by Summer Lee
He carried a pocket Bible with him wherever he went and stocked several other Bibles in his car. It was just in case anyone he talked to about God wanted one. He wanted to always be prepared.
Even though he had complete faith in God to guide his path, Solomon could not help but be fearful about when he might be called to duty to help delay the end of the world again.
Ever since he took on that responsibility a year ago, he waited patiently for the call. Each day, he would wake up, thank God for another day of life, and wonder whether it would be his last. He was hoping that the prophetic dreams that Eric had would be somehow transferred to him so that he could have some kind of heads up when everything was starting to fall apart.
He even developed high blood pressure for which he was taking Lisinopril. That showed his weakness.
He and his mother had long talks about his blood pressure. She tried to tell him that he needed to stop putting his life on hold and start living. She told him that when something happened, it would just happen. He could worry about it then.
She was the one who talked him into taking the job with Project Interstellar. He had been moping around for several months, trying to be prepared for the end of all things to come. She told him not to waste his intelligence.
Thinking about her reminded him that he needed to call her. He promised he would call once he got settled.
The project supplied him with a new Samsung S6 smartphone, in case they needed to get a hold of him at a moment’s notice. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sighed heavily. He knew his mother was going to lecture him if he was still paranoid, but he couldn’t lie to her.
He dialed her number and forced a smile, as he waited for the phone to ring. After several rings, he started to feel relieved that she might not be home to receive his call. Then he remembered that she never went anywhere.
“Good morning, my child,” was finally the response on the other end. “I was wondering if you were going te call your mama on your first day of work.”
“Of course I was, Mama,” Solomon said while shaking his head. “I even called you before I got te meet with the secretary and discuss… stuff.”
There was a brief moment of silence, then Calista spoke up. “You do… stuff, huh. Ha ha! You are so funny, child of mine! If you don’t want te talk with me, or you are busy, I’ll understand. You know dat. Right?”
“No, Mama, I want to ta’ tell you about my work. I study da’ stars. They are so amazing. Since the dawn of time, stars are part of human life. Religion has been built around them. Astronomy is the study of the stars in the second heaven.”
“I’ve heard of dat.”
“I study dem’.” He clasped his phone tighter. “The telescopes here are so amazin’. Looking through dem, we can study the laws of motion and gravity.”
“Now dat is a lot to study.”
He told her how the invention of photography, the study of wavelengths of light, and motion of stars were all part of his branch of knowledge. This psychological feature of these helped him understand invisible radiation from stars.
“Dat’s a lot to learn, Son.”
“It is, Mama. But I get a lot of money for it. Money I can take care of you with.” He told her how the Hubble Space Telescope being launched had provided the deepest and most detailed view of the universe. “Wish you could see it.”
“Me too. So you know about all of dat stuff?”
“Yes, Mama.” He laughed. “I know all dat stuff.”
“I’m proud of you, Solomon.”
He could not help but laugh. “Tank you for making me feel better. I can’t understand why I’m so nervous. I know dis job. I can do it in my sleep. But I’m still edgy.”
“You’re nervous because you were never paid for all of your knowledge before,” his mother replied, with pride in her tone. “You can’t know how tankful I am dat God has shown you te way. Now you are getting paid for all of those smarts you were using for free. I am very proud of you, son. Your daddy would have been proud too.”
Since he was born out of wedlock, he preferred not to discuss his earthly father, so he ignored that part of what she said. “I know you are, Mama. I am so glad you’re still wit me.”
“Don’t you go tinkin’ dat I’m going to te great beyond anytime soon!” She sniffed.
“I’m not, Mama.” He smiled at the phone. “I am going to bring you ta’ see me sometimes, so you can see the stars through the big telescope. Just might be on a night when the stars have a glittering collection. It will look like a fireworks show, with a burst of color on that night.”
“How can dat be?”
He told her how a cluster of stars is sometimes surrounded by a heavenly body of gas and dust. He explained how raw material forms a new star arrangement. Paths of star-filled clouds contain a cluster of stars—huge stars. “I wish you were young enough to bring you ta’ look through the telescope.”
“I got a lot of fight in dese old bones and I am not ready to meet my maker yet. He’s keeping me here, so dat I can keep an eye on you!”
He ran one hand nervously over his bald head and took in a deep breath. He knew he had to be careful as to what he said to her. She was ready for a fight to prove her strength. “I know, Mama,” Solomon finally said, calmly. “In fact, God could have chosen you te serve Him, as He did me. You’d probably do a better job. Dat’s one of te many reasons why I need my mama. No matter where I go, I will always need you.”
There was again a brief silence.
“Good answer,” Calista replied. “I know you all grown up and living halfway across the country from me, but my love follows you until the end of days.”
Those last three words made him slightly ill, as he was reminded about his task. He wasn’t about to let her know what he was feeling. She had enough to deal with.
