Eight

 

 

Rosalinda patted her braided coronet as she stared into the long standing mirror that days ago had been brought into Casey's room. "All right, señorita… now, watch me. Grasp your skirt and hold it to your hip. Lift your chin, knowing you are equal to any man, especially a man who challenges you with passion. And then… stomp your foot, like so!"

Casey watched as this child/woman did a remarkably simple yet sexy move of her body, as though not only answering a male's challenge but raising the bar a notch or two with staccato footwork. "Hmm," she murmured, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "I don't know, Rosa. That looks good on you, but I think I'm a bit too old to be the femme fatale. Didn't exactly work for me… before."

Rosalinda turned around and grinned. "Well, of course it didn't work for you before! You thought… thought you were someone else then. A nun." The girl seemed to be trying not to hurt her feelings. "Now you have put that behind you and you will see what kind of woman you truly are."

Slumping back to sit on the edge of the bed, Casey stared at her. "How did you get this smart? It was your mother, wasn't it? She taught you?"

Rosalinda sighed. "Yes, my mami is very wise, but it just makes sense to me, Casey. I, too, thought once I might have a vocation, that I might want to devote myself to God. I was very serious and talked to my friend Alvara, and Sister Bernardina. That was when I knew whatever I wanted to do, I could do it as a vocation. If I wanted to be a wife and a mother, I could. If I wanted to dance the flamenco on stage, I could." She resumed her dancing position and stomped her foot. Grinning, she added, "I could serve any way I choose."

"I think your parents might disagree with your last example." Casey laughed and shook her head at the teenager. "You are something else, Rosalinda d'Montoya, you know that?"

"I don't understand. Of course I am something else. I can't be you." Chuckling, Rosalinda reached down and gently pulled Casey back to her feet. "Only you can be you, Casey O'Reilly. I think it's now time to begin finding out who you are, don't you?"

How she wanted to tell Rosa that she hadn't been in any convent. That the whole tiling was made up. She paused, and suddenly she felt like she really had been away for a very long time. In truth, she might just as well have been in a convent for all the good being available had gotten her. Four serious relationships had ended for the same reason. The men didn't want to commit. Now, what the hell had made her think of that? As soon as she asked the question, her mind played out that scene of her father wanting to leave and her mother pleading, accusing. And she experienced the fear she had felt as a child at the overwhelming situation.

What the hell had made all those relationships fail? Had she pushed too hard? Was she really that clingy? Was it some childhood fear of betrayal or abandonment? She wanted to take that tiny, frightened girl into her arms and hug her until she wasn't scared anymore. What a thing for a child of three years old to walk into without any warning!

"Casey…" Rosalinda shook her arm. "What's wrong? You look just like you did the other day in the street."

Casey blinked and smiled at the girl. "Don't worry. I'm okay. Maybe better than okay." She did feel better, now that the shock of that buried memory and its power had lessened. What had this teenager said to her? It was time to find out just who she really was?

Was she someone different? If she was, then who had she been? she wondered. Could she be someone different in a relationship now, without that buried fear? It was mind-boggling and yet she almost wanted to laugh at the lightness she felt.

"Bueno. I'm glad you are feeling better." Rosalinda smiled, then added, "But you have only a short time before you meet with Señor Luke for your next dance lesson. You have done fairly well with the steps. Now we must work with… how do you say it… ?" Rosalinda once more grabbed her gown, exposing the ruffled underslip, and held the material in a fist that rested upon an outthrust right hip. "We must work… with attitude!"

Both females burst out laughing.

Even though many things had changed over the last hundred years and it was hard to communicate at times, the language they were speaking now was one that was understood by women throughout all time. What a riot to have this happen with this particular person, someone she'd had to travel back in time to meet!

Stifling her laugh, Casey said, "All right, girlfriend. Show me. This is my fourth lesson with Señor Luke, and I want to knock his socks off." Holy shit, was this who she really was? Again she had to bite her bottom lip not to giggle like a teenager. Well, she certainly was enjoying herself now!

She was passing the time with interesting, gracious people, learning to dance the flamenco, and falling for a man who—

She froze with her last thought. She couldn't be! She wouldn't allow this to happen. Not now! Not with him! Attraction was one thing, but falling in love?

