Soulshine (26 page)

Please forgive me for my selfishness. I have never trusted anyone with my secret… even my beloved Michelle… until after I deliberately forced her to become just like I became so many years ago. I take solace in the fact that she became glad not long after finding out what I had done to her. I hope you take some solace in the same, Mr. Fleming. Perhaps it was fate… and I am not excusing my actions here… because had Michelle and I parted ways, she may have ended up in a terrible relationship with someone who did not love her half as much as I do. Please also take comfort in knowing that I dolove her… even as I take my final breaths.

Yes, I am taking my final breaths as I write this to you. There are no doctors on earth that will ever figure out what to do for a timeless man that is rapidly shedding his mortal shell of a body. I have always speculated… and avoided… the afterlife with fear of the unknown. I hoped to shelter Michelle from the same. I shall be with my Maker soon, and the meeting is long overdue. I hope that He is not displeased with me… though I suspect that He may be.

I have left my dear Michelle with a glimmer of hope… a residue of the elixir that may spare her a life of loneliness. My hope is that she finds someone else who loves her as much as I do and is willing to drink of the same cup… once the residue is examined and hopefully duplicated by trustworthy chemists… in order to keep her happy forever. I am requesting that you help her get the contents examined, Mr. Fleming. You probably do not agree with keeping the elixir active in the world, but please keep in mind the welfare of Michelle. She deserves the best. I gave her the best I could… except for my biggest mistake when I failed to ask permission of her before I made what should have been the biggest decision of her young life.

I hope that this letter finds you in good spirits and that Michelle is by your side as you read it. If you hate me, I fully understand. But please believe that I have loved… and will always love… her dearly. I am saddened that I traversed the earth for too many years before finding what now seems like a fleeting moment of joy with the one that was waiting for me at the end of life’s road. Please hug her for me and be proud that you raised someone worthy of perpetual youth, vitality and soulshine.

Michelle left the post office after placing the money and the bottle in her luggage. She still held the note in her hand as if she were keeping a part of Evan with her. She could not stop thinking about how he continued to provide for her, and for a while forgot that the provision would eventually run out. She looked toward the direction of Grove Street and decided to venture only as far as Cacharelli"s Sundry Shoppe, which was situated a few blocks before the street she grew up on. As she approached the store, she noticed that the sign had changed, indicating new ownership. She peered in the big glass window and was saddened that the counter and soda fountain were gone. The store had become a modern pharmacy. Its charm and all the memories of the place when she used to hurry to meet Evan were gone with it.

The bus to Providence pulled along the curb and she boarded it. Within a couple of hours, she was at the airport looking at the rolling electronic list displaying destinations of upcoming flights. San Francisco attracted her, and seeing Sunbeam and Nova again would be nice, but it seemed to offer only the promise of reliving a time with Evan that will never happen again.
Evan always said that he would show me Europe. I looked so forward to that.
She fought back the tears.
We’ll never do it now.

“Can I help you, Miss?” The pleasant sound of the ticket woman behind the counter disturbed Michelle"s daydream.
“Yes… I"d like a one-way ticket to San Francisco, I guess.”
“That"s a one-way ticket to San Francisco?”
Michelle looked up again at the new flights as they posted on the electronic board. “There"s a flight to Paris in six hours? Is there an open seat on
that
flight?”
The ticket woman looked at her computer screen. “Yes, there is. I guess you don"t have a specific destination in mind, do you?”
“I do now,” said Michelle. “I"d like a ticket to Paris, please.”
Michelle bought the ticket. Within hours, she was airborne, continuing on in Evan"s memory. She would see the sights that he described to her in detail and somehow try to feel as though he were with her.

“Careful, Evan. This is the first time you try putting that much pressure on theleg in over twenty years,” said Oliver as he caught Evan walking on his own without the aid of a crutch inside the Brother"s Keepers Hermitage.

“Well, I do recall you telling me that growing the leg could take months and
possibly
years. I wish I knew that it was going to be twenty years. Today doctors are attaching prosthetic legs. I could have opted for that.”

