Rememberers

by C. Edward Baldwin

  The goodbyes were short and sweet. And so was Ms. Hunt's request. “Bring my grandbaby home.”

  Seth kissed her on the cheek and said, “We will.”

  It was a bold promise and one he would undoubtedly do everything in his power to fulfill. But the odds were stacked against them. Josh, after once again turning over the control of the Taurus to Seth, wished he himself could muster a more positive attitude. But he was under no illusions. Getting Kallie freed was going to take a Herculean effort. He looked at Seth and then closed his eyes as Seth steered the Taurus onto the interstate, praying silently. After praying for traveling mercies for their trip down I-95, he stepped it up a notch and prayed that the gates of Fort Bragg would open and the powers-that-be would release Kallie without Seth and him having to do anything greater than simply showing up. If you're going to pray, he thought after opening his eyes, might as well swing for the fences. But barring the gift of the miraculous home run, he'd accept the softening of Kallie's father’s heart and a subsequent increase in the congressman's political powers.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  There was no miraculous home run. They couldn't even get onto the base. A military checkpoint had been set up at the end of the road leading to it, blocking all civilian vehicles from entering. Seth and Josh didn't have the proper identification or any official reason to be there. The guard, without batting an eye, ordered Seth to back the Taurus up and U-turn it the hell away from there. His steely glare fixed on Seth as Ms. Hunt's had earlier fixed on Josh. But no laughter followed the guard's words.

  Josh had figured it would be a long shot getting on base, but he'd wanted to at least try. It would've been great if they could have gotten Kallie released without having to involve her father. Even though her grandmother had initially described Kallie's father as someone that “was very close to Kallie,” it was clear to Josh that the feeling wasn't reciprocated by Kallie. She talked about her mother all the time; but had barely mentioned a father.

  Congress wasn't currently in session; meaning Representative Ander Cleaver of the 7th congressional district was back at his residence in Wilmington. Ms. Hunt had the address and phone number. She'd called several times, but had continually gotten voicemail. She didn't leave a message since she didn't know whose ears would hear it or who was responsible for returning the congressman's messages. They didn't have time to wait to give the congressman the heads up of their arrival. They would have to make a cold appearance at his house. It would take two hours to drive there.

  Seth continuously tapped the car radio's scan button, trying to find a station to his liking. He finally decided on one playing a Katy Perry song. Josh went back to reading the Book of Origins. Forty minutes into the ride, the music began sounding monotonous, so a frustrated Seth turned the radio off. After thirty minutes of radio silence, Josh said, “Listen to this.” He read from the Book of Origins. “Pride cometh before the fall with lust nipping closely at its heel. Lucifer was the most beautiful of all the angels. Even his speaking voice had been like the playing of a harp. After God, he was the most respected in all of Heaven. His place as God's trusted protector of the throne was eternally assured. But Lucifer wanted greater things. His desire was to occupy the throne itself. But God was eternal, an everlasting spirit. There would be no succession. Lucifer thus set his sights on what he considered a more reasonable, if less desired, expectation—a sharing of God's throne. But God had no intention of sharing his throne with a subject, no matter how beautiful or wise the subject was. God, the first being, created from nothing, yet the Creator of everything, was as compassionate as he was powerful. God, considering Lucifer's feelings and his standing amongst the other angels, wanted to help Lucifer to save face. Therefore, God created his son, the Savior, and then announced in a glorious heavenly ceremony that the Son and not Lucifer would ascend the throne. God believed that the Savior's ascendency to the throne would not be received as a negative reflection on Lucifer who would still maintain his place of leadership within Heaven's hierarchy. The Son follows the Father. It was the natural order of things.

