William's Tale

by Regina Morris

  A huff came from Sterling’s direction. “Too much effort, man.”

  “But,” Sulie interrupted, “this non–compelling plan does have some merit. If William is determined to date a human, let’s give him a fresh start and stand behind him.”

  Raymond nodded. “Or, he could go the easy route and find a female vampire.”

  William looked over to Sulie. “Thank you, Sulie.” He then shot a glance at Raymond. “Vampire or not, I was once a human. I don’t see anything wrong with dating a human.” He took a sip from his beer. “You three were born vampires. There is nothing wrong with human women.”

  “Except that human women can only give birth to half–breed wimps who aren’t really vampires or humans,” Sterling said as he glanced over to his father.

  William glared at Sterling. What the hell? He may have been the only half–breed in the group, and Raymond’s only child, but it gave him no right to pick at an old wound his father still nursed.

  “Your kid, for the most part, turned out okay.” William said to lighten the mood. Raymond had fallen in love and had married a human, so he asked him, “What’s your issue with human women?”

  Under his breath, Raymond said, “They’re weak and die too soon.”

  Chapter Seven

  William walked down the hallway, a small bouquet of wild flowers in his hand. He wasn’t scheduled to work at the White House until later in the day, and he thought he thought he might surprise Jackie at her apartment.

  He had gotten her address from the school she subbed for by compelling the principal. School policy didn’t allow for distributing of personnel information, and since he couldn’t compel Jackie not to notice the infraction, he wasn’t sure how he would explain how he knew where she lived.

  No compelling. No lying. Only the truth. He planned to keep his word, no matter how difficult it would be.

  Of course, he could always play the trump card and imply that the Secret Service had other venues for gathering information, which of course they did, and then not give her any details. She would infer that he had gotten the information from them. Not exactly a lie. That would be his plan in case she asked.

  Her apartment number was 30B, the last one at the end of the row. As he passed each door, counting up the numbers to thirty, he felt his heart racing. He took a deep breath. There had been plenty of women in his life, but this one felt special.

  His mind conjured up an image of Jackie’s smile, along with her laugh. She had an angelic presence about her. She stood graceful and confident, even when she reproached him about his job. Something magical existed about Jackie, although he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was.

  He tightened his grasp on the flowers and continued making his way towards her door. He had fed this morning, making sure to maintain his current age so she wouldn’t notice any changes in his appearance. Also, he didn’t want to be quite so hungry while talking with her. Of course, he was always hungry. Her blood smelled like O negative, tasty and delicious.

  His blood type matched hers. Maybe not in Rh factor but definitely in type. He wondered if he preferred drinking O negative blood for that reason. The thought never occurred to him before, but the explanation made sense.

  A slight smile crossed his lips. Nearly fifty years had passed from his turn, and he still found aspects of vampirism fascinating. Thank goodness Ben had been on the bus with him that day in Alabama. Freedom Riders took a risk of dying for their cause. He was lucky Ben had found him worthy enough to turn when the riot broke out on the bus and he took a fatal blow to the head.

  William knocked on Jackie’s door, but discovered a second, and then a third knock were needed. All that effort, and she wasn't even home. He turned to leave when a creaking door across the hall opened a crack. William barely caught the woman’s glance, but evidently that was enough of an invitation for the neighbor to fully open the door and talk with him.

  “I’m looking for Jackie,” he began.

  The old woman inspected him as though he were a prize package, her eyes settling on the flowers he carried. “Jackie isn’t around,” she smiled. “Are you her new beau?”

  Grinning, William asked, “Do you know where she is?”

  She glanced down at her watch. After adjusting her glasses, she answered, “It’s nearly lunch time. My guess she is she’s eating lunch.”

  A vague answer, and virtually no help whatsoever. “All right. Thanks.” William nodded and bid his farewell.

  She snapped her fingers. “Oh, my memory. She’s meeting a Mr. Gary something or other. Gary Appleby? I just can’t remember.” She shook her head, “Would you like to join me for some tea?”

  William felt his chest tighten at the sound of another man’s name. “Who’s Mr. Appleby?”

  “I think he’s the manager over at Silver Estates. I’m sure she’s over there having lunch.”

  Biting his lip, William knew his fangs had extended slightly. Of course Jackie was being pursued by other suitors. A beautiful woman like her didn’t stay available for long.

  “Thank you, but I must be going,” he said flatly.

  “Maybe next time you can stop by for tea,” she said as she entered her apartment.

  William gave her a polite smile as she closed the door. He then turned and walked back the way he had come. The woman looked about ninety and possibly lonely. She seemed to be a friendly neighbor — even overly so. Just as he approached the stairs, a flower courier walked past him. William noticed the dozen long stem red roses he carried, and wondered if they were meant for Jackie. He also wondered if they were sent by Mr. Gary Appleby.

  William felt a pang of regret and loss as he watched the florist knock on Jackie’s door, only to have the neighbor poke her head into the hallway and strike up a conversation with him. William listened with his vampire hearing as the woman said she’d sign for the flowers, and that they must be from Jackie’s gentleman friend Steve. He also overheard her claim she had signed for flowers in the past, and she’d be sure Jackie got them.

