by Bush, J. M.
August just shrugged his shoulders again, and said, “It don’t matter, babe. None of it matters anymore. We’re gonna be fine.”
Samantha reached over and held his hands in her own.
“Yes, we will be,” she answered.
Of course, only one of them knew that was a lie.
Chapter 20
DAY TWO
August woke up angry. At first, he couldn’t pinpoint why he was so furious, but after thinking it about for a moment, he knew exactly why. Samantha lay beside him, still asleep and snoring softly. Oblivious to her husband’s internal struggles, she smiled in her sleep. It should have made him feel better; it usually did. But even his wife’s beautiful face couldn’t work its usual magic this morning.
He got out of bed and went to use the toilet. In the bathroom, he found Woodrow in powered down mode. August woke the wooden automaton with a brushing touch on its shoulder as he passed.
“Mornin’, Woody. How’s it hangin’, man?”
Woodrow clacked to life with a sound like four baseball bats knocking together.
“MORN NING,” it said in reply.
After flushing, August decided to work out some of his aggression in the workshop. Tinkering with tech always calmed him down. The night before, in discussion with Samantha about what would happen next, they had decided to keep the house and not get rid of everything. She had said that it might be nice to have a home-base they could return to every once in a while. He tried to remember her exact words –
“When you need to feel comforted, where do you go? If you ever feel completely out of sorts and lost, the best place to go is always home. This is our home, Auggie, sweets. Let’s not abandon it the way you did your shop.”
And she had been right. After thinking about it, it would be nice for Samantha to have all the wonderful kitchen appliances he had made for her waiting for her here at the house should she ever feel the need to use them.
Right now, he was glad they hadn’t just gotten rid of everything immediately the way he had with Sweets, Inc. Not that he regretted doing it. August didn’t need those things anymore, and giving all of it away just felt right. They certainly didn’t need the Credit anymore, now that they were extremely wealthy.
Recalling the number amount of zeros in their account still felt weird. To know they could just up and buy almost anything they wanted right now was an unfamiliar feeling.
Lost in thought, August banged his elbow on the corner of his workbench, the old one that he had built long ago when living in that dump of an apartment on West Main Street. He swore a string of expletives and called out for the lanterns to come into the room and light the place how he liked it while tinkering.
They floated in and hovered above him, creating a warm glow in the room that made no shadows, and lit the little workspace evenly on all sides.
“Now where the hell did I put that SameSoul?” he asked himself.
August looked all over his bench for it. Under all the mess he always somehow seemed to have there, on the floor, in the waste receptacle (maybe Woodrow had tossed it out?), but he couldn’t find it.
“Oh well. I probably left it in my other pants,” he said sleepily, still groggy from restless sleep. “I’ll get it later.”
He didn’t need it right now, honestly; August just wanted to run some more diagnostics on the small and amazing device. After all of that talk yesterday about whether or not it would work, August just wanted to reassure himself. He was certain he had brought it home from the shop, and he was positive that Joshua Stevens hadn’t taken it. Well, almost positive.
-
Samantha woke up feeling happy. Things weren’t perfect, they never were and never would be, but today was going to be a great day. Yesterday had been a little stressful, but with the incredible sex in the kitchen, and the amount of Credit August had received for his SameSoul blueprints, things were looking up.
“Always look on the bright side, as they used to say,” she muttered to herself as she slid out of bed.
And that is exactly what Samantha was doing today;: looking on the bright side. She went to use the bathroom, and afterward, Samantha went in search of her husband. It was silent in the house, so she knew he wasn’t watching any vids or shows. And that meant he was probably in the workshop.
On the way, she noticed the SameSoul prototype sitting on the kitchen counter, where August had left it last night. She picked it up to bring it to August in the workshop, but before she could enter there was a loud POP from inside his fortress of tinkering. She rushed to the workshop door, but just as she reached for the handle;, August burst out with a fierce look on his face.
“Sweets!” she cried out, startled to hell and back. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
August looked at the troubled expression on Samantha’s face, and decided not to bother her with his worries;, the reasons he was upset, and why he had made such a bonehead mistake in his shop just now.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” he said sweetly, kissing her on the forehead. “I hope I didn’t scare you or nothin’. I was just messin’ around in there, tryin’ to come up with somethin’ new, but my mind was… elsewhere and I fed too much Tesla energy into a small motor. It… well, it blew up in my dang face.”
“Are you hurt? Do we need to go to the clinic, sweets?” she asked.
August shook his head quickly and replied, “No, even if I were hurt I wouldn’t want to go back there ever again.”
Samantha looked at him curiously, then recalled all the bad memories they shared at that awful place.
“Alright, sweets,” she said, returning his kiss with a little peck on August’s cheek. “Why don’t you go shower, and I’ll make us some breakfast. How do cheese grits and bacon sound?”
He suddenly felt a good deal better at the mention of her food. Samantha had been cooking less and less lately, which worried August. She lived to cook and loved to do it. It was sad to see her glance into a kitchen full of her favorite stuff, but not have the desire to cook so much as buttered toast.
