They, p.30
They, page 30
“To tell you the truth, They, I can’t imagine my life with anyone else but you,” Colleen confessed.
“Then let’s maybe focus on the other parts of our relationship for a while before we go for round two,” They suggested. “Regardless of how sexy you may look in that robe.”
“I’ll do my absolute best,” Colleen promised, blushing. “I love you.”
They looked over at her in surprise, then pulled her over to him, kissing her. “I love you, too.”
Colleen smiled warmly. “Can we still go to the Space Needle?”
“Of course,” They replied, glancing down at his now empty plate. “Can I maybe have another one of those sandwiches first?”
Colleen chuckled, kissing him one more time before returning to the kitchen. “Coming right up.”
●●●
Back in Missoula, They led Colleen over to her truck to say goodbye. “Now remember, Col, though I love kissing you,” he began, giving her a quick kiss for emphasis, “we simply cannot on campus. I’ll need your help with that.”
“I’ll be good,” Colleen promised. “When can I kiss you again?”
“Besides right now?” They teased, kissing her a little longer this time. “How about next weekend? I’m free both Friday and Saturday night.”
“I can’t Friday,” Colleen admitted. “I have my first Gamma project that night. I’m free Saturday, though.”
“Then come over to my place and we’ll find something to do,” They said.
“When?” Colleen asked.
“Whenever you want,” They replied. “I’m up by eight on Saturdays.”
“Where do you live?” Colleen asked.
“Out on 149, about a quarter mile past your fraternity. There’s a huge mailbox in front with Smith written on it. You can’t miss it,” They replied.
(“That should’ve been my second clue,” Colleen told me.)
“I’ll be there,” Colleen promised. “And I’ll try to keep my clothes on.”
●●●
“Did you manage to succeed?” I asked her.
Colleen nodded. “We spent a good fifteen dates together through November without sleeping together. Every minute with him was fantastic, but by December all I could think about was our night together. It consumed me. It still does from time to time.” She laughed a little colorlessly. “What a fool I am, Gabe.”
“How?” I asked. “All I see is maybe a moment of poor judgment, though I wouldn’t necessarily even say that. How are you a fool?”
Colleen smiled at me; the saddest smile I’d maybe ever seen. “Wait until you hear my big mistake.”
●●●
The day was December 6. The next day would be the 89th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The prior day had been Kennedy’s fifth birthday, and they’d had a big party for her at the main building of Gamma Omega Delta (dubbed The Threshing Floor). The party had been a big moment for They and Colleen, too, as Colleen had kissed They in front of all her friends for the first time. After he’d gone home, Julie had cornered her at the women’s dorm (affectionately called Ruth House) and they’d spent the night chatting away about the development.
The night of the sixth, Colleen went over to They’s around six. One of the things she’d learned was They had a love of old movies, most of which she’d never even heard of before, much less seen. So they’d taken to watching old movies together and talking about them afterwards as their favorite date night activity. That night’s installment was Sunset Boulevard. They brought over her hot chocolate and sat down next to her as he began the movie. She snuggled up with him right away.
About ten minutes into the movie, she’d shifted her position and put one of her legs across They’s lap. (She always wore shorts under her sweats when she went to They’s, as his house was always too warm to stay in sweats all night.) It hadn’t been there even a full minute before They began rubbing her thigh absentmindedly.
(“Looking back, I don’t think he wasn’t trying to work me up; he hadn’t even taken his eyes off the movie,” Colleen told me. “He probably just liked how they felt. But there’s no possible way he liked it as much as I did.”)
It felt so good, Colleen almost immediately laid down and stretched out to where he could feel both legs. They noticed the move, looking over and smiling at her. Admittedly, Colleen lost track of the movie and the rest of the world for a while, focusing only on his hands on her. Not one bare part went untouched, but he always stopped moving up once he reached her shorts. Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she got up with a breathy, “Be right back.”
“Where you going?” They asked.
“To get a blanket,” Colleen said, thinking fast.
“Need me to pause the movie?”
