by Sean Adelman
“You mean all of them?”
“I let you win occasionally, anyway.... We were just talking earlier about the baby and due dates. Jason was telling me a little about Lily.”
Ricky asked Judy, “How long have you two been together?”
“Oh, no,” spouted Judy. “We’re just friends. I’ve known Jason for a long time. I don’t know, twelve, thirteen years maybe?”
Jason spoke up. “I guess that’s right. Haven’t thought about it honestly.”
Ricky was clearly a little embarrassed. “Sorry guys, I didn’t meant to…I mean....”
“I can’t imagine why seeing a man and woman traveling cross-country with a ten-year-old girl would ever make you think we were together,” chided Judy with a smile.
“Jason, what’s your last name, by the way?” asked Gloria.
“Jason Roy. Why?”
“That’s it. I thought I recognized you. You’re that scientist at the University of Washington who studies the 21st chromosome. I’ve also seen some of your talks about genetic testing. That was a really big influence for us.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what to say. Half the time I think I’m just talking to myself.”
“We really worried about our little one here. Gloria and I are a little older so we researched things a little.”
“What do you do Ricky?” asked Jason.
“I’m an aerospace engineer. We live in Huntsville, Alabama. There was a small conference at the resort here. We have skied at Park City before and wanted to see what things looked like without the snow.”
“Dad, I’m hungry,” said Lily.
“Okay, then. I guess that is one way to change the subject.”
With perfect timing, the food came out soon thereafter. The food was amazing, but Lily was practically asleep in her food before the waiter brought around the dessert tray. Dessert didn’t make any sense since Ricky Jr. was almost asleep as well.
Jason felt almost as drained as Lily as he told them, “It’s been great having dinner with you guys, but I think we need to hit the hay.”
Ricky stood up to shake Jason’s hand, looking him straight in the eye. “I don’t know if you are a believer in fate or not, but your words really did help us. Seeing you here with your daughter has convinced me we made the right choice.”
Both Jason and Judy said goodbye to Gloria as well as the two families parted company toward their respective hotel rooms.
After their great dinner, Jason carried Lily up to the room. Both Judy and Jason had agreed that they would try to get another early start. It would be the last leg on their way to Denver. Jason wanted to look over some of his data tonight so he could have something to talk about once they reached Colorado. Jason laid Lily in her bed and gave her a kiss. She woke up just enough to hug him back.
“Daddy, can Judy kiss me good night, please....”
20
SEATTLE—2014
The mist was settling as Debbie walked away from her car. It was hard to do anything but watch her feet, raising her head for fear of having to make eye contact with someone, anyone. Making eye contact meant acknowledging what had happened with someone else, it meant that she had to remember again. How long has it been? Days, weeks? She lost track at some point between the hospital in Ann Arbor where she had to identify Nate and her trip to Seattle for the funeral. Seattle was home for me and Nate. Without Nate, she wasn’t sure where home would be anymore. Her black shoes were a little wet, but it was no longer raining so she had left her umbrella in the car. She made her way to the left of the crowd so she could get a look at the view. The Olympics were covered with clouds, so it was hard to say where the mountains stopped and the clouds began. The vanishing mountain that was Mount Rainier was invisible today. By all accounts it was a perfect Seattle day: wet, but not too wet; cloudy, but not too cloudy; and cool, but not too cool. She took a deep breath and tried to store up the courage to face everyone.
The crowd was actually pretty small: some family and friends, maybe twenty in all. They were all standing watching Debbie as she turned to face them. The minister started to speak as she focused her eyes on the casket. She had asked for a very brief ceremony as she had no desire to hear people talk about Nate. After the minister had finished, he repeated some quotes about Nate from Debbie and his closest family and friends. When he finished, the casket was lowered and Debbie’s eyes returned to her feet. She turned and walked back toward her car finding that in her haste to avoid eye contact she had veered off course. She looked up to find her car, only to notice that Gibson and his henchman were standing next to a large tree observing the proceeding. She wasn’t sure that they had even seen her. No one had invited them.