  He watched as she opened the card, intruding upon Jackie's privacy. “From Herman,” she announced. “Oh, that's a new one.”

  Gary? Steve? Herman? Jackie was a sassy and sexy woman, but just how many gentlemen callers did this woman have? He wanted a Mrs. Right, not a woman about town who was a player.

  The delivery man made his way down the hallway as William glanced away to avoid eye contact. His eyes now focused on the small cluster of wild flowers he carried. Wilted. Squeezed beyond recognition.

  How could he compete with human men who could wine and dine her? It's hard to have a relationship when you have to date around all your meals.

  He felt the heaviness of disappointment settle on his heart. He had built Jackie up to be such a perfect find, and now he doubted she was the woman for him. He tossed the wilted flowers into a trash bin on his way out of the apartment building, throwing out his dreams with them.

  *******

  Jackie led her father to an empty table at Silver Estates. The two set down their trays and put their plates on the table. As they sat, Jackie asked, “What surprise, Daddy?”

  He smiled at her. “If they haven’t arrived yet, they will. I wanted to send you a little something to brighten your day. They’ll probably be delivered by the time you get home tonight.”

  Jackie wanted to keep prying, but a waitress distracted her by offering a selection of water, lemonade, iced tea or soda.

  “Can I bring you anything else?” the waitress asked as she looked at the sweater vest Jackie’s father wore.

  Jackie looked over to her father's sweater. “Daddy, you forgot to wear your nametag.” It wasn’t exactly policy, but as a courtesy, Silver Estates asked the residents to wear them — not just for the staff, but for the residents who had trouble remembering who people were.

  “His name is Herman. I’m his daughter, Jackie.”

  “Welcome to Silver Estates,” the waitress smiled at them as she filled their water
glasses. “If there is anything you need, please let me know.”

  Jackie nodded as the woman walked away. It pleased her to have her father living in such a wonderful retirement home. The food looked healthy and plentiful. The menu today was pork chops, fresh apple slices, warm butternut squash soup, a healthy salad, and a variety of desserts.

  After she took a bite, she knew the food wasn’t as good as her mama’s cooking, but pretty darn close. Within minutes, she noticed her father picking at his food. “Daddy, make sure to eat some of your salad. You need greens in your diet.”

  Herman wrinkled his nose. “The salad dressing has soured.”

  She reached over and picked up the bowl. “Now, don’t be like that.” She sniffed the food and set the salad back down. “Did you want ranch dressing? Because this is bleu cheese.”

  He gave her a slight smile as he touched the side of his face. “I left my glasses upstairs.”

  “Well, if you can’t read the signs of what is what, all you got to do is ask. This place has plenty of staff to help you.” She halfway stood up. “I’ll get you a fresh salad.”

  Holding up his hand, he stopped her. “I’m not all that hungry anyway.” He looked past the dining area to the main office. “What did the manager say?”

  “He has a crew in your apartment right now fixing your heater. Mr. Appleby seemed very apologetic Daddy. I’m sure he’ll have it fixed in no time.”

  She noticed her father staring near the kitchen door. “Looks like they’re bringing out new desserts. Looks like cheesecake.”

  Jackie sighed and felt saddened as her father left the table to fetch them some cheesecake. Cheesecake was her favorite, and her father knew it. The dessert was her mother’s favorite, as well. Mama would make her cheesecake from scratch, not with the cream cheese most recipes had these days. She would bake her cake for birthdays, Easter and Christmas — saying the dessert was too rich for everyday food. Her mother always held tight control over their diets when it came to rich, sugary foods, saying it wasn’t good to give children a sugar rush, and imply that her father didn’t need the excess. Her father remained somewhat slim as an older man, but his cholesterol and heart issues had always been a concern. Jackie decided to ignore the indulgence — at least for now as he settled into his new home. This wonderful retirement home was just minutes from her apartment, and she wanted him to get comfortable and consider it his home as soon as possible.

  A heavy emotional weight settled over her. At the time, she felt fortunate to get her father into such a fine place as Silver Estates. With the waiting list, it usually took nearly a year to get in, but a sudden vacancy allowed her to secure her father a spot after only two weeks. Now, with the loss of her job, she worried if she’d be able to afford the place. Her father paid for most of the cost, but she had fudged the numbers to him so he wouldn’t suspect she financially helped him. She had researched retirement homes in the area. They were either all too expensive, too far away, or just terribly unpleasant places where she didn’t want her father to live out the rest of his life. Paying a little extra a month herself to secure something this nice was worth the personal cost. She only hoped she could still afford the place now.

  He came back to the table and set two wedges of cheesecake down. He frowned as he took his seat. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  She waved her hand dismissively. “Nothin’ you need to worry about.”

  His eyebrows furrowed as he took a good look at her. “Is everything with your job all right?”

  Biting her lip, she gave him a wry smile. “Yes, Daddy. It’s all good.”

