"Sounds like you have things covered then."
Lylya’s face fell. "Have things…covered?"
Maria sat on the bed. "That means worked it out…made arrangements."
Lylya’s eyebrows furrowed.
Maria contemplated a moment. "Taken care of business?"
Lylya’s smile returned. "Yes, I know what is taken care of business."
Maria brushed the hair off Lylya’s tiny shoulders. "I love your smile," she said. "You have the prettiest little smile."
Lylya blushed and glanced back up at Maria’s face. "You look, pretty too."
Maria reached down and tugged at Lylya’s pajamas. "You’ll be going to school soon. You’ll make a lot of new friends there. You’re gonna be happy as a chicken on a June bug, as Todd would say."
Lylya smiled up at her. "But I am a little bit happy."
Maria hugged her. "You’re gonna be a lot happier, you’ll see. We are going to be the happiest family and I will never, never leave you, cross my heart." She plopped a finger down on Lylya’s nose. "Todd and I will be here for you forever."
The doorbell rang.
"Well," Maria said. "It looks like Kiara is here."
~~~
It was always strange to push a shopping cart around an almost abandoned grocery store. The captain had assured Maria that in a few weeks they would probably relax the tight security, but for now, the store had to be emptied whenever Maria shopped. The store owner negotiated to have her shop only during the quietest times and that’s why she was shopping on an early Sunday morning.
Soft jazz music played as she milled about comparing prices and inspecting nutritional content. Men in black suits, wearing earphones set deep in their ears, passively wandered nearby and out of sight as she went. They were keeping an eye on every move in the store.
Maria had become the main topic of conversation in the neighborhood and rumors abounded: one claimed she had been a Mums spy during the day and was being protected; another speculated that she had been involved with a mob figure and her whereabouts had been exposed. With her entourage of military vehicles, her coming and going had become a widely-reported event.
Clearly, people were curious; the picture on the magazine could explain away some of the security measures, but not all. She loved her neighbors, but the situation had become uncomfortable. One of her favorite things had been the camaraderie between housewives at the grocery store, and without these friendly exchanges, she was becoming lonely.
When she first spotted him, he was leaning against a display of canned vegetables. In his black suit, he didn’t appear at all unusual.
As she approached, she realized he was thumbing through the very magazine that sported her picture. Tacky, she thought to herself as she approached.
Then he slowly turned around. Her mouth dropped open.
"Michael!" she shouted.
She quickly sidestepped the shopping cart and rushed to him. They embraced and spun. Mums appeared from nowhere and stood back warily inspecting the scene.
"Michael!" Maria yelled again. "I can’t believe you’re here! What are you doing here?"
"You really didn’t think I could stay away did you, Little Miss?"
Maria pulled away and soundly pushed him. "Why didn’t you tell me you were my cousin?"
Michael smiled slyly. "You didn’t seem to know your old cousin Jason, so I wasn’t telling. It was an interesting game."
"Now I see you, you devil. You were playing with fire, you know. If I were a real girl, I might have had a little thing for you. Did you ever think about that?”
"It occurred to me."
"I have a surprise for you," Maria said. "We have another relative. She’s a beautiful little Chechen girl who I’m adopting. Her name is Lylya. I need for you to meet her—"
“I haven’t the time."
"Oh,” Maria said, surprised at the sudden brush-off. "Well, maybe another time."
Michael’s dark eyes scanned the store as they strolled."We have pressing business. We won’t be in the area long."
Maria frowned. "No, why can’t you stay for a while? I have so many new friends. You should see my new home, Michael. You have to see Joshua. He’s growing like a mushroom. He’s so beautiful. Where is everyone? The girls and Pete and that grumpy guy?"
"They are here," Michael said. "They are eager to see you and, of course, the child."
She pulled back and took hold of his arms. "Michael, I thought I might never see you again."
"Little Miss," Michael said softly. "I am the champion of the only son. Of course you will see me again."
"But how, how did you find me?"
