Chromosome 'S': The Angel

by Rey, Solomon

  “What’s so funny, huh?” He asked feigning ignorance as he continued posing.

  “You’re stupid!” She said giggling through tears.

  She casually wiped her face.

  He froze, lifted his nose into the air, taking a big long whiff. “Hulk hungry, need Hot Pocket. grrr,” he said in the deepest, gruffest voice he could muster, as he flexed once more. He turned and headed for the kitchen. She was on his heels tittering.

  It was so natural for them to be together, neither putting on pretenses or trying to impress the other. They could be as silly as they wanted or as emotional, never to be judged by the other. Best friends forever without a doubt!

  CHAPTER IV

  They sat at the kitchen table eating their Hot Pockets and drinking their cokes, when his Mom walked in. She was still wearing her uniform with her raven hair pulled back and held in place with a banana clip. She set her purse down and kicked off her shoes.

  “Hi Mom,” he said, with his mouth full.

  “Hi Donna,” Olivia smiled.

  “Hey guys, sorry I’m late. Rhonda asked me to cover her shift for an hour.”

  She had been too busy putting her things away to focus on her son’s face. She hung her keys up by the door as she turned to face the two friends. “Derek Roman,” she would always middle name him whenever they were about to have a serious discussion, “What, in God’s name, happened to your face?” She moved closer to him so she could carefully inspect.

  His nose was red and a little swollen with purplish bruising below each eye. She was not happy to see her baby in this condition. It sickened her, as it would most mothers. She glanced down at his arms.

  “And your arms…oh my God…and your legs. What happened?”

  “I got hit with a football,” he said flatly, chomping down on his Hot Pocket.

  Donna stared at him, then at Olivia.

  “It’s true,” Olivia said, “You know he can’t catch,” she covered her mouth to suppress a giggle.

  Donna loved her son, but she was not blind to his limits. He had always been the smallest boy in his class, but very smart and quick with a joke. He was too skinny, though he ate continuously. He was good looking boy with the same striking blue eyes as his mother. Derek would most likely grow to be a handsome man, breaking hearts of many.

  Donna accepted his story, especially with Olivia backing him up.

  “Well, that explains the nose, but what about the scratches you have all over your – She glanced at Olivia, noticing her arms, “That you both have on your arms and legs?”

  Derek opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Olivia.

  “After the ball hit him, he bled all over his shirt, well I led him through a short cut so we could get here as fast as possible,” she said rapidly, “We had to squeeze through some bushes, which is how we got these scratches.” she finished with a bite of her Hot Pocket. Derek nodded agreement.

  “I guess you didn’t think to go to the school nurse?”

  “No, it happened right after school. Everyone was already gone,” Derek said.

  “Well, I’ll ask Richard to take a look at you to make sure you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine, Mom.”

  “I don’t want to hear another word about it,” Donna said with a tone of finality.

  Olivia cleared her throat, “Uh…Donna. Are you working on Sunday?” She asked glancing at Derek.

  “No, any reason in particular?”

  “Derek and I were hoping we could go to Sunset Beach with my Dad and you for a picnic. It should be a beautiful day. What do you think?”

  “I think that would be fun,” she said smiling, thinking, “Has your Dad okay’d it yet?”

  “Well…No, but we wanted to ask you first. As long as you’re going, then he’ll definitely come,” Olivia replied, giving Donna something to think about.

  “So, is that a yes?” Derek asked. Donna hesitated, “Yes!” She replied enthusiastically, “Well, now that is settled, are you ready to go?”

  “Almost,” Olivia said.

  “Well, give me about ten minutes to shower and I’ll be right out,” she said, “While I’m getting ready, throw your trash away and put the cans in the recycle bin,” as she was leaving, she paused to look at their scratches, “I wouldn’t recommend taking that short cut again.”

  “We won’t be doing that again,” Olivia said.

  “Yeah, big mistake,” Derek said.

