Intervention: A Science Fiction Adventure (7 page)

* * *

“I’m telling ya, I
don’t wanna hear no more excuses, Joe. Why I keep you on is beyond
me. Everyone else meets their quotas but you, Joe, and where’s your
tie? How many times do I gotta tell ya? Ya gotta wear a tie, Joe.”

“What’s a tie got
to do with insurance?”

“Don’t interrupt me
when I’m talkin’ to you,” Mickey went on. “I put up with you
not meeting your quota more than you make it. You haven’t met your
quota in over six months. If I had anybody else to cover the farm
areas, you wouldn’t even have a job, and if you don’t meet your
quota next month, you may not anyway. One more chance, Joe; one more
chance and that’s it.”

Mickey was not happy
with Joe’s work and it showed. This scene had played out many times
before in Mickey’s office. It really wasn’t much of an office,
but Mickey was the boss and it was his office and he signed the
paychecks.

“Now get outta here
and try to think of a way to sell some insurance,” Mickey growled
as Joe got up to leave. “You know, a new tie wouldn’t hurt.”

The rain made Joe’s
rotten day even worse. Now the old Chevy, that didn’t like the
spring rain any more than Joe did, wasn’t going to cooperate with
Joe either. “What else could go wrong?” Joe muttered under his
breath as he opened the hood to try and find the problem.

It didn’t help things
when Mickey came out of the office under his umbrella and climbed
into his new Lincoln. He pulled up to Joe and rolled down his window
and said, “It’s no wonder you can’t meet your quota; you can’t
even get to where you’re going driving that old relic.”

Finally the old Chevy
came back to life and Joe headed for home. He was going to be late
again and knew his dinner was getting cold.

Mary was such a good
wife. She was able to do so much with the little he provided. He
sometimes felt he had married an angel. She said he had a good heart,
but he wished he had better business sense too. He just couldn’t
seem to be what people expected him to be. It certainly wasn’t
because he didn’t try. He just didn’t seem to fit the mold.

Mary pulled back the
curtain on the second floor window just enough to see it was her
beloved returning home. Joe felt good to be home. It was only a small
second story flat, but it was home. As he neared the top of the
steps, Mary opened the door to meet him. Her presence and warm smile
seemed to take the chill from his rain-soaked bones.

“Come on in. Let’s
get you dry.” Mary grabbed a towel and as she patted him down, she
seemed to dry away his troubles, too. She could always tell when it
had been a bad day for Joe and somehow she knew just the right thing
to say and do to make him fell a little better.

Dinner was spaghetti
and meatballs and a cheap bottle of wine, but somehow Mary made it
feel like a dinner at the Ritz. Joe had no idea how she even managed
a bottle of cheap wine on their budget, or lack thereof. It was
typical of Mary to do so much with so little. Joe wondered what life
would have been like if they were able to have children. Mary would
have made the best mother imaginable. It was a subject he never spoke
of, though, since he knew it bothered Mary so much. It wasn’t her
fault. The doctors told them it was just not to be.

Mary kept filling Joe’s
glass with wine as fast as he drank it. At first, it didn’t seem to
have any effect on his state of frustration, but eventually the wine,
along with a little help from Mary, won out over Joe’s state of
mind. He leaned back in his chair and said, “I think I just might
have another helping of spaghetti, and those meatballs are delicious,
honey. I don’t know how you do it.”

“As long as you like
it, dear, that’s all that matters,” she replied lovingly. “You
just eat all you like.”

Mary got up and took
her dish into the kitchen. When she returned, she caught Joe leaning
back in his chair resting for a moment, and as gentle as a butterfly,
she placed the palm of her hand on Joe’s cheek, softly caressing.
“Would you like anything else, honey?” she asked softly. The wine
had worked enough on Joe to know what that meant. He never could
resist Mary’s charms. Mary’s words and touch were like magic,
leaving nothing to be desired but her. Perhaps that’s why he
married her in the first place.

Mary removed the rest
of the dishes from the table, and Joe noticed for the first time that
there were lit candles in the center. He also realized there was
music playing softly in the background. It was Benny Goodman, his
favorite.

