The Black Rose Legacy Ch. 05

There was a moment of silence, then my mother asked, "What do you mean by 'not exactly human', Manny?"

Oh, boy, here we go. "You know how some members of our family like you and Grandma Tulip are part Sasquatch? Tuyen's like that, except there's no human at all in her, just like Grandma's grandma Black Rose was."

Mom was confused. "But Sasquatch come from the Northwest, don't they?"

"Well, yes, technically, but they're also found other places," I explained, "like in the Himalayas, or in the jungles of Vietnam. Vietnamese locals call them Batutut.

"So she's one of these, what did you call them, Batutut?" I began to relax a little, as Mom's reaction was sounding pretty receptive. Of course, Tuyen's unbuttoning my shirt and rubbing my chest was also relaxing, and I wasn't about to complain.

Encouraged, I continued, "Yes, and Mom, she's so beautiful! She's Asian, about your height, with dark hair on her head and reddish-brown fur pretty much everywhere except her face, hands, and feet."

Mom's voice was sounding enthusiastic now. "Can I speak to her, or does she only speak Vietnamese?

"She only speaks Vietnamese. She maybe knows a half-dozen words in English."

Then the next logical question came up, of course. "If she only speaks Vietnamese, how do you communicate?

"My buddy Greg and his girlfriend speak Vietnamese, so they translate a lot. Also, they bought me a Vietnamese phrase book," I explained, then added, "plus...well, I touched her face."

Now Mom was a little shocked. "You mean touching like I used to do with your father?"

I don't know why I felt embarrassed to admit this, but talking to Mom about sex was kind of awkward. "Yes, and I kissed her."

Mom's tone now turned to one of concern. "Oh, my, this sounds serious! Germanicus, this is nothing to be ashamed of, but have you actually coupled with her?"

According to Grandma Tulip, there was nothing embarrassing about coupling to Sasquatch in the wilderness; they liked to do it as often as they could, but obviously I was a few generations removed from that. But this was my mother, so I had to reluctantly answer her question.

"Yes, Mom. And one other thing," I swallowed, suddenly afraid of Mom's reaction, "I kind of, um, sang to her. Like you used to overhear you sing to Dad at night when your door was...locked." If you were guessing it felt awkward to admit I knew details of my own parents' love life, you'd be right.

"Oh, my. This definitely sounds serious!"

It was time for my big news. "That's not the only thing that's serious. When the water began flooding the Panja Bhum, something happened to me. I changed, Mom. Because the water was coming in and Tuyen was trapped; I needed to free her. I think the Sasquatch fury came over me. I didn't just open the cage door, I destroyed the damned thing to get her out. Things all kind of went blurry after that until we were safely aboard the Coast Guard boat."

Mom became very quiet, giving me just a three-word reply. "Oh, I see."

Somehow my stirred-up feelings about Tuyen made me feel more like 13 than 31. I felt the need to state the obvious, as if my mother was clueless which she most certainly was not. I blurted out "I protected her, I touched her face, and I sang to her. I think she's the one, Mom."

My mother chuckled. "Well, Manny, If she's this important to you, it sounds I need to take the train down to meet her." Air travel was anathema to my mother, as it was to every Sasquatch in my family, me included. The idea of squeezing a nearly 7' body into a claustrophobic skinny tube with several hundred annoying little people horrified us, which is why my family members always drove, or took the train.

"Give me a few days to get myself organized and buy my tickets, and I'll call with the details."

"Thanks, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too, dear. You take care of that little girl until we get there. Bye now!" I had to laugh at Mom referring to Tuyen as little. But with my mother being an inch taller and outweighing my girl by 50 pounds or so, I guess it was legitimate.

Thumbing through the phrase book, I told Tuyen my mother would be coming to visit, and was excited to meet her, "Mẹ tôi đang đến. Cô ấy nóng lòng muốn gặp bạn!" It was then I realized I'd not yet told my sweetheart about my own family heritage. Flipping through the phrase book, I managed to roughly piece together the words to tell Tuyen that my mother was part Batutut, tall like her. "Mẹ tôi là một phần của Batutut, cao như bạn!"

Tuyen got very excited, struggling to express herself in English. "Manny is Batutut?"

I nodded my head, then gently moved her off my lap to retrieve my photo album. Opening it to the first page, I showed her a family picture that was taken 15 years ago when I started Coast Guard basic training. The photo was of me, Dad, Mom, and Grandma Tulip. First I pointed to my father, the shortest, and explained he was not Batutut. "Cha tôi không phải là một người giỏi," then pointed to my mother and Grandma Tulip, and explained they were. "Mẹ tôi và bà ngoại."