"Casey, whatever is going through your head is not the attitude I was speaking about. Look, you must do it like this," Rosalinda said with an extremely poised look on her face.

"You're right," she answered, making up her mind that she was in charge of herself now. There wasn't anyone here to give her advice, not about being attracted to a time traveler. She knew now these people didn't really know what Luke did. She had no choice but to listen to herself in this situation. She could get through this.

All she needed was the right attitude.

"All right then, Rosa," she said, holding her soft cotton skirt in her hand and resting it on her hip. "Show me again."

The two practiced dance steps, with attitude, for the next half hour until it was time for Casey to meet Luke and Manuel, their faithful guitarist, in the courtyard. Wearing a full green skirt with a white ruffled petticoat, Casey adjusted her white, gauzy blouse and, daringly, opened the top button. She glanced down at the tips of the black leather shoes Doña Isabela had given her. The heels were chunky; when she stomped, she had to admit, it sounded pretty… well, attitudinal. She was ready.

He was studying the smoke from his thin cigar when she entered the courtyard. She stopped for just a moment to take in the scene. Wearing dark brown slacks and a thin white cotton shirt with ruffles at the cuffs, Luke appeared like a hero out of a romance novel. Casey almost groaned. She didn't read those books…Well, okay, maybe she'd read a few on vacations, ones recommended by a coworker, but she never thought that type of man could really exist. And now here he was, standing right in front of her. He was so handsome the very thought he might be interested in her as anything more than a traveling companion seemed ludicrous. She didn't care what Juana had told her, a man like Luke could have any woman he wanted. They seemed to gravitate toward him and melt in his presence.

She was not about to become a groupie to a time traveler!

He glanced at her and immediately smiled, as though very pleased by her arrival. She was not about to read anything more into it than that. Or possibly give anything more for him to pick up on with his crazy spidey senses. They had spent the last four days meeting and dancing for an hour or so, being dinner partners, and enjoying the company of this delightful family. They were friends now. Strange friends, but friends nonetheless. And that was all, regardless of what her body was telling her.

"Ah, señorita…" Luke said as he walked in her direction. "I do think the Southwest agrees with you. Even this time period, it appears. You look muy bonita."

She knew that meant very pretty. He was always complimenting her, but then he complimented everyone, even Manuel when he played with passion. Why should she think anything else? She shouldn't. She couldn't. What she needed was some of Rosalinda's attitude right about now.

"Gracias, señor," she managed to say smoothly, as she walked into the courtyard and met him halfway across the rough tile they used as a dance floor. She really did like the way her heels clicked over it, announcing each step.

"You seem… different this afternoon, Casey." His smile widened with appreciation.

She actually grinned. "Ahh, so I wasn't lovely before and now I am?"

"You actually think I'm about to walk into that one?" He chuckled and puffed on his cigar. "Please give me credit for more intelligence than that."

"Oh, I give you credit for intelligence, Luke," she answered, wishing she had a cigar of her own to make her point, or something with a little more attitude, for Luke's close presence was devastating. "I was merely teasing."

He raised his head slightly as he exhaled. "Lightheartedness becomes you, señorita," he said with a smile. Tossing his cigar butt to the grass, he turned and added, "let us see if your steps are as light… Shall we dance?" There was that smile again.

She nearly groaned. How in the world was she supposed to pull this off?

"Casey?"

Blinking, she stared into his soft brown eyes, which held flecks of amber and gold and— Stop it! She simply had to get control of herself. "Yes. Let's dance."

He held out his arm and she placed her hand on his palm, watching the way his fingers closed over her own and pulled her into his arms. This was dancing, right? She had to get anything more out of her mind. Attitude. That was it. She needed some attitude.

They assumed their usual dancing position and Casey took a deep breath as she was held in Luke's arms. Dancing really can be so intimate… No wonder some men are intimidated by it, she thought. But not this one… He seemed to like intimacy, especially with her mind, and now her own body was falling under his spell.

He nodded to Manuel and the passionate flamenco music began.

She followed easily, now somewhat accustomed to the steps and to Luke's sure guidance. It was like a tango, not that she'd ever danced the tango, except at Amy's wedding when she'd had too much to drink and had dragged her sister onto the dance floor. What she was doing with Luke was nothing quite so silly. This really was romantic, or one could choose to take it romantically. She didn't know what she wanted at this point, except not to stumble or stomp on his foot, as some of the steps were pretty intricate.

