The Good Reaper (28 page)

I didn’t answer Chara. I was confused about it but I was
sure about one thing. Once I boarded that plane, the decision would be made.
There would be no turning back. I would never see LeAnne again.

“Let’s go,” Chara said. “We’re boarding.”

Chara and I were the last two people in our group to get on
the boarding line. I was standing behind Chara while she fumbled through her
bags to get her boarding pass. It seemed an unseen force took hold of me. I
didn’t think about it. I just did it. While Chara was preoccupied, I stepped
out of the line and backed away from the boarding area. She was still looking
the other way when I scrambled down the central walkway. When I reached the
coffee shop I stood behind a column and peaked out toward our gate. Chara was
the only one standing there at the little podium where they looked at boarding
passes. She was looking around frantically. A few moments later the gate agent
made an announcement over the loudspeaker, “Passenger Luke Riley report to Gate
23 for final boarding.”

Chara disappeared into the boarding tunnel and I continued
watching for a few more moments. They made the announcement two more times
before closing the doors. That was it. I knew I could have flown to London and
it would have given me more time to make my decision but I also knew that if I
had more time I may change my mind. I figured I would wait until the plane took
off before booking another flight so I went back to the big ticket purchase
terminal and waited a while.

I soon learned that no matter which airline I chose, I would
need to fly to Europe first and then from there to New York. I guess I could
have just taken the free flight to London and booked the flight to the US from
there, but booking a new flight gave me a distinct feeling of closure. A long
awaited answer to a puzzle had been solved. I had finally made the right
decision.

I stepped up to the Air France counter. “One way to JFK, I
guess via Paris.”

Stepping out of the airport terminal in Albany, I wished
once again that I had learned to drive. The first three cabbies I approached
declined my request. It was at least an hour from Albany to North Blenheim so I
didn’t blame the cabbies. One of them must have been nice enough to call into
their dispatcher. Ten minutes later a white Lincoln Town Car pulled up and
rolled down the window. “You the guy who wants to go to Blenheim?”

 A few minutes later we were on our way. I wasn’t too
nervous until I saw the sign that read, “North Blenheim 6.” The area reminded
me more of Ranjisan than anyplace I had been before. The rolling hills were
just about high enough to be called mountains. The greenery was different and I
remembered reading about evergreens that stay green all year. Our winters back
home are different. All the big trees on Ranjisan shed their leaves twice a
year; once in the summer when the leaves literally burn off and again in the
winter when they either fall off naturally or freeze, crack and fall off. I
liked the area there in upstate New York. I found it very relaxing, looking
down at the streams as we crossed over several wooden bridges.

My relaxation ended when the driver pulled off the paved
road and turned up a gravel road. I knew this was it. The gravel road was
either a private road or a “neighbor maintained” road but I was sure it would
lead up to LeAnne’s door. The driver looked back and forth at his digital map
before peering in his rearview mirror. “This is it. We are here,” the driver
said as he turned off the gravel road and headed down a driveway covered in
what looked like crushed white seashells. He had enough room to turn the car
sideways. Off to the opposite side there was a pickup truck and two cars parked
neatly in line as if they each had their own assigned parking spot.

I paid the driver and asked him if he could wait a few
minutes. “I’ll give you a wave when you can leave.”

“Is this your ex-wife or something? So I might need to take
you back to the airport I’m guessing?”

“Well no. It’s just that it’s been a while and my visit is
totally unexpected.”

“Okay then,” the driver said. “Good luck.”

I stood there for a moment without moving. I felt as if I
was frozen and couldn’t move. Since I hadn’t had any contact with LeAnne since
my arrest back in Idaho, I wasn’t sure how her family would receive me. I felt
confident that LeAnne would be happy to see me. It had been a long time since
the arrest. At that time, we were becoming closer each day. There was no doubt
in my mind that we were sinking deeper in love each day. But that was five
years ago. A lot can change in five years. For a second I got a nagging feeling
that she had probably moved on and married. I wondered if perhaps her new
husband would answer the door.

But it was LeAnne’s father who snapped me out of my trance.
He stepped out onto the front porch and
squinted
his
eyes in the morning sunshine. A large dog followed him out and sat looking at
me. I could see the dog reacting to LeAnne’s father’s mannerisms. The dog
looked confused at first but then he followed LeAnne’s father’s leads as he
walked slowly down the steps. The next moment I could see the light go on in
his thinking. “You’re the guy from the hospital. You’re, um, Luke, right?”

“Yes sir.”

