by Alexie Aaron
“When I say you’re a lucky bastard,” Cid started, “I don’t mean you don’t deserve a love like hers. I mean that you were smart enough to take a chance and go for her. Mike told me he has rued the day he pushed you into that room and shut the door. He wasn’t brave enough to take on Mia, and he regrets it every moment of his life.”
“Things would have been different. I’m not sure I could have survived seeing her with the man Mike was then. Burt was different; he put Mia first. Mike would have just used her.”
“Murphy would never have let that happen,” Cid said.
“I’m surprised he leaves us alone as much as he does,” Ted says. “I know he loves her as much as I do.”
“You love her so much that you let him stay in her life. He loves her so much that he supports your marriage. Why? Because Mia has chosen you and he approves. How hard it must be to see you two together.”
“I realized something recently. When I die, Mia will mourn me, but she will continue on because of the children and their children. When she dies, she won’t be looking for me in the hereafter. It will be Stephen Murphy.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. The surprising fact is that I’ve accepted it. It doesn’t diminish her love for me or mine for her. There is some kind of tacit agreement between the two of them. I guess the thought that he will continue to look out for her, after my earthly time is up, comforts me. Cid, I love her so much. She has given me children, love, and support even when I didn’t deserve it. Back in Alsace, she saved me and walked back into that château knowing that she was probably going to be sullied before she was killed. She loved me enough to go through that to save me. She has proven herself to me over and over again. I don’t need promises of the hereafter. I need her with me while I live. She makes my life full. Sure, she loves Murphy, but she loves you, Burt, and probably Mike too. I’m just very thankful that it’s me she chose above you all.”
“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” Cid said honestly. “I’m proud of you, Ted. I wish I could be the man you are if I ever grow up.”
Ted laughed.
Murphy, who waited, invisible, until Cid was typing to move, left the office. He, like Cid, had a lot to think about.
~
Bernard was surprised when Charles walked into his office unannounced.
“It’s here. It took almost a month, but the cargo has made it to port,” Charles said proudly. “I’m going to need your customs guy to help me sort out this paperwork.”
“Well, hello to you too,” Bernard said and pointed to a chair. “Sit.”
Charles did so.
Bernard finished his entry into the budget program and got up. “Would you like a drink?”
“No, I would like your customs guy.”
“He’ll be over first thing in the morning. Here, we work a schedule, not the slave hours of the digs you manage.”
“What do I do until then?”
“Gather your crew? Have you approached your son-in-law yet?”
“No.”
“Have you talked to Mia recently?”
“No, why? They haven’t broken up again…”
“No. Did you know that Beverly conspired to have your daughter killed and her children sold?”
“No.”
“Charles, you’re a good sort, an excellent academic, but you’re a lousy father.”
“I don’t know about that. Lousy is such a vague word.”
Bernard laughed. “Come to dinner tonight, bring Amanda. Ralph and I will try to catch you up on what you’ve missed. Then after we receive the treasure here, you can approach your son-in-law with a better degree of awareness.”
“I’ll have that drink now,” Charles said.
Chapter Four
Mia followed Acalan’s instructions and parked her truck in the back alley in one of the two spaces allotted for the art store. She knocked on the door, and Acalan opened it and pulled her inside quickly.
“Um, people know I’m here if you’re planning on killing me.”
Acalan looked down at Mia and locked the door behind her. “I didn’t want your reputation tarnished. Grandma Z said that someone may think we’re up to no good.”
“We are. You’re going to ask me to take off all of my clothes, and I’m going to do it.”
“That’s right. Speaking of... Here is a robe, and the bathroom is in there. Take everything off, and come up to the studio,” he instructed. “If you feel you need it, for modesty’s sake, I purchased a thong. We don’t open until two o’clock today, so we have the place to ourselves. Tonight is our late night. Late night Wednesdays. I stay open a few hours after the community center’s art classes let out.”
Mia walked into the employees-only bathroom and turned on the light. “Ooh pretty,” she said, seeing the floral décor. She took off her clothes and folded them nicely and set them in the basket she was sure Grandma Z left for her. She slipped on the robe that smelled of fabric softener and wrapped the belt around her several times. She slipped the thong in the pocket. If Acalan would try to press his advantage, Mia was quick and strong enough to defend herself more than the flimsy pair of panties would.
She walked into the silent shop. Her weight caused a few floorboards to squeak. This caused her to giggle.
“What’s so funny?” Acalan asked from the elevated studio.
“I feel like I’m eight years old and sneaking around the library after hours. Their floors really squeak.”
Acalan watched as she emerged from the aisle of Benjamin Moore Paints. She was so tiny in his husband’s robe. He couldn’t bear to throw it away after Daniel died. Seeing Mia in it somehow made keeping it alright. The robe had been short on Daniel, but Mia was almost tripping on it. Acalan walked quickly down and helped her up the steps.
Mia’s eyes went quickly to the front of the store.
Acalan grinned. “Did you really expect I would keep the window blinds open?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“In my suspicious mind, I thought you’d have the entire alumni of Big Bear Lake High School sitting in the park laughing at me once I dropped this robe.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t think of that. Next time.”
