“All right, all right, here we go,” he softly announced as he approached Chloe.
Kneeling beside her bed, he set the bucket of water on the floor next to him. He submerged one of the washcloths in the warm water and swished it around. Although she was still upset, Chloe managed to slow down her breathing a bit.
“Okay now,” he began as he wrung out the washcloth, “let’s try this out and see how you like it.”
He laid the cloth on her forehead and gently wiped her skin.
“Why don’t you try lying flat?” he suggested.
With her eyes still closed, Chloe rolled onto her back.
“There you go.”
He rubbed the washcloth across her skin from temple to temple. After a few minutes, he dunked the cloth and then turned his attention to the remainder of her face.
“Does this feel good, baby?” he playfully inquired.
Although he was sincere in his questioning, he wanted to lighten her mood.
Chloe’s eyes remained closed, but she did manage to smile as she nodded.
He started wiping her cheeks and under her eyes when he asked, “I just wanna know, baby, if you’re enjoying what I’m, baby, doing, baby?”
She reached up with her right hand and slapped kiddingly at his arm.
“I want you to know, baby, that I’m here for you, baby, baby, and that you’ll always, baby, be my babety-baby-babe!”
That did it.
Chloe lurched to her left side, unable to contain her laughter, and covered her face.
“Well, baby?” he asked, poking her in the ribs. “What’s wrong, baby? Huh? Where are you going, baby?”
He hopped on the bed and began tickling her, aggressively, as he intensified his verbal assault, “I just wanna talk to ya, baby. Don’t turn your back on me, baby! Baby, I need you, baby! You’re my babety-babe, baby, and don’t ever babety, forbabyget it. Baby!”
Chloe squealed and shouted, “Augh! Stop it! Oh, my gosh, Armada! I’m gonna kill you!”
He at last ceased his intense tickling.
“You’re such an idiot! Ugh!”
“All right,” he said, climbing off the bed, “It’s 2:32. Time for all good little girls to get to bed.”
“Hey, no complaints here,” she declared, panting heavily as she lay sprawled out on the mattress.
“We’ve had quite a day,” he said, removing her boots.
“I know. I still can’t believe it.”
After having removed her socks, Chloe rolled to her right side and extended her left arm.
“Hey, c’mere,” she instructed.
Armada took her hand and sat on the bed.
She looked lovingly and deep into his eyes.
“Thank you. Thank you for everything; for the whole day, for the meal … for keeping your promise and coming back to rescue me.”
Armada spoke not one word. He placed his right hand on her head and gently ran his fingers through her hair.
Within seconds, Chloe was fast asleep.
Armada stood, walked around the bed, pulled up the comforter, and covered the sleeping beauty.
CHAPTER 28
I DO
Who could he possibly be talking to? Chloe asked herself.
She heard Armada speaking, albeit quietly, but was unable to understand what was being said.
Why am I not hearing another voice?
She was still lying on her right side when she opened her eyes.
Chloe looked at Armada’s bed and noticed that not only was he not there, but it appeared that he had yet to lie down.
Where’s that light coming from? she wondered.
A kaleidoscope of swirling and bleeding colors shone on the wall. The blue, purple, and green hues faded and blended into one another.
That’s not coming from the ceiling lights or the bathroom, she thought.
Chloe slowly sat up in bed and propped herself up with her right arm.
She twisted back to her left and found Armada kneeling on the floor with his back turned to her. In the corner of the room was the orb. While it continually changed colors, just as it had the day before, she recognized that it had somewhat altered its appearance. When she first encountered the ethereal cloud, it was more or less the size of a basketball and semitransparent. But now it was elongated, vertically, and measured roughly three feet in height. The apparition was much wider and seemed to taper off at the top.
“Armada?” she softly called out.
His name had no sooner escaped her lips when the beautiful mirage vanished, leaving the room as black as tar.
“Armada?”