"Muy bien, Casey. See? How easily you have learned to trust."

"Trust? I'm just hopin' my feet don't fail me now," she remarked, as she held on to his shoulder. "I'd rather not trip the light fantastic, thanks," she joked with a grin.

He laughed, twirling her around, and Casey found herself forgetting her insecurities, her fears, and just going with the graceful movement. She knew he could see her smiling big time, but she just couldn't help it. What did any of it matter? Why not just have fun?

As she spun around, his handsome face flashed before her in blips and she was grateful for the anchor, as it helped to keep her equilibrium. There he was, and there he was again. So what if he had a woman he saw every night, for she'd found out from Juana that Luke had left right after dinner the night before and hadn't returned until sometime in the early morning. He was here now and he was her friend, that was all. Concentrate, she told herself. And don't fall!

He spun her out, holding on to her hand, and then pulled her back so that her shoulders were now in front of his chest. His arm, along with hers, was crossed over her stomach, and his other hand was resting on her waist to push her out again. Instead, he paused and whispered in her ear, "That's why I'm here. You won't fall."

His breath created a ripple of pleasure in her ear that raced down her body and settled, quite alarmingly, between her legs. Damn… she had to watch herself here. She really could fall for this guy who seemed to innocently flirt with her mind, her body, and her soul. Jeez, concentrate on the dance. He wasn't for her, she mentally rebuked herself. Besides, it was obvious from all his late night absences that particular space in his life was already occupied. Yet somehow, the thought of him in another woman's arms did make her back stiffen a little.

He twirled her out, and for some unknown reason, she found herself letting go of his hand and standing there, staring at him. He stood, inhaling deeply, and stared right back, as though wondering what she was going to do.

Casey felt the surge of determination rising in her veins. Slowly, deliberately, her fingers grasped her green skirt and, clutching it to her hip, she actually stomped her foot in challenge!

Luke seemed startled for just a moment. She saw it in the slight widening of his eyes, and then watched as he slowly pulled back his shoulders while bringing both of his hands to his hips. He not only stomped, but threw in a few extra intricate steps. Casey saw the challenge was accepted and sighed deeply, drawing in energy from someplace and willing her feet to perform as she had practiced with Rosa.

Attitude. Now was the time to bring it on full force.

From some untapped reservoir deep within, she found more attitude than she had originally thought she possessed. Lifting her chin, she stared right back and answered his footwork with a staccato of her own and a flip of her petticoats to show him she wasn't about to be intimidated.

"Brava!" Luke broke the tension by clapping and laughing. "I see you have been practicing… Rosalinda has been helping you?"

Casey raised one eyebrow and grinned slyly. She was pleased by his praise; even Manuel had stopped playing and was tapping the side of his guitar. "Yes, the girl has been wonderful," she exhaled, allowing her shoulders to relax. "Rosalinda said all I needed was more attitude." She pronounced the last word with her best Spanish accent. Suddenly she felt a little let down that he had stopped the momentum they'd been building in their dance. Especially the thrust of her newly found attitude, for if she wasn't mistaken, she had just seen something in his eyes… something with primal intensity aimed directly at her.

He now appeared delighted and moved across the tiles to her. "A very good subject… attitude. Perhaps, after this dance, you would allow me to escort you through the garden once again?" He finished by tilting his head invitingly… with that smile again.

It was the first time he had asked her to stay after the lessons, and she found it pleased her greatly. If he wanted to talk about attitude, fine. She'd talk about anything, just to be in his presence, for there was no denying that there was something unique about the man. He was like no one else she had even dreamed could exist, and she just wanted to be around him, to be in his company. Everything didn't seem so scary then; as crazy as it might seem, it was starting to make sense. He had the uncanny ability to calm her down, to soothe her fears, to—

"If you are otherwise entertained, we could always speak at some other—"

"No," she interrupted, and then realized he might be confused. "I meant… yes," she blurted out. "I would love to walk with you again."

Jeez… did that sound desperate or what?

