Page 86 of Hot & Heavy

Writing her letters over and over. And practicing simple words like cat and dog.

Now they had a book in front of them called See Jane Run, which was helping her to recognize simple words.

"I don't think you need to learn everything," Geek said. "People start learning to read when they're four or five years old and continue studying the language in one way or another for twelve years or more."

"You jest?" she asked with horror.

He patted her arm. "Don't worry. We're going to try to compress all that into a few weeks. Sort of a Reading for Dummies kind of approach."

"You jest?" she repeated.

"Really. They use this method in English as a Second Language classes sometimes."

She made a quick lunch for them… slices of white bread put together with ham and cheese and mustard, called a sand-which, of all things; there was no sand used. For a beverage, they drank that bubbly drink called Pepsi with ice in tall glasses. She, who had put together feasts for two hundred in the past, was inordinately pleased with herself that she was able to accomplish such a small feat.

While they ate, they talked. Geek told her about his family… a mother, father and five sisters who lived in a country called Poo-kip-see. Apparently, he had an extraordinary intellect and had many years of learning. "Why did you decide to become a warrior?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Seemed the best way to put my brain to good use in a just cause." He grew quiet for a moment, and his jaw tensed with some strong emotion. "I hate terrorists. If my intelligence can eliminate a few of them, well… that's why I joined the SEALs." A grin teased his mouth and a blush bloomed on his freckled face. "Plus, I like the way SEALs push the limits on physical stamina. A buff body and girls. I can't deny there's an attraction in that."

Madrene smiled, and then, at his urging, told him about her life, starting with the days when her entire large family lived on a Norse farmstead up till her meeting the seals in the Arab lands.

It was then that Geek explained what it meant when these men called themselves seals. They didn't mean animals. The letters stood for SEa, Air and Land.

Then she continued talking about her life.

Geek laughed out loud at some times… when she described her method for deflating male parts, her futile attempts to learn scarf dancing in a sultan's harem, milking a camel. At other times, he grew grim, squeezing her hand, especially when she talked about the deaths of one member of her family after another.

After they were done eating and talking and cleaning up the kitchen, Geek said, "Let's go boot up Ian's computer and see what we can find out about… what did you call it, Hordaland?"

She nodded, even though she did not understand half of what he said.

Soon she sat on a stool and Geek on a chair in front of a square box on a piece of furniture called a desk. The box was a come-pewter, and Geek claimed it held information about everything in the world.

In the next half hour, Geek had obtained so much information that it made her brain fuzzy. In truth, the more he told her, the more she wanted to know. And, actually, his brow was becoming as furrowed as hers.

"This just doesn't make sense," he told her as his finger tapped on little buttons set into a tray. "I can find a country called Hordaland, but it's an archaic name. Hordaland does not exist today."

"What do you mean?"

"Hordaland more or less became the country called Norway. Is that where you're from? Norway?"

"Nay. Leastways, I never heard it called such. But I am Norse. So perhaps… I just don't understand."

"You're not the only one," he muttered.

Next he put the letters for Birka and Hedeby in. Then pronounced, "Same thing. Old names for places that no longer exist. Birka was in what is called Sweden today. Hedeby was in what is called Germany today."

"Can this magic box show me a picture of where these places are… were? A map?"

"Sure."

Within a few moments, she was studying several maps… something she'd had no need to learn in the past. Geek had to read the names printed on the map for the various countries and waterways. Finally she said, "It does look faintly familiar." She looked up at him. "I must be from Norway, then. Leastways, a country known as Norway here but Hordaland to its inhabitants."

He looked skeptical.

"Now can you show me how far it is from here to… Norway?"

"Sure."