The 9th Key Before Good-bye
Chapter 46
XLVI
"Whoa!" Michael said, pulling in the reins on his large black stallion. The younger of the two Michaels dismounted gracefully, as though he had been born for horseback riding. Then he gave his steed a couple of pats on the side, as the horse bent down to drink from the cool, clear waters of the river. Beside him, Max dismounted lightly from his own horse at the same time.
"Are you sure you guys never rode a horse before we came here," Jim asked, agilely dismounting from his own horse, a large white stallion. "I never saw anyone take to riding the way you two have the last few days."
Michael shrugged. "What's so hard about it? You just sit there and pull the reins the way you want to go. The horse does all the work. You say 'Whoa' to stop and 'Giddy-up' to go. The only thing you've got to do is be able to sit there and not fall off."
"Not everyone takes to it quite as easily as you and Max, though, Michael. You're naturals."
"Well, look at my double over there. He rides like a pro."
"Yeah, well, he's ridden before, though… on his planet. They have horses there, too. I think he told me they call them something else… and they look a little different… but they're still basically horses… well, about like a zebra would be a horse. You know what I mean."
"I haven't fallen off yet," Amy said, stepping easily onto the ground.
Jim smiled and raised his eyebrows, and Maria slid off of her own horse and shook her head with a grin. "You really ought to learn to ride a horse, though, Mom. Jim offered to teach you."
"Yeah, I know." Amy patted Jung-Jo on the head. "But I don't have so far to fall if I fall off of Jung-Jo."
Liz laughed and patted her own horse then rubbed its head. "Well, at least the horses are finally getting used to Jung-Jo. The first time you brought him out, all the horses headed for the hills… with us on them."
"I said I was sorry about that, Liz. Who'd have known they'd be afraid of Jung-Jo!"
"Yeah, who'd have known," Maria repeated, grinning and winking at Liz. "I thought horses and alien saber-tooth tigers were real pals."
Amy puckered her lips and looked at Maria menacingly. "I know when I'm being made fun of, young lady. You're not too big to be spanked, you know."
"Yeah, right!" Maria laughed. "You've gotta catch me first." Maria hopped back onto her horse and shook the reins. "Giddy-up!" The horse took off at a gallop toward the woods. Amy watched for a few seconds then climbed back onto Jung-Jo's back, which was just high enough for Amy's feet to be about two feet off the ground.
"Giddy-up, boy!"
Jung-Jo turned his head around and looked at Amy.
"You know what I mean! Go catch Maria! We can't let her make fun of us like that. Come on!"
Jung-Jo trotted off toward the woods.
"Faster, Jung-Jo! You can do better than that! Maria will be all the way back to the house before we catch her at this rate."
Jung-Jo picked up his speed… considerably. For a moment, Amy wondered if she'd made a mistake, but she really did want to catch up to Maria… so she leaned forward and held on tight. It was a competitive moment that might have over-reached just a tad, but Amy was kind of enjoying the breeze in her face and the seemingly effortless speed that the large cat was able to so easily attain. It was a smoother ride than a horse, she was pretty sure. Jung-Jo ran swiftly into the woods and down the trail that Maria had gone down, which led back toward the house. Within twenty seconds, Amy spotted Maria. Maria looked back and coaxed her horse to go faster, but Jung-Jo was still gaining on her fast. That's when it happened…
The squirrel leapt out of the way of Maria's horse then tried to cross the path again behind her, but Jung-Jo was closing the gap too swiftly. Unable to get out of the way quick enough, the frazzled squirrel leapt straight up, coming down on Jung-Jo's head, leaping over Amy, then using Jung-Jo's rear haunches as a sort of springboard to leap for the nearest tree and safety. It was something that Jung-Jo could not ignore.
The squirrel raced up the tree, probably moving faster than it had ever moved in its life, and Jung-Jo headed up the tree right behind it. Somehow, Amy managed to hang on for her life, her legs wrapped around Jung-Jo's body and her arms around his neck.
The squirrel reached the top of the tree and, with its pursuer breathing hot breaths on its fluffy little tail, leapt to the top of the next nearest tree. Jung-Jo followed, sailing through the air as though he were endowed with invisible wings and a springboard. The squirrel leapt from that tree to another, then another, sailing rapidly from tree to tree, trying to shake the big cat, but Jung-Jo was always there, close enough to have grabbed it if he had tried hard enough.
