Soteria- The Crisis Forge

by Roberto Arcoleo

  “I wanted to look nice,” she responded. Then catching herself, said, “Oh, I mean, it was just what I had in the closet. Everything else was at the cleaner’s!”

  “Is that the truth?”

  “No, but you’re not supposed to catch my little lies so quickly,” she answered. “I wanted to look special. But I think I overdid it a bit. Forgive me.” Gabriela looked directly into Mark’s eyes.

  “You look stunning,” he replied, “don’t concern yourself. In fact, I cannot imagine you not looking…”

  Mark, hoping he hadn’t gone too far with his words, made a slight theatrical cough. “The food is standard here: brown rice, seaweed, lentils, and a cooked vegetable.”

  “It’s fine.” She smiled. “But maybe we can go someplace quieter after… maybe a coffee or a drink somewhere.”

  “Yes, that would be nice.” They both ate slowly with their chopsticks and drank green tea, saying little. Occasionally, they paused, their eyes meeting in acknowledgement. The uneasiness faded. They made some small talk about the war and the demonstrations on campus.

  “I could hardly get in and out of the place!” he explained. “It is really crazy up there now.” Within their conversation, there were pauses; pauses that communicated the story their eyes were telling.

  Gabriela was feeling at home, comfortable; more and more infatuated as the time passed. Those eyes of his… God, they’re engaging. I’m still not sure what I’m doing here, but my he is beautiful… Oh Gabriela! You know exactly what you are doing here!

  After lunch, they intended to go for coffee and dessert but just walked instead. They walked all the way to the river and then continued walking and talking for hours. Time disappeared. Without noticing where they were going, they passed people on the street and strolled within their own world. They talked of poetry, from Byron to Ferlinghetti, of politics and literature, of music, from Bob Dylan to jazz. The words came so easily, never pretentious or forced, and always seasoned with marvelous wit and disarming charm. When they passed some shabbily dressed children in the playground, they were reminded of some of Grimm’s fairy tales, and they made jokes about how dark some of the stories were.

  Gabriela asked to sit on a bench for a few minutes to watch them play. “My feet are killing me,” she said, as she began removing a shoe. “These are new shoes, and I did not plan on doing so much walking in them.”

  “They go well with your dress,” responded Mark, not knowing what to do with this unexpected moment.

  “Yes, and I think my foot doctor is going to love me for them. You know he told me that some women are getting foot operations so that they can squeeze into these new, sexy pumps. While I admit my slavery to fashion, that goes beyond my limits.”

  Mark was always a little perplexed about things like fashion, and its use in flirtation and seduction, so he felt best to try and make a joke.

  “You know, I once read an earlier version of Cinderella. The story goes all the way back to the Tang Dynasty in China. In one version, each stepsister cuts off a piece of her foot in order to fit into the glass slipper, but two pigeons alert the prince of the con, and the stepsisters end up spending their lives as lame beggars while Cinderella lives out hers in luxury with the prince.”

  “Oh, lovely,” responded Gabriela. “Well, I was just thinking of slipping them off for a few minutes.” She gave him a look. “You know, Mark, you are very charming, but sometimes you talk like you’re floating in your own atmosphere.”

  Mark realized he had made a mistake; his naiveté had shown its face. He had tripped over his infatuation, stumbling like a schoolboy, but he could not make sense all of his feelings. Humans remained a mystery. He felt like he was rushing down rapids, holding onto a flimsy raft for dear life. He searched for a rope to grab not to be washed overboard, but all he saw at the end of the river was a sea full of doubts.

  Gabriela sensed his unease; she took his hand and smiled. Mark did his best to move the conversation forward; her touch relaxed him. They both loved jazz and agreed to a preference for Stan Getz over Miles Davis, while admittedly loving them both.

  “There is nothing like that man’s haunting sound,” he said, referring to Getz. Gabriela looked at him captivated. She knew she was taken and nothing could shake it.

