“Something is different about you, Kay,” Vinath remarked.
“It felt better talking to you and getting any doubts about our partnership out of the way, Vee,” Keerim admitted.
It was not the entire truth, but Keerim was not lying either.
“So, thank you very much for being such a wonderful partner!”
“You are most welcome, my friend!” Vinath replied.
But as Keerim returned to his task, he knew The Scribe was right. No matter how much he tried to justify what happened, he was the one responsible for her unjust and unmerited demise. Paradins do not fall; but somehow, he had made an exception to that rule. The worst part of it was that he had done it to someone he deeply loved, who loved him back in kind. And he had repaid her with the ultimate betrayal. So why was he doing this again? Why sacrifice all? Just hurry up with that Zarark, Scribe, before I lose my mind! Keerim said to himself…
CHAPTER FIVE
THE TIME LAPSE
WALTER PEABODY UNSLUNG his laptop bag from his shoulder and set it on the table, before pulling back the chair and making himself as comfortable as he could at his usual spot in the small tea shop in a suburb on the outskirts of Liverpool. So much for the life of a freelance journalist! He described his life as one big error. The error was the aberration between his dreams and the reality that was his status. He never should have left his job as an editor for the local paper. But the promise of freelancing was a seduction too sweet to resist. Six months and a threat-of-eviction later, his regret had become parasitic.
Walter flexed his shoulders and neck a few times. Satisfied with his workout for the day, he retrieved his laptop from its bag. It was only a matter of time before pedestrians took over the streets, despite the promise of a mercilessly hot summer afternoon. Heat and humidity were not his friends. He turned his laptop on as Irina walked over to him.
“Good morrow to you, kind sir,” Irina said in her thick Ukrainian accent.
She was a theater arts major at the local university and took the phrase ‘the world is a stage’ a little too seriously, but he enjoyed indulging her.
“Good morrow to you, milady,” Walter returned her greeting with a smile of his own. “How fare thee on this glorious day?”
“The gods smile upon me with favor, my lord,” Irina replied.
“The blessings of the gods bathe me through thine smile,” he said.
Walter was glad to see her face turn as red as a tomato.
“My lord, you honor me dearly,” Irina managed to say as she retrieved her notepad and pen from her apron.
“It is not always that one gets the opportunity to bask in the presence of perfection, milady,” Walter said and bowed his head slightly.
Irina cleared her throat and looked around to make sure no one else was seeing her blush.
“Gratitude, my lord,” she said and cleared her throat. “Will you be having your usual today, Walter?” she asked, reverting to reality.
“Yes, please,” Walter replied. “Thank you.”
“You’re quite welcome,” Irina replied. “A plain donut, a cup of green tea, with two loaves of sugar and a dash of marshmallows on the way!” she said as she scribbled on her notepad before heading to the kitchen.
Walter’s laptop came to life. It was only a matter of time before this relic of a laptop gave up on him for good. He swore to himself to buy a new one as soon as he could generate enough cashflows to be able to pay the rent and afford more than the usual at this tea shop.
Walter opened a search engine and typed a few words. He scrolled through some options and opened two of them in separate tabs on the internet browser. He clicked on the first tab and started reading. Walter had bigger fish to fry and Prof. Samuel Cadbury was running late, as it was often the case during their regular meetings. Damn you, professor! Walter cursed under his breath. You should ease up a little, my boy, Walter’s mother’s voice echoed in his head. You overreact to everything, sometimes.
“If I didn’t know you better, I’d say you missed your calling, Mr. Peabody,” the raspy voice of a man emanated from behind a very thick, neatly trimmed beard. “I can appreciate a man with a loathing for tardiness!”
Prof. Cadbury set his briefcase on the empty seat to his left. He reverently removed his fedora with his right hand and gently placed it on the table.
“Thank you for coming, professor,” Walter said, and extended his hand.
Prof. Cadbury took Walter’s right hand in a strong grip and shook it. He then adjusted his black, steel-rimmed glasses over the bridge of his nose and brushed his right hand over the last remnants of hair on the back of his head. He was a stocky, sixty-six-year-old. 1.67-meter tall genius with two doctorate degrees in theology. Walter believed that it was a waste of a mind for the professor to dedicate his genius to theology. Theology shared something in common with Latin; both were useless in today’s world, according to Walter.
“You’re very welcome,” the professor replied nonchalantly. “I always find our debates to be deeply soothing to the psyche, especially right before I embark on the rewarding duty of imparting knowledge unto eager minds and hearts,” he added with only the faintest hint of how mundane he considered his job to be.
“The pleasure is all mine, as always, professor,” Walter said. “I find I learn a lot more from you than you do from me.”
“Nonsense, Walter!” Sam replied. “I am yet to find someone with as much eagerness and thirst for unconventional knowledge as you. Do you know what I find most interesting about you, young man?”
“No, sir,” Walter replied evenly.
“Your penchant for knowledge, just because,” Prof. Cadbury replied. “Your sole motivation is your desire to learn! Perhaps humanity is not entirely lost in its pursuit for the pointless.”
