Encompassing Reality (13 page)

CHAPTER 24

“At some point one just realizes things are pretty good.  Then one finds Joy.”  -- from the Book of Persistence

“Brian said you don’t want to see me.  I’m sorry, but I really wanted to see you.”  Renfield stands wondering if he will receive an invitation to sit.  He tries hard not to listen to her mind.  He knows she won’t appreciate, given her mood.

Persistence turns slowly, not shocked by the visit at all.  “So you just decided for me?  That’s you Renfield, ever obnoxious and overstepping boundaries.”

“Perhaps.  Usually if I feel rushed.”  Renfield responds.

“What makes you feel rushed Renfield?”  She approaches him and notices he doesn’t look well.  She stops and ponders that for a moment.  It doesn’t make sense to her since he can regenerate so quickly.  Without thinking about it she turns her head and then realizes that it is obvious she doesn’t want to think about it and the shock of the realization left her mind open for a few moments and Renfield has already heard that thought.  She runs back to him.

“When is this for you, Renfield.  You look considerably older than you did the last time I saw you.  That means it’s been at least a century for you.”  She reaches out her arms to give him a hug.

Renfield’s eyes move up and to the corner as he calculates the time in his head. “Something like that.  It appears you’ve been sticking around here, which would explain how you still have your youthful beauty.”

She laughs at her Grandfather, “Oooh, will you marry me Prince Charming?” She moves over to the table on the balcony and pours herself a glass of wine and offers one to Renfield.

As usual Renfield waves a hand, but he adds, “Do you have water?  I’m parched.”  He can’t help but consider the thoughts that lead to that question and for a moment he hears her thoughts.

“Well you’re no longer trying to keep your location secretive.  Tell me about your when.”  Persistence sees Renfield smile and she adds, “Of course, I’m assuming - the desert and no I can’t hear you.  I’m not even sure I would want to if I could.”  Persistence turns and looks out past her roses to the city below.  She breathes in deep through her nose as if she is smelling the city, its wonder and beauty.

“Ha!  I’ve not been some time you have been, Persistence, but nice try.  I sometimes forget how acute your smelling is.  Well, not so much that as your ability to identify smells with places and times.  Smell is actually the number one sensation when it comes to bringing back memories.”  Renfield notes she did not choose to make an effort to get him water.

“Thanks for the lesson, professor.”  Persistence shakes her head at him as she leans closer to him.  “What is this visit about, Renfield?”

“You.  And Brian, of course.  Brian is still Brian, how are you?”  Renfield replies as he leans toward her in response.

“I’m quite well, obviously and Brian isn’t Brian.  That’s why I try to avoid him almost as much as I avoid you.”  Persistence comments.  Then she adds, “How is my mother?”

Renfield forces his body to relax so that he doesn’t react to the question. He has no intention of discussing that matter with Persistence.  “We haven’t spoken in a while.  I did however notice that those roses are beautiful.  That particular variety was grown in Europe.  But thousands of years from when we are now.”

“Small luxuries.  Brian brought them for me, but you already knew that.  Are you using me to find Brian in another time now?”  Persistence leaned back as she asked.

“Persistence, I’m just pointing out that you aren’t the only one who can gauge based off of information in your environment.  I did not come to have a hostile conversation with you at all.  In fact, quite the opposite.  I just wanted to spend some time with you.”  Renfield leans back and then he looks over the balcony at the beautiful city below and he too breathes in the air deep.  “It is relaxing, I’ll give you that.”

“You seem to have a question, Renfield, so ask it.”  Persistence begins to feel agitated.

“Oh, yes.  Well, I’m not sure I formed it before coming.  I really did want to see you.  I do love you Persistence.  You are unique and I am proud to be your grandfather.”  Renfield remarks.

“Yeah, Brian and I noticed by the way you…”

Renfield cuts her off saying, “Enough.  I’ve already heard the speech from the other Bobbsey twin.”