A quick smile of agreement and then he held out his hands again. "Let us begin once more then." He nodded to Manuel to resume playing, and Casey came back into his arms. "We shall surprise more than a few guests next week. You are quite good, Casey."

Hating the betrayal of her own blush, Casey said, "Oh, I don't know, Luke. Here with you is one thing, but dancing in front of others… ?" She turned slightly away from him and added, "I… I just don't know."

"It's about trust, Casey. With me, yes," he softly said, touching her arm to turn her back to face him. "But more so with you. Trust yourself."

"Myself?" she said, gazing up into his penetrating eyes. "I've never even attempted to dance like this before in my life, and now with a little less than a week's practice, you're saying I can be trusted not to make a fool out of myself in front of hundreds of strangers?"

He laughed. Laughed!

"I'm glad you find me so amusing," she muttered, wanting to slap his shoulder.

"There will not be hundreds of people. Okay, maybe a hundred," he chuckled.

"Oh, okay then. That makes a big difference. Now I feel so much better." She surrendered and joined his laughter.

"Listen," he said lowly, grabbing her attention with a more serious face. "Trusting yourself is merely believing in your own self-worth. I'm telling you, Casey, you are a good dancer and you can trust that gift."

Well, she'd always thought she was a decent dancer, but she'd never had a partner like this, and now it was getting just too serious with the thought of an impending performance.

"Hey, just have fun," he added with a lighter tone. "This is a dance of passion, señorita, the male and female energies coming together as equals. It's quite a show."

Male and female energies coming together as equals… what exactly did that mean? Sounded more like making love to her. "I don't want to perform any show," she muttered.

"What do you want?"

And what could she answer to that? That she wanted it to be private, like this… ? Wasn't that the reason everyone thought she was learning this dance? A performance? No one suggested it was for personal reasons. "What I want…" She paused, refusing to allow the thought of what she really wanted to enter her brain again. "Is not to look foolish," she finally answered.

"If you haven't learned yet to trust yourself, at least momentarily"—he winked—"trust me. Ginger Rogers has got nothing on you, señorita. I assure you, you will not look foolish. You will look equal to anyone who may be watching. And they will know it."

She sighed, thinking about how he always seemed to turn all her fears around. How did he know just what to say, to respond so perfectly to how she was feeling? It was eerie, and yet comforting at the same time. How could she not want to stay around him? What woman wouldn't?

"Okay," she said resignedly. "Let's continue practicing then."

Nodding, Luke pulled her closer. As she placed her hand in his, Casey knew that though she was fighting it like crazy, she was losing her inner battle. She really, actually, insanely, was starting to fall in love with the most weird person she had ever encountered in her entire life!

She couldn't help it. She laughed at herself.

And it felt good.

A half hour later, she was sweating from her efforts and her legs were aching and tense. They had danced the fandango and flamenco until she felt like a weary woman with a rapidly waning attitude. She wanted to call a halt to the lesson and walk in the garden, anything but have to pull together more energy to match Luke's.

"You are tired, señorita," he said, releasing her. He turned quickly toward Manuel and thanked the man in Spanish. The older gentleman got up and bowed slightly, tipping his floppy straw hat and leaving them.

"Gracias, señor," Casey called out with a smile to the kindly man who had played so well, and for so long.

"I apologize for becoming so carried away," Luke exhaled as he walked toward a table where a pitcher of water and goblets were waiting.

Watching his fluid movement, she realized during the last half hour Luke's hold on her had been less rigid, more relaxed, as though he was now trusting she could carry more of her own weight in this dance. "Yes, I think I've had enough for now," she admitted with a smile, pleased at her realization. It was very complimentary, even if it was raising the bar another rung and she had to focus more now. Still, it was nice to know that he respected her.

The sun was still high and Luke poured fresh water into both goblets and handed one to her. "You have much stamina, señorita." He smiled, raising his glass to her in toast.

She accepted the goblet with a nod. Hmm. That was an interesting comment, she thought. Don't contemplate it now, Casey, you haven't the strength, she mentally advised herself. "That was a good lesson. You had me concentrating to keep up."

