Oracle

by Amy Reece

  We crossed the bridge and strolled through the Île de la Cité, the island center of Paris in the middle of the Seine, and stopped to admire Notre Dame Cathedral before crossing to the Île Saint-Louis. We had lunch at a charming outdoor bistro and watched the other tourists go by, then I took him to Berthillon for the world’s best sorbet. We spent a magical day strolling hand-in-hand through Paris neighborhoods until it was time to return to the hotel to change for dinner. We were meeting Rémy and Mina for a last meal before they returned to Rouen the following day. We would catch our flight back to Albuquerque the day after that and our magical honeymoon in Paris would be over.

  In the midst of my extreme happiness I found myself sad to think about not seeing Rémy and Mina after tonight. “I’m going to miss you both so much!” I said.

  “Jack is clearly not keeping you occupied enough if you already have time to think about missing us,” Rémy teased.

  “Shut up! He’s keeping me plenty busy. And I’ve changed my mind: I’m not going to miss you at all. I will miss Mina, however.” I stuck my tongue out at him.

  “Well, you won’t have to miss her for long because we’ll be moving to Albuquerque in a month or two at the most,” he said blithely as he sipped his wine.

  “What? Oh my goodness, that’s great! You guys are going to live in the States? I don’t imagine the Conseil or your grandparents are going to be fans of that plan.”

  “Well, I was thinking our new Oracle could have a well-timed prophecy that hints at the importance of the chosen three living in close proximity,” he suggested.

  “I think that could be arranged.” I nodded. “As happy as I am to be married to this guy,” I paused to kiss Jack’s cheek, “and to be going home, I don’t want to lose you and Mina. I guess I want it all.”

  “We think it’s important to stay together, as well,” explained Mina. “Rémy is going to concentrate on opening an American branch of the family business and I can do my website work anywhere. And I don’t want to be so far away from my best friend, either. I guess I want it all too.”

  I had to hug her after that super-sweet statement and it turned into a bit of a tear-fest as we said goodbye for a few months. Hey, can you blame us? We had both been through quite the emotional gamut over the past week. Jack and Rémy let us have a moment before they pulled their teary wives away and took us back to the hotel.

  ***

  “I’m scared, Jack.” I lay in the warmth and comfort of my husband’s arms, but reality was rearing its ugly head. “What if Luc follows us back to Albuquerque? What if he doesn’t know that I’ve supposedly ascended or what if he doesn’t care? Am I putting everyone in danger by going home?”

  “I don’t have the answers, querida. I just know that I love you and I need you with me. You’re my wife and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.” He followed this with a fierce kiss.

  “But who will keep you safe?” I whispered against his lips.

  “Oh, I’m not too worried. You’re pretty badass with that blue light thing. I think we’ll be fine. It’s time to live our lives, not borrow trouble. We’re on our honeymoon, babe. I better think of something to get your mind off Luc. I’m clearly not doing my job if you’ve got time to think about him while we’re in bed together.” He was as good as his word and managed to keep me delightfully busy for the rest of the night.

  I woke the next morning with the sun streaming in through an opening where the curtains didn’t quite meet. I was alone in the king-sized bed, so I put on one of the plush hotel robes and went to the other room to look for my missing husband. I found him sitting in one of the side chairs, sipping coffee and reading the paper, wearing the glasses he sometimes wore to read. I tip-toed up behind him and put my arms around his neck.

  “You managed to find a New York Times?”

  “Yeah. I wanted to let you sleep in. I feel bad about how much I’ve been keeping you up.”

  “Mmm.” I slipped my hand into the front of his robe as I nibbled his earlobe. “You feel really bad, don’t you? Come back to bed, Jack,” I whispered.

  He grinned and set aside his paper and coffee and pulled me across his lap. “Have I told you how much I love being married to you, Mrs. Ruiz?” He untied the belt of my robe and pushed it off my shoulder.

