by Rey, Solomon
“I think it’s to heavy,” she said apprehensively.
“Just try it…if it’s to heavy, we’ll try something else.”
“Okay,” she positioned herself in front of the bumper, placed her hands underneath, and lifted.
* * *
“So how do you want to handle this?” Donna asked.
“I’m up for suggestions,” Richard replied.
“Well, do you want us to go back to our house or stay? You can be honest with me. I won’t be angry or hurt. I know you want to keep things appropriate for the kids, but they understand things. You should never underestimate a teenager. Hell, they’re the ones who pushed us together. I’m sure they will be alright with us starting a relationship.”
Everything she said made perfect sense, and seeing them leave was the last thing he wanted. He had to consider Olivia. Would it be good environment for her? Having a woman around on a daily basis would be a positive thing, especially, one as good as Donna. Olivia wanted this; it was evidenced by her manipulation to push them.
“I want you to stay,” he said, “I think we need to have a talk with the kids.”
“I agree. When?”
“As soon as possible, which means…when Olivia is okay with the changes.”
“Sounds good. Let’s go up and see what’s going on,” she said.
They held hands as they climbed the stairs, both happy with the blossoming relationship. They reached the top, looked around, then figured they went outside. They stood at the screen door with their mouths gaping. Olivia held the SUV two inches about the ground, smiling at Derek.
“Holy crap!” Richard said under his breath. Olivia turned to them, as they released each other’s hand.
“I heard that,” Olivia said, letting down the car, “And I saw that too.” She smiled at them.
“Saw what?” Derek asked.
“They were holding hands,” she said teasingly.
“You seem to be in a better mood,” Richard said.
Richard and Donna stepped out onto the front porch. He noted the broken hinges on the screen door, but decided not to say anything. Olivia and Derek hustled over.
“I’m okay,” Olivia said, “Derek made me realize that you did what you had to do and that being here is better than being dead.”
“That’s a true statement,” Derek interjected.
“I’m sorry Dad for things I said, and getting so angry,” she apologized with genuine regret.
“You had a right to vent, but let’s not make it a habit.”
“I won’t,” she said hugging him.
CHAPTER XVIII
“Good Morning Professor Saunders,” A pretty brunette said passing by, toting a backpack over her shoulder. She was wearing a tank and tight jeans. It was a beautiful summer day with a slight ocean breeze blowing through the Redwoods. The campus of UC Santa Cruz stood atop a hill anchoring the northern tip of Monterey Bay.
Professor Steve Saunders had just exited his black Benz heading for the administration building. He walked with an arrogant swagger, acknowledging students he passed. He dressed in a Polo, Jeans and penny loafers. He was forty-seven years old with salt and peppered hair, bulbous nose and paper thin lips. He was sixty pounds over-weight, but convinced himself that he was a catch for any woman.
The Professor relished the good life. He had been living beyond his means for a long time. An astronomical mortgage on a house in Carmel, plus multiple payments for expensive showy cars he couldn’t afford.
He had a style he needed to maintain; gambling, and expensive vacations to far-off destinations. He just returned from two weeks in the Bahamas with his wife and two kids. He was in debt up to his gunnels; his ship was sinking fast with no salvage in sight; he needed to find something that would bring a financial windfall, enough to raise the Titanic. Desperation became his driving force and he would do whatever was necessary as he had always done.
Saunders entered the administrative building, picked up his messages and mail. He had to endure the insipid small talk with his co-workers, promising to text pictures of his trip. He was practically exhausted by the time he had made it to his office. He closed the door and blinds, as he sat behind his desk, powering up his desktop, as he sorted through his mail. He clicked the email icon in the lower left side of his monitor. The icon expanded as he finished reading his messages. He turned his attention to the screen, opening each of them by date, taking notes as he read. There must be over a hundred of them, he thought. Some, he would forward or send simple responses. After twenty minutes of mind-numbingly tedious work, he came across an email from an old colleague.
“A message from Richard Osborn. I haven’t heard from him in years”, Steve said aloud, “I wonder what that condescending bastard wants?” He clicked on the email. his eyes widened as he read, and a fiendish grin spread across his face.
“He did it!” He said excitedly, “The son-of-a-gun did it.”
He reviewed the data of Minnie’s tests, twice. He was astounded by the results. Richard’s research was worth millions, if not billions. It would change medicine forever.
“I must be the luckiest man on earth,” he said ardently, “This is beautiful.”
“A lot of corporations would pay dearly for this information, even kill for it. He knew who to call, if he was going to cash in on Richard’s research.
He dialed a number on his cell phone, waiting for the other end to pick up.
“Hello,” a sultry woman’s voice said.
“Hello, it’s Saunders.”
“Mr. Saunders,What can I do for you,” annoyance was evident.
“Something has suddenly come to my attention, which I believe will interest you and your associates.”
“I’m a very busy person, please don’t waste my time.”
“I have important information that is worth billions of dollars. All I’m asking is for you to meet me, give me twenty minutes, and if you don’t like what you hear, I’ll never bother you again.”