Earlier in the day, Joe
had thought it would be a good idea, since he didn’t have a
television, to go to a neighbor’s and watch something to take his
mind off things for a while. Mary had already taken his mind off
things, and put it on to something else. She disappeared into the
bathroom, leaving Joe to relax even more while listening to his
favorite music. Mary took her time, giving Joe time to enjoy the
music and wine.

Joe didn’t realize he
had closed his eyes until he opened them and saw Mary standing in the
bedroom doorway. The worries of the day disappeared in the wind as
she stood there invitingly, wearing only her bedroom yes and the silk
nightgown she had bought for their honeymoon. She still looked as
good as ever in it; even better now with her brown hair longer than
it was then, falling over her shoulders like a waterfall. Joe felt
suddenly like it was his honeymoon all over again. He had all the
excitement, anticipation, and desire he had that first night. Mary
didn’t have to speak a word. Not with her lips anyway; her eyes
were doing all the talking, and Joe heard every word, loud and clear.

Joe walked toward the
bedroom and into Mary’s arms, though it seemed more like he was
walking into her love. It was as if there was only one body, a
combination of them both, walking toward the bed. Being with Mary was
always special, but for some reason tonight felt extra special. There
was no reason for it to be, but it was. Mary had been in an
exceptional state of mind since he came home. She was always
terrific, warm, and loving, but tonight stood out somehow. Like their
first night together, yet even more.

Joe could hardly tell
when they reached the bed, he was already lost in her passion.
Tonight Mary seemed to want Joe for her pleasure as well as his, not
only just for his benefit. Joe certainly noticed the difference and
was overwhelmed by it. He could think of nothing but her as they
rolled in the throes of passion like he had never known. It was
magic, cosmic, almost spiritual, and must have lasted for hours. Then
after what seemed like an eternity, the moment of mutual climax
arrived.

Suddenly magic happened
and they both knew it. Without saying a word, they looked into the
other’s eyes. They didn’t say a word, but just stared at each
other, totally amazed by what they were feeling. They both knew, but
didn’t speak a word.

The next day was Joe’s
day off so he and Mary spent the day together at home. Mary worked in
the little garden she had planted in the backyard and Joe mowed the
grass and raked the fallen leaves. They didn’t talk about the night
before, but rather spent the day enjoying a feeling of fulfillment.
They were almost afraid to talk about it for fear the feeling might
fade away. So they just went on with their normal routine enjoying
their time together.

In the weeks that
followed, Joe’s positive outlook helped him sell several new
insurance policies, and he was even getting along with Mickey better
than ever. The old Chevy still needed the occasional coaxing, but Joe
didn’t mind so much. For a change, life seemed good to Joe, and
Mary had a glow about her he had never seen before. He was more in
love with her than ever.

Several weeks went by.
When he pulled into the drive, Mary was waiting for him. Mary always
waited for him at the door, but not today. Her eyes were as bright as
the beacon of a lighthouse. She seemed about to explode with joy as
she opened the car door and pulled Joe from his seat.

“What is it, honey?”
he asked.

“I’m going to have
a baby—I mean,
we’re
going to have a baby! You’re going to be a father!” Mary
exclaimed bursting with joy.

“How? I mean I know
how
, but, how? The
doctor told us you could never get pregnant.”

“I don’t know how,
and neither does the doctor. But I went to see him. He said that even
though he thought it was impossible, I’m going to have a baby! He
said he can’t explain it; he was sure I could never get pregnant,
but I am.”

“Oh, honey!” Joe
exclaimed as he took her in his arms and held her close. “I’m
going to be a father. Imagine that—me, a father!”

Mary smiled. “Come
on, daddy, I’ve got dinner ready.”

“No honey, let me get
dinner. You shouldn’t be exerting yourself.” Joe said as he tried
to wait on Mary.

“Don’t be silly,
honey. Come inside and sit down and let me get your dinner. If you
want to help me, don’t you worry. They’ll be plenty of time for
that in a few months.”

As they entered the
house, Joe said, “Are you sure it’s all right for you to do
things just now? I mean being pregnant and all?”

