Part 4

THE BECAUSE-YOU-ASKED-ME-TOS

"How did you know I was here?", Edward asked Kim.

"I saw you on T.V. There was a show on a few days ago where the host ate at your restaurant and you were cooking for everyone. It was so cool!"
Edward smiled. He remembered when a television crew filmed him while he was at work, three months ago.
She continued: "I didn't think we could be together as long as you were in your mansion. But then I found out you had left, and I came out here to see you."
Edward said nothing, so Kim asked him a question.

"Why'd you leave? You were safe there. L.A. just seems...so intense."
"Someone came to the mansion and asked me if I wanted to learn to cook. I told him yes. He said he owned a restaurant and was looking for unusual chefs. At first I didn't want to do it. I just wanted to be alone after what happened."
"So, what changed your mind?"
"I realized I'd overreacted. And I remembered all the good people I'd met. Like your family. Your family loved me."
"Yes...and we still do.", Kim replied warmly. "Kevin knows you saved him."
"I went with the owner because I wanted to be with people who don't do bad things."
"Edward, everyone does bad things. I've done bad things too. No one's perfect. But what matters is trying to do the right thing...and when you do the wrong thing, apologizing and not making the same mistake again. They call it 'repenting'."
Kim paused for a moment, finding the words to say, then continuing:
"I'm really proud of you for giving this another shot. And this time, it looks like it's going even better!"
"Yes. So far."

In most ways, Edward was the same boy Kim had always known; he was still gentle and unassuming, still spoke quietly and seemed to be every bit the enigmatic lone wolf he was before. Yet, there were some small differences. He was noticeably more confident and more serene. And he wasn't wholly alien, as he was when her mother had brought him down from the mansion.

His appearance was also slightly different. When Edward met Kim, his hair was a wild, unmanageable tangle. It had since been trimmed and slicked backwards. His facial scars had faded with time and he no longer possessed his freaky leather suit of armor. He wore instead a black dress shirt, black leather pants and combat boots. She realized that these changes were part of why she hadn't recognized him earlier, on the uphill road. She also couldn't help but notice he was even more handsome this way.

"How are you and your family?", Edward asked.
"They're good. Mom and dad are pretty much the same as always. Kevin's in 8th grade now. And...I'm in college, studying psychology. We're learning all about the brain."
"That sounds great. I want to learn more about the brain too."
"You should get a book about it. Do you ever visit bookstores, Edward?"
"Sometimes. I have to be careful when I turn the pages."
Kim nodded. "You know, I was reading a book just before I saw you on T.V."
"What's the book about?"
"Serial killers", said Kim. "Some of the worst people. They go around looking for victims, and then take their lives, one after another."
Edward shuddered in horror. "Why would you read about that?"
"I want to find out what made them become monsters. Maybe then, the evil things they do can be prevented."
Edward's thoughts turned to Jim, his adversary from the neighborhood. Was this the type of person Kim was talking about? Would Jim have become a serial killer had his life not ended so young?

Since Edward had just mentioned family, Kim asked him something she was curious about.

"Edward...what about your family? Can you tell me about them? Did they live in that mansion?"
"They did. My father was an inventor. He's passed away. And my mother...I never met her."
"I'm sorry about that. It must've been so painful when your dad went."
"I didn't know what happened at first. I thought he didn't wake up."

This statement baffled Kim. Was he a toddler when his father passed away? If so, who raised him? Or did anyone raise him after that? Something wasn't adding up...
Edward felt discomfort as he watched Kim pondering. He wasn't sure how she'd react to the truth about him, but he needed to tell her, and the time was now.

"I have to explain something. I'm a person, just like you. But I wasn't born. My father built a machine that could make humans. That's how he made me."
Kim's eyes raised in rapt attention. "That's unbelievable...like a test-tube baby? Or some other technology?"
"It was a machine that could help genetic material grow into a human. He used a robot as the base, and then as the human body parts grew, he'd replace my robot parts with human parts. But he passed away before he could finish me. That's why I still have these." Edward raised his scissors for emphasis.
"...I see. Is anything else about you unfinished?"
"Yes. Sometimes I can't understand language well. I don't have to eat very often. And I don't age the way other humans do."
"How many years ago were you...born? Or, assembled?"
"I don't know."

Kim had no expression.