“No,” Colleen managed. “Won’t be long.”
“If you say so,” They said, going back to the movie.
Colleen went into They’s room, finding a throw blanket in his closet. She wrapped it around her quickly, seeing how low it hung on her. Perfect. She unwrapped herself, hastily shed her clothes, and wrapped herself up again. She returned to her spot, stretching her legs across They’s lap again. He smiled at the gesture and went back to rubbing them. His hand moved up, expecting to eventually hit her shorts, but soon discovering they were no longer there. He took his hands off her immediately, as if burned. “You don’t have to stop, They,” Colleen purred.
“Are you…?” They asked. Colleen nodded, rolling on her back and opening the blanket for a moment to prove it. “Then I do have to stop.” He stood up and hastily went into the kitchen. Colleen followed after him, keeping the blanket around her.
“You OK, love?” Colleen asked. “I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything. I was just trying to be sexy for you.”
“That was probably the sexiest thing a woman’s ever done for me,” They admitted, which sent a rush of warmth through Colleen. “But I can’t handle it. There’s no way I could stop it from escalating.”
“Then let it escalate,” Colleen moaned. “It’s been over a month, They. I think we’re way overdue for an encore.”
“Colleen, no… Not yet, at least,” They managed.
“Why not?” Colleen insisted. “Am I not attractive?”
“Yes,” They implored. “But…”
“But what?” Colleen barked. This wasn’t going like she expected. “But my boyfriend just can’t bring himself to touch me?” She didn’t understand why she was so angry all of a sudden, but it was pouring out of her. They didn’t respond. She took a couple breaths, trying to get back to an inviting tone. “I’ve been patient. Especially since you’re all I think about. But I need you, They. I need you so badly.” She walked over to where he stood, not looking at her. She took his hand. “Come on back, love. I’m yours to explore and enjoy.”
They heaved a sigh, quivering. He took his hand from hers. “Maybe you should go home before we do something we regret.”
“Regret?” Colleen shrieked. “Is that what I am to you? A regret?”
“No…” They almost begged. He sounded close to tears now. “Please, go, before I make this worse.”
“I don’t know if you could make it any worse,” Colleen shot back, leaving to put her clothes back on. They was waiting for her at the door once she was ready for the elements. She got within arm’s reach of him, then stopped. “I can’t do this, They. I can’t be whatever it is you’re wanting me to be. So I’ll give you exactly one more chance. If you love me, if you want me to stick around, come over here and take me. But if I leave right now, I’m gone. And I’m not coming back.” They didn’t move or anything, only looked at his feet. (Colleen called it the look a man gets when his heart is broken, and he knows it’s his fault. “Though it wasn’t his fault. It was mine.”) “Aren’t you gonna say anything?”
“OK, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up,” They muttered.
“What does that mean?” Colleen demanded.
“Nothing,” They managed, turning away from her. “Goodbye, Colleen. And I’m sorry.”
“Keep your d—n sorry. What a waste of time!” Colleen growled, running out the door, slamming it behind her.
●●●
The next week was Finals week. The Poetry Appreciation final was scheduled for 5pm Tuesday, so Colleen planned on leaving at four, hoping to see They before and apologize. She’d been so angry all day Saturday, and still pretty angry Sunday, but yesterday the anger had subsided, and the reality of what she’d said had hit her like a ton of bricks. She didn’t want to leave They! She loved him! Who cares if he had issues with being intimate? They’d work it out together. If he wanted to wait until they were married for an encore, even, she would. It would be so hard, but she’d do it. But first, she had to convince him she was sorry, she still loved him, and she still wanted to be his girl. Why? Why did she have to be like this? She was prepared to beg, whatever it took, for him to give her another chance.
As she was walking out, she noticed Teresa’s door was open. Teresa was there, still in sleep clothes. “You not going to the final, T?” she asked.
“You don’t know?” Teresa replied. “You being his girl and all, I figured he told you.”
“Told me what?” Colleen asked. She hadn’t mentioned their fight to anyone yet.
