by Richard Lord
“Let’s go bag you a bank account first. Then you tell me about the ideas you have on spending the money.” Adam said.
“Phillip killed him didn’t he?” Tomorrow looked at Adam intensely.
“I don’t know. But that’s perceptive. I was thinking the same thing. Does it make him less of a martyr?” Adam asked of Tomorrow.
“No.” She stuck the last grape in her mouth and continued. “It makes him a good man. It had to be a situation. Plus, he spent every day of his life trying to help my mother. I’m here. I have you next to me, for now. So he was a good man.” Tomorrow picked up the plate and tried to reach over Adam to put it on the floor, but as she realized she couldn’t reach that far he picked her up and moved her over top of him. She smiled and let go of the plate.
CHAPTER 30
“I suppose we all felt he couldn’t exist forever. I still suspect he will outlive me.” -- from the Book of Christina
“Nah. Who builds a house that far out of the city?” He points to the drawing. “I know this peak. How would we get our equipment up there? I suppose there might be some unused pulleys and what have you’s around from when they tried to mine that years ago, but they didn’t find iron. A vein of gold is all they pulled out of it. Almost bankrupted them setting that operation up. I think I’ll keep my company.”
“Tim, is it.” Adam asked. “See Tim they were trying to mine, not build. Building there wouldn’t cost as much as your making it sound. Also when you say that far out of the city, there is a major road at the base of that rise. If I’m correct and I’m pretty sure I am, it was developed by the mining company you just referenced. So you not only don’t have that cost, if I read right, you were the contracted construction company, so you’ve already profited from that location.” Adam points a finger at Tomorrow and then to himself, “We checked. You’re company has an excellent record, but there are others with just as good or better reputations. We just figured it would save us all time if we went with a company that knows the area. Which, you just told us you do when you so quickly recognized the peak from a drawing.”
Tim looked up at him and then to Tomorrow. “How much are you offering?”
Tomorrow began to replay but Adam said, “What are you quoting? We’ll determine if it’s reasonable. If not we’ll talk to other construction companies. Funny thing about building a road under contract is you don’t own it once it’s done.”
Tim flared his eyes at Adam and then said, “I thought she was the customer.”
“She is. I am here to provide council but when I note things, I am under her direct orders to speak up about the minor errors as they sometimes occur in these types of transactions.” Adam said. He thought fast to Tomorrow whom he could hear was about to say something. “Don’t speak, please. Your silence is more powerful than your words at this moment.”
Tomorrow cleared her throat and sat up and looked at Tim awaiting his response.
Tim replied, “I’d have to do the math, but I’m going to throw a number out. It would be at least 5 million batoons.”
Adam thought to Tomorrow. “I don’t have a clue what that means. The apartment you looked at the other day, how much did they tell you that would be per month?”
“Batoons are the standardized trade. The number provided to me per month to rent that apartment was 175 batoons.” Tomorrow thought back at him, making sure she was clear. A practice she had picked up having to talk to the kids that way. She learned to be sure they understood before continuing and the same now applied here. The irony of teaching Adam was not at all lost on her.
Adam leaned forward, “Tim, really? We didn’t ask you to line it in iron.” Adam sat back and held his hands up with a shrug and chuckled.
Tim looked annoyed, but he considered the facts. “Okay, tell ya what, let me work the numbers and I’ll get back to you. I might be able to come in at half that.”
“Tim, it is incumbent upon me, as the lady’s advisor that I inspect the materials you use and remain on site while it is built to assure that construction is superb.” Adam said, in a flat tone.
Tim’s lip rose in a bit of a snarl but when his lips parted he said, “Of course. We only use the highest quality material and my men are excellent at what they do. As are you, sir.” He nodded his head to Adam.
Adam rose and held out his hand. Tomorrow took it and turned him towards the door and then said, over her shoulder, “Good day, Tim. I will be in touch at noon tomorrow. Anything later than that and I will move on to other options. It’s been a pleasure discussing the matter with you.”
