Harem House - Selene

~Sunday Afternoon. After Arthur and Rani left the house.~

Deb found what she sought in an office cabinet.

The Sunday brunch with her son's girlfriends had been a success. She'd met them at homecoming and some before then. Today, she'd gotten time to know them better. After searching, she found something for Arthur to like in each of them. Still, she was unsure of Arthur's intentions. This wasn't the bachelor. From what she could tell, her son wasn't dating these girls to choose between them. Their relationship was strange to her. Yet, Deb found it easier to be supportive than she'd predicted when she realized how much each of them cared for her son.

Selene's shy nature made her quiet, but Deb was confident that with time, she'd come out of her shell. Shy wasn't the correct word, but intimidated? Deb wasn't sure if she'd intimidated Selene or if one of the other girls had. Whatever the reason, her duty was to relax the young blonde and set her at ease. Deb liked her, and she saw how Selene looked at Arthur as if he was her universe. Anyone with that much love for her son wouldn't hurt him.

Selene's sister Kat, short for Katerine, was more reserved with her affection but had a good head on her shoulders. Even when Lynn sniped at them, she hadn't lost her temper like the others, and she'd played peacekeeper more than once. She looked out for Selene, and Deb hoped that protective instinct extended to her son. Arthur needed people to look out for him. He was too selfless for his own good.

Mindy was adorable and excitable and had way more energy than Deb thought possible. Ah, youth. Quiet, giggling, and quick made an odd combination, but Deb supposed being quick to laugh was better than quick to anger. Mindy didn't appear mean. Even when laughing at Lynn's misunderstanding of their polyamorous relationship her reaction had been amusement, not malice.

Katelyn, the tall and skinny one, hadn't talked much but didn't have much opportunity. Deb suspected her arm-sling carried a story, but she didn't want to pry. With their group, it might be a sex injury, though she doubted it. Arthur knew better than to mistreat anyone with whom he shared a bed. If one of his partners had gotten hurt, he would have been more upset by it, doting and hovering whenever he saw her. Then again, Katelyn was a frail slip of a woman, and Arthur was likely stronger than he realized. None of them had mentioned or explained it, so Deb played it safe. Still, curiosity brushed against her mind every time she spotted the sling.

Rani, the brash one, was fun. Deb enjoyed her refreshing honesty, especially since she delivered it without malice. Lynn might have been the exception to that rule, but after she'd antagonized the group, Deb expected retaliation. She wasn't here any longer, having gone with Arthur to their homework date, which Deb assumed was code like 'studying' had been in her day.

Then there was Kelly, whom Deb enjoyed. She said less than she thought but had a good heart. Deb felt she must have earned the respect the other girls showed her. She took care of those around her and proved open to the idea of having children, so in Deb's opinion, that meant grandbabies, and that idea made her happy. Arthur making her a grandmother in the next decade would be fantastic. Once he graduated and earned enough to support his family. One day, Deb could have the fun of having a child without the responsibilities.

Smiling, Deb took the small disk she'd found from its clear plastic case and set it on her finger. She walked from the office to the family room with a wide smile. Arthur had told her to choose one home movie to show the girls, and she'd found the best one.

Kelly, Mindy, Selene, Katelyn, and Kat sat on the sofa, each on their phones, laptops, or textbooks as the pregame show played between commercials. The girls looked charming, dressed for the fall day in dresses, jeans, and sweaters. Each had put effort into their hair, makeup, and nails, but none cared about the TV. Even Mindy ignored the pregame show. Statistics and predictions only held their attention for so long, and college kids were addicted to their phones these days.

"Mindy, do you mind if I put something else on the TV?" Deb asked, holding up the disk.

"Oh, I guess not." Mindy said, drawing her legs under her on the overstuffed sofa. "We've got time before the game."

Deb smiled. "You'll want to watch this, but it's not quite feature-length. It should be over before kickoff."

"What is it?" Mindy asked, cocking her head. The others showed interest, too. Katelyn, Kat, and Selene glanced between each other, then at the disk.

"It's Peter Pan!" Deb squealed.

The girls' confused faces turned toward each other as they tried to determine the cause of Deb's excitement. Everyone enjoyed a good Disney movie, but Peter Pan didn't age well. At least not as well as others. Kelly caught on first.

"Starring one Arthur Clarke?" Kelly asked with excitement in her voice.

