Nightmares and Gardens
Dorothy looked out over her garden with a mixture of satisfaction and pride. The last of the rhubarb and asparagus had been picked a few days ago, but the lettuce, green beans and squash were ready to be harvested and the neat rows of corn and green peppers continued to ripen nicely. She looked down and patted her swollen belly with a soft smile. "This time next year, you'll be able to help Mommy water the garden." She flicked the switch of the watering stick to shower and pointed it at the vegetables. Laughing softly she remembered the day Jason and his father had tried to prepare the ground for planting with a roto-tiller they had borrowed. As she and her mother-in-law, Lilly, watched the men from the kitchen window it became obvious that getting the machine to work was an exercise in frustration.
Lilly grinned. "Who do you think will crack first?" she asked, "Your husband the child engineering prodigy or my husband the banking genius?" Dorothy had felt slightly alarmed until Lilly scooped up the instruction manual, walked up to the two men and handed it to them with a tactful smile. After that, work went smoothly and by dinner time the garden was happily entered into the Beck family's long list of traditions.
Dorothy's reverie ended when she realized that no water was coming from the hose. She yanked on it a few times then looked directly into the nozzle. Water burst forth, soaking her face, hair and the front of her overalls. Sputtering, she looked across the yard and saw her young husband holding the hose and laughing.
"Your ass is grass, Jason Beck!" she cried running towards him shouting with mock fury. "And here comes the lawnmower."
"Got to catch me first," he teased and took off in a run.
With a flick of her wrist, Dorothy raised the hose like a lariat and the next thing the young man knew he was laying on the ground with his wife astride him.
"The hose was caught between a couple of rocks and I was going to be a good boy and release it," he said smiling up at her. "But when I saw you stick your face into the nozzle, I just couldn't resist. Forgive me?" he asked with a grin.
"Of course I do, Pookie," Dorothy answered with a saccharine smile then quickly slipped the nozzle under the waistband of his shorts and flicked the switch to on.
"Hey that's cold," Jason protested laughing as he grabbed for the hose.
Within the space of a few minutes the young couple lay on the ground, soaking wet and helpless with laughter.
Dorothy looked up at the sky. Although their house was under one of the domes, it was completely surrounded by corn and wheat fields. "Two blocks past the middle of nowhere," was the way her father described the location.
Sometimes two blocks past the middle of nowhere is the perfect place to be, she thought reaching for her husband.
"You're soaked to the skin," she said. "You'd better get out of these wet clothes before you catch cold," she told him lifting his shirt over his head.
"You too," he responded, unclipping the fasteners of her overalls.
Dorothy smiled up at Jason, admiring the way the sunlight caught his unruly blond curls, making it look as if his head was surrounded by a golden halo. They gazed into each other eyes for a long moment then his lips parted slightly. The young android's own lips parted and she closed her eyes, waiting for his kiss. After a long moment, she felt a drop of water splash on her cheek. She opened her eyes to the glare of white lights and saw tears running down her husband's face.
Concerned, she tried to ask him why he was crying, but no words came out. Why couldn't she speak? Why was she strapped to a table? Why did Jason look so different? He looked older, harder and where did he get that ugly yellow suit?
"Just a few seconds more, Dorothy," she heard him whisper. "Then no more pain, no more fear and I'll make sure Roger finds you."
She wanted to remind him that today was Friday and that they were expected at his parents for dinner but when she tried to open her mouth to speak everything went black.