The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper

feel less vile. Men like to think well of themselves, and poets help them do it.
    A CHILLES
(Petulantly)
Apollo save me from a clever woman.
(He looks her over, head to toe)
Still, it is
said
we were betrothed.
    I PHIGENIA You may as well forget it, Achilles. There is no fucking in Hades.

“T HERE IS NO FUCKING IN HADES,” ELEVEN-YEAR old Stavia had declaimed, striking a dramatic pose for Beneda as she did so. The two girls had been sitting in the sun on top of the city wall. Stavia had agreed to help Beneda with her math—though Beneda was almost totally impervious to math—if Beneda would cue Stavia in Iphigenia’s part. The test on the play was to be given the following week. “I like that line. It has a ring to it.”
    â€œI watched rehearsal yesterday,” Beneda commented. “Michy won’t say ‘fucking.’ She says it isn’t womanly.”
    â€œMichy’s mother is a very strange person. Morgot says she almost never takes part in carnival. She doesn’t like sex at all!”
    â€œSome women are like that. You know what I heard? I heard some men are like that, too. Do you believe that?”
    â€œNot like sex?”
    â€œCan’t do it or something.”
    â€œOh well, sure. That’s physiological. Or sometimes psychological. There’s stuff about it in one of my medical books.”
    â€œCan I read it?”
    â€œIf you want to. It’s kind of dull, though. All about hormones and the prostate gland.”
    â€œOh. I thought it was about penises.”
    â€œWell it is. Except the penis is just a protrusion of everything else, you know. It doesn’t exist independently.”
    â€œExcept to warriors.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?”
    â€œThey must think it exists independently.” Benedapointed at the barren field below them. “Look at that great thing they have out at the end of the parade ground. It’s four times as high as the Warrior and Son statues. It’s like a tower!”
    â€œThey call it a victory monument,” objected Stavia, really looking at the pillar for the first time. It did look rather like a phallus.
    â€œOh for heaven’s sake, Stavvy. It’s even got a prepuce.”
    Stavia yawned. “I don’t care if it’s got an epididymis or what it is. All I care is that studies will be over for a whole month and we get to have carnival, and the boys will be home. I miss Jerby.”
    â€œWhat’s Myra going to do?”
    â€œOh, she’ll probably go ahead and have a liaison with Barten,” Stavia said in a disapproving voice. “She’s decided all that business between Barten and Tally was probably Tally’s fault, if you can believe that. According to Myra, Tally seduced Barten and offered to come out to the Gypsy camp. Every time Barten does something dishonorable, Myra puts frosting on it and eats it. She is so dumb. Morgot just shakes her head and hopes a liaison will help Myra get him out of her system.”
    â€œYou make it sound like an infection!”
    â€œI was quoting Morgot. Well, it is how Myra acts, all feverish and delirious. She’s talking about having a baby by him, just because he’s so good-looking.”
    â€œThere’s nothing wrong with that,” said Beneda, doubtfully. “Is there?”
    â€œShe’s physically mature enough, so I guess not. There ought to be something wrong with it, though, you know what I mean?”
    â€œBecause he’s the way he is?”
    â€œWell, don’t you think so? I mean, some of the warriors are perfectly honorable, aren’t they? Some of them are smart, too. But Barten isn’t. So, it doesn’t seem right he should get to father a baby when he’s that way.”
    â€œExcept he’s so good-looking. If you’re going to raise a child, wouldn’t you rather it was good-looking?”
    â€œI guess. But suppose it’s a daughter, and it grows