Tesla’s new life in Munich began, and she learned more and more German each day. She wasn’t looking forward to the cold, snowy winters, but loving Nane and being loved in return by her made it all worth it.
Tesla happily agreed to be Nane’s “caretaker” of sorts, and it worked out well since she couldn’t speak German well enough to get a job anywhere just yet, and she also wasn’t yet a legal citizen. Tesla liked the idea of living like a housewife and took pride in all that she did for Nane and the upkeep of their cozy living space. She cooked, she cleaned, she did the laundry, and she did her best to please Nane in bed as well.
The sexual part of their relationship started off rather ordinary. They did the things most lesbian couples did. But by the time the summer heat was replaced with a cool, crisp chill, things began to change. Nane became more demanding and seemingly less satisfied with Tesla’s “performance” as her submissive.
“I don’t understand,” Tesla cried one day in frustration. “Just what is it you want from me, Nane?”
In her thick German accent, the tall businesswoman said, “I want my meals cooked and ready for me on time, Tesla. When I get in from work, like I just did, I’m cold, I’m tired, and I’m hungry.”
Tesla looked up at Nane. The woman looked a bit intimidating when she wasn’t mad, so seeing her eyes narrow in angry slits made her appear even scarier.
“But it’s not my fault there was a power failure for a while.”
“That’s true,” Nane said, voice softening, “but there are other things as well.”
“What other things? Tell me so I know what to improve on.”
“Well, you don’t always fold the laundry properly, you’re not always watering the plants as I ask you to, and more and more you’re making excuses to get out of sex lately.”
“Ok, let’s take those apart one by one. You need to show me again how to fold the laundry if I’m not doing it correctly, and you need to—”
“You need to not tell me what I need to do,” Nane cut her off.
Tesla froze. She just stared at Nane in astonishment, unsure of what to say—especially since everything she seemed to say lately turned out to be the wrong thing. “Look,” she said carefully as Nane sifted through the day’s mail, “all I’m saying is that I’m not deliberately trying to do things in a way that doesn’t please you. I want you to be happy. I want us to be happy. So if I’m not doing things in the way you would like them done, then maybe if we go over it again and you show me what it is you want and how you want it done, I won’t be such a disappointment to you.”
“Ok, why don’t we just drop it for now and just eat? Your fault or not, I’ve been waiting an hour and my stomach’s growling.”
Even though Nane wasn’t exactly shouting, her tone was unnerving to Tesla, and Tesla knew she’d hate to hear her yelling her loudest. She also knew she hoped she never would either.
Nane took a seat at their small round kitchen table as Tesla took hold of the pot holders and reached into the oven to pull the chicken casserole from its scorching interior. She transferred the casserole to the stovetop and then served a good helping of the food onto two plates. Then she placed the plates down on the table and poured Nane her favorite wine and herself some diet soda. As she headed for the table with the two glasses, however, Nane’s wine slipped from her hand and hit the floor as crimson liquid splattered all over the place—including the hems of Nane’s beige pants.
“Oh, goddamnit!” Nane boomed, slamming her hands on the table as she stood up. “What in the world is wrong with you?”
“N-nothing,” Tesla stammered. “I—I don’t know. It j-just slipped from m-my hand and…”
“My God, can’t you even speak normally in your own damn language?”
Tesla’s gaze slowly met Nane’s, her own eyes narrowing as her frustration began to turn to anger. “Hey, I’m sorry, but I’m only human, ok? Give me a break!”
“Go, Tesla,” Nane ordered, pointing towards the bedroom. “Just go!”
“No way,” Tesla protested. “I’m hungry, too. I didn’t drop the damn wine on purpose. Let me clean it up and then we’ll both eat and talk about more pleasant things.”
“I can’t eat now, Tesla. I have to hurry up and get these pants in the washer before the damn stains set in.”
“I’ll do that for you,” Tesla said.
“No! You clean up the mess you made, again—deliberate or not—and I’ll see to my pants.”
Tesla felt like a fool as Nane hurriedly threw on a pair of jeans and went down the hall to throw her pants into the washer. She was still sopping up the spilled wine when Nane returned a moment later, cussing in German.
“What’s wrong?” Tesla asked her.