Adam heard her thought. He didn’t particularly agree, but he also saw the wisdom in her move. He escorted her to the door.
Since there was no one in that hallway she clicked taking Adam with her.
At the riverside she said, “That was fun! I want to get another quote now!”
Adam looked at her and said, “I hope he doesn’t come running out of that door to make an offer. It’s going to seem mighty odd if he asks anyone which direction we went.”
“Oh. Does that happen?” Tomorrow asked putting a finger to her lips wondering how she could undo what she had just done.
“Yes, if the negotiator does a good job. Did I do a decent job, Tomorrow?”
“You were phenomenal! I loved it!” She stops and looks at him, “I messed it up didn’t I?”
“Not particularly. You may have helped. He was wrestling with too many possibilities in his mind to tell which he was going to go with. You did fine.” Adam then pulled her to himself and kissed her then he moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, “On second thought, you were bad.” He heard her giggle in response.
“So, bad girl, how about…” Adam trailed off as he turned her around and kissed the back of her neck and ran his hands down the inside of her thighs.
That evening he woke up and gathered his clothes and hers, walked to her and put his hand on her back and clicked.
Tomorrow woke and looked at herself in her bed, noticing the covers were not on her. Then she remembered that when she fell asleep they were at Adam’s getaway at the edge of the river. She wondered how many times he had been there. She smiled as she reached down for the covers. She swung her arm wide to also cover Adam, when she noticed he wasn’t there. “Well, at least I can hope he’s bringing back a cow. I am pretty hungry.”
As she lay her head back down she heard his mind enter the room and looked up. He held up two knives his right hand while concealing something behind his back with his left. She watched as his fingers moved extremely quickly and one knife was suddenly tucked in his palm up against his writ point at himself while the other was held by it’s tip handle held out to her. She grabbed the hilt of it and then looked to see what was in his left hand as he swing it around quickly towards her face. “That smells wonderful! It’s cow, but I’ve never smelled a cow like that!”
“This” Adam says, “is filet mignon. A very good cut, medium rare with a very slight touch of fine black and white pepper, cooked over a split jalapeno and two split habanero peppers and then treated to a bleu cheese that is extreme.” He passes the dish to her and she sits up with the knife as he slides the forks out from under the plate and holds one out to her. “One of the few benefits of time and space, for m’lady.” He clicks, returns and holds a glass of wine out to her. “That should make for a good pairing.” She sets the fork down on the plate and sips the wine first.
“That’s good! Which of these is mine?” She asks while hovering the fork over the two fillets.
“Well as I remember consistency is one of the more important things where I got this. Take out, not so much. So start on one and we’ll turn the plate and see if we can tell the difference.” Adam cuts off a corner and Tomorrow mimics him. He waits while she puts it into her mouth.
Her eyes light up and she chews quickly so she can say. “Now I know why you love cow! Oh the lords, this is…” Tomorrow doesn’t finish the sentence before hearing him and getting that she s
hould cut small pieces and work towards the center in a spiral manner. She takes another bite.
Adam take his bite and delights in the fulfillment of the memories of this wonderful treat.
Tomorrow looks down at the plate, “What is this?”, she asks while hovering her fork over some green spears over what she knows to be mashed potatoes.
“Try it.” He responds.
She didn’t really require urging. As she pulls the fork from her mouth she notes several details about it.
“I prefer it crisp, barely cooked, but I figured it was your first time, so I went with well cooked, but, if you look under the potatoes, there’s some that are crisp. I was going to hide them from you.” He winks at her as she pops a near raw version into her mouth and chews.
“I like both.” Tomorrow announces. “It’s a very distinctive flavor and it’s not bitter. What is it called?”
“Asparagus. I asked them to cook it with lemon, garlic and a touch of oil of olives. There are a few sauces sometimes used on top of them, but, as I said, it being your first time, I tried to stay as close to the flavor of that particular vegetable as I could.” Adam looked down noticing she had already eaten most of her filet, so he spun the plate.