I'd suspected that Tuyen was strong, but her tossing all 312 pounds of me over her shoulder and carrying me into the bedroom definitely confirmed it. Throwing me down on the bed, she ripped my Van Halen 1978 World Tour t-shirt off, like literally tore it in half. Next to my Ramones t-shirt, it was my favorite, but it died for a worthy cause.

Knowing what was coming next, I pulled off my jeans and briefs before she could destroy them as well. She'd quickly slipped out of her clothes - thankfully not destroying them -- and jumped on top of me, covering my chest, neck and face with kisses.

Trapped between our torsos, my erection quickly grew, and as delightful as the sensation of my cock rubbing against her belly fur was, I frustratingly couldn't move. Just like when I'd held her earlier, she now had me trapped in her possessive embrace as she kissed me, nipping me periodically and growling "Manny go Tuyen always!"

I laughed, then flexed my arms to break her grip. Or tried to, anyway. Tuyen maintained a vicelike hold on me, again growling "Manny go Tuyen always!" When I caught the heavy scent of her excitement, I realized my girl wasn't fooling around. I was dealing with full-on Batutut lust, and my mate would not be denied.

Leaning my head down as far as I could, I nipped at her shoulder and growled back, "Manny go Tuyen ALWAYS!" I felt her relax her grip, enough I could get free. Still staying on my back, I motioned her to move so she was positioned straddling my head and facing me. Grabbing her by the hips, I pulled her solidly down onto my mouth and split her labia with my tongue. I began exploring her now-exposed vaginal entrance, lapping at her excited clit. When I opened my eyes and looked up, I saw her head thrown back in ecstasy, and heard low moans of pleasure were coming from deep in her throat.

I paused just long enough to say "Manny go Tuyen ALWAYS" one more time, then went back to my task. A few moments later, she drew a breath and stiffened as her climax hit her hard, then when she could draw a breath she gave out a high-pitched howl before collapsing on top of me, satiated.

She moved down so we were now face-to-face, and began to softly kiss me, murmuring her love for me, "Tôi yêu em," over and over. Tuyen may have satisfied her lust, but I had 14" of stiffness awaiting its turn. I moved her onto her stomach, then placed some pillows underneath her waist to elevate her sweet furry ass. Massaging the backs of her thighs and her ass cheeks, I spread her legs and placed the head of my cock at her vaginal entrance.

Declaring my devotion in two languages, I told her, "You are my woman," then "Em là người phụ nữ của tô!" and promptly sank my entire length into her; she gasped in pleasure. Being inside her felt like heaven, and I realized I was done with snooty little bitches complaining that sex with me was like fucking a fence post. Nothing compared to coupling with Tuyen. So what if she was clingy? In our short time together she'd been passionate, devoted, and most importantly, made me happy.

Holding her hips tightly, I plunged in and out of her, moving slightly side-to-side as I did so to ensure she felt all of me. She began to howl again, her fingers and toes curling, her ass pushing back against my thrusts. I felt her pelvic muscles squeezing me firmly, and this triggered my climax; I groaned and came fast and hard in her, still thrusting as I emptied what little remained in my nuts after coupling with her a half-dozen or more times in two days. Afterwards, I let go of her hips and moved up beside her. We lay on our sides face to face, and I ran my fingers lovingly down her cheek.

I was tempted to play with her nipples, but turning her on again would have been unfair, given the depleted state of my manly equipment. There was no getting around the fact she had the strength and stamina of a jungle creature, not to mention she was nearly a decade younger than me. I knew keeping up with her might literally kill me, but I loved her more with every passing hour, and would die if she weren't with me. Rolling on my back, I pulled her in close to rest her head on my chest as sleep mercifully claimed us both.

The next few days were a mixture of laughter, walks along the beach, English lessons, and copious amounts of food from a variety of restaurants: Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, American steaks and seafood, plus Japanese sushi. I did make a serious mistake when I took Tuyen to a German Beer Garden, learning the hard way that she could not only drink me under the table but also half-carry me home when I got too plastered to walk by myself.

There was no kind of food Tuyen didn't like, and it pleased me no end to see her flat stomach get a bit of a bulge to it. When I managed to get her on the bathroom scale, it revealed she'd gained 5 pounds since I'd taken her off the Panja Bhum. Even her wan complexion was starting to look slightly healthier. She remained as clingy as ever, however. Wherever I went, whether it was out to buy a couple of dozen at Red's Donut Shop (she ate 19, I ate 5) or just walking into another room, she was with me.