“We’ve done business with you before and you failed to deliver, do you recall?”
“Yes, I know…but that was a long time ago and the circumstances are totally different. We’ve done business since and it’s all turned out well.”
“Yes, but that’s when we contacted you. When you initiate my associates and I became very uncomfortable.”
“I can assure you, you’ll be amazed at what I have to bring to the table—I guarantee it.”
“Twenty minutes?”
“That’s all I need.”
“Where?”
“Cannery Row…the usual place,” he said.
“When?”
“ASAP. Pick the time.”
“This afternoon−3:30−Don’t be late,” she advised.
“I’ll see you then,” he said as the cell disconnected.
Professor Saunders opened his blinds. His office overlooked picturesque Monterey Bay. He looked out at the ocean, blind to it’s beauty, his mind was elsewhere. He was going over the data, Richard had sent him. Amazing, he thought, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
He printed Richard’s data sticking it in a file folder. The conversation went the way he expected it, except for bringing up the past. Why can’t they let it go and leave it alone. It was damn near eleven years ago and I’ve made them money since then, he thought, it wasn’t my fault, it was his stupid wife’s. Everything would have been fine, but she had to come home, she had to ruin it.
He pushed the thoughts of the past out of his mind, so he could focus on the task at hand. The only thing that could wreck his plans−if Richard shared his data with others. I need to confirm, he’s shared his research with no one else, he thought.
He picked up his cell phone, once again, and dialed.
* * *
“So, are you going to talk to us about the holding hands,” Olivia giggled, “What’s going on?”
“Yeah, has there been a love connection?” Derek asked.
“That’s why we came out h
ere, to have a talk with you guys,” Richard said.
“About the love connection?” Derek asked.
“Something like that, but other things too,” Donna said.
“Okay,” the kids replied.
“You want to talk here or inside?” Donna asked.
“Out here,” Olivia said, “It’s so nice.”
“That’s fine; we can talk out here,” Richard said, “We—“
Richard paused, when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled the phone out, intending to ignore the caller, but he recognized the prefix.
“Sorry guys…give me a second,” Richard said apologetically. He held the phone to his ear as he walked away.
“Richard speaking.”
“Richard, it’s Steve…long time no talk. I received an email from you the other day, but I was out of town.”
“Steve, how are you?”
“I’m good,” Steve said rolling his eyes. He hated the small talk, but he hated Richard more, “How are you doing?”
“Everything’s great over here. How are your wife and kids? Wow, your kids should be ready for college, shouldn’t they?”
“This fall…first one flies the coop. She decided on Berkeley. And how’s Olive doing?”
“Olivia,” he corrected, as he considered the question. He eyed the screen door, which was barely hanging on, “She’s…Super!”
* * *
Richard was a good distance away, but Olivia could hear both sides of his conversation. She knew she shouldn’t be eavesdropping, but she hadn’t learned how to control it yet. She wasn’t happy about it; there was nothing she could do. She was at the mercy of her ears.
She was tortured by their small talk and annoyed when Steve called her Olive, then she laughed at her father’s play-on-words, saying she was ‘super’.
* * *
“It’s been a long time since we last talked. I’m sure you can imagine the shock finding an email from you in my inbox, and when I read it, I was in disbelief. Richard is this for real?” He asked, even though he was familiar with Richard’s work ethic; he didn’t joke about work.
“It is completely factual and I have my test subject to back up my research,” Richard said confidently.
“Have you shared your finding with anyone else?”
“No…no one.”
“Good! This is not something you want to advertise, not until you are ready to move forward with clinical trials. Be sure you keep a lid on this.”
“I plan to,” Richard said.
“So, Minnie…actually grew twenty-four percent and had a weight gain of eighty-five, is this accurate? No miscalculations?”
“Steven, you know how I work. I’ve calculated and recalculated. There is no mistake.”
“So everything else: strength, speed, hearing, and sight have all improved?”
“Exponentially.”
“Are there any side effects?”
“No, none so far,” he said.
* * *
Donna, Derek and Olivia stood silently by the porch waiting for Richard to return. Olivia was listening to her father’s conversation, unbeknownst to the others. Derek was aware of her super hearing, but it hadn’t occurred to him that she might be eavesdropping.
“Let’s sit down, this could take a while,” Donna said, walking toward the rear of the SUV to sit on the tailgate; Derek and Olivia followed. Donna gaped at it, “Olivia were you sitting here?” Derek chuckled.
“What?” She was pulled away from her eavesdropping.
“Were you sitting here?” Donna pointed. There were two spots on the edge of the tailgate that had been crunched.
“Oh…yeah,” she grimaced, “Sorry, I was a little mad.”
“That’s what that creaking noise was!” Derek exclaimed. Proud to have connected the dots.
“It’s okay. I’m sure your father won’t be angry. It’s really not your fault,” Donna said soothingly. “I wonder who your father is talking to.”
“Steve,” she answered. Derek’s eyes widened.
