Mary slumped in her seat and breathed the biggest sigh of relief she had ever breathed. Down in the rink, Phos looked at her and waved excitedly. She shook her head and couldn't help laughing.
The clowns were getting the bull back through the gate when he suddenly stopped and turned his massive gray head around. He eyed Phos and charged.
Mary jumped. "WATCH OUT!"
Too late.
Phos still had his back to the bull when it struck. It grabbed him with its blunted horns and tossed him into the stands like a toy.
"Phos!" Mary tripped and stumbled down the steps into the crowd of people swarming around him. Someone called for the medics, who came immediately.
"Let me by!" she cried as she shoved her way through. Panic welled up in her. All she could think about was if he was injured, paralyzed, or even dead. She hadn't even considered the fact that he was her only way home.
As if on cue, the crowd cheered and Phos stood on his feet. He looked a little dazed. But mercifully, he seemed all right.
"Mary!" he said as he made his way to her. "Did you see that? Did you see me?"
She stared at him.
"Mary?" Phos asked, his smile fading.
She said nothing. Suddenly, Mary balled up her fist and punched him. Pain surged through her hand.
"Ooo!" the crowd gasped.
Shaking the soreness from her hand, Mary stormed out of the stands. She was walking into the parking lot when Phos caught up with her.
"You're upset," he remarked.
"Really, Captain Obvious?" she said. "I hadn't noticed."
"You're also crying," he added.
"That's stupid," she said. "I can't cry."
Phos took her arm gently but firmly so that she would stop walking. He touched her face with his feverish hand and showed her a tear on his fingers. Somehow, it had found its way out of her tiny tear ducts.
Mary stared at her tear on his hand. She touched her own face and felt the wet trail it had left.
"I frightened you greatly," Phos said. "Didn't I?"
Mary looked in his eyes and nodded.
Phos wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry."
But Mary pulled away and wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "No. This doesn't make what you did okay. You could've died!"
"Mary," he said calmly. "I was never in any danger. I told you before. I can't be killed. I'm not made to die."
Mary wiped her face again. "What are you saying? You're indestructible or something?"
"Well, not exactly," he said. "But my energy is constantly regenerating Carter's body. I'm healing all the time and very quickly. Look." He raised part of his shirt, revealing a disgusting bruise on his torso.
She wrinkled her face. "Ew."
"Three of my ribs are broken," he explained.
"Omigosh!" she cried. "We need to get you to a hospital!"
"Just wait for a minute and watch," he said.
Mary stared at him. But she did wait and watch. The bruise was quite large and had different shades of black, blue, and some red on the edges. Suddenly, the bones slowly moved under his skin. They made all kinds of sickening noises as they went back to their proper places. The colorful hues on his skin began to morph, like someone was pushing paint around with a brush. Then, the bruise started to fade.
Mary didn't even blink for fear of missing something. In just over a minute, the broken bones and bruise were completely healed. Speechless, Mary touched his side. Healthy, whole, and blazing hot.
Phos smiled. "See? Good as new." He lowered his shirt and wrapped his arms around her again. His lips brushed hers.
"That's not fair," she mumbled.
"What isn't?" he asked.
"You're making it hard for me to be mad at you," she answered.
"That's the idea." He gently pressed her back against a car and kissed her. "Is it working?"
She didn't answer, since her lips were busy. She knocked his hat off so that she could run her fingers through his hair. When her mouth started hurting, Mary turned her head up slightly so that Phos could kiss her chin. He worked his way along her jawline to her throat.
"Uh, can we have our car?"
Mary and Phos jumped apart. A man and a woman stood in front of the car, looking at them awkwardly. Mary blushed and fought to keep from bursting into chuckles.
"Our apologies," Phos said. "Have a good evening."
The couple got into their car and drove off. Once they were gone, both Mary and Phos broke down in laughter.
"Are you still mad at me?" he asked.
When Mary caught her breath again, she shook her head. "No, I'm not mad anymore. But please, no more bull riding."