  “But Lucifer did not consider God's naming of the Son as his rightful partner and heir as a compassionate one. Lucifer felt he was still being ridiculed by the other angels. He felt slighted, and he considered God's act as the ultimate slap to Lucifer's face and he openly complained about it. Eventually, Lucifer decided to show his displeasure at God's decision by becoming a pain in God's side. Initially, his acts of disobedience were akin to those of a rebellious teenager. He didn't completely disobey God's rules; he just bent them at will, doing his ritualistic duties either late or out of God's order. But even those small acts of disobedience were noticeable amongst the angels who'd all always followed God's rules to the exact letter.” Josh paused for a second and looked at Seth who seemed to be listening to the story. So he continued reading. “The second in command of the angels was Kali (he pronounced it as Kah-lee). She was also the second most beautiful of the angels, though some had argued that she was even more beautiful than Lucifer. Kali saw Lucifer's acts of disobedience in a different light. He was the bad boy.”

  “Wait a minute,” Seth said, interrupting Josh's reading. “You're not going to say that this Kali being had a bad boy fetish?”

  “Yes,” Josh said, “a serious one.” He started to read from the book again.

  “Wait a minute,” Seth said. “Give me the cliff notes version.”

  Josh closed the book and turned to Seth. “Well, the two of them, Lucifer and Kali, began a relationship.”

  “Did they fall in love?” Seth asked, with obvious interest.

  “No,” Josh said. “I don't believe it was love. It was more like lust.”

  “Lust? You mean they had sex in Heaven?”

  “Not in the way you're thinking,” Josh said. “You're thinking of it in human terms. But sex for man was created for procreation purposes. Angels do not procreate. There's no need to.”

  “Oh,” Seth said.

  “Anyway,” Josh continued, “Kali started becoming derelict in her own duties. Eventually it was brought to God's attention and he called her in, strongly reprimanding her. But as any earthly father knows, telling a girl not to see a boy because he's bad for her often has the opposite effect.”

  Seth nodded his head knowingly. “She continued seeing him.”

  “Yeah,” Josh said, “but Lucifer's little acts of disobedience soon turned to out and out revolution. Angels eventually had to choose sides.”

  “And which side did Kali choose?” Seth asked.

  “Unfortunately,” Josh said, “originally the wrong one. Lost in lust, she hadn't seen how dangerous her relationship with Lucifer had become. Lucifer led his troops into battle against God's angels and had them on the ropes. It wasn't until that point that Kali's eyes were finally opened. She rejoined God's angels and with her skills and leadership, Lucifer's army was finally defeated and he was ultimately ousted from Heaven.”

  “So she came to her senses in a nick of time?” Seth said.

  “Yes and no,” Josh said. “God was pleased with what she'd been able to do, but her act of disobedience could not go unpunished. She, too, was ousted from Heaven. But God, being the compassionate being He is, gave her another opportunity to prove herself. He sent her down to earth in the form of a woman.”

  “What woman?” Seth asked eagerly, though it seemed he already knew the answer.

  “The first woman,” Josh said. “Eve.”

  Seth shuffled noticeably, obviously knowing how the rest of the story ended. They rode in silence for a while, and then Seth asked, “I know you read that story to me for a reason. So what does it have to do with Kallie?”

  “Everything,” Josh said. “Kallie is Eve.”

  * * *

  Shortly after one o'clock, Seth flowed behind a black BMW into the Porter Ridge Subdivision. “That was easy,” he said. Porter Ridge was the most exclusive gated community in Wilmington, and the BMW's driver hadn't once looked behind hi
m before entering. “They might as well snatch the gate off its hinges if the residents aren't going to be mindful of who's coming behind them.” He paused a hiccup's moment before adding bitterly, “Of course they could get a couple of those grunts from Fort Bragg to man the fences.”

  He parked the Taurus halfway up the driveway. There were no other cars present, although they could've been parked inside the garage. The two of them got out of the car and with a strong sense of purpose, marched right up to the front steps.

  Josh rang the doorbell and a moment later, a heavily accented female voice came over the speaker. “May I help you?”

  “We're here to see Congressman Cleaver,” Seth said.