“Whoa! Hold on, hold on,” he quickly replied.
She heard him scurrying to his feet at the end of her bed.
“Hey, baby,” he greeted as he squeezed the trigger on the lighter.
The tiny blue-and-yellow flame suddenly illuminated the nightstand and Chloe’s face.
“What’re you doing?” she asked as he lit the candle. “What time is it?”
“Uh … four something.”
He laid the lighter on the nightstand, stepped back, and sat on the edge of his mattress.
“How long have you been awake?”
“I haven’t gone to bed yet.”
“When did that thing get here?”
“I’d be willing to bet that you weren’t asleep ten seconds before the power went out and he came into the room.”
“You’ve been talking this entire time?”
“I asked him a few questions, but he did all the speaking.”
“Well?” Chloe said, scooting up in bed. “What all did he say? What’d you talk about?”
Armada placed his hands on his knees, tilted his head back, and searched the ceiling. His mouth hung open in a half smile as he slowly shook his head.
“He … told me so much, that … I mean, there’s a ton of information … and … I’m so overwhelmed my mind is absolutely flooded right now.”
“Well, tell me what you can remember then.”
“Chloe,” he said, leveling his head, and stated, “I can’t begin to express to you how good, and confident, and energized I feel at this very moment. I believe He came here tonight, to me, to this room, to give me some amazing advice … about you and me.”
“What?” she said with a cock of her head. “What kind of advice?”
Armada waddled over to Chloe’s bed, got down on his knees, and took her hand.
“I think He came here tonight to tell me … that you and I are to be, need to be, and should be … husband and wife.”
He gave Chloe an encouraging grin and tenderly squeezed her hand. She returned the smile and squeeze, but couldn’t hide her quivering chin and trembling bottom lip.
“And just what did he say to make you assume this was his intent?” she smartly inquired, wiping her eyes.
“Okay, let me just say that while I believe what all He told me, He said a lot. So I’m gonna try to remember everything He spoke of, but I might accidentally chop it up a bit. Okay?”
“All right.”
“Okay,” Armada said prior to taking a deep breath. “About two thousand years ago, there was a man named Paul. Paul was kind of a leader back then and founded a church in Corinth. That’s in Greece. So … Paul stayed in Corinth for a few years to get everything organized and up and running. Okay? You with me so far?”
“Paul, church, Corinth, Greece, two thousand years ago.”
“Great. Good. Okay, after a few years go by, Paul moves away and is gone from his people for another few years. So … he decides to write them, the people in his church, and send them a letter. Now, this is why I think He came to talk to me … to tell me what all Paul wrote, two thousand years ago … He wants you and me … to do what Paul told his people back in Corinth to do. Does that make sense?”
“Uh-huh,” she answered and slid back down, scooting herself closer to Armada.
They subconsciously adjusted their fingers and laced them together.
“Tell me what Paul said. Oh, wait. Where’d he go? How long was he gone?”
“If I remember correctly, Paul went to Turkey to a town called … um, uh, Ephes … Ephu … Ephuses … Ephesus. That’s it. Ephesus. He went to Ephesus, Turkey, for three years, and that’s when he wrote his letter to the Corinthians. Okay, I remember. So, Paul told the Corinthian people that … a man and a woman shouldn’t … um, they shouldn’t….”
“Shouldn’t what?”
“You know….”
“What? Have sex?”
“Well, Paul said don’t fornicate. He said it was wrong for a man and woman to just go and … go and have sex. Paul told them that if a man and woman are married, then … everything is okay. He said that when a man and woman are married, then … the man gives himself over to the woman. Conversely, after a man and woman are married, then the woman gives herself over to her husband. Does that sound right?”
“Mm-hm,” she hummed, nodding. “If you and I were married … then, because you love me, you’d … give me everything of you … to make me happy. And if you and I were married … I would give you all of me to make sure you were happy and knew that … you’d know that I really loved you.”
