by J. E. Foltin
CHAPTER EIGHT
C’MON GET HAPPY
As dawn broke, Howard and his four-man team loaded into his minivan and left Newark for the nearest curing tent in New York City.
In Washington, President Sinclair collaborated with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Energy, and the Secretary of Transportation to come up with an agreement that would benefit all parties not just in the United States, but worldwide, as it related to the use of the power pumps.
Inside the cube, nearly half the people joined in Chloe’s morning jog. Twyla even joined them, pushing a stroller with the twins inside. Some of them couldn’t finish the run, but they still joined the run. Today would be the end of their first week with the Qadarians.
About noon, the minivan arrived at the curing tent. There was already a line five blocks long. It was going to be quite a wait to get the cure-all.
After lunch, Levi addressed the twenty-six.
“Good day all. Well, today ends your first week of study. I trust all is to your liking here.
“Well, today we want to follow up on the subject of love with another positive emotion: happiness. Tell us about one of the happiest times in your life.”
“Happiness is spending another day with the kids,” Luisa said. “There is just something about being around them that makes me feel young as well.
“They say children are innocent. Most times this is true, but even the bad kids can learn right from wrong.
“Emilio ran off with my heart. These kids gave it back to me.”
“The happiest moment of my life was when Patrice agreed to marry me,” Marc said. “Before I met her, my life was going nowhere.
“She gave me a new direction, a reason to live. Without her, I have nothing. Without her, I am nothing.
“I’m sure that our wedding day will trump that as the happiest day of my life.”
“I can vouch for that,” Benjamin said. “The day I married Tracy was the happiest day of my life.
“I knew how strong my love was for her. This was my chance to shout it to the world for all to hear.
“Tracy never looked more beautiful than she did as she walked down the aisle in her wedding dress.
“Our parents were so happy. Our friends were so happy. But the combination of all the happiness in the audience still couldn’t compare to how happy I was.”
“My very first acting job,” Jessica said. “I was eleven. It was only two lines on a television show, and I only had about thirty seconds of air time.
“Still, it got my face out there for others to see. It soon led to other television spots and a couple of commercials.
“Soon, I had bit roles in movies. Then, my first leading role came Switched at Birth. Now, I’m known all over the world, but I never forget where it all started, on one of the happiest days of my life.”
“In my culture,” Michael said, “we are happy for every living thing around us. We are happy for the trees in the forest and the animals that dwell within.
“We are happy for the sun in the morning and the moon at night. We are happy for the wind that blows. We are happy for the ground beneath our feet.
“We are happy for the rain that falls from the sky. In short, we are happy for all that has been provided to us.”
“The happiest day of my life was my sixteenth birthday,” Robin said. “All my friends came over to my sweet sixteen party. I got plenty of great gifts.
“My parents got me the one I truly wanted, a 2012 Prius. A new car that was environmentally friendly. I took it out for a test drive, with a licensed adult, of course.
“I even got kissed by Ross Accetola, the class hunk. I cried my eyes out. I couldn’t have asked for a better day.”
“I was brought up a Cubs fan,” Wyatt said. “Needless to say, I didn’t have many seasons to be happy about.
“That all changed this past season. The Cubs made the World Series for the first time since 1946. They played the Yankees.
“I was able to get tickets to Game Seven. They were along the third base line. I was fortunate enough to catch a foul ball.
“At least now I can die now that I have seen the Cubs win their first championship since 1906.”
“In many ways, I’m like Michael,” Dennis said. “I, too, am grateful for everything that God has provided me. Without Him, nothing is possible. He created it all.
“Whenever I start to feel sad, I turn to His word and find comfort. Whenever I’m unsure of what to do, He is there.
“But my happiest day is yet to come. That will be when I meet my God face to face, walk side by side with Him.
“Until then, it brings me joy to spread His word to all who will listen.”
“My happiest day was the day my first child was born,” Tracy said. “We had tried for years to have a child. Finally, we were able to conceive one.
“What made the whole experience better was the fact that I had my best friend Benjamin there to help me through the tough times and to enjoy the good. We both cried when I got my first ultrasound.
“He was there in the delivery room through all twenty-four hours of labor. He only left my side for restroom breaks and to eat. Even then, he hurried back.
“The greatest moment came when I heard my daughter cry for the first time. We created a little miracle.”
“The only moment more precious than that,” said Helen, “will be the day your first grandchild is born.
“I still remember the day. All of the happiness with none of the pain. Just kidding.
“When you hold that precious little bundle of joy for the first time, you forget about all the problems in your life, all the problems in the world. All that matters is that child.”
“My happiest day was my first day as a teacher,” Scott said. “My dad taught me that the greatest feeling you can get is that of helping someone else.
