Quality control and other teams, from one of David’s companies, inspected the hemisphere.
***
“I can’t wear this. This will never fit.” Phyllis walked around the mannequin. “You even forgot a zipper.”
David smiled. “Mugga mugga magic.” Two seams from above either shoulder blade to its hem split in the back and the dress floated off the form. David glowed, seeing the surprise and amazement from his fiancé. “Get completely undressed.”
Phyllis mouth was agape. This was beautiful, but, but… She undressed.
“Completely.” Phyllis looked questioningly at him but complied. The dress floated to her. She stood still as either half floated over her. David approached and pushed the edges in the back together. “Electrostatic charges hold it together. It adjusts to fit you perfectly, with a 5% expansion or contraction built in. Just don’t get hit by lightning when you’re wearing it.”
She felt her breasts rise, semi-weightless and felt her waist compress upward.
David said, “Antigravity.”
Phyllis walked to a mirror. The top of the dress was almost transparent and skin-tight but was tinged with a sky-blue and white color. It reminded her of dragonfly wings. A cross-the-heart pattern accentuated her breasts. The remainder of the fabric draped downwards both revealing and accentuating her figure. No bulge or lump of fabric could be seen. From the waist and downwards, the sky-blue color slowly transformed to pure white. The fabric did not look like any fabric Phyllis had ever seen. Although it was completely flexible and light, it had the sheen of oyster shells, no pearls, but without any distracting beadwork. Toward her feet, the color again transformed to the blue-white color to her train. The train hovered an inch above the floor, shimmering as if blown by a light wind.
Phyllis stared at the mirror and cried. Minutes later she just hugged and kissed David.
***
Charlie Gonzales received an oversized letter in the mail. The letter was iridescent blue with white letters. It was a wedding invitation. It was followed by a telephone call from David and Phyllis. “Charlie, we’d like to invite you to our wedding. We’re having it on Saturday June 19th with festivities ending the next day. We’d like you to come to New York City that weekend. You can bring a friend.”
Charlie thought a second, “Sorry roomie, I’d love to, but I’m in Kansas City now. I’d love to drive up, but I got this new job, ya see.”
“Charlie, what if my Dad flies you up in a private plane, put you and your girlfriend up in Manhattan that weekend, at a swank hotel, and then have a limo drive you to the wedding, and have you flown back on Sunday? I recommend you wear a suit on the way up though.”
After a moment’s thought, “Your dad can do that? Sure.” ‘Man, what points I’d make with Daphne’, Charlie thought, ‘just the limo alone.’
***
A limousine driver picked up Charlie and his girlfriend outside Charlie’s new office. The white limo was a corporate stretch. The driver pointed out the Goldschlager in the liquor compartment, Charlie’s favorite. They were driven to a small airport, directly onto the tarmac, and placed on a C H Grumman hybrid corporate jet. Charlie Gonzales and Daphne St. John were the only passengers on the flight. The co-pilot frequently came back into the passenger section with information about their current location, and to refill their wine glasses. They were then brought from the JFK tarmac, using a second white limousine, to the Four Seasons hotel.
The hotel suite was in the most exclusive section of the hotel. When Charlie attempted to give a tip to the bellhop, the man refused, saying that EVERYTHING was paid for. Tickets were provided for a dinner and show. They were picked up at eight to attend a show.
Daphne said, “This is amazing, I heard about this musical, it just opened up, and the critics were raving about it. And look, we’re given the best seats in the house.”
“You would never know that David had any money at all. Hell, at college, he was never one of these rich kids. Let me tell you some stories about David …”
The late 10 PM dinner was at a very exclusive French restaurant. Due to the hour, they were the only people in their section of the restaurant. The waiter came by and made suggestions on the wines for each section of the meal, their menu had no prices. The next day at noon, a limousine picked them up. At two PM, it brought them to the lot in Purchase, NY.
Charlie looked at the parking lot. It was full of cars and other stretch limousines, most of which were white. There was only one place to go, the white building with gold trim. As they entered, they noticed that much of the building continued the gold on white motif. Charlie said to the man at the doorway, “Charlie Gonzales and friend.” The man handed them one package each in a large silver worked basket. “Mr. Gonzales and Miss St. John, please change in rooms 17 and 18 and bring your regular clothes back here.” Charlie and his girlfriend looked at one another and walked together to the adjoining rooms and they separately entered. Charlie noticed that his room was completely and brilliantly white, except for the gold gilding. The ceiling was a large bubble, letting in the light. Its sunroof was translucent white with gold stained glass. The room’s only other non-white feature was a mirror and bench with white and gold cushion. He opened his package and saw a tuxedo, shirt, with tie, all white. He was given white sox and shoes. He changed and realized that everything, including the shoes, fit. As he got dressed, a beam of sunlight lit the room. A reflection momentarily blinded him. Looking closer Charlie noticed parts of the white wall reflected light. There was a picture on the wall, white on white. It was painted by a more reflective paint. Bending to the side and looking at the sunlit wall revealed a painting of a smiling elderly couple feeding one another a piece of cake as they sat on a sunlight beach, love is eternal. Other phases of their marriage were also drawn.