Deb's smile answered her, and Kelly's excitement spread through the others.

Mindy clapped, and the girls squealed. They sat up straight and huddled close together on the sofa. The interior square was still forward, leaving the rest in a U shape. Kelly sat on Mindy's left, with Katelyn on Kelly's left. Selene sat on Mindy's right, with Kat on Selene's right. Deb stood on Katelyn's left, nearest to the television. She put the disk into the player beneath the monstrous screen. She took the remote from Mindy and changed the input. The old camcorder video flickered to life as Deb took her seat.

The video presented a stage in an unfamiliar living room with a sky-blue bed sheet hung between two tall floor lamps. The camera zoom adjusted until small spaces beside the stage became visible. Behind the sheet, two small voices argued whether a human girl or a flashlight should play Tinkerbell.

"I want to play Tinkerbell!"

"You will! You'll just do the voice! Tinkerbell is supposed to be played by a light on stage!"

"But I want to play her for real! She's way better than dumb Wendy."

"We're ready!" Deb's voice called over the video, silencing the voices.

And the play began.

A ten-year-old Wendy in a blue dress stood alone in the nursery except for her brothers (played by a teddy bear and a stuffed raccoon). Nana the Dog (a stuffed dog), ushered her to bed while Wendy bemoaned her bedtime.

"Is that Lynn?" Selene asked, surprised.

Deb nodded. Wendy fell asleep, often cracking one eye open, and a light appeared from behind the curtain. The light danced across the sheet. The tinkle of a small jingle bell accompanied the dancing light.

"I thought I was doing the voice!" A not-sleeping Wendy hissed.

"You are! Say your lines!" A voice behind the stage answered.

"Tinkerbell doesn't have any lines for this part, remember? You're supposed to find the shadow!"

"Oh, right!"

The flashlight blinked out, blanketed by a larger shadow projected onto the sheet from behind in a proud hands-on-hips stance. The shadow formed, then dashed away.

A ten-year-old Arthur landed on stage as if stepping from the window, dressed in full Peter Pan costume.

"Oh-my-god!" Mindy squealed. "Look at how cute he is!"

"Adorable." Kelly agreed.

"My little actor." Deb said, hand on her heart.

Arthur acted his heart out as his father set up the light behind him toward the front of the stage. The light projected his shadow on the sheet from the camera side. George gave the camera a quick wave to the laughter of the adults as Arthur sat and tried to put his shadow on. Unable to make it stick, he cried, waking Wendy and the play continued. The girls tensed when mention of a kiss occurred, but the exchanged thimble relaxed them.

Arthur, Wendy, and her stuffed animal brothers left for Neverland, exiting stage right.

"One of them would play a single role. The other would play the other parts. They'd use stuffed animals or parents to fill in other roles when necessary." Deb gestured to the screen, where Arthur and Lynn held onto her 'brothers.' Then the Lost Boys entered, played by stuffed toys of various woodland creatures, voiced by Arthur and Lynn in turns.

"Oh, my god." Mindy said, squealing into her hands and kicking her feet.

Everyone got a big kick out of Captain Hook's appearance, played by none other than Arthur's father, George. He used a metal coat hanger inside his coat sleeve to play the fearsome pirate. He and Arthur dueled, with George wielding a wrapping-paper cardboard tube and Arthur a paper-towel cardboard tube.

"This is my new favorite movie." Kat said, watching Arthur give Lynn a kite.

"Can I get a copy?" Selene asked.

Deb shook her head. "Arthur wouldn't appreciate that. I had to beg, promise, and swindle him to get him to agree to let you watch one of these. If you want permission to watch another, you'll have to ask him."

"Oh, I am definitely asking permission." Kat said. "I want to watch all of these a hundred times."

The girls smiled, enthralled by the performances on the screen. Occasionally, an adult behind the camera would comment or whisper to another. Deb, Gabe, and Mari sounded happy to see their children's performance, amused and impressed by their creativity.

"Did he memorize these lines?" Katelyn asked, impressed.

"He wrote and memorized the entire thing. If you listen, you can hear him feeding George his lines in a scene or two." Deb said, her hand covering her heart.

"He's good at memorizing." Selene said.

"Why isn't he a theater major?" Mindy asked.

Deb shrugged. "I think he wants to run a theater one day, but otherwise, I guess he sees it as a hobby."

