“Tell me about yourself growing up in both places.” Amanda wondered if his life would be similar to her own children’s lives as they had family and ties on both Earth and Tuala. She hoped to hear from Riccan that it was an easy transition to ease her fears for her own small family.
“I’m sure the transition was easier for me since my father’s an Elder and he had access to his own Gate. It would’ve been infinitely harder without that luxury, since I seemed to spend half my time in each place. You can imagine it’d be equivalent to learning another language as a baby, it comes easily and seems normal. To any other person from either Earth or Tuala it would’ve seemed very strange indeed, maybe even scary.”
“Were you ever scared?”
“No, I never thought about it. From the time I was very young my parents wanted me to visit with my great aunts and uncles and all of my cousins. They never knew where I was really from, but they were told we moved around a lot on mission trips. My family did travel on Tuala for Dad’s duties with the District, but not as much as we made it out to be for the relatives’ sake.”
“Where would you stay when you came to Earth?”
“Sometimes with the family, but mostly we would rent a furnished house nearby and stay there for the month or so we’d be visiting.”
“It sounds kind of lonely for a young kid. What’d you do for fun?”
“I usually found children my age to play with. Kids don’t ask too many questions, they just want someone to play with them.”
“What would you play?”
“We’d ride bikes, make forts, cut up the landscaping, and get into general mischief. Pretty standard boy stuff, I imagine.”
“Did you ever get into trouble?”
“Oh, yeah. One time the next-door-neighbor boy, Andy Brun, came over and we didn’t really have anything to do. I had this bright idea we should throw rocks into the road and see how close we could come to the cars driving by without hitting them. You can imagine how coordinated a five-year-old boy would be with throwing. I threw too late and nailed the side of a truck speeding by. The driver locked off the tires and immediately backed up to yell out his window at us.
“Andy looked at me with huge eyes, immediately turning to run back to his house, leaving me to get yelled at all by myself. Mom heard the commotion from inside the house and came out the front door to ask what was going on. I knew I didn’t have any choice but to fess up, so I told the truth. Mom sent me into the house to wait in my room until Dad got home to punish me. She turned to the stranger and offered to pay for any damages. The man said he was glad I told the truth and not to worry about it since he was going to get the truck painted anyway.
“I remember staying in my room for hours and hours. I cried my little heart out because I was sure Dad was going to kill me. When he did get home, he could tell I had spent a miserable day punishing myself. He just sat down and told me he was proud of me for telling the truth and not just running away like Andy had done. He gave me a hug and told me not to throw rocks at cars anymore. I never did.”
Amanda smiled at the idea of a little Riccan thinking his father would actually kill him for throwing rocks. “What other stories do you remember?”
“Let’s see…when I was about ten I decided I wanted to try smoking. My uncle smoked and I thought it’d make me seem older and more mature. I stole one of his cigarettes and went and hid in the backyard behind the honeysuckle bush. I took only about two drags before I was coughing and sputtering. I decided it wasn’t worth finishing, so I quickly dug a hole in the bark dust at the base of the bush and buried the nasty thing.
“I went back into the house and didn’t think anything more about it until my aunt came racing in the house to tell my uncle the honeysuckle was on fire. They ran to put the fire out with the garden hose. They had no idea how it got started, eventually blaming an ember blowing over from the neighbor’s burn pile. That was one time I never fessed up!”
“Oh, Riccan! That’s terrible!” Amanda could not help but giggle at the near-disaster.
“As an older teenager, I spent more time here on Earth. I attended high school in Washington while I stayed with my great-aunt and uncle. By the end of my senior year, my buddies and I got a great idea to do a senior prank at the school. We drove out to old Farmer Joe’s asparagus field and loaded up the decrepit outhouse into the back of my pick-up. The outhouse was well-built and must’ve weighed at least three hundred and fifty pounds. We took it back to the school and I backed up to the breezeway and together we hoisted it up onto the roof into a standing position. The seniors all laughed and talked about it until we graduated a couple of months later.”
“How did they get it down?”
“I have no idea. The school never said a thing about it and we never saw it be taken down. Later on, during that summer after high school, my girlfriend and I went driving on the old country roads. I had borrowed her father’s truck and, naturally, I felt the need to show off because she was in the vehicle. I drove too fast over a set of railroad tracks and swerved to avoid a car which pulled out in front of me when we landed on the other side. I lost control of the truck and ended up rolling it.
“When it was done rolling, it came to rest on the driver’s side and slid down the pavement for a good fifty feet. Unfortunately, my hand was holding onto the window frame and my middle finger was ground down on the pavement to the first joint. Needless to say, my hand was trapped between the ground and the truck and I was stuck. My girlfriend panicked and ran away. I thought she was going to get help, but as it turned out she didn’t.
“Luckily, another person drove up and stopped a few minutes later and he helped me get free. He saw all of the blood on my hand and said we should get to the hospital immediately. Knowing what I did about healing on Earth, as opposed to how it’s done on Tuala, I convinced him just to take me home. I covered my hand with my shirt and told him it was just a scrape. Reluctantly, he drove me home.
