Like the white man did to the Hawaiians, Jack thought.
Amos’ voice entered his mind. Hawaiians?
Yes, thought Jack. We have a place on the Earth called Hawaii. They are islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. When they were discovered by the white man there were natives living on the islands. The white men brought diseases with them for which the natives had no immunity. Almost all of them became sick and died. Jack realized that he was telepathing once again.
Amos entered his mind, saying, That is a very sad story of ignorance. A pity. Your communicating was good, Jack, and you are correct about the purpose of the second set of cabinets. That is exactly their function.
For the rest of the night Jack helped Hal insert and move the cocoons from cabinet to cabinet to center table. It was dawn when they finished, but Jack was not tired. Amos told him that he could sleep for an hour or two if he chose.
“But I don’t feel tired,” Jack answered aloud.
“Good,” Amos replied. “I didn’t think the beams above the cots would work that well with Earth beings. You can use the cots if you do not wish to sleep. It provides the same purpose.”
To fortify himself in case of drowsiness, Jack walked to one of the empty cots and lay down for five minutes. When he got up he felt as though he could work twenty-four hours nonstop. The level of energy and well being surging inside him was a sensation he had never felt before, and one that he would never forget.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – WHAT HAPPENED TO US?
It was their third day in the “health club.” Ben Green had tried the table the day before, but when the overhead cone turned on he got scared and jumped off the table. Ben had decided to try the table today. This time he stayed there and the feeling was quite pleasant. Ben was covered with a fine white ash. “You look like you’re covered with Shake ‘n’ Bake,” Bernie remarked. “What the hell is that stuff?”
Ben wiped some of the substance from his forehead. It came off easily and disappeared from his finger. “Beats me,” he said, “except I feel very ...”—he hesitated—”... dry ... yes ... dry is the word. Like I’ve been in an oven, but there was no heat.”
The ash was a result of his lying on the center table for less than a minute. It could not be explained, but it didn’t seem to be harmful. As Ben brushed it off his hands none of it ever reached the floor. It simply vanished in air. “I thought the dammed thing burned me,” Ben said as he slipped off the table, “but my hair is still here. I don’t know what this lamp does, but I do recommend it highly.”
Art, who was in the first cabinet, yelled that he would try the table after he finished his steam bath.
The most confused man in the room was Joe Finley. At this moment he was lying in the eighth cabinet. He had been in there for ten minutes and was experiencing a very strange feeling. He had discovered that the control panels on the last five cabinets were different from the first five. The others had not noticed that before. Yesterday, when his friends had shown him the room, his thoughts were still on the effects of the recurrence of the leukemia he was experiencing. Tiredness was definitely getting worse. What good would a health club be to a dying man, he thought? But because of his friends’ excitement, he decided to come and share their discovery. He had spent twenty minutes in the third cabinet next to Bernie Lewis before getting into number eight. It was surprising that when he got out he felt much better. Then they all had watched Art Perlman lie down on one of the cots and allow the beams to spread over his body. He related the experience to his buddies as sensationally relaxing, so they all took a cot and shared the experience. Afterward, they went out to the pool for their swim and card game. That’s when the surprises began to happen.
Ben Green hit the pool first and began to swim his normal laps. Bernie and Art dove in next and caught up with Ben. The trio swam until they realized that they were racing and that the people around the pool were cheering them on. They had done twenty laps when Bernie suggested they stop. No one was tired. They were breathing very hard and their hearts were beating rapidly. But they were definitely not tired. Then they realized that Joe Finley was nowhere to be seen. Ben shouted for him. No answer. Suddenly Joe exploded out of the water in front of them. He had swum the entire length of the pool underwater. He slid out of the pool and up onto the ledge in one graceful motion. In a split-second he was standing next to his three buddies. “Guys,” he said, “I don’t know what kind of equipment they put in that health club, but I feel absolutely great. I can’t wait to get back there tomorrow.”
The four men then sat down at their table and began the card game. No one could think straight because of the new physical feelings they were having.
Finally, Ben spoke. “Let’s meet in my apartment this afternoon. The girls have their mah-jongg game, so we won’t be disturbed. I think we have to have a serious discussion about the health club.”
Art agreed. “I think we’ve stumbled on to something special. I can’t explain. Just a feeling. But...”
Bernie Lewis interrupted. “Keep it down, guys, or we’ll have the entire condominium jammed into that room.”
The four men didn’t notice the other phenomena that were occurring because of their excitement. Normally they played gin for two hours before lunch. On a good day they got about thirty hands completed. Today they played twice that number. For the most part they also knew what the next card was before they picked it. They also had strong feelings about what hand their opponents were playing. No one realized it, but they were reading each other’s minds and thoughts. Later, they would understand why.
After lunch they met at Ben Green’s condo. He had a corner apartment on the fifth floor and therefore a large balcony. The four men sat in chaise lounge chairs and sipped iced coffee as they talked about their discovery.
Joe opened the conversation. “I gotta tell you guys. I still feel super.”
“Me too,” Bernie chimed in. “And I’ll tell you a little secret. After lunch I took Rose to the bedroom. We had a matinee. I haven’t done that for, well, more than ten years, at least. And I tell you, I could have stayed with her all afternoon.”