Edward told her: "If you're scared, I'm sorry."
"It's okay, I'm not scared.", Kim assured him. "Thank you for telling me about that, it sounds like a very tough situation to be in."
"I hope one day someone can finish me. That's what I dream about."
"There's got to be someone who can. Maybe a doctor?"
"Maybe..."Edward said hopefully.
"This is where all the actors are. Alot of them will get plastic surgery to change their bodies. Maybe one of them can make hands?", Kim suggested.
"If I get hands, I'll have to re-learn alot. I'll have to re-learn cutting plants and hair. Re-learn sculpting. Re-learn how to cook."
"Are you okay with that?"
"Yes. If I have to start over, I will. Because I love creating things."

And Kim, of course, loved Edward's creations. She sublimely recalled how, as he'd carved his ice angel sculpture in her backyard, the shavings fell like snow and she'd danced in it.
Then, she recalled that during her reunion hug with Edward, when she had cried, her mascara had been ruined, staining her cheeks like little drops of black blood. Reaching into her purse, she found a cosmetic kit and repaired her eyes. As she did, Edward stared at her, enamored: her ponytail, her lips, her wintry outfit...it was all so feminine and endearing.

By this point, it was twilight. The sun had gone down past the horizon, leaving an indigo sky streaked with vermillion clouds. The city lights shone brighter than before. And as Edward and Kim bonded, their hearts shone brighter also.

"Do you like your life here, Edward?"
It took Edward a very long time to answer. Several times he would move his lips as if he had come up with the answer, only to stop and try something different.
After doing this maybe five times, Edward answered: "Life is complicated."
"It is.", Kim affirmed. "Have you made any friends out here?"
"Yes."
"Good! What things do you do with them? Do you go swimming at the beach? Or go to concerts? Do you take them up here to see the view?"
With hesitation, Edward said: "...no."
"Why not?"
"I didn't ask them to. I don't think we're very close."
"Hmm...so they're more like acquaintances?", Kim asked.
"That's when people are nice to you but they're not really close?"
"Yeah."
"I have alot of those. Most people are pretty nice to me. But some people are scared of my scissors. Some people stare."
"I see..."
"I guess I don't have any really close friends yet, except your family. I'm a little scared to get close to most people."

"I had to prove that I could make it alone, but that's not me.
I wanted to show how independent I'd grown, but that's not me.

I once had a dream, so I packed up and split for the city.
I soon found out that my lonely life wasn't so pretty."

-Brian Wilson

"Edward..."
As she spoke, she gazed at Edward, and he gazed back. Her chocolate-colored doe eyes were among the most gorgeous things he'd ever seen. They radiated empathy and compassion, and it was making him melt.

"Most people would do anything to have a friend like you. You have an innocent heart, one that wants to do good. And other people see that too. That's what they'll admire about you. And also that you're talented and creative! You can get close to people and be their friend. I believe in you. You said you left your mansion again in order to find the good people and be with them, right? Well, they're out there. Be brave."

He was greatly encouraged by these words.

"Plus..." she added, blushing as she spoke, "You know how I feel about you." She placed her hand on his right forearm and caressed it with her fingers. "I want you in my life. To be by your side. As your girl."

His heart raced at her proposal. Ever since he'd first seen her photos in the living room cabinet, Edward had been smitten with Kim. Yet, the exile he'd had to place himself under was a formidable obstacle to their union, an entire sea separating them. Now, that sea had parted and there was nothing in their way. So he responded: "I'd love that. I want to be your man." Their faces grew closer and closer, until Edward's lips pressed against hers, and he shut his eyes tight; Kim did the same.

Wonderful feelings coursed through them both. Edward's love was like an ember inside him, passionate and generous. He wanted to give back to her, to share all he had. Kim was filled with breathtaking, icy chills. As they kissed, she could feel an entire year of longing and sadness inside her washing away, like dirt in the midsummer rain.

There was alot of sin in the City Of Angels, but the kiss Edward and Kim shared on the observatory mountaintop that December Eve was pure and sacred. When the denouement passed, their lips parted and he returned the words she had left him with the last time they saw each other:

"I love you, Kim."
"I love you too. That kiss was incredible."

The breeze blew on, and the night moved in to bring rest to the earth. Things stayed like this for a while, and then Edward stirred and yawned.

"I'm tired. I need to get home."
"Oh yeah. Where do you live, anyways?"
Edward stood up, stretched a little and turned to Kim.
"I'll show you."

Then Edward moved on and behind him Kim followed.