  There was a moment of silence and then the woman spoke again, “The congressman will be at his New Haven office location tomorrow morning around nine o'clock. You won't need an appointment. He'll meet with as many constituents as possible on a first come, first served basis.”

  “Listen,” Seth said. “This is important. We need to see the congressman now.”

  “Unfortunately, the congressman doesn't see constituents at his residence.”

  Seth sighed. “It's extremely important.”

  “Sir, you have to leave, or I'll be forced to call the police.”

  Seth pounded his hand into his fist. “Do whatever you have to do, but we're not…”

  Josh held up a finger, cutting him off. “We understand,” he said softly into the speaker mic, “but before you call the police, could you please inform the congressman that we're here on behalf of his daughter, Kallie. She's in serious trouble.”

  They waited on the steps for several additional minutes. Then finally, the front door opened. A young Hispanic woman invited them inside and escorted them to the living room. She told them that the congressman was on a conference call and would see them as soon as the call was over. Josh sat down in an antique wingback, while Seth sat down on the couch. A few moments after the young woman left the room, Seth turned to Josh. “You don't seriously believe Eve has been reincarnated as Kallie, do you?”

  “What? You don't believe in reincarnation?”

  “Does anyone?” Seth asked sarcastically. “I mean other than probably Buddhists.”

  “Actually,” Josh said, “there are some sects of Judaism that still believe in it, as well. Christians don't necessarily believe in it despite evidence of it in the Bible.”

  “Evidence, what evidence?”

  “I don't suppose you read the Bible much,” Josh said.

  “I read it more than you think. My father's a Baptist minister and I'm minoring in religion. And no, I haven't decided if I'm going to follow in my father's footsteps.”

  “I wasn't going to ask.”

  “Sorry, most people do.”

  “Anyway, are you familiar with Balak?”

  “Yes,” Seth said. “He was the king of Moab who tried to hire Balaam to curse Israel.”

  Impressed, Josh smiled and nodded his head. “Right. The story's in the book of Numbers. If you recall, there's a speaking donkey involved in the story.”

  “A speaking donkey, so?” Seth said. And then there was realization. “Oh, speaking donkey, reincarnation. I get it.”

  “Yeah, it's amazing how Christians can read the verse and not even consider how a donkey would be speaking. I could show other examples, too…” his voice trailed off as he looked toward the entranceway to the living room.

  At that moment, a baby was crying from somewhere upstairs. Josh stepped slowly in the direction of the wails and suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu. This room, or was it this very moment, seemed somehow familiar to him. “I've been here before,” he said quietly.

  “Huh,” Seth said.

  “This house, this room, I feel like I've been here before.”

  Seth stared at him. “Déjà vu? You're kidding, right?”

  “I'm not exactly sure,” Josh said, and stood up, looking anxiously about the room. It was a vague feeling; but nonetheless it was there, simmering beneath the surface of his memory; although he was certain he'd never been here before. How could he have? He was standing in the middle of the living room of a sitting United States congressman. Yet…with a sense of increased knowing, he walked slowly out of the living room and headed toward the stairs and the baby's cries. At the bottom of the stairs, the cries were even louder. Glancing tentatively behind him, he slowly started up. The nursery would be on the left side of the upstairs landing. He knew that as well as he knew about the ink-dot birthmark on his right forearm. He stuck his head inside the room, seeing the back of the young woman who'd earlier escorted them into the house and the living room. She moved in a slow rhythmical dance, holding the baby while singing softly to it. Josh, hearing the soft gurgled sounds of the baby's return to contentment, eased back out of the room.

  The room beside the nursery was the master suite. A huge four-poster squatted in the center of the room. To the left of the bed were his and her walk-in closets. The sight of the closets unleashed the full memory of this particular time and place, and he realized that he'd in fact never been here before. This was the actual room to the one he'd designed on the computer to fit Kallie's description of the room she'd virtually visited on the day he'd first met her. It was her father's room, a room in a house that she'd never physically been in, at least not yet in this lifetime. He walked over to the dresser drawer and picked up the framed picture. It was of the congressman, his wife, and their three kids. The picture was the companion to the one an angered Kallie had mentally-simulated and sent virtually smashing to the floor.