Tomorrow paused from eating and asked, “Does it have any specific healing properties or other benefit? You eat it raw anyway, I’m sure.”
“Yup. After eating it I will be able to tell immediately if you pee in camp!” Adam took a bite of her filet and then felt her fist bump his arm. “Ow!”
“I’ve had this kind of cheese before. Marla makes it. But this is more, ‘flavorful’ is that the right word?” Tomorrow asks.
“Sure it is. With cheeses like this and especially this one, you could also use the term, pungent.”
“I thought that was for when you let air out from behind.” Tomorrow asks while sipping the wine he has brought her.
Adam looks at her and then he smiles and looks back at the plate. Then he looks at her again and opens his mouth. Then he looks back to the plate.
“What, Adam? I can’t even focus on what you’re thinking right now because your thoughts are scattered.” Tomorrow looks into his eyes.
“I don’t think. I don’t know. I wonder if.” Drawing a conclusion he finally says, “Don’t say that to someone else. They wouldn’t understand.” Then Renfield chuckles.
She swats at him. “I don’t talk about that stuff with anyone else. But you and I have been with each other, so why not talk about it.”
“I’m teasing you, but now I don’t know how the cheese tastes to me. How about you put yourself to use and bring it up a notch.” Adam says.
“Ok.” She stands on the bed, turns around pulls down her panties and squats over the meal.
“No! That was a joke!” Adam yells. “You don’t get when I am joking yet?”
“It isn’t me that doesn’t get jokes anymore. It’s you.” Tomorrow points her fork at him then touches him on the nose with it.
Adam nods his head to her, realizing he’s been bested. He then cuts off the last of his half and impales it on his fork and then holds it out for her to eat. As her lips part and her tongue licks at the fork and her eyes stare into his, he takes the last bite, chews and reaches for his pocket.
“All of the things you’ve been thinking definitely point out that it’s not simple. But my answer is, yes. However, I still want the ring, Adam.”
CHAPTER 31
“There is never a plan. There is a rough sketch and what comes from that looks nothing like it.” -- from the Book of Conan
“Tomorrow!” Adam yells to the lower level of the house.
“What? Do you have to yell out loud and in my head at the same time?” She looks at him for an actual answer.
“Generally speaking if I yell for you either way, I’m trying to get your attention.” Adam replies, he snaps the last pin of the diaper shut and leans over the table. “Kiss Mommy, goodbye.”
Tomorrow folds her arms and looks down at Joy and then at Adam. “Not funny, Adam.”
He looks at her, “I wasn’t trying to be.” Adam reaches down and picks up Joy and then continues. “I don’t really understand why you still go on these hunts. You’ve made your point over the years. I haven’t heard of a single attempt to hold people up on the roads anymore. Commerce is up now that there’s that other city and…”
“Cities have names! It’s called Pompeii because the people who founded it are into the arts. You should get out of the house and go there some time. It’s wonderful and the music is loud enough so I wouldn’t have to hear you.” Tomorrow furrows her brow at Adam.
“That was harsh. My point was that I worry and I can’t just click away at a moment’s notice and leave Joy here.” Adam tries to explain his position in hopes to ease the tension.
“You should have considered that before you came up with the idea of building a house on a failed iron mine.” Tomorrow ignores his attempt to make peace.
“You liked the idea. Plus, you own this property forever. And it was a failed iron mine. It was a successful gold mine and I am pretty sure you’re going to thank me for that in a few years.” Adam defends his decision.
“It’s a junk metal. I understand in your time it was valuable, but it’s not anymore. Stop being so old.” Tomorrow looks at him with anger in her eyes.
“Harsher still. You didn’t do it because of the mine. You did it because from here you could keep an eye on the roads.” Adam knows her reasons and knows she knows he knows.
Tomorrow stops all movement and draw in a deep breath. “You remember that thought! You listened in!”
