Chapter 5
*Just a disclaimer...in one of the earlier chapters, I mentioned that Alicia worked in a diner. I changed it in this chapter to an Italian restaurant... Sometimes people are picky about details, so I thought I'd inform my lovely readers!*
It was just about 11:00 that evening. Alicia re-counted her tips.
"$30," she said aloud, "I'm a millionaire."
She had been working in the tiny Italian restaurant in downtown Philadelphia for about a year. She had worked there since she had moved in with Merrill, when he was still playing baseball. It was between a half hour and forty-five minute commute every time she worked, and the money wasn't great, but she loved her co-workers and loyal customers. Her manager caught her before she left.
"Goodnight Alicia.thanks for coming in."
"No problem. Have a great night, Diana."
"You too. Tell Merrill I said hi."
"I will. Goodnight."
Alicia walked to her car and got in. As she started the engine and drove off, her cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. I've been trying to call you all night."
"I had to stay late. What's the matter?"
"You need to get home as fast as you can."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"This extraterrestrial stuff...well, I don't think it's bullshit."
"Where's that coming from? You were the skeptic."
"They just said on the news that there are spacecraft hovering over Mexico City...and they're showing it. 14 of them, Ali. And then..."
His voice took on a panicky tone.
"Graham said he saw something in the fields. Something was walking away from him...he said it wasn't human."
"Merrill, you're scaring the living hell out of me. I'm here in the car by myself...the radio has on nothing but broadcasts about the strange lights, and there are no tapes to even listen to. Stay on the phone with me."
"OK. I'm gonna go in the other room so that I'm not talking over the TV.there. So, how was your shift?"
"It was OK."
Alicia left the civilization of the big city and was now in the rural, one- lane outskirts of Philadelphia.
"Merrill, tell me something funny. I need to laugh."
"OK..remember the time when we were living in Philly and visited here for the weekend, and Bo heard us having sex in the guest room?"
"And the next day, she told everyone in her class at school...and demonstrated the noises!"
Suddenly, the mood changed from cheerful to somber.
"Colleen was so mad at us," Alicia said quietly.
"Baby, I'm sorry I brought that up."
"No, it's OK. You made me laugh. And I bet Coll is laughing too, right now."
Alicia heard Morgan's voice on the other end say, "Uncle Merrill! Come here quick!"
"Hold on...I'm on the phone with Alicia. I.oh my God. This is really happening."
"What is it, Merrill?"
"Sweetie, I gotta go. I'll call you right back."
"But..."
"You're almost home. You only have about 25 minutes."
"Merrill! Don't hang up on me."
"I'll call you right back! I love you."
"No you don't."
"You're being a big baby, Alicia."
"Fine. Call back."
"I will."
For the rest of the drive home, Alicia sang at the top of her lungs to avoid scaring herself with silence. When she finally arrived at the house, she parked the car as close to the front door as possible. She scurried to the door, but as she tried to unlock it, her keys dropped. She fumbled for them in the darkness, becoming more scared by the second. Finally, she found them, unlocked the door, and rushed into the house. She went into the family room and saw the family sitting on the couch. The kids were both asleep; Morgan underneath Merrill's arm, and Bo on Graham's lap.
"Merrill, you told me you were going to call me back."
"I'm sorry. It's just that...this is crazy. Come and sit."
Alicia put her things down and curled next to Merrill on his free side. He put his arm around her and kissed her. Then he put his hand on her chest.
"Your heart is pounding. Were you running or something?"
"I dropped my keys out there, and I kept thinking about what Graham saw."
"You keep thinking about it?" asked Graham, "I can't get it out of my head."
"I'm still not completely comprehending this. What did it look like?"
Graham stared off into space and replied, "It was the same color as the stalks.it was a foot and leg."
Alicia held tighter to Merrill's hand and said, "And this happened right in our fields. The same area Merrill and I will have to walk near to get back to the garage?"