“Dad knew something bad had happened…I’m still not sure how…and he was at the house when I arrived. He tied into my life-line and used the power of our combined crystals to regrow the bone, skin, nerves, and nail back to perfectly normal.” Riccan held out his left hand to demonstrate how it had healed.
Amanda leaned forward and closely inspected the middle digit. She had no idea the healing could bring back missing pieces, but she was grateful that they had. She also smiled inwardly at Riccan’s lack of understanding about how his dad had known he was in trouble. As a mother, herself, she was able to see and hear what her children were doing through their crystals. Children and childless adults were never told about the power unless they became parents themselves. Only then would they be taught that aspect of the power of the crystal necklaces.
“Did you go back home to Tuala then?”
“No, I decided to go to college on Earth. I’d made a lot of really good friends and wanted to continue as I had been. I went home on weekends when I didn’t have too many other things going on.”
“Did you ever have any slip-ups where people looked at you strangely?”
“Not that I can think of. Why?”
“I made so many mistakes when I found myself on Tuala. They all looked at me as though I were an alien.” Amanda started to laugh as she realized what she had said and then added, “Probably because I was an alien!”
Riccan chuckled as well as he could see where it would be confusing if you were not expecting to be in a new world and he said as much.
“I guess. I just hope it’ll be easier for my children.” Amanda sighed and thought about their futures.
Riccan remained silent, but he was thinking they would definitely have an easier time if he were a part of their lives. He surprised himself with his line of thinking because he had become convinced he would stay a bachelor after all this time of searching for the perfect woman. Amanda had landed in his life and had turned everything upside down, but he still felt at peace.
He realized it was so
much easier being with someone who already knew about both parts of his life. With Amanda, there would never be a need for an awkward conversation and possible rejection. He had even more respect for his grandmother for daring to tell his grandfather. He had greater respect for his grandfather for sticking with her even with the truth known.
They shared more stories until it became so dark in the room they had to turn on the lamps. Together their evening was spent in perfect harmony and much laughter. Each person grew to find new things about the other which endeared them more to one another. Finally Riccan looked at his watch and was surprised to see it was after two in the morning.
Amanda stifled a yawn just as Riccan said, “I think we should probably think about heading to bed now.” He smiled at her yawn and said, “And that just proved me right!”
“Ok, but this has been really fun. We should do it again!” Amanda stood stiffly from her curled up position on the couch and discovered her foot had fallen asleep. She stumbled into Riccan’s arms as she fell forward with her first step on the numb foot.
“Do you need me to carry you?” Riccan was just teasing, but he would not have minded having her in his arms. He felt as though electricity were pulsing through him just at touching her this closely. He imagined it would be even more intense if there were more contact between them.
Amanda laughed nervously and said, “No, I just need to wait a few seconds for my foot to get some blood circulation.” She sat back down on the couch and leaned forward to rub her foot to increase the blood flow. After stomping the offending appendage on the floor a couple of times experimentally, she decided it was probably safe enough to make a second attempt at walking.
They made it up the stairs without incident where Riccan gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and told her good-night before he turned and headed toward the master bedroom. Amanda had been surprised by the first display of affection and held her hand up to her cheek as she stood still and watched him go. After a few seconds she shook herself out of the stupor, whispered good-night to the now-empty hall, and turned to walk toward the room she had slept in earlier. She felt sure she would be dreaming about where that kiss could have gone had they been closer.
The morning came fast and Amanda was curious to see what they would be doing that day. She rushed out of bed and took care of her personal business in the bathroom, including a quick shower. She was pleased to see every amenity needed already stocked the luxurious bathroom. Within half an hour she had finished with her morning ritual and left her bedroom suite to see if Riccan were up and about yet.
Riccan spotted her coming down the stairs and rapidly prepared their morning meal. Since discovering she liked fried foxl, he made sure to prepare it in the extra special way in which his grandmother had taught him to bring out the subtle flavors of the tender meat. He concentrated on creating one more surprise which appeared on the counter next to the plates of food. “Good morning, Amanda! I hope you’re hungry!”
Amanda looked up in surprise and noticed Riccan had already been busy in the kitchen. She would never get over her wonder at how easily the food could be created to order with just a thought combined with the power of the crystals they wore. “Good morning to you, Riccan. What have you made this morning?” She finished descending the stairs and headed across the foyer to get to the kitchen.
“I made your favorite again.” He gestured to the plate of food before smirking mischievously. He pointed to the cup next to the plate and announced, “Plus a little surprise! I hope you like it.”
With her curiosity now piqued, Amanda hurried the few steps remaining to step up to the island. She leaned over the counter far enough to peer inside the ‘surprise’ cup. She picked it up and smelled it before exclaiming, “This is steena tea!” She blew across the surface of the liquid before bringing her mouth to the edge of the cup to sip the hot liquid. The minty flavors burst across her tongue as she closed her eyes in pleasure while savoring the taste. “Oh, it’s just perfect! Thank you, Riccan. This is just lovely.”
