There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 19

"Your word is good enough for me Even, it always has been. Is there anything you need or want while you recuperate?"

"I want a two inch steak, baked potato, asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and a large cup of coffee. Of course I'm not allowed to have any of those things for a long time, but I can dream about them."

"I'll go you one better Even. I'll have a graphic artist make a poster of them, and you can hang it on the wall facing you."

"You are a dear friend William, I'll be salivating all day while they feed me liquids and baby food."

"What are friends for if they can torture you in your hour of need?"

"You are too kind William."

"I'll stop by on the weekend to see how you're doing."

"I look forward to it."

Five minutes after William left, the whirlwind that is my daughter blew in the front door. Jennifer was there to cool her off before she got to me.

"Did You Kill Him?"

"Why, did he do something wrong?"

"Are you kidding me, he nearly died today."

"That's right, why should I go to jail if he's going to do it himself."

"Mom, you're not being funny. You have to reel him in."

"Do you think three hours after the incident I haven't done that already?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I don't want you to go into your father's room and upset him. His nurses have been all over him, I've been all over him, Williams Zabo has been all over him, and his young children have been all over him. None of them can do to him what you can do to him, because you are the child of his heart. You can tell him how upset you are with him, but don't cut his heart out. He has the best one you will ever find."

"Mom, I hate being scolded before I do anything wrong, but thank you because I feel like Gordon does. I wouldn't know what to do without him, and neither would Gray."

"Your dad is the glue that holds all of us together. Not just our family, but look at the friends he has that hold him so dearly. Look how many scientists called you to get information about him when he was lost in Alaska. He is not only loved by us but by the community he is a part of. He would be sorely missed."

"I think I'll go say hello, before I start to cry."

"If you cry, he will laugh at you, and then you'll get angry with him."

"I'll try to keep myself under control."

**********************

Did I ever make a mistake when I hired these nurses. They were like prison guards; they didn't let me get away with anything. Tammy had that look that kept me in place.

Janice was pretty as a picture, and as strong like an ox. I didn't dare do anything to upset her.

Hannah was the oldest one, and she was sneaky mean. She was fifty-eight, and could retire, but wanted to continue nursing as a way of giving back to the community. She took this job because she wanted to see the spacecraft up close and personal.

If I did anything to Hannah that got her pissed off at me, nothing happened immediately. I would forget about it; she wouldn't. Sometime during her shift she would be checking on me, or giving me medication, and an eight-inch hatpin would penetrate my covers and enter my leg. I would scream out in pain, and Hannah would say is, "Your lungs are sounding better," as she left the room.

It wasn't fair, every time I screamed, Jennifer, and the agents guarding me laughed. I was in pain, and they thought it was funny. I didn't think it was funny at all. I would get even in my own way after they got me well.

**********************

"Dad I split the $1.25 billion between five of your German accounts. Mister Silver and Mister Pierce have $1000 remaining in that account, just to keep it open."

"Where does it show the money went to Patricia?"

"It shows it went to the three trading companies that deal with them on a continuing basis as payments for goods and services. It's not my fault the money got lost in the transfer."

"Are you telling me that money fell into a black hole and can't be found?"

"I can find it, you can find it, but they can't find it. What a shame."

"How many days will they be in the dark about this?"

If they don't make any transactions, ten days, if they do, you will hear about an earthquake in Southern California caused by screaming."

"My source, at the Justice Department, tells me many of the crimes the former vice president committed have already passed the statute of limitations. He will be hard to prosecute."

"We can't let him go free dad. He will be a constant danger to all of us."

"I agree Patricia, but let's see how he reacts to being penniless, and we will go from there."

*****************

93. It's Déjà Vu, all over again! (Yogi Berra: N.Y. Yankees)

Gordon was walking up from the basement after working out when the front doorbell rang.

He yelled out, "I have it."

He opened the door and a tall, dark haired beauty was staring back at him. He didn't notice what she was wearing; he was focused on her face.

"My God you are beautiful."

She smiled at him, and blushed.

Payne Schneider moved Zoie aside, and asked Gordon, "What did you say to my daughter?"