“I wasn’t skilled physically to help, but I could help in other ways. In high school and college, I tutored others having problems in English.
“I knew early on I wanted to teach. To help future generations better themselves.
“With every A I hand out, I feel a sense of accomplishment, that I was able to reach another student. With every student that struggles, I see an opportunity to help more.”
“The day I sold my first painting,” Barbara said. “Since college, I had been painting. I kept most of them because my teacher didn’t like them.
“I entered one of them in a competition. I came in last place. Still, I didn’t give up. It was something I loved to do, and no one was going to stop me from making my art.
“I started showcasing my work at the Gallery Hop. It wasn’t until a few months later that someone liked my work, but not enough to buy it.
“As I kept painting, my greatest inspiration came. It was my best painting to date. When I entered it in a contest, I finished fourth place, a huge step up from last.
“At the Gallery Hop was where I finally sold it. The good news was I also met my future husband there. The bad news was I met my future ex-husband there, too.”
In New York, Howard and his team were within a block of the curing tent.
“The two happiest days of my life were the days I returned home from Iraq,” Brody said. “The first was to see my mom and brother again. When you are at war, there is no guarantee of a safe return.
“It was also shortly after that return that I met Rhonda, who was the reason I was so happy to come back the second time. That and the fact that I hadn’t seen my daughter before. She gave birth to her while I was away.
“My family means more to me than anything in the world. Seeing their smiling faces is the greatest feeling I can get.”
“Growing up, I was a huge Bon Jovi fan,” Chloe said. “I had all their albums. I had gotten to see them in concert once before.
“This time, I was only a few rows back from the stage at Madison Square Garden. I could almost feel the sweat as he wiped it from his brow.
“Then, Jon was about
to sing a ballad and asked for someone to come on stage for him to sing to. I waved my hands in the air and screamed my head off. He looked in my direction and called me up on stage.
“He sang ‘Always’ to me as I sat on a chair on the stage. When it was over, I got to hug Jon and Richie. That was one of the happiest moments of my life.”
Howard’s team made it to the curing tent after a four hour wait. The first to be treated was Joseph Maddox, who owned an Army-Navy surplus store. He faked symptoms of the flu.
At first, he tried to provoke the Qadarian verbally, insulting the size of his head and his body. The Qadarian was unphased.
Knowing he had to take more drastic measures, he bent over, acting as though he was suffering from stomach cramps. As he bent over, he took out his hunting knife, outside of the view of the Qadarian.
When the Qadarian checked to see if he was okay, Joseph stabbed him where he assumed his heart was. A thick, black substance resembling blood gushed from the wound.
Another Qadarian brandished a gun and shot Joseph with a laser. He was vaporized instantly.
Howard quickly spoke up. “See, the Qadarians can’t be trusted. He just killed one of my best friends.”
The Qadarian defended himself. “I was only defending myself. The human attacked my colleague, and I was afraid he would attack me.”
“Liar! My friend Joseph was acting in self-defense. He was threatened by the Qadarian. I could hear the threat. He said, ‘You will be the first of many to die today.’ Fearing for his life, he did the only thing he could. He took the alien’s life before the alien could take his.”
The people in the tent took the side of Howard. A riot ensued, driving the Qadarians away from the tent.
Word of this attack soon made national news. Howard told the national media the same story of self-defense.
The ship left Nevada and soon arrived at the curing tent to uncover the truth. They were unable to talk with Bartholomew, the alien who killed Joseph. He was taken into custody by the New York Police. In jail, he was beaten into submission by the other prisoners.
The other Qadarians verified Bartholomew’s story that his shooting was justified.
Tobias asked to speak with Bartholomew. He was denied access. By orders of President Sinclair, only military personnel could speak with the alien prisoner.
Inside the cube, the twenty-four were unaware of the attack. They were a bit concerned when dinner was late.
Fifteen minutes after six, Levi addressed the group.
“Sorry for the delay. We have decided to make for you a traditional Qadarian celebration feast.”
“What are we celebrating?”
“We just wanted you to sample some of our cuisine.”
Several dished appeared. There was glaodnor, which looked like a charred pig. It also tasted like charred pork. There was yisko, a blue leafy vegetable, and modracki, a brownish vegetable that tasted like black licorice. There was fe, their version of bread. For dessert, there was rusblah, a slimy dish like cake covered with a runny custard. To drink, that had azti, which tasted like several different flavors of Kool-Aid mixed together.
The group was nervous at first to try such strange food. Christian liked trying foods of other cultures. He was the guinea pig. He sampled each of the dishes.
When nothing happened to him, the others dug in. Even Robin, the vegetarian, tried the glaodnor.
They were oblivious to the fact that while they feasted on a peace dinner, the first shots of war had been fired.