  The sun was starting to set, and the streets grew dim. Amber and orange reflections appeared in the puddles on the concrete as the neon from the shops started to flicker. Mark felt he was almost stuttering trying to express his feelings to a woman for the first time in his life, yet despite it all, Gabriela did not pay much attention to his uncomfortable miscues, thinking it must have to do with their age difference. As the night went on, they both felt their uncertainties fade.

  Mark, with a snap back to reality, abruptly said, “I have to go now.” He was aware that Jason’s time was approaching.

  Gabriela sadly recognized that she, too, was due home. “I’ll just grab a cab here, if it’s okay with you.” She put up her arm as the taxi stopped and opened the door to the cab. Mark grabbed her hand and would not release it. With a reflex of which even she was not aware, she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips.

  “I had a really nice time, Mark.”

  He responded, “So did I. I’ve never met anyone quite like you. I hope I don’t sound sophomoric in saying this.”

  She shook her head, smiling in disagreement. “You don’t sound sophomoric at all,” she said and got into the cab.

  Although his mind was plagued with concern for Jason, Mark watched as the cab slowly accelerated. The beauty of her eyes would not leave him.

  After the cab turned the corner, he directed his attention to Jason. I am only a ten-minute walk from the apartment. I will not have kept him waiting long. There was not an exact time of transition; they had both developed a flexible attitude about it.

  As Mark entered the apartment, he felt the portal was in an unusually excited state. Is it because I’m late? He quickly undressed and prepared to enter. He lay on the bed awaiting his moment and the usual glimpse of Jason as they passed one another. The portal grew more and more agitated as it always had, but there was a change in color that he had not experienced before. As Jason came into view, something different happened. He seemed to pause and hover, not to fly by as he always did. He glared intensely at him. He sensed anger and displeasure. Something was wrong.

  They both paused for a moment as they drifted past each other. Jason’s voice startled him. “No, she’s a mistake!”

  Mark was absorbed into the portal.

  Chapter 12: It’s About Time I Did

  Did I really just kiss him? Gabriela’s cab left the curb. She stared out the window; cars were rushing past in the street. She took a deep breath.

  It was a usual busy weekday on Second Avenue, and the chaos in the street forced the taxi to move slowly among the delivery trucks and bicycles. The frenetic activity was unsettling; Gabriela tried to understand what had just happened. She searched her bag for her lipstick. What am I doing? Am I crazy, going completely mad? I cannot dream of this wild thing. She looked at her face in her makeup mirror. You are going to do something, something you may regret. I know what can happen when I get this way. I feel like a schoolgirl around him. How is it he seems to sense me in a way no one ever has? I cannot believe I am thinking about his body next to mine, but he is hardly an adult, and he’s my husband’s assistant to boot… Gabriela, you have to stop thinking like this… but I want him. Her mind wandered to what awaited her at home.

  The cab screeched, almost hitting a girl on a bike.

  “Hey!” Gabriela yelled. “Let’s get there in one piece!”

  The cabby cursed out the window at the cyclist in Spanish, “Puñeta!” as he veered to miss her. She turned her head, giving the cabby the finger, and kept going. Gabriela stared at the taxi I.D. card framed in front of her, wanting to remember his name just in case.

  Her thoughts came back to Mark. Is this happening because I’ve been living under
a rock in my marriage for so long? But why this one, is he that special? Control yourself, Gabriela!

  But I don’t want to! And yes, he is that special. You know are going to do this, but you are going to need a plan. I will have to be so careful that George doesn’t suspect anything. He’s his student, for God’s sake.

  Oh shit! George! What time is it? I really do not want to have to explain that I spent the whole afternoon, into the evening, with Mark! If he is home before me, I’ll say I went to the library for research. No, that won’t work! I’ll say I went to the Metropolitan to see the Goya show. I told him I wanted to see it, and he never seems to have time to go with me. That’s good. He will feel guilty and won’t ask any questions.

