Mortal Desire (11 page)

Albert nodded at me, and I engaged the elevator to continue its descent to the ground floor. The three subdued immortals abandoned the elevator car like young boys reprimanded by the head master.

‘Ho molto da imparare Albert. Ringraziamento per essere stato il mio maestro e il mio protettore. Non vedo l’ora di vedervi a casa stasera,’ I said as Albert stepped out of my work pod. I handed him his trusty black trilby hat.

He turned to me with his hand on the elevator door to stop it from closing.

‘I am your Protector, and yes, you have a lot to learn. I will see you later tonight,’ he whispered with an ounce of humour in his voice.

I smirked at him and placed my naked hand on his to connect our kindred spirits before he left. This man was my bodyguard, my shield. My mother had chosen him wisely.

The thirteenth floor was my next port of call. Mr. Milani greeted me as the doors opened. Mr. McEwan sat on the red leather sofa to the right of the elevator.

When I stepped out of the elevator, Mr. Milani proffered his right hand.

‘Henry O’Connell, it is wonderful to see you again,’ he said. He over-smiled at me, and shook my hand in earnest.

What have you done Mr. Milani?

I narrowed my eyes at him to try to pick up on any non-verbal cues that he was inadvertently trying to send to me.

Nothing ...

‘Mr. Milani. It is wonderful to see you too. I have come for Mr. McEwan. I believe that he has finished his session with you today,’ I said, still waiting for some sign from Mr. Milani to guide me.

He looked away from me and to Mr. McEwan. ‘Elliot, Henry is here for you. Thank-you for coming to see me, and I will be here at any time that you choose to see me again. Have a nice day.’

Elliot McEwan looked up at him with a face void of emotion, nodded and smiled at him as if it were orchestrated. He stood and turned to face me. I gestured for him to enter the elevator and shook Mr. Milani’s hand before I closed the elevator doors to begin our coast to the ground floor.

‘Mr. McEwan, you are looking better,’ I said to him while he leaned against the hand rail of the elevator.

‘Thank-you Henry, I am feeling pretty good today. Mr. Milani gave me some tickets to the football tonight. I am feeling pumped!’

‘Excellent—I haven’t been to the football in a while now.’ Well actually I have never been in my four hundred years ... ‘Just a tip Mr. McEwan… Sarah Flynn likes to use this elevator. It may be a good idea if you choose a different elevator from now on,’ I suggested to him, eyeing his reaction to the mention of Sarah’s name.

He frowned and shook his head.

‘Who is Sarah Flynn? Should I know her?’ he asked.

‘Oh forgive me. I thought that I had seen you talking to her at one stage. It must have been someone else. Enjoy the football tonight!’ I said to end the conversation when he stepped out of the elevator smiling.

‘Thank-you for helping me Henry, I am most grateful.’

He strolled off at a casual pace like he didn’t have a care in the world. I started to question Mr. Milani’s therapy. What was it that he did with his clients? They seemed like different people once they had returned from a “session” with him.

The remainder of the day stretched out painfully to conclude after the mentally exhausting morning of keeping the balance in the world, and preventing a multi-dimensional war between the different kinds of immortals. The cool evening air on my face was a welcome sensation while I walked home.

Albert’s mood was unreadable when I entered the apartment, and it worried me. He worked in the kitchen putting the finishing touches onto our dinner. He had become quite the master chef in his four hundred years.

‘Buonasera,’ I said when I leaned Sarah’s painting up against the wall and walked over to him.

‘Yes, good evening Liam. You didn’t stop by at the bar with your work colleagues tonight I see,’ he said.

‘No, I was not in the mood. My concern was with you,’ I said and looked into his eyes to gauge his true feelings.

He looked away from me the moment I tried to connect. ‘I am not of your concern Liam. I am your Protector, not the other way around. I made your mother a promise. One that I will keep. Now sit yourself at the dining table. I have prepared an exquisite meal for us tonight,’ he commanded.

