The Arcturus Man

  “Girls, a friend is visiting. Say hello to Miss…to Jennifer,” said Mormor. She winked at Jenny. She didn’t want to confuse the girls.

  “My name is Jennifer too,” said little Jenny.

  “I’m Krissy.”

  “Where is Lars, girls?” asked Mormor.

  “Lars has Little League today, Grandma,” said Krissy.

  “Oh yes, I forgot. Why don’t you girls go out and play. It is a beautiful day.”

  “OK. Nice to meet you. Bye,” said little Jenny. They stormed out of the kitchen. The screen door slammed.

  They didn’t recognize Jenny. No reason they should have. Children see the world in simple terms. Things without explanations are common for children.

  “Mormor, I remember this. I really do. It is so amazing. I remember the stranger in the kitchen. She was eating the last of the rosolli. I loved rosolli and didn’t want her to eat it,” said Jenny. “But if I remember it, it would have really happened. It wouldn’t have been a dream. Or, do I just think I remember it. I am so confused,” said Jenny.

  “Sakes alive! This is strange. True enough. I don’t want to think about it so much. If it is, it is. If it isn’t, I’m just a simple old lady. I expect that I am going to wake up and find myself in bed,” said Mormor.

  Jenny and her grandmother sat at the kitchen table and talked until late afternoon. Jenny finished her plate and then had some cookies and buttermilk.

  “Time to go, Jenny,” said Jared.

  It was over. Jenny opened her eyes as Jared released her hand. She was back in bed. She looked down. Her pretty dress was gone.

  “It wasn’t enough time, Jared,” said Jenny.

  “Look at the clock,” said Jared.

  She glanced at the large red numbers on the clock next to the bed. It was one in the morning.

  “The clock didn’t change. I was with Mormor for several hours. The time didn’t change.”

  “Time is relative,” said Jared.

  “I didn’t want to leave,” said Jenny.

  “You can visit again. We need to get some sleep,” said Jared.

  Jenny resigned herself to being back. Jared crawled down beside her and reached around to cup her breast with his left hand. They often slept like that, like spoons in a drawer. It was comforting. The closeness was nice. Her mind whirled with what had just happened. Seeing and speaking with Mormor was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to her.

  Her fingers felt sticky. She licked at the tips of her fingers. It tasted like lingonberry sauce. Or, was it just her memory of how lingonberries tasted. It was so confusing. She fell asleep and dreamed about Mormor again.

  Next Morning

  Jenny woke. Jared’s side of the bed was empty. She looked at the clock. It was her own travel alarm in as much as Jared didn’t like clocks that much. It was eleven. She had overslept many hours. She couldn’t remember if she set the alarm before she went to bed. Jared might have turned the alarm off after she set it. He had done that before.

  She went into the bathroom and showered. She brushed her teeth, combed her hair, and dressed. She couldn’t smell coffee. She had slept so late that breakfast was probably long gone. She walked downstairs and heard voices. Jared was talking with Ginger. This might be her chance to learn Jared’s secret about Ginger and what she really looked like. How mad would he get is she barged into his study before he had a chance to shut off the video? He was unpredictable. She decided to eavesdrop for a while. Maybe she would learn something from that?

  “It is highly probable that Neanderthals mated with Home sapiens, Jared.,” said Ginger.

  “Yes, DNA seems to suggest they did,” said Jared. “They cohabitated the same

  areas. It isn’t conceivable that a member of one group didn’t attempt to mate with a

  member of the other group.”

  “There is no doubt that they exchanged DNA,” said Ginger.

  “Didn’t you read the paper written by Bruce Lahn of the University of Chicago?

  His study of the microcephalin gene suggests that the mutated allele may have contributed to the rapid evolution of the hominid species, such as for brain growth. More importantly, I think, this gene does not ever appear in Australia where we know that Neanderthal never appeared. I don’t understand how you can dismiss that, Ginger.” “I think you are drawing too many unsupported conclusions from that work. I

  suggest you reread the journal reports by Edward Rubin of Lawrence Berkeley National

  Laboratory,” said Ginger.

