Last night he had watched as his father bathed the newchild. This was much the same: the fragile skin,
the soothing water, the gentle motion of his hand, slippery with soap.
The relaxed, peaceful smile on the woman’s face reminded him of Gabriel being bathed.
And the nakedness, too. It was against the rules for children or adults to look at another’s nakedness;
but the rule did not apply to newchildren or the Old. Jonas was glad.
It was a nuisance to keep oneself covered while changing for games,
and the required apology if one had by mistake glimpsed another’s body was always awkward.
He couldn’t see why it was necessary. He liked the feeling of safety here in this warm and quiet room;
he liked the expression of trust on the woman’s face as she lay in the water unprotected, exposed, and free.
From the corner of his eye he could see his friend Fiona help the old man from the tub
and tenderly pat his thin, naked body dry with an absorbent cloth.
She helped him into his robe. Jonas thought Larissa had drifted into sleep, as the Old often did,
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