“Does that make me Nan or Flossie?”  Persistence inquires while narrowing her eyes at her grandfather.

“It’s just a figure of speech.  If I were to choose sometimes I might even say Edith.”  Renfield replies.

“Who was she?”  Persistence asks, genuinely wondering.

“The mother.  The author names her only once, I think.  I barely remember the books.  I’m actually surprised you caught the reference.  I’m not sure it’s considered popular culture or even that interesting.  At least, not enough that I recall much of the stories.”  Renfield shifts his focus to a far off place and it is clear in his eyes that he is trying to remember when it was that he read those books.

Persistence watches him.  Something is clearly wrong with him.  She begins to worry.  For a man who has lived so long, he always had a remarkable memory and details were something he was certainly good at. “Let me get you that water.  It slipped my mind.  I’m sorry Renfield.  I didn’t mean to be rude.”

Persistence stood and walked inside and Renfield again looked out over the city and again sniffed the fresh air if it.  As Persistence walked back onto the balcony she put the water down and watched as Renfield gulped at it.  She noted this was again, not like him.

“When have you been Renfield?  You seem tired.  You still look fairly young.  But it’s clear that you’ve aged.”  Persistence observes.

“Yeah.  I don’t know, maybe a century, if I add it up.  Not that long.”  At saying that he realized how that sounded to Persistence.  He wanted to apologize immediately, but realized that would only add insult to injury.

“Well, Renfield you’re either blessed or cursed or both.”  Persistence responded.

“So have you met anybody?”  Renfield asks Persistence.

“You mean romantically.  A few.  No one who moves me.  Yet.  Well one, but he and I are not…”  Persistence blushes and then turns to Renfield, “So have you?”

Renfield responds, “It’s complicated.”

“My thoughts exactly.  I don’t think we want to discuss our relationships.”   She laughed and looked back out over the city with wandering eyes as she took a sip of wine.  “Sometimes I miss you.  Given our lives, I’d say you did pretty good by us.  It’s just easier to be angry with you when you’re gone.”

“There’s that.” Renfield replies.  He adds, “You weren’t too bad of a granddaughter either.  Plus who else would push Brian off that cliff?”

They both laugh at that and then they sigh in unison.  They sit for a while in silence as the sun begins to descend.

CHAPTER 25

“I don’t think he had it in him to give up.”  -- from the Book of Brady

“Brady!”

“Shit!”  Brady’s hand jolts at the shock and then his coffee spills over the rim and lands on his leg.  “Shit!”  He wipes at it as if it will cool down if there is less of it, but the damage is done.  “What are you doing here? I thought we agreed no contact.  Click us someplace before someone sees you!”

Renfield grabs Brady’s arm and they click out to the alley way near the busy street and walk out into the street to speak with the cloak of the throngs of people around them.  “One of the guys who works for you, Johnson.  Can you run his genetic line if I get you a sample?”

“Define can, Renfield.  I could if it wouldn’t create a storm of heat on my neck that would end with me not having a job.  Then neither of us would even know the results.  That kind of thing would be noticed.  I‘d ask why you care, but you’re beginning to look old, man.  So I’ll assume you have something going on up there that I don’t want to know about.  I’m not the guy to help you with it, if that’s what your thinking.”  Brady holds out an arm to lean against the corner.  “Why are you looking at me like that?  Something is more than the standard, your let down look you give me when you have some hair brained scheme.”

“Like you said, it’s a different when for me and I’m older.  I’m not going to discuss it, but you owe me!”  Renfield notes that his voice went very low with the emotions he was feeling.  He was trying extremely hard not to react in any way that would possibly change Brady’s mind in helping him and he knew the person he was talking to had no idea what, nor should he know what, Renfield was so insanely angry about when he looked at him.  “File it under a different name.  I’ll give you the names and identifier number as soon as I have the samples.”