Mia resisted the urge to punch him in the arm.
Acalan saw her make a fist and then open her hand and put it behind her back. She was nervous. His job right now was to make her feel safe.
“I thought we would sit for a bit and talk about what I’m going to ask you to do and why.”
“Sure.”
“I know you’ve done a little modeling. I have the Ice Queen poster like every other male in this town. I see the beauty in how you related to the hummingbird. How was that accomplished?”
“You met Orion Stavros?”
“Yes.”
“That’s him when he’s a bird. He had flown into town with another birdman and was curious about what was happening on the beach. He saw me and that’s when the photographer took the shot.”
“Amazing. Now those yoga clothes ads are pure porn.”
Mia laughed. “I’m very angry in most of them,” she admitted. “The photographer thought I was being fierce.”
“Mia, I’m going to ask you to pose in a few positions. First standing straight, then a few positions as if the blue towel on the floor is a stream or a pool of water. The group for which I’m designing these cards tell me that The Star is a naked woman who either stands or kneels by the water. Sometimes she has a foot in it. Sometimes she holds a jug in each hand. Above her shines a star. Sometimes she is pouring liquid into the pool and with the other onto the land. It is a card of inspiration and hope.”
Mia listened to his voice and felt calm.
“I thought about you when I first took on this project. I saw you initially as the Queen of Swords, but that was too on the nose. The Empress or the Priestess are also good cards for you to represent. You have the bone structure of a goddess, but your body is
earthly.”
He got up and pulled her to her feet and untied the robe. He unwrapped her, taking the robe and setting it within an arm’s reach of where she was standing. He took her hair in his hands and twisted it and secured it atop her head using a clean paintbrush. “Just for now. I need to see all of you first.”
He walked around her and ran his hand along her arm absentmindedly. “You are a beautiful woman, Mia. You have been blessed. Look at me.”
Mia lifted her eyes. She saw a deep calmness in his face.
“I can see the faintest outline of your wings. Would you show them to me?”
Mia looked to either side of her and judged the space. “Look at my back, Acalan. What do you see?”
“I see icy-white lines that are forming into feathers. They are moving. Your back is opening up, and there is such a beautiful blue light inside. An unfolding is happening, and I’m going to burst. Something so beautiful is happening before my very eyes!”
Mia closed her eyes and turned around. Her wings formed and lifted her off the ground. She opened them to see Acalan on his knees. She landed and stroked his head. “I’m not someone to be worshiped. I’m not an angel. I’m a mess.”
Acalan reached out and held on to Mia, his face resting on her stomach. He started to cry. Mia curled her wings around the two of them, knelt, and held on to the artist. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t there for you when Daniel died, but I’m here now.”
When he had shed his last tear, he looked around. “It’s like having your own tent.”
Mia stood up and retracted her wings. Acalan pulled the brush out of her hair and let it fall. The Nordic blonde locks fell, blanketing her body. He pulled a comb out of his pocket, combed her hair, and divided it. “Kneel facing the easel. Yes, that’s it.” He took a segment of her hair and let it fall straight down, and he pooled it on the blue towel. He walked behind her and wound the last of her hair up and secured it again with the handle of the paintbrush. “I’m going to adjust your legs. No funny stuff.”
Mia felt his hands on her legs. She had never been so exposed before outside the bedroom. There was so much trust involved between the two old schoolmates. Mia trusted him to not mock or take advantage of her. He trusted her to be calm. He needed the calm. There was too much violence in his life. As he touched her, he transferred images of Daniel into her mind, sad times at first, then happy ones.
“Now put your mind somewhere peaceful, and don’t move until I tell you.”
“Yes, Acalan.”
Mia thought about how the wildflowers grew in clumps as if they were congregating. Sure, she knew the botanist explanation, but she sought out the magical one. She heard the scratches of pencil, charcoal, and pen on paper. She felt his breath upon her skin as he gently moved her. “Arch just a little, yes.”
There were more scratching sounds, the smell of a coffee brewing, and finally his voice. “Mia, sit back. Come back to me.”
She closed and opened her eyes a few times and complied. He helped her to her feet and draped the robe around her.
“Thank you, you’re amazing.”
Mia put her arms through the sleeves and followed Acalan to the sofa. There he handed her a cup of strong black coffee. “To fortify you.”
Mia sipped the coffee and, to her embarrassment, moaned with pleasure.
“It’s not that good,” Acalan teased.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know where that came from?” Mia said. “Although, this is a great cup of coffee.”
“I’m sorry that that pose took so long. Because of the compromised nature I put you in, I didn’t want to take a photo.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Mia confessed. “I’m not sure how I would have reacted.”
“While we rest, I want to tell you about my guardian angel, Ester.”
“I’d love to hear about her. I just met her the once.”
“You know a lot of angels, don’t you?”
“Archangels mostly.”
“Well, Ester took me to a place where I could hear the heavenly chorus. She said that, in time, I would be able to hear them all the time.”