  Jenny was feeling guilty about skulking in the hallway. It wasn’t fair to Jared. It

  was a betrayal of trust.

  “Jared, I’m sorry I overslept. May I come in?” asked Jenny.

  “Of course,” said Jared.

  She walked into the den. The video was gone. Only the audio was on. She felt

  like an outsider again. She wasn’t invited inside their circle. Would she ever be? “Good morning, Jenny. I hope you slept well,” said Ginger.

  “Thank you, Ginger. I guess you don’t sleep, do you,” said Jenny. “Is there any

  coffee left Jared?”

  “No. There wouldn’t be. You know that I don’t keep coffee longer than seven

  minutes,” said Jared.

  “Oh yea. I forgot.”

  “Jenny, may I give you a suggestion? If you wouldn’t mind,” asked Ginger. “Sure. What is it?”

  “I’ve been monitoring your periods. You are highly susceptible to impregnation

  by Jared over the next 18 hours. I have no means of measuring your basal body temperature, but I noted that you experienced Mittelschmerz this morning. In that you took no

  steps for prophylaxis last night, I recommend that you and Jared practice coitus interruptus the next time you desire to have sexual intercourse,” said Ginger.

  Jenny glanced at Jared. She didn’t understand any of that. He just shrugged. “Thank you Ginger. We’ll keep that in mind,” said Jenny.

  “You are most welcome,” said Ginger.

  That took a lot of gall,” thought Jenny. Did Ginger eavesdrop on all of their intimate conversations? Was Ginger there each time she and Jared made love? She was just

  a computer program but this was creepy. And then she thought about the conversation

  that Jared and Ginger were having before she walked in. Why didn’t Jared have these

  kinds of debates with her? She was smart and she read a lot. Jared didn’t have intellectual debates with her. It was so different when she and Jared talked about science, religion, or what have you. He was the master and she was the student. It was always the

  same. It was never as equals. Jenny resented Ginger. Maybe she was even jealous.

  Chapter Seventeen – After the Rain

  Eagle’s Head Island – Late September

  There had been an early morning thunderstorm. It was a deluge but it ended as abruptly as it started. The sun was out again but it was still very windy and the temperature had dropped noticeably. Jared stepped out on the balcony and climbed over the railing to the flattop roof. It was his favorite spot for relaxing. A small aluminum lawn chair was perched near the edge, close to the dormer. The chair’s speckled blue plastic fabric was faded and frayed from use. He lit up a Romeo and Juliet and pulled his coffee cup closer to the chair where it was easy to reach.

  Jared leaned back and stretched out his legs. This was a quiet spot where neither Jenny nor Marie would find him easily. You have to go out on the balcony and lien out to see him.

  The air was swirling. The cigar smoke wafted in imperfect rings until it was caught by a gust and flowed and mingled with the dense branches of the hemlock. Each year the hemlock crept closer to the house and now was well beyond the roof line.

  Jared listened. He could no longer hear the distant squall. It was miles away. He listened more intently. The sun was out but it was still raining. That was curious. The rain drenched leaves of the great oaks and birches glistened in the sun,
but the sky was clear. He looked closely and saw that the smaller rain drops rolled off of leaves and fell on the leaves below and joined other drops, becoming too heavy for the leaves to hold them. The larger drops cascaded from one leaf to the next. The storm was long gone but it sounded like it was still raining.

  The sky was a deep clear blue and the late morning sun was blazing. The air was still. Yet, it continued to rain in the forest. Jared listened and he could hear thousands of rain drops falling. The echoes of the great storm lingered. Jared drew on his cigar and closed his eyes. He kicked off his sandals, pulled off his T-shirt, and threw them on the balcony. He walked to the edge and let himself down, soundlessly dropping to the ground. It was a long drop. He started to run. First it was a trot, then a fast run, and finally an all out sprint. He moved like the wind. The soft forest rain continued as he ran through the trees.

