Mr. Bonobo Bliss: A.K.A. "Bo"

By Odie Hawkins

Mr. Bonobo Bliss is a humanoid designed by the Dr. Maxwell Waters Group to accompany six female astronauts on a long duration mission. B.Os presence must be kept a secret because of the sociopolitical climate of the time.

Unfortunately, for the astranauettes, the secret is leaked and their mission is scrubbed. They return to Earth with serious cases of post-traumatic romantic-stress disorders. Mr. Bonobo Bliss escapes to the Amazon forest and Dr. Maxwell Waters and her husband, the former head of the National Association Protection of Astronauts, are forced into exile.
They re-surface as the pioneers of the Antigua Space Program (ASP), the brainchild of the Antiguan Minister of Tourism, who wants to boost the tourism trade.


Footnote: "Bonobo" - The Bonobo monkeys, sometimes called the love monkeys, they use romantic/physical/sexual means to resolve their primate problems. They are the only known species of monkeys to have sex face to face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Sep 14, 2007
• ISBN: 9781467857567

Odie Hawkins

Odie Hawkins was a member of the Watts Writer’s workshop that spawned the Watts Prophets, a collection of spoken-word artists, considered the forebears of modern hip-hop.He is the co-author of the novel “Lady Bliss,” and the author of “The Snake, Mr. Bonobo Bliss, and Shackles Across Time. 2011 he was a panelist at the Modern Language Assoc. at the Hilton, LA Live. Additional information may be found on Facebook page, his website:www.odiehawkins.com., his blog, and/or just Google his name.

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Prologue:

Sometime in the near future six astranauettes (their spelling) are scheduled for a long duration mission (LDM) into space. The primary goals of their mission will be to conduct hundreds of experiments, all designed to determine how large populations of human beings can be sustained on the various planets that may contain liquid water. One of the greatest concerns that the astranauettes have is about what will happen to their sexuality, their sex lives, while they’re out there.

XXX

CHAPTER I

(LOCATION:) CHICAGO – NAPA GREAT LAKES TRAINING CENTER

Five people occupied plush seats at a large, round, beautifully marbled oak table, sipping coffee, orange juice, trendy branded bottled water. This is the prelude to a meeting of the Executive Council of the National Association for Protection of Astranauettes (N.A.P.A.).

These individuals are responsible for making the decisions that will determine what will happen aboard Tomorrow II, the LDM vehicle. The meeting is chaired by Director Richard G. Sharpe, Dick to his friends.

Clockwise – Dr. Ronald G. Franklin, space psychologist; program coordinator, Dan Shephardt. Public Relations Officer, Milton Ogawa. Dr. Michael Evans, Chief Medical Officer.

The Director cleared his throat and tapped on a water glass to get everyone’s attention.

The meeting is now in session. As you can see, my secretary is not here to record our discussion and I would like to ‘suggest’ that no one should take notes. Now then, having said that, let’s get down to business – we all know why we’re here…

Dan Shephardt leaned forward on the table, the veins in his neck swollen by anger.

Dick, since there will be no minutes taken, or notes…

The Director nodded – affirmative.

Then I can be perfectly candid here?

That’s why we’re having this meeting, Dan, shoot.

Dan Shephardt pushed his chair back and stood in a military stance.

"I am fucking outraged at the nerve of these women, to make such a request, almost a demand, of this Council.

Who the hell do they think they are?! I consider their petition a bit over the fucking top, to put it mildly."

Thank you for your … uhh, observation, Dan. Ron? Dr. Ronald G. Franklin did a little mental doodling before he spoke, a long time habit that prevented him from making rash statements.

Well, Dick, here’s the way it looks to me…

The Council members perked up. Ron Franklin was a deliberate, reasonable person, widely respected by his peers. Even Dan Shephardt spoke highly of him… I don’t care if he’s Black or not, he’s got a good head on his shoulders.

In the light of all we know about long duration missions at this point in time, I don’t feel that our astranauettes are making an unreasonable request to have some means of sexual release while they’re out there.