“Evan… you have a new leg of flesh and bone. Wasn"t it worth the wait?”
“I just want to find her.”
“Michelle Fleming?”
“No… Auntie Blue Jean!” Evan replied sarcastically. “Of course I want to find Michelle.”
“Evan… you aged quite a bit as your body started to die. You look too old for her now. Would you expect her to recognize you… or even want to be with you?”
Evan looked at himself in the mirror on the wall. By his estimate, he appeared to be a man in his early forties. “I
am
a far cry from what I was, but at least I"m still somewhat young… and hopefully virile. Today is her fiftieth birthday. If only I could take her anywhere she wanted to go… surprise her.”
“Perhaps she took you up on your suggestion to get the residue of the elixir analyzed, create some more and find someone else to share it with.”
“I hope I find her before that ever happens… but it probably did by now.”
“Help us in our crusade to heal others, Evan. It"s very rewarding and good for the soul. Bryan is now living out his last years in the warmth of Florida. Jean is back at Ottawa General Hospital. We want to keep you with us. Where will we ever find anothercolleague of Gerasimos?”
“You don"t need me, Oliver. Let me try to find Michelle. We have the internet now. I can search for her there.”
“We tried that, Evan. She is obviously, and as expectedly, keeping a low profile… much like you would.”
“I"d plaster my name and face all over the internet if I believed she would find me.”
“But she"s not looking for you, Evan. She thinks you"re dead.”
“Which is why
I
must find
her
.”
“We tried for years, Evan. I had hoped to be able to help her with her lengthy pregnancy… as well as have that elixir residue analyzed. We had to give up on that. You need to let go, too, Evan. Perhaps we"ll someday stumble upon her like we did with you.”

The heartbeat is strong.”
“When will I start to show?”
“Typically between sixteen and twenty weeks. You"re

rather petite, which may cause you to start showing early. Then again, your body is firm, which indicates that you may show later. It"s not possible to tell at this time.”

Michelle was glad that it would be many years before the baby showed, but she also wished that she could just have the baby and be done with it… especially since she didn"t have Evan with her to share the experience. “Thank you, doctor.”

“Before you leave, please make another appointment for next month. After twenty weeks into the pregnancy, you should come in weekly. I"ll work out a schedule with you.”

“That"s okay, doctor. I"m… moving out of the area next week.”
“I suggest you find a new obstetrician as soon as you are able.”
“Yes, doctor… and thank you again.”
As Michelleleft the doctor"s office, Philippe was inside the waiting room. “Michelle! Where have you been?” She was stunned to see him. She had met Philippe over a year ago and they had been dating ever since. Philippe was a charming gentleman, possibly a few years shy of thirty, and she enjoyed his company. She felt it nice to meet a charming young French man who spoke fluent English. Michelle liked living in Paris, but she had been recently considering resuming her slow tour of Europe after spending twenty years in France. She sensed that Philippe"s interest in her was getting stronger, and though she had now lived fifty years, she still felt odd being with a man who looked at least twice her perceived age. She had become a mature woman quite adept at taking care of herself while obtaining the wiles necessary for her survival.
“Philippe… what a surprise to see you here.”
“I thought I saw you enter the building. What brings you to the medical building?”
Michelle struggled to stuff a slip of paper in her purse. “Just… a routine examination.”
“Michelle… did that paper say „Prenatal Care" on it?”
“Um… yes, Philippe. It did.”
“Are you… pregnant?”
“Yes, Philippe. I am… about six weeks along.”
“Who… who"s the father, if I may inquire?”
“I… was going to tell you. I… was just waiting for the right time. The father… is someone that I am in love with.”
“Do I know him?”
“No… you don"t.”
“I"m… glad for you. It"s just that… I enjoyed our time together. You must have gotten pregnant while we were dating. Thatdoesn"t seemlike something a lovely girl like you would do.”
“I"m sorry, Philippe. My… fiancé is in another part of Europe. I plan on going there to be with him.”
“I will miss you.”
“I"ll miss you too, Philippe.”
“May I buy you dinner before you leave?”
Michelle wanted to leave but did not want to hurt Philippe any more than she already had. “Sure you can. You"re a good friend. Thanks for being so understanding.”
They went to a restaurant across the street from the medical building, and Philippe asked for a table. When Michelle got up to go to the ladies" room, he rummaged through her purse, pausing to look at the prenatal care form before discovering the small bottle wrapped in a handkerchief at the bottom of the purse. He gently removed the bottle and placed it in his suit coat pocket. When Michelle returned, he smiled at her. “Michelle… is there anything I can say to make you stay here with me?”
“I"m afraid not, Philippe. After all… I
am
pregnant with another man"s child.”
“That does not bother me, Michelle. I… love you.”
Michelle blushed. “I really should be going. Do you mind if I skip dinner, Philippe?”
“Am I scaring you away, Michelle?”
“In a way… yes. It"s just so awkward. My fiancé is waiting for me.”
“Will you at least tell me where you will be going?”
“It"s probably best that I do not tell you.”
“But I want to keep in touch… in the event that things do not work out with your fiancé.”
“How about if
I
call
you
?”
“If that"s how it must be… but something tells me that you are not meeting anyone. There
is
no fiancé, is there?”
Michelle became nervous. “I have to go. Goodbye, Philippe.”
“Goodbye, Michelle. Please… keep in touch.” As Michelle left the restaurant, Philippe pulled out his cell phone and made a call.