"He could be a professional." Selene said. Deb had watched her leaning further and further forward as the movie continued. Her reactions became more and more animated.

"I'm sure he could." Deb nodded. "We had some conversations about it, but in the end, he went for business like his father and I did."

Mindy nodded. It made sense. Her parents discouraged thinking of the arts as a valid career path. Her family, friends, and even strangers always complimented her drawings, sketches, and paintings. Yet, when deciding on her college major, she'd chosen Business.

Business majors made good money after college. Art majors made good art, but rarely found money in the endeavor. Mindy imagined Kat was the other harem member who'd be most sympathetic to that reality. As an English major, Kat had to understand. Making a living as a writer or an artist was winning the lottery. Sure, others could do it, but for every success story, hundreds of artists struggled and starved.

Her parents would never let her change her major. She had to be practical, they said.

Mindy sighed, and Kelly and Selene cuddled into her from either side. The squish became a firm hug, and she couldn't restrain her smile. Especially as little Arthur on screen drew his cardboard tube short-sword, pointed it skyward, and crowed like a rooster. That little actor hid somewhere inside the businessman she knew.

Unlike Peter Pan, Arthur had become a grown man. In the office, he was a strict professional. For a while, Mindy thought that might be all there was to him. She was glad to discover her beginning-of-semester assumptions were incorrect. Hanging out with him outside the office? He became a different person in the best way, like taking off his suit jacket dropped the weight from his shoulders. And those moments when he loosened his tie and let himself go in either play or passion engraved the most vivid memories of him in her head.