“Yes. Just like I remembered you thinking about the reason you named Shang-tu and Pompeii. You know I love you. I know you love me. Joy knows we both love her. Right now she loves us because she can feel that we love her because we feed her and we deal with the after effects. I already know you are going to go, no matter what I say. Maybe, it would be good if you found something wrong. You’re looking for a fight and I’d prefer it not be with me.” Adam took a deep breath. “Don’t let this effect your judgment. I am proud of you. You’re their hero.” He points out the huge window that spans both levels of the house, overlooking the city. “You’re becoming known as two people. Wearing the mask was a smart decision. If you’re going to be a hero to them as Tomorrow and as, mystery girl, then don’t forget that they still take pride in you being a citizen of the city we’re out here looking in on. You are Tomorrow.” Adam looks at her with the pride he has always felt for her.
“Adam.” She reaches out and takes Joy and pulls her to herself. She sniffs as tears begin to trickle down her face.
Adam turns and head and looks out of the window. He can hear some of her thoughts, but he can tell she’s trying to block them.
“I do love you. What you don’t see is that the person in the mask is me and the person who they call Tomorrow is me too. I did agree to buy this place and it has been wonderful. It’s like when we were in the desert, or the jungle or wherever and it was just the two of us. But as soon as I signed on that line, people began talking about me. Now it’s here and we live in it and they talk about me. When the new city was founded, the people who founded it knew I had named Shang-tu so they asked me for the honor of naming their new city. How is it an honor for some girl who spent her time robbing travelers to name your city? Your dream? It doesn’t’ make sense. Worse is I did this all to spread Phillip’s dream, but I keep getting credited. Even though it was Tina and Venetia who did the hard work.” For a moment Tomorrow feels a tinge of a memory, but she doesn’t know what it is about or where it is coming from.
Adam looks at her. “They’re called echoes.” He comments. “And Venetia and Tina didn’t have to suddenly live in the desert with me for a month and somehow survive! They didn’t wake up to any given type of snake sleeping under them in the jungle. They didn’t teach themselves to read. They didn’t tame two brats who can click around. You did that. You are Tomorrow!” Ada
m tries hard to make the point that there is a reason she is highly revered, to her.
She pulls her sword off of her back. She throws it on the table with a thud. She unbuckles the heavy belt around her waist and tosses that on the table with an even heavier thud. She takes the tailored pack designed by her and the kids, when they were kids, off and sets it on the floor. She stares hard at Adam. “How about the three of us go sit in front of that window this evening. We can sit and talk and I can watch the roads. Although, what would make it better is takeout.”
“Ooooh, you drive a tough bargain lady, but that means I have to play delivery man, so how about I bring back a movie and you sit in the chair next to the window, as you prefer, but you have a distraction.” Adam grins at Tomorrow.
“Not fair! I don’t know what a movie is, so how do I know what I’m agreeing to?” Tomorrow grows a look of curiosity.
Adam laughs, “Well, I’ll show you but the screen will be kind of small and I’m not sure I can get something with a long enough battery life to see the ending. However, soon we’ll have electricity! And you will get off my butt about the gold, because then it will make sense.”
She looks up at the rafters. She again notes how thick he specified the girders to be. “I kind of get the concept, but not really. How close to done are you up there?” Then she narrows her eyes as she picks up Joy, noting that Adam clicked at the end of her last sentence. She looks at Joy and says, “Your father is a pain in the butt! But we love him don’t we? Do we? Do you? Do I? I guess there would be no Joy without him so of course you do. I love you so, or course I love him too. Have we settled this matter?” She thinks to herself for a moment and then says out-loud to Joy, “Hearing no objections this court is adjourned.” She raises Joy and makes whooshing sounds as she sails her around the room. She looks at Joy smiling and giggling and says, “Want to know a secret? Your Dad likes the sea but it’s hard to get him to go to it very often. I suspect it’s another thing he keeps ‘simple’, but one day Mommy is going to claw it out of him!” Tomorrow holds Joy against her for comfort after the long sailing adventure in the loft area. She turns hearing Adam’s mind in the room.