At some point, Jung-Jo either tired of chasing the squirrel or became aware of Amy's screams, because he paused on a large limb and looked back at his rider, who was now draped over his back tighter than a piece of Saran wrap around an apple. At about this time, Jim, Max, Michael, Liz, and Rahn rode up beneath the tree on their horses, followed closely by the Antarian group. They looked up at Jung-Jo, who was standing nimbly on a branch about fifty feet up, high in the tree.
"Amy, you're supposed to stay on the path," Jim yelled, seeing that she was unharmed.
Amy bristled a bit, but after a quick appraisal of her situation, she closed her eyes and buried her face in the long hair on Jung-Jo's neck.
"Jim! Just get me down from here!"
"You want him to jump?"
"NO!" Amy yelled back. "Just… just… You can climb down… right, Jung-Jo? Nice kitty? You can do that, right? I'll just keep my eyes closed till you're back on the ground again."
Jung-Jo seemed to understand. He dropped nimbly from branch to branch until he was close enough to the ground, then he leapt smoothly the rest of the way. Jim reached over and pried Amy loose from Jung-Jo's back.
"You've got to let go, Amy… if you want to get off."
"I want to get off," Amy said in a hoarse whisper, "but I'm having a little trouble with the letting go part.
Jim pulled Amy loose then hugged her. "You're okay. I've got you now."
"Yeah, you've got me now, Jim… but where were you when I was leaping from tree to tree on that… that… giant, flying… tree frog?"
"Jung-Jo?"
"Whatever."
"He wouldn't have let you fall," Michael of Antar said.
"That's right," Jim of Antar agreed. "Jung-Jo knew you were hanging on. If you had fallen, he would have grabbed you."
"Oh, well, that's just peachy to know, Michael! I'll keep that in mind… but I'll keep my feet on the ground from now on, thank you!"
"Sounds like a good plan to me," Jim agreed.
"Jim?"
"Yeah?"
"Horses don't climb trees, right?"
"Never."
"I think I'm ready for you to teach me to ride a horse."
Jim laughed. Amy looked at Jung-Jo, but then her look softened. "Oh, it's alright, Jung-Jo. I understand. I just wasn't made for that 'Me Jane, you Tarzan, we swing through the trees' stuff… You understand, right?"
Jung-Jo seemed to smile.
Back at the house, after a dinner that consisted in part of trout that Jim and Max had caught in the river earlier that day, most of the couples migrated into the grand parlor to read, play games, or simply chill out and relax. Night was starting to fall, and they could hear the crickets chirping in the nearby woods through the open windows. Though it wasn't winter, the evening air was unexpectedly cool, and Liz and Maria had started a fire in the fireplace. As Max and Michael walked into the room, the girls pulled them down next to them in front of the fire. Alex and Isabel and several others soon joined them. Everyone was totally enjoying the relaxed moment, and even with all the people who were there… including the doubles… the house was not at all crowded. The rooms were huge and airy, and the estate had a sort of unspoken charm and elegance to it. Plus… there was no shortage of places where a newlywed couple could find privacy, with all those rooms and all those acres around them plus the attics, the guest house, and who knew what else. In fact, Michael and Maria had already found a fair number of private places… for their own private knowledge only.
Looking around at everything again, Max smiled approvingly. "You know… I almost felt sorry for that judge when he gave us the keys and the deed and then found out what the president had done. ALMOST, that is… if I hadn't known what they were planning for us."
Michael glanced around the room. "Yeah! You were right, Max. It is a nice estate."
"But if we had fallen for their plan, we would be their prisoners in here now…" Max sighed.
Michael nodded. "We got lucky."
"I think it was a little more than luck, Michael," Liz said. "You were smart enough to smell a trap and avoid it… and we had some help from someone in a position to help. And things just came together." Liz looked around and smiled. "I'm going to like having this place. I hope we CAN come back… you know… now and then."
"I think that can probably be arranged," the younger Max agreed. "Once I've got my throne back and Antar is secure again."