“You’re listening aren’t you?” He was obviously excited about her ability.
“Olivia, you shouldn’t be listening,” Donna said firmly.
“I can’t help it, I don’t know how to control it yet,” Olivia explained.
“So…what are they talking about? Anything interesting?” Derek asked eagerly.
“Small talk so far…now it’s about Chromosome ‘S’.”
“That’s enough, no more! You really shouldn’t be telling us!” Donna said, “It’s not right to eavesdrop.”
“Okay…sorry.”
* * *
“Richard, I feel I need to re-emphasize because it’s critical you listen – you need to keep this quiet. Chromosome ‘S’ is an amazing find and there are people out there who would be willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on it. The more people you tell, the more danger you bring to you and Olive. I know it’s a bad memory and I really do hate to mention it, but remember your wife and what happened to her. Don’t put you and your daughter in danger. I hate to see anything happen to Olive…”
“Her name’s Olivia,” Richard said adamantly.
“Olivia, sorry,” he corrected himself, he didn’t care what her name was. “I really hope you’ll listen to me on this. I’m only looking out for your welfare.”
“Well, thanks for caring. I appreciate the concern.” This conversation did not sit well with Richard.
“Well, I have to get going now, I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on…let’s keep in touch.”
“I think we should,” Richard agreed.
“Keep up the good work and congratulations!”
“Thanks,” Richard said as the phone disconnected. He turned, walking toward the others, sitting on the tailgate.
“Sorry Dad,” Olivia said.
“About what?” Richard asked.
“She was listening to your conversation, like the bad girl she is,” Derek said, “Bad little white girl!”
“Your hearing has improved that much? Incredible,” Richard commented, without acknowledging the eavesdropping.
“I wanted to apologize for this,” she moved her legs, exposing the damaged tailgate, “I was mad. I’m really sorry…oh! And for the screen door too. Sorry!” Richard raised an eyebrow when he saw the crumpled metal. He had noticed the door, earlier, but didn’t seem to care.
“You ready to talk to the kids?” Donna asked, glancing at Richard.
“Sure…You want to start of should I?”
“You can start,” Donna said smiling.
“Okay, There are a couple of things we need to discuss. First…Donna and I have been manipulated by two very sneaky little elves, who shall remain nameless,” Derek and Olivia smiled at each other, “Into dating each other, though it would have happened eventually.”
“Yeah right!” Derek exclaimed.
“Derek!” Donna said, scolding him, even though she agreed with him.
“Sorry”
“Anyway, Donna and I have decided to explore our relationship.”
“You mean−you like her and she likes you? So you guys are going to start dating, right?” Olivia clarified.
“Exactly!” Donna said, “That’s what you guys wanted, right?”
“Yes!” Derek and Olivia answered.
“We can’t believe it took so long. I mean…it was so obvious!” Olivia said.
“Something’s are easier seen, when emotions aren’t involved,” Richard explained, “Okay…so we’re done with that?”
“I have a question?” Derek said. Richard nodded. “Can I have a baby brother?” He smiled. Olivia covered her mouth as she giggled. Donna and Richard flushed, as they glanced at each other. They ignored his comment.
“Okay, so we’re done with that!” Richard announced, “The next thing we need to discuss are your changes.”
“What about them?” Olivia inquired.
“What changes have you noticed so far?” Richard asked.
“Well…” She took a moment to ponder the question, “I’m stronger and my hearing and eyesight have gotten better…oh, and my smell has improved,” she said.
“I don’t know about that…you still smell the same to me!” Derek quipped.
“Shut up!” Olivia retorted.
“Let’s stay focused, Derek,” Richard said smiling.
“Sorry,” he said.
“Olivia, is that all the changes?”
“I think so.”
“One more. You’re quicker!” Derek said turning to Richard, “It was awesome! She plucked a fly, right out of the air by its wings.”
Donna’s eyes widened.
“You’re going to have more changes.” Richard declared.
“How many more?” Olivia asked apprehensively.
“I couldn’t say for sure. We will have to wait and see, but I’ve noticed one that you have not.”
“What is it,” Olivia asked with a worried look on her face.
“Do me a favor…stand up,” Olivia did as instructed, “You wore those same pants last week. If I remember correctly, they fit you perfectly. Look at them now.”
They all looked toward her feet. It was true! She had grown enough to raise the cuff of her pants, allowing her socks to be seen.
“How much am I going to grow? Please don’t tell me I’m going to be ten feet tall.” Olivia asked.
“Nothing like that,” Richard assured, “If my calculations are correct, in the next week or so you should grow to five-nine.”
Olivia was fine with the news. In fact, she was ecstatic about the revelation. I won’t be the smallest person in school anymore, she thought, Yahoo!! Her feelings were made evident by her smiling face.
“Well, I’m glad you’re happy with that change,” Richard said.
“I have a question…won’t her becoming ‘The Jolly Green Giant’ all of a sudden, cause people to ask questions?” Derek asked.