And then there was the coupling. It didn't take much to get Tuyen in the mood: one compliment, one tender kiss, one lick of a nipple, or one squeeze of her bottom and she was ready to get horizontal. We had sex in the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen, and even in the back of my van, which Tuyen called "hang động nhỏ" - my little cave. She had two basic sex styles: slow and loving, or crazed and passionate, but never ever were they 'quickies'. Sexually speaking, Tuyen was a marathon runner.

It wasn't just Tuyen that was changing, though. Since I brought her home, I felt like I was going through a second puberty. My voice got a bit lower, and the hair on my arms and chest had turned thicker and darker. When I shaved every morning, it was getting more uncomfortable because my beard was getting tougher. On the plus side my endurance was getting longer during our coupling, which delighted both of us.

November 1980 -- Little Saigon District, San Jose California

Finally, Monday arrived, and after our morning coupling and a good breakfast, Tuyen and I were dressed and ready to go. Greg and Bian arrived around 11am, we all got in my van and drove up to the Little Saigon district of San Jose. I parked in a municipal parking structure on East Santa Clara Street, and from there we walked towards the district's middle area to a three-story building labeled as the Dong Phuong Y Dao Medical Facility. As Greg had mentioned, next door was a clothing store, Golden Day Fashions.

I should mention that as we walked down the street, I could feel many pairs of eyes on us. My sensitive hearing picked up "Batutut" multiple times. A little girl even ran up to Tuyen and handed her an orange, said something then quickly ran away. I looked at Bian, and she explained, "That was an offering, meant to bring good fortune to the giver. The locals are a superstitious bunch, as you've already experienced."

I shook my head in disbelief. In Monterey, nobody looked twice at us, but here in Little Saigon our clever disguise was a bust. This visit was turning out to be a bigger deal than I'd expected.

When we reached the Medical Facility, Bian explained to Tuyen that Greg and I needed to speak to an important man for a little bit, so the two of them were going into the dress shop to buy some nice clothes while they waited for us.

Tuyen was not pleased. We'd been together constantly since I'd brought her home, and she had literally not left my side for a single minute. This would be the first time in a week we'd be apart, and it was clear she was not OK with that, clinging to me tightly. Bian spoke with her, repeatedly coaxing and begging her to let me go. Finally Tuyen relented, but not before she kissed me as if it were the final time. Bian then took her by the hand into the dress shop, while Greg and I went into the Medical Facility.

The receptionist in the lobby was a pleasant Vietnamese girl; I thought to myself she'd be really pretty, if only she was a foot and a half taller, 150 pounds heavier, and had fur on her bare arms. Greg, who by the look on his face thought she was pretty just the way she was, introduced himself and me, and told the woman we had an appointment with Dr. Nguyen.

She directed us to take the elevator to the top floor, where there were two penthouse suites. Dr. Nguyen would be waiting in the one to the right of the elevator doors. When the elevator reached the top and we stepped out, we found ourselves facing a two sets of mahogany twin doors. Greg knocked on the ones to the right, and an elderly Asian man dressed in a butler-style suit let us in, gesturing towards a white leather couch and two matching chairs. "The Doctor will join you shortly" he croaked, then walked away.

A few minutes later, the good Doctor himself walked in. Imagine a handsome Asian man, tall and lean, with a high forehead like Shakespeare's, neatly-coiffed white hair and a beard like Ho Chi Minh, but wearing a stylish grey silk suit and custom-made shoes. That was Dr. Nguyen.

He looked to be in his late 60's, about 6'1", tall for a Vietnamese, but still a foot shorter than me. Greg immediately stood up and greeted his uncle, thinking him profusely for meeting with us. I stood up slowly, but not to my full height, since I was trying to kiss Dr. Nguyen's ass, not intimidate him.

"Hello, sir, I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Greg's friend, Germanicus Heller. Thank you for helping us. Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation." I handed him a small red box. Greg had told me giving gifts was a big thing in the Vietnamese business community, and I was definitely looking to curry favor.

"You are too kind, Mr. Heller. Greg is my youngest sister's son, so of course I am happy to provide help for him and his close friend." He opened up the box. Inside was a Southwestern-style money clip, made of silver and decorated with turquoise stones set in handmade filagree. I'd bought it in a custom jewelry shop in Carmel and it had not been cheap, but then Greg had given me the feeling that nothing I needed from Dr. Nguyen was going to be cheap, so I was just going with the flow.