“I know, Mama,” was all he could say at first. “I appreciate your strength and wisdom. I also know dat even though I’m now in Seattle while you’re still in Portland, it feels like you’re right next ta’ me with all te love I have for you. I do have to get started now, Mama. I love you and tank you for everyting you did for me.”
He could hear her sniffles on the other end of the line. He knew he touched her heart. All he did was speak the truth. He would have told her that Portland was not that far from Seattle, but he did not want to confuse her.
“Alright, baby boy,” she responded, choked up. “You’re the most precious piece of me dat I brought into dis world. I will always love you and worry about you. You know dat. You’re not going to stop your mama from worrying. You get on wit your day and let me know how it went later.”
“I will, Mama,” he said as his eyes started to tear up.
“Bye, Solomon.”
“Love ya’, Mama. Bye.”
Chapter Three
Solomon approached the 30-something woman behind the round desk in the middle of the floor. She had short, red hair, blue eyes, and did her best to cover up several freckles on her face with makeup. She had just gotten off of the phone, turned to face him, and smiled. “Good morning, Mr. Dancer. I take it your meeting with Professor Ingram went well?”
He smiled back but was caught off guard. “I guess you know everyting dat goes on here, Miss Tracey. Yes, it went well. Tank you.”
“I know things before they happen, Mr. Dancer,” she said confidently. “That’s part of my job. Another part of my job is assisting you in any capacity that I can. I have extensive knowledge in PowerPoint, MS Word, Excel, and…”
“Whoa! I apologize for interrupting you, but I don’t need to know your resume. If you are where you are, then you are here for a reason. I trust dat you will be able te help me when I need it. I just wanted to introduce myself. Please call me Solomon, Miss Tracey.”
Her eyes widened with almost instant respect. Everyone would always let her go through her initial speech before saying anything. If they said anything at all when she was finished. It was refreshing for someone to actu
ally listen to her. So she told him so.
“Thank you, Solomon,” she returned, without losing the smile. “I don’t think you understand how much I appreciate that. Not interrupting me; the other thing.”
Solomon couldn’t help but laugh. “Ha ha! My mama always taught me te listen to everyone, especially women. She said dat they have the most interesting tings te say. I try to make it a habit of listening to everyone, though.”
He started to walk away but then turned back quickly. “I have a feeling I will need your resources a lot, Miss Tracey. Let me know if I start to become a pest.”
“You could never be a pest with me, Solomon,” she replied, with a flirtatious grin.
***
Solomon spent the day and a good part of the evening transferring all of his data on Harvest Moons to his new work computer. Knowing that NASA shared data with various national and international organizations, he was careful to keep it confidential.
It took him quite a while—and a heavy investment in jump drives—to make the transfer. He didn’t like the idea of the Cloud or transferring from computer to computer, so he accomplished his task the long way.
He tried not to be the last person to leave the project that night, but he couldn’t help it. He wouldn’t leave until every last bit of data had been transferred.
He made sure to get permission to stay from Professor Ingram, who was more than happy to grant the request.
Solomon had a lot to learn about the other employees there, because he noticed that Stacey flirted with all of the males on the top floor, just like she did with him.
He laughed at himself when he thought he might have had a chance to take someone out on a real date. His social life had been practically non-existent for quite a while now.
Stacey approached him before she left. “Are you sure you don’t want to walk me down, Solomon?”
He smiled at her and sighed. “Dat is extremely tempting, Miss Stacey, but I really do need te finish dis before I can start any actual work. I should be finished in about a half an hour.”
She frowned and pouted her lips in disappointment. He could tell it was just for show. “Alright then. Sam the security guard will let you out when you’re ready. He’ll be here all night long. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As she sashayed to the elevator, she winked at him and then turned around to press the button to go down.
“Tanks for your help,” he said.
After she left, he laughed again and looked up toward heaven. “I know, Lord. I assume that someday you might send me someone of the female persuasion, so dat I can have someone nice to take out. I don’t necessarily need a mate at dis time of my life, but a date would be great, nonetheless. I’m just sayin’.”
He sighed again and went back to work.
***
It took him two more hours to finish the transfer. He had never typed so much in one setting before in his life. His fingers ached and he thought he might have had carpal tunnel in both hands.
He glanced at the wall clock in his office, as he logged off his computer and shook his head. It was 10:26 p.m. He knew he had to be back at work at 8 o’clock the next morning. By the time he got to his new apartment, shook off the day, and got ready for bed, it would be close to midnight. That’s life in the big city.
Solomon was satisfied with how much work he put in, though. There were some files that were written on a version of Microsoft Word that was much older than the version he had now. It took him a while to figure out the compatibility mode feature on the newer version. Once he did, he was on his way to success.
Having a feeling of accomplishment, Solomon closed his office door and walked slowly to the elevator. Once inside, he smiled, thinking about how fortunate he was to be involved with such an innovative company on the ground floor.
Once the elevator opened on the lower level, he heard what appeared to be an older man yelling.