"I said she was beautiful."

"No Gordon, I want to know exactly what you said to my daughter."

"I said, 'My God you are beautiful.'

Payne turned to her husband and asked, "Dycke, how much trouble do you think were in?"

"I think we should call Father Vincent; and see when he's available."

"You think it's going to be that bad."

"How many years has it been since you've heard those exact words?"

"It's been twenty-seven years since you said those words to me."

"Look at your daughter and look at Gordon. What do you see?"

"I seek two beautiful children."

"Do you know what I see; I see us twenty-seven years ago. Take her hand and don't let her go. Otherwise she'll have her legs around him before we leave."

"Isn't that what you did with me shortly after we met?"

"This is different, she's my daughter."

"You're wrong, she's our daughter, and if wasn't for Even we would be here alone."

"Don't get logical with me now; keep Zoie by your side."

"Can we go inside now?"

They walked into the house, but Gordon took things into his own hands.

"Your dad never mentioned he had such a beautiful daughter."

"If he ever talked about me he would refer to me as that bitch at home, or the neat freak, or some other term of endearment."

"What's the matter with being neat?"

"I was excessively neat, actually I was compulsively neat. Things had to be exactly where I wanted them or I would go out of my mind. I couldn't stand anyone being in my room and messing things up. I hated track marks on my carpet. I hated where the door touched my carpet and left its mark when it was opened and closed. I guess I hated a lot of things until the last few months."

"Would you like to come to my room and talk, or do you want to go down the basement and talk there?"

"We better go down to the basement. The first place my father will look for me if I'm missing is in your room. He will have a fit if I'm in there alone with you, even if we are just talking."

"What does he think you're going to be doing?"

"A short time ago my parents put me on birth control pills to help my mood swings. They have helped me a lot. Now I think my father believes he has given me a permission slip to go out and have sex. He doesn't understand that it takes more than being safe from having a baby than to have sex with someone. I don't know what it was like in his day, or what the mores were back then, but I am not going to have sex until I'm in love with someone, and I'm sure he's in love with me."

"Why are you smiling Gordon?"

"I'm having a conversation with a girl. This is the first time I've ever had a chance to talk to a girl my age, and we are talking about sex. I've dreamed about it, I've thought about it, but I have never had the opportunity to talk with a girl about it. It seems so natural. I've never met a girl my own age, or seen one until I met you."

"What about at school you must meet plenty of girls at school."

"I don't go to school. I tested out of high school when I was nine years old. I've been working on the spacecraft since then."

"What could you possibly be doing on the spacecraft?"

"I finished uploading the latest star charts, and when we take off, I will be doing the celestial navigation."

"Oh, you're one of those whiz kids."

"Yes, math and science come very easy to me. Doctor Luck adopted me. My sperm donor left my mom when he found out she was pregnant. My mom is awesome you will like her."

"Do they pay you for working on the spacecraft; the child labor laws say they are supposed to pay you."

"Yes, my dad pays me, but it's not going to do me any good. What am I going to do with money when I leave this planet?"

"He's probably not paying you that much anyhow, so leave it to a charity."

"I've been working on this project for seven years. My dad has been paying me $500,000 a year since then. I don't know how much is left in the bank after taxes, because Rod takes care of that for me. If you have a particular charity in mind, I can tell Rod who to give it to when I leave."

"You get $500,000 a year?"

"Yes, I get paid just like most of the senior scientists."

"You are considered a senior scientist?"

"I have several patents to my name and I was interviewed on television last year because of an invention I made."

"That was you? You were the talk of our school. You are the boy wonder scientist who made it possible to use nuclear fusion commercially."

"Yes, that's me."

"Then why are you leaving the earth to go to someplace nobody knows if you can survive on?"

"That is the question isn't it. Why do people go to far off places to find new things? Why did Marco Polo go to China? Why did Columbus sail to the West? Why did Magellan round the tip of South America and sail into the Pacific Ocean? Why does anyone do anything before someone else?