“All the machines are in use. Finish up and then go wash these pants by hand and soak them in the tub afterward so I can at least get some dinner at last.”
“Yes, Master,” Tesla said, still feeling bad and like a first-class failure. Jesus, how hard could it be to cook dinner and bring Nane a glass of wine?
She wiped the floor and the legs of the table and chairs the wine had splattered on as fast as she could. Then she took care of the pants.
Satisfied that the stains were gone from the pants after a few minutes of scrubbing and rinsing them, she filled the tub with warm soapy water and left them to soak. When she returned to the living room and kitchen area, Nane was sitting stiffly on the couch with the TV on.
“As late as it was, was dinner any good?” Tesla asked, hoping to have done at least something right.
Without looking at her, Nane said, “It might have been had the food not been cold.”
Tesla cleaned up the kitchen, her own appetite shot, then crept into the bedroom where she undressed, slid under the downy soft comforter, and cried.
Later that night, Nane turned off the TV and the lights and slipped into bed next to Tesla, who had cried herself to sleep. Yeah, she wasn’t stupid. She’d heard it. Pity and regret tugged at her heart, but she would not allow herself to get up and comfort the girl. If she did, she wouldn’t learn anything. Some things really weren’t her fault, but there was no excuse for her clumsiness and forgetfulness. All she had to do was take care of one adult who was pretty self-dependent overall—not five unruly kids. Nane just didn’t understand why some things were so hard for her.
But Tesla would learn. Nane would make sure of it. And if it meant she had to get a little firm with her, then so be it. She was getting free room and board, free food, and basically a free ride in life at her expense. The least she could do was learn to please her.
Nane looked over at the darkened silhouette of Tesla’s sleeping form. Part of pleasing her also meant being available for sex whenever she wanted it. She was tempted to wake Tesla up, but she was still so annoyed with the girl that she didn’t bother.
Tomorrow was Saturday. That meant they had all weekend to work on things that needed to be worked on. They only had to go out twice: to the grocery store and then to visit her aging mother.
A door softly closed somewhere within the building as Nane’s mind reeled back in time. She missed her father. He had been a good man. She had been absolutely devastated the day his heart had given out on him, as had been the case with Tesla’s father. Tesla didn’t talk much about her childhood and her parents, so she had no idea what they had been like. If she had to guess, she’d say Tesla’s childhood hadn’t been the greatest, and she didn’t think she was particularly close to her aunt either.
Tesla had yet to apply for citizenship in Germany, and she wondered if it were a wise idea to do so. That would depend on the severity of the crime she’d committed in the U.S. Nane only knew what she’d been charged with—not the severity of the offense or what her punishment might be if tried and convicted. She had a feeling she may be either heavily fined or sent to the penitentiary for a few years.
Nane mulled the situation over in her mind as she tried to relax after the trying day she’d had. She could speak to her friend Sabine about it. Sabine had studied international law and could probably advise her as to whether or not Tesla risked being extradited back to the States should she attempt to apply for citizenship.
Being with a woman who was a fugitive from justice was never part of the plan. But in this case, Nane kind of liked the idea—for she knew it would make it harder for Tesla to leave her if she wanted to. Not that she hoped she would want to leave her, but if she did, where could she go? She couldn’t return home, yet there was no place else to go in Germany. She didn’t have any money of her own since they couldn’t be legally married, and she couldn’t get a job with her shitty German and her joke of a job history. And also, many employers were checking people’s records these days, and the outstanding warrant would probably come up.
First things first, though, and that was training the girl. Nane didn’t care how she addressed her as long as it was with respect, but some of the chores weren’t getting done properly, and there was still too much resistance in bed. She didn’t get why either. Tesla had always seemed to love their intimate moments, but for the last week or so, she seemed to have too many excuses as to why she wanted to “save it for another time.” According to her blog, she was feeling “pressured,” whatever that meant.
Nane felt frustrated. She didn’t want to lose Tesla—even if leaving wouldn’t be an easy thing for her to begin with. But she also felt she had a right to demand what she wanted of Tesla and that she wasn’t asking for anything unreasonable. After all, it was her money that sheltered and fed Tesla. Therefore, Tesla owed her in return, didn’t she?
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