THE ASTROMATES... Chapter 9...Part 1.

A continuation of my book

CHAPTER NINE

THE SCORPIO EXPERIENCE

"So," said Alex, with jaundiced eye, "You never stopped to see who won and, on top of that, you got punched in the face by a young lady.""
I had to visit the dentist." I moaned. "And I had to pay. By rights, you should have footed the bill."
"Don’t be such a baby. You’ve still got your teeth, haven’t you?" replied Alex with a smug look.
"Only by the skin of them!" I retorted."
"So? Do you know who won Jane’s heart?"
Fancy asking me a question like that, I’d just told him I’d left before the fight finished.
"Do you know?" I challenged him.
He smiled, the smug git! He didn’t have a clue, unless, of course…
"Jane phoned and told you what happened, didn’t she?"
"No, old boy. I haven’t heard from the wench."
"Hah! So you don’t know who ended up with Jane, do you?"
"I do."
"Go on then, who?"
Alex fixed me with those watery blue eyes of his, then said… "Why, the loser of course!"
Damn it! Why didn’t I think of that? When you come to think of it, in all the films, the woman always ends up on her knees, cradling the victim like a mother hen while the victor ends up as the villain! He’s a clever sod, that Alex. I suppose that’s why I’m doing his dirty work instead of the other way round. Still, what’s done is done, so it’s onward we go.
"So, where do we go from here?" I asked.
Alex spread his arms out wide, a great one for the dramatics.
"Scorpio." he said, dramatically, glancing around as if all the devils of hell were lurking in the four corners of the room. Bloody fool! I must admit, though, he made my flesh creep.
"Let me acquaint you with the basic nature of the Water-Sign, Scorpio." he said, sitting down, his blue eyes as round as they would go, his bony hands cupped in front of him as if he was holding a crystal-ball.
"The waters of Scorpio are not fluid, not seen to have the emotional currents like the other Water-Signs, Cancer and Pisces. Scorpio is fixed by nature, stubborn and determined. Once set on a course of action, the Scorpio will not stop, even if it kills them. In many respects, it can be a self-destructive sign, unless tightly controlled. Astrologers liken the sign to ice-water, frozen solid on the surface so that no-one has any idea what is going on down below."
I listened, transfixed. The way Alex told it, you could imagine a giant creature, like Moby Dick, some big sea-monster who lurks down below, which waits before suddenly rushing up, to drag you down to Davey Jones locker!
"In one of those books you lent me, it said Scorpios’ were very sexy and loving." I said in a disappointed voice.
"Ah," said Alex," It’s very true. Scorpio is a sexually activated sign but, as I explained earlier, the feelings are tightly repressed. Do you know, the Scorpio nature is such that if a Scorpio determines not to bother with sex any more then that’s the end of the sex-drive!"
God forbid such a thing should happen to me! I shook my head in disbelief.
"It’s true, old chap," Alex continued, "Such emotions can be locked away in an ice-cold grip, frozen until such times as only the warmth of passion will thaw out the ice to let loose the currents which have been raging beneath."
Now, this was music to my ears, more to my liking, this talk of rising passion and all that. I could feel my passion rising, just sitting and listening to Alex.
"So, master of all knowledge, how do I go about loosening the dam, opening the floodgates, breaking the ice?" I asked, leaning forward intently.
"Glad to see I have your full interest for once." said Alex, putting fingers together as he always does before starting a lecture.
"First, I must tell you." he began. "Scorpio is not an easy ride. The Scorpio maiden will not have you rushing up to her with open arms. She hates those who try to get too familiar with her on first meeting. She needs time to get to know just who she’s dealing with. Her intuition is as sharp as her tongue. If she senses you to be untrustworthy or disloyal, she’ll dismiss you, move away from your company. If you ever get the chance to watch two Scorpio’s meeting for the first time, it’s like two stray dogs sniffing at each other, teeth barred."
"That doesn’t tell me how to warm a Scorpio lady up, Alex."
"Nor can I tell you, old chap. You have to bide your time. It’s really she who will let you know whether she accepts you or not. It is she who dominates the situation, if she can’t then it’s a no-go area. The Scorpio technique is to make changes so that the partner suits them, if one refuses to change then one ought to look elsewhere. The male of the species can be very dominant, determined to succeed, even if that means undermining things, destroying what was, so new beginnings can start. The male Scorpio is possibly the best worker a boss can employ. Ask one to dig a trench and he will not stop until the trench is a mile deep, a mile wide and a mile long. The difference between the male and female, you were about to ask? The female of the species is more deadly than the male, in the sense that she is not so open with her feelings. She