The answer is very simple, someone has to go first. My father and my sister had a dream. We talked about it, and found twenty investors that believed it was possible. Our spacecraft is being built in a hanger 10.2 miles away from here. If you'd like to see it I'll get cleaned up and I'll have my agents take us over there."

"I would like to see it."

"I'll be ready to go fifteen minutes."

Gordon popped up from the mats and extended his hand to help Zoie up. She took it and a little charge of electricity passed between them. They looked at each other and smiled.

Gordon said, "That's a first for me."

Zoie grinned, "For me too."

"I liked it, very much."

"I think I like you. You are different than every other boy I've ever met."

"Why do you say that? As beautiful as you are, they must all flock around you."

"Yes they do, but none of them look at me like you do. Close your eyes, I bet you can't tell me what I'm wearing."

"I don't have to close my eyes, because you're right. I don't know what you're wearing. Your face is so beautiful I never took my eyes off it.

My friend, my agent, and my trainer Marty and I ran to work this week. It's more than ten miles. The first day she told me to visualize a girl wearing a bikini running in front of me. I couldn't visualize it. I never saw a girl my age, no less one wearing a bikini.

My sister is beautiful, but she is twenty-five. She is also a genius; she developed the engines for our spacecraft. She is the youngest woman I work with on the spacecraft. It would be inappropriate of me to visualize her rear end in a bikini. Let me get changed so we can see the spacecraft."

Gordon took the quickest shower in his life, ran into his room half-naked, changed into casual clothes, and ran to meet Zoie. She was standing next to her mother, and she didn't look happy.

"Young man, where do you think you are taking my daughter?"

"I am taking her to see the spacecraft."

"She is not leaving this house."

"Marty would you come here for a second."

"Yes Gordon, how can I help you?"

"Would you please tell Mrs. Schneider that you are accompanying Zoie and me to the spacecraft to look around."

Payne looked at the giant wall that is Marty, and stuttered. "Would you please have them back in two hours?"

"It will not be a problem Mrs. Schneider. There will be four of us protecting them."

"Thank you very much. Zoie please don't fall and break your neck."

"Gordon will be holding my hand mother. I'm sure he will keep me from falling."

Payne wanted to say something so desperately, but Marty was standing behind them, smiling at her. "Have a good time children. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"I remember the stories you told me about you and dad mother. I won't go that far."

Payne turned bright red, and retreated to find her husband.

"Let's get out of here before your father hears where leaving."

As they entered the SUVs Marty said, "That was a smooth move Gordon. I'm proud of you."

Zoie said, "Hello Marty, when Gordon mentioned your name, I thought you were a man."

"Most people do little one, and most people live to regret it."

"Let's go people were on the move."

By the time Dycke got to the front door two black SUVs rolling away from the house.

"Payne, how could you let her go with him?"

"You didn't meet Marty."

Jennifer laughed. Dycke didn't.

"Jen, she just turned into a normal human being. I don't want her getting into trouble."

"Dycke do you see this wall; that is Marty. Zoie has as much chance of getting into trouble as you do."

Payne said, "He's not taking me out of school on a Tuesday morning Mister Schneider."

"He better not be, or that young man and I are going to have a long talk."

Jen said, "I hope you're up to date on your martial arts; otherwise that young man is going to kick your ass. Marty has been training him for the last year, and some of our agents are having problems beating him."

"I'm getting too old for some of that shit. How old is he now?"

"He will be sixteen on the thirtieth of this month."

"What is the legal age for getting married in Texas?"

"I think it's eleven; why do you ask?"

"When Gordon saw Zoie for the first time, he said the exact words I said to Payne when I first saw her twenty-seven years ago. If that's not a bad omen, I don't know what is."

Payne hit him. "Why is it a bad omen? Look what happened to us?"

"Yes, look what happened to us. Your mother freaked out and nearly tore us apart. If it wasn't for our fathers, you and I would never have gotten married."

"It all worked out in the end. Everyone turned out happy."

"Everyone but Steve; I pay him more money than God, and Cynthia still beats the shit out of him."

"She's only making him pay for his past indiscretions. I believe when he's ninety she will start treating him nice."

