Giddeon (Silver Strand Series) (3 page)

We were at the beach because Kevin Ho wasn’t available to meet with us until the next day.
 
He thought that we would be getting together for a lunch interview, and that my wife and I were hopeful founders for a soon-to-be published astronomy magazine.
 
Using information provided by Giddeon, Melody had arranged everything by telephone, and Dr. Ho had no idea that the Mr. and Mrs. ‘Knox’ he was to meet with were not who they were supposed to be.

I admit, listening to my wife spin such a convincing fabrication over the telephone to the astronomer gave me a bit of a pause, but when I thought about what was at stake, I was very proud of her acting ability.
 
Besides, I had always known she had that capability within her.
 
When she would look at me with loving eyes, after outfitting me in a new suit or casual wardrobe, and would tell me how handsome I was and how she was such a lucky girl to have ended up with me… well, it didn’t take an Einstein to figure out she could have won an award or two at the Golden Globes if she had put her mind to it.

On the other hand… maybe she just has a problem with her vision.
 
Kind of like being color-blind, except her impairment obscures gentle shades of ugly.
 
I’m not gonna change optometrists, though… let her see what she sees.
 
I don’t mind.

*****

We were already seated at the outdoor table of the restaurant when Dr. Ho arrived.
 
The pool, complete with a waterfall and a swim-up bar, was adjacent to us, and the sound of the cascading liquid provided a white noise backdrop that would keep our conversation private.
 
I later learned that the area also had no surveillance camera coverage, as they were on the blink that day… Giddeon could be very thorough with such details.

Melody waved and Dr. Ho came over, dapper in his white, open collared shirt, navy blazer and dress pants.
 
He was a young-looking forty, trim, with jet black hair and intelligent eyes.
 
His Asian ancestry was evident, and he appeared to be a mix of Japanese and Polynesian heritages.
 
Little Gid, who was sitting in his high chair, lit up like a Christmas tree when Kevin came in our direction.
 
He began smiling, giggling and banging a hand on his tray… all the while pointing at the astronomer with his other hand.
 
Or maybe, he was pointing at what was ‘around’ the astronomer.
 
It was hard to tell since Gid was so animated.
 
Dr. Ho, my wife and I laughed at the reaction.
 
A waiter came and took our drink orders.

Introductions were made all around.
 
Kevin even shook little Gid’s hand.
 
I could have sworn I saw filaments of light connect those two appendages before they touched.
 
On closer inspection, I could see an aura of blue radiating out from around the head and shoulders of the scientist as he had himself a seat between my son and my wife.
 
I was seated across from the doctor at the table for four, and the beach and the clouds behind him provided the perfect contrast that was needed for me to visualize the phenomenon.

I didn’t tell you about that, yet, did I?
 
Another thing, other than my sense of smell, that I had brought back with me.
 
It was something that I had been able to do, on occasion, since I came out of the coma.
 
See auras, that is.

Not always.
 
Just sometimes and with certain people.
 
Different colors with different folks, and sometimes the colors change with their moods.
 
Red for angry; blue for calm and purpose.
 
Green when connected with nature and the world.
 
Yellow and pink when happy or tickled… Giddy radiated that a lot… white for love.
 
Melody always has traces of white… along with beautiful blues and a plethora of other pastel hues.
 
The auras are usually easier to see when I am tired, and I wonder sometimes if it’s just a function of retinal fatigue.
 
But, that day, I was quite awake having had two cups of coffee, earlier.

“We’re so glad to meet you,” said Melody.

“The pleasure is all mine,” responded Dr. Ho.

Gid began blowing spit bubbles and let out a squeal that went out of our register and into the auditory realm of dolphins and dogs.

“Not all of it,” I laughed.
 
“Looks like Giddy is happy to meet you, too.”

“He’s a cutie,” said Kevin.
 
“My wife is pregnant with our first.”

Melody lit up much like Giddy, upon hearing that news.
 
Her aura changed to a deep emerald with streaks of oscillating alabaster and yellow embedded in the emanation.
 
“Oh, you must be so excited!
 
