Zera and the Green Man (19 page)

“I apologized to them both years ago,” said Nonny, “Sally and I were okay. I knew Ted hadn’t forgiven me, but I thought I had forgiven myself. Maybe we never do.” She turned to Zera. “Right now it looks like we have a bigger problem. Do you know what he was working on?”

“No, I just know that on the way here he and Tiffany were happier than I’d ever seen them.” She thought for a moment. “Tiffany was excited the morning we left. They were going to meet someone important. She didn’t say who, though.”

“When they arrived, Tiffany was positively jittery, she was so anxious to leave,” Nonny frowned as she looked out the windows again into the black sky, still sputtering snow. “Ted acted suspiciously. Something was up then, and we need to find out what.”

“How do we do that?” asked Zera.

“I’m not sure. We’ll sleep on it, I guess. I hate to say this, just when we’ve been reunited,” a look of dread played across Nonny’s features, “but the first thing we’re going to have to do is track down Ted. I’ll call him, try to find out what’s going on. And we have to figure out how you play into this. I worried all evening, leaving you up here tonight with Grandma Wren. I shouldn’t have done that. I know one thing, I will not put you in harm’s way again.”

“Guinevere,” Grandma Wren said, “Zera has been chosen.”

Nonny’s expression of dread turned into one of horror. “She is a child, Nellie. That’s not possible.”

Another chill rippled through Zera.
She hadn’t told them that the Green Woman had spoken directly to her, telling her that she must help. But Grandma Wren
knew
.
Chosen? For what? And why me, when there are billions of others on this planet?
The look on Nonny’s face made her decide she would not say anything more
.

Grandma Wren said softly to Zera, “Trust that you will know what to do when it is time.”

Nonny heard. “She will
not
be chosen! I will not stand for this!” She glared at Grandma Wren.

The door blew open, thudding against the wall. Everyone jumped. Hattie yelped.

Cosmic Dan, wearing a hooded parka and covered in snow, stomped into the room. “Hi, ladies.” Seeing their startled expressions, he joked, “Gee, I didn’t know I was
that
ugly.”

Nervous laughter escaped from Zera and Hattie. Grandma Wren and Nonny showed no signs of humor.
                              
.

For Theodore, the return trip to Void Corporate Headquarters in the helicopter and the limousine ride back to The Grand was a depressing blur. He went through the motions, saying goodbye to everyone, smiling, shaking hands, saying he felt great.  

He walked into his penthouse suite and headed for the wet bar. Hands shaking, he picked up a cut crystal decanter full of scotch. He poured himself a tumbler, overfilling it slightly and spilling it onto the marble counter.

“Damn.” Theodore found napkins under the bar. He threw a few on top of the spill and shrugged. He brought the amber liquid to his lips, inhaled the harsh aroma, and found he couldn’t drink.
No
, he thought
. I’ve got to keep my wits about me. Got to sort this out.
He emptied the alcohol in the bar sink, and poured himself a glass of water, downing it in several long gulps.

He refilled the glass and ran his bumpy fingers through his now disheveled dark hair.
What do I do? There has to be a way out. How do I take care of this?
He felt sick, his mind full of images — beating hearts, breathing lungs, round pelts of hair, eyeballs.
God, those eyes.
His stomach lurched, like it might heave the water. He leaned forward, head down, both hands against the sink. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath.
Langston and Troy looking at me, as if it were all so fine. So wonderful. They used me, just like BioTech did.

Theodore walked to an overstuffed chair, put the glass of water on a table, and flopped down. The chair faced the terrace. He sat there staring at the big city view, the buildings, the sky,
the clouds.

He looked at his hands. The warts were back.
Ugly
. They’d never look normal, and it was his fault. They’d always be repulsive, because
he
was repulsive.
No wonder Mom left.
In the back of his mind he heard her voice.
Just rub a potato on them, Ted, then bury it under a tree . . . What if I should have trusted Mom all along?
He set his jaw, put his hands in his lap. He didn’t want to give in to her and her over-the-top beliefs.
Mumbo-jumbo here. Genetic monsters there. What’s the diff?

He licked his still-dry lips, picked up the glass of water and took a gulp.
Can’t go back to Piker, either. Sent in my resignation three days ago. Signed a contract with Void.
The thought of that made him feel sick again and he put down the water. He couldn’t figure it out. Void seemed to have it all, everything. He could too, if he just went along with it. But the thought of signing that contract brought an image he knew he would never be able to shake — one of him selling his soul.

* * *

Theodore jolted from his half-sleep stupor when “Theodore, I’m back,” rang out like a cheap musical alarm.

