“A book about giants in the Bible?” Michelle yelled in disbelief. “And how would they know about Gilgamesh? Isn’t the Bible about Moses and Israel?
Elliot exhaled. “Michelle, four thousand years ago I traveled back and forth from India and southern China all the way to Libya and later to Europe. We brought our stories with us and took some of theirs back home. What they know today about the world of the past is but a drop in a great sea. Archaeologists are just now finding enough material where they are starting to conclude that us primitive people actually traveled across seas and whole continents.”
Michelle didn’t know what to say. Elliot had an answer to everything. He knew this stuff like he lived and breathed it daily. Elliot could tell that Michelle was flustered and reminded himself that he had had thousands of years to read and reread every single text on the subject he could get his hands on. He took a hold of Michelle’s hand and squeezed it gently.
“I’m sorry for filling your head up with this stuff.” His tone of voice softened. Michelle didn’t want him to give up on her. She wanted to learn more about him but she was overwhelmed. As Elliot held her hand Michelle began feeling that warm faint feeling spreading from his fingertips up to her head and she felt calm and content. She smiled at Elliot and he smiled back at her. He knew exactly what to do to change the subject and to clear the air. He just wanted to enjoy his time with her and letting his obsession with his research take over their conversation was a mistake. Michelle felt what she thought was bliss and all she could do was look at Elliot with awe. And for Elliot, although he had seen that look before, it never really grew old when a beautiful girl looked at him like that. He smiled at her and thought that he should probably kiss her, but he was driving after all. “Hey, are you hungry?” he asked Michelle, changing the subject.
Michelle nodded, “I am.”
The restaurant was built on piers right on top of the water. The nice waitress led Elliot and Michelle to a great table that sat right against the massive windows overlooking the small bay. Elliot noticed that some of the waitresses gathered close by and began sending glances in his direction. He was used to that attention, but he didn’t care much about it. He shifted in his seat a little and sent an uninviting look in their direction. He didn’t want Michelle to feel insecure, especially as it was obvious that she had not experienced the full spectrum of the nastiness that women direct at their sisters when they set their eyes on a certain man. Michelle turned back from the window smiling.
“This feels like we are right in the water, like we’re eating on a ship or a boat,” she said, then returned to look at the shimmering bay. Elliot asked her if she enjoyed being on boats to which Michelle answered that she didn’t know because the only boats she’d been on were ferries and that was when she was a little girl.
Michelle went back to looking out the window and she felt as if the water and the sun were hypnotizing her. She was happy to be there with him, but she refused to let herself get caught up in the rush of emotions that was sweeping over her. She was confused, especially because Elliot’s motives were so hard to pin down. Her brain told her that she shouldn’t set her hopes on him, but at the same time they were clearly on what anybody else would think of as a date. On top of which he was telling her about his past and sharing some of his secrets. She needed to know what he wanted, what he felt. She was falling for him hard, and every minute she spent with him dragged her that much deeper into his world and him into hers. But Michelle also feared putting him on the spot. She didn’t want to pressure him and scare him away. Maybe he didn’t know what he wanted, not yet, but in time he would realize that she was the only one for him. For her, being next to Elliot and hearing his stories was perfection and the last thing she wanted to do was anything that would jeopardize that.
“What’s the matter?” Elliot asked when he noticed that Michelle was miles away. Rather than say something that she might regret, she told him that she was just spacing out on the water and the way that the sun made the edges of the soft ripples look as if they were made of gold. Elliot had watched those same ripples many times himself, and told her that he too loved the illusion of gold on the water, and had spent countless hours staring at them. After they finished their meal they stopped by a small gift shop that was in the same building as the restaurant. Michelle looked at the many ocean-themed items, including amazingly detailed models of wooden ships. She wondered what it would be like to sail far away in such a beautiful ship… with Elliot of course.
The sun made its course westward and the entire bay glowed in shades of pink and orange sherbet. They walked outside and looked at the shoreline down below the wooden deck, and Michelle told Elliot that she wanted to go down there and find a shell souvenir. Elliot watched her as she walked back and forth with her eyes glued to the sand, and wondered what it was about Michelle that made him want to spend time with her. She was pretty, but that was a given; there was more to his fascination. Something in her personality hinted at a deeper strength, and she had a natural sense of optimism that was contagious even for someone like him. Michelle proudly marched up to Elliot, showing him her treasure. It was a small shell, but it was perfect, without any chips or imperfections.
“It’s small and unblemished, definitely a beauty. Grade A by far.” Elliot laughed and told her that he was impressed. If Michelle only knew how many millions of perfect shells he had seen in his life, she would probably want to keep them all. And he wasn’t even thinking about the prized purple dye shells the he and Kahl had traded throughout the known world.
“What are you thinking about?” Michelle asked.