She watched as he drained the goblet and couldn't help staring at the movement of his Adam's apple while he swallowed. She had to remind herself it was water she was thirsty for and not anything else. Bringing her own glass to her lips, she took a huge gulp and then turned toward the garden path. "I need more shade," she announced, and starting walking. She didn't even care now if he wanted to walk with her. Maybe it would be better if he didn't. She was so rattled by the realization that she was falling in love that she was going to need some privacy to figure this out.

"Your rhythm is excellent, Casey," he said, coming to walk beside her. "It's been quite some time since I have danced."

"Really?" She glanced at him and smiled. "I would think you would do it a lot… considering you're such a good dancer."

What was this? Were they verbally dancing now? There was just too much irony with the innuendos flying between them, Casey mentally suspected.

"Well, thank you, but it's been quite a while. I believe it was my last visit here," he said, looking up to the branches of the trees and nodding. "It was about four years ago."

"Wow… I mean, why were you here? Did someone else get thrown back and you—"

"No," he interrupted, as he held his hands behind his back and settled into the stroll. "I was alone." He glanced at her and grinned. "Not that time can make you forget, you understand, but you gave me a good lesson in remembering that I can dance… as I tried to keep up with you."

Her heart expanded even more with his genuine smile. "I think you have that backward. I was trying to keep up with you."

"Oh, you think so?"

"Yes." Sheesh, wasn't it obvious to him?

He stopped abruptly, and after a few steps, she turned back to him.

"You really have no idea about your self-worth, do you?" he asked.

It came right out of left field, no preparation, no gentle setup for such a personal question. Flustered, she tried to get her mind to function. "What are you talking about? I… I like myself," she stammered. It was a way to buy time until some neuron found a receptive connection in her brain… somewhere. Jeez, this man could rattle her.

"Yes, but I'm talking about your self-worth, Casey."

Deep down she knew what he was talking about and wished she could change the subject quickly, as it sounded like it might begin a dissection of her ego. She really didn't want to go there right now… It was enough that this man could read her feelings so well; she didn't want to reveal anything more.

"I wish you could see yourself through my eyes."

His words interrupted the barriers she was mentally building to shield her emotions, and a pull took hold of her to look up into his eyes. She wished she could too! It sure was a different picture than she was seeing.

After what seemed like a very long pause, he asked, "Would you like to know what I see, Casey?"

She could imagine herself, like Alice, falling further down that rabbit's hole if she even acknowledged she would love to hear his answer. "Okay, what?" God, she was so easy!

Walking again, he passed her and continued down the path with an invitational wave to join him as he said, "I see a woman with great potential who, for whatever reason, has hidden from it… yet she is seeing glimpses of it, but believes it is better to be humble and not admit it to herself, or anyone else for that matter." She swore she could hear the smile on his face as he continued. "Actually, it is very funny to watch someone pretending to be less than who they are." He paused, turning back to her, as though waiting for her to resume their walk. "Haven't you ever secretly thought that a greater destiny awaited you?"

She almost stumbled into his arms with that last statement. The first part felt like a nudge and the last like a shove, as if to awaken her from sleepwalking. She sure as hell felt like something was happening as this man seemed to lead her down a path not only in a garden but also in her mind. How much did she dare reveal to him? How vulnerable would it make her? Unsure in this exposed territory, she merely shrugged.

"I think you have," he added, when it was obvious she wasn't about to speak. "I think all humans do at some point in their life. They may have been young, and have forgotten, but I'm sure they did. It's part of the human condition, that realization you are more than what you are being told you are. That you are here for a purpose. Your life is no accident."

"Okay," she admitted, deciding it didn't make much difference now if everyone thought it at least once in their lives. "There was always this nagging thought," she murmured. "I mean, I…" How could she explain this?

"I know," he answered in a soft voice, and then began to walk again.

She quietly walked beside him. For once she didn't feel the need to fill the silence with words. He knew the feeling she was talking about, as though something was waiting for her…, pulling her forward through time to find her purpose. And somehow, as crazy as it might seem, she was also beginning to feel she might have traveled back in time to find it.

After a few minutes, Luke said in a quiet voice, "You brought up a good subject earlier. Attitude. It ties in well to self-worth, don't you think? Ironically, our mischievous Rosalinda hit upon a powerful topic."

Casey grinned. "She certainly has attitude aplenty. I like her a lot."

"As do I. She has not yet lost her belief in the magic of love."