When’s the due date?”

The waiter came out with our drinks… three Blue Hawaiians… and menus.
 
We told him it would be a few minutes before we ordered.
 
He left, and Kevin said, “Exactly two months from today… August 21st.”

“Boy or a girl?” we both asked at the same time.

Kevin Ho shook his head.
 
“I don’t know… we want it to be a surprise.”

Melody clapped her hands, and Giddy imitated the motions.
 
“That makes it even more exciting!
 
And, what a beautiful place to start a family… we love
Hawaii
.”

The scientist smiled, and his face seemed accustomed to the expression.
 
“So do we… I don’t think I could live anywhere else.
 
Having the observatory here is pretty much perfect, to top it all off.”
 
He motioned to the ocean and glanced around at the scenery before turning back to us.
 
“So… how did you two get so interested in Astronomy?
 
Not a lot of publications dedicated to the subject.”

“Well…” I began, but then Melody interrupted.

“Before we answer that, I want to show you something.”
 
She reached down and pulled an
iPad
out of her bag, which was next to her chair, and set it on the table.
 
After pressing a few icons, she turned the tablet to Dr. Ho.

“Do you recognize this?” my beautiful wife asked.

Giddy leaned over as if he wanted to look, too.
 

*****

On the screen, the YouTube video of me and my bare backside rolling down the aisle of the Catholic church came to life.
 
Kevin watched with curiosity as Melody, on the
iPad’s
display, cradled my head in her hands.
 
Then, we witnessed Father
McCreely
fainting dead away.
 
As the silent clip was playing, I saw Dr. Ho look to Melody, then to me, and then back to the screen.
 

Realization dawned on him like the Hawaiian sun, and I could have sworn that I saw just the faintest outline of Giddeon over his shoulder.
 
I think my subconscious had on a gaudy shirt and sunglasses.
 
Little Gid blew another spit bubble and reached out in that direction.
 
Kevin finished watching the clip and leaned back in his chair.

“You’re not starting a magazine, are you?”

Melody, shook her head.

The astronomer nodded and was silent for a moment.
 
Then, “You’re the couple that got married… after you,” he looked in my direction, “came out of a coma and stopped her wedding.”

I nodded.

He looked back to Melody, as if suddenly remembering something important.
 
“I… dreamed about you guys.”

I think I saw just the faintest outline of Giddeon, again… it looked like he gave a high five to someone beside him… someone with long, dark, curling hair.
 
Our Gid threw a hand in the air, too.

Melody reached out and touched the scientist on the back of the hand.
 
“I’m sorry we had to come to you under false pretenses, but, it’s important… as important as it gets.
 
What did you dream?”

Kevin ran his hand through his thick black hair and then looked off into the distance as if seeing the dream, again.
 
“You were trying to tell me something… we were at my observatory… both of you kept trying to get me to look through the telescope…”

“At what?” asked my wife.

He shook his head.
 
“I don’t remember.
 
I just recall it being a very unsettling dream.”
 
Kevin bit gently into his lower lip, and then shrugged his shoulders.

I took a folded piece of paper out of my front shirt pocket, opened it and set it before him.
 
On the white rectangle were some coordinates and times that would only make sense to an astronomer.
 
Dr. Ho picked the sheet up with his manicured fingers and looked the figures over.
 
Finally, he said, “Is this where I’m supposed to look?”

Melody and I both nodded.
 
Giddy leaned over, took a spoon from off the table and began pointing at the paper.
 
“Rock... rock… rock...”

“What will I see, there?” queried Kevin.

I took the spoon from my progeny and placed it out of his reach.
 
Then, I answered, although my son had beaten me to it.

“A rock… a great, big rock.”

*****

Mia

I’ll never forget the first time I saw him.
 
I suppose ‘saw him’ isn’t the correct term… felt him, would be more accurate.

Kevin Ho had gone back to his observatory to wait for nightfall.
 
With him were a set of detailed instructions dictated by Giddeon and typewritten by our therapist.
 