"I still don't understand how a woman five foot nothing can beat up a man that is five foot eleven."

"He loves her, and he would do anything in this world for her."

"I love you, but if you beat me up like she beats him up, you would be hanging from the ceiling upside down."

"Yes I would, but you would be feasting on my pussy at the same time."

"Why didn't I think of that before, it sounds like fun."

*****************

"Good afternoon Marty, what's up?"

"Is there anyone in the spacecraft?"

"Nope, it's Sunday, everyone is at home resting."

"Gordon set your watch. You have one hour and fifteen minutes until you exit the spacecraft. One hour and sixteen minutes and you go into the ice bath headfirst."

"Thanks Marty; come with me Zoie for a trip into the twenty-second century."

They held hands as they walked up the ramp. He began explaining everything to her: the millions of pounds of water that would protect them from the radiation of space, between the first and second wall, the hundreds of millions of bearings made by her father's company' which would spin at a constant speed of three point two degrees per second to give the third level artificial gravity so no one would go floating around.

When they reached the third level, and he started to explain the computers to Zoie she begged him to stop.

"Gordon, there is only so much information a normal human being can take in at one time. My mind has just reached overload. Can we do something normal for a little while?"

"I'm sorry Zoie, all of this comes so easy to me, I forgot about you. What would you like to do?"

"I'd like to do something I've never done before."

"What is that?"

"I'd like to be kissed by a boy."

"I would love to kiss you, but I don't want you to be disappointed in me. So far the only women I have ever kissed are my mother and my sister. You will be the first girl my age; I've ever touched or kissed."

She put her hands on his shoulders. He put his hands on her hips. They drew each other closer. As they looked into each other's eyes their heads got closer, and their lips touched. They did not back off. Zoie and Gordon closed their eyes and pressed their lips tighter together. After a moment they began to move apart, and a little spark of electricity passed between them, again.

Gordon chuckled. Zoie was confused. She said," I thought it was amazing. Why are you laughing?"

He pulled her back to him and said, "I thought it was much more than amazing. I don't ever want to do that with anyone else for the rest of my life. The reason I was laughing is if we keep setting off electric sparks every time we kiss, or we touch, we better start wearing rubber soul shoes. Otherwise we're going to start a fire."

Zoe smiled. "Let's take off our shoes and see if we spark in our bare feet."

In their bare feet they kissed again. It was more passionate than the first time, and when their lips parted the spark exploded more brightly.

They were still smiling and holding each other, when a voice said, "Fuck, the ship is supposed to be empty today."

Gordon said, "Who the hell you?"

"Don't worry boy, you'll never live to find out."

Zoie grabbed Gordon's arm in fright.

"Zoie, behind the computers is a radio. Push the switch, and tell Marty were on the third floor, and we need help. Move now."

"Help won't come in time for either of you boy. You will both be dead, and I will be gone."

The man charged. Gordon took up his position planting his right foot firmly on the ground. The man was taller, broader at the shoulder, and stronger looking than he was. He knew he had to get it right the first time, or Zoie was in trouble.

The man hit him in the center of his chest. Gordon's body swung like a gate. He pulled the man's left arm as he passed him, moved it behind his back, and pressed it up towards his head. He swung his right foot, kicking the man's leg out, while forcing his head towards the floor. It hit with a loud thud.

Using all his strength Gordon hit the man between his neck and shoulder, and it was over. The man slumped to the floor, unconscious.

Gordon looked at Zoie and asked if she had contacted Marty?

"Yes, she is on her way."

Marty and several other agents were there within seconds. She surveyed the scene and looked at her protégé.

"Why the heck did you call me; you have everything under control?"

"I had a feeling you might like to talk to this gentleman. He's not one of ours. He was on the ship when he wasn't supposed to be. He threatened Zoie and me with death, which means he was up to no good. We're going to have to check everything to find out what he did, unless of course you can convince him using other methods."

"I'll call Dan and see what he wants me to do with this person. Can I ask you a question?"

"Have I ever said no to you?"

"Were you two in the process of getting dressed, or getting undressed. Your shoes are on the floor."