"I followed the sign, little Ricky girl; just like everyone else." He lifted the magazine and waved it in the air."
"Oh, that damn picture," Maria said laughing. "I don’t even know how that happened."
“A simple sign from the Father; for you, and for me."
Maria backed off slightly and raised her eyebrows. "Whoa, for a moment I forgot who I was talking to."
One of the Mums appeared standing next to them. "Excuse me, sir," he said, looking at Michael. "This store is off bounds till around noon. You’ll have to come back—"
Michael rounded on the Mum. "Everything is fine. You should just go about your business."
The Mum studied his face uncomfortably, turned and walked away.
"You’re still scary," Maria said grinning.
She took hold of his hand and returned to wandering through the aisle. "Tell me, how have things been? I heard you were impossibly rich. I heard you were practically running Europe."
"I can only do what the Father allows me to do." He pulled to a stop. "Let's go somewhere a little more private, shall we?"
Suddenly, they were someplace else. Maria nearly swooned, but she realized she was sitting. She was securely strapped in a seat. She glanced to her right, where a tiny porthole window revealed a vast ocean rolling away beneath them. They were on an airplane…no, they were back on the airplane heading towards Australia. She looked straight ahead. Michael sat smiling from the seat directly across from her.
She clutched at the armrests. "Michael! Where are we? What are you doing?"
"Don’t worry, Little Miss," Michael said softly. "I’ll have you back there in no time." We just needed this time together to catch up. We’re not really here anyway."
Maria laughed anxiously. "Well, this is pretty dramatic. You have my attention, that’s for sure."
"That’s good," Michael said, "because this is a very important meeting. We need to talk about the boy."
Maria smiled an uneasy mask. "The boy? You mean Joshua?"
"I mean the God of Heaven and Earth and all things that in them are."
Maria felt her mouth go dry. "He’s doing just fine. He’s a happy little boy, growing up great. Todd’s a perfect father, and he has a big sister now—"
Michael’s laugh startled her.
"Well that all sounds very domestic," he said. "But you see, this is the God of the universe we’re talking about. We feel he may need a little more."
Maria stared back at him. "Michael, you’re scaring me. You don’t sound like yourself. Is everything alright?"
He leaned forward. "It's interesting you should say that. I was just about to say the same thing. What happened to my little miss? The sweet little imp who coerced that fine young husband into committing himself heart and soul to her every need? What happened to that virtuous soul who convinced the Signo Vinces to finance her little excursion into self indulgence, only to try and leave them all in the lurch when they no longer served her purpose? You know, I really miss that girl."
"Michael," Maria said, tearing up. "You sound so different. Why are you—?"
"I’m not different!" he yelled. "I’m not the one who’s different! I have always been and will always be in the service of the Father and his only begotten son. I haven’t changed."
His demeanor returned to friendly. "We’ve come for the b
oy," he said cheerfully, "and of course, the boy's loving mother. Every boy needs a loving mother."
"No!" Maria shouted. "He’s my son!"
Without warning her stomach was on fire. She gasped and screamed. Nothing she had ever felt could compare with the pain. She stared at Michael, tears streaming down her face. "Michael," she sobbed, "please, you’re hurting me."
Instantly the pain was gone. She groaned and fell forward in her seat.
"Michael," she said, finally catching her breath. "I thought we were— I thought you cared for me."
"I care for the boy. That’s why we will send a car around to your house. A helicopter will then transport us to a waiting convoy where we will be taken to Washington, DC and finally on to Rome."
"Michael!" she screamed. "Stop it!"
He sat staring back at her, his cold steely eyes motionless. "I am here for the boy," he said cryptically, "forever and always."
"T-Todd," Maria said sobbing. "What about Todd and Lylya?"
"Your husband is no longer needed. He has served his purpose. He protected you through the great sign. That was his part."
"But he’s Joshua’s daddy!"
Michael threw his head back and laughed. "His daddy, is he? You little pissants couldn’t fathom his daddy!"