  He scratched his head and still studied her. “Is a man troubling you? Because if a man has broken your heart again…”

  Jackie sighed, which caused him to pause mid–sentence.

  “It is a man,” he accused.

  She smiled back at her father. She hadn’t been on a date in months. She hadn’t… been with a man for even longer. This wasn’t a conversation she wanted to share with him.

  “Your mama always said baking was a way to share your soul with those you love.” He scooted one plate of cheesecake closer to her. “It’s not your mama’s, but it looks good.”

  She smiled as she glanced at the cake. It was nice to hear him quote her mother, who always had nice sayings about life. Jackie cleared her throat and mentally chided herself. She didn’t want to fall apart in front of her father. She missed her mother terribly, but wanted to be strong for him.

  So she thought about something else she wanted to share with her father. She doubted he had been watching the news lately since he seemed so busy with his move. In fact, she had wanted to tell him about the meeting with the President since the moment they had sat down at the table. She filled him in on the presidential things only, omitting she was subbing at the school and any ideas she may have had about the minority numbers being odd to her. What she didn’t skip was the part of how the gorgeous agent had selected her out of everyone to shake the President’s hand. She had been so surprised after he admitted to having selected her, but she didn’t have enough time to ask him about it since he had to leave and tend to the President.

  Her father had smiled through the entire tale. “You must have caught his eye for him to give you such an honor as shaking the President’s hand.”

  “Maybe so.” She didn’t go into detail, but did mention the agent was extremely handsome. She couldn’t stop thinking about him.

  Herman beamed a smile back to her. “And he has a good, solid job working for the President.”

  “An agent who allows racial inequality in his job, but I guess it’s still a solid job.” She regretted making the snide comment, and wished she had censored herself the second the sentence left her mouth.

  Her father cleared his throat. “Now, don’t be like that.” When she stared into his eyes, she saw a stern look about him. “Do you remember a show you liked as a kid that was called Star Trek?”

  Remember it? She loved the show as a kid. Of course, she liked the original series the best. “Lt. Uhura was always my favorite.”

  “I know,” Herman said.

  Jackie stared at her father. There were days he couldn’t remember what he had for lunch the day before, and there were times he could remember the most minute details. It was nice to have him fully here and in the moment. “What about the show?”

  “Your mother didn’t like all the space stuff, but she and I both agreed it was a good show for you to watch. Do you want to know why?” When Jackie shook her head, Herman continued, “Because of the actress Nichelle Nichols who played Lt. Uhura. Back in the 1960s when she started in the show, her small and somewhat degrading part upset her. She almost quit until she met Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who told her she needed to be on the show. You see, that television show was based in the future, and he believed that a black face needed to be on the bridge to encourage the next generation of Americans to believe in equality.”

  Jackie always enjoyed the show and had never heard the story before. Lt. Uhura was always a hero of sorts, to her and she now realized the load the actress must have had to endure to remain on film back in the days with segregation and other racial inequalities. Jackie looked at her father. “How do you know all this?”

  “She did an interview way back in the day. Anyway, if this young man of yours is holding down a job that only a few decades ago wouldn’t have been open to him, then he’s paving the way for the next generation and the one after that. He’s doing more for equality than you can even imagine just by being in his position.”

  Jackie smiled at the revelation. Her father had a good point. Even a few decades ago, she wouldn’t have been allowed to teach at her school since white children attended. Her purse hung from the chair and she retrieved the agent’s business card from it. “He did give me his card,” she said as she handed it proudly to her father.

  His hand danced over the card as he turned it over. He gave the card back to her, but not before he could let out
a disappointed sigh.

  Jackie palmed the card. “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought it’d be neat to see the presidential seal or Secret Service stamp.”

  Jackie studied the plain white card and a frown crossed her face as she realized her father was right. This wasn’t an official government card with the Secret Service or FBI emblem on it. This was the man’s personal business card having only his name and phone number. She had seen plenty of cards like this in the past, and they were always given out by men who only wanted one thing from a woman.

  Good Lord. He had played her.

  When he had given her the card, she had hoped he might be able to help her with her petition for the school funding — and maybe a whole lot more on a personal level. Now, looking at the man’s information, she read between the lines. He was a user of women. He had this card at the ready to give to any cute woman he came across, and probably handed out several a day. She tossed the card into her purse and then picked up her fork, diving into the cheesecake. She’d be damned if she were going to be William Wardell’s next conquest.

  Chapter Eight

  Jackie sat nervously on the brown overstuffed chair in the corner of Starbucks. She knew the place well since it was so near to her old school, even with her strict discipline of only enjoying one purchased coffee a week. She waited for Principal Bob Monroe to show up.

  Why did the man want to meet with her? And why now? The last time she had seen the man, he had laid her off. The fault of her job loss didn’t rest on Bob’s shoulders, but she did, sort–of, want to shoot the messenger. Taking a deep breath and blowing through the small slit in the lid of her coffee cup, she focused her attention on her hot cup of coffee.

  She didn't have to wait long. Bob entered the shop, waived to her, and then ordered himself a hot beverage. Once he had his coffee in hand, he took a seat next to her.