They both smiled at one another.
“What else did Paul write?”
“Um … love is … augh, this part was long. Love is … patient and kind. Love isn’t jealous, boastful, proud or rude. It doesn’t demand its own way. It’s not irritable … and, it doesn’t keep score of who did something wrong. Love is best whenever truth wins out. Love never gives up or loses faith. It’s always hopeful and always endures … through every circumstance. The three things that Paul said would last forever are … faith, hope, and love … and the greatest of these is love.”
Chloe smiled, drew Armada’s hand close to her chest, and raised her left hand to play with his hair as he spoke.
“I can’t remember everything He said … but … oh, okay … okay … there was another man named Moses, and he wrote a book called Genesis thousands of years before Paul wrote his letters. And in Genesis, Moses stated that it wasn’t good for a man to be alone. He wrote that a man should have a mate. Paul also said that a man will leave his mother and father to be with his wife, and … and she’ll leave her parents to be with him to be married. He included that in another letter he composed when he was in prison … I think in Rome, and sent it to the people back in Ephesus. He told the Ephesians when a man and woman are married … they’re considered to be as one … as if they’ve become physiologically inseparable.”
Chloe explored his face and eyes. She never felt so invigorated, so confident, yet completely relaxed. The sound of Armada’s voice comforted her heart and calmed her spirit. The combination of his words, the tenderness of his touch, and the idea of freely living out her days with him seemed to deliver a much-needed dose of peace and tranquility to her psyche.
“Now, just how do we go about getting married? What are we supposed to do?”
“Well, seeing as how I didn’t know He was coming here tonight to lay out his secret plans for us, I have nothing prepared.”
“Isn’t there something special we’re supposed to say to each other that … that means we’re married now?”
The confused couple thought of what they’d like to express to one another.
“This day! I’m telling you … man!” Armada commented nervously.
“All right, try this. I, Evan Armada Nine, want you, Chloe Rover Seven … to become my wife.”
As the words escaped his mouth, he suddenly felt lightheaded. His stomach muscles started twitching and his lower lip tingled and buzzed.
“I promise you, Chloe, that I will never leave you … I’ll never abandon you … no matter what happens to us.”
He tightened his grasp on her fingers as he felt the saliva disappear from his mouth.
“I’ll always do my absolute best to protect you. I’ll try to always be honest and … tell you the truth.”
Chloe sniffed deeply as she wiped a tear rolling down his cheek.
“I promise you that … one way or another, baby … I’m gonna find a way for us to get outta here. And wherever we go in this world, I will never, never, stop loving you. I marry you, Chloe, and will forever more be your husband.”
They both attempted to stifle their sobs and sniffs, but were unsuccessful.
“Okay,” Chloe squeaked, taking a deep breath. “I, Chloe Rover Seven, want you, Evan Armada Nine, to be my husband.”
She couldn’t manage to hold herself together and lost complete control of her emotions. Just the mere thought of the words she wanted to say was overpowering. It became impossible for her eyes to remain open as pure joy exploded in her heart and mind.
“And … I promise you … I promise I’ll always love you … oh, Armada, I’ll never stop loving you. I’ve been in love with you … for so long … it hurts.”
Armada brushed the hair back and away from her forehead as she surged on with her vows and confessional.
“I … never want us … to be apart,” she gurgled between breaths. “On Eden … on the SUBOS … anywhere … I give my life … over to you … and, I … marry you … Armada … and until the … day I die … I’ll be your wife.”
Armada leaned over his new bride and embraced her.
Chloe wrapped her arms around his back and neck and pulled with all of her might. How she longed and dreamed for someone to say those words to her, and she to them. The reality of the moment consumed her. The young bride grasped and clawed at Armada’s body as she repeatedly called his name. As the newlyweds gently rocked from side to side, they declared their love to each other over and over again.
Armada raised his head and propped himself up on his elbows.