  Donna headed down the hall as Olivia took a final bite of her food, Derek picked up the cans and paper plates.

  Ten minutes had passed as Donna had promised; she was dressed in tight jeans and tank top with her hair in a ponytail. She really only wore her hair that way when she was around Richard. He had mentioned he liked her hair that way, so now she wore it up whenever she was around him.

  “Let’s get going,” she said eagerly, “We still have to stop off at the video store.”

  “Did you pick…?” Derek asked. He waited for his Mom to finish his question for him.

  “Yes, I picked up Chinese food. It’s in the car.”

  “Yes!” Derek and Olivia said smiling at each other.

  They piled into the car, Derek capitulating the front seat to Olivia, as usual. They drove the five minutes to the video store tortured by the heavenly aroma of the Chinese food, which sat enticingly next to Derek. He eyed it many times, fighting his stomach’s desires. I just ate, he thought, how can I be hungry? I’m a teenager. That’s what we do−eat! He smiled secretly at the thought.

  “Hey Mom, can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure Honey, go ahead,” she said, glancing in the rear view mirror, missing his grin.

  “Can I have a baby brother?” He asked seriously.

  Olivia turned to Donna with a smile, waiting for a response.

  “Do I need to have the ‘sex’ talk with you?’ She asked without missing a beat. She glanced at him.

  “No, that won’t be necessary,” he said nervously.

  “First of all, I need to be married to have a child. Do you see a wedding ring on this finger,” she said holding her left hand up, “Secondly, what would you do with a baby brother?”

  “I could teach him to be cool−like me,” he said feigning conceit, “He’d be a stud,” he flexed his bicep.

  Olivia giggled.

  “Put your bulging bicep away before you hurt yourself.”

  “Seriously,” Olivia agreed.

  “Aren’t there any guys you are interested in?” Olivia asked innocently.

  Donna smiled before she answered, “No, not really. I’m happy taking care of you guys.”

  “Come on, Mom. What was up with that smile a second ago?”

  “What are you talking about? Derek you have got an active imagination,” she said trying to side step that land mine.

  “Mom, I saw –“

  “We’re here!” She announced as she turned into the strip mall, relieved to get him off the subject.

  CHAPTER V

  Richard Osborn had retired eleven years ago after his wife’s brutal murder, leaving him to care for their two year old baby girl by himself. He decided to shuck his life in Santa Cruz, where he was employed by the University for the peaceful town of Coos Bay, Oregon, which he felt was a perfect environment to raise his girl.

  He was only thirty-five years old when he stepped away from his career, only to continue his genetics research in the converted basement of the house he had bought with his savings and profits from the medical patents he had sold. Bringing in a windfall of millions of dollars allowed him to continue his experiments with DNA and purchase state-of-the-art, up-to-date equipment to further his research.

  Richard’s eyes were fixated on the caged black mouse in front of him.

  “Amazing!” He said aloud. He was astounded by his discovery.

  He had been working for six hours straight, his eyes were tired and back sore, which was often the case in his line of work. He stretched his arms above his he
ad as he stood to work out the kinks. His mind gravitated toward Brenda, his deceased wife.

  “I wish she were here to see this,” he told himself solemnly.

  “I can see her face now.”

  He sat down, recalling the last day he had seen her alive.

  “Good Morning,” Brenda said leaning on one shoulder caressing his chest with her finger tips, her feet rubbing his. He opened his eyes to see her smiling with admiration. She was beautiful, long blonde hair framing her face with smiling green eyes, which he always seemed to lose himself in.

  “Good Morning,” he said tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, “It’s amazing how beautiful you are and you don’t even try.”

  “Flattery, so early in the morning…I like it.”

  “It may be flattery but it’s also the truth,” he said.

  “Either way…keep it coming and maybe you’ll get lucky this morning,” she said kissing his chest.

  “Really!”

  “I’m thinking it’s a damn good possibility,” her leg rubbing his, tempting him.