After exiting and bringing his clothes to the attendant, he noticed a side room with cubbyholes for each guest’s clothes. A guard was watching the clothes.
A few minutes later, Charlie’s date appeared. “The cloth’s all fit,” was all she could say.
Charlie echoed, “Mine too.”
Daphne asked, “Charlie, did you give him my sizes?”
“No, not even your name.”
Daphne St. John looked at Charlie sideways with an odd smile.
They were ushered to a side exit. They strolled out and noticed other guests in white also looking puzzled. Although each guest wore white, the styles were all slightly different. While Charlie’s was more modern, with ruffled collars, others were more traditional. The woman’s clothes varied even more. They all had long gowns, but some were more daring than others.
Charlie and Daphne exited the building through a side door and walked through a tunnel. It was a narrow twenty-foot long corridor with arches covered by an immense white cloth. Even the floor of the corridor was white. They exited the corridor and found themselves in a domed building. The walls and floor were obviously shiny, but were white as well. Charlie looked down and realized that the floor was clear plastic. The underside of the plastic floor was white. He noticed a slight rippling of the ceiling. It was also a thin, translucent, cloth, the same as the corridor, rippling slightly in the breeze. He didn’t notice any seams in the cloth.
They were in the front third of a large hemispherical room with a cloth separating it from the rest of the hemisphere. Charlie pointed out to Daphne the shape of the ceiling and the dome they had seen in the parking lot. Charlie then saw Kenny from the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Some of the old group was still going to Birkhead, others like Charlie and Kenny had graduated. They gathered together and told stories of what they were doing and reminisced about David and Phyllis. The story of David and the policeman was lore. Charlie told it again to Daphne. Then they told the story of the softball game. They saw other people that they knew. Charlie pointed out Windseig and his wife, and Schwartzman and his wife. Kenny pointed to the now famous Professor Barnes. Daphne told Charlie that Barnes was being nominated for major p
hysics awards. A few people looked out of place. One was a shorthaired graying man and his wife. They were standing apart from all others, flanked by what could only be bodyguards. Everyone was dressed in total white, except for food servers who mingled carrying delicious trays of hot food and light drinks. Charlie and Daphne started raving about some of the scallops stuffed with lobster. One of Charlie’s friends said, “Don’t look, but you see that guy behind me, 60ish, with the mustache? That Oscar Wright, he’s the head of Grumman Airlines. And that’s Edsel Ford the fourth; he’s talking to Professor Barnes. Oh, wait a second, isn’t that Bill and Hillary Clinton and the New York Governor? Boy, David’s dad must really be hanging with the rarified people.” Charlie and Daphne shook their heads. An hour later, the food servers disappeared, as did the separating wall from but two small corners of the hemisphere and they noticed the white and gold seats. Unlike traditional pews, these more closely resembled a cross between a recliner and fancy theater seats. “Would you all please take your seats?”
Charlie and his friends found some seats close together. Five minutes later they heard a door close. Charlie turned around, and he saw a large heavy door bolted into place. He hadn’t noticed the door previously. Kenny said, “Hey, didya notice they have seatbelts on these chairs? Is this a Disneyland ride?” Then they all felt a slight movement. There was a titter of excitement from the crowd. Charlie noticed that the man with the two bodyguards all had their hands inside their jackets. The floor vibrated again and they noticed that the cloth above the dome fall to the sides. They saw the sky. Someone shouted, “Look down.” They were twenty feet above the ground. The hemisphere now floated up, and up, and up. Three men in black, one wearing a skullcap and a fancy shawl, obviously a rabbi, approached the raised dais.
One of the priests announced, “We are pleased to be here to sanctify the marriage of three couples, David Klein and Debra Martini, Martin Klein and Corey Rogers, and to bless the marriage of Sidney and Janet Ryan.” Kenny moved forward and looked at Charlie, he whispered, “Klein? And who is this Debra Martini?” Charlie shrugged ignorance. The building was now above the wispy clouds. They looked down and realized they were now so high up, they could make out all of New York State, and parts of New Jersey. Although it was day, the sky was jet black. Below them the Earth was lit up and cloud covered. Charlie looked up and saw stars brighter than he ever imagined.
The catholic priest continued, “In case you’re wondering, we are being flown by a qualified pilot, courtesy of Grumman Aerospace. Thanks to him, we should not experience any turbulence. However, you may want to put on your seat belts, we will be in low weight conditions in five minutes.”
The ship continued to float heavenwards.