Walter thought this was the best compliment he had ever received in a very, very long time and thanked the professor. Irina returned to the table with Walter’s order and took the professor’s order. As usual, both men talked for a few minutes about their lives since the last time they met. Walter talked about how he was still furious at his ex-girlfriend for leaving him for his next-door neighbor four years ago, and the professor spoke fondly about how his three grandchildren have made him abandon all prospects of getting a hair transplant because they would rip it right out of his head, anyway. He had been a widower for close to a quarter of a century, and a proud, single father of two beautiful daughters, who were both happily married. Irina returned shortly with the professor’s tea and a slice of carrot cake. Shortly after that, both men’s food vanished.
“So, what do you have for me today, Walter?” Prof. Cadbury asked.
“Have you ever considered the fact that the proverbial Adam and Eve were not, in fact, the proverbial first man and woman to be created?” Walter asked, and the professor smiled.
“Straight to the point!” the professor said. “Love that about you. But to answer your question; no. Never thought of that before. Why the sudden curiosity though, young man?” Sam asked.
“I was at a pub one day,” Walter said. “And I heard some blokes having a heated debate on whether or not Eve was the first woman to be created. An unusual topic to discuss at a pub, right? Anyway, a gentleman was absolutely convinced that Eve was not and that the demon, Lilith, was the first woman to be created. Of course, his religious companions begged to differ, and after several bottles of beer and shots of liquor, the drunken party parted ways without any definitive conclusion.”
“And obviously, you did some digging of your own?” asked Prof. Cadbury rhetorically.
“You know me too well, professor,” Walter replied and smiled. “Yes, I did some digging. That night was the first time I ever heard of a demon called Lilith.”
“But obviously, before you enlisted the free services of the internet, something must have created an argument much stronger than the drunken rants of good blokes at a pub. Isn’t that so, Mr. Peabody?” the professor said a-matter-of-factly.
The professor raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. Walter had his complete attention now.
“Irrefutable evidence,” Prof. Cadbury repeated, nodding slightly.
“There are two different descriptions on how the first woman was created in the Book of Genesis,” Walter replied with excitement.
Walter typed out a few words on his search engine. The professor raised an eyebrow as he waited. Walter chose a link and created a new tab on the internet browser. From this tab, he continued typing and clicking. Satisfied, he turned his laptop around to face the professor.
“Okay, here’s what I realized,” said Walter.
When he noticed the puzzled look on the professor’s face, Walter reached around his laptop and looked at the screen.
“Oh, sorry about that, professor,” he apologized and minimized a pop-up from a porn site. “You were not meant to see that,” he added with a note of embarrassment.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, young man!” Prof. Cadbury said flatly. “What you do with your private moments is your concern. Although, I’d recommend that you acquaint yourself with actual companionship of the human kind and rid yourself of such virtual, quasi-fulfilling distractions!”
“And I’ll take your words of wisdom under advisement, professor,” Walter replied and returned the smile. “There!” he said with a note of satisfaction and returned to his seat. “I selected three verses from the Book of Genesis to support my assertion.”
The professor clicked on each tab and read them carefully. When he finished, he nodded.
“I think I follow what you’re trying to say here,” Prof. Cadbury said.
“Good. In Genesis 1:27, it says that ‘So God created Man (as in mankind) in His own image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ Did you notice how it says God created ‘them’ and then emphasizes later with ‘male and female he created them’?” Walter asked.
“Yes, I do,” the professor replied, waiting patiently for Walter to land.
“And then later in Genesis 2:7, it says that ‘Then the Lord God formed Man from the dust of the ground and Man became a living being.’ Hadn’t mankind already been created in Chapter 1? Why would there be another account of man being created in the next chapter of the same book? Does that not strike you as odd, professor?” Walter asked.
“Valid points, Walter,” the professor agreed without conceding yet.
“And that’s not all. In Genesis 2:18, it says that ‘And the Lord said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make a help or companion for him.” How come man is now alone in Chapter 2 when in Chapter 1, male and female had already been created?”
Walter waited for the professor to say something, but Prof. Cadbury said nothing. The professor was still toying with what Walter had just told him.
“Finally,” Walter concluded, “in Genesis 2:22 it says that ‘Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib He had taken out of the man, and He brought her to him (the man).’ This woman, professor, was later called Eve and the man was called Adam. But in Chapter 1, when the man and the woman were created, they were not given any names. They were just referred to as male and female.”
“Did you consider the possibility that the words ‘male and female’ could simply indicate that mankind consists of men and women, and not necessarily that a male and a female were created?” Prof. Cadbury argued.
“I don’t think so, professor,” Walter argued. “If that were the case, why would male and female be made at the same time in Chapter 1, but in Chapter 2, the male is created from the dust of the ground, and then the female is created LATER from a rib removed from his side?”
Walter paused and waited for an answer from the professor.