  “Not for at least two hours. You are seriously behind schedule.” I reached up to remove his glasses and set them on the side table. “Will you come back to bed now?”

  “We don’t need a bed.”

  He was right.

  ***

  We did finally leave the hotel room in time to see the Eiffel Tower light up at night and enjoy a final romantic dinner in Paris at a lovely restaurant overlooking the Seine. The next morning we caught a cab to Charles de Gaulle airport for our flight home. I sat next to Jack in first class, sipping orange juice drowsily—we had not spent a lot of time sleeping on our last night—and thinking about how good it would be to see my family again. I wouldn’t trade the last three days for anything in the world, but it was time to go home.

  “Jack, what about Soda?” I asked.

  “You want a soda? Let me get the flight attendant.” He started to reach for the call button.

  “No.” I grabbed his hand and kissed it. “I mean Sodapop, your dog.”

  He laughed and leaned in to kiss me. “What about him, querida?”

  “Well, I know you haven’t been able to keep him with you at the apartment and I know you miss him.”

  “Sure I do, but he keeps Megan company.” I could hear the longing in his voice, for both his pet and his sister.

  “How does he do with cats? Can he come live with us?”

  “I don’t know, babe. We can try. You sure you want my stinky dog in your pretty little house, though? He’s a mess and he sheds like crazy.”

  “Hey.” I put my hand on his face and forced him to look at me. “Our house, Jack. What’s mine is yours, remember? It’s part of that whole marriage thing we did a few days ago. And that means that stinky, hairy dog of yours is half mine. I just hope he doesn’t eat Wicky.”

  “I’m pretty sure Wicky could take him. Do you have any idea how much I love you?” he asked.

  “Maybe a little bit,” I answered as he kissed me. “What about Megan?”

  He sighed. “I don’t know, Ally. I never meant for Trina and Manny to have to take care of her for so long. They raised their own kids already. They should have a break, but—”

  “Why can’t she live with us? We’ll have plenty of room.”

  “I can’t ask you to take on raising a child just because you married me. You’re only twenty years old, not even finished with college. It would be too much,” he said, but again I could hear the longing in his voice.

  “And you’re only 22 and just about to start graduate school. We can do it, Jack!” I urged. “She’s your sister. She’s my sister now too. I think she should live with us.”

  “You sure you know what you’re getting into, querida? A nine-year-old could really cramp our style.”

  “We’ll manage. Yes, I’m sure. I am the Oracle, remember?” I tried to look superior.

  “Of course you are,” he said, laughing. “Okay, we’ll talk to Trina and Manny, but after the wedding, all right? And we need to ask Megan what she wants. She might not want to live with me.”

  “Of course she will. She practically worships you.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m sure she’ll get over it, especially when she finds out she has to do chores at our house too.” He put his arm around me and pulled my head down to his chest. “Get some sleep, Ally.”

  Tara and Mat were waiting for us at the Albuquerque Sunport when we finally arrived after a lengthy delay at Washington Dulles.

  “Ooooh, my gosh!” my best friend squealed when she saw me. “Let me see the ring! I can’t believe you went and got married without me! I’m so mad I wasn’t there! You better let me be maid of honor at your fake ceremony this weekend!”

  “Of course.
” I laughed and hugged her close. “And you’re one to talk, you little slut! Shacking up with Mat in my house?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, well I’m sure you guys waited until your wedding night, huh?” She let go and moved to hug Jack. “Big mouth! You just can’t keep a secret, can you?”

  “Not from Ally,” he said as he laughed and hugged her.

  “Come on, babe.” Mat pulled her away. “These guys look exhausted. Let’s get them home. We can get all caught up tomorrow. Jack, we got all your stuff moved to Ally’s house and got Tara moved into the apartment.”

  “Let me see your ring!” I grabbed Tara’s hand. “You better not have said no!”

  “Seriously, Jack?” She punched him on the arm. “Stop telling her everything! I wanted to have one surprise!”

  “Oh, Tara, it’s gorgeous! When’s the wedding?” I asked.

