Soulshine

by J W Rocque

  “Mr. Hawkings, there is an ambulatory service scheduled to transport Mr. Troy to a university hospital with state-of-the-art equipment.”

  Brother Hawkings sounded frantic. “What? When?”

  “Tomorrow sometime… probably in the afternoon.”

  “That would be a huge mistake. Let us take care of him. I am confident that we…”

  “I"m sorry, Mr. Hawkings. As an accredited institution, we cannot simply hand over a patient still in need of medical treatment to someone or someplace that is not accredited… despite your claims.”

  “You don"t know what you are saying. This university hospital, I assure you, will not save Evan. We at least have a chance.”

  “Look, I"m very busy and must get back to…”

  “Believe me, Dr. Chan. A life hangs in the balance. May I personally come and visit with Mr. Troy? Perhaps I can convince him to come with me to our cloister for care.”

  “Mr. Hawkings, even if Mr. Troy agreed to go with you, we simply cannot release him to you because we would be liable if anything happened to him.”

  “With all due respect, he has the right to check out anytime he wishes… and leave with whomever he wishes.”

  “Well, he will not be given that option because you will not be seeing him.”

  “Surely you will not prevent me from visiting.”

  “Sorry, Mr. Hawkings. Only immediate family is allowed at this point.”

  “He has family?”

  “Yes, a pretty young… er… common law wife.”

  “Does he really?”

  “Yes, now if you"ll excuse me, I need to go.”

  “Yes… yes, I suppose you do. Good day, Dr. Chan.” Brother Hawkings turned to the other brothers. “We have our work cut out for us. Luckily for us, we are not far away.”

  July, 1972 Michelle"s graduation in June went off as smoothly as could be expected. There was no taunting from the other girls because Evan"s presence made them too envious to pick on Michelle. Each of them wished that she had someone like Evan by her side at the ceremony. And Michelle no longer cared about her young appearance or anything else after her eighteenth birthday, the day she and Evan took their love to the ultimate stage. Even the thoughts she would have concerning her long life to be with Evan quickly dissipated in the joyous moments she was experiencing. Evan was a perfect gentleman, something the other girls never knew. Yet they did not dislike Michelle. They instead purposed how they might be like her because she must be doing something right.

  A few weeks after graduation, Evan and Michelle went down to the rocky East Bay shoreline. Evan loved the way the wind would have its way with Michelle"s hair. They nestled between two rocks where the waves would occasionally refresh them with a spray. While the water sprinkled them in a mist, they only looked in each other"s eyes. Either one of them had the other"s undivided attention. After a long period of gazing, Evan was the first to break the trance.

  “Michelle, we need to talk about our future.”

  “That sounds like a great topic of conversation.” “I love you so much. As far as I"m concerned, you are my

  lovely bride. We don"t need a ceremony to prove that, do we?” “I guess not… but I am looking forward to our wedding

  day anyway. Showing everyone how much in love we are…

  exchanging rings… dancing with Dad…”

  “Michelle, I… we can"t do that, remember? I have no

  identification. Why… as far as the world is concerned, I don"t

  exist. What would happen when the pastor or priest goes to get the

  marriage license? The government is involved, Michelle. What

  would I do?Fake amnesia? Then they"d give me an identity… a

  number… a date of birth so they can track my age. Then what

  happens when I set the longevity record? And you may have

  identification for now, but what happens when you keep living and

  everyone knows there is something different about you?” “Can"t we justtell the truth?”

  “That would include telling your parents.”

  Michelle thought about the implications. “They wouldn"t

  like the part where you gave me that elixir.” She started to over-

  analyze. “Then again… they may like knowing their daughter will

  never get old. Maybe if we tell them that it was my idea to drink

  it… I mean, once I realized that was the only way we could ever be

  together forever, I wasglad I drank it.”