  The cab pulled up to her door, and she rushed in. Great, he’s not home yet. I’ll quickly change and look like I’ve been at home most of the day like I usually am. That will do fine.

  A half hour went by when the phone rang. “Hi, darling. It’s me!”

  “Hi, George,” she replied. “Where are you?”

  “I’m still at the college,” he answered. “The conversation became too engrossing to stop.”

  “Oh…” she responded, holding back her yawn.

  “Say, can I bring some of the fellows back to the house for a bite so we can keep going with this? I am really so excited about what we are on to!” he explained.

  “Oh no, please George, not tonight. I’m really tired. Why don’t you all just go out for a beer or something?”

  Disappointed, George replied, “Oh, okay. If you’re really tired… What did you do all day? Did you meet Mark for lunch?”

  “Yes, we had a quick one,” she answered. “But that doesn’t get you off the hook for standing me up! I went to the Met without you to see the Goya show.”

  “Oh,” he answered, “I’m sorry. I forgot you wanted to go. I’ll have to make it up to you.”

  “Yes, you will!” she snapped. “Anyway, the show is huge, so there is a lot to see. We can go again.”

  “Great,” he replied. “Okay then, I’ll see you later tonight. Don’t wait up.”

  “I won’t,” she answered.

  Gabriela hung up and was overwhelmed with guilt. When did I become such a good liar? But I need something more! Maybe this is just a passing fancy. Maybe this will end up being a quick fling like that French guy on the beach when I visited my mother three years ago… But I feel differently about him. This is not just a nice body and a handsome face. My marriage has become a habit, two people going through the motions of life without really having one. But is he the answer?

  George is always talking to me about him, how he is expecting great things if he chooses to focus on science. He was almost boastful when he told me he was the first student ever to have a doctoral thesis fully accepted while being a preliminary submission, describing how the entire panel was in awe. Only after these reveries did I start did finding his eyes in the halls. It was then I started noticing how he drew a crowd, talking on such a vast array of subjects. In a minute, one was aware of his mind, but he never acted superior or arrogant. He has that intangible thing which charms, disarms and impresses at once, but there is always something hidden, reclusive.

  I don’t know where this will go, but I know there is no stopping it now. I want him. The question is, will he be bold enough to make the next move? There is nothing wrong with giving him an excuse. She took out a piece of paper and began a note:

  “Dear Mark…”

  Chapter 13: Blood and Guts

  Opening his eyes, Jason bolted from his bed. What is Mark doing? He has strayed far from our childhood mischief. Jason paced the room. This is serious. The Council will get very upset. Why is he seeking human emotion for his own experience? What does he mean he wants human love? We were sent to observe, not live as they do. Can he not see the danger of these pursuits? I must find a way to stop him, stop him before he can no longer stop himself.

  The psychiatrist! I was upset that he spoke to that man, but maybe he is the answer. Maybe he can help Mark understand the ramifications of his actions. Has Mark forgotten that the Council is always watching us? I will have to talk to this doctor. He does not yet fully see who we are, but I must risk it. I can always wipe his memory clean. One man’s involvement can be explained away, but this mess with Gabriela is entirely something else.

  Jason was determined to go the psychiatrist’s home that evening, once his family had fallen asleep. It’s too short notice to see him in the office, but if his family has gone to bed, I can keep it quiet and no one will be frightened. I will make him understand the importance of all of this. Our very survival is at stake, not to mention that of this world. Jason was torn between anger with his brother and concern for their larger mission. I am sure the Council will have some other plan to save this planet, but that alternative might not be as benign as the one which is hidden within us. The consequences for Earth’s species could be dire.

  It was much too early to go to Abernathy’s house, so Jason headed to the Dom. The Velvet Underground was playing that night. There was a rumor that they had this new song called “Sunday Morning,”

  When Jason arrived at the club, he saw Helena sitting at a table in the corner with her girlfriend Julie, who was also trying to make it as a singer with her own group. Jason sat down next to Helena to avoid any jealousy. He knew that Helena was in love with him, but he was aware that Julie had eyes for him as well.