The others laughed, but they understood what Bernie was talking about. The same feelings had crossed each of their minds. Bernie was a man of action. The others felt as though they had missed something, and each made a mental note to give it a try.
“I think Joe was right this morning,” Ben continued. “We have found something extraordinary. This must be very new equipment; experimental stuff. But what the hell is it? Any ideas?” Ben asked.
Art spoke next. “I don’t know what the stuff is, but let’s really agree to keep it quiet for a little while. If everyone in this place began to feel like I do this afternoon, and the word got out, we would have a mob scene here. The press. TV. Shields”
Joe Finley stared down toward the pool and watched a man in his seventies struggle to swim a few laps. He recalled diving into the pool that morning and swimming underwater without even taking a breath. It had felt natural. While he was underwater he had a sensation that he was a diver - no longer in a pool, but rather deep in the ocean. The water was warm and crystal clear. Below him he could see other divers, and below them objects that appeared to be long white tubes. Then the image had blurred and he had popped out of the water to greet his friends. As he watched the old man swim, he decided to withhold his experience from his friends until he understood what it meant. “I think there is a proper sequence to the equipment,” Joe said. “I don’t know what that sequence is, but I believe we should experiment. Tomorrow, let’s give it a real thorough going over and see if we can figure out a sequence.”
“How can we do that?” Art asked. “We don’t know even what the damned stuff is!”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Joe said. “There are four of us, and as far as I can see there are six different pieces of equipment. The cabinets, the cots, the center table, and two devices near the screen wall, and maybe the wall itself. Notice how
it changed color when Ben got onto the center table today? I think we should each start with a different piece of equipment and go through a particular sequence. Then let’s wait a day and reverse the sequence. By that time we should have a better idea of what each one does and affects the next.”
“Or visa versa,” Bernie said.
“Sounds like a plan,” Ben agreed. “Of course, another way to do it is to have one of us do a sequence and observe how he feels and what his reactions are. Then another can do it differently.”
“That could take too long,” said Joe impatiently. His voice was sharp and curt. The others looked at him questioningly.
“We’re retired, Joe. What’s the rush?” Ben asked. “Sorry, guys,” Joe said. He paused. “You know my, uh, my problem. Well, lately I’ve been having some bad symptoms again. I know you noticed and I thank you for keeping it to yourselves. I can’t explain it, but somehow that room is a very special place. To me it’s like ... like being reborn in a way. I spent twenty minutes in that cabinet and a few minutes on the cot. Do you guys know I swam the pool underwater?”
“Sure,” said Ben, “we saw you.”
“No,” said Joe, “you saw me at the end. I swam four laps underwater ... without stopping for air.”
“My God!” Bernie said, standing up. “Are you shitting us? Four laps underwater? How?”
“I don’t know how. That’s just my point. It certainly has to do with the room, and I’m going to find out how it does and what that means. I tell you guys, and I wasn’t going to say this, but somehow I believe that the answer to my trouble, my illness, is in that room, and nothing is going to stop me from finding out.”
“Amen,” Art Perlman agreed.
“Amen,” the group echoed.
CHAPTER NINETEEN – LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON
Alma was surprised that Joe wanted to make such an early appointment with the doctor. . He was intent on getting back to the complex. He concentrated on driving. Conversation was nonexistent, so she had time to contemplate the strange actions that her husband had exhibited during the past twenty-four hours.
He had returned from the gin game just after noon. He seemed preoccupied when she had asked him what he wanted for lunch. But his request for a sizable meal surprised her. Then, when she leaned to give him a peck on the cheek he embraced her with a strength she had not felt for years. He kissed her and slid his hands around to her breasts, then bent down and kissed them through the soft cashmere of her sweater. His sudden and unexpected amorous action sent a sensation through her that nearly gave her an orgasm. She pulled away and made a joke about it, but she was actually disoriented from the surge of passion that she had felt.
Joe wolfed down his lunch and was showering when she left for the mah-jongg game. She yelled, “See you later, honey,” into the shower. A loud, “You betchum, Red Ryder,” had boomed back at her.
Puzzled, she left Joe singing in the shower.
The mah-jongg game had been pleasant, but there too something was different. Toward the end of the game Alma realized that the difference was Rose Lewis. Rose was a good player who kept things moving. Today she was in another world. She seemed preoccupied and distracted.
Her excuse was that she felt as if she was coming down with something - perhaps the flu. The other women accepted the explanation. Alma didn’t.
As the afternoon drew to a close, Rose became impatient. Alma, still wondering about Joe’s sudden surge of energy, also felt an urge for the game to end. She wanted to get home so Alma suggested that they break early so that Rose could get into bed and try to fight off the flu.
Rose’s reaction was violent, especially at the mention of bed. “Bed?” she had said. “I’m not going to bed. What would I do in bed?”
“Rest,” Bess Perlman suggested. “Take some aspirin and stop the fever. That’s what you do in bed.”
Rose stared at her for a moment, then smiled and said, “Of course. You’re right. I’ll do that.”
Then the game broke up.