Just as Debbie was trying to decide how she was going to keep from trying to do something violent to Gibson, he acknowledged her and began walking in her direction. He seemed shorter than when she had last seen him. It could have been her heels; she almost never wore heels.
“Hello, Mrs. Amsler, we came to express our condolences. Please accept our sincere regrets at Nate’s untimely passing.”
Debbie could feel her blood beginning to boil in her head. Her face grew warm and she was certain her complexion was beginning to redden. How could these two dare to show their faces here? Were they so conceited that they felt no one could touch them?
She was stirred from her thoughts as Gibson spoke again.
“I know it was a terrible accident. I can’t imagine your loss. I also can’t imagine that anything like that would ever happen again.”
“Excuse me, Mr. Gibson, what a bizarre thing to say, and why exactly did you come?”
“We came to express our condolences, as I said, and to let you know that we will continue your husband’s great work. We didn’t want you to think that all he had accomplished would be forgotten. We wanted to make sure you were safe. A tragedy such as this I simply cannot fathom happening more than once to a family.”
“I can’t really say that I want your sentiment. I understand you made the effort, but I am not ready to think about that right now. Goodbye.”
Debbie turned back toward the car, her thoughts a mixture of rage and confusion. She had decided to stay in a hotel for a few days even though there were plenty of people she could have stayed with. She just wanted to be alone. The Marriott on the water was where she chose to stay so she could visit the market and walk along the water when she wanted. The traffic today wasn’t too bad, so she easily got though the university district with the usual number of college kids walking around, oblivious to the world around them. It wasn’t as dense as Ann Arbor, but still had that same feel. She decided to go over University Bridge. Since the weather was bad enough, she didn’t think she would get stuck behind the drawbridge today. As soon as the thought entered her mind, the lights came on and the guardrails went down. No big deal. There is no one in front of me anyway. She watched the drawbridge go up, admiring how this very old technology still worked just fine in their modern world.
Downtown was crazy as usual, but it didn’t take long before she was handing the keys to the valet at the Marriott. It had been a while since she had seen anyone throwing fish at the market, and she needed good coffee. After dropping off her stuff and changing, she walked back over the bridge that ran over the train tracks back to Pike Place Market. It was crazy crowded today. She ended up walking in the street since the sidewalks were filled to overflowing with tourists watching the street performers. Normally she didn’t pay too much attention to the performers, but today she wasn’t on a mission to really get anywhere. The old original Starbucks had its usual big crowds, but just past that, there was a young woman with dreadlocks singing and playing an acoustic guitar. She was wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt but was certainly well groomed. Her guitar was well-used with the usual scratches and the wires sticking out from the end of the tuners giving the impression that she was constantly messing with the tuning. She was really strikingly beautiful with her dreadlocks, deep brown eyes, and
perfect features disrupted only by a small nose ring looped through the end of her left nostril. It wasn’t her features that captured Debbie’s attention, it was her voice. She didn’t need an amplifier, and if you closed your eyes you would swear that it was a fifty-year-old soul mistress a hundred pounds heavier than she was, singing “Blackbird.”
Debbie just stood there, completely alone in the crowd of people around her, transfixed by the words. Nate was with her as she enjoyed one his favorite songs from one of his favorite movies. The Beatles had never been much of a big deal for her, but Nate loved them. Debbie took a step closer as a tear rolled down her cheeks. She had to remember these things, to help hold on to Nate.
“Blackbird fly... dark black night...”
Debbie leaned down and deposited a twenty-dollar bill in the basket near the woman. She picked up one of the CDs and as she examined the cover, a spark ignited her thoughts. It was just a spark, but it was the beginning of a framework that would carry her through. I am not weak and I am not stupid. Nate’s life will not be in vain.