Graham didn't answer. Merrill ran his hand along Alicia's shoulder, which was covered in goosebumps.
He said, "Some people are probably thinking this is the end of the world."
Graham whispered, "That's true."
Alicia's voice was racked with fear as she asked, "Do you think it's a possibility?"
"Yes, Alicia."
The blood in her veins turned to ice. Merrill looked at Graham with a slightly disgusted, mostly disappointed face.
"How can you say that?"
"That wasn't the answer you or her wanted?"
"Can you at least pretend to be like you used to be? Give me and Ali some comfort?"
The conversation halted and then Graham spoke up.
"I'm gonna put the kids in bed."
"I'll help you," Alicia said.
Alicia picked up Bo and Graham lifted Morgan over his shoulders. They climbed up the stairs and went into the kids' bedroom. They placed them in their beds and turned out the lights in the room.
Alicia said, "Graham, can I tell you something?"
He said, "You know you always can."
"I don't think I've ever been so terrified of anything in my life. I know it may seem dumb to be scared of these stupid aliens or whatever the hell they are, but--the thought that the world could be ending--I can't handle thinking about that."
"Then don't think about it. It's probably just an overreaction."
"But you saw something in the fields, Graham! And what are the lights over Mexico City?"
"You know what, Alicia? I've got some Nytol in my medicine cabinet. Why don't you take some and sleep off everything that's on your mind?"
"Taking Nytol is not going to take the fact that something not fuc-- something not human was on our property off of my mind."
It was hurting Graham more and more by the second to look at Alicia, because she looked so much like Colleen.
"I'm going back downstairs. Coming?"
Alicia gave in and said, "Can you bring me the Nytol? I don't think I'm going to have an easy time falling asleep tonight."
"Sure. Stay here- I'll be right back."
Alicia looked at the kids, who were sound asleep.
'They're too young to be experiencing this,' she thought to herself.
She walked over to the window and looked out into the fields. Every time the wind would blow one of the stalks, she jumped a little.
"Here."
Graham appeared at the door with a paper cup of water and the Nytol.
Alicia took it and said, "Thanks, Graham."
He took the cup from her and their hands brushed. He looked deep into her eyes, like he was memorizing them.
"God, you look so much like Colleen, it's unbelievable."
"Graham--"
"I--I'm sorry."
Alicia left the room and headed back downstairs, with Graham following behind her. She climbed into Merrill's muscular arms and felt comfort as he held her close to him. Within the half hour, she was fast asleep.
"She must have been tired," Merrill said, brushing a strand of hair out of Alicia's face.
"I gave her Nytol--she was too petrified to fall asleep on her own."
Merrill kissed her forehead and whispered, "My baby."
Graham abruptly changed the subject.
"There are all different ways you can tell that there's someone really there watching out for us. You see signs. Sometimes they're little ones. You think of someone. The phone rings. They're on the phone... sometimes they're big, like fourteen lights hovering over Mexico City. Sure, there are a lot of people watching this who think this could be a bad thing. But there are a lot of people watching this, who think it's a miracle. A sign of God's existence. It's all in how you look at things, Merrill. What you have to decide is what kind of person you are. Are you the type who believes in miracles and looks for signs or are you the kind who believes that things just happen by chance?"
Merrill sighed and said, "The night I proposed to Alicia, I took her to Le Castagne in Philly."
"I remember that."
"Well, about a week before we went there, the owner of that restaurant came to the one of my games. I was in a horrible mood and he came up to me as he was leaving the field. He asked if I would sign a birthday card for his son. I really didn't feel like it, but I did and forced the fakest smile ever--not thinking anything of it. So I took Ali to Le Castagne that next week. He saw us when we came in and told us in the middle of our meal that he was taking care of it-- that we didn't have to pay. Right before I was about to propose, I went to the bathroom to see if the ring was still in my pocket-- cause you never know. The ring was there, but my wallet wasn't. I had left it at home, because I was so worried about how Ali would respond to the proposal. Can you imagine what would've happened if I hadn't have signed the owner's card for his son? He wouldn't have offered us the meal. How embarrassing would that have been? I mean, what would I have done- said, 'Alicia Nicole Spencer, will you marry me? Oh, and by the way, can you pay for dinner?' It may sound stupid, but I knew the second it happened that it was a miracle."