  “We could…” Richard began, but was interrupted by shouts, from their baby girl.

  “Oh well,” Brenda said, “You want to go get her together?”

  “Of course,” he said getting out of bed, “You know I love to see her every chance I get.”

  They padded down the hall, quietly as possible, still wearing their pajamas, with the hopes of sneaking up on Olivia.

  They stood just outside her bedroom door, trying to steal a peek. She was making sounds, but her vocabulary was limited.

  “Olivia,” Brenda whispered−no reaction.

  “Olivia,” Richard said a little louder, she froze. She whipped her head around searching for the source.

  Brenda slowly poked her head around the corner. Olivia clapped excitedly in her crib.

  Richard stepped in a moment later, she began jumping, holding her hands up to him. Olivia loved her mommy, but the connection between Richard and her was evident. She always clung to her father, wanting to be with him wherever he went. She was one hundred percent−Daddy’s girl.

  He picked her up, she hugged his neck tightly. He eased away to look into her hazel eyes, “I love you!”

  She puckered her lips to kiss him. “I…Love…You,” he repeated, enunciating each word trying to get her to speak. Brenda joined in, hoping to get her to say a word, any

  word. A dog barked from a neighboring yard. Olivia excitedly pointed out the window, “Dog-dog,” in a monotone.

  They both nodded their heads.

  “That’s right…dog,” Brenda said.

  “Dog-dog,” She repeated. Richard laughed.

  They heard the phone ringing in the bedroom. Not wanting to interrupt father and daughter, Brenda volunteered to answer it.

  She returned, “It’s for you,” she said, “its Steve.”

  “It’s my day off. Please don’t tell me he needs me to come in.”

  “If he does, tell him, no,” she said adamantly.

  “You know I can’t do that.”

  “You should quit. When you submit your inventions to the patent office, we’ll be rich.”

  “That may be true, but what do we live on till the money starts rolling in? I need to answer it,” he said handing Olivia to her as he walked out.

  She felt her diaper, “Somebody’s got a load in their diaper…poochie,” she said playfully wincing. Olivia giggled. “You need a changing.”

  She laid her down on the changing table, removing her diaper.

  “I am looking forward to potty training,” she told Olivia, grabbing a wipe and tickling her nose with it. She giggled, waving her hands and feet in the air.

  Richard returned, looking up to him, “What’s the bad news?”

  “I have to go in, I’m sorry. I’m going to change and get going.”

  “What about breakfast?”

  “I’ll get something on the road or on campus.” She was clearly disappointed, “Hey, I’ll be back before you know it, then we can continue where we left off,” he said fishing for a smile.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know what I mean, stop teasing.”

  “Fine, I know what you meant, I just wanted you to talk dirty to me,” she said playfully.

  “Not now, but definitely tonight, I need to hurry,” he said, bending down, kissing Olivia,”Ooooo! Poochie.” She giggled again.

  Richard dressed and was ready to go. He heard them in the kitchen. She’s probably feeding Olivia breakfast, he thought. He grabbed his keys, joined them in the kitchen. He kissed Brenda, hugging her tightly. He bent down to say goodbye to Olivia. She held her hands up, “I can’t right now, baby. Daddy has to go to work, but I’ll be back soon.” He kissed her on the top of her head, not wanting to share the banana baby food she had all over her face, “I love you Olivia, bye bye,” he said waving.

  He kissed Brenda once more, playfully slapping her butt as he left.

  Time dragged for Richard, he felt uneasy the entire day. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t figure it out. His stomach was all tied up in knots, as he rapidly tapped his pencil, almost uncontrollably. Something’s not right, he thought.

  He called Brenda in the afternoon, but it wasn’t abnormal for her not to answer. She would often take Olivia to the park or the store. Don’t panic, he thought, it’s nothing.

  “Richard, I have to take –“Steve began, but noticed his mind was elsewhere, “Richard,” he said putting his hand on Richard’s shoulder to break him out of his trance.