  Jenny walked quickly up the rocky path to the house. She wore a scarlet MIT wind breaker, white cotton blouse, jeans, and Teva sandals. She pulled the jacket tighter to keep the wind out. Jared gave her the sandals last weekend. She loved them. Jared hated the windbreaker. He never said so, but she knew it. The large white letters against the solid scarlet background annoyed him. She wore it just the same. It is the only light jacket she had.

  “Why aren’t there periods after the letters,” he once said. It wasn’t a question— not really. It was dumbing down to sell stuff. It was stupid. He didn’t tolerate stupidity.

  This time she wore a sports bra. Jogging in the morning right before breakfast had become something of a tradition for them. He was so fast that even when he slowed down, it was tough to keep up with him. This time she wanted to be comfortable. She hadn’t been with him since last Sunday. It was only six days but she missed him. He hadn’t returned any of her phone calls and his cell was off.

  “That isn’t unusual,” she reminded herself. “It is thoughtless, but not unusual.”

  Jenny patted her left side pocket. The Trojan was there. She didn’t forget it. She had no idea what Jared thought about children. Did he want children? How would he react if she got pregnant? She honestly didn’t know. It was something to talk about.

  “Maybe during dinner?” She put a mental Post-It® in a special place in her mind where she stored such thoughts. It was getting full, but this was important. She wanted children. More importantly, she wanted Jared to be their father. What an incredible father he would be. But suppose he didn’t want children. She could imagine that too. She zipped the jacket to her chin.

  It hadn’t rained on the mainland, but it must have rained on the island. The path was still damp. Leaves littered the trail. She walked a little flat-footed so she wouldn’t get mud on her new sandals. Jared liked things to be neat and orderly. He didn’t like mud. She paused and wiped her sandals in the thick grass before she ran up the steps to the porch. She slipped off her sandals, placed them neatly next to the door and walked into the house. She kept her jacket on. It was just a little cool.

  She could never surprise him. Somehow he always knew when she was coming. She yelled out for Jared. He wasn’t in the house. If he had been in the house, he would have been waiting for her. She ran up the steps, through the bedroom and out on the balcony. He wasn’t there. She sat in the high white wicker chair. His sandals were askew on the deck.

  “He must be running,” she thought. She waited and she watched. There was a small hill on the south end of the island. It was full of massive moraine boulders dropped by the glacier that carved out the inlet. Most of the island was heavily wooded but it was barren up the south hill. It wasn’t long before she spotted a figure running up the path along the hill side. Jared was running. She could track his red shorts as the figure moved through the trees. He was running at full speed. He was running so fast. It always amazed her. He hadn’t waited for her even though she was sure he knew she was on the island. This was not good. It was not good at all. He was outrunning his demons again.

  Jenny closed her eyes. Her heart sank. She loved him so much. She felt his pain when he was like this. Still, it was difficult for her to bear the depression times. His depressions were contagious. It was like a virus. His mood swings would drag her down with him and there was nothing she could do about it. She didn’t know how to help him. She had promised herself that she would comfort him through the bad times, but he often said hurtful things to her when he was like this. She knew he didn’t really mean what he said but it still hurt. He could be very cruel. Later, he would be sorry and so loving. She always forgave him even if he didn’t ask for it.

  The porch ran the length of the house. The screen door burst open banging against the frame. Marie exploded through the door and scurried toward Jenny. She had a hot cup of coffee in her hand and a red and white gingham dish towel bundle under her arm.

  “Coffee!” It was an order, not an offering

  “Thank you Mrs. Bird. I can sure use that.”

  “Mr. Jared running. Be back soon.”

  “Yes, I saw him.” Jenny always thought how odd it was that Marie called him Mr. Jared. Using the Christian name with a title was common in the Middle East and in some other parts of the world for that matter, but not in French Canada and certainly not in Maine. She wondered if Marie had traveled a lot when she was younger. Then again, maybe it was nothing more than avoiding Jared’s difficult last name. Mr. Jared was so much easier on the tongue.

  “Yes, thank you Mrs. Bird.”

  Jenny thought that Marie disliked her and she tried as hard as she could to change that. Perhaps her manner was the same for everyone. It was difficult to know.