"If you knew what a beating this body takes when I have to burn space debris, you wouldn't think much of bull riding," he said.
"Then don't burn anymore space debris either," she said.
"It's my job," he said. "I can't get out if that."
She sighed. "Fine. But still, no more bull riding."
He smiled. "All right. No more bull riding."
"Promise?" she asked.
He looked at her curiously. "What?"
"Promise," she said. "It's something humans make when we say we'll do something and then actually do it."
"I see," he said. Then he nodded. "I promise."
"Good." Mary pointed to her throat. "And whatever you were doing here just now felt really good."
Phos laughed. "Blame Carter. I learned it from him." He took her in his arms again and kissed her once on her neck. "There. Now time to get you home."
"Can't we stay out a little longer?" Mary asked.
He shook his head. "I told your mother I wouldn't take advantage of you. The longer we stay out, the harder it's going to be for me to keep that promise."
Mary stared at him. Then she sighed and laughed. "All right. Let's go."
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- 23 -
Wish
On Sunday afternoon, Mary and Mom cleaned the apartment together. They folded laundry on the couch while Mom talked about work. "Three more kids were released this week."
"Really?" Mary said. "That's great!"
Mom chuckled. "Isn't it? We gave them one big party. It's so strange. Ever since Scotty went home, the other kids have been responding positively to their treatments. Two of the ones that left this week were actually scheduled to stay longer, but now they don't need to."
"Strange but wonderful," Mary said. She wondered, after they had talked in Vietnam that one time, if Phos had anything to do with it.
Just then, the door buzzer rang.
"Who could that be?" Mom asked. "Were you expecting anyone?"
Mary shook her head as she went to the speaker next to the door. "Who is it?"
"Carter," she heard Phos say. "May I come up, please? It will only be for a minute."
Mary and Mom looked at one another curiously. He'd never asked to come to the apartment before.
Mom shrugged. "Sure, let him in."
Mary pressed the button to let him into the building. A few minutes later, a soft knock came to their door.
"Hello," he said with a smile. "I apologize for coming unexpectedly. But I wanted to personally invite you both to my birthday dinner next week."
He gave Mary the invitation. It had Carter's house address and directions. She passed it to Mom.
"Your birthday?" Mom asked. "And you want me there, too?"
He nodded. "As well as Mrs. Phan. I hope you will all be able to come. My parents would be delighted to meet you."
Mary looked at Mom.
Mom looked at the invite once more. "Well, I don't think we have anything to do that night. Thanks, Carter. We'll be there."
He smiled. "Thank you. Until then."
"Can I walk with him downstairs?" Mary asked.
Mom nodded. "Just don't be long. It's your turn to vacuum."
On the way downstairs, Phos said hi to Bruce. "Oh, and I brought this for you." He took a DVD case out of
his pocket. It was Enter the Dragon, a Bruce Lee film.
Bruce's eyes lit up like stars. "You get dis fo me?"
Phos nodded. "I hope you like it."
Mary had never seen Bruce so happy. Actually, she had never seen him happy period. "I go watch tonight," he said. "See you at pawty."
As Bruce scurried to his apartment, Mary asked, "You invited Bruce?"
Phos nodded.
Mary laughed. "You just make friends everywhere you go, don't you?"
"I've never had a birthday before," he said. "I want to know what it's like."
Mary smiled. "Anything I should bring?"
"You," he answered.
She rolled her eyes. "I meant, like, chips and salsa."
"I know," he said and pulled her close to him. "But I don't want chips and salsa."
She laughed. "What about a gift?"
He kissed her.
"I guess that's my answer," she said.
He chuckled. "See you at school."
On the day of Carter's birthday party, Mary poked her head through the open bathroom door. "Mom, can I borrow some shoes and a scarf to cover my scar?"
"Sure, Sweetie. Get whatever you want from my closet." Mom was leaning into the mirror, outlining her eyes with a makeup pencil.
Mary examined Mom's dress. "You look nice. Why are you so dressed up?"
