While Antaska was spending her evening arguing with Freeta and eventually falling asleep, Master Meeepp was with Mistress Bawbaw in their own personal rooms. They lay next to each other on the giant-sized bed in their warm, colorful suite. Master Meeepp was permanently bonded and irresistibly drawn to Mistress Bawbaw, but he’d noticed a growing sense of unease over the years when he was with her on the Verdante planet.
It wasn’t his way to mention such things, and he knew she’d be upset if he spoke about it. But this discomfort was the reason why he’d spent longer time away from the Verdante planet in the last several hundred years.
What was a vague suspicion in Master Meeepp’s mind was in fact the reason why Mistress Bawbaw seemed more and more like a different person each time he saw her. She was increasing her use of the strong tranquilizer given to Verdante women to numb their feelings of despair at being left alone on the Verdante planet for most of their lives.
Tonight, for some reason, it took a bit more effort for Master Meeepp to ignore the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Their bond of love was a telepathic emotional one. And now he noticed a sweet sickness overlaying the powerful emotions of love that passed between himself and Mistress Bawbaw as he held her in his gigantic green arms.
Something seems wrong, he could not deny the realization this time.
Thoughts about the drug Mistress Bawbaw and the other female members of the household used tried to enter his mind, but he pushed them away.
No. That can’t be it. The doctor says those drugs are completely harmless. And the females need them because they can’t travel to space with us. It’s all the fault of those Woogahs, after all, he changed the direction of his thoughts to the alien race so hated by all the galaxy.
Mistress Bawbaw turned toward him. He felt the same familiar passion and physical desire for her, but now when he was with her, there was also a sense of unhealthiness that left him feeling unclean.
But how could there be anything unclean or unhealthy between him and his one permanently bonded true love for life? It didn’t make sense, but it continued to trouble Master Meeepp. And so he thought ahead to the upcoming trip to space, and he thought about ways it could be extended.
“I miss you so much when you’re away. Must you be gone for so long next time?” she asked as if reading his mind.
“Ah, my darling,” sighed Master Meeepp with mixed feelings. “After two thousand years, it’s just as wonderful to be with you.”
“And you, my dear, and you,” agreed Mistress Bawbaw. “I’m the most fortunate woman in the entire galaxy.”
They lay quietly in each other’s arms for a few minutes, and then Mistress Bawbaw spoke.
“I have a favor to ask you, my endless love,” she began. “You might have noticed the new pet of M. Hoyvil?”
“Hmm…I might have noticed her,” said Master Meeepp.
He rested his large head against her perfectly sculpted green shoulder and wondered where this was going, not really interested in Earthlings right now.
“Yes, dear. As you know, she was somewhat of a troublemaker on the space ship journey here from Earth. Now she’s caught the attention of Ms. Janeez. And Ms. Janeez asked me if she could keep this pet and let M. Hoyvil take another one to space. We’ve got several house humans he can choose from, you know. That pet Antaska might cause trouble in space, and she’d benefit from our positive influence here in the residence,” said Mistress Bawbaw.
Master Meeepp nodded his head slightly against her shoulder to show that he was paying attention, but he wasn’t really paying complete attention.
“Ms. Janeez offered to let M. Hoyvil take her new pet Totanna along. Ms. Janeez says she hasn’t been able to bond with that one,” said Mistress Bawbaw.
“But my dear, I thought you said you wanted to ask a favor of me,” said Master Meeepp, confused by the point of all this.
“Yes, that’s right. Ms. Janeez and I believe that M. Hoyvil’s unruly pet should stay here on the Verdante planet. She’s headstrong and appears to prefer to spend most of her time alone with her cat. That’s not healthy. Can you ask M. Hoyvil to leave her here?”
“Why don’t you ask M. Hoyvil yourself?” said Master Meeepp.
“You know how stubborn adolescents can be, and M. Hoyvil is even more stubborn than most. If anyone can influence him, it is you, my dear,” said Mistress Bawbaw.
“Very well, as a favor to you, I’ll speak to him tonight when he comes back from his social activities,” Master Meeepp promised, flattered by her opinion of his ability to sway the stubborn M. Hoyvil.