I grabbed the wine glasses and headed to the table. The red wine was already opened to let it breathe I presume, unless Albert had been sampling it whilst he cooked. He was such a mortal in that way.

I pulled out a chair for Matisse. She always joined us at the table while we ate. I wondered what she knew, and how much she could understand.

‘When were you aware that they would be visiting me today?’ I asked, knowing well that he did not always give in to my request for information.

‘Two days ago. They had not decided on a time until this morning. That is why I had to hang around. Your day was most unremarkable until they turned up.’

‘What did you think of Sarah’s painting? Should I be concerned by it?’

‘She has talent for sure. No need to be concerned though. We can wipe her memory if we have to.’

‘What were the immortals after? Could you look into their minds?’

‘One was scared witless, the other did not want to be present, and the dominant one was the one running the show. He felt threatened by you, and was ready to kill you if he had to. They have not finished with you yet. We are mulling around in their minds. They have more questions than answers. They will come at you again Liam!’

‘Sarah ... may see me as two different people Albert,’ I threw into our conversation.

‘Is that so? Perhaps she is smarter than you think. Perhaps she knows that a conversation is quite closed with Henry because of time and place, and that a conversation with Liam is open and can be on a more personal level. Don’t underestimate her Liam. She is just playing the game that you started!’ he replied with humour evident in his voice.

‘How was he planning to kill me Albert?’

‘What is with you tonight Liam? Your conversation is all over the place! Just say, what you really want to say and be done with it!’

I could not look at him after that. It would be best not to tell him what was on my mind, and I would not let him in to read it without permission either. I chose to remain silent.

‘What is worse? The muddle-headed talking, or the silence?’ Albert asked in frustration after a short while.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. I did not speak because I did not know how to express what I wanted to say about giving my life for his.

‘Ti sei eccelso con la cena di stasera Albert,’ I said finally, but it had nothing to do with what I wanted to talk about.

He looked at me and cocked his right eyebrow at the compliment I had given him on his excellence in cooking.

‘And the wine is the perfect accompaniment for the red meat,’ I added, trying to break the awkwardness between us.

He started to chuckle out loud. It was a deep belly laugh so contagious that I laughed with him. He was right. I was being ridiculous.

I picked up my wine glass and touched it to his. ‘To my wonderful friend, my Protector, my Guide. Life on the Earth as an immortal would be unbearable if you were not here!’

‘Touché, except if you would hurry up and learn your lessons, we could return to our own realm, and not have to watch the mortals suffer as they do upon the Earth.’

‘Albert … I would die to protect you. It is my choice,’ I said in a quiet voice while I swirled the wine around in my glass. There. I spoke my mind, unsure of how he would react. Our roles upon the Earth were very different, and very particular.

Albert stood up and slammed his hand down on the table. The impact forced the plates and cutlery to rebound into the air before they returned to the table with a loud clatter. I stopped swirling the wine and looked up at him.

‘I. AM. YOUR. PROTECTOR! I have made a promise! I have taken an oath! The death of you means the death penalty for me. Two dead instead of one! You must accept your place in this caper Liam. You must remember why you were fast tracked to live an immortal life on the Earth. Our time is running out. You have already been warned!’ And with that, Albert straightened his posture, and left the table with an abruptness that pierced my being.

And for the first time in my walk on the Earth, I had to clean up after dinner.

‘Il coraggio, la temperanza, la saggezza, la giustizia, la pazienza, courage, temperance, wisdom, justice, patience,’ I meditated on these five words as I held the blue energy mass of light, letting it lift me higher until I experienced my spirit free from my body. I wanted to stay there floating above my human form. But I would pay the price for it with physical exhaustion.

In submission, I re-entered my body and felt the burden of the heaviness of the bone, muscle, blood and organs that were anchored to the Earth by gravity.

I watched the blue mass of energy ascend to hover above me when I released how accurate Sarah’s reproduction of the energy was in her painting.