“Just memories from a long time ago.” Michelle worried about those memories from long time ago and wondered how many different girls were attached to them, and how many of those had fallen in love with him. How could they not? She knew that Elliot had been married to Xander’s grandmother, but wondered how many other women he had loved before? That question haunted her, and yet there was absolutely nothing that she could do about things that had happened in the past. She felt silly about her jealousy; she would never reveal it to him.
When they got back to Willow’s Creek Michelle didn’t know how to ask Elliot when she would see him again, and measuring the uncomfortable silence that followed once Elliot killed the engine, it was obvious that he didn’t know what to say either. He really didn’t. The tension and suspense had nowhere to escape, hanging above them right under the car roof like a steamy cloud. They sat in the car like that for what seemed to be a long time when at last Elliot broke the silence and told Michelle that he had had a good time.
“Me too,” Michelle answered.
“I’m picking up my friend Devin from the airport next week… if you want to come along…”
“I’ll have to check my schedule. How will I let you know?” Elliot smiled to himself knowing full well that she’d find time for him, but that was the ritual and it had been repeated for thousands of years. He’d play along, why not?
“I’ll see you between now and then.” He didn’t say when or how; it was beyond him to give her any more. Michelle would just have to go by his words and trust him. The game came natural to him too.
Elliot let Michelle out in front of Samantha’s house because Michelle didn’t want her parents to see her get out of an unfamiliar car. She was tired and happy, and mixed with those emotions was the dread of wondering whether Elliot would continue to seek her out. She wondered if Elliot had thought about kissing her before she got out of the car, because she certainly had. But now she was concerned as to why he didn’t, and wondered if she had misunderstood their time spent together and he only wanted to be friends, which would be just awful.
The sun was good for Michelle, and the fresh air didn’t hurt either. Later that night as she switched off her night lamp, she remembered that she left the little shell in Elliot’s car. She panicked a little because what if she never saw him again? That shell held all the wonderful memories from her perfect
day.
When Elliot parked the car back at the school he noticed the little shell sitting inside the drink holder. He stared at it for a while as if it was a major decision whether he should pick it up or not. But then in a swift move he grabbed it and dropped it into the front pocket of his jacket. He derided himself for feeling the way he did about Michelle. He was almost a 5000 year old man for God’s sake, not some pubescent kid. He was a man who had been married a few times and not only did he watch his children being born, he had also raised several families, seen them grow old, and buried his own grandchildren. Was he crazy to even think about being with a woman again? And what was it about falling for a woman that made grown men feel like children?
Elliot passed by the school’s office and Xander called to him from inside. Elliot told Xander where he had been and with whom because he knew Xander wouldn’t overreact like the guys did. Xander loved Elliot as if he was the father, and only wanted what was best for him. But he did worry about him getting involved with a girl who lived so close, and who still lived with her parents. It would change the entire dynamic of the household if she were to become a staple of life there. That night when the guys had waited to have their ‘talk’ with Elliot was very uncomfortable for everyone. And Elliot was already flustered with himself. Even he didn’t understand why he had brought her there and why his words flowed out like water from a rock when he talked to her. And on top of it all, he almost lost himself when their lips touched. But nonetheless he returned home to a bunch of staring eyes, each waiting to take a turn at him.
Everybody at the school had the freedom to come and go as they pleased. None of them was obligated to live there at all, and each of them had the means to do whatever he wanted outside the school walls and it was nobody’s business. All the guys had enjoyed their share of rendezvous with the opposite sex, but they had all agreed that they wouldn’t get seriously involved with someone while living there; that had been Elliot’s idea from the start, and now it looked like he would be the first to do just the opposite.
Elliot assured them that he wouldn’t bring Michelle into the library again, but that was all. He then disappeared upstairs to his room. Later on, when Rion told him that he met his ‘sweet’ Michelle at church, he confided to Elliot that he understood his attraction to her because he thought that she was very pretty too. Elliot became uncharacteristically jealous. He didn’t like the idea of Rion talking to her. Rion wasn’t very sensitive and he could say something that would upset the whole situation. Or maybe Rion wanted to compete with him for the girl just for fun. Elliot was not interested in playing games with Michelle’s heart. She was young and innocent and she didn’t deserve anything of that sort. Still, Rion enjoyed teasing Elliot; he had done so ever since Elliot had married one of his descendants, Leta Memmia. But it was what Leta did that made Elliot swear that he would never get emotionally involved with a woman again. So Rion tried his best to tread lightly around the ‘women’ issue. But it wasn’t easy for him.
It was none of Xander’s business what Elliot did in his personal life, but there were other ramifications that could cause catastrophic outcomes if Elliot got physically involved with Michelle.