“Mr. Smith resigned yesterday,” Teresa said. “Final’s cancelled.”
“What?” Colleen asked, horrified.
“Yeah, apparently he went straight to the dean first thing Monday morning and handed her his letter of resignation. He said he wasn’t worthy of being a teacher anymore,” Teresa explained. “He didn’t tell you?”
Colleen shook her head, crying. “We had a fight.” What had she done? She tried to call They. After one ring, an automated voice announced the number was no longer in service. “Oh no…” she muttered, completely breaking down. Where was he? “Can you drive me down to They’s? I’m too shook up to drive.”
Teresa looked at her friend, concerned. “Of course, Col. Let me get some warm clothes on, and I’ll be down.” Colleen went down to the foyer, trembling as she walked. Teresa was down in two minutes, bundled to the nines. “Let’s go find your man.”
The first thing Colleen noticed when they got to They’s house was his car was missing. The second thing she noticed was the chairs on his porch were missing, too. “No…” she gasped, leaping out of Teresa’s truck and running toward the front door. She knocked adamantly, but got no response. In desperation, she tried to open the door and found it was unlocked. When she stepped in the door, the sight brought her to her knees. “No!”
Teresa heard the cry from the truck, racing over to Colleen. (“I thought she’d found a dead body or something,” Teresa admitted to me.) When she got there, Colleen’s face was on the floor, and she was sobbing. She dropped next to her friend and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair and letting her pour her emotions out, not knowing what else to do.
There wasn’t a body in the house. There wasn’t anything in the house. The house was completely empty.
●●●
“How long did it take you to find him and apologize?” I asked Colleen.
“I didn’t,” Colleen said, her eyes glazing for the first time in her recollection. “I tried to find him all the way until New Year’s, but he had vanished. I never saw him alive again.” A single tear wormed its way out, and Colleen wiped it away absently. By that time, she hadn’t had a date for seventeen years. “I had love in the palm of my hand, and I threw it away. Let my story be a lesson to you, Gabe. You don’t always get a second chance.”
“Sorry, Colleen,” I replied darkly. “Chris beat you to that one.”
Part 5
Death
Chapter 40
I have a confession to make. I don’t know how to breach this last section. I feel like it should be an epic undertaking; big entrances, grand actions, emotional moments. The kind of things that make stories memorable. Especially since I’m jumping forward almost six years. But I’ve struggled with how to do it; hence why it’s 2050 now and I still haven’t really started it yet. Since I’m stuck with how exactly to do it, I’ll settle for some updates from the world. Maybe by the time I’m finished, I’ll have a way to start this.
Grace is officially back to Koch now, and has been walking unaided for about three months. She’s now living in Mr. Landon’s old house, way out on Kodiak. She even has a boyfriend, a nice local man named Garrett. Apparently he liked her a lot back in high school, but never had the courage to ask her out. Though Grace is almost sixty, she’d still easily pass for forty, with no serious aging in sight. (Only when her white roots come in do they betray her age.) Chris thinks she’ll be married soon, and I tend to agree. Why waste time?
Roger and Julie were in Kansas City a couple weeks ago celebrating their eighteenth anniversary, so they came to visit Chris and I. Julie spent the whole time talking about Kennedy, and how she was top of her class after her first semester at Johns Hopkins. Julie said Kennedy’s professor had never met such a gifted medical mind in his life. Kennedy was specializing in diseases, and she already knew so many of them. Mom and Dad (Kennedy calls Roger Dad) were proud as can be of their little girl. Julie had found out about six months after marrying Roger she’d be unable to have any more children, but Roger had insisted he already had a daughter. Only 41, they have a lifetime of love ahead of them. Lord willing.