  “What are you doing in here?” An anxious tenor rushed into the room from behind him, almost causing him to drop the picture; but he managed to secure it in his grip just in time before gently placing it back on the dresser and turning to face the voice.

  It was Congressman Cleaver.

  “I asked you a question, son. What are you doing in this room?”

  Caught off guard, Josh stammered. “We…well, I'm not sure I can explain it.”

  “I believe you'd better think of something pretty damn fast. But first, you need to remove yourself from my bedroom.”

  Josh stepped gingerly past the congressman into the hallway where he waited while the congressman gave the room a quick once over. Apparently unable to determine if anything was missing, he pointed Josh toward the stairs. Josh walked quickly to the stairs and down to the living room. Seth was in the same spot as before.

  Congressman Cleaver followed him into the living room. “Now what were you doing in my bedroom?”

  “What? Dude,” Seth said. “Man, that is so, not cool.”

  “I know it looks crazy, sir. But, it's related to your daughter, Kallie. You see, that room, this house. Kallie had described it to me in explicit detail.”

  “Man, seriously,” Seth said. “Have you totally lost your mind? Kallie has never been here. We seriously don't have time for this.”

  But the expression on Cleaver's face had softened. “Wait, let him finish.”

  A stunned Seth said, “I do not believe this.”

  Cleaver indicated for Josh to sit down on the couch beside Seth while he himself sat down in the brown leather wingback.

  Josh sat down and started talking slowly. “You see, sir. We have this virtual imaging software, which we use in our memory projects. Your daughter, well, at least we've been told that she's your daughter…”

  “Kallie Hunt is my daughter,” the congressman said in a strong, unapologetic voice. “Now continue.”

  Josh leaned back against the couch and told him everything, leaving out nothing, and ending at the part when the Fort Bragg soldier told Seth to U-turn the Taurus the hell away from the base.

  While Josh spoke, Cleaver sat stoically, barely moving a muscle. He hadn't even seemed to breathe. And now that the telling was over, he leaned back in the chair and nodded his head sluggishly. He looked like a man who'd been put through a battery of tests and had now heard the doctor's confi
rmation of what he'd suspected all along. It's cancer and it's terminal. “What now?” Cleaver asked after sucking in and releasing a wearied breath.

  “What?” Seth said, “You believe him?”

  “I do,” Cleaver said simply. He was looking at Josh when he said it, and the two of them exchanged knowing nods. They'd both known because Madame Isabel had known and written about it in her Book of Origins. Josh had only finished reading the book's depiction of this first meeting between him and the congressman, shortly after he and Seth had crossed into Wilmington proper. The congressman had first known five years ago, when he'd been approached by the mother of his firstborn, telling him of the occasion when he'd be asked to help his daughter. It had been welcomed news, as he'd always wanted a relationship with his daughter. He'd always needed and wanted to be in his daughter's life. He was waiting patiently for the day when he'd finally be able to tell her how much he'd loved her mother and had wanted to marry her. But it had been she who'd refused. She'd believed that an interracial marriage would hinder Ander Cleaver's political future. A future he hadn't even considered at that point in his life. But one she'd insisted was in the cards for him. And for reasons of her own, it had been Janie Hunt's decision to keep Kallie's birth and paternal parentage from the world at large. “What now?” Cleaver asked again.

  “Can you call someone who can get ICE to release her?” Josh asked.

  “If I can't,” Cleaver said, “then, I've wasted twelve years in congress.” He left the room and came back a short time later, carrying a sealed envelope. “Tell the guard at the gate that you're there to pick up Kallie Hunt, and then give him this envelope. They will bring Kallie to you.” He handed Josh the envelope.