  “Michelle, even if your parents prove to be open-minded

  and understanding, which is a long shot at best, we will become

  celebrities. I don"t want that. Do you? And what if someone, for

  any strange reason, has it in for one of us because we have this…

  gift… that we cannot share with them? Others may think we are

  holding out on them. We may even be targets for kidnapping, just

  so our bodies can be examined for the secret to long life. Do you

  want to be someone"s science experiment? I suppose that if one of

  us were to be cut open, the ingredients of the elixir could be

  discovered. I"m not willing to sacrifice either one of us in the

  name of science. That is why I have kept moving all my life… and

  why wemust always do the same.”

  Michelle wavered. “Oh, boy. I don"t know, Evan. I never

  traveled even overnight anywhere in my life. I don"t think I want

  to keep moving. I was hoping we would buy a house and…” “Michelle, I can"t buy a house… not in my name. You

  can… and you know… I would love to settle in one area with

  you… but… it is so much easier for us if we just change location a

  lot. If you don"t want to travel the world, we can stay in the United States. It"s a big country. We can even return to a previous place after a hundred years or so. Before I came to Riverside, I lived in New York City for quite a few years. Sixty years before, I also lived there. As long as people who knew us are no longer alive, we can return. In the meantime, pick your favorite climates.

  We"ll hit them all.”

  “I… I don"t think I mind the traveling, Evan, as long as it is

  with you… but I want my parents to know where we are. Can we

  just confide in them before we leave?”

  “We can"t take that chance. They could have me arrested

  for giving you what they would perceive to be a drug when you

  were a minor, and then the world will know about us. Of course,

  I"d then be in jail so we wouldn"t have each other.”

  “Okay. Okay. How much longer can we stay… before…

  leaving?” asked Michelle as tears streamed down her cheeks. “We need to leavesoon. I"m sorry, Michelle. We both

  must be under a lot of suspicion.I"ve been in the same town for

  ten years now. You"ve looked the same for five years. Michelle,

  tell me where you want to go. We"ll go to any peaceful area on the

  globe. I will pay cash and we"ll be there for the next five to ten

  years.”

  “Where do you get all the money?”

  “I save. The secret is to spend less than I earn. Over

  hundreds of years, the savings pile up. Every time I change

  countries, I convert my cash at the exchange. Wherever I go, I

  seek out an employer who will pay me under the table.” “Under the table?”

  “That means it is not recorded forthe government. It"s

  illegal in most civilized nations, but if I can convince an employer

  to do it, it works out for both of us. The employer doesn"t have to

  pay for any of my health benefits or contribute to taxes, so I can

  earn higher wages. The employer pays out less, I get to keep more,

  and the government is the loser.These aren"t the highes
t paying

  jobs, butas I said, since I can save for many years, I don"t really

  need high paying jobs.” Evan smiled at Michelle as she tried to

  absorb everything, and he wiped the trace of a tear from her eye. “And aren"t you glad one of those jobs was at the sundry shop in Riverside?”

  V

  December 13, 1983 “So I"m supposed to believe that our daughter still looks like a thirteen year old girl, and Evan is the oldest man on the face of the Earth?” John Fleming knew his wife well enough not to question her credibility, but he still had to wonder if perhaps Mary could be mistaken.

  Mary was weary of explaining everything she knew to John, especially after catching an early flight to Ottawa, receiving the biggest shock of her life, and not getting much sleep. She held the phone receiver to her chest and let out a sigh before raising it back to her ear. “John, if I didn"t see Michelle with my own eyes, I wouldn"t believe it either. Believe me. She has the body and exact appearance she had the last time we saw her back in 1972. And get this… so does Evan… except for missing part of his leg. And don"t you remember how she stopped growing and was ridiculed by the other girls during her last year at high school?”

  “Yes, she didn"t do much physical growing after getting involved with Evan, but we sort of hoped it was just a lull in her development.” John paused. “Hmm… after getting involved with Evan.”

  “Bingo. I believe it, John. Impossible as it seems, it does explain why both of thekids are… well, still kids.”