“Nice try, super man, but I did catch that it just went plural.  There is no way I am doing that with a fellow officer and then take the risk a second or third time.”  Brady shakes his right leg out as if he were working out a cramp and then looks back at Renfield.

“Yes. You will because you know I wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t important.”  Renfield feels his own eyes flash a look and tries again to control himself.

“When will you have it to me?”  Brady asks.

Renfield clicks away and then reappears fast enough that it is noticeable to Brady he was gone, but the casual observer wouldn’t process what they had seen, even if they were looking directly at him.  “Your lunch, sir.”  Renfield hands the paper bag to Brady.

Brady feels the weight of the bag casually and draws the conclusion that there are only two samples inside as well as the credentials Renfield mentioned.  “Who’s the other one?”

“Someone you’ll never know.  Don’t get lost in wondering, it doesn’t effect you.”  Renfield replies.

“Okay.  Why are you acting so strange, man?  I thought we were buds.  That was how I got roped into this to begin with.”

“That was a long time ago for me, Brady.”  Renfield replies but notes a hint of a growl in his own voice and decides he needs to dial that back.  “Obviously, it works out, right?  I’m older, so you know…”

Brady looks at him oddly and says, “No, I don’t know.  But you know.  So when do you expect the results.  You know who I have to file this with.  A snail could move a mountain faster than they’ll work on this, assuming the credentials you gave me are not linked to a crime, which, just to be clear, would create a nightmare scenario and again, a path to disaster for my career.  Furthermore that would mean neither of us knowing what the results were until my trial.”

Renfield fights the urge to answer with, “Well I’ll see you in court.”  He instead says, “It’s fine.  Those credentials won’t raise any red flags.  One of them, at some point will be determine lab error.  You’re fine Brady.”

Brad smile and says, “Well, I guess you’d know.  So how are the girls?”

Renfield knows he can’t control himself at that question from Brady.  So he clicks.

Weeks later Brady looks over at the spot where he placed the file, wondering when Renfield is coming back to get the results.  He notes the file isn’t there.  He grins for a moment and then becomes agitated at the thought of Renfield randomly clicking in and having free reign of his office.  His fingers go into action on the keyboard of the workstation in front of him.  Neither of the two names comes up.  He picks up the phone and makes a call.

“I’m sorry, Officer, we have no record of those names here.  Can you spell them for me again.”

“I’ve already spelled it twice!”  Brady, controlling his voice, then says in a much softer tone, “Can you tell me who worked this case?”

“Sir, how could I tell you that if there is no record of it.  We do thousands of these a day from all over the country.  I wouldn’t know who to begin to ask.  I don’t even know I would have the authority to do so.  I can flag the names and if something comes up someone can call you.  Other than that, I really can’t help.  I’m sorry.”

Brady thinks quickly, “No don’t bother flagging the names, I probably have them misspelled.  You know how the guys in the field are.  They’re lax and they probably didn’t’ give me good notes.  I’ll take care of the problem on my end.  Thank you for trying to help.  Have a wonderful day.”  Brady hangs up the phone.  His agitation level goes up, but realizing that it’s probably for the better he decides to let it go.

Betsy, had already flagged the names, so she saw no reason to take the time to un-flag them.  Her phone was ringing, as usual.  So she went on to the next matter at hand.

CHAPTER 26

“A perfect circle is impossible to draw.  The closest to that was Alexander, but the measurements were done by those who knew that the relativity of time and space, the ebb and flow of the mechanics of the universe, meant for certain that they were measuring only what they could observe, at the time.”  -- from the Book of Tomorrow

“As I said, the city is open to all of you, feel free to enter!”  Tomorrow was about to click when she saw a figure standing in the distance observing her.  She clicked to the figure knife at the neck of the person instantly, “Who are y…”, she stops choking on her thought, “Adam?”  She flung the knife and reeled back from the blow to her psyche.  She felt queasy.  She stumbled for a moment then laid down on the ground and removed the contents of her breakfast from her body in a singular convulsive moment.