Surprised, she asked, "You think love is magical?"

"Don't you?"

She shrugged. "I don't really know."

"I've seen love transform situations that seemed hopeless. Nothing physical was necessary, just love and its many derivatives."

Derivatives? Casey was wondering what he meant when he began to answer her mental question. She was getting used to that now.

"Like forgiveness or humor."

"Hmm, yes, you're right. I've seen that too. So love is an attitude?"

He glanced at her and grinned. "Love is magic."

She stopped again and waited for him to halt and turn around. He did.

"Okay, what are you? A time traveler? A magician?"

"Both," he answered as she watched that twinkle come back into his eyes.

"Are you one of those New Age people with all their belief in love and light and crystals and… bizarre stuff?" It was time to find out.

He chuckled. "First of all, there is nothing new in New Age. Truths are timeless, and they can be found everywhere, in all cultures and movements. I do not belong to any organization or church, if that's what you mean."

"Well, that's good, 'cause I don't understand them. How can everything be all light and love? It's not. In the real world ugly things happen. It's just not realistic."

He was nodding. "There is darkness. And that comes from the other side of love, the denial of it. That's fear. You know how fear makes you feel, don't you?"

She couldn't help it, she laughed. "Ah, yeah! I think I've had a few good opportunities in the last week to experience that one."

"Yes, you have," he answered with a widening smile. "How did it make you feel?"

"Scared!"

"And did it make you feel heavy? Tired? Like you just wanted to lie down and not get up?"

She paused, recalling the sensations. "Yes, it did."

He nodded and then waved his hand toward the path to continue their walk. "Fear carries a very heavy frequency to it. It's a difficult thing to handle when you have so much gravity pulling you down to begin with. Adding that band of energy can make life grueling." When she caught up with him, he asked, "And how did you feel when you surrendered to the situation, accepted where you were, made a choice to stop fighting it and stop putting up resistance?"

She didn't want to admit that she was actually enjoying herself more now than at any other time of her life. There was just so much of his being right she could acknowledge!

"Are you a preacher or something?" Now, wouldn't that just be her luck!

He threw back his head and laughed again, this time from his belly. "I am not a preacher. I apologize if I sound as though I have been preaching, Casey. It was not my intention."

She couldn't help joining in his good humor. Chuckling, she said, "No, not preaching, but everything you say does sound… I don't know, like everything is about life and how… how…"

"How magical it is?" he volunteered.

She stopped chuckling. "Yes, like that. How do you do that? How do you take everything I say and make it so… so meaningful? I don't get it. Who are you?"

The twinkle in his eyes was even brighter when he said, "I am no different than you… just a fellow traveler."

Yeah, right! She began shaking her head with her own abstract amusement. "No, see… I was born on the East Coast of this country… on this planet!" She mentally mimicked his inflection: A fellow traveler, indeed! "C'mon, tell me… where do you come from? What planet are you from? I mean, people can't just up and time-travel, like it's a freakin' vacation or something!" Okay, that should put his asteroid in park for a while.

"Really?" he broke in without hesitation. "Explain you and me walking this garden path then. In this moment you could very well imagine it is the year 2000, and although you are dressed in a costume, right now just imagine, outside that wall are automobiles and telephones and TVs and computers. For this moment you could imagine that, and yet something within you… something you can't define, reaffirms you have done something few others have. You have time-traveled into the year 1878. Quick," he ordered, as he suddenly grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes. "Tell me what is in your heart. You can't see the house. Where are you? Are you in the past, a place you have already visited? Are you in the future, a place you are only wishing to visit? Or are you here, on this path, right here, right now… where all the presents are?"

"Well, yes… I'm here," she whispered, feeling like something inside of her was breaking away as she gave her answer and Luke patted her shoulders before withdrawing his hands. She had spent her life time-traveling… right out of her life! She was always worrying about the past or the future. It wasn't until she was forced in the last four days to live in the present that she actually began to enjoy each day as an adventure. It was great! She had time-traveled, lost her past, had no idea what the next hour was going to bring, let alone the next day… but she was truly experiencing the present, and she was loving it!

"I need to sit down."

Luke held her arm and led her to the wooden bench in the shade. Sinking down upon it, Casey kept holding her chest. This was unbelievable!