  “Uh…Sorry, did you say something?” He asked.

  “Yes, I have to take off for the rest of the day. I’ve got meetings I need to attend. You okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll see you later.”

  “See you later, Steve,” he said, waiting for him to leave, then placing a call to Brenda−no answer.

  Nausea swept over him, panic kicked in. He was sweating profusely, wanting to leave and head home to check on his family. He had a few hours left before he could leave. Time continued to drag, as he constantly watched the clock. His emotions and thoughts were running wild. He hated these premonitions which he always had since he was a kid, but never one this intense.

  He left the campus when his shift was over without acknowledging anyone. He drove out of the drive, cutting off a few drivers, oblivious to their shouts of rage. The drive was

  thirty miles; he estimated making it in twenty minutes.

  He slammed on the brakes, coming to a screeching stop in his driveway. He got to his front door, it was unlocked. Not a good sign. He rushed into find−his worst nightmare.

  CHAPTER VI

  “Dad, we’re home!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, there was no answer, “He must be down in the lab,” she said, casually as someone would say, “patio or garage.” “Come on,” Olivia said, “Let’s go down.”

  “He might be busy,” Donna said apprehensively.

  “Mom, he won’t mind. We go down all the time,” Derek persisted.

  “Besides, he’s probably been working all day without a break. We’ll do him a favor,” Olivia said.

  Donna surrendered to their will, following them down the stairs. They arrived at the bottom of the stairs in front of a steel door, above was a security camera and to the side was a numerical keypad. Olivia typed in a sequence of numbers, which unlocked it.

  Derek pushed the door open, they found Richard sitting at the counter with his back to them. He was not aware of their presence. He was hunkered over, appearing small in stature.

  “Dad,” she said, startling him out of his thoughts. Richard turned to face them with a smile. He wore a white lab coat with pens and pencils in his breast pocket. He stood six feet, one inch with brown hair, spattered with gray. He was still in good shape, jogging five to ten miles a day. Olivia was aware of how good looking her father was, but to her, he was simply the person she loved the most in the world.

&n
bsp; He startled everyone when he shot up from his seat. “I’m glad you are here,” he said zealously, “It’s amazing.” He waved his hands around, “utterly amazing,” he added with a slight maniacal chuckle. He paced back and forth.

  “What are you talking about, Richard?” Donna asked. She’d known him since they moved to Coos Bay, but this is the first time she had seen him act ‘mad scientist’ like.

  Derek and Olivia stood smiling; amused by his behavior.

  “I’ve done it! I can’t believe it,” he said.

  They could tell his mind was moving at light speed.

  “Richard, calm down and tell us what’s going on,” she implored.

  “Okay, okay,” he sat down, then quickly stood up, “Where do I start?”

  “Dad, relax…you’re kinda freaking out.”

  “Richard,” Donna stepped forward placing her hand on his arm, “Sit down, take a moment,” she said soothingly, “Take a deep breath.”

  She motioned to the chair behind him, still holding his arm. Inside she was euphoric…to be touching him was stimulating, but on the outside, she was cool and collected, “Now, tell us what’s going on,” she paused, “but calmly.”

  “Okay,” he took a deep breath, as he gathered his thoughts, “I think I’m going to have to show you, because you’ll never believe it. You won’t! I will have to demonstrate so you can understand the impact of my research.” He raked his hand through his hair. “Where do I start?” He paused for a second, “Olivia can you please get Minnie for me. She’s in the cage on the table behind you.” Minnie was a black mouse Richard had been using for his experiments, named by Olivia. She brought the cage over, setting it down next to her Dad.

  “Why did you name her Minnie? Why not Mickey or Speedy?” Derek asked.

  “Cuz she’s a girl, duh!” Olivia said sarcastically.

  “Olivia, you know where the scalpels are right?”

  She had assisted her Dad many times with his experiments, learning where most of his instruments, implements and devices were located.