To my left, the lesser red ball of caution still hovered. The danger was not finished. I wondered what the key was to stop all of this from happening. I wondered where the key was to unlock the mysterious lessons that I must learn to enter into mortal life to die to enter the spiritual realm again.

I must be missing something ...

I was quietly confident that I had learned courage, temperance, wisdom, justice and patience in my four hundred years.

What else could there be that I had to learn?

Before I gave in to the delta sleep zone for ministering, I set my mind to search for answers while I was in an unconscious state.

All things are possible ...

CHAPTER NINE

Nothingness filled my bedroom at the dawning of the new day. For four hundred years I had been woken to the sounds and aromas of breakfast being prepared by Albert. But not today. There was nothing. And it worried me.

A wave of dread rippled through me. Had I angered him that much with my declaration of wanting to protect him? I had offered it with affection and deep respect for him from my heart.

I rose from bed and clothed my nakedness. I walked down the hall and hesitated near Albert’s room. His door was ajar the tiniest of a fraction. I heard his murmuring voice, but I could not decipher exactly what he was saying.

I gazed through the slot between the door and the door frame and saw Albert kneeling. His hands were joined in front of him, as if he were in prayer. His aura was gold, bright and strong. Whatever he was praying about was heavy duty.

I continued down the hallway and into the kitchen and prepared breakfast for the both of us, in the best way that I knew how, considering my lack of cooking experience. Just as I placed our plates onto the breakfast table, Albert appeared—his face anguished.

‘Liam, please forgive me for my lack of attention to your needs, and also to my duty.’ He sounded as though he was on the verge of tears.

‘It is not as though I am your king, or superior, Albert. Let me serve you with a thankful heart. Sit down and enjoy my peace offering to you,’ I said, feeling sympathy for this remarkable man before me.

He stared at me momentarily, and blinked before he finally took his seat. He looked at my version of an English Breakfast before he picked up his knife and fork, then hesitated before he pushed his fork into a sausage.

‘Did you cook the sausages, bacon and eggs on medium high?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you sauté the mushrooms in garlic butter?’

‘Yes.’

‘Did you grow the tomatoes?’

‘No, I materialized them out of thin air! Of course I did not grow the tomatoes. Did you?’

‘Did you turn the tea pot three times anticlockwise and three times clockwise?’

‘What if I didn’t?’

‘Did you stir the tea in the pot?’

‘No I infused the tea leaves with the slightly cooled boiled water so that I didn’t burn the delicate tea leaves before I turned the pot three times anticlockwise and then three times clockwise! What is up you this morning?’

He stopped chewing and looked at me with a forlorn look on his face. ‘My heart is heavy that you would choose to die to protect me. Do you not see that I would not be able to live with myself if you died and I lived? My promise to your mother would be broken, and I will be destroyed Liam, forever sickened to the core of my being because I did not look after you. You must allow me to keep my word.’ Albert looked deeply into my eyes cutting to the core of my being.

‘Albert, I am far stronger than you are and would be able to save us both. I do not wish to see you die as an immortal on the Earth unable to enter the spiritual dimension!’

He let out a boisterous laugh. ‘You are deceived if you think that you are stronger than I am Liam. This old ravaged bony disengaged body is a decoy. It gives me the psychological edge in battle. My strength will outperform yours a multitude of times. This is what I was created for—to be a Protector. This is what I do! You have to trust me!’ Albert spat bitterly before he held up his right hand with his fingers splayed.

I connected my left fingertips to his right fingertips. In one mind bending moment he exploded out of his diminishing Earth form before my eyes. It was a vision, much like a hologram, where I saw him for whom and what he was. He was not the spindly little figure of an ugly old man who looked somewhat like a cripple that he presented to us. He was intensely powerful in body and mind, able to repel, and reduce his enemies to mere shadows of their former selves with either brute force, or through mind manipulation. He was a true Protector—pure of heart. He was also an immensely beautiful being.