Max's double from Antar grinned… "You'll like the royal palace. If it's like the one on our Antar, it's even bigger than this estate. But I've got to admit, there's something relaxing about this place. It's bright and airy. I like it."
"And Jim's already started teaching me to ride a horse," Amy said. "Michael's right. It's not so hard. You just have to remember 'Giddy-up' and 'Whoa' and be able to sit up straight without falling off."
"Unless it's a preacher's horse," Jim said.
Everyone looked at Jim, and Jim smiled craftily. "What? You never heard about the preacher's horse?"
Amy shook her head. "I have a feeling you're going to tell us, though."
"Well… since you asked," Jim said…
"You see, there was this country preacher who traded his horse in on a used car. 'There's just one thing you need to know about this horse,' the preacher told the car dealer. 'When you want to go, you have to say 'Hallelujah,' not 'Giddy-up.' And to stop, you have to say 'Amen,' not 'Whoa.'
The car dealer nodded. 'That doesn't sound so hard.' Deciding to test the horse out after the preacher was gone, the used car dealer climbed onto it and said 'Hallelujah.' The horse took off at a gallop. The car dealer then yelled 'Amen,' and the horse came to an abrupt stop. Starting to enjoy himself, the car dealer said 'Hallelujah' again, and the horse took off again. The car dealer rode the horse all the way through the town and into the countryside. After about thirty minutes, he noticed that he was riding toward a cliff. Alarmed, the car dealer yelled, 'Whoa, horse!' but the horse didn't stop. Becoming more alarmed, the car dealer tried to remember what the preacher had said to say to make the horse stop. At the last second, he yelled, 'AMEN!' and the horse stopped… right at the edge of the cliff. The car dealer peered over the horse's head at the long drop over the cliff, then he settled back into the saddle, wiped the sweat from his brow, and with a sigh of relief, said, 'Hallelujah!'"
Liz and Maria groaned, and Amy threw a sofa pillow at Jim, but everyone laughed. It was one of those nights when everything was good. Life was good. Corny jokes were good. The hot chocolate and marshmallows were good… as long as you didn't accidentally get one of the cups that was half filled with Tabasco sauce… or if you did, you were at least half Antarian. Liz looked at Max and smiled, and Max kissed her. Yep… life was very, very good.
It is said that all good things must come to an end, but Liz knew otherwise. The memories made in the last six days would live on in her mind, and she was sure that the others felt the same. For six wonderful days, they had enjoyed the "honeymoon estate," but they all knew instinctively that it was time to go. The younger Max and Michael were actually feeling drawn to Antar and couldn't wait to set out. The group from the other dimension was anxious to return home to their own dimension, their own planet, and their own families. Even the younger Liz and Maria had to admit that they felt just a tinge of something drawing them into the stars. They would miss earth… and their parents especially… but they felt good knowing that they would see them again in time. They were married now. Alex and Kyle felt it, too. It was something that they couldn't explain, but it was calling to them. Plus, it was an adventure… an adventure in a new life… with new partners. It just seemed so entirely "right" somehow. Gray Hawk had never had any doubts. The baby birds grow up, then they stretch their wings, then they fly away. Some just fly away further than others. But in the end, they make new nests with their own chosen mates… in new places. There was something familiar to it all, even in the vastness of galaxies and dimensions.
Appropriately, the parents had stayed in Roswell while the newlyweds enjoyed their honeymoon… except for Amy and Jim. Amy and Jim were newlyweds themselves, and the group never even considered not bringing them along. They all knew that Maria and Michael were resourceful enough to handle having them there… and, indeed, Maria and Michael had proved to be amply resourceful. In the end, it hadn't been necessary, though, because Amy and Jim were more preoccupied with each other and with enjoying their own honeymoon than with interfering in Michael and Maria's lives. Besides, for the first time, Amy knew that her baby really was all grown up now and deserved her happiness… and her privacy. Amy had allowed Maria and Michael that pleasure for six days, but today, Maria and Michael were leaving… and Amy and Jim were not. Today, Amy was once again a concerned mother.
And she was not alone… all the parents were there. They had come to say good-bye. Max and Liz had called them the day before to let them know that the time had come.