“Well, that’s disgusting.  Nice to see you too, Tomorrow.”  Renfield thrust his spear upright into the sold and walked over to her.  He picked her up from behind and while grabbing his hair in his fist he pulled his right arm into her gut with a quick motion.  She instantly purged what was left in her stomach.  “Yeah, that way.  Don’t get any of that on me.  He held her as he clicked and they were in the river from so long ago.  “Clean yourself up!”  The water as brisk and brought her to attention immediately. She pushed her face into it, spitting and gulping and spitting again.  “So what are you the town crier now?”

Tomorrow didn’t turn to look at him for a while.  So many things were going through her mind.  She had forgotten the feeling of the river, the trees, the wildness of it all.  Then she turned because she wanted to confirm it was true and he was there.  “You’re an ass!”  She stated as she began making her way to the shore.

“I can take you home any time you like and that includes now.”  Renfield stated having followed her out of the water.  Then he slightly put his hand on her back and said, “Or, we could talk for a while before you decide where home is.”

“Where we were before Shang-tu.”  She began to cry and her entire body heaved with each new onslaught of sobs.

Renfield was at first shy to touch her, but he grabbed her and pulled her to his chest.  He said nothing.  She cried for a long time, stopping briefly from time to time to look at his face and then she would begin to cry again.

Then she hit him weakly in the chest, “You didn’t keep your promise!”

“I told you at first I would be back often, but eventually not as much.  I didn’t leave you.”  Adam looks at Tomorrow with adoration.

She began crying again, “I thought you had!”

Renfield ran his fingers through her hair as he said, “I know.  I’m sorry.  You’ve done well without me, from what I saw out there on the road.”

Tomorrow sobered from her somber and said, “It’s for Phillip.”

“The martyr?”  Renfield asked.

“No, the man.  He was a man and he gave up his chance to live there so that others would be able to.  That is a great thing, Adam.  Don’t mock me.”  Tomorrow began wiping away her own tears.

Adam reached out a finger to his chin and drew a circle on it with her own saline.  Then he leaned to here and kissed her.  She was angry and sad, but she loved the feel of him kissing her and she reciprocated with fervor that grew in to deep passion a cacophony of thoughts and a drive.

When the sun came up, she looked down at her naked body and then for her clothes.  She wasn’t sure how late she had slept.  She forgot there were no clocks where they were.  “Adam, I have to go back.  The kids are graduating today!”

Adam raised his head and looked at her body as she dressed.  “I know.”  Then he jumped up and grabbed her from behind and whispered in her ear with a slight moan to his voice, “We have time.”

Tomorrow turned and pulled him to her even stronger than he was pulling her to him.  She dropped the clothes she was putting on and put her mouth to his.  He pushed at her face with his mouth and then he tripped her, but as she was falling to the ground he kept hold of her and at the last second twisted his body to land under hers.  She could feel him and knew she should take care of him immediately and her mind raced to how great that would feel.  The two toyed with each other slightly and then they embraced fully.  They took plenty of time.

Later, Tomorrow peered up at the spot above the river where she could see under the trees and noted the sun’s position.  She relaxed and reached behind herself.  Pulling at him.

In the river Adam said, “So, I have news.”

Tomorrow moved upstream to him with passion still burning in her eyes.  “Oh?  Go on.”

“Well, so far what I know is…”  Renfield found it impossible to talk with her tongue in his mouth.  He gave in to the next round, but as time went on he pulled her from him and said, “You do realize that what time it is here is irrelevant to when we get there.  But I don’t like to mess with it, by habit.  So let’s go get dressed.”

The two of them made their way to the bank of the river and Renfield made a point to turn away from her while she dressed, this time.  While he adorned he said to her, “Anyway, we’re not family.”  Then he lowered his voice and said out loud, “Yet.”  Then he added in a normal tone, “At least not by general accepted notions of such.”