Theodore turned in the chair to see Tiffany, two shopping bags in each hand. She wore a huge smile and yet another new outfit, a sleeveless polka-dot dress with platform shoes and pink tights.
More pink
, thought Theodore dully.

Tiffany’s bright expression faded. “Theodore, what’s wrong?”

Theodore lied. “I’m not feeling well.”

Tiffany sat the bags on the coffee table. She eyeballed Theodore,
then touched his cool forehead. He got a whiff of her floral perfume and it reminded him of the lab. Nausea flooded through him. He pulled away.

“You don’t have a fever . . .” Tiffany said. “Did something happen today?”

“Yeah, something happened.”

“Well, what was it?” She sat on the sofa across from him, leaning toward him. “Is it something with the company? Langston? What? How long have you been sitting there?”

“I don’t know.” His voice sounded haggard even to himself,
changed
. “I saw some things today. I was affected by them.”

Tiffany’s cat eyes narrowed. “What things?”

“I can’t tell you. It has to do with the lab work. It’s top secret.”

“Oh, no.
It’s not drugs is it? They haven’t engineered some kind of illegal drug or something?”

“No, it’s not drugs. Just let me
be. There are some things I need to sort out.”

“Damn it, Theodore,” Tiffany stood, placed her thin hands on her boyish hips, “I’m your girlfriend, have been for a very long time.” Just as abruptly, she changed her tone. Softly she said, “You’ve got to tell me what’s going on. We’ve got a date to go out with Langston and Crystal tonight, to celebrate.”

The sparkly word “celebrate” turned to ashes in Theodore’s mind. “Tiffany, I saw some things that disturbed me, my own work.” He ran his hands through his hair again, his eyes glancing toward the window, avoiding Tiffany’s intense stare. “Maybe it should have been okay, but it wasn’t. I’m just not sure about anything anymore. I’m not sure . . . that I want all this.”

Tiffany stood looking down at Theodore, her small hands, now bedecked in several new, sparkly rings,
were clenched at her side. Her expression had changed from concern to anger. 

“What do you mean you’re not sure?” her voice became as low as his, and guttural, the growl of a tigress. “You can’t quit now, you signed the papers today, didn’t you? You’re the new
president of the Biotech Division, right?”

“Yes.” Theodore saw Tiffany make an effort to unclench her hands. One of them went to her jaw line and she massaged it. The thought came to
Theodore,
it’s as if she’s trying to rub out the imperfection of it, and the imperfection of this conversation.
A bitter smile came to his lips.
If only it were that easy.

“You’ve worked hard for this,” Tiffany said. “This is everything we’ve wanted — you’ve wanted.” She took a deep breath. “Do you know what I think? I think you’re afraid of success. Look at your mother, having all that money, that successful seed company handed down through generations, and then going through some sort of ‘spiritual awakening’ she called it, and giving it all away.
The business, all those stocks. You’ve had to work hard to get where you are. Why would you think of jeopardizing it?”  

“It’s my life. It’s my decision. Just like it was my mom’s decision to live hers the way she wanted.”

Tiffany bent down, put a hand on Theodore’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.” Her voice softened even more. “I’m just
confused
. It’s hard to understand this complete change. I think you’re just unsettled. So much has happened in the last few days. Try to let it go, Theodore. It’s
okay
to be a success.
Allow
yourself to be a success.”

She looked into his face. “Say it with me Theodore,
it’s
okay
to be a success.” 

Theodore stiffened, jerked his shoulder back.
“For crissakes, Tiffany. This isn’t a support-group meeting.”

Tiffany pulled her hand away. “If it weren’t for me . . . well, I don’t think you’re in any condition to discuss anything right now.” She jerked her head toward the wet bar. “You’ve been drinking, haven’t you? This whole place reeks like booze.”

Getting up, Theodore gave her a long, hard look. She seemed different to him now, desperate and silly. Almost pathetic. “Tiffany, you’re clueless.” He walked into the bedroom, closed the door behind him and locked it. As an afterthought he yelled, “Call and tell them we’re not coming tonight. At least I’m not. You can do what you want.”

Theodore took a shower and changed into a pair of jeans, the only ones he owned, and an undershirt. He could hear Tiffany crying in the other room. Exhausted, Theodore curled up on the bed. Within minutes he had fallen asleep.

* * *

From the phone came a soft voice, “Telephone call, Mr. Green. Telephone call . . .”

Theodore, drenched in sweat and breathing hard, opened his eyes but couldn’t see anything in the pitch black room. It took five rounds of “Telephone call, Mr. Green” before he figured out where he was. The nightmare was horrible. He reached out one trembling hand and picked up the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hello, Ted. It’s your mother.”

