Although Sharon had no sexual desires for Sweetness, she felt great responsibility for the girl. After all, she was blind and even more helpless in this strange country than she was. What would happen to Sweetness if she abandoned her? How could the girl feed or fend for herself? So, she decided that for the purposes of convenience alone, and because it was what was expected of them, she should present their friendship as being a mistress/slave one of the type that appeared to be the norm in Sodom. It provided an excuse for her to continue to take care of the girl, and might even protect the two of them from any worse advances from other people. She explained this to Sweetness, and tried to stress that there was no real meaning to the relationship.
"I'm not a fucking dyke, you know," she stressed to Sweetness as they lay together on the mattress in Faith's spare bedroom.
"But I still love you," sniffed Sweetness. "Can't you love me in return?"
Sharon could say no, but she was aware that their relationship was not totally innocent. Sweetness wrapped her naked body around her, and stroked and cuddled her, which Sharon reciprocated as long as their fingers never probed their crotches and there were no tongues involved. "We can cuddle, but that's fucking all!" she insisted.
However, she quite enjoyed helping Sweetness. Somehow, this role as Sweetness' carer had awakened in her feelings of responsibility she didn't know she had. Every morning, she would carefully shave Sweetness' head, just as she did herself and tenderly thread the chains and rings into her pierced nipple and clitoris: tasks which blindness made nearly impossible for the girl. Her heart would sometimes melt as she regarded Sweetness' vacant gaze in her direction as she washed the last signs of stubble off the girl's pate. On such occasions, she would tenderly kiss Sweetness on the lips and then curse herself for giving the girl cause to expect more of her than she was willing to give. Sharon had started to get quite used to this look of baldness and the array of chains. In fact, as she regarded her own face in the mirror as she carefully shaved the back of her head, she wondered what it might be to have hair again. What did it feel like to have all that stuff sprouting out of the top of the head, over the ears and onto the shoulder? And what was it like to wear clothes, rather than have chains pulling down relentlessly on the nipples and cunt, so often giving her inappropriate feelings whenever one was accidentally tugged or brushed?
Faith was happy for Sharon and Sweetness to stay in her spare bedroom, but she wasn't a wealthy woman so she did what she could to persuade Sharon to find work. "In this country," she reminded Sharon, "a mistress is expected to provide for her slave. There are plenty of jobs in the local newspaper, so have a look there."
Sharon agreed, taking the copy of the Holiness Evening Advertiser that Faith had handed her and browsed through the pages. It was remarkably dull. Every page was nothing but newsprint, with no photographs or cartoons of any kind. She commented on this to Faith.
"Illustrations of any kind are forbidden by the Sodomite religion," Faith told them sternly. "I suppose it's different where you are, but here it is firmly forbidden to see images, painted, drawn, filmed or photographed."
"Is that why you have no telly?"
"I've no idea what you mean," sighed Faith impatiently.
"No television. Just a radio," continued Sharon, noting Faith's blank expression. "Oh never mind."
Faith sighed again and returned to the book she was reading. However, now that it was mentioned to her, Sharon reflected that she hadn't seen any images or pictures anywhere. This was one distinct difference between Sodom and back home, as well as the funny religion and the weird way you were expected to dress. She was sure she'd find more such differences, but it seemed weird to her that people exposed themselves in a way that would get you arrested back home, but were prudish about something as harmless as pictures. What were these people on?
There were many jobs advertised, and many of them were just like jobs she'd had back home. It was reassuring to see that there were jobs like factory workers, toilet attendants, security guards and computer programmers, just like she would see in jobs advertisements back home. She had no real idea where to begin looking, but she ringed a few who paid more Sodomite dollars than the others. It was those boring jobs in offices like sorting out files and answering the phone where there was most demand, and she'd soon had a few advertisements ringed in biro, and a few interviews arranged using Faith's telephone.
Seeing Sharon busy at work, Faith abandoned her book and made some tea and biscuits. Sharon could see that Faith's grumpiness was probably still to do with the fact that Sharon didn't want to have sex with her, but, fuck it! Faith could have sex with Sweetness any time. All she had to do was ask.
Finally, Sharon arranged an interview which was for a clerical job with a shipping company, and set off across the city for the interview which was to be that very afternoon. She asked Faith how she should dress for the interview, which caused her a little amusement. "Just as you are," she said with a laugh, but nonetheless loaned Sharon a dangling pearl cunt ring to make her look slightly smarter. She also recommended that Sharon take Sweetness with her, as interviewers tended to look more favourably on applicants with steady relationships. She lent Sharon a chain with which to lead Sweetness: the same one, she remarked ruefully, that she'd used on her own slave.