He looked at the TV screen, then down at Alicia, and then at his brother.
"I'm a miracle man. Those lights are a miracle."
A few minutes later, Alicia woke up temporarily. Merrill didn't notice, though, and continued his conversation with Graham. She woke up in time to hear the last of what Graham was saying to Merrill.
"Do you know what Colleen's last words were before they killed her? She said, 'See', and then her eyes glazed a bit and she said...'Tell Merrill to swing away.' Do you know why she said that? Because the nerve endings in her brain were firing as she died, and some random memory of us at one of your baseball games popped into her head. There is no one watching out for us, Merrill. We're all on our own."
Alicia was so angry at Graham for his lack in faith, she could've punched him in the face with no regrets. She re-adjusted herself in Merrill's arms and closed her eyes. As sleep came over her, she flashed back to that horrible night in November.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"COLLEEN! Oh my God!"
The SUV had propelled Colleen's body into the tree. Alicia was helpless on the ground. When Colleen had pushed her out of the way, all of her weight had landed on her fragile abdomen. She felt a gush of warm fluid between her legs. She felt down there and looked at her hand when she brought it back up. There was blood everywhere. Immediately, she panicked and tried to stand up. However, she was so weak that she collapsed back to the ground. She saw Ray Reddy get out and run down the road. She tried to call his name, but she was getting weaker from all the loss of blood.
"A-Alicia? Are you awake?"
"Coll-- Colleen? Are you--"
"My...hip-- it's broken, I think. I have no feeling--what about you, honey?"
Alicia broke into hysterical sobs.
"I..think-- there's something wrong with the baby. I'm bleeding everywhere, Coll-I--"
She began to black out.
Colleen spoke in barely a whisper.
"Ali? Don't fall asleep, hear me? You have to stay with me. Ali?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alicia woke up from the nightmare shaken and even more terrified. It even woke Merrill up.
"Honey, are you OK?"
"No, I'm not. I just had a nightmare about that night."
Merrill pulled her hair back and caressed the back of her neck.
"It's over now--it was just a nightmare-- that's it, baby. Go back to sleep."
"Easy for you to say. I was there, Merrill. It's going to haunt me for the rest of my life."
"Whoa. I'm sorry for upsetting you."
"No--it's OK. I'm just so disappointed in Graham. If Colleen somehow knew how he was acting, she'd been ten times as disappointed and angry as I am."
"I think she knows."
Alicia rested her head on Merrill's lap.
She looked up at him and said, "I want to marry you."
"Haven't we been over this today?"
"Yes, but. I've been thinking. With all this 'pending invasion' shit going on, you never know. If something does happen in the next few days- "
"Which it won't."
"If something does happen, at least I can say that I was happily married when it happened."
Merrill smiled and said, "You mean it?"
"Of course I do. We'll go to the courthouse in Philly tomorrow afternoon."
"Should we tell Graham?"
"Nah. Let's surprise him."
Merrill leaned down and gave Alicia the best kiss she had received in quite some time.
She reached up and stroked the side of his face.
"You," she whispered, "are the most beautiful man I have ever known. Not just physically, but in every other aspect."
"Don't get me started on you, because I'll cry--and Merrill Hess doesn't cry."
Alicia yawned and said, "This time tomorrow, I'll be Alicia Nicole Hess."
"Fits, huh?"
"I always knew it would, from the moment I laid eyes on you."
He kissed her again and said, "I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
They curled up together and fell back asleep, both thinking about what the next day would have in store for them. Little did they know it would end up being the complete opposite of their expectations.