“I see your point, Walter,” he finally said. “Remember, however, that these writings, especially in the Old Testament, ought not be taken literally, necessarily. There is a lot that has been lost in translation, and there are a lot of hidden meanings in these Old Testament scriptures. My suggestion is to take a look at the original texts and try to understand the meanings of the various words used in these verses. Perhaps that would shed more light on the situation.”
Walter was aware that he had put the professor in a tight corner but made no effort, just yet, to keep driving his point across. He let the professor continue talking, knowing that in the end, the professor would arrive at a conclusion that would allow them to agree to disagree. Both men shared a common trait; they both had a knack for knowledge and Walter was sure that eventually, the good professor would later do some more research on this matter. So, he remained patient and listened as the professor continued with is verbal editorial.
“Let’s say I agree with your logic, Walter,” Dr. Cadbury continued. “That there were two couples created in two separate situations. The first couple was created together at the same time, while the second couple was created later, with the male created first in the same manner as the first couple, and the female was later created out of his rib. Is this what you’re saying, by the way?” the professor asked.
“Exactly, professor!” Walter agreed.
“If that’s the case,” Dr. Cadbury continued, without letting the rhythm die, “then something must have happened between-” he moved the mouse on the laptop monitor and squinted as he clicked a few times and read, “- Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:18. In 1:27, there was the first couple, male and female together and created at the same time. In 2:18, the second man, Adam, was alone and a companion had to be made for him and FROM him. So, even though we have established, or rather concluded, that there were two couples created at separate times, some questions linger. What happened to the first couple and why was the second female made from the rib of the second male, as opposed to being created at the same time as the male was?”
The professor paused for a moment and stared blankly at the monitor. Through the reflection of the laptop monitor on his glasses, Walter was pleased to see the fire in the professor’s eyes for more research to come. He had originally asked to meet with Dr. Cadbury just to discuss the two separate, biblical accounts of the creation of mankind. But he had never expected Dr. Cadbury to open a new field of possibilities for more research later. The idea thrilled him just as much as it thrilled the professor and maybe even more.
“Would you gentlemen like anything else?” Irina asked.
The two men were too engrossed in their intellectual banter to notice her walk up to them.
“No, miss,” the professor replied. “We’ll pay by credit card.”
Walter reached into his wallet to pull out some cash, but the professor waved him off.
“No, Walter!” Dr. Cadbury said. “This is on me. Consider it a small token for providing me with some intellectual excitement for the week.”
Walter shrugged and returned the cash to his wallet, grateful that he could now afford something else for lunch, other than tuna salad.
“Very well, sir” Irina said. “I’ll be back shortly, gentlemen.”
“Thank you, professor,” Walter said. “For indulging me and for picking up the check.”
Walter turned his laptop towards him and stole a quick glance at Irina’s nicely shaped backside that threatened to rip her jeans apart. He swallowed and returned to reality.
“No, thank YOU, lad,” the professor counted. “Any plans for the rest of the day?”
“I have two articles to complete for two blogs, and then I’ll return to some more job hunting,” Walter replied. “Bloody tough out there!”
“I understand your frustration,” the professor replied. “And even though I should retire soon, I must say I prefer to stay gainfully employed. At least for the sake of my sanity.”
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br /> Irina returned with the credit card machine and ran Dr. Cadbury’s credit card through the machine. He signed his receipt and returned Irina’s pen with a ‘thank you kindly’. He then picked up his fedora with his left hand and his suitcase with his right in one graceful motion.
“Good luck in your job search, Walter,” he added. “If I stumble across anything that I think may suit you, I shall surely let you know.”
Dr. Cadbury reverently set his fedora on his head.
“Thank you kindly, professor,” Walter replied.
“Good day to you, Mr. Peabody,” the professor said.
“Good day to you, Dr. Cadbury,” Walter replied.
The professor left the shop.
Walter sighed, cracked his knuckles and rubbed his eyes. He then rested his elbows on the table, interlocked his fingers and rested his head on his knuckles. He let his mind drift off for a few minutes and once again, his mind took him to how glorious his pathetic existence was. He was filled with so much self-loathe that he would not even visit his parents who lived just seven blocks from him. All their talk about unconditional love and only caring about his well-being did not matter to Walter. His trashed ego overshadowed his parents love for him.
“I never took you for a praying man, sir,” said a soft voice, with a strong south London accent that made Walter’s head snap upward.
Walter squinted, more from surprise than anything else, before he relaxed his shoulders. His eyes then opened wide and his lips parted slightly. He was staring into the eyes of a stunningly beautiful lady dressed in a sleeveless white blouse and pair of summer shorts that were a little too short and tight. Her long, black hair was pulled back in a bun, and a hand with perfectly manicured fingernails coated with bright, red nail polish covered her juicy lips.
“I’m so sorry, sir!” she apologized. “Didn’t mean to startle you.”
“Oh, forgive me, miss,” Walter replied, finally coming to his senses. “I was just deep in thought, that’s all. No need to apologize.”
Walter managed a sheepish smile.
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