He looked around and didn’t see the guard anywhere. Not near his desk nor near the front door. A feeling of panic set in! Solomon looked up in desperation as if to ask God for guidance. Almost as if on cue, the yell came again and echoed throughout the huge first floor. That time, he could tell exactly where it came from.
There was a waiting area just around to the right of where the guard desk was. It branched off into a small area, that was equipped with refreshments of all kinds.
Solomon ran toward the sound, pulled out his phone and immediately dialed 911. He needed to do that before he confronted whatever it was that was causing the man to scream like that.
“911. What’s your emergency?” said the female voice on the other end.
Solomon looked up and saw that the glass doors in the front were shattered. He noticed that they had been broken before he had a chance to wonder about an alarm. He whispered, “I need to report a break in.” His voice was raspy. “I am at the Project Interstellar building…”
“We know exactly where that is, sir,” was the rushed reply on the other end. “Please stay calm and find someplace to hide until we can get there. Help is on the way.”
He put his phone away and glared at the side of the wall where he stood. He was just a few feet away from trouble. He shook his head and understood that is exactly where he needed to be. Looking at it as a sign from God, he jumped forward, hoping to scare off the intruder and maybe save the guard at the same time.
When he landed in front of the melee, he saw a hooded figure accosting the older guard.
“Stop where you are!” Solomon shouted before he could figure out if the intruder had a weapon of some kind or not.
He backed up just a bit as the hooded man’s head jerked toward Solomon. He then ran toward the broken glass door.
Solomon rushed to the aid of the guard, who was lying on the floor, badly beaten and bloody. Solomon looked up and realized that the police wouldn’t be there in time to catch the perpetrator. He checked the guard’s pulse. When he realized that he was still alive with a good, solid pulse, Solomon ran toward the broken glass doors, in pursuit of the intruder.
The hooded man was down the street, but still in sight, so Solomon ran as fast as he could, trying to catch up with the guy. Jumping over trash, he didn’t know what he would do when he caught the guy. He would figure that out when he caught the figure. That wasn’t his immediate concern. He had to stop the intruder at all costs, even if it meant his own life. As long as it spared someone else, it was worth it.
The hooded figure glanced back awkwardly several times, as he ran faster. By the way he ran and moved, Solomon could tell it was a male.
The figure dashed into a back alley, just as Solomon heard the police sirens. He slowed down, knowing that someone had to be there to make a statement.
Solomon stopped right at the entrance to the alley and looked at him. The figure stopped at the other end of the alley as if he knew he was no longer going to be pursued.
There was a distance of about 100 yards between the two. They just stood there facing one another for several seconds, before Solomon saw the figure take off again. Solomon backed up slowly and then headed back to the building.
He would show the police which way to go.
Chapter Four
Solomon had just been checked out by the paramedics, even though he insisted that he wasn’t hurt. He kept glaring in the direction in which the perpetrator vanished.
He had arrived at the building the same time as the police and ambulance. He gave them the information as quickly as he could, in hopes that they might have been able to catch the person.
After scouring the area for about an hour, the police returned, saying they could find no trace of him.
The paramedics told Solomon that the guard was going to make it, even with all of the blood loss. “The wounds weren’t meant to kill, but incapacitate. The intruder knew what he was doing.”
One of the officers said that the guard told him the intruder asked a lot of questions. It appeared that the guy was trying to inte
rrogate the guard, but probably had no intention of hurting him the way he did.
Solomon would remember that piece of information. He had a lot to tell to Ingram about in the morning.
***
When morning came, Solomon almost didn’t get out of bed. He prayed for the mysterious man who attacked the project’s security guard. He wanted him caught.
All of the sudden, Solomon was bombarded with crazy thoughts regarding the end of the world. It started by thinking about the intruder. He called the office and let them know he would be late to work, due to extenuating circumstances.
He took his time going to work. And then stood in front of the building that was to provide the means of a new start for him and his mother. He hoped that if he could stay employed for any amount of time, he could move his mother out to live with him. Although, she would be tough to convince that leaving her home would be that beneficial.
Now he had the perfect argument. His first day of work turned out to be fairly dangerous. He was sure that would get her to move out there with him. The only problem with that was he would never hear the end of it.
He walked slowly into the building, which already had the glass door replaced. As soon as he closed the glass doors behind him, everyone in the lobby turned and started to applaud. He even received a few whistles.
He wondered if that was what it was like to be the hero. He didn’t ask for the adulation, but got it, nonetheless.
As he walked toward the elevator, he simply smiled at each person who was giving him praise. He entered the elevator and assumed that would be the end of it. He was wrong.
When the elevator opened on the top floor, Tracey and the other occupants of that floor were facing him and applauding as well.
Tracey had a small cart on wheels with a cake on it. It had a superhero on it with the word, congratulations on it. Tracey had an exceptionally big smile for him, as Ingram rushed up to Solomon and shook his hand.