Dan Shephardt turned the corners of his mouth down and gave his colleague a dirty look.

Thanks for that, Ron. Milt?

Milton Ogawa took a furtive look around the table. Damn! Why would he have to call on me before he got to Mike Evans? Milton Ogawa, as the Public Relations Officer, didn’t enjoy being singled out for his opinion. He had developed the knack of depending on others’ opinions.

Dick, let me get this straight, if I may? We have a LDM launch scheduled for January next year, correct?

The Director was quite used to Ogawa’s hedging ways. He nodded – affirmative.

January, next year, that means we have approximately six months…

The Director sliced through Milton Ogawa’s rhetorical comments.

Uhh, Milton, everyone in this room is well aware of the date, time and place of the scheduled launch. I’m asking for your input here, concerning our six astranauette’s request that we provide them some means of natural sexual activity, gratification is the way they put it. What do you think about this matter?

Ogawa frowned, twiddled his thumbs for a few seconds.

"Uhh, well, it seems to me that there might be a whole lot of considerations to be made concerning their request.

As the Public Relations Officer here I would have to say that my greatest concern is about how this would be played out in the media. I mean, I’m sure that we don’t want this important mission to be trivialized by tabloid coverage."

Thank you, Milt, your comment bears consideration. Mike? You’re the last hickey here.

Dr. Michael Evans stroked his spade shaped goatee a couple times.

Let me put this bluntly – none of these women are married. So far as our files go, none of them has a serious relationship with anyone. The age range is 26-25-25-23-24-and Shirley Desk, the oldest at 30. They’re in the prime of life. Frankly I don’t feel it’s fair to ask them to sacrifice their sex lives for …

Dan Shephardt leaned toward Dr. Evans aggressively, his eyes bugged out.

These people knew, going in, that they’d be required to make sacrifices. That’s what it means to become an astronaut.

Astranauette, Dan, astranauette, they made a deal with us to have that distinction made, to differentiate them from the male side.

Shephardt pursed his lips, expressing how pissed he was.

! ! So, they’re ‘astranauettes.’ Fine. But I want to get back to the point you just made, Mike. You just said that the files show that none of these six women has a ‘significant other,’ a serious relationship with anyone. Correct?

That’s what the files show.

Dan Shephardt punched his right fist into the open palm of his left hand.

So, how is NAPA going to explain away the presence of sexual activity during their mission? What about the moral issue?

There won’t be any need to explain anything, Dan, the Director spoke softly, because if we make the decision in their favor, no one will know anything about it. The moral issue? Moral issues are never permanent.

The quartet stared at the Director. His voice raised a half-decibel.

If we decide in their favor, we have many more practical considerations to make, other than moral considerations. Are you with me, gentlemen?

The quartet nodded yes, with various degrees of feeling. Shephardt and Ogawa were more than slightly anti. Franklin and Evans definitely pro.

As the Director of NAPA it will be my call, my responsibility to give these astranauettes what they’re requesting. I think you four have given me a pretty good idea of what I have to be concerned about, what I have to think about. I have a hard thinking weekend ahead of me. Thank you for your input, we’ll reassemble here at 9:00 a.m. Monday morning.

The NAPA Council members filed out, each of them focused on what they would have to bring to the table for their next meeting.

XXX

Kwanzaa (that’s what my parents named me. I was conceived during that time frame). A. Smith stood in front of her fellow astranauettes, lounging around on the rec room sofas, her hands jammed into the pockets of her flight suit.

"Look, it’s not that we’re a bunch of horny, sex starved nymphos or anything like that, we’re just six normal, heterosexual women who would not like to put our sexuality, our sex lives on hold for 3 years. I’m 26 now, I’ll be 29 when this mission is completed. That means that I’ll be spending some prime years of my life not experiencing the kind of sensual experiences that would normally occur in the average woman’s life, not to mention loss of bone density and a few other space capsule ailments.

We’re not talking about romance here, we’re talking about sexual gratification."

Mildred Chan, Shirley Desk and Fatimah Bayati felt their faces flush with excitement/embarrassment of Kwanzaa’s bold language. She paused to look into the eyes of each one of her friends, her fellow astranauettes.