“Elliot,” Xander said, “If you care for this girl you must think of everything.” Elliot knew exactly what he was referring to. Being intimate with one of their kind was a life-altering event. Everyone knows of the power of a first kiss, or the first time that a madly in love couple shares intimacy. All one has to do is listen to the millions of love songs out there from the beginning of time to understand love’s power. But if those feelings were amazing, being with one of their kind was tenfold. Women got hypnotized just standing next to them, and if they held a woman’s hand she became dreamy and wistful. Michelle’s giddy behavior was the norm for Elliot; every woman he had ever gotten close to had reacted in that way, and that was the precise reason he resisted kissing Michelle. He just wasn’t sure yet.
Long ago in his youth, Elliot had basked in his power and taken full enjoyment in many women, relishing their sweet devotion to him. But as time went on he learned that these same women became disillusioned with other men because a human could never measure up to someone like him. Of course Elliot had loved and married a number of women, but there were many others that he didn’t, and he eventually learned of the tragic lives that they led. Any man might wish for his type of power, but after the ego is fed and the delight in his manly influence diminishes, he might find that his humanity is at stake.
Elliot had been around long enough to learn that humans are not animals, and their needs just like his went beyond the physical, or even emotional. There was a spiritual connection that the soul needed. Elliot learned the hard way that women were not playthings. By taking a woman’s love and sensuality for granted one might as well curse the next generation of children, all for a few seconds of quickening of the pulse. Parents who felt cheated and angry were the ones who raised tyrants and cruel leaders. The cycle of pain just continued for generations to come.
Elliot had seen entire cultures destroyed by their lack of sensitivity to their female population. No society could prosper without exalting the woman to equal status as her male counterpart. Elliot still wondered that if all humans lived as long as he did, would they change their ways? With all that in mind, Elliot had to consider Michelle and her well-being. Xander was completely right. It had been almost a hundred years since he had been with a woman, and before that he had avoided them altogether for almost 1500 years. If he was to become intimately involved with Michelle he could well ruin the rest of her life, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.
Michelle couldn’t wait for the week to be over. She reshuffled her plans to Sunday and cleared out her entire Saturday just for Elliot. On Wednesday, Michelle visited Francesca and found her sunbathing in the backyard and sipping on a cool lemonade. The elder lady had missed Michelle the week before, and was very glad that Michelle hadn’t forgotten about her ‘now that she had stars in her eyes’.
“What do you mean?” Michelle asked laughing, and Francesca said that she was way too old to have a seventeen-year-old pass one over on her. She had been spending time with that man; Francesca was sure of it.
“Is it really that obvious?” Michelle wondered.
“Obvious?” the old lady laughed, “It’s as clear as day.” She asked Michelle for her beau’s name and Michelle told her, although she asked Francesca to keep it a secret for now. Francesca agreed, and after that Michelle told her of her amazing day with Elliot, conveniently omitting the parts about him being immortal. Francesca warned Michelle not to hang her every emotion on a man. It was good to feel happy after a fun outing, but it was also important for Michelle to stay happy with or without him.
“Don’t ever let a man’s behavior dictate in what mood you will spend the rest of the day,” she told her. Back when Francesca was young that was what all the fuss was about. If a girl didn’t have a man by her side she was brought up to feel inadequate, even guilty. Francesca told Michelle that the partnership of marriage was a great gift to both man and woman, but that she was glad that women these days knew better than to hang their entire lives on a man’s whim.
Michelle loved the fact that even at her old age Francesca was a completely modern woman, but she had to remind her that she was still only seventeen and that the idea of marriage had never crossed her mind. And on top of that there was no official announcement that she and Elliot were an item anyway. In her own way, Francesca tried to guide Michelle away from physical intimacy until marriage, pointing to the facts of high divorce rates and broken families.
“No man, no matter how intelligent or proper he is, is going to buy the whole peach tree if he gets the nectar for free. Women make it too easy for a man to jump from one flower to another, without any thought about the flower he already picked.” Michelle had heard that type of speech before, although not quite as eloquently put. She understood the logic behind it, but it was hard for her to full
y appreciate it because she had never shared all of her with anyone before and didn’t really understand what that meant exactly. So Francesca told her that she just needed to imagine the way she had cried over Elliot a few weeks ago and multiply that by a hundred, only this time the pain would last long after the tears had dried.
When the morning sun peeked in through Michelle’s window she was already awake. She was awake before the alarm went off, a very unusual event, especially for a Saturday. She had already arranged with Samantha to cover for her, which was easy since her original plans had been with her anyway. Samantha gave her a little static over canceling their weekend plans, but she knew that she had done the same to Michelle several times when she first started spending time with James. Michelle was surprised when Elliot drove up to her house in a Ford Explorer rather than the Thunderbird. He told her it wasn’t brand new, but it only had 39,000 miles on it. “They seem to really like Xander over at the dealership. He gets the best deals. I have no idea how he does it,” Elliot joked. Elliot explained to her that it was much less of a hassle for him to buy things through Xander, and although he paid cash for it outright he didn’t like to leave any paper trails.
“But what do you do when people see you around for twenty years and notice that you haven’t changed?” Michelle asked.
Pulse of Heroes Page 24