SUPPORTIVE CAST

THE SUPERWOMAN

SuperWoman, or SW for short, used to be my best friend in the world. I loved her approximately like myself. In a platonic, odd sort of way.

I noticed her when she was ca 4-5 years old. She seemed to produce so much energy, it radiated from her like an aura. Wherever she was, she stood out, like she was in color while the rest of the world was in black and white ... slightly more real than the rest of reality. She's been that way ever since. And when I was in her presence, some of it seemed to rub off: The grass seemed greener, the clear sky seemed more blue, the water more wet and life more alive.

She is incredibly intelligent, way more than I am. That does not bother me, for she is not arrogant or condescending towards those who respect her. She is not just intelligent in a bookly way, but also has great social skills (unlike me, obviously) as well as musical talent; she is sporty and a master of many games, and an excellent cook. I guess I should stop the listing now; already the reader will think that I am in love with her. But no, it just so happens that she is fantastic.

For most of the time we have known each other, she was a child. She remains 18 years younger than me, so romance was always right out. And since we're not relatives either, there was simply no excuse for spending lots of time with her. I used to do so anyway, but after she moved abroad I see her only a few times a year, if that. That's just too bad, because she is one of the most interesting humans (or superhumans) I have ever met.

My parents raised me with a lot of freedom; the set of rules to follow was quite small, and they soon started to act as if they expected me to know from inside what was right to do. I was the youngest of four brothers, all the others were stronger and smarter than I. For much of my childhood, I considered my oldest brother an enemy who I feared and hated. I guess, all things considered, this was an over-reaction. After my Awakening we got along. It also helps that he got a wife who helped him become more normal. (I guess we all had a problem with that.)

My mother was one of the most intelligent people I have known, but like me she was without earthly ambition. Unlike me, she eventually married and raised children, a task that requires all the smarts a human or superhuman can possibly come up with. She was for all purposes a saint. Recently she died from cancer, malign melanoma, which she got when I was a teen, like 25 years ago. I'm not sure if that's a world record?

My father is not stupid either. He is a philosopher by nature, like me. I moved out when I was 15, but I still sometimes remember some of his short sayings, proverbs or aphorisms. As the years have marched on, I have eventually understood that I am much more like him than I thought. I'm not ashamed of it, either.

My oldest brother is now a psychologist. He is married to a sociologist, but still they seem to stick together. That is quite a little miracle in itself. He retains an interest and talent for music that is rare in our family. Most of his life he has played in some dance band or another. He has a daughter and a son, who seem to be the most normal of my close relatives. Or perhaps I just don't know them well enough. :)

The second brother was born a saint, like his mother. Not completely divine holiness, but still really unusual. He was kind and patient, and especially nice to those who were small and weak. He joined "Smith's Friends", where he fit right in. Finally he got a challenge to his saintliness - this group of mystics are not satisfied with anything less than divine nature; and let's face it, he wasn't born with that. Not that casual friends would notice. He married a funny, holy and very fertile woman, who has given birth to 13 children. (I think it is 13.) After this, he became a teacher.

The third brother is the farmer. At nearly 40 he married and had three children in rapid succession. One of the most intelligent men of his generation, he was always tied to the farm with invisible chains of love and expectation. He still is; and this is not the best time to be a farmer in Norway. He suffers from moderate depression, as can be expected for a man whose talents are buried so deep. At least he has a certified cool wife.

Before SuperWoman, there was her oldest sister. When I came back to the South Coast from college in Bergen, I was depressed. Not suicidal or anything, but I was full of angst and had frequent panic attacks. I think I behaved strangely, and I probably was no fun at the time. My well-meaning friends seemed to only make matters worse. But this innocent teen girl was assigned to cheer me up, and did a better job than the rest. In a rather platonic way, of course, since she was at the time a member of "Smith's Friends", the congregation with extra piety.

Unlike most people her age and up, she just ignored the invisible shell that I put up around me. She kept treating me as if I were a human, and after a while I decided to try being one. (Except for the mushy stuff, of course. There are limits.) Together with her hyper little sister, she taught me the art of shopping.