Melody and Giddy were asleep, and I was on the hotel bed reading in one of the notebooks that Melody now kept handy for those times when Mia had something to say.
 
It was something that my wife had learned to do after my hypnosis sessions with the therapist… sit there and let Mia guide the pen in her hand, that is… Giddeon had suggested it.
 
The most bizarre thing I have ever seen… well, almost.
 
The odd thing is, she writes it all down left-handed, in perfect cursive, even though she can barely manage to scratch out her name like that, normally.
 
This passage was written while we were on the airplane:
 

He was at the table, behind Greg, at
Seaport
Village
.
 
I knew he was there, even though I couldn’t make him out.
 
There was just the slightest difference in the air near the chair, and my heart seemed like it leaped in that direction.
 
I walked over close and tried to get a better look, but it didn’t really help.
 
When I reached out my hand to where I knew he was, the strangest thing happened…
 
I could feel his heartbeat.
 
It was in perfect synch with mine.
 
I pulled my hand back away from him and the sensation disappeared.
 
When I reached back out, I could feel it again, this time even stronger… along with something else.

Warmth.

98.6 degrees, to be exact.
 
And there was this aroma… a smell like cinnamon and chocolate and sweat. Not icky sweat, but a kind of light musk that, I have to admit, had quite an effect on me.
 
I had never experienced anything like that, before, and my heart picked up its pace.
 
His matched it beat for beat, so I think he was aware of me even though he didn’t really know it at the time.

I looked down and I saw Greg looking at you.
 
My hand was still in the warm space behind him when I actually heard the words ‘Go talk to her!’ come from nearby. It was a plea and a command, all rolled up into one, and obviously directed at your future husband.
 

Then, I could have sworn I saw what I now know was Giddeon pulling on Greg’s arm and pushing on his back.
 
It must have worked, because Greg almost knocked over his chair when he stood up so quickly.
 
I watched him hesitantly walk over to you, with that little card in one hand and a pen in his other one, to ask for your autograph.

I turned the page, intrigued as always by the left-handed script.

When he asked you for your signature, I have to admit I let loose a giggle and covered my mouth.
 
I knew he couldn’t hear me, but I wasn’t so sure about the cinnamon and sweat-covered chocolate behind him… after all, I had heard ‘Go talk to her!’ as plain as day.
 
To your credit, you didn’t immediately blow him off… you had a knack for letting guys down easy because you had to do it so often.
 
When I realized that that was what you had planned for this particular admirer, my giggle suddenly caught in my throat.
 
I couldn’t let that happen… this one was different.
 
He had a sweet-smelling shadow with a heartbeat of its own.
 
I sat quickly down beside you.

“Mel… give him your number,” I implored.

 
“I’m not a celebrity,” you had just said to Greg.
 
I then heard him stammering on, so I tried, again.

“Mel… give him your number.”

“Six numbers?” you queried.

 
I looked up, and felt sorry for the guy who was so obviously out of his comfort zone.

“Mel… please give him your number.”
 
The smell of cinnamon, chocolate and sweat definitely began to tilt more into the sweat category.
 
Oddly, that made me even more sure of my decision.
 
I heard your conversation go awkwardly back and forth, and then, finally, saw Greg turn dejectedly away.

“For God’s sake, Mel… give him your number!!!” I screamed.
 
For perhaps the first time in my life, I got through to you.

“You forgot your numbers,” you called out.
 
I saw them being scribbled down underneath your name.
 
I sighed in satisfaction and fell back, almost limp, in my chair.
 
I noticed that I was sweating, too.

You two had lunch together and seemed to hit it off.
 
Then, there was that walk beside the bay where sunlight danced off the ripples in a most awesome effect.
 
A dolphin surfaced just beyond the shore, and that’s when you and Greg held hands.
 
I was in heaven, because Mr. CCS (cinnamon/chocolate/sweat) was right behind him... I could sometimes make out his outline if I squinted.
 
When your hands were together, I saw that sweet-smelling shadow join with Greg’s body and fall in step.
 
I did the same thing with you… and, for the first time in my life, I felt like I was actually touching someone.

It made me cry.

*****