“We were just talking about you the other day. We were
asking LeAnne how we could get in touch with you to thank you.” LeAnne’s father
Carl walked toward me while extending his hand. I felt a deep sense of relief.
At least I knew I was welcome there. The cab driver tooted the horn once and
Carl went ahead and waved him off. “You can stay for a while, can’t you? LeAnne
isn’t home.”

“Yes Mr. Pearson.”

“You can call me Carl. Now that you’ve met Ulysses, let’s go
in and you can meet LeAnne’s mom,” he said as he patted Ulysses on the head.
“LeAnne should be back in an hour. She went to Walmart.”

“How is LeAnne doing Carl?”

“She is fine, thanks to you and your people. I want to thank
you from the bottom of my heart Luke.”

LeAnne’s mother Madeline was already at the door and
recognized me right away. She stepped forward a little reluctantly to give me a
hug. I assumed she felt a little awkward touching an alien. LeAnne’s
brother
Roy appeared next and quickly figured out who I was
and what was happening. He seemed completely comfortable with the notion of
having an alien visitor. “Thank you for everything Luke. Should we call you
Luke or Naos?”

I was impressed. Roy had remembered my real name. “Either
name is fine Roy.”

We sat in the dining room and talked while we waited for
LeAnne. It had been about two weeks since the public announcement was made
asking Ranjisi to return home. Protests and small riots had popped up across
the globe and some people didn’t like the presence of Ranjisi. But the Pearsons
sure were welcoming and glad we were there.

I could hear the sound of the front door opening. My heart
stopped for a few seconds and then began to beat like a machine gun. We all
turned to face the living room and watched LeAnne quickly pass through the
living area and into the kitchen. No one said anything and LeAnne didn’t look
over toward the dining room. We listened quietly as she put some groceries away.
It looked like she was going to make another trip out to the car when she
glanced toward the dining room. She took a few more steps and stopped short. As
she turned to face me, her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. She appeared
frozen for a second and then took a few steps toward me. I stood up and it
seemed LeAnne flew into my arms in one long leap.

“I can’t believe you’re here. But I did have dreams about
you coming here and when they made the announcement, I wondered if they
released you from prison. We didn’t actually see any interviews with Ranjisi.
We just saw President Hawkins and Russian President Pasternak. How long have
you been here? I’ve missed you so much.”

“Thinking about you was the one thing that got me through
those long boring days in prison. I missed you too. You look wonderful. You
feel wonderful.” We kissed until we both became aware of the Pearson family
sitting there watching us.

“I confess LeAnne. I’ve been here all along. I came with the
Phase III delegation. I just wasn’t sure if I should contact you. I figured you
went on with your life. It has been a few years. I thought that in the long
run, you would be better off without me.”

“I understand Naos. I’m just glad you decided to come here.
Now you know. I wouldn’t be better off without you. I’m better off with you,
much better off. There hasn’t been anyone else in my life since you left.”

“On the news, they showed videos of the Tellis and the twin
races and pictures of Ranjisan,” LeAnne said. “In the beginning, after the big
announcement of your arrival, they said some of you went to work in Africa.
They showed some pictures of Ranjisi working with African doctors, curing
Ebola. But they didn’t show any pictures of you. There were no close-ups of
anyone and everyone was wearing masks. Were you with the group that went to
Africa?”

“Yes. I was with them. I was there for almost two years. I
am so sorry I didn’t contact you LeAnne.”

LeAnne hugged me tightly again. “It’s okay Naos. You’re here
now. That’s all that matters.”

“Can you stay for a while?” Roy asked. “What are your
plans?”

“I can stay as long as I am welcome. I’ve decided that I
won’t be returning to Ranjisan with the big exodus. They won’t look for me. I’m
somewhat of a celebrity on Ranjisan and I can pretty much go where I want.”

“So what do you think of the protests?” Carl asked.

“I guess it was to be expected. Things will settle down
eventually,” I said. “When we have more time, I’ll explain the protests. There
is more going on behind the scenes than people know. There are those who don’t
want our medical and technological systems here. It all has to do with money.”

“I’m not surprised to hear that,” Roy said. “But we can talk
about those things over time. For now, we just want you to know that you are
welcome and we want you to be comfortable here.”

“Yes, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want.
There is an extra bedroom you can use,” Carl said.

“Thank you Carl. I would like that. Thank you for making me
feel
welcome.”