“Wouldn’t that drive you mad? Don’t get me wrong, I could listen to Lifehouse for hours, but forever?”
“Mia, I would be able to choose when I listened. It would be like turning on a radio.”
“K.”
“It would help me to confirm when I came upon a young angel. And Mia, it calms me when I’m troubled.”
“I understand troubled. I’m seeing a shrink. I have a problem staying connected with my body.”
“Make sure your shrink knows and approves of your posing. Most professional models disconnect so that there is no feeling of being exposed. Had I known this, maybe I would have worked around a leotard.”
“Sometimes when I am visiting a holy place or an aerie, I have to arrive sans clothes. I think I’ve become comfortable with nudity as long as there isn’t a seduction or something disturbing occurring.”
“Mia, you’re a very attractive person. Are you hit on a lot?”
“Funny enough, once I became comfortable with my gifts, it seemed to happen more and more. I don’t consider myself attractive, interesting at best. Also, I think because I didn’t have much of a life before I blossomed, I don’t know how to act. I say promiscuous, flirty, and inappropriate things that get me in a lot of trouble.”
“Just the opposite of how you were in school. You were a bit prickly. Several times, I tried to get to know you, but you ran like a frightened little rabbit.”
“I had trust issues. Remember, I did get beat on a lot.”
“Can I ask you how many men or women you’ve been with, just between us girls?”
“Five. Lobo, Neil, Burt, Whitney, and Ted.”
“Not our Whitney Martin!”
“Yes.”
“Football hero, God’s gift to women, Whitney Martin?”
“Yes.”
“In high school?”
“No. After his wife’s death. Not directly after. We were together for a while. It didn’t work out. Not even my crush could save that relationship. How many for you?”
“Six. Daniel was the last. I’m not sure I’m ever going to be with another man. It would break my heart.”
“I’m sorry. I hate to see you alone.”
“I’m not alone. I have the shop, Grandma Z, and unless I’ve frightened you away, I have you and Ester who stops in from time to time.”
“You have two very valuable gifts. The ability to create and to see wings.”
“You have beauty inside and outside. If only I was into peaches.”
“If you were, I wouldn’t be here posing naked for you.”
“Coffee break is over. Go to the bathroom and prepare for another hour of torture.”
Mia came home, walked into the office, and kissed Ted soundly.
“Where’s the little dude?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“He has a playdate with Noah.”
“Not camouflaged, tissue-paper-licking Noah?”
“The very guy. I met his mother, and she mentioned that she lives next to Susan Braverman. Susan thought that maybe Brian and Noah would get along. Noah is way too artistic for most parents, and Brian, well, our Brian is a smart ass.”
“It may work out.”
“Susan is going to be listening in at the fence, just in case. Lazar is going to pick Brian up on the way home from rehab. Where’s your fan club?”
“Cid’s pounding nails. Varden is asleep…”
Mia locked the office door, tore off her clothes, and straddled a very surprised Ted.
“Mia, Jake may be watching,” he said, balancing his wicked wife.
“Let him watch,” she growled.
After, Mia rested her head on Ted’s shoulder. He turned very slowly in the chair, reached and snagged a hoodie, and wrapped it around his very happy naked wife. She still had her boots on, which left black scuff marks in places he’ll never be able to expl
ain.
“Dare I ask what brought this on? Not that I’m complaining.”
“I’m not sure exactly. It was the last hour of posing. You see, I have to put my mind somewhere calm so I don’t fidget. I started thinking about you, calmly at first. I pretended I could see you typing away on code. Your hat on backward, your fingers flying along the keyboard. And then I thought about coming in here and… Well, as much as I tried, I could not get the thought of making love to you here out of my head. Acalan even asked me if I was thinking something naughty because my body changed. I was too embarrassed to ask how. I suppressed my thoughts. Got through the preschool pickup, called Susan and Lazar, and then I came home, and wowzah.”
“Mia, your child is waking up,” Marvin the Martian’s voice came through the speakers.
“Thank you, Jake.” Mia eased off Ted, procured them towels, cleaned up quickly, and headed out the door, running all the way to the farmhouse.
Ted saw she had forgotten her panties and put them in his pocket, sprayed some Febreze, and resumed working.
“You’re a man of steel, my friend,” Jake said.
Varden was very happy to see Mia. He smiled and successfully made it to the bathroom.
“I think it’s time to get you a big boy’s bed. And your own potty chair, just in case.”
“Mommy’s happy.”
“Mommy’s very happy. Brian has a playdate, so it’s just you and me. Let me change my clothes, and we’ll go for a walk. Play in the sitting room for Mommy.” Mia ran to the bathroom and then to find a pair of panties, slightly worried where the first pair ended up. She pulled on some sweats and returned to the sitting room before Varden could get into trouble. “You’re my good boy. Thank you so much.”
“Mommy, ouch,” Varden pointed to her neck. Mia took his hand, walked into the master suite, and looked in the large mirror. On her neck was one hell of a love bite. “Ouch, indeed.” She wrapped a scarf around her neck and undid her braid. She couldn’t resist smiling.