“Shoot, babe, that sounds real good,” August said, sidling up close to his wife and hugging her tight. “Did I ever tell you that I love you?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, you might have mentioned it a time or two,” she said, returning his embrace and breathing in the smell of his shirt. “I love you, too, man of mine. Now get. I’ve got some work to do.”
Once she heard the shower running, Samantha began to cry. She sobbed deep and long, gasping for breath when she could. There were so many things going through her head at that moment. August was acting differently, and it worried her. The home that they had known for so long, Cheryl’s old house, would soon be empty of life. Everything was piling up inside of her to the point where it all came out as tears. Sure, she was sad. She was worried. Samantha was regretting past decisions. But mostly, she was just overwhelmed with everything and needed to let it out.
She didn’t want to bother August with her worries and problems – not with everything that was going on. He had enough to worry about. Samantha looked down and noticed the SameSoul on the counter again. She picked it up and placed it in her apron pocket so she would remember to give it to him later.
Samantha was still puzzled as to why he had kept this prototype. What was he going to use it for, anyways? She didn’t want to be trapped in some little box and not get to join her friends and family in Heaven. And she didn’t want her husband, the love of her life, to be trapped inside it, either.
The shower stopped, and Samantha noticed that the food was done. She had been thinking so deeply that she had just cooked on auto.
“Well, damn,” she said to herself. “I hope it tastes good. I don’t remember seasoning a thing!”
But before she could taste anything, Samantha heard footsteps approaching from behind.
“Sam,” August suddenly whispered into her ear, “I’m sure it’s as delicious as always. Your food never disappoints.”
They sat down an
d ate breakfast together. Sam felt less sad, and August seemed less mad. Neither one of them wanted to bother their spouse with negative talk, so August and Samantha only discussed positive subjects.
“I told you, babe!” he said, excited. “These are probably the best grits I have ever had! You’ve outdone yourself this time.”
Samantha grinned as her husband ate slowly, savoring every bite; exactly how you should eat real food. She spooned some grits into her mouth and thought August must be just being nice. The grits were ok, but it for sure wasn’t her best. They were almost bland.
After they cleaned up together, August grabbed his bike helmet and headed for the front door. He didn’t say a word; he seemed lost in his own thoughts.
“Sweets, where are you going?” Samantha asked him.
Surprised at being interrupted, he spun around suddenly to see Sam standing in the kitchen looking at him curiously.
“Oh! Uh, sorry, Sam,” he said haltingly. “I’m… gonna to ride up to the shop and… see how it looks. I’m just wonderin’ if you were right and if it’s already empty.”
“Well, hold on a minute and I’ll come with you, sweets,” she said, wanting to spend some time with him. “Just let me get my helmet, too.”
August held up his hand to stop her.
“Babe, I kinda just want to go alone,” he said, not making eye contact with his wife. “I’m sorry, babe. I just got a lot on my mind and wanna ride a little bit before checkin’ on the shop. Is that alright with you?”
Sam felt relieved. She wasn’t feeling much like going anywhere at the moment, although she didn’t want to be apart from August either.
“Ok, sweets,” she told him. “But please don’t be gone long. I need you here with me, ok?”
August smiled wide and walked over to embrace her. He held her tight to his chest and breathed in deeply of her long, beautiful hair;, a smell that always made him feel like everything was going to be ok.
“You got it, love,” he murmured. “I’ll be back real soon.”
Once he left, Sam wiped her hands on the apron before taking it off. Doing so, she felt the SameSoul in her pocket and realized she had forgotten once again to give it to August. Right away, she took it out and placed it on the dinner table where he was sure to see it when he came home.
-
August hated lying. He was all about telling the truth as much as possible. But when it came to Samantha, he loved her so much that he would do anything to spare her feelings. August didn’t want to upset her one little bit. The entire bike ride to the shop he felt guilty about lying to his wife, even though it was only to keep her from being worried or hurt. His only consolation was that it would all be ok soon. Just a few more days and she would never have to worry again. No stress, no problems. Credit couldn’t solve everything, but it could make your life easier and more relaxing.
He pulled to a screeching halt in front of the shop and noticed right away that his sign was gone. Samantha was usually right about everything, and it seemed like this time was no exception.
August glanced inside through the shop window and found that it was empty. No merchandise on the shelves at all. But he didn’t care about that. He was here for one reason only: to find the SameSoul. He was sure the last time he had it was here, as he sold the blueprints and copyrights of it to Joshua Stevens. He had never meant to give them the prototype, and Chadwick Sheppard had even insisted that August keep it.
So where was it? Had Mr. Stevens stolen the SameSoul? It was driving August crazy because he needed that little box.
He had plans for it.
Chapter 21
LOST AND FOUND
Samantha was lying in bed when August got home. She heard the door slam shut and quickly got up to see him. He was still visibly upset when she came upon him drinking some water in the kitchen.
“Sweets, what is going on? Why are you so upset? Please talk to me,” Sam pleaded.
August finished gulping down the water and looked down at his feet. Despite the desire to keep her from being hurt or upset, he was going to have to tell her what was going on. Well, some of it at least.