I was thankful for her help in bringing me back in touch with my humanity and she became very important to me. She taught me to be a quasi boyfriend, minus the kissy part of course, and we both had great fun with that. I was almost surprised that I wasn't jealous when she fell in love with a short, hairy teacher and married him. Then again, he is a great guy. Instead of losing an old friend, I got a new.

Tentatively continuing the less than apostolic succession of girls, SW's younger sister has been tagging along with us. She is like 22 years younger than me or something, and incredibly cute. Sweet as a baby, and without the loud crying. (Actually I remember when she was a baby, too.)

I shall not go into detail about her pretty face and shapely body. It's not something that bothers an old man like me, but I vaguely remember being young sometime and I pity the boys that cross her path. I suspect they may lose some sleep. ;)

Cutie is not just good looking, she is also polite and charming with a great sense of humor. In fact, she is so likeable that even her own sisters like her most of the time!

These people have been quite eager to help me in many ways, and more or less "adopted" me into their family. But also I had years of business association with the father, who sold my software all over the country. (I originally designed it for his business, but he changed the plans.) He is a pretty convincing salesman, I'll give him that. But he had a bad tendency to promise people various changes to the software, and then let me fulfill the promises for a small fee. I got really fed up with this. In fact, I burned out on programming for years, perhaps for the rest of my life.

I guess I was really angry at him there for a while. If not for his family, who are my friends, I'd have turned my back on him in a heartbeat. After our business association ended, we've become friends again. At least I think so. I also try to cut them some slack because they've had some tough times in their lives, losing two sons ... one as a baby, another at age 19.

Born with a heart defect, he had health problems all his life. By a series of miracles and competent health care, he survived till he was about 19. We got along well, probably not least because I remembered my own childhood and the shadow of death that lay over me, the years when I was wracked with a life-threatening illness. Unlike him, I recovered eventually.

The last months he lived, he would sometimes come visit me, and we would talk together about life, love and death. He had a girlfriend who he loved dearly, but who he lost for a while. They got together again just before he died. He knew by then that his time was running out; it seems he never told his family. He reacted to the end of his life by savoring life and friendship more than anyone else I can remember. It was all very precious to him. It is strange to think that he is gone, and I am here.

Yet another member of the Super family, nearly the same age as Old Friend. She was more shy and reserved, I guess, though she can be quite lively when she is with friends and family.

When she grew up, she looked very attractive to me. So logically I kept away as much as possible. Now that I am less hormonal, I hope we can be friends again.

She's a midwife, and the Norwegian word for midwife translates as "earthmother". So in honor of the imaginary goddess in Jean M Auel's stone age novels, who was called the Great Earth Mother, I refer to my secretive friend as the GEM. :)

I guess I should mention Cassie, since I refer to her in my journal quite often. Cassie is the one who is with me at home and at work; who remembers my appointments and keeps me updated on the latest news. Cassie is one I can entrust my bright ideas to, and my stupid fantasies. Needless to say, Cassie is not a human, but a computer: A Cassiopeia E-125 pocket computer from Casio.

These people have their own website, but I'll just give my own version. They have taught me most of what I know about spiritual matters. I used to think of myself as one of them for years, and I guess I'm still aligned with them theologically. It is the practice that is strikingly different. Smith's Friends are extremely family-oriented, and my lifestyle is utterly alien to them.

Given the slight majority of women among the grown-ups, it is bordering on criminal for a man to not marry unless he has a really good excuse. Remember that Smith's Friends consider sex a good thing, not a sin ... but it absolutely must be within the confines of marriage. This means that being unmarried is not considered holy, but a meaningless aberration, kind of like dressing in sackcloth and ashes. It's not helping oneself or others, quite the contrary, and should be brought to an end as soon as one is sufficiently humiliated...

Smith's Friends are in principle very pious. Everything in their lives focus on one single issue: To please the Lord Jesus Christ and live in unity with him. Or that's the theory. Over time, the congregation has accumulated a halo of descendants who don't understand the mystic life of their ancestors, but are willing to dress like them, partake in various group activities and abstain from overt crime. The church has not been cynical enough to throw out these people.