When I turned back to face LeAnne, I noticed her joy seemed
to be hiding some other emotions. Her smile had faded and she looked concerned
or worried. The rest of the Pearson family grew silent as I looked at LeAnne,
expecting some kind of bad news. “Naos, can you sit down. There is something I
need to tell you,” LeAnne said.

I sat down wondering what it could be. I wondered quickly if
the cancer had returned. There were no reports of cancer returning from any of
the treatment centers but LeAnne was the first patient. For a brief second I
wondered if maybe it took a longer period of time for the cancer to return. It
seemed impossible but we didn’t have much experience with humans. Perhaps there
was something different about humans that we hadn’t considered. My thoughts
were spinning wildly when LeAnne’s words brought me back to reality. “Wait here
a minute Naos,” LeAnne said before leaving the room.

When LeAnne returned two minutes later she was holding the
hand of child that looked to be about four or five years old. He appeared to
have been woken up from a nap and was leaning into LeAnne’s hip, falling back
to sleep. “Meet Carl Luke,” was all LeAnne said.

I stood up and leaned into the small child to get a better
look. “He is yours? How old is he?” I asked thinking that she had definitely
moved on and met someone.

“Sit down a minute Naos. He is five years old,” LeAnne said.
“You’ve been gone a long time Naos. You’ve been gone just over five years. Do
you remember the first night at the Mesquite Lodge?”

“Of course LeAnne.
It’s the most
wonderful memory of my life.”

“I always knew in my heart that you would return someday
Naos. You would return to me and to your son. He isn’t mine. He is ours.”

It was a good thing LeAnne had asked me to sit down. Even sitting
down I felt like I was going to pass out. I leaned forward and put my head
between my knees until the feeling passed. When I looked up, LeAnne was
standing there and Carl Luke was wide awake and looking at me. I reached slowly
for Carl’s hand. He smiled shyly and took my hand. Anyone who has touched their
own child for the first time knows what it feels like. It’s kind of like the
opposite of dying. Your life passes through your mind except that when you hold
your child for the first time you are overwhelmed with all the extraordinary
and selfless things your parents did for you. I hugged Carl Luke. I didn’t want
to scare him so I just hugged him quickly and gently for a moment. In that
moment I made that personal vow to myself that all new parents of all races
make. I made a vow that I will love and protect the child unconditionally for
as long as I live.

“He is beautiful.” I wasn’t sure how to ask the question. I
wanted to know if he was healthy. After all, it was the first time that I knew
of that two people with completely different internal biology conceived a
child. He was the first interplanetary, multi-racial child. He was half human
and half Ranjisi.

LeAnne already knew what I was thinking. “He is healthy
Naos. The doctors said he may be prone to infections during his early
development due to the fact that he has no spleen. Aside from that, he was a
bit anemic but he has gradually outgrown that.”

“And your health?”
I asked.

“Perfect.”

“When it comes to parenthood, we are all universally the same,”
I thought. “Even the cold Greys of Eusebeia must bond with their children. As I
smiled and talked to Carl Luke about anything and everything I realized that
all life forms throughout the vast universe have been feeling for eons, what I
was feeling at that moment. It’s an instinct that is deeply embedded somewhere
inside us. It’s what adds meaning to life.”

***

The protests and riots continued on for months before they
finally began to subside. It took about that long for LeAnne and
I
to decide what we wanted to do next. We wanted to be part
of the Phase III Medical Division but that option seemed less likely to become
a reality when the official announcement was made requesting all Ranjisi to
return to Ranjisan. There would still be a small percentage of Ranjisi who
remained on Earth. It’s not like we were going to be criminals and they would
be hunting us down. Actually, the Ranjisi government was not too concerned
about it since they knew we would return little by little, over time.

I had hoped we could work in one of the new human-managed
research facilities that they had built. I submitted our applications to the
facility located just north of New York City and it wasn’t long before we
received our acceptance letters. They weren’t going to accept my application
but when I talked to them on the phone and told them LeAnne and I were going to
be married eventually, they accepted it. After that, we just had to wait for a
starting date. The timing was good for us. We spent our days relaxing and
teaching Carl Luke everything we could. We spent many warm nights sitting out
on the Pearson’s rear deck, looking up at the stars.

“This is where it all started,” LeAnne said one night.

“Yes. It was an odd coincidence that it was our ship that
harassed you here on your deck that night,” I said with a sly smile.

“Your people can harass me anytime they want Naos. Ranjisi
are good people,” LeAnne said, paused and continued, “and here you guys are
again.” LeAnne was looking up toward the same mountain where our ship had
appeared several years earlier.