The glowing phone monitor showed Guinevere, squinting at her son in the darkness. Theodore sat up. Grabbing the collar of his T-shirt, he pulled it up to wipe his damp face. He groped for the switch on the nightstand’s lamp, picked up his glasses and
put them on. 

“Mom?”

“Sorry to wake you.”

Theodore made an effort to look and sound calm. “It’s okay.” He tried to smile. “Mom, I’ve made a terrible mistake. I understand now.” The screen went black.

He pressed the button on the monitor but it stayed dark.
“Mom?” No dial tone, nothing.

Staring into the dead phone monitor, Theodore didn’t see the two men wearing business suits enter the bedroom. He looked up when he felt their presence and saw Cooper Davies, the helicopter pilot, and a second, very large African
American man who wore his hair in chest-long dreadlocks.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Theodore said as they approached the bed. “Is Langston here?”

“Hey, Theo,” said the dreadlocked man.

“Do I know you?” before the words were out of his
mouth, Theodore saw the frightening smile on Coop’s face, and the rag in his hand. 

Theodore jumped up, tried to maneuver past them, but the two men grabbed him. Cooper placed
the sweet-scented rag over his face
,
and for a moment Theodore felt an odd excitement
from the drug, right before he went to sleep for the third time that day.

“We were cut off,” Nonny told Zera.

“Did you see him?” Zera was getting clean water for the dogs’ bowl in the kitchen. She glanced at Nonny, sitting at the kitchen table, v-phone in her hand.

“For a second,” Nonny said. “It was dark when he picked up the phone. He turned on the light, put on his glasses . . .”

Nonny
dialed Theodore’s v-phone number.

Zera s
et the bowl on the floor, thinking about the train ride back down the mountain. No one explained much to Dan, and he’d seemed fine with that. Then, on the ride down, traveling through the storm with its booming thunder and blazing lightning, talking became impossible. Zera knew they were all working on the puzzle of what had happened. She wondered what the future held for her uncle, for herself, for them all. 

When they arrived in Ute Springs, the world had calmed again; everything was wet and shining under a bright moon. Hope seemed to fill the rain-cleaned air, and Zera, too, at least for a while. Maybe everything would work out. Ben was waiting for them at the station
, soaked from having ridden his skateboard there in the rain, and Zera’s heart had leapt at the sight of him. They’d all gone to Nonny’s and had a cup of cocoa on the porch before Hattie said they had to leave. Like Cosmic Dan, Ben hadn’t asked many questions, and they hadn’t offered information. They’d all agreed to get together again first thing the next morning.

Zera sat beside
Nonny at the table, watching the blank screen of the phone and the words: “
Ringing
. . . .
Ringing
. . . .”

An attractive woman’s face appeared. “I’m sorry,” she said. “The number you have just reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service.” 

“Now that was his cell phone. I don’t know what’s going on! I’m going to check directory assistance.” Shaking her head, Nonny pressed a button to redial the hotel. Zera saw that her expression had gone from confusion to worry. “What’s wrong?”

“
I finally got through by calling the hotel. He looked happy to see me,” Nonny said. “He told me he had made a terrible mistake.   He said that he
understood
.   Then . . . we were cut off.”

“He said he’d made a terrible mistake?” repeated Zera.

An Indian woman wearing a yellow sari showed up on the monitor. “What city, please?” she asked with a British accent.

“I would like to find out the address for the number 310-555-1293.” Nonny watched as the woman typed into a computer. “
It’s The Grand Hotel in Los Angeles? May I have the lobby number? Thank you.”

Anger flared in Zera.
This is weird
.
Could he be playing some kind of a game? Why would he say he made a terrible mistake, and then not try to call back?
It didn’t add up.

Nonny spoke to the hotel operator. “My name is Guinevere Green. My son, Theodore Green, is staying at your hotel.” Nonny frowned at the woman on the screen.  “Our phone conversation was cut off a little while ago and the operator says the line is disconnected. You can check? Yes, I’ll hold. Thank you.”

She drummed her fingers on the table.

“The line seems fine, Mrs. Green. We could find no problem.”

“Is my son there?”

“I
’m sorry, Mrs. Green, he seems to be out for the evening. I’ll tell him you called.”

“I see . . . I’ll try again later.” The screen went blue again, then black. Nonny sighed deeply, rose from her chair, and repeated what Zera had overheard. “‘Ted’s left for the evening.’ This is so odd.”

Zera stood and pushed her chair under the table. “What are you going to do?”

“The room’s registered to Void Chemical Corporation. Well, at least we know that — it’s something to go on.” Nonny ran her fingers through her white hair. “It’s been a long day. Oh, I wish I weren’t so old.”

“Nonny, you’re not old,” Zera said. “I know people younger than you who seem
ages
older.”