Look, I don’t want anyone here to misunderstand what I’m saying. I’m damned proud and pleased to be in the NAPA Space Program. But I have to say … I was a woman before I got in the program and I’ll still be a woman when I leave the program. In addition, I have to say that I was not a virgin when I became an astranauette. I have a fairly good idea what I’ll be missing during our long duration mission. Anyone else here understand where I’m coming from?

It took a pregnant thirty seconds for Salena Hawk Eyes right hand to be hesitantly raised, followed by Shirley Desk, Mildred Chan and finally Deborah Perlman.

Fatimah Bayati, Perlman’s closest friend in the program, felt her bottom jaw drop with surprise. She leaned over to whisper into Deborah Perlman’s ear.

"Deb, you, you’ve done it? You’re not a …?

Deborah Perlman lowered her eye lashes.

It would be hard to say whether I am or not, it wasn’t what I would call an Earth moving experience, but I have some idea of what Kwanzaa is talking about, what it could be like.

Fatimah Bayati half raised her right hand at first, and then extended it fully. A sexual experience was a sexual experience, no matter whom with, or the circumstances, no matter how unpleasant it may have been. Kwanzaa nodded.

So, I see everyone here has some idea of what sexuality is about. Good. It makes me feel a little more secure to know that I’m not alone in this.

"So, what’re you proposing, K.? Salena spoke up.

Shirley Desk, at 30, the oldest member of the group, a self-described racial other, a natural bridge-builder, responded, She’s proposing that we put a little petition/proposal together for the NAPA Council, asking for … asking for …?

Asking for some means to have a natural orgasm, from time to time, Kwanzaa spoke without hesitation.

She was stunned to see Mildred Chan suddenly stand up and announce Okay, that’s it, we’re all in agreement about this, let’s get busy.

XXX

CHAPTER 2

The Director did a quick mental review of the points made in the astranauettes petition/proposal:

"A. We, the undersigned, do respectfully submit this petition/proposal to the NAPA Council. After much debate and thought, we are requesting the opportunity to have the sexual life that all normal human beings deserve, whether in space or not.

We realize that this is an unusual proposal, but we feel certain that it is possible to meet our needs.

We knew that we would be required to make sacrifices for the sake of our country, for NAPA, for our careers, but we had no way of understanding the enormous price we would have to pay, to be celibate for the course of a long duration mission. We feel that it would be a distortion of our basic female instincts to involuntarily deny ourselves the satisfaction of having sexual experiences for so long.

If we were gay women, there would be no problem but, as you know, one of the pre-requisites for being an astranauette was that we should be heterosexual females."

The proposal/petition was three carefully crafted pages, seriously hinting at the possibility of the mission being waylaid by their concerns. He was still staring out of the window, collecting his thoughts when Milton Ogawa popped in. 8:15 a.m., always a little early.

‘Morning, Dick.

‘Morning, Milt.

Ogawa eased over to the coffee urn for a large cup of black coffee, took his customary seat and stared straight ahead. The doctors, Ron and Mike, strolled in moments later, followed by Dan Shephardt, looking a bit dark about the eyes. They poured themselves coffee and took their seats.

The Director took charge.

Good, we’re all here. The no note taking rule is still in effect. Now then, let’s cut to the chase. It appears to me that these people may be voicing a legitimate concern, I think we should make some effort to meet them half way. I’d like your ideas about this, Ron?

The Director ignored Dan Shephardt’s audible groan of disappointment. Ron Franklin smiled in Shephardt’s direction.

Like everyone here I devoted my weekend to thinking hard on this problem. I would suggest supplying the astranauettes with some sort of sexual medicine, a substance that would seduce them into thinking they had received sexual gratification.

Richard Gregory Sharpe, the Director, was known as a surgical analyst.

Wouldn’t work, Ron, nice try. A fake sexual gratification drug would be a bad thing to have on board, too great a possibility of errors in judgment, in addition to the possibility of adverse side effects, maybe an overdose. I’d have to ax that one. Dan?