Debbie came back to her senses and continued her journey through the market listening in and looking as she went. She wasn’t hungry enough for a chicken humbow, her favorite savory Chinese pastry, so she turned left toward her favorites coffee spot at Pike’s instead. Her pulse slowed as she saw the welcome sign for Seattle Coffee Works. Despite the craziness of the market, she was thankful that inside the line wasn’t too long and there was seating. When she got up to order she just stared, realizing that it was always Nate who had ordered. She knew what she liked, but it was Nate who knew what the name of that was.
“Ma’am, can I help you?”
“Oh, sorry, can I have something with vanilla? How about a latte?”
“What size?”
“Whatever the middle size is.”
“Okay, a twelve-ounce vanilla latte coming up. Anything else?”
“I’ll take that peanut butter cookie.”
Debbie went back to her table and sat down with her cookie and coffee. Just as she remembered, the far wall was covered with art like a rotating gallery of local artists. Today, the wall featured art by a photographer who took close-up still photos of everyday things so that you really couldn’t tell what they were. Most of them were black-and-white, and Debbie found herself staring at all of them trying to figure out what they were. The one she found most interesting looked like a view of some star-filled constellation. After she finished most of her cookie, she got up to read the bottom of the picture. A rusty yard bucket. Really.
She still had a little coffee left, so she sat back down to think. It had just been her and Nate, so she didn’t have to worry about money. His life insurance was more than enough for her to live on, so she really needed to decide what she wanted to do. She had already made plans to put the house on the market before leaving for Seattle. There was really no hurry. She also knew that her life was upside down and making rash decisions now was not going to help. Debbie didn’t want to make a rash decision, but the sense that she needed to do something, that she could have an impact was overwhelming. As she was so fond of telling Nate, she was not stupid, nor was she helpless. Her already substantial skills could be honed, improved upon. A group of three young kids dressed head to toe in University of Washington gear walked in loudly talking about basketball as they milled about. Debbie looked up to see who was making the ruckus, and that spark that had awakened her only minutes before started to take form.
21
COLORADO—2014
The early start was worth it. Lily slept for the first half of the trip from Heber City to Steam Boat Springs where they broke for lunch. The weather was perfect and the scenery was spectacular. Judy was driving, so Jason continued to keep an eye out for the blue sedan. They would get into Denver by late afternoon, and Lily told him she was getting so hungry she was going to start eating the backseat soon. Judy had already spoken with her friend, and they made arrangements for Jason and his gang to stay at the Hyatt right by the convention center. The hotel was a modern mixture of glass and steel across the pedestrian boulevard from the convention center.
Everyone piled out of the car, bags in hand, and before they could get inside, a bell boy took their bags from them so they could check in. Jason moved through the revolving door to the inside where the lobby was a beautiful mix of light stone and marble. He saw a line of computer check-in terminals like an airport, several of which were open. Jason felt like talking to a real person so he waited in line. A woman with an Australian accent helped him when he got up to the counter. The hotel already had their info and a two-bedroom suite had already been paid in full for the entire week. After getting their keys, they retreated to the lobby to get some food from the Hyatt’s restaurant.
It was early enough in the afternoon that they still had the lunch menu. It was a feast fit for someone who had been on the road for a few days. Burgers and fries felt like a traveler’s best friend. Lily wiped the last of her ketchup up with her finger.
Judy updated Jason on the itinerary for the next day. “I forgot to mention, they are sending a car to pick us up tomorrow to take us to meet with my friend and come up with a plan. My friend said she would be here by about nine a.m.”
Jason didn’t want to be cooped up in a room after traveling all morning. “All right, guys, why don’t we go for a walk before we check out the hotel room? I don’t know about you but I don’t want to sit for a while.”
“That sounds great with me. Come on Lily.”
“Okay, Daddy, but I want ice cream.”
“Come on, sweetheart, how could you possibly have room for anything? Why don’t we see what’s out there for later.”
“Okay, promise?”
“Pinky promise.”
Lily held out her hand for Jason to lock pinkies with in the universal gesture of agreement. After paying for lunch, they got up to explore. Up one side of the front wall of the convention center was a blue bear leaning against the glass wall. It looked like it was probably three stories tall. Lily ran out to explore the bear while Judy and Jason watched. Jason was smiling but could feel a small tear run down his left cheek.
