The One About Jamaharon, Part One
Posted on August 10th, 2015 by Alexis Wright and Kathryn Harper

by Alexis Wright and Kathryn Harper

Risa’s two suns had almost finished burning off the morning fog, promising yet another beautiful day, but Kathryn Harper was still asleep. While sleeping in was uncharacteristic for Kate, it wasn’t an unheard-of luxury, and this particular instance gave Alexis Wright a chance to spend breakfast with Kate’s mother, Jhnal. Their conversation was mostly idle chit-chat, but some tidbits of information provided Lexy with insight into her new girlfriend and the Risan culture that had helped to form her.

As casually as one might ask about the day’s weather, Jhnal changed the subject while Lexy was focused on her plate. "Now, you have not yet had the sex with Kathryn, yes?” Lexy, in mid-chew, looked up at her in shock, color rising immediately to her cheeks. This gave Jhnal the answer she was looking for, and with a sage nod, she confirmed, “Of course. A mother can tell." She pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Tell me, do you think something is wrong with her? Do you not find her attractive? Our daughter is very beautiful, you know."

Lexy almost choked on her food. Was her girlfriend’s mother really asking her about sex?

Jhnal, paying no attention to Lexy’s discomfort, continued. "Maybe she is not feminine enough, yes? All of that playing of the sports and shooting of the guns! Not to mention her foul language, I must have told her a thousand times to tone that down…"

“N-no, that’s not it at all…” Lexy managed to stammer, shaking her head in denial.

“Then perhaps you prefer the bigger breasts? Or perhaps… you are not ‘in season’! You humans have that, yes? How do you say… the heat?” Jhnal leaned forward with interest.

Lexy squeaked, her face so hot she thought it might ignite, “No, it’s nothing like that!”

“Oh. Well then, what is the problem?” Jhnal asked, tapping her chin with her finger in thought. “Ahhh, I know… maybe you do not know how to have the sex with a woman?”

Mercifully sparing Lexy from having to answer that question, Rolik strolled into the room and both women turned to look at him. He found his wife’s innocent expression and Lexy’s intense blush to be rather suspicious. "What are you doing to our guest, Jhnal?"

Jhnal had the grace to look a little shamefaced as she popped another morsel into her mouth before replying. “I was simply asking our daughter’s girlfriend why they have not yet had the sex.”

Rolik gasped at his wife. "She is human, Jhnal! They are not so comfortable with the subject as we are, and you are embarrassing her!" He laid a reassuring hand on Lexy’s shoulder and she internally sighed with relief. She was saved. Bless this man! He moved around the table to sit next to Jhnal and looked at Lexy curiously. "Well, now that it is out… you two have not been intimate yet?” Lexy abruptly changed her mind. Curse this man!

“Kathryn must really care for you, my dear; she is clearly holding back to avoid offending your human inhibitions. If you are ready, perhaps we can help you tell that to her,” Rolik offered with a smile, then turned to Jhnal to exchange a knowing look. Nodding, Jhnal rose from her seat and disappeared into the next room. After but a moment, she returned with a small statue which she set on the table in front of Lexy. “This is a horga’hn,” Rolik said as his wife slid back into the chair next to him, “Do you know what it is for?”

With a nod, Lexy softly quoted her research, “To display it means that you are seeking the rite of jamaharon.”

“That is correct." Rolik began to elucidate. "Now, to native Risans, jamaharon is more than just sex; it is an intimate spiritual and emotional experience that is reserved for a partner with whom we have a real connection. What most visitors to our world get that they call jamaharon is but a pale shadow of the real thing."

Jhnal continued her husband’s thought without a break. "The sensuality of the rite, while it can be intense and overwhelming, especially for the… novice, can often bring a couple closer together.” They looked at each other and smiled tenderly, then she added, "Just make sure she understands that you present the horga’hn as a Risan would, and not as a tourist.”

Hesitantly, Lexy asked, “H-how do I do that?”

"Tell her we explained it to you,” came Rolik’s simple reply. With a chuckle, he added, “You might get to embarrass her, for once."

The door to the pool could be heard opening, heralding Kate’s imminent arrival, so Lexy quickly slipped the horga’hn into her pocket and whispered a flustered thank-you to Rolik and Jhnal. While the two women resumed their meal in an attempt to appear as though they had not just been talking about her, Rolik rose to greet his daughter as she entered the room. "Good morning, Kathryn! Can I get you some breakfast?"

The sleep was not yet entirely gone from Kate’s eyes as she sat in the chair next to Lexy. "Yes, please, Papa," she answered, looking back and forth between her mother and her girlfriend. Something seemed… awkward. Lexy, while appearing nonchalant, was not her normal color. Her mother was her usual motherly self, but that was hardly reassuring. "…What were you all just talking about? Were you embarrassing Lexy?"

Lexy had her mouth full, but turned to Kate with wide, innocent eyes and shrugged. Jhnal spread her hands and said, “What would make you think that, Kathryn?”

"Her face is not usually quite so red as my hair, you know.”

Rolik reappeared with a hot plate of their traditional breakfast fare along with a steaming cup of coffee. "Here you are, my girl! All of your favorites!" He placed the food and drink on the table in front of Kate and sat down next to his wife.

Looking at the faces around the table, Kate realized that no more information on the matter would be forthcoming. In fact, Jhnal was now questioning Lexy about her family. Kate finally gave up, and after a smile and nod of thanks to her father, started to eat.