Tomorrow was on his back in an instant!  She kissed him and said, “That explains a lot!  You certainly were much freer with me!  Personally the only reason I cared was that it was important to you.  I like the you with answers!  You’re kind of sexy!”  She rubbed her knuckles into his head and ground her hips into his back as she laughed.

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go graduate some brats!”  Then Renfield clicked and they were in her room.  He noted the three chairs but satin the one she originally had.

“So you don’t like my new chairs?”  Tomorrow said as she started the process of undressing so she could get into her formal wear for the ceremony she had prepared.

“I’m impressed you have good taste.  However, always buy chairs in sets of four or six.  It’s a tradition thing.”  Renfield grinned at her.

“Oh it is?  Why is that?”  She looked at him as she reached around her own body to be sure that she had the fasteners straight on the garments that no one would see but Adam.  She understood the concept and it was only proper that she wore them underneath her clothes.  She had wondered at why before, but understanding she was now older than the last time she saw Adam she understood why women wore such things.

“I don’t know.  Usually when you get the explanation that something g is a tradition it’s because the person telling you that has no clue either.”  Adam replies.

Tomorrow looks at the hairpin in her hand and throws it at him.  “And I’ve always thought you had all the answers.”

“I do.  I just can’t remember them all at once!”  Adam says and then dodges the next hairpin.  “I’ll be back in a moment.  I promise!”  Adam clicks.

Tomorrow gets a sinking feeling in her gut but then she realizes she can’t slow down.  She stares at the clock and knows she doesn’t have much time to spare, regardless of what Adam does, she feels very much responsible for the ceremony.

Adam reaches for her hand. “You look stunning!”

Tomorrow turns to him.  “Oh the lords!  Your hair!”  She reaches out to his head to feel his hair and then looks down and takes a step back, “That suit!  Your better attired than the most refined man in Shang-tu!”  Then Tomorrow narrows her eyes at him and turns sideways to him.

Adam bows to one knee and says, “May I be your escort for the ceremony, m’lady?”

Tomorrow looks down at him and pulls his handkerchief from his chest picket and slaps him with it.  Then she stuffs it back in to the pocket unfolded.  She turns her back to him and he pulls up her gown and down on her panties and then plants a kiss on her right butt cheek.  “Please m’lady?”

She turns to him and rolls he eyes.  “You’re silly.  I would be upset if you didn’t attend.”

“Did you plan an after-party?”  Renfield asks.

“No.  Should I have?  I am still not good with custom.  I know I should pay better attention, but all of the books I read, well none of them mention after-party.”  Tomorrow eyes grow a worrying look that is quickly ascending to panic.

“Tomorrow, that’s why they call it an after party.  It’s impolite to right down anything that happens in a history book.  Some did that sort of thing to Andrew Jackson.  Although it’s questionable if he defined the difference between a ceremony and an after party.”  Renfield’s right eye narrowed as he considered that thought.

“Who?”  Tomorrow had never heard him reference that name before.

“Unimportant.  But I will point out if you didn’t plan one, then that’s good, you can be blamed from it.  Judging from what I know of the personalities, Tina went to Marla and they already have it planned together.  Not to steal your thunder, but because you provided them an opportunity.  I’m fairly certain they were glad you didn’t rob them of the chance to have fun with it.”  Renfield grinned at her.

Tomorrow just looked off blankly and then at the clock and said, “Oh, let’s go!  It begins with a speech I have to make!  This is going to be fun!  I get to introduce you to so many of the people I’ve met!  They’re going to love you!  Not as much as me.  But…”  He face flushed and she looked at Adam.

“Oh yes, where are my thoughts.”  Adam stood next to her and held his arm out for her to take hold of it above the elbow.  Then he reached fro her hands to show her what was the traditional manner in which a lady holds a man’s arm at a formal event. “When raised, your hands should be around my arm above the elbow.  When my arm is lowered your hands should be around my arm below the elbow.”