Mom smiled. "It's a dinner party. It's one of the few times I get to wear something other than scrubs or sweats, and I want to make the most of it. Besides, who are you to talk? You're wearing that white dress again."
Mary looked down at her solitary frock. "Well, Phos likes it—I mean Carter!" She quietly scolded herself for letting his name slip. "Carter likes it."
But Mom said, "You've called him that before. Nick name or something?"
"Uh, yeah," Mary said. "An inside physics joke."
"I see," Mom said. "You know, I could probably try and hide that scar with concealer and foundation. Some eye shadow and lip gloss wouldn't hurt you either."
"Do I have to?" Mary asked.
Mom chuckled. "Come on. It'll be painless."
Mary sat on the counter while Mom applied the makeup. "You really like him, don't you?" Mom asked.
"Yeah," Mary said. "I like him a lot. But you don't."
"Well, I don't want him to give my eulogy," Mom said.
Mary rolled her eyes. "More morbid humor?"
"I am what I am," Mom said. "Anyway, he hasn't done anything I don't approve of. Has he?"
Not counting the possessing Carter part? Mary answered, "No."
"Then I don't have anything against him," Mom said.
Mary smiled. "I'm glad to hear you say that."
Mom smiled as well. "There. One cleverly hidden scar, if I say so myself."
Mary turned and looked in the mirror. The line near her collarbone was almost invisible. "That's awesome! How come we never thought to do this before?"
"You used to not wear that dress," Mom said. "Turn around again so I can do your eyes. Then we need to go get Ba."
When they were ready, they grabbed a cab and headed to Agape. A nurse had Ba dressed and ready in the lobby. However, Ba seemed rather quiet. Mary hadn't seen her regularly for a while. In fact, she had seen less of Ba ever since she started spending time with Phos.
"Ba?" Mary asked. "Are you all right?"
"Oh yes. I'm fine," she said with a smile. But the smile faded as she looked away.
"She's been like that for the past couple days," the nurse said. "But she's had her medication on time as usual, so she should be good to go."
"We'll have her back no later than nine o'clock," Mom said. "Thanks for getting her ready."
The three of them climbed into the cab and headed for the Maxwells' house. It was in a nice gated community. There was a guardhouse with an actual guard, and they had to tell him their names and why they were there before he would let them through. They drove through the winding neighborhood. The houses were huge and pretty, with great lawns. Mary had only seen houses like these on TV and in magazines.
The cab dropped them off in front of a house with a tall roof and brown stonewalls. The black Aston sat underneath a stone archway between a silver Porsche and an odd-looking SUV that said "Range Rover" across the front of it.
When they rang the doorbell, Mr. Romero answered. "Welcome!" The last time Mary had seen him was at the hospital. He was almost unrecognizable now that he was all smiles and cheer. "Come in, come in!"
He showed them through the richly decorated house to the living room, where over a dozen people were talking and laughing. Mary saw Bruce, along with a few other adults she didn't recognize. George, Emma, and Julia from Agape were also there, having been brought by a grandchild or other relative. And Mary saw some kids from school.
"Mary!" Sienna greeted as she and David made their way over to her.
"Hey guys," Mary said. "I didn't know you were going to be here."
"We almost didn't come," David said. "But Sienna wanted to see the inside of Carter's house."
"Can you believe this place?" Sienna said. "There's a pool table upstairs and a game room with the biggest TV I've ever seen. And they have a pool and a half basketball court in the back!"
Mary introduced Sienna and David to Mom and Ba. They chatted for about a minute before she felt a warmer than warm hand grasp hers.
"Good evening," Phos said. "Enjoying yourselves?"
"Better now," Mary said with a smile.
He turned to Sienna and David. "My apologies, but may I steal Mary and her family away for a moment? I'd like them to meet my parents."
Phos took them into a sitting room that had brilliant pieces of abstract art hanging on the walls. Ben was there, talking to a tall gentleman with graying hair and a slender woman with broad shoulders.
"Dad? Eva? This is Mary and her mother and grandmother," Phos said.