  “Hi, Jason!” they chorused together.

  He grinned. “I guess this will be the only time I will ever hear you two try to harmonize.” They both smiled and looked a little self-conscious.

  “I heard your set last night,” said Julie. “You were great."

  “Did you hear that, Helena?

  “Yeah, that’s so cool!” said Helena. The Velvet Underground was already on stage.

  Julie passed the cocaine over. “Want some?” she looked at Jason.

  “No, I’ll wait until later.”

  “OK, darling, more for me!” she said, inhaling the last line.

  The music flowed down the stage like a rolling wave. As Nico’s raspy voice reached Helena’s ears, her expression changed.

  “I love Nico,” said Helena. “She is so beautiful… But I hate her for having such a voice!”

  “Now, now, you don’t mean that.”

  “But I do, I hate myself for it… But I do.”

  Nico was opening the performance with “Femme Fatale.” Her sultry, low voice echoed through the auditorium and melted the audience.

  “Do you see what I mean?” cried Helena. “She is so great! Too great.”

  Jason smiled. “There is room in this world for you both.” He looked up and saw a familiar face bringing drinks and motioned for his usual, brandy and coke.

  The waitress flashed a grand smile. “Hi, Jason.” It was Angela, the mob boss’s girlfriend.

  “Hi, it’s Angela, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.” She smiled energetically.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “Well,” she said with a large grin, eyes beaming, “After that night upstairs, my whole life changed! Rachel and I got to be great friends, and when Silvia left for the coast… well, I moved in. She helped me get a job here, and the rest is history. Jason, I am so happy. I can’t thank you enough for introducing us. I am still not really sure what happened that night, or how it happened, but it happened, and I’m so grateful!”

  Jason just smiled.

  “Listen, Jason, this Lucasie guy is a very dangerous. I hear he is looking for you. Please be careful.”

  Music was playing in the background, and Helena moaned. “Do you hear that voice?”

  Nico sang, and as they listened to her words fill every space in the auditorium, Helena growled, “There she goes again… but really, there she goes! Listen! How can I ever match that?”

  “Relax, already,” said Jason. “You are great, and whatever she does will not change that.”

  Helena bur
ied her face in her hands and shook her head back and forth. “I will never sing like that…”

  Angela interrupted, “Listen, Jason, I am really, really worried. He is going to come after you. He always carries a gun! Please, be careful.”

  Jason smiled. “I will. Thanks for the warning.”

  Of course, Jason knew that nothing a human could do could harm him. One could drop an atomic bomb on his head, and he would not flinch. He could vaporize an army with a single gesture. What could one mafia thug do to him? Still, he acted concerned for appearance’s sake, showing gratitude in his tone.

  Nico ended her song and spoke into the mic, “And now, people, Lou Reed!”

  Lou started to sing his new song, “Sunday Morning.” The audience stood still as the chimes sounded, and Lou’s voice emerged.

  The room was mesmerized by the poetry in his music, the hypnotic growl of both Lou’s and Nico’s voices. Who could not identify with the feeling waking up on a Sunday morning in a stupor and haze following an evening of passion and debauchery?

  When the song ended, Jason turned to Helena, “So you think you’re the only one with competition? He is so great… She is so talented. I love them. We are going to work hard to get the group as tight as they are, but it only comes with work.” Jason knew he could carry the band, but he wanted them to improve. He knew they could be better, great in fact.

  As Helena nodded in agreement, Jason thought, what beauty and vileness these humans are capable of! His mind wandered. One moment you experience such satisfaction in their company, and the next you feel nothing but contempt for their very being! He considered not only how they treated each other, but also how they treated other living organisms on their planet. They exploit and slaughter without remorse.