  “In August. We’re still trying to find the perfect venue for the reception.” She put her arm through mine and chattered about the wedding plans all the way through the airport to the baggage claim.

  “Man, you are so lucky!” I heard Mat tell Jack. “You didn’t have to go through all this wedding crap.”

  “What’s that, Mateo?” Tara rounded on them.

  “Nothing, babe.” He held his hands up in surrender. “I love you.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him then turned back around, picking up right where she left off.

  I saw Mat mouth ‘lucky’ at Jack again before I turned back to Tara.

  “So, how did you like Paris?” I heard Mat ask him.

  “Is that where we were? Huh,” Jack mused and then they both laughed.

  Boys!

  Part Two: Power

  Chapter Six

  “Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.”

  —Sophocles, Antigone

  “Are you sure about this, Ally? Because if you have even the slightest bit of doubt, you don’t have to go through with it. I’ll tell everyone; you won’t have to say anything or see anyone,” my dad offered hopefully.

  I smiled at him sadly and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Dad, but I’m sure. We’re already married, you know. Even if I don’t go through with this, we’re still married.”

  “Well, it seems kind of fishy to me. I’m not sure it was legal. We could probably get it annulled or something,” he grumbled.

  “Oh, Dad.” I hugged him fully. “I love Jack and I would still go through with this even if we weren’t already married. Now come on and walk me down the aisle, okay? Don’t forget you owe me a dance later at the reception.”

  “All right, sweetheart. If you’re sure. He’s a good man. I couldn’t let you go otherwise.” He sniffed and patted his pockets.

  “Here.” I handed him a tissue. “I love you, Dad. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “I love you too. Now, let’s get you married. Again.”

  The ceremony was perfect, the day was perfect, and everything was perfect. I wore my beautiful aqua dress again and Jack wore a suit and tie. My dad walked me up the makeshift aisle in Manny and Trina’s backyard toward my groom, who was waiting for me with a grin on his face. He held his hand out as we approached and I gladly clasped it and took my place by his side. Jack and I stood in front of Father Andrews, Jack’s parish priest, and said the traditional wedding vows and exchanged the rings we had taken off an hour ago. We took communion and then shared a kiss before we were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Jack Ruiz. It was beautiful and nice to be able to enjoy it without all the pre-wedding jitters most couples have to deal with. We had been able to sleep in before we had to be at the university for Jack’s graduation ceremony midmorning, and then grabbed a quick lunch before heading over to Manny and Trina’s. We had convinced Trina that one party would more than suffice for his graduation and our wedding. Tara and Megan were my attendants, while Mat and his brother, Paul, served as Jack’s. We managed to get my little brother, Elijah, to toddle up the aisle with a ring bearer’s pillow, but he took off in the wrong direction when he spotted my mother. Everyone laughed, which made Elijah cry, but Brian held him until he stopped.

  The reception/graduation party was great and a wonderful way to catch up with family and friends that I hadn’t seen in a year. Shelly was there with her son, Nathan, now five, and her baby girl, Emma, who was nearly two. There was a huge stack of gifts; some for Jack alone and some for the two of us, but we certainly hadn’t registered anywhere. We would come to Trina’s tomorrow for a brunch and gift-opening extravaganza. We both endured quite a bit of teasing about our upcoming wedding night number two, but it didn’t bother us.

  Manny pulled us aside later in the afternoon. “Listen, you two. I want to take your Aunt Trina away for a vacation next week. I’ve booked a cruise, but it’s a surprise. She’ll make up a hundred excuses if I tell her, so I’m just going to whisk her away next Friday. I know it’s soon, but can you keep Megan while we’re gone? I don’t want to ask Marcos.” He referred to Jack’s father, who had shown up for the ceremony, but left soon after. He had made some progress toward being present in Megan’s life, but nobody was ready for her to stay at Marcos’ apartment.

  “Of course, Manny,” I assured him. “It’s not too soon. We’re happy to have her.” I looked up at Jack and nodded in encouragement.

