What a way to effeminize a hero and make him into a PUNK.
If only Marvel knew how it was emasculating it's flagship character in the name of diversity.
When women braid a man's hair it's a sign they have no respect for him. That they see him just like another WOMAN.
Chapter 18
I follow Sanara down the tiled floors of the royal palace into
the South guest quarters. As she pushes past a beaded curtain I step a living
space on par with the five-star hotels I’ve seen on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. A leopard skin rug lies in front
of a full sized mahogany bed decorated with the finest Egyptian cotton sheets, a
table with polished silver mirror above it, and a leather chair in the corner.
As a warm wind blows the gauzy white curtains above the window, Osiris’ servant
is eager to get my opinion regarding their amenities. “I’m hoping the quarters
are to your liking John.” Sanara says
I could stay here for an eternity. “I’m very happy with them
Sanara.” I reply dropping my backpack beside the bed on the floor.
“The Pharaoh will be pleased to hear that.”
“Does he always assign such beautiful maids to attend to his
guests?” I ask as I peel off my jacket.
Sanara blushes on hearing the compliment. Before she can answer
my question, I hear footsteps walking down the pathway. When I see E’steem passing
through the beaded curtain carrying a tray with a bowl filled with water and
towels on it I smile. “You can head back to the throne room Sanara. I’ll be
attending to John from here on in.”
Sanara gives me a playful smile after E’steem walks into the
room. “You’re in for an treat John.”
“How?” I ask tossing my jacket on the bed.
“Most men in Egypt would give everything they owned for a
chance to be attended to by the fairest woman in Egypt.”
E’steem gives Sanara a look after hearing the nickname she’s
called. “Go on back to the throne room.” She orders.
“You two have fun.” Sanara says as she saunters through the
beaded curtain.
The look on E’steem’s face tells me she’s going to. Once Sanara
heads down the hall I find out more about the title she’s been given by her
peers. “So I’m being taken care of by the fairest woman in Egypt?” I ask.
“That’s what they call me.” E’steem sighs as she squats down to
ease the tray on the leopard skin rug.
“You don’t seem too happy about the title.”
“It’s not that great of a title when men eye you like a piece
of meat hanging in the bazaar.” She says springing up to meet my eyes.
I’d have to say there’s brains to go along with that beauty. “You’d
rather they see how smart you are.”
“I practically know the Ancient texts like the back of my hand.
But all most men see is my behind.”
I don’t mind looking at it myself. “How’d you convince your
father to let you be my maid?”
“I didn’t. Mother told him that it’d be good for me to be
around men my own age.”
“I guess I should thank her.”
“You can do that at dinner. “ E’steem replies. “I just need to
wash your hands and feet.”
“I can do that myself.” I say reaching for the towel.
“I’m sure you could,” E’steem says taking my hand. “But it’s a
custom here for the Pharaoh’s maidens to attend to a guest.”
And a special honor for the Pharaoh’s daughter to attend to
someone personally. “I guess I don’t want to break tradition.”
“You definitely don’t.” E’steem sings smiling at me.
I guess she sees me as someone special to give me this honor. I
have a seat on the foot of the bed. As E’steem kneels at my feet, a curious
expression falls on her face as she examines my white Reebok high tops.“ These
are strange sandals.” She says untying the laces.
“They’re not sandals.” I tell her as she pulls my shoes off. “They’re
called sneakers.”
“Sneakers?” E’steem inquires examining the inside of my Reeboks.
Yeah, they have rubber soles. So they don’t make noise when you
walk.”
“So you can sneak around in them?”
I guess I could use them for stealth if I wanted to. “If you
want to.”
E’steem slips on my sneakers. As she walks around the room in them
she smiles. “They’re are soft as pillows inside.” She says stepping out of
them. “And they increase your speed when you walk.”
“Yeah, that’s why I wear them to school. I can walk to the
train in no time.”
E’steem meets my eyes as she falls back at the foot of the bed.
“You must be very swift with these sneakers on.”
I move like lightning when I break them in. “I can walk cross-town
from Tenth Avenue to Seventh Avenue in less than ten minutes.”
“And these cotton things must be to keep your feet from
sweating when you have them on.” She says peeling off my socks.
Man, she catches on fast. “That’s what socks do.”
E’steem takes my left foot in her hands. As she rubs it with
the towel soaked in warm water I feel goosebumps all over my body. As she
gently massages my foot with her slender fingers I let out a gasp. Man, she’s
got a magic touch. “Wow.”
“I take it you’re happy with me attending to your needs.”
I wish the girls were like her during my time. “Very happy.”
E’steem smiles as she takes my right foot gives it the same gentle
massage while she washes it. My body tingles on the touch. After she reaches
over and washes my hands she flashes me a flirtatious smile. “Now you’re ready
to have dinner with the Pharaoh.” She says proudly.
I peer down at her bare feet covered in the dust of the desert
on the leopard skin rug and smile. “I don’t think you’re ready to go to dinner
yet.” I flirt.
“I’m not?”
“Look at all that desert dust on your feet. Someone should wash
them for you.”
I’m given a playful look by the princess. “Er…Aren’t I supposed
to be tending to you?”
“A gentleman always reciprocates when a lady shows him
gratitude.”
E’steem smiles at
me as she points her toes up at me. “Wash away.”
I hop off the bed onto the leopard skin rug. As I take her
slender left foot in my hands I wonder how they stay so soft when she walks
around barefoot everywhere. “I don’t see how you walk around without shoes.” I
say playing with her anklet.
“With me being a child of the gods I barely feel the grit of
the sand under my feet.” E’steem replies.
“So it doesn’t hurt when you walk on rocks and stuff?” I ask as
wash her left foot.
“Not really.” E’steem replies. “While my feet are soft as silk
on the outside, they’re hard as sandals on the inside.”
“I guess that’s why you don’t need shoes.” I say as I start
washing the right one.
“With all the flipping and flopping all they do is slow me
down.”
E’steem smiles as I finish washing her feet with the towel.
After I cleanse the dust of the desert off them, I think about some massage
tips I read about in the Cosmopolitan
magazine I bought a month ago. When I start letting my fingers dance down the
middle of her right foot she throws her head back then gives me a coy smile. Looks
like that article was right on the money about foot massage driving a girl wild.
“My, you’ve got magic in your hands.” E’steem flirts.
“Just something I learned from reading a magazine.” I say jumping
off the floor back on the bed.
E’steem gives me a quizzed look as she eases up off the floor
and sits next to me at the foot of the bed. “Magazine?”
“They’re kind of like books. But they have a lot more pictures
in them of clothes, make up and stuff-”
E’steem lights up on hearing about magazines. “That sounds like
something I’d definitely want to read.”
She’d probably buy all the fashion magazines they published if
she came to 1987. “I thought you were working to become a priestess-”
E’steem gives me a playfully coy look as she rubs her foot
against mine and her fingers dance along the sleeve of my shirt. “I didn’t get
the title of fairest woman in Egypt by just reading papyruses.” She flirts. "Do
you have any with you?”
Sadly that issue of Cosmopolitan
is under my bed in 1987. And if she knew what I actually used it for, I doubt
we’d be getting close like this. “All I’ve got are my school books and comic
books.”
I’m given an eager look after mentioning my comic books. “I
wouldn’t mind looking at those.”
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