisses of her own. It was the first sharing between the two since Debbie had joined them. Relaxing afterwards, she laid her head on his chest. He held her in one arm while looking up at the sky. It was comfortable and loving. Georgia kissed his nipple and said, “Thank you.” “Thank you,” Oscar replied. “Are you going to miss me being aggressive all the time?” “I’m going to enjoy you every time. There is nothing for me to miss except a chance to be with you.” Georgia was silent for a minute and then said, “It’s going to be hard for me to integrate the two sides of my personality.” Looking down at her, he knew that she needed a role model to demonstrate how a strong woman could act. He smiled and asked, “Would you like me to ask the Reverend Leroy Jones to find someone for you to talk with?” “Why him?” “What family has a huge number of very strong women in it?” “I guess that would have to be the Carter family. That Ling is one strong woman,” Georgia answered. She had met Ling once when Oscar had the great fight and remembered her very clearly. “The Reverend Leroy Jones is a father in law to the Carter Clan,” Oscar said. He hoped that the elderly man could introduce Ling and Georgia. Georgia could learn a lot from Ling. Georgia traced a line down the center of his chest. When she reached his stomach, he reacted with a slight twitch at the ticklish sensation. She paused and said, “That might be a good idea.” “I’ll talk to him about it,” Oscar said. She settled her head back to his chest and laid there thinking. After a minute, she asked, “Do you really think that you are going to bring peace to the Middle East?” “That’s what William Redman Carter says,” Oscar answered. He didn’t really believe it, but all of the key Druids believed it. The entire idea of a fighter bringing peace to the Middle East seemed wrong to him. He knew that it would have to be a religious figure that would do it. “What do you think?” “I don’t know. It seems pretty unlikely to me. I mean, until I began my service to the God I was just a klutz. I was destined to be the man who burned down a city. I’d go down in history like Thomas Farynor.” “Who’s that?” “The guy who accidentally caused the great London fire. At best, I thought I would end up as a minor footnote to some great tragedy,” Oscar said. Running a strand of her hair through his fingers, he said, “The idea of me going down in History as the man who brought peace to the Middle East is just too far fetched for me to believe.” Georgia was quiet for a moment and then said, “You’re already in the history books as the Renegade Warrior. You will live forever in the stories in the Middle East as the Desert Ghost.” “That’s true. I still don’t believe that,” he replied with a chuckle. His motion shook Georgia. She rolled over so that she was supporting herself with her elbows. Looking at him, she said, “Let’s say that you do bring peace to the Middle East. John Carter used to say that great magic requires a great price. What price do you think you’ll have to pay?” “I don’t think there’s a personal price that I wouldn’t be willing to pay if I knew that it would bring about long lasting peace,” Oscar answered.