"Please! Joshua loves Todd."
Michael sighed and swiped his hand in the air, dismissing the notion.
"Your husband will try and make some sort of pitiful stand. He’s proved to be tenacious, so he will be eliminated."
"Nooo!" Maria screamed. She held her stomach in her arms, gently rocking.
"The Vinces want him dead anyway," Michael continued.
"The Vinces?" Maria sobbed. "You’re with the Vinces now?"
"No," Michael said. "The Signo Vinces are with me. They always have been, and they will be taking care of you two for a while."
"Please Michael, I‘ll do anything!"
Michael leaned forward. "If you really do care for this bumpkin I’m prepared to provide you a back door. You’re going to make everyone miserable if I don’t."
He fell silent for a time, listening to Maria’s quiet sobbing. Finally he spoke. “You can save your man. It doesn’t matter to me either way. You simply have to convince him that it is your greatest desire to go. Convince your husband and convince your Mums."
Maria looked up as if someone had thrown her a lifejacket. "The Mums!" she wailed. "The Mums will never let you get away with this!"
"Then the Mums will die." He leaned back and smiled softly. "Never forget who you’re talking to."
Suddenly Maria was back in the grocery store. She screamed and stumbled backwards knocking down a canned food display. She glanced up and saw Michael still standing over her, his steely black eyes watching her like a cat.
Men in suits, guns at the ready, came running from all directions. In an instant they grabbed at their stomachs and fell to the ground writhing.
Michael was the only one left standing. "Seven o’clock tonight," he said. "We’ll send a car." He turned and casually left the store.
~~~
Maria stepped in the door. She could hear Todd in the kitchen loading the dishwasher. She drew on her last bit of strength. She must do what she must do.
"Sweetheart," he said, stepping into the living room, "where have you been? We’ve been worried. Stacey had to take Kiara with her so they called me home from—"
"I’ve been to see President Hatfield,” she said as she threw her coat down on the couch. “Where’s Joshua?"
Todd frowned. "He’s in the bedroom. You’ve been talking with President Hatfield? Why?"
"I had to talk him into letting me leave this godforsaken place. Where are the suitcases?"
"Hon," Todd said softly, "that isn’t funny."
She leveled a serious look at him. "We need to talk. I need for you to sit down."
Todd looked at her curiously, turned and moved to the couch. He sat and motioned for her to join him.
"I can't sit with you," she said. "I have a car waiting. We need to get this over with as quickly as possible."
Todd jumped to his feet. "What car? Who's here?" He quickly moved towards the door, but Maria caught his arm pulling him to a stop.
"I'm leaving you," she said. "Josh and I are leaving. We're going to live in Rome."
"No, no you're not," Todd said through his teeth. "You're not going, because we love each other. You're not going just because some bastard got to you, and you think you have to go!" He took hold of her shoulders. "Who's out there, Maria? What did they say to make you so afraid that you—"
"I tried to avoid this whole thing, you know," Maria said, pulling away from him."That whole Debby episode was a perfect way out for Josh and me. We could have left and you never would have been the wiser, but then that damned storm had to ruin everything."
Todd pulled his cell phone from his pocket and lifted it to his face.
"What are you doing?" Maria demanded.
"I'm calling Captain Fletcher. Don't worry, sweetheart, we're going to handle this—"
"Am I going to have to get brutally truthful here?" she asked, stopping him mid-sentence. "Is that what it's going to take? Look outside, Todd! The Mums are my ride."
Todd slowly dropped the cell phone, moved to the door and looked out at the silent military Humvee parked in the street in front of their house.
She watched him quickly glance around his neighborhood. She saw him notice that the familiar security posts the Mums had faithfully maintained had disappeared. He turned back to her with a wide-eyed look that stabbed at her heart.
"Baby," he said softly. "I need for you to stop this."
"See, that's the thing," she said quickly. "I can't stop this. It has to be this way because you're always here. I can't move. I can't breathe. I can't leave you without hurting you, because you won't give me the space. You're always here!"
