It was time to visit Jacob. Ben didn't need his advice for anything at the moment. He was too preoccupied with the plane crash survivors. Richard was keeping an eye on John Locke, but that was all for the moment. So while he could, he was going to visit Jacob. The trek to the statue wasn't hard. He was careful to erase his trail so no one could follow him, especially one of the survivors or Danielle Rousseau. Once inside, Jacob appeared and greeted him.
"Hello Richard," he said. There was that same note in his voice, making him sound like he knew what you had come to say but was patient enough to let you say it all the same.
"Jacob," he replied, with a slight nod of his head.
"What questions does Ben have now?"
"No questions from Ben. I've come for myself this time."
Jacob gestured to two chairs off to the side. Together they sat, neither speaking. Richard knew Jacob was waiting for him to speak, but he was suddenly worried. What if Jacob didn't approve of Richard's request? He had never seen Jacob angry, but surely he was prone to anger like the rest of them. The last thing he wanted to do was upset Jacob. And he especially didn't want to appear ungrateful for everything Jacob had done for him. Richard struggled to find the right words.
"Jacob, you once told me that after everything was finished here on the island, you would give me the chance to have a normal life."
"I did." Jacob nodded, motioning Richard to continue.
"I was just wondering if you knew when that time would come."
Richard always appeared confident around Ben and the group. He never showed much confusion. Jacob gave him the answers he needed, and even if there was something he didn't know, he kept his cool and thought things through. Only with Jacob did he ever show his vulnerability, his questions and fears. Jacob was kind enough to never betray that trust or hurt Richard by using that vulnerability against him. Now he waited to see what Jacob said.
"I don't know what the future holds, Richard, but I know events are still being played out. John Locke is now on the island, and we both know he will be important in the events to come. Why do you want to know? Has something happened to you?"
"No, not exactly." He paused, wondering how best to explain his reasons for wondering. "When I was off the island, looking at Juliet's sister for Ben, I watched mothers and fathers play with their children. It reminded me of how much I want to have my own family someday. So I was just wondering if you knew how far off that time may be."
"I see." Jacob nodded, more to himself than Richard, thinking for a minute before saying more. "And did you meet a woman while you were sitting at that park?"
Richard couldn't help but smile. Jacob always had a way of getting to the heart of the matter, figuring out what a person was really saying or asking. Richard knew he'd never mentioned Kayla upon his return, but Jacob must have seen through Richard's questions. Something had to have happened out there to make his suddenly wonder how much longer he would evade aging.
"Yes, I did speak with a woman. It was only a few minutes, but I enjoyed her company." Richard then explained their brief conversation, excluding the part of calling Jacob's gift to him a curse. He did appreciate what Jacob had done for him, but wanted to avoid any offense.
"Perhaps you should give her a call," Jacob said after Richard had finished. Richard gave him a quizzical look.
"She didn't give me her number, so it would inappropriate for me to call her."
"I'm sure you could come up with a good excuse, and you know it would be easy enough to get the number. If she's the person you think she is, I'm sure she'll look past the unexpectedness of the call and enjoy hearing from you, as much as you'll enjoy speaking with her again."
Richard thanked Jacob and took his leave. He knew Jacob had things to do. As he walked back to the camp, he pondered over Jacob's suggestion. Yes, it would be easy to get her information and call her, but what would he say? How could he possibly explain getting her number? All he knew about her was her first name. And if she did look past that mystery, how would she feel about him calling her? What would they talk about? He didn't know anything about her. Richard continued to debate this issue until he arrived at the camp, by which time he had decided what he would do.
"Hello Richard," Ben said when he returned. "Where have you been?"
"I was speaking with Jacob. Don't worry; it's nothing that concerns you." Ben gave him a questioning look but said no more. He knew when Richard wasn't going to explain himself, and let the man continue walking.
He used the computers in the Flame Station to find Kayla's number. It took a little searching, but he found it. He double checked to make sure it was a decent hour to call her, and then he dialed the number. While it was ringing, Richard kept going over the story in his head. He wanted to make sure it was believable.
"Hello?" he heard Kayla answer on the other end.
"Hello Kayla, it's Richard, from the park?" He ended his greeting as a question, wanting to make sure she remembered him.
"Oh, hi. How are you?"
"I'm doing well. How are you?"
"I'm okay. Geoff's been sick this week, so I'm off park duty until further notice." He could hear her smiling through the phone, causing him to smile unconsciously. "Hey, how did you get my number? I don't remember giving it to you."
"No, I looked you up. It was a little difficult without your last name, but I managed."
"Wow, that's impressive. You must have really wanted to talk to me." She started laughing, and Richard laughed with her, thankful she wasn't suspicious.
"Something like that. I didn't get to talk with you very long at the park, and I wanted to get to know you a little more. I thought a phone call would be best."
"Well what do you want to know?"
Richard was taken aback. He wasn't prepared for such openness. She had no problem with him finding her number and calling her up without warning, nor did she seem afraid about answering personal questions. He'd been preparing to start with simple questions, in order to relax her and get her to open up. Instead he had to rethink his strategy quickly.
"You mentioned your schedule was very flexible, allowing you to take Geoff to the park. What do you do for a living?" He longed to ask her how old she was, as his ability to decipher ages had diminished somewhat with time, but he knew better than to ask a woman her age.
"I'm a writer. I've written several short stories and one collection of poems, and I also act as an editor for several other writers. But I really want to write a fiction novel; I just haven't found the right story to tell yet. What do you do for a living?" He'd already thought up an answer to this question, knowing it would come up sooner or later.
"I'm an advisor for the leader of a research group." It was vague, but it was the best way of answering her questions without outright lying to her, something he hoped to avoid. "When you aren't writing or taking Geoff to the park, what do you do with your free time?"
"I enjoy reading a lot, not a big surprise I'm sure. I also really like hiking and camping. Being outside usually inspires me. That's why I never mind taking Geoff to the park. It gets me out of my apartment."
"What kind of books do you enjoy reading?" By now Richard had sat down and made himself comfortable. No one was around to bother him, and he wanted to enjoy this brief moment of pleasure, knowing it would have to end eventually.
"I like mysteries, thrillers, and crime novels. I enjoy trying to figure out the twists and who did it."
"Yes, that can be fun. I enjoy reading books as well, though I don't have as much time for recreation as I'd like."
"Does this advising job take up most of your time?"
"Yes. You could say I'm on call 24/7."
"That's unfortunate."
Richard noticed Mikhail enter the room again, obviously needing to do something. Ben must have contacted him. Either way, it was time to end the call.
"It's not always bad. But, speaking of my job, I need to cut our conversation short. I'm glad I got to speak with you again, though."
"Yes. Feel free to call again, and leave a message if I'm not here. I'll call you back."
"Thank you, I might do that. Goodbye, Kayla."
"Bye, Richard."
He hung up, already wondering when he'd have the time to make another call. It wouldn't be for awhile, but he could wait. Of all the things he did well, waiting was one of them. After all, he'd waited over fifty years for John Locke to arrive. Waiting a few days or even weeks to call Kayla again wouldn't be hard for him. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long though, or she might forget about him. As he left the station, Richard chuckled at himself. He only met this woman once, and already she had affected him more than anyone else on the island, save Jacob.