likes to keep her objectives secret and can be instinctively suspicious if any strange move is made. She can sense an atmosphere as quick as it takes to drop a hat and create an atmosphere which would soon let you know which way the wind blows! Put it this way, your Scorpio female will clean out a partners cupboard drawers, wash his trousers, just like any normal housewife will do. But the truth is she looks for secrets. Are there any love-letters hidden away in those drawers? Any condoms or strange phone-numbers tucked away in those pockets? You see, it’s a natural instinct for the female to get to the bottom of things, especially if her jealous suspicions are aroused. Jealousy can always be the undoing of the Scorpio female, something they can do little about, unless they can break free of the Scorpion who has the poison sting and soar like an eagle, rising above such passions."
"She sounds very deep." I said.
The more I listened, the more dubious I became. I mean, did I want to become involved with some scalpel-tongued wench, one I couldn’t get near unless invited and only after I’d made changes to suit her?
"She is deep." agreed Alex. "But not as black as it would seem."
"All I want to know is how do I deal with her? How do I get to know her?"
"How many times do I have to tell you." said an exasperated Alex. "You will not get to know her. She will get to know you. She’s magic. She has a sixth sense and can read people like books. As I said, she’s very prone to atmospheres."
I scratched my head. Here was a challenge which would surely stretch my brain, my cunning and my ‘Winkle’!
"Anything else?" I asked.
"Well, there is one sure-fire way you can tell if a Scorpio female takes to you or not."
Ah, this is more like it!
"And that is…?" I queried.
"If she warms to you, she will show it by giving you a dig."
What was this maniac on about?
"If I wanted someone to give me a dig, I’d have joined a boxing club or, better still, insulted a gang of dock-workers!"
"Don’t be silly. You’ve misunderstood." said Alex.
"Did you not say the bird would give me a dig if she fancied me? I don’t fancy some bird giving me a poke in the eye. I want one I can give a poke in the ‘You-know-what’!"
"You disgusting piece of work." said Alex with a grimace before carrying on… "What I meant was, your natural Scorpio lady, if she likes you, will give and take, verbally. She enjoys repartee, sword-fencing with words. She will finger-dig, give you a dig in the ribs now and again, give verbal digs. But this only happens when she is sure she can trust you. Take my word for it, never cross swords with a cross Scorpion lady. She can have the foulest mouth in the world; know more swear words than a Grimsby fishwife. She’s brutally honest. Upset her and you’ll find her memory is as long as the eternal flames of hell. She’ll never forgive or forget anyone who does her wrong, act like a she-devil if she decides to plan revenge."
"Please, Alex, please tell me something good." I begged.
"The good thing about a Scorpio partner is she’ll give her all in a relationship. She’ll share her honesty, her loyalty, all her strength. She’ll stand by you through thick and thin, through fire and water; that’s her strength. If she loves you, it’s with hot passion, if not, then she’ll burn you in hell!"
"Crikey!" I gasped. "I reckon I’ll have to take a course in psychology before I begin to understand this lady."
"Do you know, Scorpio's make fine psychologists and surgeons as well as ‘Private Eyes’. They have this inbuilt quality that needs to get to the bottom of things." said Alex.
"Strange personality." I rejoined. "As Alice said in Wonderland, ‘Curiouser and curiouser’."
For all what Alex had told me, I was no nearer to understanding the complexity of the Scorpio nature, but I was insistent.
"Tell me about the sex bits, the fire and the passion." I begged. "Better still; give me a clue about my date, something to work with."
"My last bit of advice to you is this, if ever a Scorpio tells you to ‘Get off their back’, run like hell!"
Bloody fool! He had clapped his hands loudly, causing me to jump up from my seat, eyes wide in alarm. Before I could compose myself, Alex had withdrawn a Birth-Chart of one Mary Watkins from the desk, laying it down and studying it, tracing the squiggles with a finger.
"Hmm." he went, then… "Hmm." again, before saying… "This lady is a treasure."
I had seated myself and squirmed impatiently as Alex continued to trace the patterns, a grim smile round his lips.
"Come on, Alex. Don’t play your silly games. What does it tell you?"
Alex continued his game, keeping me in suspense. I always believed there was something sadistic about this crazy man. I knew he was getting immense pleasure from watching me squirm.
"Okay, Alex." I remonstrated, as my patience finally wore out. "If you’re not going to tell me about this woman, then I’m off to warmer climes."
He still sat, staring down at the chart, but I knew he was aware of me as I rose from the chair and began to make my way to the door.
"She’s a Double-Scorpio," he said, "With Sun conjunct Venus
Rising."