*Just a disclaimer...in one of the earlier chapters, I mentioned that Alicia worked in a diner. I changed it in this chapter to an Italian restaurant... Sometimes people are picky about details, so I thought I'd inform my lovely readers!*
It was just about 11:00 that evening. Alicia re-counted her tips.
"$30," she said aloud, "I'm a millionaire."
She had been working in the tiny Italian restaurant in downtown Philadelphia for about a year. She had worked there since she had moved in with Merrill, when he was still playing baseball. It was between a half hour and forty-five minute commute every time she worked, and the money wasn't great, but she loved her co-workers and loyal customers. Her manager caught her before she left.
"Goodnight Alicia.thanks for coming in."
"No problem. Have a great night, Diana."
"You too. Tell Merrill I said hi."
"I will. Goodnight."
Alicia walked to her car and got in. As she started the engine and drove off, her cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. I've been trying to call you all night."
"I had to stay late. What's the matter?"
"You need to get home as fast as you can."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"This extraterrestrial stuff...well, I don't think it's bullshit."
"Where's that coming from? You were the skeptic."
"They just said on the news that there are spacecraft hovering over Mexico City...and they're showing it. 14 of them, Ali. And then..."
His voice took on a panicky tone.
"Graham said he saw something in the fields. Something was walking away from him...he said it wasn't human."
"Merrill, you're scaring the living hell out of me. I'm here in the car by myself...the radio has on nothing but broadcasts about the strange lights, and there are no tapes to even listen to. Stay on the phone with me."
"OK. I'm gonna go in the other room so that I'm not talking over the TV.there. So, how was your shift?"
"It was OK."
Alicia left the civilization of the big city and was now in the rural, one- lane outskirts of Philadelphia.
"Merrill, tell me something funny. I need to laugh."
"OK..remember the time when we were living in Philly and visited here for the weekend, and Bo heard us having sex in the guest room?"
"And the next day, she told everyone in her class at school...and demonstrated the noises!"
Suddenly, the mood changed from cheerful to somber.
"Colleen was so mad at us," Alicia said quietly.
"Baby, I'm sorry I brought that up."
"No, it's OK. You made me laugh. And I bet Coll is laughing too, right now."
Alicia heard Morgan's voice on the other end say, "Uncle Merrill! Come here quick!"
"Hold on...I'm on the phone with Alicia. I.oh my God. This is really happening."
"What is it, Merrill?"
"Sweetie, I gotta go. I'll call you right back."
"But..."
"You're almost home. You only have about 25 minutes."
"Merrill! Don't hang up on me."
"I'll call you right back! I love you."
"No you don't."
"You're being a big baby, Alicia."
"Fine. Call back."
"I will."
For the rest of the drive home, Alicia sang at the top of her lungs to avoid scaring herself with silence. When she finally arrived at the house, she parked the car as close to the front door as possible. She scurried to the door, but as she tried to unlock it, her keys dropped. She fumbled for them in the darkness, becoming more scared by the second. Finally, she found them, unlocked the door, and rushed into the house. She went into the family room and saw the family sitting on the couch. The kids were both asleep; Morgan underneath Merrill's arm, and Bo on Graham's lap.
"Merrill, you told me you were going to call me back."
"I'm sorry. It's just that...this is crazy. Come and sit."
Alicia put her things down and curled next to Merrill on his free side. He put his arm around her and kissed her. Then he put his hand on her chest.
"Your heart is pounding. Were you running or something?"
"I dropped my keys out there, and I kept thinking about what Graham saw."
"You keep thinking about it?" asked Graham, "I can't get it out of my head."
"I'm still not completely comprehending this. What did it look like?"
Graham stared off into space and replied, "It was the same color as the stalks.it was a foot and leg."
Alicia held tighter to Merrill's hand and said, "And this happened right in our fields. The same area Merrill and I will have to walk near to get back to the garage?"
