Times of Peace: Volume 1 of the side adventures to The Mercenary's Salvation
Page 4
Chapter 1: La Vida Buena
May 20, 2001
7:48 A.m.
Rolek Estates, Columbia, South Carolina
Padma Maheswaran was having a good morning. Not just a normal good, which was traditional for the happy and bright girl, but an untraditionally good one. She woke up from a good night’s rest to have a good breakfast and the sight of good weather. She had no trouble putting in her contacts or brushing her long, waist level brown hair and trying it in a braid; she even managed to put on her long sundress without the slightest wrinkle. With the small tying of a bow, she found herself in good skinny shape as she faced the mirror in her bedroom, finding herself and all of life to be a single word repeated endlessly.
Good, good, good. Life was good, the gods were good. Maybe there was something to be said of her mother’s Hinduism; Padma almost found herself repeating a prayer said often by her Indian people had she not heard the buzzer to her single floor home, a small estate but large and grandiose for the young college student that she was.
A home she wouldn’t have had were it not for her boyfriend. Taking her briefcase by the hand, she rushed to the door as fast as she could in her open white flats and revealed the waiting butler, Fred C. Dornez, in his usual work outfit and smile.
“Miss Padma! You look as beautiful as the sunshine this morning.”
Padma’s accent was nowhere near as thick as Fred’s, having been born and raised in the United States as opposed to adopting it like the Spaniard. “And you look as prim as a cloud, Federico.”
“Noted, Miss Padma. Are you ready to leave?”
“If you are.”
The butler took her briefcase for her as the two walked to the car, the servant ever ready to help as he sped ahead and opened the door leading to the long limo that simply testified to how much care Padma’s boyfriend wished to provide. Though she knew he disliked how slow it was, the owner had an image and a secret to maintain as he was once again the retired businessman, partier by night and Bruce Wayne by day.
Well, it was easy to be the Batman after the night he had. As the young Indian girl slipped into the inner sanctum of the blue velvet room that was the interior, she caught her boyfriend slouched over on a seat, snoring away in a deep slumber with his dog Max doing the same in the corner, the two clearly exhausted from whatever night they had. What that was she couldn’t guess yet; he wore the simple outfit of the common man now, dirty blue jeans and a cheap collared shirt covered with crossing green and yellow stripes.
Fine by her, especially as the door behind them closed and granted them privacy. Uncaring now if her sundress got a little messy, the brown skinned girl went to the man and snuggled up to him, laying in his lap as she starred at his bearded face. It was furry, fluffy, and needing a trim; a day or to more and he’d get it cut down to a more proper size.
A shame. She liked the way it felt; running her hand through the coarse hairs, she felt the legs beneath her head stir as his piercing blue eyes opened, the real one slowly blinking and taking in the sight as he tried to remember where he was.
It didn’t take long to figure it out. Finding the girl in his lap, the man gave an easy smile as he brought a hand to her own and clasped it, rubbing the other through her hair as Jack Wallace commented “You know it’s a good day when I wake up to see you.”
“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing this morning.”
The two had their kiss, a brief smooch that showed their love but left them wanting for even more as they parted and kept their composure. A lust buried and kept hidden for a day in the future; for now it was enough to be with each other as Jack settled into his seat, giving off a deep yawn as the girl asked
“Long night?”
“Another immigration job… left after lunch with you yesterday and pulled in about an hour ago today.”
“From Texas, right? How’d you make a twenty hour drive in ten?”
“More like seven… but to answer your question, a really fast car.”
The girl laughed, patting her lover on the belly. Really, to call it a belly was doing it injustice; even with the shirt on she remembered the strong muscles that were there, the strength that put most men to shame. Her Narasimha.
“A strong car for a strong man. You know, you’ve never taken me driving.”
“Yes I have.”
“Not real driving anyway. Not the kind you don’t normally take a girl on date for.” Padma replied, her curiosity plain. “Think you’re tough enough to take little old me on a race track?”
“I am… as for you… well. I’ll think of something.” Jack replied, ever ready to please. With a smile the girl sat up and hugged him, burying her face into his chest as the two remained close, content to let the world outside drift by as they remained locked together. How long had they been together, not physically but in that emotional tie we call dating? Three months? Four?
Time was so foreign for Jack. For the man who could live forever, what was it to him? He turned to more trivial matters before the dark thought could haunt him, ever ready to plunge him into a depression.
“How’s school going?”
“Pretty good. All As, of course. Mom’s also grilling me on the MCAT, getting me ready for it at the end of the summer. I should do fine; she says it’s a lot easier now than when she had to take it.”
“So you’re twenty three now… that was what, 1966? They call it the MCAT back then?”
“Yeah. Mom says they changed the name in 1948. She isn’t that old.”
Jack sure felt like she was. Even as timeless as he was, it was still awkward communicating to people who physically looked his elder; especially those he didn’t get along with. Looking to be in his mid-thirties, he could understand the reaction of the extremely conservative Mira to his relationship with her young daughter ten years his younger. Would she have a heart attack if he ever told her his true age?
How would Padma react was the better question. Again, thoughts better for a different time; Jack sighed as he buried the thought, prompting a worried glance from his attentive girlfriend.
“Something wrong?”
“Nothing… just thinking about work today. Want me to come with you?”
“You said you hated college.”
“I do… but it’d be nice to spend the day with you instead of cars.”
The Indian laughed, poking her boyfriend in the belly again. “Good to know you like people more than motors.”
“I don’t… I like you more than people and motors.”
The joyful morning was cut short, the door opening to reveal they had already arrived at the University of South Carolina. The butler, ever sad to be the bringer of bad news, stood with Padma’s briefcase in hand as he announced “Miss Maheswaran. Dreadfully sorry, but you do have a class to go to in exactly eight minutes.”
“Of course I do.” The Indian grumbled, giving it up with a sigh. Resigned to her fate, she pecked her lover one more time on the lips as she prepared to exit, stepping out and taking her bag with a question.
“See you for lunch at two?”
“You always do.”