Eternal Service

by Regina Morris

  Raymond’s shoulders sagged. “Yes. I think that just about covers it,” he sighed.

  “Good talk, dad,” Sterling sneered as he slapped his father on the shoulder. “I’m going to bed.” Sterling continued up the stairs, not looking back at his father.

  It was the same lecture. Raymond was tired of it. After all, at a certain point in time, how do you parent a child who is almost 180 years old? Sterling wasn’t living the life Raymond and his late wife had wanted for him. Raymond had sat with his dead wife at her grave site the day he buried her and had promised to raise their son to be an honorable man. Somehow Raymond knew that his late wife wouldn’t approve of Sterling’s love life, and it hurt Raymond to think that he had failed her. He continued down the stairs and gave his son the win for the argument.

  The house was quiet. Evidently, everyone had already started their day. He was running late. He grabbed his car keys from the key rack on the wall and headed out.

  ******

  The GPS had to be wrong. The Mexican restaurant was in a part of town where anyone would be worried about parking a Jag. At this morning hour, the streets were clear, but Raymond suspected that mere hours ago the streets were filled with teenagers hanging out on the street corners, with prostitutes hoping to turn a quick buck, and drug deals going down.

  The restaurant was painted an ugly canary yellow. Chunks of paint were missing from the sides of the building, but the graffiti covered up most of the remaining paint. The only thing nastier than the sight of the place was the smell. It reeked of burned beans and heavy cheese. The few letters that were left on the broken marquee suggested they had the best breakfast tacos in town, so this must be the place.

  Dixon could never show up for anything on time, and this morning was no exception. Tardiness was one of the human’s less endearing qualities, but it was pure Dixon through and through. Even now, Raymond still had the courtesy of showing up on time. He just had to wait, like always. Three decades ago the bad habit irritated Raymond, but now … well its strange how you can forgive such quirks when you care for someone.

  The two had forged a strong bond over the decades. Each had saved each others’ lives at some point during the friendship. Dixon was well integrated in the vampire lifestyle, and Raymond had learned a lot about living in modern times from Dixon.

  Raymond never had a friend that was such an open book. Everything was a good topic of conversation, not just about sports and how careers were on the right track. Maybe everyone had such a confidant in his life, but for Raymond, his didn’t come until he met Dixon. And now the man was leaving.

  A covered wooden bench was next to the restaurant, so Raymond took the opportunity to sit in the shade as he waited. The morning sun wasn’t too taxing, but it made him appear more human to have a seat. The old bench gave way and creaked under his weight. He pulled out his pocket watch and noted the time. Five minutes late – not late by Dixon’s standards. Taking a deep breath, he settled more on the bench and thought on the passing of time, wincing at the thought of Dixon’s retirement. As excited as Raymond was about having Alex as the new Director, it bothered him to see Dixon go.

  A car entering the parking lot caught Raymond’s attention. He turned, hoping to see Dixon’s red BMW, but it wasn’t him.

  Dixon drove a red BMW—the newest sport car in a line of several Dixon had owned. The man was in the middle of a mid–life crisis when he had joined the team, and had gone through his third divorce just after coming on board with the Colony. He was a playboy want–to–be with a romantic heart who just wanted to find the right woman, but failed at every turn. Watching Dixon’s failures was one reason Raymond never wanted to put himself out there again. There was always too much pain where love was concerned.

  And meeting women had certainly changed over the years. Through Dixon, Raymond learned about such things as speed dating, Internet dating and online porn sites. How could Raymond blame his son for living a modern life in a time when sex is only a few clicks away on your keyboard? Dixon always proclaimed that he wanted to find the right woman and settle down, but what was love anymore to this generation of modern man? Maybe Raymond felt just too old fashioned.

  Another car entered the parking lot, and this time it was the car Raymond knew so well. Seventeen minutes late. Typical. Dixon quickly parked and offered the usual excuses of work and bad traffic. It was so typical of him. Raymond made a passive hand gesture to dismiss his tardiness.

  Raymond took another good look at the restaurant before they entered. “You sure you want to eat here?”

  Dixon opened the door, its handle the shape of a burrito. “People who don’t eat shouldn’t judge. I discovered this place last week. Best breakfast enchiladas in town.” He paused as he entered the building, “You’ll have to take my word for that.”

  Raymond nodded in agreement and followed his friend. The place had a few empty tables in the back, so they found the one with the least number of crumbs on the table. The breakfast crowd was sizable, so maybe they did have good food here. They sat down and the table tilted to one side. The folded paper coaster under the leg did little to level the table.

  After sitting down Dixon asked, “So, what do you think of the captain as the new Director? I mean, I know she just started, but what is your gut telling you about her so far?” He grabbed a napkin and slid the crumbs onto the floor.

  “Alex is nice. I like her.” Raymond then decided to add, “It does take a bit to transition into any new job and I think she’s doing great so far.”

  Dixon added a second coaster to the table leg. “OK. So she’s handling the differences of the team?” No need to say “vampire” or “immortal” here and draw attention to themselves.

  “Yeah, she can handle weird well.” Raymond paused while Dixon ordered a breakfast enchilada and two coffees for them. He always did the ordering when he could, allowing Raymond to blend in.