Chris and I are still going strong; fourteen months and counting. She’s currently in Los Angeles hanging out with Keisha. Kendra recently retired from acting and was spending every conceivable second she could around her six grandchildren. That, plus them all being school age now, had allowed Keisha to take a bit of a vacation, something she hadn’t been able to have since her husband had left her, and she’d invited Chris along. According to Chris, last night they enjoyed twenty-five different kinds of sushi at the hottest sushi place in LA, and today I think they were gonna go sailing. I’m glad she’s having fun, but I admit, I miss her. Food seems to taste a little better when she’s around. I don’t know why.
Hey, that did the trick! OK, here are the events of May 28, 2036.
●●●
Ella had called Kai that morning out of the blue, saying she was coming to visit that afternoon and was bringing Chris. Kai had a few choice words for her, but finally agreed to welcome them. Not ten seconds after she hung up, she called They.
“Hey, Kai. What’s going on?” he asked.
“Where are you right now? Can you be in Baxter by seven tonight?”
They didn’t answer for a moment, thinking. “Probably. Why?”
“I can’t tell you yet, it might jinx it. Just do yourself a favor and knock on my door at seven tonight, or as close as you can get,” Kai replied.
“I’ll be there,” They assured her.
Ella showed up with Chris at six. After saying hi, Chris put in earbuds and became oblivious to both adults.
“She’s been like this for over a year now,” Ella told Kai. “Withdrawn, indifferent, moody. I know some of it is normal teenager stuff, but Chrissy’s always been such a sweet girl. I don’t know what happened to her.”
“I can guess,” Kai muttered.
Ella glared at her. “I told you I didn’t want to discuss that.”
“Why are you even here, Ella?” Kai sighed. “We obviously stopped being friends long ago, and your daughter doesn’t even know me. What can I offer?”
Ella sighed, looking up at her. “I have a doctor’s appointment at KU Medical tomorrow to see an oncologist. My doctor in Minneapolis referred me there. As far as Chris knows, we’re just here on vacation.”
“Are you sick?” Kai asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. If I am, then I’ll tell Chris, but I don’t want to scare her needlessly,” Ella said. “Anyway, Lawrence is quite a drive, so I need someone to watch Chris. You’re the only person I know for miles, so I was hoping she could stay here tonight. Please, Kai?”
Kai sighed. “Of course, I’d love to spend some time with Chris. But don’t think this makes us OK, Ella, because it doesn’t.”
“I know that,” Ella declared. “Thanks, Kai.” She waved at Chris to get her attention. “You’re going to be staying here tonight. Mommy has to go meet someone, but she’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow night, OK?”
“You don’t have to talk to me like I’m five,” Chris snapped. “I got it.”
“Good. I’ll go get your stuff.” She left and returned with a backpack. “Bye, baby. Have fun with Aunt Kai.”
“Right,” Chris said, rolling her eyes as Ella left. “Probably going to screw some deadbeat. Like I don’t know what she’s doing.” She put her earbuds back in without missing a beat.
“Hey,” Kai said, waving at Chris. She took her earbuds out reluctantly. “Do you remember me at all?”
“No, why?” Chris asked. “Should I?”
“I knew you when you were really little,” Kai told her. “I made the cake for your third birthday party.”
“Then you know my dad?” Chris asked.
Kai nodded. “Your dad’s one of my best friends.”
“Still?” Chris asked. “Even after he abandoned me?”
“After he what?” Kai asked.
“Mom told me all about it. He didn’t want Mom and me to have any of his money, so he ran away and left us behind,” Chris muttered. “Not so much as a call or a stupid text in eleven years.”
A knock came to the door. Kai poked her head outside to make sure who it was, then told him to wait there a moment. She went back over to Chris, who already had her earbuds in again and got her attention. “Chris, there’s someone I’d like you to come meet.” Curious, Chris came to the door. When Kai opened it, the people on both sides just stared at one another, unable to process the sight.
Kai took They’s hand and led him in the door. “This is Christina, They,” she said. They’s breath caught in his throat as Kai turned to Chris. “Chris, this is your father, They.”
“Hey, Christina,” They managed, barely able to speak. “It’s wonderful to see you. Oh, you look so much like your mother.”