His face lit up, apparently I'd made a good impression. "This is very nice gift, Mr. Heller. I can tell you're a man who's serious about getting what he wants." He turned to Greg. "You may leave us now, nephew. I promise I shall take only the best care of your friend but as a member of the U.S. Military, there are things I need to say that you do not need to hear." At that, Greg stood, thanked his uncle again, bowed respectfully, and left.

Sitting down in one of the chairs, Dr. Nguyen now looked back to me, gesturing I sit as well, and I obeyed. "Now then, Mr. Heller, before we discuss what it is you need, tell me all about that exquisite creature in my sister's shop. Greg's filled me in somewhat, but I want to hear it directly from you." OK, great, I was being put on the spot. Dr. Nguyen struck me as a man who could sniff out bullshit in no time flat, so I was going to be completely honest with him.

"Her name is Tuyen, and I rescued her from a sinking container ship. She was being smuggled into Oakland along with two dozen or so other girls."

"Fascinating. But she's not just another girl, now is she?"

"No. She's a full-blooded Batutut, captured in the jungle. She'd been sold to a man who was going to keep her in his private zoo, like she was some kind of damned animal."

"You were in the Coast Guard, on board a ship with other Coast Guard members and Drug Enforcement agents, if I understand correctly."

"Yes."

"You could have simply turned her over to the Feds and let them dispose of her, yet you didn't. You violated multiple state and Federal laws to get her off that ship and away from the authorities, becoming a de facto smuggler yourself." Curious now, he leaned forward in his chair and continued to press me.

"That's a great risk for a man who enforced the law with the Coast Guard for 14 years. Why exactly DID you take her, Mr. Heller? Are you going to sell her yourself, profiting from her misery like the smugglers were planning to?"

At this accusation, I felt the fury rising in me. Although I was keeping it in control, I'm sure Dr. Nguyen could see it in my face as well; he moved back, securely out of my immediate reach for now. I took a deep calming breath, then pulled out the same family photograph I'd showed Tuyen. I had a feeling I might need it, so I'd brought it with me; turns out I was right.

I pointed to it and said, "Dr. Nguyen, I'm going to tell you something about me that even your nephew doesn't know. The short man in the picture is my late father Ezra, and he's 6'2". The women are my mother and my grandmother. I know it might sound incredible, but the whole side of my mother's family has Sasquatch lineage."

I gestured to myself. "I do as well. Look at me, I'm 7'1" and I wear 21 EE shoes. That's not a fluke, it's my Sasquatch genes, although I'd been in denial about it until I found Tuyen. Seeing her in danger, something in me was awakened, something primal. I had no choice, my instincts demanded that I rescue her from that damned ship, and keep her from the fucking Feds. I knew the paper-pushing bastards in Immigration would lock her up, process her, then ship her back to Vietnam, and there was no way I was going to let that happen. She deserves better."

The old man's face now displayed a stoic curiosity; saying nothing, he sat enrapt, nodding as he listened.

"Tuyen may be tall and strong, Dr. Nguyen, but inside she's a young girl who's endured too much suffering already. I may not speak Vietnamese, but I don't need to be told she's suffering." I pounded one hand emphatically over my heart, declaring, "I don't need to be told because as one of her kind, I can FEEL it!"

I stood up again, this time to my full height. The fury in me was now on a rapid boil; I no longer gave a shit about kissing the old man's ass, I was now leaning more towards kicking it. Being as angry as I was, my voice grew louder and more passionate.

"You want the truth, Dr. Nguyen? Yes, I stole that girl and smuggled her into the country, and I'd do it again! Why? Because I want to take care of her and protect her. She makes me happy, and I hope I do the same for her. Her whole damned life has been a struggle, and I'm telling you -- IT. ENDS. NOW!"

I slapped my hand on the table for emphasis, probably harder than I should have because it sounded like a damned rifle shot. It certainly made Dr. Nguyen jump.

I was trying to contain the fury, but was only just managing. I leaned over the old man, and growled. "I came here to ask for your help; if you don't want to help me, fine, I'll work something else out. But let me warn you, if you report Tuyen to the authorities or attempt to take her for yourself, I won't fucking hesitate to kill you or anyone else that lays a hand on her. That's not a threat, Doctor, it's a damned promise."