Music, the Pachelbel Canon, started and a six-year-old boy with long brown hair floated down the aisle. The boy was flying horizontal to the ground. Charlie was confused. Although they were high up in the air, he still felt gravity. He looked closer and did not see any strings holding this angelic boy up. The boy obviously was enjoying flying. The child was followed by two men. Although both of the men were floating, one was wearing a white tuxedo with a slight emerald green tinge and leading the second man. The second man looked very uncomfortable. The wedding march began. David wearing white, but with an iridescent blue tinge slowly flew down the aisle. He was shortly followed by Phyllis with a long trained bridal outfit also edged in iridescent blue-white. She regally floated. Her train floated gently behind her, shimmering as if to the wind. Everyone stared.
The view below them was of one-tenth of the Earth, deep blue with white clouds.
“Do you David Klein …
***
When the third couple, in an orange tinged white, started their vows, the ship began to descend. As they descended, Charlie noticed that they were landing on an island. The entire island was lit up. After landing, the three married couples left the building first and the entire audience followed.
Daphne hung onto Charlie’s arm, “This is the most incredible, most heavenly wedding that I ever heard about. Did you hear the names of that second couple, Janet and Sidney Ryan? Weren’t they the ones in the paper a couple of years ago?” Kenny’s guest said, “Yeah something about a sick kid, or something.” They exited the hemisphere and found a dance band had begun to play. Charlie and the Rocky Horror Picture Show people found a table reserved for them. It seemed like each guest had his or her own server. The servers each wore phone-sets and each knew his or her guest’s favorite food, which was shortly made available.
***
In the lull after the wedding Martin angrily whispered to Corey, “I was ready to kill that insane son of mine. I almost had a heart attack back there”.
Corey looked quizzically at Martin.
“I was saying my vows to you and I looked into the crowd, when I noticed my ex-wife, my DEAD ex-wife Elizabeth. I, I was scared shitless. Elizabeth was looking at me, staring at me and, … and smiling. I thought I was going psychotic. I then saw my mother and father, they also are both dead, quite dead. And then I saw my grandparents and some dead aunts and uncles. They were all smiling at me. Beaming. I transmitted to David, that I was going to come, right then and there, in the middle of my wedding ceremony, pull down his pants and give him the only spanking of his miserable life, because I was going to end it, if he didn’t stop. It stopped.”
Corey laughed. “I know. I know. I saw an image of my ex-husband too, except Nate unfortunately is still alive. I saw him in the back of this ship drinking, arguing, and ready to throw a tantrum. All of a sudden, I then saw my parents each grab an arm, and then some of my dead relatives grabbed his legs. The exit portal swung open, with a woosh of air, and they picked him up, each grabbing a leg or arm. Nate was pitching and heaving. He was struggling to get free. Then, one, two, three, and tossed him out. They dusted off their hands and returned to stand in the back of the pews smiling, beaming, at me too. Through the clear floor, Nate plunged downward, flailing his arms and legs, until he was just a speck. My dad, who died nine years ago, gave me a thumbs up sign. I knew it was David. I thought it sweet. A linking of the new, the approval of the older generation, with a little bit of the Three Stooges thrown in. Don’t take it seriously. I thought it was sweet. Oh Marty, we’re married. David’s married. He was just trying to make you happy. Could you smile for me? Please?”
***
Kenny, who was seated opposite Charlie quipped, “I hadn’t noticed it earlier Charlie, but you have a more than a passing resemblance to that Charlie Haines guy, the inventor of the anti-gravity thing. If you keep putting your weight on, you’re going to be a dead ringer. Of course you’ll have to shave your head in spots.”
Charlie looked down as he spoke, “I know, it’s really, really eerie. I don’t understand it either. That male-pattern baldness thing, it looks exactly like my old man. I don’t know. They say that everyone has a double. I guess Charlie Haines is mine, when I get to my 70s or so. I just wish I had a fraction of a percent of his money.”
***
Later, Phyllis and David made her rounds and visited the Rocky Horror Picture Show table. “Hi guys. Enjoying yourself?”
Kenny asked, “Phyl, David, the food is out-this-world. But who is this Debra person? You need to change your name, or something?”
Phyllis blushed, “It’s a long story, but my real name’s Debra,” she grinned, “Debra Klein. Klein is David’s actual last name. As you noticed, his dad has money, so he changed his name while going to college.”
“Holy cow, is that real?” Daphne gawked at Phyllis’ ring.
Phyllis looked astonished, put her hands on her hips, and turned to Charlie. “Charlie Gonzales, you haven’t given Daphne one of these things yet? You’re slowing down Charlie.” Everyone laughed.
Charlie looked at David, “Roomie, you’ve gotten taller since college. You’ve also changed somehow.”
David winked, “Phyllis, I mean Debra, she’s worn me out, to the bone. Every hour, ‘Honey I need you.�
� I’m exhausted. It’s an ancient Jewish secret, the only way to cure them of that is to marry them. Now I’ll finally get a full night of sleep.” Phyllis meant to stupid slap David, who ducked behind Charlie.
Later, Charlie came up to David. “David, seriously, what happened to you? About a week after you left, some men came by and took everything. Then a couple of times after that some people asked where you went, real rough types. I told the truth, I didn’t know. What happened to you?”
The Infinite when it was Two Digits Old Page 34