Let me come straight to the point…

Michael Evans winked at Ron Franklin.

Uhh, is that a pun, Dan?

The Director got it, allowed a shadow of a smile to come and go as he watched Dan Shephardt blink, not fully understanding. He wasn’t the most humorous guy aboard.

Go on, Dan, you were coming straight to the point.

Well, the point is that it’s hard for me to try to think of a practical solution for this… uh, ‘problem.’ Because I don’t think the ‘problem’ deserves that much consideration. I find myself being more concerned about the ethical side of all this.

The Director nodded agreeably. It was good to have a man like Dan on board, someone who wasn’t afraid to tell the truth as he saw it. Despite his lack of humor.

Milt, what’s your spin on this?

Milton Ogawa took a deep breath and gave an uncharacteristically straight forward answer.

I think we should supply the ladies with a sufficient amount of libido stifling drugs, something that would make them forget about sex.

All heads turned in Ogawa’s direction. The Director tapped his fingers on the table for a long beat.

Also a nice try, Milt, but it wouldn’t work. These people are too intelligent to go for something like that. It would take them less than a month to reason to the reason why they’re no longer horny. Aside from the side effects the drugs might engender. Keep in mind, the astranauettes are talking about maintaining their naturally libidinous natures, not stifling them. Mike, your turn.

Michael Evans stroked his goatee and shook his head slowly, from side to side.

Dick, I gotta admit I’m in a cul’sac about this one, I’d just be spit ballin’ if I tried to say anything else. What do you say?

It was time for the buck to stop moving. The Director took a deep breath before speaking.

First off, I’m not going to say that I was unaware that this problem would surface. We can look back at past episodes to recall similar problems. In this instance I’ve decided to grant the astranauettes their request.

He made a deliberately theatrical pause to give the members a chance to absorb his decision. Dan Shephardt and Milton Ogawa were clearly displeased by his decision and Michael Evans and Ron Franklin were not radiating happy face signs.

Having said that, rest assured I’m not talking about six guys for six girls. That would be physically impossible because of the weight-thrust factors, cost overruns, not to mention the emotional conundrums that would be certain to develop.

Ron Franklin leap frogged the Director with his question.

So, it wouldn’t be six guys for six girls. Where the hell would we find a guy who could service six healthy females on a regular basis, over the course of a long duration mission?

The Director cut off the sudden avalanche of questions from the rest of the members with a curt gesture.

Listen up, guys … we can’t think of a man, a human being who could hold up under the pressure of the circumstances we’re talking about. We’re talking about a humanoid other …

The NAPA Council members exchanged puzzled looks. What’s the deal here, has Dick lost it? What the hell is he talking about? A robot?

The Director, analyzing and dissecting the exchanges, decided to slice past a lot of diplomatic chat.

Three years ago, while we were ‘auditioning’ our first all female, long duration mission space crew, I got together with Dr. Maxwell Waters …

The NAPA Council members gave a collective groan and one vocal exclamation from Dan Shephardt – O God! Not that bitch!

Richard Gregory Sharpe, demonstrating why he was the Director, plowed straight thru the negative vibes.

Clearly, I understand that Dr. Waters is not every man’s perfect representative of what Space Age medicine is supposed to be about. Some of her … uhh … experiments with the nature of human sexuality in space have been flawed, no doubt about it. But, to grant her props, as the kids say, she is a qualified professional who has never taken her eye off the ball. Agreed?

It took a few moments for the NAPA members to acknowledge, by nodding affirmatively, that the Director had a point. He could see that they would give a fair judgment of his proposal.

Let me give you one of Dr. Waters’ statements to Psycho Today, concerning a flawed experiment in space travel, that none of our more mainstream scientists" was willing to tell the truth about. Ready?

‘Unfortunately, so far as I can smell it, this shit stinks.’ That’s what she said."

Once again, the Director opened his theatrical Pause Window.

"But more importantly, beyond her personal characteristics, she has been one of the few aerospace scientists to make Earthly studies; notice I stress