Graham didn't answer. Merrill ran his hand along Alicia's shoulder, which was covered in goosebumps.
He said, "Some people are probably thinking this is the end of the world."
Graham whispered, "That's true."
Alicia's voice was racked with fear as she asked, "Do you think it's a possibility?"
"Yes, Alicia."
The blood in her veins turned to ice. Merrill looked at Graham with a slightly disgusted, mostly disappointed face.
"How can you say that?"
"That wasn't the answer you or her wanted?"
"Can you at least pretend to be like you used to be? Give me and Ali some comfort?"
The conversation halted and then Graham spoke up.
"I'm gonna put the kids in bed."
"I'll help you," Alicia said.
Alicia picked up Bo and Graham lifted Morgan over his shoulders. They climbed up the stairs and went into the kids' bedroom. They placed them in their beds and turned out the lights in the room.
Alicia said, "Graham, can I tell you something?"
He said, "You know you always can."
"I don't think I've ever been so terrified of anything in my life. I know it may seem dumb to be scared of these stupid aliens or whatever the hell they are, but--the thought that the world could be ending--I can't handle thinking about that."
"Then don't think about it. It's probably just an overreaction."
"But you saw something in the fields, Graham! And what are the lights over Mexico City?"
"You know what, Alicia? I've got some Nytol in my medicine cabinet. Why don't you take some and sleep off everything that's on your mind?"
"Taking Nytol is not going to take the fact that something not fuc-- something not human was on our property off of my mind."
It was hurting Graham more and more by the second to look at Alicia, because she looked so much like Colleen.
"I'm going back downstairs. Coming?"
Alicia gave in and said, "Can you bring me the Nytol? I don't think I'm going to have an easy time falling asleep tonight."
"Sure. Stay here- I'll be right back."
Alicia looked at the kids, who were sound asleep.
'They're too young to be experiencing this,' she thought to herself.
She walked over to the window and looked out into the fields. Every time the wind would blow one of the stalks, she jumped a little.
"Here."
Graham appeared at the door with a paper cup of water and the Nytol.
Alicia took it and said, "Thanks, Graham."
He took the cup from her and their hands brushed. He looked deep into her eyes, like he was memorizing them.
"God, you look so much like Colleen, it's unbelievable."
"Graham--"
"I--I'm sorry."
Alicia left the room and headed back downstairs, with Graham following behind her. She climbed into Merrill's muscular arms and felt comfort as he held her close to him. Within the half hour, she was fast asleep.
"She must have been tired," Merrill said, brushing a strand of hair out of Alicia's face.
"I gave her Nytol--she was too petrified to fall asleep on her own."
Merrill kissed her forehead and whispered, "My baby."
Graham abruptly changed the subject.
"There are all different ways you can tell that there's someone really there watching out for us. You see signs. Sometimes they're little ones. You think of someone. The phone rings. They're on the phone... sometimes they're big, like fourteen lights hovering over Mexico City. Sure, there are a lot of people watching this who think this could be a bad thing. But there are a lot of people watching this, who think it's a miracle. A sign of God's existence. It's all in how you look at things, Merrill. What you have to decide is what kind of person you are. Are you the type who believes in miracles and looks for signs or are you the kind who believes that things just happen by chance?"
Merrill sighed and said, "The night I proposed to Alicia, I took her to Le Castagne in Philly."
"I remember that."
"Well, about a week before we went there, the owner of that restaurant came to the one of my games. I was in a horrible mood and he came up to me as he was leaving the field. He asked if I would sign a birthday card for his son. I really didn't feel like it, but I did and forced the fakest smile ever--not thinking anything of it. So I took Ali to Le Castagne that next week. He saw us when we came in and told us in the middle of our meal that he was taking care of it-- that we didn't have to pay. Right before I was about to propose, I went to the bathroom to see if the ring was still in my pocket-- cause you never know. The ring was there, but my wallet wasn't. I had left it at home, because I was so worried about how Ali would respond to the proposal. Can you imagine what would've happened if I hadn't have signed the owner's card for his son? He wouldn't have offered us the meal. How embarrassing would that have been? I mean, what would I have done- said, 'Alicia Nicole Spencer, will you marry me? Oh, and by the way, can you pay for dinner?' It may sound stupid, but I knew the second it happened that it was a miracle."
