Chapter 3
It was Molly's day off. She was playing around on the computer when the phone rang. It was her mom on the other end.
"Hi Molly! How are you doing?" Her mom asked.
"I'm just great mom."
"How is everything going with Gene?"
"Just fine."
"You don't sound just fine honey. Is there something wrong?"
"Well ..."
"Molly you can't fool me." There was a hint of concern in the woman's voice. "Now spit it out kid!"
"Well there's has been something I've been meaning to ask you."
"What's that?"
"Has there been any cases of family members seeing things that weren't there, you know like hallucinations?"
"You're not doing drugs are you?" It was a typical mom question.
"Yes mother, I'm putting cocaine on my cornflakes every night before I go to work." Molly answered sarcastically.
"What?"
"I'm joking mom!"
"Alright."
"There hasn't been first cousins marrying on either side of the family have there?"
"Of course not Molly. Why?"
"I just have to know if there's been any cases of mental illness on either side of the family ... that's all."
"No, not that I know of. Why?"
"Oh, just wondering mom."
"Molly?"
"Yes?"
"Is there something going on between you and Gene?"
"No." Molly was lying through her teeth. "Everything is fine."
"Is Gene having problems getting it up?"
"Jesus Christ mom!" Molly felt her face turning crimson at her mother's very blunt question.
"What?"
"Why are you interested in my sex life all of a sudden?"
"Well I just thought that maybe you were having problems in the bedroom. Maybe that's why you're so stressed lately honey."
In a way, it kind of traumatized Molly to even think of her mother as a sexual being, like it did anyone who had parents. She was still traumatized at the age of five when she walked in on her mom and dad doing the deed and that image burned in her mind. As far as she was concerned, her mom and dad did it four times just have her and her siblings.
"Listen mom I gotta go!"
"Okay honey. And try and call me sometime will ya?"
"Okay I will. I love you mom."
"I love you too sweety."
And then the line went dead as Molly hung up on her end. She continued to surf the net until Gene and Christine got home from bible study. She didn't look too happy to see them, she especially was not too happy to see Christine, since she was the root of the problem. There were days when she just wished that they would leave and never return, but no such luck today.
"Hello." Gene said as he planted a kiss on Molly's cheek.
Molly seemed surprised because it was the most amount of affection that he had ever shown her in a long time since Christine moved in.
"Hello." Molly answered.
"I thought that maybe you and I could go out for dinner tonight." Gene told her.
"Really?"
"Yeah just you and me. We haven't done that in awhile."
"Uhm sure."
"Alright, get your coat."
Molly got her coat and they left the house without Christine. They went to a local restaurant and sat down in a booth by a window facing the street. They started to talk.
"We have to talk about a few things."
'Oh great!' Molly thought. 'Here comes the lecture.'
"What do we need to talk about?"
"Well if you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives together, we need to talk to a marriage counselor." He informed her.
"So what are saying?"
"What I am saying is, since I have found Jesus ..."
"Oh no! You are not shoving that religion crap down my throat again!"
"Molly, please listen to me." Gene pleaded.
"Listen to what? Listen to how you would like if I believed the same things you do now? When I met you, you thought for yourself."
"I was lost Molly."
Tears formed in Molly's eyes, she still loved him but she couldn't see herself with a sheep for the rest of her life. Gene held her hand.
"Please don't cry."
"Dammit Gene! Do you know how long it's been since we made love?"
"I know but with what I believe now. I feel that it would be wrong until we were married."
"I just want to know one thing?"
"What?"
"Where is the man I fell in love with?"
"He's still here."
"I find that hard to believe Gene."
"Alright then prove it." Molly challenged.
Just then Gene kissed her softly with his mouth slightly open, her tongue slipped past his lips and he pulled away quickly like he was on fire.
"What's wrong? You used to like it when I kissed you like that!"
"Well I don't feel comfortable with that type of kiss anymore."
"Oh fuck! Don't tell me Christine has turned you into a Puritan too?"
Molly motioned for the waitress.
"Check please!"
"Molly, please don't be angry."
"Oh why should I be angry?" She said as her amber eyes burned right through him.