Mr. Maxwell smiled. "A pleasure to finally meet you, Mary. I can see now why Carter enjoys your company so much."
Mary blushed as she shook his hand.
Ben turned to shake Mom's hand. "It's great to finally meet you, Ms. Phan. Your daughter and grandmother come to my shop a lot."
The smile on Mom's face faltered for a moment. "You're Ben? From the art store?"
Mary was glad that Mom was finally meeting Ben. Maybe now she wouldn't think he was crazy or anything.
"I absolutely love his work," Carter's stepmom said. "Carter told us about the art show and the phoenix sculpture, and I thought such a piece would be wonderful to have."
"But he said it wasn't for sale," Mr. Maxwell chuckled.
Ben smiled. "I'm afraid not. That one has some personal significance."
"But you could make more like it, can't you?" Carter's dad asked.
"Of course," Ben said.
"My company's opening offices in Dubai," Mr. Maxwell said. "What do you think about making a series of sculptures for them?"
Ben's eyes went as wide as saucers. "Seriously?"
Carter's dad laughed. "I'm always serious when it comes to money. But what am I doing? I'm sorry, Carter. I promised not to talk business tonight, didn't I?"
Phos laughed. "I think this is a good exception. Will you do it, Ben? I think it would be great for others to see your work."
Ben looked back and forth between Phos and Carter's dad. "Well, I…don't know."
"Why don't you think about it?" Mr. Maxwell reached into his suit jacket and took out a crisp white business card. "And let me know what you decide."
"I will," Ben said as he took the card. "Thank you."
"Hey everyone." Raj poked his head into the room, smiling his Hollywood smile. "Food's hot and ready, so come get it!"
They followed him out back with the other guests, where an elegant buffet table stood on the stone patio heaped with food from Spice. Everyone filled their plates and sat down at a beautifully dressed long table, with the adults gathering to one side and the kids gravitating to the other.
"I was a real troublemaker in Korea," George said. Since it was a nice occasion, he had his teeth in. They looked really odd on him.
Julia rolled her eyes. "Here we go."
He ignored her and continued, "Got nearly court marshaled once for damaging gov'ment property."
"What did you do?" Mrs. Maxwell asked.
"Din' ya hear, woman?" he snapped. "I said I damaged gov'ment property! And people say I'm losin' my hearin'."
George's granddaughter, who had brought him, took his hand. "It's all right, gramps. You don't have to yell."
"He was on leave," Emma chuckled. "And he got sunburned."
"Damaged gov'ment property!" George cried.
At the other end of the table, Sienna shoveled a spoonful of curry into her mouth. "This is so good!"
Gita, Raj's younger sister, beamed. "I'm glad. It's a family recipe."
Raj looked at David. "You okay, bro?"
David, red from ear to ear, gulped down a glassful of ice water. "It's a little hot for me," he wheezed.
"We brought milder stuff," Raj said.
"Yeah," Gita said. "Did you try the yellow curry? That's pretty mild."
"That was the yellow curry," Sienna explained as her boyfriend took her cup of water and ate the ice from it.
Mary looked over at Ba. She sat with her friends from Agape as they chatted. Normally, Ba interacted with them, but she just sat there looking off into the distance.
Mary went to sit next to her. "Ba?"
Ba looked at her. "Oh, hi Mary. Are you having fun?"
Mary nodded. "How about you? Did you get enough to eat?" She noticed that Ba's plate was hardly touched.
"I did," she said. "I had a late snack this afternoon, so I'm not very hungry." Her eyes wondered off again, this time towards the pool.
"Carter's parents have a pretty neat place, huh?" Mary asked.
Ba looked at her again. "Oh yes. Very nice." She looked away again.
Mary stared at her for a moment. Then she took her hand. "Hey, Ba? We haven't gone shopping in a while. You wanna go tomorrow when I'm off from school?"
Ba's eyes met hers again. This time, her face lit up. "That would be wonderful! We can look for more dresses for you, since you're starting to wear them more."
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