“Then let’s maybe focus on the other parts of our relationship for a while before we go for round two,” They suggested. “Regardless of how sexy you may look in that robe.”
“I’ll do my absolute best,” Colleen promised, blushing. “I love you.”
They looked over at her in surprise, then pulled her over to him, kissing her. “I love you, too.”
Colleen smiled warmly. “Can we still go to the Space Needle?”
“Of course,” They replied, glancing down at his now empty plate. “Can I maybe have another one of those sandwiches first?”
Colleen chuckled, kissing him one more time before returning to the kitchen. “Coming right up.”
●●●
Back in Missoula, They led Colleen over to her truck to say goodbye. “Now remember, Col, though I love kissing you,” he began, giving her a quick kiss for emphasis, “we simply cannot on campus. I’ll need your help with that.”
“I’ll be good,” Colleen promised. “When can I kiss you again?”
“Besides right now?” They teased, kissing her a little longer this time. “How about next weekend? I’m free both Friday and Saturday night.”
“I can’t Friday,” Colleen admitted. “I have my first Gamma project that night. I’m free Saturday, though.”
“Then come over to my place and we’ll find something to do,” They said.
“When?” Colleen asked.
“Whenever you want,” They replied. “I’m up by eight on Saturdays.”
“Where do you live?” Colleen asked.
“Out on 149, about a quarter mile past your fraternity. There’s a huge mailbox in front with Smith written on it. You can’t miss it,” They replied.
(“That should’ve been my second clue,” Colleen told me.)
“I’ll be there,” Colleen promised. “And I’ll try to keep my clothes on.”
●●●
“Did you manage to succeed?” I asked her.
Colleen nodded. “We spent a good fifteen dates together through November without sleeping together. Every minute with him was fantastic, but by December all I could think about was our night together. It consumed me. It still does from time to time.” She laughed a little colorlessly. “What a fool I am, Gabe.”
“How?” I asked. “All I see is maybe a moment of poor judgment, though I wouldn’t necessarily even say that. How are you a fool?”
Colleen smiled at me; the saddest smile I’d maybe ever seen. “Wait until you hear my big mistake.”
●●●
The day was December 6. The next day would be the 89th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. The prior day had been Kennedy’s fifth birthday, and they’d had a big party for her at the main building of Gamma Omega Delta (dubbed The Threshing Floor). The party had been a big moment for They and Colleen, too, as Colleen had kissed They in front of all her friends for the first time. After he’d gone home, Julie had cornered her at the women’s dorm (affectionately called Ruth House) and they’d spent the night chatting away about the development.
The night of the sixth, Colleen went over to They’s around six. One of the things she’d learned was They had a love of old movies, most of which she’d never even heard of before, much less seen. So they’d taken to watching old movies together and talking about them afterwards as their favorite date night activity. That night’s installment was Sunset Boulevard. They brought over her hot chocolate and sat down next to her as he began the movie. She snuggled up with him right away.
About ten minutes into the movie, she’d shifted her position and put one of her legs across They’s lap. (She always wore shorts under her sweats when she went to They’s, as his house was always too warm to stay in sweats all night.) It hadn’t been there even a full minute before They began rubbing her thigh absentmindedly.
(“Looking back, I don’t think he wasn’t trying to work me up; he hadn’t even taken his eyes off the movie,” Colleen told me. “He probably just liked how they felt. But there’s no possible way he liked it as much as I did.”)
It felt so good, Colleen almost immediately laid down and stretched out to where he could feel both legs. They noticed the move, looking over and smiling at her. Admittedly, Colleen lost track of the movie and the rest of the world for a while, focusing only on his hands on her. Not one bare part went untouched, but he always stopped moving up once he reached her shorts. Finally, when she couldn’t stand it anymore, she got up with a breathy, “Be right back.”
“Where you going?” They asked.
“To get a blanket,” Colleen said, thinking fast.
“Need me to pause the movie?”
“No,” Colleen managed. “Won’t be long.”
“If you say so,” They said, going back to the movie.