“We don’t have to stand, sit down on the barstool to eat, if you’d like?” Riccan pulled out a chair next to where Amanda had remained standing and pushed it back in as Amanda situated herself on the cushion. He pulled out the chair next to her and sat down, pleased to see his surprise had been met with enthusiasm and genuine delight. Getting to know Amanda quite well, he loved seeing her smile, which seemed more frequent with the reunion of her family.
They ate in relative silence with the exception of the forks clattering on the plates; it was the sound of a meal being thoroughly enjoyed. Before long all of the food had been consumed, including the tea, and Riccan used his crystal power to clean the dishes. After completing the simple task, he turned to Amanda and asked, “What would you like to do today?”
Amanda had actually been thinking the same question to ask Riccan so she smiled and replied, “I’d like a day of rest and relaxation, preferably out beside that pool.” She pointed out the side window at the huge body of water sparkling in the sun as if it were inviting them to come out and play.
Riccan shifted his gaze toward the outside, agreeing it looked very tempting. “We only have one problem with that idea.”
“And what would that be?”
“I don’t believe you have a swimming suit.”
Amanda’s expression changed as she realized he was quite right. “Oh, I don’t. I guess we’ll have to figure something else out.”
Riccan hated to see her crestfallen expression so he decided to make a slight deviation on her plan for the day and suggested, “Why don’t we make a quick trip to the store, buy you a suit, and then come right back and pick up where we left off?”
“Really? You’d want to go to all that trouble?” Amanda asked hopefully.
“It’s no trouble, really. Let’s get going. I can already feel the day heating up without us!” Riccan slid off of the barstool and pushed it back in under the counter.
Amanda was quick to follow his example and soon they were heading off the property in the 4-Runner. She paid attention to the street names and the buildings they passed as they wound their way through the small city on the way to the store.
Riccan pulled into a parking lot of a small strip-mall. He had seen a boutique shop for women’s swim suits, but he had never had an occasion to stop there before. He smiled inwardly at how much his life had changed since Amanda had come to be a part of it. He turned off the engine and said, “Are you ready to shop?”
Amanda rolled her eyes and said, “I don’t actually enjoy shopping so let’s get this over with, okay!”
Riccan barely contained his surprise since he mistakenly believed shopping became every woman’s pastime. Thankful to learn this would be a quick trip, he anticipated spending most of the morning watching her alone at the poolside rather than pouring over the huge selection of suits with the ‘helpful’ sales clerk. Of course, he would not have minded seeing her demonstrate several dozen bikinis as she tried them on and asked his opinion of the cut or color. His interest would have been more inclined to see what was revealed rather than what the suit looked like.
With the precision of a seasoned shopper who hated to shop, Amanda hurriedly picked three suits in her size and asked to be let into a dressing room. She tried them on without needing any second opinion and finally decided on the suit she would purchase. She was slightly alarmed at the price of the tiny piece of fabric, but then mentally shrugged it off. How often was she going to get this opportunity? she thought to herself.
Amanda carefully put the two suits back which she had rejected and then took the remaining one up to the counter to purchase. She started to pull out her wallet to get her credit card when she felt Riccan pushing her to the side. She looked up at him with a startled expression.
“This was my idea, so I’m going to buy it.” He already had his credit card ready to hand over to the amused clerk. Once the receipt was signed, Riccan accepted the bag from the lady and asked Amanda, “A
re you ready to go?”
Amanda chuckled. “Absolutely. Let’s get out of here before you decide I need something else for you to buy!”
Which always seemed to be the case, the drive home felt shorter. They parked inside the garage and walked into the house. Amanda carried the small bag as she took the stairs back up to her room to change into the suit. “I’ll meet you out by the pool,” she called down the stairs as Riccan continued on into the kitchen. She briefly wondered what he was up to, but then decided it did not really matter.
Once she was changed and ready to go downstairs, she wondered what she was going to use for a beach towel. She went into the bathroom and opened the linen closet. She was pleased to see there were many selections of colorful, plush towels from which to choose. Amanda picked the purple towel off of the shelf and furled it out in front of her. It was perfect. Wrapping it around her torso, she walked confidently out of the bathroom, through the bedroom, into the hall, down the stairs, across the living room, and out the doors to the pool.
She looked around to see if Riccan were already outside only to discover she had beat him. She looked up at the angle of the sun and picked the best pool-side chair to maximize her exposure. After unwrapping the towel from herself she draped it over the chair, sighing as she lowered herself onto the chair, and closed her eyes. She loved to sunbathe.
Chapter Seven
AMANDA MUST HAVE dozed off because the splashing of several drops of icy water against her hot skin startled her awake. She instantly opened her eyes to look around for the cause. Unable to see anything amiss, she did notice suspicious ripples in the pool. A moment later, Riccan’s head surfaced in the pool before he began making broad strokes with his arms to swim strongly through the water. Amanda enjoyed watching his muscles ripple effortlessly as he moved, recognizing he must spend a lot of time exercising in the gigantic pool.
Once he reached the far side he held onto the edge and looked back toward Amanda. He waved and yelled, “Come in, the water’s great!”
Ascension Discovery Page 87