50

HELP

Angelee and Chris were enjoying the beautiful afternoon at the pool behind the cottage. The young mother was reclining in a chair, watching her little boy splash around in the shallow water, and admiring the rich fall colors of the surrounding vineyards.

Suddenly a big holo of footage from the roof security camera appeared in the air near them, projected by the Living House from equipment inside the invisible canopy over the pool.

“Angelee,” Vera’s voice said, “a BASS aerocar is approaching the house from the northeast. The identity of the driver is Michael Ares.”

While it said this, the house displayed a zoomed view of the descending car, showing Michael’s face through the windshield. But Angelee and Chris barely even saw it, because she was leaping out of the chair and he was scrambling out of the pool. She took the boy in her arms and carried him through the house, to meet the man of her dreams when he landed in the front. On the way through, she stopped to look at herself in the mirror, and straightened the mesh shawl over the white swimsuit. She wished that she could shower and dress up for what she strongly felt was going to be her wedding day. Michael had come back, like he promised, and that could only mean he was ready now to take her as his wife.

Angelee rushed out of the front door, only to see the aero land farther down the driveway instead of next to the ground car that was closer to the house. This seemed unusual to her, and so did the fact that the aero let Michael out of the passenger side and took off again. But the puzzled look on her face was replaced by a bright smile when she saw him walking toward her. She ran toward him and threw her left arm around his waist, while Chris hugged his chest.

“I knew you’d come back,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “We’ll be so happy together!”

The man took Chris from her arms and lifted him up so he could get a good look at the little boy. He shook his head, laughing a little as he did, and Angelee noticed that he had a tear on his cheek too. Then he swung Chris up and onto his shoulders, like the boy’s father had done many times. Michael had never played that way with Chris before, and Angelee had thought it was because he never had a son. But now he seemed like an old pro at it.

They walked toward the house together, and as they passed the BASS car parked in front of it, Michael took a keycard out of his pocket and touched it to make sure it worked. The doors of the car beeped, proving that it did, and he put the card back in his pocket. As they passed into the house, the man ducked dramatically so Chris’s head wouldn’t hit the top of the doorway, and the little boy squealed in delight. He said that he wanted to show his new dad how well he was learning to swim, so they all went out to the pool. As he passed through the house, Angelee noticed that Michael was looking at the different parts of it with obvious admiration, as if he had never seen it before. And when he sat down outside next to the pool, she noticed from then on that he was looking at her and admiring her in the same way.

She ran inside and picked out a bottle of the expensive wine for both of them, and felt his eyes on her again while she poured it and then stood before him holding her glass. She could also feel the gentle November wind, blowing her hair back and pressing the shawl against the front of her body.

“So is it the right time now,” she asked him, “for us to become one?”

“I guess it is,” he said, and she immediately let herself go and returned his admiring stare. She studied his beautiful blue eyes, then did a double take because she had always thought they were green. But they were still beautiful, whatever color they were. And she noticed there was another thing different about his face, too.

“You’re growing a beard,” she said.

“Yeah, I like beards,” he responded, then shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Listen, Angelee. I need to be sure that this is what you really want. Someone told me that I’m very broken and need a lot of help … and he’s right, I do need help. You don’t really know me…” He paused and was thinking about what else to say, but she interrupted him.

“That is what I want,” she said. “I want to help you when you need help. All I really have to know is what I believe, that we’re meant to be together. And Chris and I need your help, too.” She looked over at the little boy playing in the pool, who waved at both of them. “So what are we waiting for? It’s about time for his nap.”

He shrugged and smiled, and they clinked their glasses together.

“You never had a beard before,” she said after they tried the wine. “I like it, it looks really good on you.”

“I’m so ready to start a new life,” he said, downing the rest of the glass in a few gulps. “I might even change my name.” He watched for her reaction.

“Like I did!” she said with glee. “Yes, that would be great. I added ‘angel’ to mine, and Chris is named after the hero in the pilgrim book.” She thought for a moment, and then had an idea: “You could take the first name of the man who wrote it.”

He asked what it was, and somehow knew the answer even before he heard it.