She shook her head. “No. It’s fascinating seeing you all interact. I didn’t expect—no, not the right word. It’s just so different from what I grew up with.”
Clove grabbed the wine bottle from the refrigerator. “So they didn’t send you to school, but you know how to read and write?”
“Yes. Women had to know how to read and write because we collected recipes and wrote instructions. That was our primary function. Keeping the community running smoothly. Anything that interfered with the smooth operation of our community was punishable.”
Andie snorted. “Just saying, I would have been burned at the stake if I grew up in a situation like that.”
Flora shook her head. “I don’t understand that reference.”
Clove chuckled. “The Salem witch trials. A bunch of women were burned by the town leaders because they didn’t like them. People would accuse women of being witches because that woman made them angry. That’s the simple explanation.”
Flora was glad her community didn’t burn women. She would certainly have died if they had. “Wow. I think that would be worse than being buried.”
Talia nodded. “They also did things like water testing.”
“What does that mean?” Flora asked.
“If you sank, then you were innocent, but if you floated, you were guilty of being a witch. They killed the witches.”
“So either way, you’re dead.”
“Yes.”
“Gosh, that’s awful. When was that?”
“A few hundred years ago.”
Flora took the wine glass offered, but she felt guilty about even holding it. “I’ve never had any alcohol.”
“A lot of people don’t drink,” Ellis said.
“I also have never kissed anyone until today.”
“What?” they all spoke at once, asking questions and laughing.
She glanced up, not realizing her declaration would cause such a stir.
“You kissed Q? How was that?” Vera asked.
“I’m not sure how to answer. I’ve never kissed anyone. And then it happened, and I froze, but he kissed me again before he left.”
“Wow, that’s awesome,” Vera said.
All the women started talking over each other again, and she had a hard time figuring out what they were saying. Clove finally held up her hand, and everyone quieted.
“Sorry, you seem overwhelmed,” Ellis said.
Clove squeezed her arm. “We’re used to all of us talking over each other when we’re excited.”
Flora laughed and shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ve just never experienced anything like this. There is so much I’ve never experienced or knew. I want to know more, but the books Q has are a little boring. I keep falling asleep.”
They all laughed then Clove spoke. “You know what, I had to curate a list of videos appropriate for Neo. I can help you get on a computer and watch some videos that will explain things to you.”
“Where does she need to start?” Andie asked.
“Well, when I met Q, I thought there were only five million people in the world. I believed that most humans had died from some plague and that the rest of the humans were ruled by demons, so I know nothing.”
Clove squeezed her arm. “We’ve got you covered. We’ll help you figure stuff out.”