  Raymond handed his unopened menu back to the waitress before she left the table. “Alex is asking all the right questions, she’s not just interested in the job, but us as a people. I think she’ll do well.”

  “I know Sulie likes her.”

  Raymond smiled. “Sulie likes everybody. But, yes. I do think they get along quite well.”

  Dixon took a deep breath. “There was one incident, a few years back,” Dixon began. “It involved a stalker.”

  “Alex told me.”

  Dixon’s eyebrow rose. “Did she mention she is seeing a psychologist?”

  Thinking back, Raymond remembered his private conversation with Alex. She had said she was working on getting past her fear. “She eluded to it, yes. Will that be a problem if she accepts the position?”

  “Usually you don’t want a high-level individual seeking counseling, but Alex took all the necessary precautions. The plus side of it is that she’s nearly invisible.”

  “How so?”

  “Well, for one thing, she drives to and from work at different times. She also changes her route making her drives very random. She switches gyms often and varies her workout routines. She’s also not a regular at any restaurant, bar, or store. She blends right into the background, just like you all do. In fact, … she’s perfect for you.”

  Raymond felt some odd mental patterns from Dixon. He knew the human well enough to know something was up. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

  Dixon’s eyes shifted back on Raymond’s. A smile spread across the man’s face. “There was a list of candidates for the position. I had already been leaning towards selecting Alex for the job, but Sulie was the one who picked her.”

  Raymond took a deep breath. The smell of the food filled his nostrils and was nauseating. “My sister chose our new Director?”

  A slight chuckle escaped. “Sulie thought Alex was a good fit.”

  Raymond leaned in. He sensed something odd in the mental patterns coming from his friend. “A good fit for what? Being the Director?”

  “Mostly. She told me afterward that she
pushed for Alex because she thought you might be attracted to her. Thought it might get you back into the game of life.”

  Raising his voice, Raymond asked, “Game of life?”

  The coffees arrived, and Dixon waited for them to be alone before continuing. “She’s worried about you. Wants you to be happy and find someone.”

  Raymond’s jaw tightened. “Sulie has no right to interfere.”

  “Hold on,” Dixon said, his hand waving in front of Raymond like a stop sign. “Family gets to interfere. It's what makes them family. Besides, it isn’t the first time she’s tried to set you up with someone. It's only the first time you’ve been interested.”

  First time? Raymond thought of all the times he had promised his sister that he would never tell Dixon of her love for the man. Now to find out that she had been playing matchmaker all these years was too much of a violation. She had known the intense pain he had gone through over the loss of his wife, why would she match him up with another human?

  “She has your best interest at heart, Raymond. Just remember that.”

  Best interest. Raymond thought about that, then began saying, “Dixon …” All he had to do was betray Sulie’s trust and tell the man of her undying love for him. Just break his word. After all, it was in Sulie’s best interest. He looked at his friend as he sat patiently waiting for him to continue. “Sulie … chose well.”

  “Obviously,” Dixon smiled. “You look happy. You deserve to be happy.”

  Raymond thought back to the day he met Alex. “You warned me she was off–limits. Now you’re suddenly happy to have me cross that line? That doesn’t make sense. You should be furious with me.”

  “Forbidden fruit.”

  “What?”

  Dixon surveyed the room, making sure no one was paying attention to their conversation. “People always want what they can’t have. I was actually concerned about Sterling taking an interest in her, but I didn’t see him as her type. Sulie and I both thought you would like her. Nothing makes a woman more desirable than her being unattainable, or another man wanting her.”

  The waitress came, set down Dixon’s order, and asked, “Can I get you anything, Sugar?” She stared at Raymond, but he dismissed her with a simple nod and a shake of his head, doing his best to avoid any eye contact.

  Dixon inhaled deeply smelling his food. He then unwrapped his fork from the paper napkin it was bound in. “Best breakfast in town,” he said, taking his first bite.

  Raymond looked at the enchilada. Eggs and sausage stuffed in a cooked tortilla smothered with salsa. How could humans eat such food? It smelled terrible, but looked simple enough to make. It was just a tortilla with food and baked. Any mistakes would be covered up by the sauce. Sulie always complained about how hard it was to cook the simplest dishes. How hard could it be? To Raymond it looked like humans would eat just about anything anyway.

  “My sister is monitoring your cholesterol, isn’t she?” Raymond asked as a string of hot cheese draped around the fork and hung off the man’s mouth.

  Dixon nodded a response as he finished the bite. “Alex did well in Florida and I heard she did well in Austin. So that is a good sign,” he said, changing the subject.

  Raymond looked around the restaurant, took a sip of his coffee, and finally said, “Yes, Dixon, I think she’ll make a great director for us. I’ll miss you, but …” he smiled slightly, “I also enjoy her company and am very attracted to her. She’s …” Raymond searched for the right words. “I don’t know how to describe it. It's like I lived this long just so I could know her.” He took another sip of the hot coffee, hoping that Dixon would fill the silence, but he didn’t. “Dixon, is it so terrible that I’m falling for our new director?”

