by Aiden James
“How did you get a passport without me filling out anything or taking m-my… pic-picture?”
It was getting harder and harder for me to focus.
“The same way dishonest humans do it,” said Kazikli, his image getting dimmer. He was standing next to Nora, I think. “We had it forged months ago for such an occasion as this.”
He sounded like he was quite pleased and proud of himself, and he chuckled, but I could no longer see him.
“Rest, Txema, rest and know that we’ll be waiting for you when you come back,” said Garvan. His cool fingers massaged my temples and I closed my eyes. It felt really good, and I wanted to tell him not to stop. For once, I was glad they could read my mind, so I just thought it.
“You’ll be glad you did this. Remember, we all feel the same about it… that it will bring peace and closure so your heart can move on…”
awoke on my own at 9:52 a.m. For a moment, I thought it was still dark outside. But once I saw the dimly illuminated crisscrossing steel beams above us through the windows on either side of the passenger cabin, I remembered that Kazikli and Chanson had told me the plane would be moved inside a nearby hangar until we were ready to resume our trip around the world.
The overhead lights remained on inside the passenger cabin, and my first priority was to check on Alaia. She was already awake. Smiling as she lay inside a Moses basket, an adorable pink outfit with ruffles had been set out for her on the chair nearby. A slight hyacinth scent clung to the fabric, and I realized Nora was the one to do this. I smiled at the tenderness shown to my baby girl.
The plane felt deserted. Although I knew my companions were fast asleep in the room next to the passenger cabin, it seemed like all of Racco’s staff had left the airplane. I listened intently, and all I could hear was my child’s breathing and her soft coos.
We were definitely on our own―at least until dusk, unless the staff returned early.
I played with Alaia until shortly after ten o’clock, and then when my stomach began to rumble, I realized neither she nor I were likely to get fed until we left the plane. I carried her down the aisle toward the bathroom, pausing long enough to steal a peek at the row of expensive caskets I recognized from my brief stay in China months ago.
I went into the bathroom to start getting ready and saw a note taped to the mirror. Well, first I saw how bad my makeup had smudged since yesterday, along with the destruction of Yangani’s efforts to create a lasting hairstyle from the previous afternoon. The note was from Chanson, reminding me about the outfit I was to wear that day along with my makeup, and that everything was waiting for me next to the vanity. She also gave me instructions on how to avoid tumbling down the portable stairs when I exited the plane with Alaia, as well as what doorway to go through in order to meet our limousine. After adamantly reminding me to be outside the hangar door and ready for the limo no later than 11:30 a.m., her last instructions were to make sure that Alaia and I were back inside the hangar by seven o’clock that night at the latest. Beneath her signature was a curious ‘P.S.’ It read: “Enjoy your date.”
“What in the hell is she talking about, Alaia?” I said. I bathed and then dressed her in the precious outfit. She looked like a princess in waiting, and seemed almost as intrigued as I was, kicking her legs and waving her tiny arms while she smiled.
It’s moments like these that make me feel as if I could live through anything and be happy. Just as long as the unconditional love of my daughter remains that way.
“Mommy’s gonna take a quick shower and get ready to take you someplace special today.”
The water was a little cool, which helped me stay on a mission to get ready quickly. I planned to look for something for my baby girl to eat in the plane’s kitchen area before leaving. After I dried my hair, I was only slightly surprised at the summer pantsuit picked out for me. Anne Klein. Not the most expensive thing on the rack, which actually suited me better. The light burgundy top and beige pants were a closer fit for my personality than the crazy-expensive stuff that the vampires seemed to prefer. Even the low heel Hinkles looked great, and this entire outfit still worked well with the expensive handbag from Nora. But it wasn’t your typical ‘date’ thing, which only added to my intrigue about whom I’d be meeting with that afternoon.
Once I finished my makeup, we still had almost half an hour before our eleven-thirty deadline. That left plenty of time to look for something for my baby. Almost everything was locked up in the kitchen area, except for a small cooler compartment with a bottle of formula already made. I heated it up in the bottle warmer and tested it on my wrist and laughed having the new mom thought that my perfume these days is more often either spit up or formula, and decided that the pantsuit was definitely probably a good idea.
While feeding her, I turned on a small television set in the kitchen, wondering why there wasn’t a TV of some sort in the passenger cabin. Honestly, I hadn’t even thought of it until that moment, and I couldn’t believe the subject never came up during our flight. Maybe this was another trick of Kazikli, to make sure this rendezvous with whomever I was supposed to meet went without a hitch. Lord knows the trick of making me fall asleep worked like a charm. I felt fine, with no ill effects from crossing two continents and the Atlantic Ocean to get to Nashville. But it seemed a little odd that no one was interested in the latest news going on, both locally and throughout the world.
My hunger was beginning to gnaw and my stomach growled. I was more than a little curious as to who my mystery date could be and then it hit me… like a ton of bricks… in the face.
Peter?
It couldn’t be. Peter had gone back to school in Knoxville. That’s what everyone told me that he’d do. That’s why he was sent back to America from France right after he fathered Alaia.