Alma returned to her apartment to find Joe sitting on their terrace sipping a gin-and-tonic. She had not seen him take a drink of hard liquor in months.
“Join me?” he had asked. “Sure.” She sat down. “One silver bullet coming up,” he said as he got up and went to their portable bar. She noticed that he had a martini glass on ice and a small pitcher already mixed. He poured the drink and handed it to her. “Your favorite. Straight up, extra dry and cold.” Alma took the drink
“Joe, do you feel ...” But she didn’t have time to complete the question. He raised his glass and touched hers.
“To us and to love and to this wonderful place,” he toasted. “And mostly to the woman I love very, very, very much.”
They drank. She finished hers in one gulp and he quickly refilled her glass. “You’re going to get me drunk,” she protested.
“Not drunk, sweetheart. Just a little warm.” She blushed because she knew what was coming, remembering the noontime embrace. And she was right.
He took her around the waist and led her to the bedroom. The bedspread had been removed. The covers had been turned back. The curtains were drawn and the radio was tuned to an FM station playing classical music. He took her glass and placed it on the night table, then turned and kissed her softly. She was floating. She vaguely remembered her husband taking off her clothes and then his own clothes. They were sitting on the bed, lying on the bed. Then they were all over the bed and each other. It went on for three hours ... loving ... resting ... touching ... loving ... resting. At one point he led her to the shower and they made love there, too. It was like a dream and she dared not interrupt it. Finally, he said, “Now, darling, this old retired actor would like something rare and juicy to eat. I’m starved.”
As she prepared the steaks, he napped. Alma Finley, a woman who prided herself in having control over her life and her emotions, wept some very happy tears onto the french-fried potatoes.
CHAPTER TWENTY – CONFUSED WIVES
Joe pulled into the Antares Building A parking spot. He was out of the car in a flash and headed toward the pool. “I don’t want to be late for the game!” he yelled over his shoulder. “See you for lunch.” Alma got out and watched him disappear around the building. Lunch? Who eats lunch? she thought. Not when you’re married to the last of the red-hot lovers!
As Alma put the key in the lock of their condo, she heard the phone ringing. She rushed to answer and found a distraught Rose Lewis on the other end.
“Alma, I’ve been trying you all morning.”
“We were at the doctor’s,” Alma said.
“Can I come over? I have to talk to someone. Do you have time? Now? Please.” Rose begged.
“Of course, dear. I’ll put up some coffee.”
The phone went dead. Strange, thought Alma. Rose is always sensitive to Joe’s illness. She usually asks what the doctor said, but not this time. Something must be wrong .I hope its not serious. She went to the kitchen and put up a pot of coffee.
As Rose Lewis made a beeline toward the Finley apartment, Mary Green was just waking up. She reached out her hand for her husband, but Bernie was not there. She sat up. There was a note on his pillow:
“You went back to sleep and you looked so peaceful I didn’t want to wake you. I’m off to play gin. See you later. Kisses.”
Mary fell back on her pillows and stretched. Her body felt a bit sore, but wonderful. She felt a twinge in her lower back. Then she felt the wetness of the sheet under her. Ben Green, she thought, you are a dirty old man. But great. At our age! Just great! They had made loved twice last night and again this morning. They had always had a fairly good sex life, but this was different. He seemed stronger and younger. He was gentle and caring and patient. He was, she thought, like ... like what? Like a lover? Yes. More. A passionate stranger who knew her. She realized that she was the stranger to herself. She smiled like a schoolgirl and fell back to sleep again.
Bess Perlman did not feel like a scho
olgirl at all. She sat alone in the kitchen sipping her coffee. Art had left the condo early after she pleaded with him to leave her alone. “You are like an animal!” she had yelled. “Enough already.”
Last night until two in the morning and then bright and early at six-thirty he wanted her again. “Arthur,” she had begged, “Leave me alone. I can’t anymore.”
“But I love you,” he had proclaimed.
“I love you too. But it’s been a long time. I’m just not prepared for this.” She had begun to cry. He stroked her head and held her close.
“I’m sorry, honey. I truly am. We’ll talk about it later.” He showered, dressed quickly and said he was going for breakfast at Junior’s Restaurant.
Talk about what? she wondered. What had gotten into him? He had sounded so positive and strong. Was this going to be a new thing? Was she prepared to deal with it? Did she want it? Did she need it? There were too many questions bouncing around inside her head. She decided she needed to talk to someone. She reached for the phone, but there was no answer at Rose Lewis’ apartment.
Rose related the story nonstop, almost without taking a breath. “This may seem personal and I’m sorry, but I respect you and your attitude on things ... I mean, you and I are friends. Not old friends, but I feel good about you and I have to talk to someone. So…Yesterday. It began yesterday. At lunch. My Bernie came in for lunch and it was ready for him on the table. It was his favorite - chopped liver and potato salad. A new pickle. A Dr. Brown’s Cel-Ray. He didn’t even see it. He ... he came at me ... he grabbed me ... not violent ... but, like a young man grabs a girl. You know?” Alma nodded. “He didn’t ask. Nothing. Just took me and carried me. I said carried me into the bedroom and put me on the bed. I’m sorry, Alma.” She began to cry.
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