- 10 years later –
...
"Michie, calm yourself." The little giggling bundle of joy bounced around the bedroom. Gene was pretty sure that she was actually teleporting around. "You know, your name means 'crazy' in Korean, and I think it's much more accurate than the meaning in Japanese."
She smiled as she sat down on her parent's bed. "Daddy, where are you going again?"
"To Japan." He tapped her on the nose. "Part of our culture. Must not forget that."
"Is it a part of mommy's culture, too?"
"Uh, no. Mommy is basically just English. I think… I actually don't know."
"What are you doing there?" She started taking things back out of his suitcase. Playing with the socks and hairbrush.
"Daddy's going to see other people who do psychic stuff. And then we're all going to do psychic stuff together… psychically."
"Uncle Noll won't teach me how to bend a spoon," she said, pouting as she unfolded his socks and started tying them into knots.
"You know, you really shouldn't ask Uncle Noll to teach you how to bend a spoon." Gene leaned in real close to her ear, like an exaggerated secret, "Noll could die if he shows you."
Her eyes were really big when he looked into her face again.
"You don't want that, do you?"
She shook her head venomously.
"But let me tell you - you could ask Grandpa Lin to teach you how to bend a spoon."
"Oh." It was her turn to lean in really close this time. "Lin told me he doesn't like it when I call him Grandpa."
"That's what he says, but don't let him kid you."
"Okay," she said, but her eyes were narrowed in suspicion.
Her father tweaked her nose. "Time for bed."
"Okay," she scooted off the bed and ran out of the room. Only to appear a few seconds later in the doorway. "Daddy, will you be here when I wake up?"
"Yes, I'll still be here."
"Okay, goodnight. Love you, daddy."
"Goodnight, sweetie," he called after her.
"Did you call?" his wife said, replacing her daughter in the doorway. Gene had hardly put the socks back that Michie had smuggled out. He didn't want to untie them yet, since they would remind him of his daughter when he was in Japan.
"Hm. Last time I checked, your name was Eliza."
She smiled. "It used to be sweetie."
"Oh, don't worry. It still is." He gestured for her to come closer and kissed her.
"I'm going to miss you," she sighed. He could see some shadows around her eyes. Even though she was acting brave, the two of them hadn't been very separated since they day they got married. "Two weeks?" I don't know if I can…"
"Then you'll be plenty…excited to see me when I come back."
"Did you just make a perverted joke?"
"What? No. Why is your mind so dirty?"
She gave him a fake punch into the chest, her wide smile at its brightest. "Is Noll still going with you?"
"No. He backed out last minute. He's too busy, anyway."
"Too bad. I thought you were excited to spend some time with him."
"I was, but apparently he didn't notice." Gene but a hand to his chin as he contemplated. "He hasn't changed much."
"Next time – when it's all vacation and no work – I'll come with you."
"I think I'll like that very much…"
…
…
Noll didn't like being distracted when he was working, but Gene was very distracting.
"I mean," Gene's voice buzzed across the phone, "I don't see why you didn't want to spend quality time with your brother. Twin brother, if I might add."
"I can think of reasons." Noll ruffled his dark hair that was due for a cut. Gene once told him that if he had a wife, then she would always remember to make sure that he cuts it. Although Gene's hair was just as long, but it was because he preferred it that way. "I'm just busy at the moment, and don't care to travel."
"Fine, fine. The ghosty possessions are really cool in Japan, though."
Noll was quiet on the line, and Gene was worried he had hung up on him. "Yo. Bro?"
"Don't call me that."
Oh, good, he was still on the line. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking your leather jacket with me to Japan. You know, since you left it here and all. Oh, also a few of your sweaters that you borrowed me are here too, if you want to pick them up."
'Borrowed' wasn't as good a word as 'taken'. "You know, for someone who professes that you never see me, you have a lot of my possessions," Noll said.
"That's because you give them to me freely."
"I disagree."
They both went silent on the line this time. They might not have been very far from each other, but they had a hard time talking through telepathy nowadays. Noll had been intrigued in the concept of it slowly disappearing, since it appeared to have been consistently disintegrating this their childhood. Now, into adulthood, it was very faint.
While Noll was interested in the subject of children having a higher telepathy rate, Gene was just curious as to if he could still knock on the door to his brother.
Although Gene had moved out five years ago after he got married, Noll still lived with Martin and Luella. Noll wasn't the type of person to break down under peer pressure and the fact that he lived with his parents didn't faze him. He was able to exist in his work without being extensively bothered by the outside world. And, obviously, Martin and Luella adored him being there. Though Luella had once told Gene she hoped Oliver would one day find someone to love, as well.
Eliza had truly been happenstance. She had been in the same night classes as Gene, and he once walked her home in the rain, under one umbrella.
It wasn't the first time that Gene had dated, but it was certainly the last. She was sweet and energetic, and she listened wide eyed as Gene explained his… well, line of work.
She also tolerated Noll, which always gives GPs… girlfriend points.
Even though Gene was interested in the concept of Noll getting married, he also didn't want to subject any girl to being his wife.
"Gene, did you call for a reason?" Noll said, since his brother had just been babbling for the last twenty minutes. Not to mention that it was three in the morning.
"Well…" Gene stopped again and Noll almost hung up on him. Not in anger or frustration, but just in simple intolerance. "Hey, let's meet at the park tomorrow. I'm leaving tomorrow night – or early morning, whatever you call it – can we meet up for lunch?"
"Fine, Gene. Good night."
"Good morning."