This made complete sense, and I felt like such an idiot for not considering it earlier. Granted, jetlagged crazy sleep could make anyone not think straight. Not to mention I had no idea I was coming back to Tennessee until it actually happened.
So, lunch was going to be with Peter and someplace in Nashville. A limousine was picking me up at 11:30, and this would be the perfect opportunity to introduce father to daughter.
The images on the television screen forced me to forget everything for a moment. It was a news report talking about the President of the United States and his latest address to the nation concerning the ongoing martial law. The report said it would continue indefinitely until the ‘Chupacabra Menace’ had been contained. As the reporter droned on about the danger of these poor infected individuals, I zoned out for a moment. That they were calling them Chupacabras made me think that someone from our side was working with either the press or the government. Maybe both. That had to be good, right? That must have been what Kazikli was talking about before when he talked about the governments helping out. My attention was drawn back to the screen when a graph popped up showing nearly seventy thousand people had been killed worldwide since last November. Nearly one third of the deaths coming from the U.S.A. The carnage was staggering.
“No fucking way…” I whispered in utter disbelief and dismay.
Images of trucks loaded with soldiers and tanks rolling through residential streets in Boston and New York paraded across the screen, and in the foreground was a soldier carrying an assault rifle. For a moment, I was hopeful that places like Richmond and Nashville had been spared, but the report went on to mention the additional deployment of troops from the National Guard and even the Army Reserve in every American city numbering over ten thousand residents. Not only that, but the mandatory seven o’clock curfew mentioned by Chanson was reinforced on the TV screen.
I was so lost in watching this shit that I lost track of the time. When I finally glanced up at the clock on the wall, it was already 11:26, which only gave me a few minutes to get us out of the plane and across the hangar to our appointed meeting spot with the limousine.
In my rush, I almost forgot Chanson’s warnings, and she was right; it
was treacherous heading out of the plane and I almost did tumble down the steps. But, I somehow managed not to break my neck or my little girl’s. From there, I hoofed it as fast as I could to the hangar door. Luckily, enough sunlight crept in through the high windows to illuminate my path clearly enough.
A white stretch limousine, much larger than needed for a single mom and her baby in a basket, idled outside the door. A man, eyes shaded by mirrored sunglasses, stood beside it wearing a suit and a driver’s cap.
The bright sunshine made me squint and a thin sheen of sweat courtesy of the mid-south’s May humidity had me second-guessing the pantsuit. It occurred to me just how nocturnal I was becoming myself.
“Txema?” asked the driver.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“She’s absolutely stunning, just like her mom,” he said, motioning to Alaia. Without waiting for a reply, he opened the middle door and motioned for me to climb inside. “My name’s Mitch, and obviously I’m your driver today. You’ll want to strap your baby into the car seat. It’s fairly easy to use, but if you need my help, I’ll gladly show you how it’s done.”
“I believe I can handle it just fine.” I slid past him and gently set the basket in the car before climbing in after it.
He waited politely for me to secure my baby in her car seat, staying on hand in case I ended up needing help after all. Fortunately, I have a niece that I baby-sat in high school, so finding my way around any standard car seat was a snap. I efficiently moved Alaia to her seat and strapped her in, and then fastened my own seatbelt. I offered Mitch a smug smile. It’s so nice to be able to do things for myself sometimes. “Got it done,” I added to let him know we could get going.
“When I spoke to your friend Nora early this morning, she said y’all were going to the Cascades Restaurant at the Opryland Hotel,” he said, as he prepared to shut our door. “Have you ever been there before?”
“No, I haven’t.” I was ready to get this show on the road. “First time to Nashville for me and my baby.”
“Now that I think of it, that’s also what Nora said. Well, I’ll get you there right away.” He closed the door, but reopened it a second later. “Sorry about this, but do you have your passport with you? I don’t need it, but the soldiers at the airport exit will want to see some sort of ID. Nora told me that you don’t have your driver’s license with you, so the passport will do. You’ll also need it to get through security at the hotel.”
“I’ve got it right here,” I said, fishing through my purse, and trying not to feel panicked when I didn’t see it at first. Nora had stashed it inside a hidden compartment for safekeeping. I showed it to him, and then he finally closed the door.
“We should arrive at the hotel in about twenty minutes, if there ain’t a line waiting to get out of here,” said Mitch, once he returned to the driver’s seat.
I could tell he really wanted to strike up a conversation with me, but I wasn’t comfortable doing it. I’m rarely one to bullshit with someone else, and I usually speak my mind plainly. I couldn’t really talk about current events with him, which would be an awkward conversation in its own right. Oh, really? Vampires attacking? Since when? Yeah, I kind of have been living under a rock. Mostly because I was hiding from those vampires because they were kind of looking for me. Oh, they killed your aunt? Yeah, really sorry about that Mitch.
Mitch glanced back at me after a slight snicker escaped my mouth. I avoided his mirrored eyes and looked down at my baby girl. Although so young, I had the queer feeling she was somehow listening to the odd assortment of thoughts rolling around in my head. Her mirthful expression that was years beyond her tender age told me as much. Or maybe she was just a happy baby.