"Breathe," Luke counseled.

"Okay," she breathed. That advice was acceptable.

"Breathe deeply."

She nodded and found herself calming down. Luke sat beside her and placed his hand on her back. He made soothing circles, and Casey experienced even more peace enter her body. Soon she was breathing normally and she turned her face slightly to see him. "Do you do this often?" she asked, and paused. "I mean, time-travel?"

He shrugged. "I can't say that I plan it. It unfolds before me and I follow the path. I do have a choice, Casey. I simply choose to be of service when I am called."

"Who calls you?"

"Life does."

"That's a pretty broad statement," she replied, wondering if he heard the hint of frustration in her voice.

"Okay, Life… it's that lighter-wave energy we were talking about earlier. I guess you could say that I made a choice to be in service to that frequency."

"Wait. You said love was that frequency. You're in service to love?" If he said yes, she might just slide off this bench to the ground.

"What are the real choices any of us have?" he asked softly. "Let's not complicate it with too many words. Bring it all down to basics," he said, holding his hands out in example. "I choose love"—he turned his right palm upward—"or I choose fear." She watched him make a weighing motion between his hands, then close his right hand gently and turn his left palm to the ground, as though releasing something. Okay, she got it. He released the hand with fear as a choice. He paused for a moment, then looked directly into her eyes. "Just like you, I, too, have chosen love, a much lighter frequency… so in answer to your question, yes, I am in service to it."

Okay, she was not about to make a total fool out of herself over this man, so she fought to keep her balance and stay on the bench. But she needed to turn this conversation away from love and toward something less personal. "So tell me, have you met other time travelers then?"

He grinned. "I am looking at one right now."

"You know what I mean. There are more than the two of us, aren't there? I mean, we can't be the only ones."

"There are others. Actually, many of them are here, all over the world, in all time periods. It's a question of balance, Casey."

"Balance? To time-travel?"

"No. In the world. Okay, picture a child's playground seesaw. Sitting on one side is fear, with all its recalled sensations, heavily keeping the opposite side, love, in the air and away from the ground. To balance that out, obviously, the opposite side needs more weight. I'm just throwing my weight on that side of the seesaw. But it's all balance, Casey. One needs the other to stay in balance. You were right when you said it can't be all light. The darkness serves a purpose."

"Serves a purpose?" She couldn't believe this was coming out of his mouth. "I don't get it. How do pain and horror in the world possibly help anything?"

"Maybe it shows you your prejudice, what you are holding yourself back from in your own life. I can't answer that. It's personal for each life experience. I don't know your pains and your horrors, though I'm sure, like everyone else in the world, you have gone through them, and somehow… when you eventually get far enough away from the memories, or recalled sensations, you can see more clearly how they served you."

She remembered several times when she'd thought her heart was broken, from her own life and choices she'd made, or hearing the tragedies of others, yet everything always seemed to work out… somehow. She was still having a problem with what this all meant. She thought a moment longer. "Prejudice, huh? That's part of the darkness on the seesaw?"

"One of them anyway," he said, sitting up straight. "Okay, for instance, you asked what planet I'm from. What if I told you I'm from the planet Venus? What would you say?" he asked seriously, though she thought she might laugh at his exaggeratedly dignified posture.

"Are you?" Her heart was beating faster. He could be an alien! What did she know? Crap, she hadn't even watched The X-Files!

"Answer me, if you would. I would like to make a point… I think it will help."

"Look, you're always making points… umm, good examples. But quite frankly, some of them are kind of scary and I'm a little afraid of what your next one might be."

"Don't put your weight there, Casey. It's way too dense to carry, especially when you're time-traveling. Does your choice to fear mean you would be afraid of me if you believed I was from… from somewhere you couldn't believe?"

"Gimme a break here. I am allowed to be rattled at the thought of extraterrestrials, I mean, little green men running about!"

His full lips spread into a grin and Casey found herself letting go of some of her fear.

"So you have a prejudice of little green men?"

That stopped her. "I don't know if I'm prejudiced against them, but—"

"But you wouldn't want to meet one."

"Right." She stared at him. "I haven't, have I?"

He seemed to enjoy her confusion. "Have you ever seen a picture of our universe?"