  “Kids?! Evan is not a kid! He had no right to take advantage of our daughter like he did.”

  “John, I already railed into him. I let him have it with both barrels and all it did was bring Michelle to tears. Am I happy about what he did? No. Am I convinced he did it because he loves Michelle? Yes. Believe me, John. I wanted to tear him apart, but I felt differently after hearingthe whole story.”

  “Maybe I should catch the next flight to Ottawa and do the job myself then.”

  “John, I…” Mary suddenly heard Michelle"s soft voice behind her.

  “Are you talking to Dad, Mom?”

  “Excuse me, John. Michelle is here.” She turned to Michelle. “Yes, dear. I explained everything to your father.”

  “Is he upset?” Michelle asked nervously.

  “Yes, dear, but I"m doing my best to soften the blow.” John"s impatience could be heard blaring from the phone receiver.

  “Mary?!Mary! Are you there?”

  “Yes!” replied Mary before realizing that she was no longer speaking into the receiver. Flustered, she repeated herself into the phone. “Yes, John.”

  Michelle hastily interrupted.“Mom, you heard right. They areplanning to move Evan to another hospital. It"s… it"s getting worse.” Michelle broke down. “I don"t think he"s going to live.”

  Mary put her free hand on Michelle"s shoulder and continued her conversation with John. “I don"t know if you heard that, John. Michelle just told me that it looks very bad for Evan. He may be finally dying.”

  “Really,” replied John. “Maybe when I get there, I should do the honors of making sure his death is successful.”

  Mary hoped that Michelle didn"t hear John"s comment and concealed her reaction. “John, would you like to talk to Michelle?” Then she whispered into the phone, “And please don"t say anything to make her feel worse.”

  “Does she really want to talk to her old man? She never tried to contact me since running off with her new old man.”

  Mary tried to give Michelle the illusion thatJohn"s conversation waslight. “Oh, John. You know the reason why Michelle couldn"t feel like she could contact us. Of course I"m sure she would love to talk to you. She could really use her father"s love right now.”

  “Mary, don"t try to soften it. I"m mad as hell.”

  “Sure, honey. I think you"ll know just the words to say to her.” Mary held her breath as she smiled and handed the receiver to Michelle.

  Michelle dreaded the moment. “Hello… Daddy.”

  John paused. “Hello, sweetheart. I miss you terribly. I wish you could have confided in us and kept us in your life.”

  “I know, Daddy. Maybe if I had to do it all over again…”

  “If you had to it allover again, I"m sure you would have never gotten involved with Evan, darling.”

  Michelle choked up. “That"s not what I meant. I meant that I might have told you and Mom about us.” She fought to hold back her tears. “Goodbye, Daddy. It was nice hearing your voice again. I"m giving the phone back to Mom now. Bye.” She handed the receiver back to Mary, put her hand over her mouth and ran awaysobbing, “I wish he understood that I love Evan!”

  “John, you couldbe more sensitive,” said Mary.

  “Mary, he ruined all our lives. He can"t leave this Earth fast enough for me.”

  “Well… I was going to head back home to you. Now I have a wounded child to attend to. Thank you, John.”

  “I"ll come to you, Mary. I"ll call the airlines now and purchase a ticket on the next flight.”

  “You"d only make it worse, John. You"re better off staying home.”

  “I’m better off staying away? Or do you mean that Evan is better off if I stay away? Who are you protecting, Mary?”

  “I"m protecting our daughter, John.”

  “I only want to make sure Evan never hurts her again, Mary. Then Michelle, you and I will be a happyfamily again.”

  November, 1888 Vicar Michael Westbrook sat behind his desk as he waited for his young associate-in-training to arrive. As was his habit, Eustace Tewksbury was punctual.

  “Eustace, come in. Take a chair, please.”

  “Hello, Vicar. It"s good to finally gain an audience with you. We"ve both been so busy, and I have enjoyed teaching the youth immensely.”