Before long, we reached the exit from Nashville International Airport, and the military checkpoint described by Mitch. A pair of Humvees sat nearby, and a dozen soldiers guarded the area. All were carrying the same assault rifles I saw on TV a short while earlier.
I feared being detained. The thought of having my daughter taken away from me while I went to jail for having a false I.D. was enough to make small beads of sweat form along my forehead and my back, despite the limousine’s air conditioning. It didn’t help matters when the guard gruffly demanded to see my passport. He looked at the picture and then back at me suspiciously.
“Make sure you abide by the seven o’clock curfew, ma’am.” He handed my passport back. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, I do,” I said, adding an exaggerated nod to emphasize my agreement.
He waved us through, and we were soon on the highway heading for the hotel. The Opryland Hotel apparently is among the most celebrated hotels in Nashville, and once had an amusement park attached to it. Tyreen had told me about the place last fall. She and her beau, Johnny Ayers wanted to spend a weekend together there, but found the price too exorbitant for their college allowances.
I’m sure she wished they had splurged and ponied up the cash for a stay at the five star resort. Johnny is now crippled for life after one of Ralu’s warriors threw him down a stairwell at Massey Hall. Not to mention she’ll forever be a vampire incapable of sustaining a passionate relationship with a mortal. I’m sure those memories were part of what had her so upset when our plane arrived in Nashville.
Once the limousine arrived at the hotel, I went through the same verification process as I did at the airport. Mitch advised he’d return for me by 5:30 p.m. unless I called earlier, and handed me a card with a phone number, which I slipped into my purse. His tone lost all of its previous warmness as he reiterated he would not wait for me beyond 5:45. That would give him plenty of time to return me to the hangar in the airport. It would also allow him time to drop off the limousine, and return to his home in nearby Antioch before curfew time.
After I got directions on how to find the Cascades Restaurant from the hotel’s front desk, I moved through what looked like a sprawling botanical garden, complete with ponds and fountains galore. The restaurant was located in the midst of this enchanting place.
I saw him just as I got to the hostess station. I had no idea how I’d react or respond to this moment. He was in a conversation with an older gentleman at the bar and didn’t see me at first, so I had the opportunity to watch him unnoticed. He was beautiful. Perfect. Dressed in a casual navy blue business suit sans a tie, he looked like a movie star. I watched him for a couple of moments. His deep brown eyes had that magical twinkle and his smile was flawless. He always had this ability to make you feel like you were the complete center of his attention, like you were the only thing that mattered at that moment. It was one of the things that made him a good boyfriend and would have made him a good father. Even when he was talking with a stranger, it helped him connect with them quickly. Combined with his Hollywood good looks, he could have been a hell of politician if he wanted.
As my heart beat faster, I started to wonder, how did I let this one get away and more importantly, had I? Here he was, merely a human with a single short lifetime of experience, and yet for a moment, I felt as I had when I had first seen Racco or Garvan. They each had their own supernatural pull on my heart, so how could poor Peter compete? Yet here he was, the father of my child. It’s complicated, and who’s to say that it truly was over between us? Chance and circumstance had pushed us apart, but, depending on what happened right then―in the few hours before I was forced to return to the plane where my guardians slept… Perhaps the glowing embers of a love light that had grown dim could be fully rekindled.
Anything is possible, as they say.
“T-Txema?” he stammered when he finally noticed me by the hostess stand. “You’re really here―oh, my God!”
Peter quietly excused himself from the older gentleman’s presence and rushed over to me. He was about to throw his arms around me when he noticed the baby girl I carried.
“Is she…” he couldn’t finish, and I watched his eyes tear up.
“Yes, Peter, this is our daughter, Alaia,” I said, feeling my own eyes
become misty. I had hoped he would love her as much as I do.
“Alaia,” he repeated, tenderly. “She’s so, so beautiful.”
“She’s got your eyes, your hair.” I giggled nervously.
He gently lifted her from her basket, and the smile she already had on her face grew brighter.
“Alaia… you are amazing!” he said, matching the brightness of her countenance with his own. “Just like your mother is amazing!”
He looked at me, longing in his eyes. Yet, there was also incredible sadness, along with profound pain of some sort.
I didn’t like that combination, and wanted desperately to steel my heart against the onslaught of emotions flooding my entire being. But I couldn’t close the gate fast enough. In that instant, I realized without a doubt I still loved him. Whether that meant ‘in love’ or some other level of desire would remain to be seen. But, chills went throughout my body.
I believe our thoughts followed the same line, and it got a tad awkward for a moment.
“I’m Peter Worley, and my guest has arrived,” he said to the hostess. As she moved to seat us at a small table close to one of the pond fountains, he asked if he would be able to also order something for his infant daughter, if that were possible. The hostess smiled at both of us and said she’d talk to the kitchen staff and see what they could come up with.
“I still can’t get over this. You’re really in Nashville!” he gushed, once we were comfortably seated with Alaia in a high chair. “I have to admit, I almost didn’t come. I just couldn’t believe it was true. Then this morning I got a call from a woman named Nora, and she convinced me I needed to come. She reminded me of…” He swallowed before continuing. “Some things that happened last November that nobody else could possibly have known. She was very convincing and very insistent that I wouldn’t want to miss this.”