23

MEANT TO BE

The car that Angelee drove to the store, with Chris in the backseat, was the nicest one she’d ever been in, even though it was intentionally plain so as not to be noticed. She was so glad that her late husband had made her get a driver’s license, even though they had never owned a car and she only drove his uncle Otto’s truck once in a while when Peter was at work (he rode the bus and train). Shopping for her knight in shining armor, and planning to cook for him, made her feel happier than she had been since her early days with Peter, or maybe when she first met Michael at the shelter a few months before. “Michael”—Did she dare call him that? If they were going to be married, then she would have to, right?

She pranced proudly through the store while Chris watched TV in the cart, the wad of cash burning a hole in her little purse made of cracked imitation leather. When she reached the cashier, she felt the urge to tell the man that she was shopping for—and living with!—a very important person who had saved her life. But then she remembered her vow of secrecy and felt ashamed that the thought of betraying his trust had even entered into her mind.

On the way back to the vineyard cottage, she was ruminating (again) on the new man in her life, and the thought that he didn’t seem to share Peter’s faith, or her weaker version for that matter, flashed unwelcomed into her mind. Would her late husband not approve of her marrying an unbeliever? He had told her several times that she should remarry if something happened to him, but surely that would be a condition. And would she be really happy if they weren’t on the same page spiritually? But she pushed such thoughts out of her mind, reasoning that God had brought them together, for sure, so He would take care of that. And then God gave her an idea right then, when Chris pointed at the car’s entertainment system and asked, “Can you play my movie?” She knew he was referring to the treasured holo that his father had given him, which he played over and over again.

“No,” she answered, “but when we get home, you can watch it on your amp. Maybe Mr. Ares would like to see it.”

This, she thought, would be a good way for her savior to be introduced to her other Savior. So when she reached the cottage, the first thing she did after announcing her name at the front door and watching it open for her was to make a beeline to her room and get the old amp that contained the movie. She turned it on and watched the crude holo appear above it. Then she turned up the volume higher than usual, and told Chris to sit and watch it in the room next to the kitchen, hoping that Michael would overhear it. The door to his room was closed, so her next step was to knock on it. She heard him say “Wait a minute” from inside the door, and then soon he was opening it. Once again, she caught her breath merely at the sight of him.

“I-I wondered…,” she stammered. “Would you like to help me carry in the groceries, and see what I got?” He answered “Um” and looked back into the room behind him, so she added, “I know you’re busy.”

“No, what I’m doing can wait,” he said, and closed the door when he exited the room, as if what was going in there had been private.

“What were you doing?” she asked, because it was the only thing that came to mind, but immediately regretted invading his privacy.

“I was…” He hesitated, as if he was thinking about whether there was any reason to lie or refuse to answer. He must have decided there wasn’t, because he eventually said, “I was watching a holo from my past.”

“Oh,” Angelee said, as they reached the car and started carrying the bags in. “Chris loves watching an old holo of his own. He’s watching it now.”

She was all in, with no hesitation to work her plan, because she was so confident that this relationship was meant to be. But he didn’t take the bait, and changed the subject.

“Did you have any problem at the store?”

“No, everything went great.”

“Well, I really appreciate you doing this.” He smiled kindly, and she melted inside again. And for the next half hour or so, he helped her bring the food in, watched her put it away from a stool at the kitchen island, and listened to her explain some of the meals she was going to make for him.

In the background, especially when she wasn’t talking, the narration and dialogue from Chris’s holo could be clearly heard in the kitchen. She was excited about some of the parts that wafted through the air, knowing what they said and some of what they meant, because she had heard it so many times before, and Peter had explained it to her and Chris.

“I perceive by the book in my hand,” the main character said, “that I am condemned to die, and after that to come to judgment, and I find that I am not willing to do the first, nor able to do the second.” A little later Angelee caught a glimpse of the face of the man named Pliable, who smiled a big smile and said, “This is very pleasant” when told about the Celestial City, then shortly after she could see him covered with mud from the swamp and not smiling anymore. Instead he was saying angrily, “Is this the happiness you have told me all this while of?”

Michael didn’t seem to notice or care about this background noise for a while, so Angelee thought the silent prayers she had been throwing up were all in vain. But then after a lapse in the conversation, when she was almost done putting away the goods, he did say something about it.

“Is that the Bible?” he asked, looking toward the little boy and his old holopad.

“Almost,” she said, hiding her excitement.

“That’s funny,” he went on, ignoring her enigmatic answer. “I talked to your husband about that when he helped me. I got the impression he was trying to convert me.”

“He probably was,” she said. “He did that a lot.”

“And what about you?” He made a circle with his hand, obviously finding it awkward to even discuss this. “Are you…?”

“Peter was always more committed than me,” she said. “But I believe, too … especially now that God brought you into my life.”