“Of course, silly. I
can do everything I always did before, for a while anyway. I’ll let
you know when I need help. Now sit down and eat before it gets cold.”

After dinner Mary
cleaned up as usual, then settled into her new pastime of doing
crossword puzzles. She also liked word puzzles—actually, she liked
any kind of puzzle she could find. Joe thought it was odd since she
had never even looked at puzzles before. But if working puzzles made
her happy, then Joe was all for it.

The months passed by.
Mary started to show a little earlier than normal. She was only in
her third month when she felt the baby kick for the first time. Her
doctor told her, “Your development is a little faster than normal,
Mary, but I don’t think it’s anything to be concerned about.
You’re in good health and you take good care of yourself. You don’t
drink or smoke, so if there are no unusual problems, you and the baby
should be just fine.”

“You’re sure it’s
all right to be showing and the baby to be kicking this early? I just
don’t want anything to go wrong. Joe and I have never been
happier.”

“If you have any
problems, you come see me right away. Otherwise, enjoy your little
miracle.”

Two months later, Mary
was back in Dr. Percell’s office. He said, “I must admit, this
amount of activity in only the fifth month is most unusual.”

“This amount of
activity is unusual in any month according to my friends,” Mary
replied.

“I think we can
forget about the due date I gave you before. This little fellow isn’t
going to wait the full nine months. However, I don’t think we
should think of the baby as premature. I believe he’s just
developing a little faster than normal,” commented the doctor.

“A little faster? I
think this is more than a little faster. Don’t you think?” Mary
responded.

“I would never be
anything but honest with you Mary, you know that. No, this
accelerated growth is not normal. Nor is the amount of activity
you’re experiencing either. But it seems to be going well. I really
think it’s going to be all right. But if anything, I mean
anything
,
unusual happens, you come see me right away.”

“I will, and thank
you for being honest with me Dr. Percell.” Mary got up and gathered
her things to leave. “I think I’d better pack that bag and keep
it by the door. I’m going to need it sooner than we thought.”

* * *

“Joe,” Mary paused
for a moment. “Joe, wake up, honey. It’s time.”

“It can’t be time
to get up yet. The sun’s not even showing through the,
oh
my lord!
It’s time?
That
time? Why didn’t you say so?”

Mary calmly smiled. “I
just did silly. Take my bag and put it in the car. Get the Chevy
warmed up, and then come back and help me out. I’ll put something
on while you do that.”

Joe was as nervous as a
cat in the dog pound. “Are you all right, honey?”

“I’m fine. Now go
start the car and come right back.” Joe flew out the front door,
then remembered he had forgotten the suitcase Mary had by the front
door. He ran back in, grabbed the suitcase, and flew back out to the
car. He put the suitcase in the back seat and went to work on the old
Chevy. “Come on baby, don’t fail me now,” Joe mumbled as he
pulled out the choke, pumped the gas, and turned the key.
“That-a-girl!” Joe exclaimed, as the old Chevy sparked to life.

“Now be careful on
the steps, honey,” said Joe, his breath plainly visible in the
brisk December air as he helped Mary down to the car. It took extra
effort on Joe’s part not to speed. He knew it would upset Mary and
that would be the last thing he wanted to do at a time like this. The
hospital was less than a mile from their house, but tonight it seemed
like a hundred miles.

“My wife’s having a
baby. Hurry!” Joe shouted to the personnel in the emergency room as
he grabbed a wheel chair and headed for the car. Moments later he was
joined at the car by several of the nurses on duty to help him bring
Mary into the delivery room. Once inside, they wheeled her away and
left him to register with the nurses at the front desk.

“What’s her
doctor’s name?” asked one of the nurses.

“Uh, oh, I’ve got
it right here.” Joe said nervously as he reached into his pocket
and produced a small piece of paper containing the needed
information. “It’s Dr. Percell.”

“Why don’t you have
a seat while I call him, then I’ll take you in to see your wife,”
the nurse said motioning to some chairs as she reached for the
telephone. “Ah, okay, sure. Please hurry. Is she going to be all
right?”