Warning: Rated for language, some violence and adult behavior.
The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.
In her dreams, she was juggling her textbooks, a sack of gold and a chainsaw, a pretty amazing feat since she didn't know how to juggle.
She was frantically working to keep them all up in the air, and especially wary of the chainsaw. The last thing she wanted to do is catch the wrong end. But the books would flop open, and the gold was too heavy and the chainsaw too dangerous, and finally, she slipped up.
"Ow!"
She looked at what was left of her left hand, which had been neatly severed by the chainsaw's blade. Her textbooks were all over the place, pages scattered to the four winds. And the gold clouted her on the head when it fell, so she was seeing stars as well as half of her hand.
And off to the side, her Love, her Life was laughing his head off.
"Mwahahahaaa! I can't believe you were trying to do all of that! Hahaha! You should see your face!"
Yumi tried picking up the bag of gold in her left hand to hit him and promptly dropped it. Ulrich laughed even harder, if that was possible. She was reaching down to grab the chainsaw with her right hand when he walked up to her, still laughing, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. His embrace washed the frustration and anger from her, and filled her with strength.
She pulled away from him, still somewhat angry at his reaction to her plight. "And what's so funny about this," she said, showing her left hand to him.
It was whole again.
"Remember, dream world," Ulrich smiled as he chided her, "anyway, remember that the Commandant seems to think I can lead a squad here." He jerked his head in a certain direction and Yumi looked that way.
Off in the distance, she saw the Keystone Kops, The Three Stooges and the Marx Brothers, all rolled up in one. And they were truly all rolled up in one huge mess.
She couldn't help herself. She started to giggle, then to laugh, then guffaw. Ulrich just stood there, taking his licks.
"I love you too, Yumi," Ulrich deadpanned.
Yumi between her giggles, she told him, "well, at least they're not cats any more."
It was Friday afternoon. Yumi yawned as she looked down at the go board. She must have been real tired today, because she was losing the game by fifty points, and she had spotted Jessie six stones in handicap. She also looked at her last move, as well as Jessie's response. It was a big mistake.
"I resign," the Japanese girl said.
"Huh, what's up with you today," Yumi's roommate Jessica asked, "my six year old brother could have beat you today, and he doesn't even know how to play go!"
"I dunno, just tired I guess," was all Yumi could think of to reply.
"Well, maybe you ought to tell grandpa that twice a night is enough," Jessie said, smiling, "hell, I'm surprised he can get it up for once a night!"
"Jessie, Allen isn't like that," Yumi told her roommate, "it's just we've been out late three times this week, last night being one of them. I'm beat, that's all."
"Yeah, I guess even a rich old fart couldn't compete with Ulrich the Phantom Lover. I swear, one of these nights I'm gonna screw you myself if you don't quiet down. You know the RA's been asking what's been going on in here."
"No," Yumi said, suddenly worried.
"Yeah. I've been telling him you're my love slave, and I've been driving you crazy every night. He just abouts comes in his pants when I tell him that!"
Yumi smiled. "I'm sorry if I'm still disturbing you, but I don't know what else to do."
Jessie smiled and replied, "don't worry 'bout it Yu, I really don't mind, and neither does Richard when I tell him."
Yumi's face got red at that.
"Well, your plan seems to be working perfectly," Yumi told Allen Maxwell that night at dinner, "my roommate is convinced that we're together."
"What'd I tell you? Third form of lying works every time," he replied.
Allen had explained to Yumi that there were basically three ways to lie: not tell the truth, say nothing, and tell the truth in a way that no one believes you. He told the girl that her protesting about them being lovers would only make people believe that they were even more. Yumi thought is was perverted somehow, but it was working.
"How've you been feeling, anyway?" Allen asked, "you don't look so hot."
"I'm tired. Jessie tells me to tell you that twice a night is enough."
He laughed at that. "What? Can't keep up with an old man?"
She just shook her head. "Really, between school, spending time at the office and our going out in the evenings, I'm really feeling it."
"Well, I'll tell you what. Let's ratchet it back a little, now we've got the groundwork laid. A weekend off would do us both good, and I've got a little family business to take care of this weekend."
"Sandy?"
"Aside from her. Anyway, you can have the weekend to rest, and we'll get back together Monday afternoon."
"Sure," Yumi said.
"Oh, that reminds me. I've heard a name in conversation that rings a bell someplace. Do you know of a Deiter Stern?"
Yumi almost did a spittake. "Uh, yeah; he's Ulrich's dad," she said.
"Well, his name has been popping up in some interesting places. Is he some kind of international player or something?"
"I don't know for sure, but I do know he's a person of interest. Put down anything you've heard about him and get it off to Desmond right away. And pass along anything you can find out about him going forward, too."
"Well, Yes Ma'am," the general replied.