Now, with the New Granolith hovering in the sky above the estate, Amy hugged Maria one last time, sniffing and wiping tears from her eyes.
"I'm really going to miss you, baby. I don't know how I'll ever get by down here without you. I always thought you'd be… somewhere near… at least where I could call you now and then on the cell phone, you know?"
Maria looked at Michael, and Michael looked at Varec, who was standing nearby, waiting for the couples to join them on the ship. Varec shrugged slightly. "I don't know. I guess it could be done. It would be kind of like what we did in our dimension to the FBI's special unit with the cable TV thing. We could send a tiny light beam to earth, bouncing it off of different stars. I'd have to work out the problem of your phone company's charging, though. We can't charge it to the FBI's special unit this time."
Maria laughed and sniffed a couple of times. "Yeah, that would be some heavy-duty roaming charges!"
"You'll work on that, though, won't you," Amy said to Varec.
Varec nodded. "I'll see what I can do. I'll try to arrange something… if I can… before we leave to go back to our dimension. Maybe, if my double is there on Antar in this dimension, I can get him to finish it for me."
"I'll hold you to that," Amy said, giving Varec a kiss on the cheek. Then she looked at Michael. Michael prepared himself for Amy to tell him to take good care of Maria, treat her right, and make her happy… but Amy didn't say it. Instead, she just kissed Michael on the cheek and hugged him.
"I will," Michael said. Amy smiled.
Nearby, Jeff and Nancy Parker were taking turns hugging and kissing Liz and giving her all the fatherly and motherly advice they could think of before she left.
"I'll be fine, Dad! You don't need to worry. Max will take good care of me."
Jeff touched Liz lightly on the nose… "Lizzie, Honey, worrying is a right that all parents are granted. I think it's written on the back of your birth certificate or somewhere… and notarized."
Standing beside Jeff, waiting for another turn to hug Isabel after Diane was finished with her, Phillip Evans nodded. "If it's not, Jeff, I'll have it added for you… legally."
Jeff smiled. "See, Lizzie. We're allowed to worry. It's the law."
Liz smiled and hugged her Dad again. "Well, okay, since it's the law. But just remember that Max is taking good care of me. I'll be fine. And I'll be back. I don't know when, but I will."
"We're counting on that," Nancy said, kissing Liz again. "We're totally counting on that."
As Nancy spoke, not far away, Charles Whitman handed Alex his guitar. "I thought you might want this, son."
Alex took the guitar and nodded. "You know me pretty well, Dad. Thanks!" Alex leaned the guitar against the wall and squeezed his Dad's hand then hugged his Mom for several minutes.
"I'm gonna miss you guys. But I'll think about you a lot. Somewhere out there in the stars, I'll be playing my guitar and thinking about you." Alex smiled and looked at Isabel then sneaked his arm around her and pulled her close. "Isabel and I will be thinking about you."
Gloria smiled and touched Isabel on the cheek. "Take good care of my boy, Isabel. I know he'll take good care of you."
Isabel returned the smile and nodded. "I know he will, too, Mrs. Whitman. I will."
"You can call me Mom now, Isabel. Mrs. Whitman sounds so formal, don't you think?"
"Okay," Isabel agreed… "Mom."
Gloria smiled and looked at Charles. Charles kissed Isabel on the cheek then put his arm around Alex one final time. "You never liked me to do this, Alex, but I really need to put my arm around you and just hold you right now."
"It's okay, Dad, because I just realized… I really don't mind anymore." Alex put his arm around his dad then put the other one around him and hugged him.
On the other side of the room, Diane Evans finally managed to corner Max, who was busy getting everything and everyone ready to leave. She didn't know it, but Max had actually allowed himself to be cornered. A big part of him wanted… even needed… to belong, though a small part of him still held out for total independence. Max, unlike his sister, Isabel, had never felt entirely a part of the Evans family. Max had a keen awareness of his own difference… his own unique destiny… his unknown life on his unknown world. But now more than ever… Max NEEDED to belong. Maybe it was because he was leaving. He suddenly realized what he had had… what his earth "parents" had given him… shelter, food, a real home, but most of all, unconditional love. It's not that he hadn't known this before… or even that he hadn't appreciated it. It just had never really, truly registered. Not the way it did today.