Colleen went into They’s room, finding a throw blanket in his closet. She wrapped it around her quickly, seeing how low it hung on her. Perfect. She unwrapped herself, hastily shed her clothes, and wrapped herself up again. She returned to her spot, stretching her legs across They’s lap again. He smiled at the gesture and went back to rubbing them. His hand moved up, expecting to eventually hit her shorts, but soon discovering they were no longer there. He took his hands off her immediately, as if burned. “You don’t have to stop, They,” Colleen purred.
“Are you…?” They asked. Colleen nodded, rolling on her back and opening the blanket for a moment to prove it. “Then I do have to stop.” He stood up and hastily went into the kitchen. Colleen followed after him, keeping the blanket around her.
“You OK, love?” Colleen asked. “I wasn’t trying to scare you or anything. I was just trying to be sexy for you.”
“That was probably the sexiest thing a woman’s ever done for me,” They admitted, which sent a rush of warmth through Colleen. “But I can’t handle it. There’s no way I could stop it from escalating.”
“Then let it escalate,” Colleen moaned. “It’s been over a month, They. I think we’re way overdue for an encore.”
“Colleen, no… Not yet, at least,” They managed.
“Why not?” Colleen insisted. “Am I not attractive?”
“Yes,” They implored. “But…”
“But what?” Colleen barked. This wasn’t going like she expected. “But my boyfriend just can’t bring himself to touch me?” She didn’t understand why she was so angry all of a sudden, but it was pouring out of her. They didn’t respond. She took a couple breaths, trying to get back to an inviting tone. “I’ve been patient. Especially since you’re all I think about. But I need you, They. I need you so badly.” She walked over to where he stood, not looking at her. She took his hand. “Come on back, love. I’m yours to explore and enjoy.”
They heaved a sigh, quivering. He took his hand from hers. “Maybe you should go home before we do something we regret.”
“Regret?” Colleen shrieked. “Is that what I am to you? A regret?”
“No…” They almost begged. He sounded close to tears now. “Please, go, before I make this worse.”
“I don’t know if you could make it any worse,” Colleen shot back, leaving to put her clothes back on. They was waiting for her at the door once she was ready for the elements. She got within arm’s reach of him, then stopped. “I can’t do this, They. I can’t be whatever it is you’re wanting me to be. So I’ll give you exactly one more chance. If you love me, if you want me to stick around, come over here and take me. But if I leave right now, I’m gone. And I’m not coming back.” They didn’t move or anything, only looked at his feet. (Colleen called it the look a man gets when his heart is broken, and he knows it’s his fault. “Though it wasn’t his fault. It was mine.”) “Aren’t you gonna say anything?”
“OK, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close up,” They muttered.
“What does that mean?” Colleen demanded.
“Nothing,” They managed, turning away from her. “Goodbye, Colleen. And I’m sorry.”
“Keep your d—n sorry. What a waste of time!” Colleen growled, running out the door, slamming it behind her.
●●●
The next week was Finals week. The Poetry Appreciation final was scheduled for 5pm Tuesday, so Colleen planned on leaving at four, hoping to see They before and apologize. She’d been so angry all day Saturday, and still pretty angry Sunday, but yesterday the anger had subsided, and the reality of what she’d said had hit her like a ton of bricks. She didn’t want to leave They! She loved him! Who cares if he had issues with being intimate? They’d work it out together. If he wanted to wait until they were married for an encore, even, she would. It would be so hard, but she’d do it. But first, she had to convince him she was sorry, she still loved him, and she still wanted to be his girl. Why? Why did she have to be like this? She was prepared to beg, whatever it took, for him to give her another chance.
As she was walking out, she noticed Teresa’s door was open. Teresa was there, still in sleep clothes. “You not going to the final, T?” she asked.
“You don’t know?” Teresa replied. “You being his girl and all, I figured he told you.”
“Told me what?” Colleen asked. She hadn’t mentioned their fight to anyone yet.