Saturday morning, the first thing Yumi did was sleep late. She didn't even stir until noon. When she finally woke up, she showered and dressed, and made her way to the Kadic Group's office. When she got there, she picked up the mail, briefly glanced at it, then set it on the secretary's desk for her perusal on Monday, then went to her office.
My Office. I'm a freshman in college and I've got an office that most people would kill for around here!
She turned on the light and threw her book bag on her desk. Off to one side was, of all things, a dressing table and mirror. Next to it was a clothes rack, with two dinner dresses and a suit hanging on it. At the bottom of the rack were some plastic bins that held underwear, hose and shoes that matched the clothes hanging there.
She spent the afternoon catching up on her studies, then she called the Paris office to see if her mother happened to be there. She wasn't, but Desmond was. They spoke for about an hour on many things, not all of them business related. She also passed along what Allen had said about Deiter Stern. The silence on the other end seemed to speak volumes.
After she finished, she shut down the office and went to sample the nightlife. Washington DC was about as active after normal business hours as it was during the day. She hit a couple of night spots, mostly listening to the band and fending off pickup artists. Finally, she made her way back to her dorm room.
When she got to her room, there was a red something or other tied to the doorknob. She stared at it for a second, then discarded it as irrelevant, and went inside.
The first thing she noticed when she entered was that there was a soft light in the room. The next thing she noticed was her roommate Jessica was home. The third thing she noticed was Jessie wasn't alone. The fourth thing she noticed was the reason why there was a red something or other tied to the doorknob.
Jessie and some man were having sex at her desk. She was bent over, leaning on the desk, her legs spread, and he was taking her from behind. The couple were rocking together, moaning and sighing, completely wrapped up in the moment and their pleasure, so they never noticed Yumi entering the room. Yumi just stood there, mesmerized by what was going on in front of her eyes. Finally, the couple reached their climax, then Jessie collapsed on the desk. It was only then that they realized they weren't alone.
Jessie screeched, "Yumi! What're you doing here!"
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Yumi said, her face blushing as she snapped out of her trance. Jessie was blushing too, but she could only bury her head in her hands and shake it.
The man just stared at Yumi, his eyes wide in shock. Not knowing what else to do, Yumi calmed herself and said, "hi, I'm Jessie's roommate, Yumi. And you would be?"
"Uh, R-Richard, Jessie's boyfriend," the man stammered.
Yumi put on her best I'm-sorry-I-barged-in-on-you smile and replied, "pleased to meet you, Richard. I'm sorry I interrupted, so I'll just leave so you two can pull yourselves together." Yumi then turned and ran from the room.
About fifteen minutes after the girl ran out of their dorm room, Jessie found Yumi in the bathroom, slumped down against the wall. The only thing she said was "all clear," and left. Yumi returned to Jessie, alone, settling down to sleep.
In the morning, the two roommates sat in their beds and discussed last evening's events.
"I take it you didn't see the red scarf I tied around the doorknob?" Jessie started.
"Yes, I saw it," Yumi replied, "but I didn't know what it meant."
"Haven't you ever had a roommate before?" Jessie exclaimed, "tying something on the doorknob always means 'do not disturb, sex going on!'"
"No, Jessie, I've never had a roommate," Yumi retorted, "this is the first time I've ever had to room with someone else, so I've never had to learn the secret sex signs. Are there handshakes that go with the flags?"
Jessie rolled her eyes, realizing the miscommunication. "No, there's no handshakes. I just thought you knew to stay away if there was something tied on the doorknob. Well, now you know for next time, though it'll probably be a while before I need to use it again."
"Don't tell me I scared him off," Yumi said.
"Nah, that wasn't it," Jessie replied, "the perv decided he actually liked it. He wanted me to go get you so you could watch some more!"
There was a brief silence before both girls went, "Eeeewwww!"
That afternoon, Jessie and Yumi were walking around the campus, talking girl talk, when Yumi noticed Allen Maxwell out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw that the man was walking into a building, a hospital. She mumbled something to Jessie about needing to go and ran off, following him.
When she got in the lobby, there was no sign of him. She walked up to the receptionist's desk and asked, "do you happen to know where that older gentleman who just came in went? His name is Maxwell."
The receptionist typed something on his data terminal, then replied, "I have a Peter Maxwell in room 242 East. Just take the elevator and go to your left when you get up there." He pointed to the elevator bank in an alcove just off the lobby.
She took the elevator up and followed the receptionist's instructions. When she got to room 242, she stopped an peeked in. Inside, Allen was talking to the occupant of the room. The man looked to be in his thirties, but also looked emaciated. His face was gaunt, eyes sunken. He had a canula around his head and inserted in his nose, supplying him with oxygen. He weakly smiled every now and then at something Allen had said.
"It took you long enough."
Yumi whirled around, surprised by the voice. Standing behind her was Sandy Maxwell.
