X.
The master knows a lot and I suppose that's
because
sHe's always reading. This place has little piles of
books growing up from the floor as well as in
bookcases. Some of them, the piles I mean, I use as
occasional tables. The top most books next to the sofa
have little watermark circles on them where I've put
glasses and cups before. SHe gets a bit miffed if sHe
sees that sort of thing, as if a mark on the cover
will change something about the words inside, so I
put little squares of cloth over them. This seems to
irritate the master a bit, but I can't see why, if they
aren't being read, they can't serve some other useful
purpose at the time.
Everytime sHe goes anywhere, at least three books
go
too. I ask why sHe needs so much ballast in the briefcase.
'Look my arms,' sHe says, 'They are strong, no?'
'Don't give me that male preening crap,' I say, but
I'm thinking how easily sHe can pin me down when she
wants, I'm thinking that and the lips between my legs
so far from my thinking head start singing of their own
accord.
I can tell how long sHe means to be gone by the
number
of books sHe packs in there. Three for one day at the office,
4 or 5 for an overnight trip, 6 or 7 for a conference. One
reason sHe needs to read so much, I think, is because sHe is
lacking in intuition, and also, although sHe is clever my ability
to jump connections, make leaps of faith sHe says rolling her
eyes is much more elegant than sHe can do. In the past I have
thought that she must be stupid and that sHe has achieved much
through dogged determination and a lot of stubbornness, but I
suppose this is unfair because sHe never uses superior knowledge
against me, preferring to use a well-muscled body instead which
I certainly don't mind. Specially if we are talking about some
philosophical question or if we are in disagreement.
'You could learn so much by reading!' sHe cries
throwing those arms about.
'Yes, I could learn so much what other people have thought,' I say,
'but first
I want to learn something by living and thinking for myself. I do not
have time
for both.'
Anyway, I do not like reading so much, although I
like
looking at print in any language. To give the master credit,
there are many times sHe will say how sHe likes my opinions
by telling me sHe has never thought of it that way before, and
sometimes she tells me that some writer has written much the
same thing. I have met quite a few people who you cannot talk to,
because they say that unless you have read a particular book
which
they have read you don't know what you're talking about.
So I simply cannot talk to them.
On the other hand, talking with master is much
like
foreplay which is an interesting phenomenon. I mean
that stimulation from talking can produce body
sensations of excitement and complete relaxation at
the same time, like it makes me want to go to the toilet.
Of course, that is not the only way I can get aroused.
I have 6 senses after all. Maybe 7. Master says I can
be aroused at a distance, through reading, but I'm
thinking I have quite enough to go on with
at the moment.