“Oh.  That isn’t mentioned.  Odd.  That’s how I remember holding your arm when we were in the desert.  It seems to me that most of the things I did there are not considered proper here.”  Tomorrow commented.

“Just don’t pee in camp during the ceremony and you’ll do fine.  You’re a natural!”  Renfield kisses her on the cheek thinking of how much he has missed her energy and zest.  Then he clicks before she can respond.

A few hours later Tomorrow looks at Adam and asks, “Are you staying this time?”

“Before I answer that, I have some questions of my own.  I saw Marla whisper in your ear.  Yes, I could hear her thoughts so it was clearly about the after-party.  Are you going?”  Adam looks at his own feet while he awaits the response.

“It sounds like fun!  Sure, I’m in.  They have games planned and apparently most of them involve drinking the good stuff that was stored all year.  They really appreciated this that much!  I did a good job Adam!”  She leans over and kisses him.  “Thank you and thank you!”  She says as she plants another on his cheek. “I’ve got to go give the kids my personal congratulations.  I can hear them wondering why I haven’t done so already.”

“Okay, I’ll be here.”  Adam responds as she leaps up and begins to walk away.  He watches her and notes how much she has changed over the years.  He considers that instead of coming down from the high of her, for so many years, his love of her has only grown.  He smiles and looks at his feet and thinks to himself.  “And what I have I accomplished?  Nice shoes, I guess.”  Then he grins.

“Adam, you’re thinking about something.”  He hears Tomorrow and looks up.

“Ahh, did you find the kids?”  Adam opens his eyes realizing he had nodded off and then he is alert.  He notes how much longer it was taking for him to get back to an alert state of mind. “Never mind.  They are happy and socializing and you took care of what you needed to.  I was kind of in a daze for a while longer than I thought, I guess.”  Renfield begins to stand and then feeling he wasn’t ready, he blocks his mind to Tomorrow and pulls her hand to sit next to him.

“You don’t want to go the party, do you?”  Tomorrow looks at him and sits down.

Renfield musters his strength aware it is waning and he pushes himself out of his hair into a standing position in from of her.  “Nonsense!  It’s to celebrate you as much as what the kids accomplished!  You were the one who taught them, Tomorrow.”  He looks around noticing that most of the crowd has dispersed.  Some invited to the party others just going home and a strange mixture of the two.

She smiles up to him and again he kneels to her.  “Tomorrow, this next promise I mean.”  He fumbles in his pocket.

“I know you mean your promises Adam.  I’m curious about something?”  She says.

Adam hears her thinking about her mother and the fact that she doesn’t know her father.  “What’s that?”

“I’ve told you almost everything about my mother.  You’ve never talked about the people who raised you.  You simply said you were adopted, they were good to you and you went to college thanks to them.  That’s not a lot to say about the people who raised you and you talk about a lot of things.”  Tomorrow pointed out.

“Oh.  I keep that simplistic.  Not much to say.”

“Why not?”  Tomorrow pressed.

“After college, I think I only went back a few times.  They got what they wanted.”  Adam explained.

“What did they get?”  Tomorrow asked.

“They got a real boy.”  Adam laughed as he looked up at the sun.

She grabbed his thumb and said, “Go on, real man.  Tell me what you mean by that!”

“Well, they were geneticists.  They met because they had the same condition, but because they both had the same condition they were both fixated on genetics.  They didn’t want to risk having a child of their own.  They realized that they could use some of my genes with their own to fix the error in a child that would mostly be their own two sets of genes combined, but with mine as the patch work that fixed the problems.  I’m not sure you would understand all of this.  I’ll explain another time.  You would have to know about genetics to understand.”  Adam looked at the chair he was previously in.  While her hand was still holding his thumb he reclaimed the seat.  “Plus, I really don’t have much memory of either of them.  I don’t even remember their faces, nor do I care.”