“Let’s just … take it slow,” he said, standing up from the stool and clearing his throat nervously. “Do you understand?” She nodded. “So you said that Chris likes the pool, right?” She nodded again, trying not to look too disappointed, and he added, “Let me show you something.”

Michael led them both outside, and for the first time Angelee noticed just how beautiful this location was, since the pool deck was raised slightly, affording them an amazing view of the vineyards all around, and the hills in the distance. There were a few tall winery buildings a good distance away, but no houses in sight, only the rows of dark yellows, maroons, and some remaining greens of the autumn grapevines. Angelee was rather naïve to the ways of the rich, but she knew enough to know this was prime real estate. Michael’s former lover must have been an important person, too—or maybe he had helped her to buy it.

“Vera,” he said to the lukewarm air, “make the whole pool two feet deep.” And she did; in a matter of seconds the water dropped down to that height, the broad steps at both ends reaching down that far, obviously designed to accommodate any depth desired.

“So Chris can play in the water as long as he wants, without you having to worry about his safety. Or if you want to swim yourself but keep an eye on him, you can do this: Vera, return half the pool to five feet.”

The water immediately rose on the far side of the pool, and with it a transteel barrier that held it in and allowed the near side to remain shallow. Michael also explained that there was an invisible canopy over the whole pool area made of the same material, which allowed the air inside it to stay warm, and blocked only the harmful rays from the sun. He told Vera what temperature the air and water should be.

“Can I go in the water, Mommy?” the little boy asked, his attention finally diverted from the holo, which he had paused.

“I think so,” she said, then looked at Michael. “There’s only one problem. I don’t have a swimsuit.” He grunted a “Hmmm,” and they both thought for a moment.

“Why don’t you look through Tara’s stuff in your room?” he said finally. “I’m sure she has something you can wear in there.”

“She won’t mind?”

“She won’t know,” he said. “So I’m sure she won’t mind.”

“Okay. Come on, Chris, let’s get changed.” And they both hurried off excitedly.

Once in the room, she put some shorts on Chris, over his pull-up, then rooted through the closets and drawers for a swimsuit. The most modest one she found was a white two-piece with a brand name that made it more expensive than a month’s rent in the apartment she and her husband had lived in. She went into the bathroom and put it on, looking at herself from various angles, feeling a little guilty, but only a little because of the overwhelming sense she had that she was destined to be with Michael, because of all that had happened and the fact that she felt the same way she did with Peter before they were married. She knew that she might have to wait a while for that physical union with this man, judging by some of his reactions, but she believed the spiritual connection was already there because God saw all of time at once, as Peter had taught her. So in God’s plan and in His eyes they were already together.

Back in the room, she found a beach shawl in the same drawer, to cover up a bit until she got out to the pool, and as she was slipping it on she noticed a frame sitting on top of the drawers. In it was a picture of a slightly younger Michael, with his arm around a woman that she presumed was Tara, the owner of the house. They were by the pool, and were both wearing swimsuits, the woman in the same white suit. The first thing Angelee noticed about the picture was Michael’s body, which was as nice as she had imagined. Then she noticed that the woman was very beautiful herself, a milky skinned mixture of black and white who was much taller than Angelee. The next thing she thought about, which had the effect of dampening some of her excitement, was that the picture was still displayed, so it seemed to contradict Michael’s claim that he and Tara had broken up years ago. But then Angelee realized that the picture did seem to be taken a while ago, and the woman may have still been pining for him after all this time. I can understand that, she thought to herself.

She looked around cautiously, even though she knew Chris was the only other person in the room, and turned the frame facedown on the shelf. Then she grabbed Chris’s hand and led him out to the pool.

Michael was still out there, sitting in a chair and soaking up the sun and the view. She took hope from this, because he was a busy man and could have easily disappeared back into his room. Maybe he had wanted to see her again …

“I found those toys in the shed,” he said, pointing to the colorful objects lined up by the pool. “I remembered Tara got them for her niece, who visited once in a while.”

She took off the shawl and helped Chris into the pool, and he started splashing almost immediately. She pulled most of the toys into the pool for him one by one, and as she did, she got the impression that Michael was trying not to look at her, but not entirely succeeding.

“Do you want to come in?” she asked him. “I think Chris is okay—we could swim in the other part.” She gestured to the deeper half, behind the transteel barrier.

“Uh, thanks,” he said, “but no, I have some calls to make. Gotta get to work, you know?” He stood up and tossed the last remaining toy to Chris, and added, “Have fun, and let me know when dinner’s ready.”

“Okay,” she said, and studied him as he walked into the house, comparing him to her first husband and thinking there wasn’t much comparison. But Peter was a very spiritual man, and this one wasn’t—she could just tell, by spending even this small amount of time with him. So she resolved again to introduce him to Chris’s holo whenever she could, so that if they did come together, they could be one in every way.