He withdrew his hand and smirked at me. I now realized that I would never be a spirit as powerful as he was. I shrunk at my foolishness and hoped that he would forgive me. ‘Ti prego perdonami?’ I said with sincerity, and connected my soul to his through our eye contact.

‘You are forgiven my friend,’ he said in a serious tone. ‘You will not be without punishment though Liam. You will have to be subject to my cooking until death do we part, as mortals!’ Albert looked up at me with the slight hint of humour playing around his lips.

‘Death by Albert cooking it is then!’ I replied, and smiled at him. I held up my teacup as a toast.

‘Put your tea cup down at once. That is so uncouth! Have you not learnt anything here in your four hundred years boy?’ Albert grunted.

I sipped my tea loudly. ‘Not. Otherwise we would not still be here! Please excuse me while I change for work.’

Albert was in the kitchen when I approached the front door to leave.

‘Are you expecting to see anyone today Liam? Matisse says that you smell nice.’

‘I don’t know Albert, you tell me. You are the one who can see things before it happens.’

‘Only if it is consequential you do realize. Enjoy your day and stay out of trouble,’ he added before I closed the door and entered the street-scape. I pulled my collar up and around my neck.

The moment I entered the Metropolis Mirage something felt amiss. Silence echoed off the walls and bounced on the marble floor. Only one elevator remained in operation with the night watchman: Elevator Thirteen.

I entered the staff door to head to my locker to suit up for the day. My comrades held letters in their hands—identical letters. I narrowed my eyes as I looked around the room.

I returned my gaze to my locker and entered my security code. I opened the door to the view of a personally addressed letter sitting atop my shoes. I looked over to my right at the letters held in the hands of my work buddies. They were one and the same.

I hesitated before I lifted the envelope and opened it.

‘Dear Mr O’Connell,

It is with a heavy heart that I write to you to this early morning. I am the bearer of bad news to Elevator Operators.

The Metropolis Mirage Body Corporate has decided that it is time that we update some of our elevators to self-service. The world is changing, and we must change with it. However, to keep residential occupants happy, we will retain four elevator operators for those who prefer the services of a personal Elevator Operator.’

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Nine Elevator Operators were about to lose their jobs, their livelihoods. I hoped that one would be me. Not because I did not like my job, but because some of the men here had wives and children to feed, clothe and put a roof over their heads. I read on.

‘You are required to see Mr. Bellini at 10:00am. During this meeting you will learn the fate of your employment. I am deeply sorry that I have to deliver this news to you, and I wish you the best for your future.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. J. Wilson,

For the Metropolis Mirage Body Corporate. ’

Now I understood the uncomfortable silence in the room. I reached for my bottle of water and sipped it slowly. I let the coolness of the water flow over my tongue, and let it trickle down my throat to my anxiety filled stomach.

I looked up to my right and saw the red flashing light on the security camera. We were being watched.

She sat on the white leather sofa alone, presumably waiting for  someone. Her longs legs were crossed and her right arm slung over her leg. Beside her, she balanced two parcels wrapped in plain brown paper with string around them.

Every time that someone entered the building, her head turned towards them, and then turned back to the cell phone that she was reading.

She sat in the same position for twenty-six minutes until her cell phone rang, at which point she stood up and answered it, and looked out of the glass window at the park. Then, as if given an instruction, she about turned, picked up the parcels and headed my way.

‘Good day Miss Flynn, which floor tickles your fancy today?’ I asked, and dipped my head towards her with a slight smile on my face.

‘Floor thirty-eight please Mr. O’Connell,’ she replied.

‘You are heading up to Mrs. Rossetti’s apartment?’ I asked frowning at her, trying to stifle my surprise at her visiting Mrs. Rossetti.

‘Indeed I am Mr. O’Connell. She asked me to paint two portraits of Selena for her, and I am delivering them to her today,’ she answered, bobbing her head up and down looking at me.

‘Good for you Miss Flynn,’ I responded and looked into her green eyes.

Her face flushed and she looked away from me. ‘Why weren’t you at the bar last night?’