Finally the waitress with their check. Molly laid down her card and then she turned to Gene.
"I got it ... as usual." And then she excused herself after she paid the bill.
"Where are you going?" Gene asked her.
"For a walk! Is that okay with you? Or do I also need to ask your permission to take a shit too?"
Molly stormed out of the restaurant in anger and walked down the street, not too far away was her workplace so she stepped inside and greeted the guard who was taking over for her since it was her night off.
"Hey girlfriend!" Said the flamboyant young man greeted as he greeted her.
He was in his early twenties, thin in build, he had jet black hair, the front was bleached blonde and he wore a full beard like his gothic pop idol Voltaire.
"Hey Michael. What's up?"
"Nothing much. Just about bored out my fucking skull until you got here."
"Cool! Care for some company?"
"Oh what the hell? I was surfing the net and I came across some hot pics of our favorite actor."
Michael gave Molly a wide grin like a cheshire cat as he turned the monitor towards her. It was Hugo Weaving in the buff. But Molly just shook her head and laughed.
"What?" Michael asked.
"More than likely those are photo manipulations."
Michael looked closely at the screen.
"Shit you're right! But a boy can dream can't he?"
"I guess."
"Hey listen, I got two weekend passes to RingCon." Michael told her. "You wanna go?"
"When is it?" Molly asked.
"In three weeks. I know neither of us are working at that time, so I thought of you. So are you in?"
Molly shrugged.
"Sure what the hell."
"Then it's a date."
"Hey Michael?"
"Yeah?"
"On nights that you've been working have you noticed anything strange with the Lord of the Rings exhibit?"
"No. Why?"
"Just curious."
"Listen sweety, I know you're going through a lot of stress right now with your boyfriend finding religion and all. Maybe it's result."
"Ya think?"
"Maybe you need to make your man give you some sex."
"Yeah right! I've been trying Mike, trust me. I've been trying for the past several months."
"Wow! That sucks! Hey I have an idea!"
"What?"
"We'll get you laid at RingCon." He said enthusiastically.
"Mike!"
"Well, if I can't get laid there, I might as well hook up my homegirl. Besides that's what best friends are for right?"
Molly shook her head and started to laugh.
"Mike you're killin' me!"
"I'd be willing to do it myself."
"Sorry baby, I got the wrong plumbing."
"Honey, all you would need is a big ol' strap-on."
"I think I'm gonna go to my happy place now sweety."
Mike and Molly continued laughing and cracking jokes back and forth and until the sun came up. It was morning and it was time for Mike to go home. They parted ways, but before Molly left the museum she decided she would take one last look around and made her way once again to The Lord of the Rings display where Elrond was. Molly let out a loud sigh and looked down at her feet. Just then she heard a voice coming from Elrond's direction.
"I was hoping I would see you again."
Molly looked up and there was Elrond, who was now very much alive.
"Am I losing my mind here? You're not real!" Molly said as she shook her head in disbelief.
"I can assure you my dear Molly, I am very real ... and very alive." Elrond said as he stepped closer to her.
"Holy shit. How did you ..."
"Get here?"
Molly nodded.
"Yeah?"
"Well it's a little complicated but every night you came in here and chatted with me on several occasions, wishing I were real so now here I am standing before you." Elrond explained.
"You mean to tell me I wished for you?"
"It would seem so."
"Okay if you're real then how come every time I have alerted anyone else to your presence. You disappear?"
"Because you are the only one who can see and hear me."
Molly turned away and shook her head some more.
"Now I know I'm going crazy!"
"Hey we all have to be a little crazy. What the hell are you doing here when it's your day off?" It was Vesta.
"Vesta, he's back!"
"The actor you accused me of hiring?"
"Yes! He's right behind me!"
"I'm sorry Molly but all I see is the Elrond dummy."
"What?"
Molly turned around and just as Vesta said, Elrond was lifeless once more.
"But he was right there!" Molly insisted.
"Sure okay. Girl, you have been working way too hard. You need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow okay?"
"Okay." Molly said reluctantly.
Just as she left she turned to look at Elrond, there was slight smile on his face and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elrond do a quick wink at her as she left and headed for home.