She loved learning about him. She wondered what else she could glean from Deb while they hung out here.

~~~

"That was amazing." Mindy said, clapping with the girls as the video ended.

Deb bowed gracefully after she pulled the disk from the player. "On behalf of Arthur, thank you. I'm sure he'll appreciate that you enjoyed it. Try not to tease him too much."

The girls laughed. Kelly, Katelyn, Kat, Selene, and Mindy relaxed on the sofa and spread out. The sheer size of the family room lent comfort to the space and helped Mindy feel at home.

"Now, I'm afraid this is the only one I have here." Deb said, holding up the disk. "However, I have several family albums in the office if you'd like to see some childhood photos."

"Yes, please!" Mindy hopped from the sofa with a bounce that made the others giggle. Selene also rose to her feet, and one by one, the girls followed Deb to the office. She took a large leather binder from the shelf and opened it flat on the desk.

The first picture was of a much younger Deb holding a newborn in a hospital bed. She was a mess, and her eyes were tired, but she was still beautiful. She held the baby in her arms, swaddled in a blue blanket with his face visible, eyes closed, and pink nose freshly scrubbed.

"Oh my god, look at him!" Mindy squealed. "He was so cute!"

Deb laughed. "I thought so." She turned the page, and their visual tour through Arthur's childhood began.

Deb and George stood in front of a Christmas tree. Bundled in his mother's arms, Arthur was only a few months old at his first Christmas. Too young to appreciate the sheer volume of toys under the bright tree. The evergreen behind them was fat and tall, its ornaments classy and in order, its lights bright and clear. White garland wrapped around it from base to tip, giving it a snow fallen appearance.

In the photo beneath it, little Arthur looked at the tree in wonder. He reached for a candy cane he was far too young to enjoy.

In another photo, an old woman in a New Year's cone hat held the bundled infant on a sofa. The same old woman held him in another photograph taken while she sat in a wooden rocking chair on a porch no one but Deb recognized.

"My mother." Deb explained. "She passed away shortly after."

"I'm sorry." Kelly said, her hand on Deb's arm.

Deb smiled softly. "At least she got to meet him." She said and continued turning the pages.

The girls watched as the distilled moments from Arthur's life turned before them. They watched him grow in frozen moments. He grew from a bundle to a crawling baby, a waddling toddler, to a young child playing tag with a dark-haired girl at a city playground.

"Is that-?" Kat asked and looked at Deb.

"That's Lynn." Deb said. "She's in most of these. Those two were inseparable."

Silence settled over the room.

The children continued to grow as the photographs progressed. The camera captured moments of joyful play and smiling gatherings at every birthday, vacation, and holiday. Arthur's Halloween costumes progressed in quality as he grew, and his gifts beneath the Christmas tree dwindled in number as they became more expensive individually. His clothes became less toy-themed, and their vacations at the ski cabin and beach house showed Arthur changing while the world around him stood still.

Those frozen moments sat between a smattering of post-performance stage bows like the one they watched. Then, there were candid shots that held no historical significance other than Deb's personal favoritism. A young Arthur reading Treasure Island at the beach while wearing a pirate hat and eye patch. Some moments might have embarrassed him, but Mindy found each one endearing.

The only regret she had was that while looking through the book, Lynn was there, smiling beside Arthur. She was at his side, smiling with him in every photo until they reached the book's last section.

A pudgy, dark-haired, brooding young man glared at the camera from the other side of a rectangular ice cream cake. The fifteen-year-old Arthur didn't look as happy as he should have. His face was half-hidden behind long, unkempt hair. Then the photos ended, and Deb closed the book.

"Do you have any more?" Mindy asked.

"I have albums of specific trips." Deb said, gesturing to the shelf. "And his shows from high school, but he's not in them much. He didn't enjoy having his picture taken once he started high school. You know how teenagers are." She laughed as if she were speaking to a group of women who were much farther removed from their youth.

In fact, for Mindy, it was the opposite of her experience. With Instagram and Tik-Tok, she'd grown up taking pictures of herself to display to family and friends. Curated moments, like those in the photo album, though she supposed she hadn't posted everything her mother might have. That last photo. Mindy wouldn't have posted that one or saved it.

Mindy frowned. She'd known Arthur wasn't always as handsome and put together as he was now, but the stark contrast between the two figures was unsettling. The brooding young man was Arthur. Yet, there was no similarity between the two. Sure, the weight and hygiene were different, but so were the posture and the light behind his eyes.

Arthur was bright-eyed and caring, overflowing with life and vitality that invited personal connection. High school Arthur was dead inside, beaten, so far removed from both the ten-year-old Arthur in the video and the college Arthur she knew.

The handsome, superhero-looking Arthur bore a face and body she'd memorized over the semester. She'd dreamed of him almost every night. She'd fantasized about him every day. In none of those fantasies had she imagined him as anything other than a strong, confident, and happy young man. At worst, she thought he might be too stiff and professional, but he'd put those fears to rest. Even his style was different. He wore sharp suits and tight shirts, not baggy jeans and hoodies.

The other Arthur in the photographs spurred her pity. Mindy wanted to hug him, to tell him everything would be okay and he'd get through his awkward phase one day. It was silly, but she saw the same expression on the other's faces.

The mood in the room grew more somber as the album progressed. They knew something had happened between that awkward-looking teenager and the Arthur they knew to prompt his change and hatred of Lynn. Only Kelly knew what it was, but she wasn't sharing the information. Mindy understood why. It was Arthur's secret and his story to tell, not hers. Still, it grated on Mindy, knowing that Kelly knew while everyone else was in the dark.

"Sorry, there were so many pictures of Lynn." Deb said, misinterpreting the cause of Mindy's frown.

"It's okay." Selene said, but her tone couldn't support the lie.

"Let's get back to the family room." Deb suggested. "I think the game's about to start. I'll make the popcorn and join you girls in a minute, okay?"

"Can I help?" Kelly asked.

"Oh, that's sweet." Deb said. "Thank you for offering, but it's a one-woman job. We've got a stove-top popper with a crank, and we can't both crank it!"

Kelly smiled. "Well, can I help clean up?" She asked. "I can wash the dishes while you make popcorn?"

"It goes against my duties as hostess, but I'm not about to turn down help with my least favorite chore." Deb said, laughing.

She led the way out of the office, and the girls followed into the kitchen. They refilled their coffee mugs from earlier and sat around the island. Deb gathered the popcorn, butter, and popper, standing by the stove as she threw it together. Kelly stood by the sink, enjoying herself by rinsing the dishes and loading the dishwasher. She wiggled happily when she pulled out the detachable faucet. Her blue dress' skirt swished with the movement, making Mindy smile.

"So, how do you girls think you'll divvy up the chores once you move into the house?" Deb asked as she tossed a slice of butter into the pan.

"I hadn't thought about that." Mindy admitted. "I guess we'll each do our own dishes, food, and laundry, right?"

"And the housekeeping service can take care of vacuuming and dusting the common areas." Deb said.

"We'll have a housekeeping service?" Katelyn asked.

"I can't expect you to dust the chandeliers." Deb said. "They come on Wednesday mornings."