“Mr. Smith resigned yesterday,” Teresa said. “Final’s cancelled.”
“What?” Colleen asked, horrified.
“Yeah, apparently he went straight to the dean first thing Monday morning and handed her his letter of resignation. He said he wasn’t worthy of being a teacher anymore,” Teresa explained. “He didn’t tell you?”
Colleen shook her head, crying. “We had a fight.” What had she done? She tried to call They. After one ring, an automated voice announced the number was no longer in service. “Oh no…” she muttered, completely breaking down. Where was he? “Can you drive me down to They’s? I’m too shook up to drive.”
Teresa looked at her friend, concerned. “Of course, Col. Let me get some warm clothes on, and I’ll be down.” Colleen went down to the foyer, trembling as she walked. Teresa was down in two minutes, bundled to the nines. “Let’s go find your man.”
The first thing Colleen noticed when they got to They’s house was his car was missing. The second thing she noticed was the chairs on his porch were missing, too. “No…” she gasped, leaping out of Teresa’s truck and running toward the front door. She knocked adamantly, but got no response. In desperation, she tried to open the door and found it was unlocked. When she stepped in the door, the sight brought her to her knees. “No!”
Teresa heard the cry from the truck, racing over to Colleen. (“I thought she’d found a dead body or something,” Teresa admitted to me.) When she got there, Colleen’s face was on the floor, and she was sobbing. She dropped next to her friend and pulled her into a hug, stroking her hair and letting her pour her emotions out, not knowing what else to do.
There wasn’t a body in the house. There wasn’t anything in the house. The house was completely empty.
●●●
“How long did it take you to find him and apologize?” I asked Colleen.
“I didn’t,” Colleen said, her eyes glazing for the first time in her recollection. “I tried to find him all the way until New Year’s, but he had vanished. I never saw him alive again.” A single tear wormed its way out, and Colleen wiped it away absently. By that time, she hadn’t had a date for seventeen years. “I had love in the palm of my hand, and I threw it away. Let my story be a lesson to you, Gabe. You don’t always get a second chance.”
“Sorry, Colleen,” I replied darkly. “Chris beat you to that one.”
Part 5
Death
Chapter 40
I have a confession to make. I don’t know how to breach this last section. I feel like it should be an epic undertaking; big entrances, grand actions, emotional moments. The kind of things that make stories memorable. Especially since I’m jumping forward almost six years. But I’ve struggled with how to do it; hence why it’s 2050 now and I still haven’t really started it yet. Since I’m stuck with how exactly to do it, I’ll settle for some updates from the world. Maybe by the time I’m finished, I’ll have a way to start this.
Grace is officially back to Koch now, and has been walking unaided for about three months. She’s now living in Mr. Landon’s old house, way out on Kodiak. She even has a boyfriend, a nice local man named Garrett. Apparently he liked her a lot back in high school, but never had the courage to ask her out. Though Grace is almost sixty, she’d still easily pass for forty, with no serious aging in sight. (Only when her white roots come in do they betray her age.) Chris thinks she’ll be married soon, and I tend to agree. Why waste time?
Roger and Julie were in Kansas City a couple weeks ago celebrating their eighteenth anniversary, so they came to visit Chris and I. Julie spent the whole time talking about Kennedy, and how she was top of her class after her first semester at Johns Hopkins. Julie said Kennedy’s professor had never met such a gifted medical mind in his life. Kennedy was specializing in diseases, and she already knew so many of them. Mom and Dad (Kennedy calls Roger Dad) were proud as can be of their little girl. Julie had found out about six months after marrying Roger she’d be unable to have any more children, but Roger had insisted he already had a daughter. Only 41, they have a lifetime of love ahead of them. Lord willing.
Chris and I are still going strong; fourteen months and counting. She’s currently in Los Angeles hanging out with Keisha. Kendra recently retired from acting and was spending every conceivable second she could around her six grandchildren. That, plus them all being school age now, had allowed Keisha to take a bit of a vacation, something she hadn’t been able to have since her husband had left her, and she’d invited Chris along. According to Chris, last night they enjoyed twenty-five different kinds of sushi at the hottest sushi place in LA, and today I think they were gonna go sailing. I’m glad she’s having fun, but I admit, I miss her. Food seems to taste a little better when she’s around. I don’t know why.