Judy asked him what’s wrong.
“Sorry, silly weepy daddy. Rachel used to call me bear. I don’t know; sometimes things get me. Seeing Lily growing up so quickly, and the bear…you know.”
“Actually, Jason, I don’t know. I’ve never had that. I want to know one of these days, but I don’t. You’re a funny guy.”
“Come on, Dad. Let’s go find an ice cream place,” shouted Lily.
Jason looked over at Judy and smiled. “How do you say no to that?”
Next to the convention center was a pedestrian mall with cobblestone walkways and a row of trees. It was a lovely day and street performers were out in abundance. Jason began to feel like they were taking a stroll through some village in Europe when Lily identified an ice cream store. He was weak and let her have a small scoop before heading back to their room.
The large front room had a pullout sofa, a chair, and a kitchenette. In the back was the second room with a double and its own bathroom.
“Lily and I will sleep out here, and you take the room,” said Jason.
Judy answered, “We won’t be here too long, so let’s just play it by ear. Hopefully, you can get some sleep on that pullout sofa.”
Jason had started to review some of his data on the trip to Denver and was hoping to finish some of it tonight before his meeting with Judy’s friend. Lily seemed happy to read and watch cartoons with Judy in her room. Jason got out his laptop while the the other two giggled together.
After initializing his laptop, Jason got to work. He had run it so many times he felt like he could close his eyes and know what was happening. The entire 21st chromosome was known, but Jason couldn’t give up. It was late, and after a dinner break, he didn’t know how much else he had left tonight. He wanted to have something to talk about for tomorrow. The genes were all exactly t
he same, sequence after sequence with nothing different about Lily’s DNA. In a last-ditch effort, Jason ran it again, but this time he included non-coding regions which was the part of the DNA that wasn’t transcribed into different proteins. It was a tremendous amount of data so it had been running since he uploaded it on Orcas Island. Okay, let’s see. Jason took a sip of his wine and started the program.
“Beep, beep, beep.”
Jason looked down from his wine. There was a large uncoded region right in front of the Mir-155 region that was not found in the genome of what was mapped in the 21st chromosome of the volunteer for the genome project. It was found on Lily’s extra chromosome. Jason looked down trying to make sense of it. Uncoded regions were somewhat of a mystery; they were thought to add stability to the gene but didn’t get transcribed into proteins. The remainder of the DNA appeared to be the same. Jason didn’t know what to make of it, but it was a good place to start. A train of thought zoomed through his brain, making everything move out of its way. As his thoughts began to blur, Jason realized he was dreaming and he woke himself up. The first thing he did was restart the computer. It wasn’t a dream. He got up from his chair; the bed from the couch had not been rolled out. Where is Lily? He carefully walked into the room where the door was almost completely closed. He peeked inside to see Lily fast asleep on Judy’s chest, both of them fully clothed.
Jason smiled to himself and quietly left the bedroom with the door slightly ajar. He set his alarm and grabbed a blanket from the closet. Pulling out the bed would make too much noise, so he just curled up on the couch. Jason’s discovery haunted his thoughts as he examined the possibilities of what his discovery meant. Also, how careful he needed to be with this only copy of the data. Somehow and soon, he needed to make another copy and get it to a safe location.
The morning came quickly as Jason’s alarm woke him, and he then woke Lily and Judy. It seemed that Judy and Lily were feeling too lazy to get out of bed this morning. Jason put on his best T-shirt and jeans while Lily and Judy finally rolled out of bed and did their girl things. To Jason’s great surprise, the two of them were ready quickly, so they all went downstairs for some coffee and breakfast. There were half a dozen small tables so they sat down to enjoy their meal while they waited for the car. Jason knew that Judy’s friend was wealthy, but Judy also said that as a student, Anne had never been flashy. As he sat patiently wondering what to expect, a voice rang out.