Todd shook his head. "You could have left at any time. That's how I know you're being pressured. You're gonna have to do better than that—"
"How could I have left you, Todd? How could I have contacted the Vinces without you knowing about it? You're always here suffocating me!"
"Now you're gonna tell me you're in contact with the Vinces?" Todd said quietly. "You think I'm gonna believe that too?"
"Well of course I’m in contact with the Vinces!" she yelled, throwing her arms in the air. "I am with the Vinces. I’ve always been with the Vinces. How else could I have had Joshua? Honestly, you're so stupid! How long do you think I would have hung around if it weren't for that damned asteroid? Do you think I liked wandering around in the wilderness with you the last few months? I had to! What other choice did I have?"
She glanced down and began straightening her clothes. "I have a window now," she continued, her voice quieting, "a chance to get out of here, and by God, Josh and I are going to take it."
Todd stood staring, obviously trying to make sense of it all.
"Don't look at me that way," she said after a moment of deafening silence. "This can’t possibly be a surprise for you. I mean, my God, I practically told you from the beginning."
Todd stepped forward and took hold of Maria’s arms. "No, that’s not it. Something happened. The Vinces got to you. I don’t know how and I don’t—"
"Damn right they got to me," Maria interrupted again. "They offered me a five million dollar condo in Rome. Can you do that?"
"Damn it, Maria, stop it! You don’t think I know this isn’t you? I won’t let you go, do you hear me? I don’t know what they’ve done to you, but we’ll work it out. No matter what—"
"Oh, stop begging!" Maria said interrupting. "You’re pathetic! You haven’t changed a bit. How could I ever respect you? Don't you remember the people I used to go out with?"
Todd stood silently looking at her. He grunted and shifted his weight. "Nope, still not buying it. I know you love me. I could feel it the first time we made love. I could tell it was the first time for you. I know you had
to love—"
Maria laughed. "The first time for me? Scott Bower was the first time for me, and that was in seventh grade. I was faking it then, too. Listen, I have to admit, I sort of feel sorry for you, okay? This is hard for me, too. I haven’t been looking forward to this conversation, but it’s time we get it over with. You were just a guy at school. I knew you had it for me, and I made use of that. Come on, Todd! You knew this day would come. I’m sick of looking at you, at this place. Rome is waiting for Josh and me. We finally have a chance at a real life, for God's sake! The kind of life I've always wanted. Todd, please, just let me go."
Todd backed away slightly. "Maria, just tell me. You can tell me who it was. Who got to you? Whoever got to you, it doesn't matter. We can leave here tonight. We won't tell anyone. We won't even pack. We've been through this before; we can do it again—"
"Todd," Maria said, interrupting him mid-sentence. "I don't love you. I never did. I don't know how. How many times do we have to go over this?"
Todd stood quietly for a moment. Finally he spoke. "But… back on the Cumberland River, your vows—"
"That’s how you get a dummy to take you to Omaha," Maria interrupted.
Todd opened his mouth, but nothing happened.
"Josh and I are leaving now," Maria said. "We're going and you can't stop us."
Todd stood looking down at her, bewilderment clouding his face. Then like a dying flower, his shoulders slowly slumped. His straight proud form withered before her eyes. The chiseled handsome face turned expressionless, grey and old. It was as if the life had drained from his body. Maria knew in her shattered heart that she had achieved what she had come to do.
His eyes dropped to the floor. Maria choked back a sob and softly reached to touch his hair.
He winced and grabbed at his stomach.
She gasped and pulled her hand back. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?" Todd said, glancing up. "Just get your things and go."
She moved past him and went quickly to Joshua’s bedroom. She packed his clothing in a small suitcase, closed it and moved to her bedroom. Todd was already there, slowly, silently loading another suitcase with her clothing. Soon she was ready to go.
The Son of Man 2, Elders of Zion Page 24