Hey, that did the trick! OK, here are the events of May 28, 2036.
●●●
Ella had called Kai that morning out of the blue, saying she was coming to visit that afternoon and was bringing Chris. Kai had a few choice words for her, but finally agreed to welcome them. Not ten seconds after she hung up, she called They.
“Hey, Kai. What’s going on?” he asked.
“Where are you right now? Can you be in Baxter by seven tonight?”
They didn’t answer for a moment, thinking. “Probably. Why?”
“I can’t tell you yet, it might jinx it. Just do yourself a favor and knock on my door at seven tonight, or as close as you can get,” Kai replied.
“I’ll be there,” They assured her.
Ella showed up with Chris at six. After saying hi, Chris put in earbuds and became oblivious to both adults.
“She’s been like this for over a year now,” Ella told Kai. “Withdrawn, indifferent, moody. I know some of it is normal teenager stuff, but Chrissy’s always been such a sweet girl. I don’t know what happened to her.”
“I can guess,” Kai muttered.
Ella glared at her. “I told you I didn’t want to discuss that.”
“Why are you even here, Ella?” Kai sighed. “We obviously stopped being friends long ago, and your daughter doesn’t even know me. What can I offer?”
Ella sighed, looking up at her. “I have a doctor’s appointment at KU Medical tomorrow to see an oncologist. My doctor in Minneapolis referred me there. As far as Chris knows, we’re just here on vacation.”
“Are you sick?” Kai asked.
“That’s what we’re trying to figure out. If I am, then I’ll tell Chris, but I don’t want to scare her needlessly,” Ella said. “Anyway, Lawrence is quite a drive, so I need someone to watch Chris. You’re the only person I know for miles, so I was hoping she could stay here tonight. Please, Kai?”
Kai sighed. “Of course, I’d love to spend some time with Chris. But don’t think this makes us OK, Ella, because it doesn’t.”
“I know that,” Ella declared. “Thanks, Kai.” She waved at Chris to get her attention. “You’re going to be staying here tonight. Mommy has to go meet someone, but she’ll be back to pick you up tomorrow night, OK?”
“You don’t have to talk to me like I’m five,” Chris snapped. “I got it.”
“Good. I’ll go get your stuff.” She left and returned with a backpack. “Bye, baby. Have fun with Aunt Kai.”
“Right,” Chris said, rolling her eyes as Ella left. “Probably going to screw some deadbeat. Like I don’t know what she’s doing.” She put her earbuds back in without missing a beat.
“Hey,” Kai said, waving at Chris. She took her earbuds out reluctantly. “Do you remember me at all?”
“No, why?” Chris asked. “Should I?”
“I knew you when you were really little,” Kai told her. “I made the cake for your third birthday party.”
“Then you know my dad?” Chris asked.
Kai nodded. “Your dad’s one of my best friends.”
“Still?” Chris asked. “Even after he abandoned me?”
“After he what?” Kai asked.
“Mom told me all about it. He didn’t want Mom and me to have any of his money, so he ran away and left us behind,” Chris muttered. “Not so much as a call or a stupid text in eleven years.”
A knock came to the door. Kai poked her head outside to make sure who it was, then told him to wait there a moment. She went back over to Chris, who already had her earbuds in again and got her attention. “Chris, there’s someone I’d like you to come meet.” Curious, Chris came to the door. When Kai opened it, the people on both sides just stared at one another, unable to process the sight.
Kai took They’s hand and led him in the door. “This is Christina, They,” she said. They’s breath caught in his throat as Kai turned to Chris. “Chris, this is your father, They.”
“Hey, Christina,” They managed, barely able to speak. “It’s wonderful to see you. Oh, you look so much like your mother.”