“It’s a bunch of stuff really,” he said, starting off slowly. “I mean… I know that we’re like wealthy now and I should be focusin’ on different cultures, and lyin’ on beaches sippin’ on exotic drinks and all that. But I’m scared. What if somethin’ happens to me? Will you be ok out there on your own? Probably, but…”
Samantha started to protest, but August just held up his hands, wanting to get it all out as quickly as possible, and said, “Hang on, let me finish.”
She rolled her eyes and motioned for him to keep going.
“So, the idea of Woodrow goin’ on this trip started me thinkin’ about stuff,” he continued. “We have the SameSoul, right? I could bring it and use it if somethin’ were to happen to me. That way, I could always be there for you, Sam. You wouldn’t have to be alone. I could still do this trip with you. Wouldn’t you like that?”
Samantha bit her lip, quite harder than she meant to do, and gasped a bit as she tasted the coppery blood hit her tongue.
“Yes, sweets,” she admitted. “I think that using Woodrow as a vessel to contain one of us has always been part of the plan, whether we knew it or not. The SameSoul does take it a step further, and make it so if something bad happened, we could still be together for longer. But what about that has got you so upset?”
Samantha didn’t want to make things worse by telling him her continued reservations about using his tech, and her fear that it would keep one of their souls from entering Heaven.
“I can’t find it, babe,” August said, his voice trembling. “It’s lost. Or maybe Mr. Stevens stole it. I can’t remember ever bringin’ it home. The last time I remember havin’ it in my hands was at the shop. And you were right;. The shop was totally ransacked. They took everything. Even the sign I made was missin’. There’s nothin’ there anymore. It’s just gone... my greatest invention ever is lost.”
August sat at the table and put his head down. Samantha felt terrible about what she was going to do next, but in her opinion, it had to be done. Things had changed, and so she had also changed her mind. Sam reached over and picked up the SameSoul, which was sitting across the table from August, who had not even noticed it in his agitated state of mind.
Samantha dropped it into her purse, which also sat on the table top.
“Sweets, I’m so sorry,” she said, admitting to more than he knew. “I know that it meant a lot to you, but look on the bright side, as they used to say. You can always make another one. You designed it. You have all the same materials in your workshop, don’t you?”
August looked up and morosely nodded. “Yeah, but the thing is, babe, I signed a contract statin’ that I wouldn’t make any more of them,” he said solemnly. “I gave my word, and I’m legally bound not to build another SameSoul ever again. It’s Montek’s property now. That’s what burns. I sold it to pay for the rest of our lives, Sam. But I’m startin’ to regret it.”
Samantha felt awful, but couldn’t let him know that she had it. Not now. She had made her mind up about that. August would not be putting himself into that SameSoul.
“Listen, sweets. You can buy one of theirs once they start making them,” she offered, knowing that it was the wrong thing to say.
August looked up at her with a disgusted expression and said, “Do you really think that I’d do that, babe?”
“Not in a million years, sweets,” she admitted. “But I figured I’d offer it up as a suggestion anyway. Can’t hurt, can it?”
August rolled his eyes, shrugged his shoulders, and seemed to come to terms with the loss of the most important tech he had ever created.
“Well, nothin’ can be done about it now,” he said. “We just have to move on from here, right? How’s packin’ goin’, Sam?”
A change of subject was exactly what they needed, and she was glad August had done it before she could.
&
nbsp; “Sweets, I ain’t packing a thing,” she said with a wicked grin. “We got enough Credit to buy whatever we need, wherever we go. Speaking of which, have you decided where we’re going first?”
August’s eyes beamed as he stood up, and walked over to the laundry basket. He picked out the dress that Samantha had worn yesterday; a very simple, knee-length, navy blue dress with white dots all over it.
“You gotta at least take this one dress, babe,” he told her, holding the dress out to her.
Samantha looked at the limp article of clothing in her husband’s hand and realized why he chose that one particular garment.
“You remember, sweets? How on Earth do you remember this dress, August?”
He let out a short laugh before pulling her close, and said, “When the lights went out that night, I wasn’t scared. You know why? Somethin’ felt right; somethin’ close by. Then, when they all came back on, and I saw you for the first time, I knew that I would spend every minute of the rest of my life tryin’ to get you to marry me. Of course I remember this dress. It was what you were wearing between the lanterns when we first met.”
Samantha laid her head on August’s chest and listened to the drum beat of his heart. It always sounded so loud, but it was a comforting rhythm. A teardrop fell from her eye, and she whispered to him, “Sweets, I love you so much… it hurts when you aren’t holding me.”
August kissed her gently and held onto her even tighter. After a silent moment, he said, “As for the first stop on the trip? I picked a place that I know you’ve always wanted to visit… your ancestral homeland, Sam;: China. It’s supposed to be magical but difficult all at the same time. There’s a lot to do there, you know? Trace your family line back, and even find some relatives. Do some sightseeing. Visit the Great Wall! See the panda memorials and where they used to live. What do you think?”
She couldn’t speak. Breathless, light -headed, and with her eyes burning... Samantha’s emotions overcame her. So she hugged her incredibly thoughtful husband as tight as she could, and cried into his shoulder.