Diane put her arms around Max and was surprised that he didn't try to pull away. Instead, he looked at her… then he put both arms around her and hugged her back. Phillip placed his hand on Max's back and smiled. "We're going to miss you… Son."
Max turned to face Phillip. "I'm going to miss you, too… Dad. You, too, Mom."
Diane smiled. "I still keep thinking I'm probably going to wake up some morning and find out that this whole thing about my children being aliens… the space ship… everything… was just a crazy dream. What was it Ebenezer Scrooge said… or was it his partner, Bob Marley? 'It may have all been just a piece of undigested pizza.' You know what he meant, Max… a crazy dream."
"Close enough," Max said, laughing. "You know what… Mom? Sometimes I have the same feeling." Max shook his head. "But it is real, Mom. All of it."
"I know," Diane said, giving him a final kiss. "I know."
Nearby, Jim stood looking at his son, Kyle, and nodding.
"Well, son… I guess you're really married now, huh?"
"Just as married as you and Amy, Dad."
Jim nodded. "The two of you are really gonna do this? You're going to Antar?"
"Yeah," Kyle replied simply. "Angie Lee and I have to go. She needs to know where she came from, and I… well, I need to be with her."
"Well I can't say I'm tickled about your leaving, Kyle, but… I understand. You will be back someday, right?"
Kyle nodded. "You know it, Dad. Just keep watching the stars."
"I'll have to buy that telescope that old man Witherspoon was trying to sell. It's supposed to be pretty good, he said."
"I don't think you'll be able to see Antar with it, Dad. I don't think any telescope is that good."
"Not Antar, Kyle. The stars. One in particular. One that'll be heading back towards earth after a long trip out in space."
Kyle grinned and nodded. "Keep watching, Dad. You'll see it. I promise."
Jim smiled and put one arm around his son, pulling him close.
"Take care of yourself, Kyle… and take care of Angie Lee, too. I want to see you both back here again safe and sound someday."
"I promise, Dad."
Standing behind Angie Lee, Gray Hawk smiled and nodded at Jim. Then he reached one hand out to Angie Lee. She put her hand in his. Then she stepped forward and kissed him.
"I'll think about you every day, Grandfather. Like Kyle said, look up at the stars. Just look up. I'll be there."
Gray Hawk nodded slowly. "Jim? Can I look through your telescope… sometimes?"
"Any time, Gray Hawk. We can watch together. Hey, we're kind of related now!"
"Hm," Gray Hawk muttered quietly. Jim wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but then Gray Hawk smiled and nodded.
Max handed his father, Phillip Evans, the keys and the deed to the estate. "Dad… take care of these for us while we're away, okay?"
Phillip nodded. "I'll put them in the vault at my law office. They'll be there waiting when you come back, Max."
"I know," Max said, then he smiled. "If you or any of the other parents would ever like to use this place… you know… for an occasional retreat or whatever…"
Phillip looked around and smiled. "Yeah… I just may do that, Max. Your mom and I could use a little get-away. She's been after me forever to take her some place private… like this." Phillip nodded. "We may at that. I'll tell the others. That's mighty generous of you, Max."
"Naw. I just think somebody should get to enjoy it, since we won't be here. And I can't think of anyone better than you and Mom… and Jeff and all the other parents. Jim and Amy might want to come up here again sometime, too. But be sure you tell Amy to stay on the path this time. Galloping through the treetops isn't allowed."
Phillip looked at Max with a puzzled expression, and Max smiled. "It's an inside joke. I'm sure she'll be glad to tell you about it if you ask."
Phillip nodded. "Normally, Max, I wouldn't want to get Amy started on something that sounded like it might take a lot of explaining, but in this case… I'll make an exception."
A voice behind them made Max and Phillip turn around.
"Everything's ready," Varec said. "We can transfer everyone up as soon as you're ready, Max."
Max looked at Phillip then at the others and nodded. "Well, there's no point in delaying. I think everyone is ready. We've all got our pins on." He looked around and the others nodded their agreement.
"We're ready, Varec."
As Max turned around again, his mom kissed him. Then suddenly he was gone.
In the estate, the parents now stood alone. Their children had begun their new lives… and their greatest adventure… together.
tbc