"I guess," she muttered. "Wait a minute, answer my ques—"

"In a moment. Patience is very important for a time traveler."

She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. Patience was not one of her strong suits. "Okay, I've seen a picture of the Milky Way. It's enormous, huge… Oh, and once I saw a poster of it with an arrow pointing to this tiny speck, indistinguishable from a billion other tiny stars, and it said, 'You are here.' Kinda blew me away not to see Earth or be able to make it out from that distance."

"What you saw was a powerful message. Do you honestly think there is absolutely no intelligent life outside of Earth, inside that Milky Way, or beyond that universe you saw in the poster?"

"Well, no," she answered truthfully. "I mean, in view of the fact that no evidence has proven otherwise, I guess it stands to reason there could be another form of intelligent life out there… somewhere… I guess." She'd never seen a ghost either, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. Plenty of reputable people had claimed to see one. She'd never time-traveled either, but nobody she knew ever claimed to be able—

"Casey, can you see the air?"

His question interrupted her mental rambling. She thought about it. "Well, I can see the wind."

"Yes, you see the effect of the air upon something. Air is invisible and yet the most vital ingredient of life, and you believe it is there because you feel it. Just as you feel there must be intelligence beyond this Earth."

"So… are you admitting you're from… from Venus?" Her heart was thudding against her rib cage as she waited for his answer.

"No, señorita, I am not."

She squinted her eyes suspiciously at him. "You're sure?"

He laughed. "Well, if I was, what kind of greeting do you think I would receive, being little and green?" he said, making a peace sign.

She had to laugh. Just watching this incredibly handsome man making a silly pantomime melted her fears. "Well, you wouldn't get a very warm one, that's for sure. Damn, we can't even stop being prejudiced within our own species. What a shame. We can't seem to get along with the neighbors we've got, let alone a new one."

"So why wouldn't 'little green men' be hesitant to introduce Earth into a universal community"—he paused—"if one should exist?"

She looked into his eyes and saw something that at the same time thrilled her and frightened her. "What are you?"

"I am someone just like you, Casey. There is little difference between us. I just see that the darkness serves. I'm not aligned with it, yet I can recognize even its ugliness is showing us the prejudice within most hearts, even for little green men."

"So you're saying that until we can get along with each other, make peace and play nicely, we can't go outside to play?"

He burst out laughing. "Not quite, but I do like your metaphor. It's appropriate." He settled himself and paused as another comfortable silence settled between them.

The sound of people talking in the house carried into the garden. It sounded as though preparations were being made for the evening meal.

"Now, your mentor believes you've had enough for the moment and I have a few errands I must do before dinner," he said, sitting up.

"Okay, nice talk about attitude," she said with a smile, even though her mind was wondering where he wanted to run off to in the middle of the afternoon. The same place he went every night? Wherever it was, he wanted to leave her now.

He stood up and she rose with him.

"I believe we began speaking about self-worth. This long conversation was merely my way of suggesting that you strengthen your feelings of inner confidence so that others are not so easily able to break down or deflate your sense of well-being. You can be trusted now, Casey, to trust yourself." He nodded formally. "Señorita, as always… it has been a pleasure being in your presence."

She could only nod as he smiled and walked away.

Sheesh… Now, how was she supposed to integrate that conversation with the way her body was betraying her? It was too much for any woman. What was going on here? Was she falling in love with a man, a time traveler, who claimed she, too, was a time traveler, and maybe all they needed to do was enjoy themselves and throw their weight into it?

She needed a drink, and water just wouldn't do.

 

Luke left the Montoya household and walked toward the plaza, all the while going over the conversation with Casey in his head. He sighed deeply as a realization hit him. He was not only attracted to her physically, but her mind intrigued him as well. It had been many years since he'd had such a philosophical discussion with a woman, and a beautiful woman at that. It would be very easy to take their friendship to a deeper level, and that thought made him stop walking and stare at the ground in a moment of deep reflection. He'd better be very careful in his dealings with her, for something told him that Casey O'Reilly was going to challenge all his beliefs and all his resolve.

Still, he couldn't deny that he really enjoyed being in her presence, watching her move, hearing her laugh, seeing her eyes sparkle with mischief. She was quite a woman, and she captivated him.