“Excuse me, Evan,” said Oliver. “I have a phone call to take.” Oliver went to his office to take the call. “Hello?”
“Oliver… it"s Philippe.”
“Well, hello, Mr. Ducharme. I"m rather surprised to hear from you. The last time we spoke… possibly a year ago by my estimation… you thought you may have located the girl we have been seeking. Since then, you have returned none of my calls. So tell me… whatever happened with that lead?”
“What happened, Oliver… is that I fell in love with her. She is the loveliest thing I have ever laid my eyes on. She makes herself up to look older, but the makeup still makes her look no older than sixteen. Yet there"s something about her that… glows like a woman. I have been seeing her for the past year.But yes… her name is the same as the one you seek and the description you provided me seems to match.”
“It sounds like you got to know her well. Did you find out anything aboutthe bottle with the residue of elixir in it?”
“The bottle? Um… no… I have not. Listen… I think it best that I stop working for you, Oliver. As I have told you… I love Michelle, and I am not willing to have her brought to New Brunswick.”
“You will be greatly rewarded, Philippe.”
“Does my reward have anything to do with the contents of that bottle, Oliver?”
“Your reward could be monetary… or it could possibly be derived from the bottle.That would be your choice… but I will not divulge the nature of the bottle until Michelle is under our care.”
Philippe paused, knowing that he was holding the trump card.“I"ll make a deal with you, Oliver. If you tell me what is so important about this bottle, I will consider whether or not it is worth… stealing it from her.”
Oliver hesitated. “Philippe… if you help us get that bottle so we can analyze it, I can assure you that if we are successful in reproducing the contents in a greater quantity… you will have the ability to live thousands of years… as we have. How does that sound to you?”
“How do I know that you can make such a promise?”
“Because that is the sameelixir that is inside the girl… and is causing her to be aging slowly enough to have a fetus that appears to be six weeks old… even though she conceived thirty- two years ago.”
Philippe pulled out the bottle from his suit coat and examined it. “Fascinating story, Oliver. You expect me to believe that? Yet somehow you
do
know that she is six weeks pregnant.”
“Correction… she
appears
to be six weeks pregnant. The aging process of her baby is also affected by the elixir.”
“Then I was correct when I surmised that there
is
no fiancé that is supposedly the father of this child.”
“The father… exists… and has existed for many centuries. He required our medical attention. Another purpose of bringing Michelle here is to reunite them as a family… though that is secondary to obtaining the elixir and giving her proper treatment for her child.”
“Hmm… perhaps I should seek this bottle and have it analyzed myself.”
“That would not be wise, Philippe. We need to make sure that it does not fall into the wrong hands.”
“Oliver… as I said… I do not have the bottle… but I am captivated by that girl so much that it does seem like a wonderful fantasy to think that I could spend forever with her and make passionate love to her every day for eternity.”
“Philippe… tell me your whereabouts. We need to convince her to come to New Brunswick.”
“Sorry, Oliver. You cannot stand in the way of love. Don"t bother calling
me
. I"ll call
you
if I need you.” Philippe hung up the phone and left before the waitress came to the table to take his order. He got into his car and proceeded to the University of Paris so he could deliver the bottle to the College of Pharmacy"s laboratory for examination of its contents.
“Oliver!”
Oliver was still so stunned that Philippe had abruptly hung up on him that he did not answer Timothy immediately. “Timothy… I have located Michelle Fleming… or at least her most recent whereabouts. I"m sending you and Christopher to Paris. Perhaps we can summon Jean Grady from Ottawa to help, provided she"s still willing to help us at her advanced age. After all, she knows what the girl looks like. Whatever you do… I think it"s best that we don"t tell Evan about it.”
“I… don"t think that there will be a problem with Evan overhearing anything, Oliver.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He"s… gone.”
“Gone? Where?”
“He wanted to find Michelle. After all these years that we were unsuccessful in locating her, and given the fact that Evan is completely healed, I saw no reason not to provide him with one of our custom-made passports and some funds to help him on his quest.”
“Did he say where he was going?”
“Back to the States… to Riverside.”
“That"s just as well, I suppose. We need to find her over in Europe, and Evan may resist us from getting the elixir if he knows where she is.”