“Are you all right, baby?” he whispered, softly dragging his fingertips across her forehead.
Chloe smiled and nodded, still unable to speak.
“Here,” he said, picking up the washcloth from the nightstand, “use this. I’ll be back in a minute.”
He placed the cool, damp cloth in her hand, kissed her delicately, and rose to his feet.
“I’ll be right back.”
Chloe started wiping her face as Armada slowly walked to the bathroom.
He closed the door and flipped the light switch. He had to squint his eyes as the brilliantly bright LED lights came to life.
“Ugh!” he grunted upon seeing his reflection.
His blue, one-piece jumpsuit was undeniably filthy. He turned on the water and pulled up on the rod for the plunger. While the sink was filling, Armada examined himself in front of the mirror. He had grown a considerable amount of coarse stubble in the last forty-eight hours. Unfortunately, as he quickly discovered, there were no means of shaving. He shut off the water and unzipped his suit, halfway down. After peeling back the shoulders and extracting his arms, he looked at the front of his undershirt. The ribbed tank top was stained with sweat, and had grey streaks on the straps from the dirty undersides of the boxes he’d been carrying.
He pulled the shirt over his head, wadded it up, and brought it up to his nostrils.
“Nope! Not wearing that tonight!” he mumbled, tossing it on the countertop.
Armada reached for a washcloth, dunked it in the hot water, and wrung out the excess.
“Thank you, thank you,” he whispered as he began to wash himself.
He peered up at the ceiling, looking about as he spoke, and scrubbed his skin.
“Thank you for calling me. Thank you for the blackout. Thank you leading me to Chloe.”
Armada felt his chin quivering the more he spoke.
“Thank you for knocking out the cameras the day before yesterday. Thanks for getting me outta the Arena and over to the SPUDs. Thank you for guiding me to a CARBEL. Thanks for getting me onto the SUBOS and into the Nursery.”
Armada suddenly realized all of the impossible, inexplicable, and amazing miracles he had experienced.
“Thank you
for making yourself visible to us. Thank you for guiding me to Chloe’s dormitory. Thank you for leading us to this room and the Atrium and kitchen.”
He stopped wiping, slumped to his knees, and wept as he continued to recall his experiences.
“And thank you for showing us your signs on the food. Thank you for coming here tonight to teach me. Thank you for Chloe. Thank you for bringing us together. I love her so much! Thank you! Thank you! I promise you that we’ll do what you tell us to do, and we’ll follow you and trust you wherever you lead us! Thank you, thank you!”
Armada placed his hands on the countertop and pulled himself up.
He again dunked the washcloth and proceeded to complete his sponge bath. After tossing the used cloth in the bathtub, Armada submerged his undershirt in the sink. Looking in the cabinet under the sink, he gathered up a bottle of mouthwash, a bottle of liquid hand soap, and a small tube of antibacterial hand sanitizer. He squirted generous amounts of soap and sanitizer in with his soiled undershirt. Once he swished the water around, Armada grabbed the shirt and scrubbed it against itself.
I’m married, he thought, proudly grinning to himself. I’m a husband! I have a wife!
The young groom stopped agitating his undershirt, wiped his hands dry, and reached for the mouthwash. After removing the cap and seal, he poured the bright-green liquid into his mouth and thoroughly circulated it. He spat out into the toilet, dragged a towel across his lips, and smiled at his reflection.
“I’m married,” he repeated.
“Here I come!” Armada confidently announced as he turned off the lights and opened the bathroom door.
It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the candlelight.
He took a few steps toward his bed and saw that Chloe’s blue jumpsuit was laid out on top of the comforter.
“What were you doing in there?” Chloe asked. “I thought you’d never come out.”
While he was administering his wipe down, Chloe removed her jumpsuit, used the damp washcloth to briskly scrub her own body, and climbed into bed.
With her right hand supporting her head, she gazed lovingly upon her husband and patted the mattress with her left hand.
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