  “Yeah, Manny. In fact, we were planning to talk to you about the possibility of Megan coming to live with us. Permanently,” Jack said hesitantly.

  Manny sighed and seemed to relax. “Well, I won’t pretend I’m not glad to talk about it. We love Megan, but the fact is I’m getting ready to retire, at least semi-retire. Paul is taking over most of the operation of the shop, and I want to enjoy our golden years,” he said as he chuckled a bit. “I don’t feel old, so now’s the time to enjoy the fruits of our labors. Trina and I worked hard for a lot of years and we deserve some time to ourselves, Jack. I’m still crazy in love with that woman and I want to spoil her some.”

  “Manny, I never meant for you and Trina to raise us,” Jack said. I noticed his eyes were shining slightly. I put my arm around him.

  “I know, Jackson, but shit happens, son.” It lightened the mood and we all laughed. “We just have to pick up and carry on. Do the best we can. I’m very proud of you, Jack.”

  “Thank you, Manny.” They hugged and thumped each other on the back.

  “And I’m glad you came into Jack’s life, young lady. You make him happy. That’s all Trina and I could ever ask for.” Now it was my turn to hug him tearfully. “Okay, enough of this sappy stuff.” He sniffed and wiped his eyes. “I’ll bring Megan over Thursday. That’ll give you a few days by yourselves. Let’s see how it goes while we’re on this cruise, then we can talk about a more permanent arrangement. Let’s see what Megan wants.”

  ***

  “Meg, do you want to go swimming today? Tara invited us.” I knocked on Megan’s half-closed bedroom door and peeked in to find my sister-in-law sitting at her desk, drawing.

  “Sure.” She didn’t look up from her latest creation. “When?”

  “After lunch.” I crossed to her desk and peered over at shoulder at the very credible likeness of Sodapop and Wicky. She was using the new set of drawing pencils we bought her for her birthday. “That’s wonderful, Meg! You are so talented. Who’s this one for?” Our refrigerator was already plastered with her artwork.

  She shrugged noncommittally. “Maybe Tara. I feel bad that she and Mat can’t have a dog or a cat at their apartment.”

  I hid my smile. I knew that Tara wasn’t pining for a pet of any kind. “That would be nice. You could give it to her this afternoon.” Megan had been living with us for two months; she had come to stay while Manny and Trina were on their cruise and had never left. It seemed natural for her to be here. Trina had been reluctant at first, but had relented when she saw how happy Megan and Jack were to be together. She insisted on keeping Megan’s room intact at their house so she would feel at home wheneve
r she stayed there, which was at least every other weekend; Trina felt strongly that Jack and I needed some time alone. Megan was an exceptionally easy child; she was almost unnaturally quiet most of the time, preferring to spend time reading or drawing. She never fussed when it was time to do chores and nearly always picked up after herself. Jack was really the only person who could get her to be silly or talkative and it was good to see them together, playing a game or working on a project of some sort. It had been a smooth transition installing her in our home with one exception: she had frequent nightmares and ended up in bed with Jack and me four or five nights per week. She had done the same thing with Trina and Manny; Jack said she had been having them since she was two years old. The first night she had appeared at my bedside, bedraggled stuffed pig in hand and tears streaming down her little face, just about broke my heart. After double-checking that both Jack and I were wearing pajamas—hello, newly married—I scooted over to let her in our bed. She crawled over me to lie between us, smiling when Jack had sleepily told her we formed an impenetrable barrier against nightmares. I had expressed my concerns to Grams, but she assured me that Megan would almost certainly outgrow the nightmares within a few years. So we just concentrated on cuddling and soothing away the bad dreams for now. “I’m going to wash your sheets. Can I wash Mr. Gordo too?” I held up her stuffed pig that had seen better days. At her look of consternation I added, “I’ll put him in a pillowcase, sweetie. He’ll be fine, I promise. Think of how nice and fresh he’ll smell.”