I narrowed my eyes at her and clasped my gloved hands together in front of me.

‘You go there two or three nights after work don’t you? Except last night you were not there. Where were you?’ she said before I could answer her first question. She turned her gaze back to me.

‘My uncle needed me last night, so I chose to help him out instead of indulging my liking for alcohol,’ I replied. I lowered my head and looked into the depth of her eyes, curious as to why she was tracking my movements. ‘Do you go to the bar every night?’ I asked.

‘No. I was just hoping that I would see Liam there, that is all,’ she answered as the doors pinged.

‘Be gentle with Mrs. Rossetti Miss Flynn. She is old and grieving and needs some tenderness at the moment,’ I said, and indicated for her to exit the elevator.

Sarah cocked her head to one side and widened her eyes at me while she put her hand on her hip. She was about to rebuke me, but I put my finger to her lips to stop her.

‘You are a red head after all Miss Flynn!’ I whispered against her ear, sending my blue energy around her before I stepped back into the elevator. I closed the doors and disappeared from her view, descending the bowels of the elevator shaft to the ground floor again.

Within fifteen minutes my elevator arrived at the thirty-eighth floor again. I steeled myself for the ear bashing from Miss Flynn. However, she entered the elevator arm in arm with Mrs. Rossetti. They looked very snug.

What are you up to girls?

‘Good afternoon girls. To the beauty parlour, shopping floor, cafe or ground floor ladies?’ I asked, looking at Mrs. Rossetti and avoiding all eye contact with Miss Flynn.

‘We, Mr. O’Connell, are headed to the pet store. Mrs. Rossetti has  decided to add another family member to her household. And I am privileged to be attending with her to meet the little four footed adorable pup that awaits her,’ Miss Flynn responded in a matter-of-fact voice.

I smiled at her. I had offended her by my earlier remark. It resonated in the curt tone of her voice.

‘Well, enjoy yourselves my lovelies. A bouncing fluffy four legged bundle of dog will melt your hearts and charm your senses until you find yourself head over heels in love with the little innocent eyed hairy beast! Shall I expect to meet it soon Mrs. Rossetti?’

‘Henry, I certainly hope so,’ she replied.

‘It is not too soon after the passing of Selena do you think Mrs. Rossetti?’ I asked, concerned for her state of mind.

‘Oh my giddy aunt Henry! It is never too soon to welcome a beautiful puppy into one’s family,’ she replied looking at me, and then at Miss Flynn. A wide smile spread over her face from ear to ear.

I smiled at her and bowed my head.

We arrived at the ground floor, and they departed the building to head to the pet store down the street. The tapping of their shoes along the marble floor of the foyer echoed until they exited the building, arm in arm.

Five minutes later my elevator doors closed. I had been summoned to the thirteenth floor. I took a deep breath through my nostrils. Not that I had to. I did not need to breathe to live. But it did seem to still my nerves in trying situations.

Mr. Bellini waited for me outside his office. He paced from the left to the right and back again. He held a cell phone to his ear and placed his hand on his forehead and nodded his head often.

I slowed when I came near to him, and felt negative energy bouncing off him. I stopped before him and waited for him to finish his call. He indicated for me to enter his office, whilst he still held the cell phone to his ear, and then followed me in.

I sat in the black chair of doom.

I wondered how many times the occupant of the black chair had heard the words of doom today; the words informing them of the cessation of their employment. Would I be one of them? I rested my elbows on the arms of the chair and clasped my hands in front of me, just below my mouth.

‘So Mr. O’Connell, it appears that you did not present yourself for your appointment time today,’ Mr. Bellini spoke in a low tone just audible to the ear.

‘Indeed, it appears that I did not Mr. Bellini,’ I answered and looked directly into his eyes. ‘I choose to be one of the nine to be made redundant from my position of employment with The Metropolis Mirage. I do not have a wife, children, or a residence which require a steady income as many of the other operator dukes have. So I am asking you to choose me to walk out that door today and to never return.’