He looked at the TV screen, then down at Alicia, and then at his brother.
"I'm a miracle man. Those lights are a miracle."
A few minutes later, Alicia woke up temporarily. Merrill didn't notice, though, and continued his conversation with Graham. She woke up in time to hear the last of what Graham was saying to Merrill.
"Do you know what Colleen's last words were before they killed her? She said, 'See', and then her eyes glazed a bit and she said...'Tell Merrill to swing away.' Do you know why she said that? Because the nerve endings in her brain were firing as she died, and some random memory of us at one of your baseball games popped into her head. There is no one watching out for us, Merrill. We're all on our own."
Alicia was so angry at Graham for his lack in faith, she could've punched him in the face with no regrets. She re-adjusted herself in Merrill's arms and closed her eyes. As sleep came over her, she flashed back to that horrible night in November.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
"COLLEEN! Oh my God!"
The SUV had propelled Colleen's body into the tree. Alicia was helpless on the ground. When Colleen had pushed her out of the way, all of her weight had landed on her fragile abdomen. She felt a gush of warm fluid between her legs. She felt down there and looked at her hand when she brought it back up. There was blood everywhere. Immediately, she panicked and tried to stand up. However, she was so weak that she collapsed back to the ground. She saw Ray Reddy get out and run down the road. She tried to call his name, but she was getting weaker from all the loss of blood.
"A-Alicia? Are you awake?"
"Coll-- Colleen? Are you--"
"My...hip-- it's broken, I think. I have no feeling--what about you, honey?"
Alicia broke into hysterical sobs.
"I..think-- there's something wrong with the baby. I'm bleeding everywhere, Coll-I--"
She began to black out.
Colleen spoke in barely a whisper.
"Ali? Don't fall asleep, hear me? You have to stay with me. Ali?"
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Alicia woke up from the nightmare shaken and even more terrified. It even woke Merrill up.
"Honey, are you OK?"
"No, I'm not. I just had a nightmare about that night."
Merrill pulled her hair back and caressed the back of her neck.
"It's over now--it was just a nightmare-- that's it, baby. Go back to sleep."
"Easy for you to say. I was there, Merrill. It's going to haunt me for the rest of my life."
"Whoa. I'm sorry for upsetting you."
"No--it's OK. I'm just so disappointed in Graham. If Colleen somehow knew how he was acting, she'd been ten times as disappointed and angry as I am."
"I think she knows."
Alicia rested her head on Merrill's lap.
She looked up at him and said, "I want to marry you."
"Haven't we been over this today?"
"Yes, but. I've been thinking. With all this 'pending invasion' shit going on, you never know. If something does happen in the next few days- "
"Which it won't."
"If something does happen, at least I can say that I was happily married when it happened."
Merrill smiled and said, "You mean it?"
"Of course I do. We'll go to the courthouse in Philly tomorrow afternoon."
"Should we tell Graham?"
"Nah. Let's surprise him."
Merrill leaned down and gave Alicia the best kiss she had received in quite some time.
She reached up and stroked the side of his face.
"You," she whispered, "are the most beautiful man I have ever known. Not just physically, but in every other aspect."
"Don't get me started on you, because I'll cry--and Merrill Hess doesn't cry."
Alicia yawned and said, "This time tomorrow, I'll be Alicia Nicole Hess."
"Fits, huh?"
"I always knew it would, from the moment I laid eyes on you."
He kissed her again and said, "I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
They curled up together and fell back asleep, both thinking about what the next day would have in store for them. Little did they know it would end up being the complete opposite of their expectations.