  “I have also heard that the boys are fascinated by your lessons, Eustace.” Michael cleared his throat. “As a matter of fact, that"s the main reason I asked you here.”

  E ustace detected a reservation in the Vicar"s demeanor. “Is everything all right?”

  Michael sat back and smiled to help put Eustace at ease. “From what I hear, you shine the Holy Scriptures through your own personal light for the benefit of the boys… which is the reason why they are so captivated with your teaching.”

  “My own personal light? I don"t know if I would go that far. I just believe in teaching anything from its historical perspective, Vicar.”

  “May I ask what books you get your historical perspectives from, Eustace? For example… and again this is strictly from what I have heard… you seem to know a lot about the personal life of the apostle Paul… beyond what is recorded in God"s Word. I am unaware of any other reliable source of such information.”

  Eustace thought carefully before responding. “Well, Vicar… the apostle Paul"s writings are quite transparent. That is to say… his beliefs and convictions are clear. Do you think that I take too much liberty regarding my assumptions concerning what we already know about some of the Bible characters?”

  “Eustace, I did overhear one of your recent lessons as I stood outside the classroom door.”

  “You eavesdropped on me? Why didn"t you just enter the room and sit in the back?”

  “Please don"t take any offense, Eustace. I wanted to listen to you without causing you to be self-conscious in any way. And… well… there have been insinuationsthat you… how should I put it… denythe divine inspiration of Scripture?”

  “I caution against believing that a council of men, a few hundred years after the fact, could possibly divine what God perfectly inspired to be written. The Bible contains a lot of man"s opinion and certainly has a lot of omissions as far as what God would say to us. At best, we can get a glimpse or… as Paul phrased it… we can see through a glass darkly.”

  “You do realize that goes strictly against the Church of England?”

  “I do. Vicar, I love the Church. Though I refuse to blindly believe in the complete authority of a collectio
n of books and letters, I don"t believe in tossing the baby out with the bathwater. Take the red letters… those of Jesus. Though I question the exact quotations because they were allegedly written decades after Jesus reportedly said them, I still acknowledge that the spirit of His words was preserved. And I acknowledge that strictly by faith. In fact, that is why I can call myself a Christian.”

  Michael absorbed Eustace"s words before leaning forward in his chair. “The Church of England would call you a heretic.”

  Eustace smiled. “The Church in Rome would call us both heretics for not believing in the infallibility of the Pope. It is sad that the Church of England would do the same thing to me for not believing in the infallibility of the Canon of Scripture.”

  “Let me ask you something, Eustace. Do you take the same liberties with Jesus as you do with Paul?”

  Eustace considered a direct answer of „no", but then pondered what the next question would be. He trusted Vicar Michael Westbrook as a devoted man of the cloth, so he did not fear the repercussions of simply telling him the truth. “No, Vicar, I do not because I didn"t know Jesus personally.”

  Michael was taken aback. “And you knew Paul?”

  “Vicar, you are sworn to confidentiality in matters of confession, especially if the matters do not constitute any crime… correct?”

  “Yes?”

  “Then… yes… I knew Paul. Not closely… but… I had met him when he traveled to Greece.”

  Michael just stared at his young associate.

  July, 1972 Evan held Michelle tightly as the waves splashed playfully near them, spraying and refreshing them on a sunny East Bay afternoon. He never tired of gazing at Michelle"s cute face. He sometimes wondered, as he stared into her eyes, what she might look like had she continued to age. She was now eighteen years old, but he did not regret preserving her at the tender age of thirteen. That’s the girl I fell in love with, and that’s the girl I am committed to, he thought to himself. He softly stroked her wet hair. She gently blinked and smiled.

  “You know thatwe need to be on our way soon, right?” Michelle held Evan tighter. “I love this area so much. There are so many memories. It"s where we met. I dreamed that every year on the anniversary of our first date, we would go to the sundry shop and have root beer floats.”