  “Life is about taking risks and putting yourself out there, even if it means getting hurt along the way. It’s high time you started living again.” He took a sip of his coffee and then added, “Besides, if you were going to fall for your director, I’m just glad it wasn’t me.”

  CHAPTER FORTY–ONE

  That evening Air Force One landed in D.C. Alex stretched and politely covered her mouth to hide a huge yawn as she stood to exit the plane. The night wasn’t very late, but traveling always wore her out.

  She traveled with Mason and the President back to the White House. A quick pass by her office revealed a stack of paperwork for the upcoming dinner. She frowned at the stack, but noticed some of the information needed to be given to Raymond. She smiled realizing she now had an excellent reason to drop by Fang Manor and visit him tonight. By the time she walked to her car, and began the trip over, she had gotten her second wind.

  Driving up to the mansion, she noticed only the light in the kitchen was on. Her stomach growled, and she realized that she should have eaten before coming over. She was hungry, but couldn’t stomach the idea of eating Sulie’s cooking again. She pulled her car up to the closed garage and parked. After providing a code and a retinal scan to the back door, she walked in. Jackie greeted her from the other side of the door.

  “Hey girl,” Jackie said. “I didn’t know you’d be coming by tonight.” She grabbed the bottom edge of the blue apron she wore and dried off her hands. A bowl of chocolate chip cookie batter sat on the island in the center of the room, and the air was filled with the sweetness of whatever was in the oven.

  Alex closed the door and took a few steps into the room. The chimes on the door sounded, showing the door was once again locked and secure. “Good evening, Jackie. Sorry to just stop by.”

  “Oh, please. This house is always open to you. You just stopin’ by? Or were you looking for a sugar fix?” She smiled as she pointed to a rack of cool off cookies on the counter behind her next to the coffee pots. There were also two tins overflowing with mini–cheesecakes.

  “What’s with the bake–a–thon?” Alex asked as she heavily sniffed the air.

  Jackie took a deep breath and used the back of her hand to wipe her forehead. “Bake sale. Both classes. And those kids tell me about the sale tonight.” She shook her head. “Last minute rush. I’d have them help, but they’re off doing their homework.”

  Alex’s stomach growled again, loud enough for Jackie to hear. “Everything smells wonderful.”

  “I know, right? It makes a difference when you can actually taste.” She picked up a semi–warm cookie and offered the treat to Alex. “You’re hungry. Here — made with dark chocolate, not that sissy milk chocolate nastiness. Makes a huge difference.”

  Alex smiled. “Thanks, but I haven’t had dinner yet.”

  She still held the cookie up as an offering. “Life’s too short, girl. Eat dessert first.” She nodded at the sealed tins on the counter. “I have mini–cheesecakes in the red tin over there if you’d rather eat one of them.”

  “Thanks. This is fine,” she said, taking the cookie.

  As Alex munched on the cookie, and moaned contently, Jackie asked, “So what does bring you around? Is it Raymond?”

  “Mmm hmmm,” Alex said as she nodded a yes.

  “The man’s not here. Left a while ago saying he’d see us tomorrow.” Jackie now gave a devilish grin. “I thought he might be picking you up and treating you to an evening of romance.”

  The blush on Alex’s face was immediate. She quickly swallowed the cookie; crumbs from her mouth fell to the table. “I haven’t talked with him in a while.” She held up the paperwork in her hands. “I needed to talk to him about something with the state dinner.”

  Jackie looked at her watch. “I get you. Your plane lands, you skip dinner, and rush over here to do even more work on an event that’s still days away.” Jackie raised a questioning eyebrow. “Are you stickin’ to that story?”

  Alex held up the paperwork once again and brushed the table crumbs with her other hand. “I just wanted …”

  “A booty call,” Jackie finished. When Alex’s face grew even more red, Jackie added, “It's all good. He’s a fine man. You’re entitled to get yours.”

  Alex couldn�
��t make eye contact with Jackie. “I needed to drop this paperwork off for Raymond. It's some forms from the human team.”

  “Now, don’t get all embarrassed. It's all story book, and you need your happy ending too. Now, how about some tea? I was just going to have a cup.” She took the documents from Alex and set them on a clean portion of a counter.

  Alex’s stomach twisted, but not from hunger. She bit her lip as apprehension nearly overcame her. “The mansion looks empty. Where is everyone?” she asked in a desperate need to change the subject.

  “Most are out, either work or on a date, I guess. William is down the hall in the gym; I think Ben might be with him.” She paused a moment and then added, “Yep. Two treadmills. My man likes to work out in the evenings. Probably takes the edge off since I’m rarely in the mood to rock his world in the bedroom these days.” She rubbed her large belly. “Baby will be here soon enough though.”

  Jackie walked over to the tins sitting on the back counter. She took them, along with two plates she got from a cabinet, over to the kitchen table and sat down. The red tin was opened showing the results of Jackie’s hard work. “I do love cheesecake. Truly God’s gift to the world,” she said, pulling out two of the mini–cakes and placing them on the plates. “I’m so happy to taste again now that I’m pregnant. Thank God, once I go back to blood full–time I’ll have my figure back.”