Chapter Thirteen

The next day in school, Deborah was in cooking class. Her teacher in that class was a woman of about fifty. Deborah new what she was doing in her class. So she decided to prepare a meal rather fast, and then ask if the teacher could possibly come and share it with her.

ـِـ Oh, I'm not sure yet. I mean what is there so say you've cooked something good enough for me.

But that she had made an effort to do.

ـِـ I think you could taste it, and then say if it is. I apologize if it isn't, but at least I need to talk to you!

She looked thoughtful.

ـِـ OK, I'll come and taste your meal. But I hope what you have to say doesn't take all day.

She sat down with her and let her serve her beef with onion and vegetables. After tasting it she said:

ـِـ It's OK, but what is it you wanted to talk to me about?

ـِـ It's about my brother, Deborah said.

ـِـ Oh, his cooking was fairly excellent!

Deborah sighed.

ـِـ It's not about that! I'm sad to say that he is the big playboy brother of mine that I really have to be careful about admiring and stuff! I hope you can realize that he is almost into being a real nasty womanizer nowadays!

She looked chocked.

ـِـ I had no idea!

ـِـ It's about his art business that I need to say something. It is that it's about his business that it's been said to be, when he's actually a playboy that screws around much worse worse than even mama has!

ـِـ Your mama?

ـِـ Oh, uhm, yeah! My mama.

ـِـ I don't know about either of them, she said thoughtfully.

ـِـ Well, my parents are recently divorced because my mother slept around with kids.

ـِـ Children?

ـِـ Well almost kids, then. Very young men, you could say.

ـِـ How young.

ـِـ I'm not sure, Helen.

ـِـ What's it about?

ـِـ It's about that I have a brother who seduces girls and women into paying for stuff they wouldn't be having if it wasn't for his charms. It's just the other day that we found out, I mean me and my dad, who are the only decent people in the family!

ـِـ Oh my!

ـِـ Yeah, and there he tried to tell me not to talk to even my girlfriends about how he has seduced both our parents into thinking that he should be my permanent role model or something!

ـِـ I see. And that's where I have to be their substitute, then?

She sat thoughtful before answering:

ـِـ I guess I sort of meant that. ... But what I didn't mean is that you should have to be talking to me all the time! Rather, I would like you to appreciate the fact that I warned you! And perhaps the word can be passed around!

Her teacher answered with a sigh. After a while she said:

ـِـ If that's what you've had to talk about, then I'll settle for that he is a bastard and that we shouldn't appreciate men like that! It's horrible that they all probably catch HIV and spread it!

ـِـ Yeah, even that.

Deborah shuddered. It was silent for a while, then Deborah decided to say something about her family:

ـِـ Daddy is the one that always insisted on having us know better than to sleep around. He, and mother too, said that if we do, we should always, very much always, use condoms – and even then it's not quite safe, they've said.

Helen thought for a while.

ـِـ Even so, I imagine your brother – if he is the playboy you say – either has caught it, or he will sooner or later. ...

ـِـ Yeah, it's horrible!

ـِـ Yes it really is! ... I'll be trying to pass the word around about him, then, Debbie!

ـِـ Thanks Helen!