"C'mon, child, let's leave them alone. Allen's been away far too long and they need to catch up." Sandy took Yumi's arm and led her to the visitor's lounge. On the way, Yumi noticed the name of the hospital unit, Hospice.
"I was wondering if or when you would find out about Peter," Sandy said when they got to the lounge, "Allen tries to keep his personal and professional life separated much as possible, but it's an impossible task."
"Allen never told me," Yumi replied, "I wouldn't be here at all if I hadn't spotted him walking in just now."
"Hm..." Sandy said, "well, no matter. Peter is our son, our only child. He's dying, the final stages of AIDS."
Yumi's eyes got wide at that.
"Peter told us he was gay when he was about your age," Sandy continued, "Allen, being who he is, rejected the notion, saying he just hadn't found the right girl, hadn't had enough experience. Peter then told us he had been actively gay for three years, and he had a boyfriend he was moving in with. Allen was devastated."
"They had a huge fight, one that almost came to blows. Peter stormed out of the house, and it was six years before we saw him again."
"It didn't look like they were fighting just now," Yumi said.
"Allen may not approve of the gay lifestyle, but he loved his son more than he hated what he did. It took six years, but they worked things out. The only restriction he ever put on Peter was no displays of affection when they visited us, and he and his partner couldn't share the same bedroom under our roof. Peter and Ryan, Peter's boyfriend, always respected that. And in return, Allen respected the nature of their relationship and never commented on it."
"About eight years ago, Ryan came down with HIV. Two years later, it turned into full blown AIDS. Two years back, Ryan died. Peter started showing symptoms around the time Ryan died. Since then, we've been doing what we can to support Peter, helping him get whatever treatment is out there, putting his name in whatever research projects that are out there trying to find a cure or treatment. You may have heard the reason Allen didn't get promoted was that Congress wouldn't approve the appointment for political reasons. The reason why he didn't get it was because he called a friend on the Senate Armed Services committee and had him tank the nomination."
"What? He sank his own career?" Yumi exclaimed.
"Yes," came a new voice, Allen's, "If I had gotten that next star, I would probably been tucked safely in the bowels of the Pentagon, doing God knows what, and burning the candle at all three ends. And Peter would have died alone. And I'll be damned before I let that happen. Sandy, why don't you go sit with him a while."
Sandy nodded, got up and went to Peter's room. Allen then sat down.
"I'm sorry I pried," Yumi said, "but I saw you walking in and..."
Allen cut her off, "don't worry about it. If it had come up in another way, I would have told you. I'm not ashamed of Peter. Disappointed, yes; ashamed, no. He was doing something that I know with every fiber of my being is wrong, but he was willing to stand up, make the choice and live with the consequences no matter what I or anyone else thought, no matter how harsh. I taught him that, and I'm proud of how well he learned it."
"Even though it's going to kill him?"
"Everybody dies, Yumi. You, me, Peter, everybody, at least until the Good Lord returns. What I've learned over the years is that there are no good ways to die, just long and longer ways. What really matters if whether or not you can look at the face in the mirror at the end of the day and be proud of who you are and what you did. Despite what I may think, Peter can do that, every day."
Before she left, Yumi got the opportunity to meet Peter Maxwell. Allen introduced her as "a wayward lamb he found caught in the bushes." Peter laughed at that, before going into a brief coughing fit. They talked a little more, then Yumi excused herself, saying she had to get back and get some rest before school tomorrow.
That night, before she went to bed, she went to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She thought about Peter, what Allen had to say, and about the things that had been going on in her life since she came to school. She asked the girl in the mirror, "are you proud of who you are?"
In her dreams she stood once again before the mirror, asking the girl on the other side, "are you proud of who you are?"
The reflection shimmered and changed. The girl in the mirror was now frantically reading textbooks, trying to keep up with her studies. The scene changed, and she was in class, listening to the teacher lecture, half of what was being said going over her head. The scene changed again and the girl was now looking at her midterm grades, which were miserable.
The mirror didn't stop; the reflection changed again, and the girl was now a party girl, flitting and flirting about, teasing just about every man she came across. Suddenly someone whistled, and the girl ran over to an older man, Allen Maxwell, dressed in an old gangster-style suit, twirling a pocket watch on a long gold chain. The girl plastered herself against him, rubbing herself up and down his body as if she were getting ready to hump his leg. The man just patted her on the head like a good little dog, and she smiled vacantly up at him.
All the while, Yumi could see Ulrich in the mirror's reflection, standing off in the distance, getting farther and farther away.
"That's not me in the reflection," came a voice, Ulrich's.
She turned around and saw him standing there, her Love, her Life. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of or to apologize for," he softly told her, "you are not an idiot, and you aren't a tramp. You are my Wife, and I am proud of you and all you have done."
Yumi buried her head in his shoulder and started crying.