  “Here!” said Marie. She unrolled the dish towel bundle and Jenny’s sandals flopped to the deck. They had been cleaned.

  “Thank you so much. That was very thoughtful.” She slipped on the sandals.

  Her cell phone began to chime Wolf and Dolphin from an album by Jewel. Krissy downloaded it for her. Jenny was embarrassed by it but could never remember to change the ring tone. Maybe that was Freudian too. Jared didn’t like quirky ring tones.

  “Excuse me,” said Jenny. She was relieved to have a reason to break away from Marie. She turned her body away from Marie and flipped on the phone.

  Marie turned on her heels and burst back into the house. Jenny thought about Marie for a time. She never referred to Jenny by name. Not her Christian name and not her surname. She never even used a pronoun. She deserved at least a pronoun. Marie always appeared to be intense and high strung. Again, was it because she had no respect for her or was it simply her way? Did she resent her? There was no knowing.

  “Hey, Krissy. What’s up?”

  “Jenn, I need to talk to you.”

  “Talk!”

  “Like sure! This is sister stuff. I don’t want brain man in on this. When can I see you?”

  “I’ll be back in Cambridge Monday. That soon enough?”

  “Yea, that’s OK. This is really, really important. Bye.” She was gone. Jenny wanted to ask more questions, but Krissy wasn’t going to talk. Just as well.

  “It had to be Jake the Snake,” thought Jenny. “Maybe it’s money again.” Jake lost last semester’s tuition betting basketball games and his father cut him off for the duration.

  “If that’s it again, she isn’t getting any more. Enough is enough.”

  Jenny wasn’t focused now but she suddenly caught Jared coming out of the woods in the corner of her eye. It lifted her spirits. She bent over the railing to follow him. Being with Jared made her feel good even when he was in one of his rotten moods. It didn’t make sense but love never does. He was barefoot and wore nothing more than those little red shorts. His skin glistened but he rarely broke a sweat. He was never out of breath. His maleness was exciting. She unconsciously felt for the package in her side pocket.

  She waited a few tactical minutes and then walked down to the kitchen. Jared had the door to the frig open and was drinking out of the milk carton. That was a nasty habit. He had a milk mustache that he wi
ped off with the back of his hand.

  “Ms. MIT, I’m so glad you came…I was waiting for you,” said Jared.

  She ignored the jibe.

  “So why didn’t you return any of my calls?” asked Jenny.

  “I had a bad week. A really bad week! And I just got back from an overseas trip. No excuses. I’m really sorry,” he said.

  “And why didn’t you wait for me? We were going to run together,” she said.

  “And when are you going to learn punctuality?” asked Jared.

  “Now you’re being mean. If you are in another blue funk, just warn me. You know that….” She stopped in mid-sentence as Marie walked in. Marie never looked at Jenny. She went straight for Jared.

  “Mr. Jared, you teach dat Ginger manners or I for sure quit.”

  “Marie, I am so sorry. I will make sure she keeps her clothes on,” said Jared.

  “I don’t care bout dat. I don’t stand for dat kind of language. Where she learn dat? Not from Marie for sure.”

  Then she broke into French and the two of them began to argue. Neither raised their voice but it was clear it was becoming heated. Jenny talked to Ginger often in the past few months but still hadn’t seen her. Ginger could be irritating and maybe sarcastic at times, but she never used bad language. What was all of this about? Clothes? She takes her clothes off? What is that all about?

  “Bon” Marie stormed out.

  “OK, explain this,” asked Jenny.

  “What?”

  “Is that why you won’t let me see Ginger? She’s naked?” asked Jenny.

  “I wrote a program for Ginger to give her free will---actually it’s more like randomization…not too different how flesh and blood people exercise free will. It is mostly a myth you know. People are influenced in making decisions by the programming they have received over a life time. Ginger doesn’t wear clothes some times. Big deal! And recently she learned how to curse. Big deal!” said Jared.

  “That is BS and you know it. She is a computer program and she can’t do anything that you didn’t want her to do.”