“Thanks, darling,” Nonny tried to smile. “Well, that’s just like him, to give me a glimmer of hope.” The half-hearted attempt at a smile disappeared and Zera couldn’t help thinking that Nonny did look old then. “I doubt I’m even thinking rationally. I’ll call Hattie in the morning. But right now we need to get some sleep. What do you think?”

Zera’s irritation toward her uncle melted into tenderness for her grandmother, but one thing, something that she still hadn’t addressed, was bothering her. “I think you’re right, Nonny,” said Zera. “A good night’s sleep will do wonders. I have to ask you something, though.”

“What’s that, sweetie?”

“Are you still going to South America in two weeks?”

Nonny turned away from Zera, to grab her cane next to the chair.
“I haven’t given it any thought, with all this happening all at once. I don’t see how I could, but, well, I’ve had this date set for ages.” When Nonny turned toward her again, Zera thought she looked pale. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

“Sure.” Zera hoped the disappointment didn’t show. She gave Nonny a hug and went upstairs.

* * *

Zera kicked off her shoes and had just sat down on her bed when she heard a tap-tap-tap at the windowpane.

“It’s me, Ben.”

She went to the open window and pushed aside the curtain, to find Ben on a ladder. “What are you doing?”

“I had to talk to you.”

The window was at her knee level, so Zera knelt down. They were face-to-face.

“What about?”

“I just wanted to say, I’m glad you’re home.” He looked down at the floor. “I don’t understand what’s going on but I hope everything works out and you’ll be here all summer.” He brought his eyes up to look into hers.
“At
least
.”

At least.
In spite of it all, all the freaky stuff that had been going on all day long — he wanted her to stay! Zera’s heart leapt.

“I like you, Zera.
A lot.”

A rush of happiness made her forget everything. She couldn’t help herself, she leaned over, touched his dark hair. He leaned towards her. She pressed her lips into his. The kiss was everything she always knew it would be. It was warm and sweet and made her light-headed. Everything seemed intensified, the colors in the room, the cool air, the smell of his hair.

Ben looked into her eyes. “Let’s go out for awhile.”

This brought Zera back to reality. “Ben, I can’t sneak out. We’re trying to get in
touch with Uncle Theodore. We need to find out what all of this is about.”

Ben looked shocked. “Okay, I get it. It’s fine.” 

“It’s just that this is more . . .”

“Important?”

Ben didn’t wait for a response. He disappeared down the ladder.

“Ben!”

Anger coursed through Zera.
He’s not getting by with leaving like that.
She crawled out the window after him. 

* * *

A half hour later, sitting on the grass near the barn, Zera had told Ben about everything that happened on the mountain.

“I know this sounds crazy . . . but I’m not crazy,” said Zera. “It really happened.”

“Zera, I saw those snakes too. Yeah, it sounds crazy, but I believe you. Heck, I’ve known you all my life. But you don’t have to go through with it — with whatever’s happening.”

“That’s just it. I’m getting the feeling that I do.
That there’s no choice. Like I’m going down this path I have no control over.”

“Zera, Grandma Wren’s the one who’s crazy. You’ve seen her house. My mom’s a little off too. I know that. I love her and all, but . . . but sometimes I wish she was more like everyone else’s parents. I know you’ve had those feelings too; remember how we used to talk about it when we were kids? How we wanted to move out of Ute Springs one day, see the world?” 

Those memories came back to Zera. How she’d been a little embarrassed a few times by her parents, their artist ways, which always focused on feelings and imagination instead of the solid ground of reality, and how she’d found Ben a good person to complain to. She’d forgotten that she’d said she wanted to move away from Ute Springs. She’d probably been about twelve years old.
For the last three years all I’ve thought about is coming back.
“Things change, Ben. I’m older. I’ve been away. And when you . . . when you lose your parents you realize you loved every single thing that was different about them. Especially all those things that drove you nuts. It leaves a great big hole in your heart.”

Ben took her hand.

Ben’s hand was warm and a little rough. It felt good. She met his eyes and a thrill went through her. The moment didn’t last; she had to tell him something, something that she did not want to say. “Ben, I have to find out what’s going on with my uncle.”

Ben dropped her hand. “Come on. It was hard on me when you left; things changed a lot. Maybe you just
thought
you saw something. Who knows, maybe Grandma Wren’s smoke-thing that she took for chanting and waved around the air was filled with some drug or something.”                                   
.

Zera jumped up. “You just said you believed me. Ben, things changed a hell of a lot more for
me
when I left! You have no idea. And you really think your grandma
drugged
me?”

She took off into the darkness and Ben didn’t follow her.

* * *

Zera had a hard time falling asleep. Thoughts about Ben, how they’d kissed a few more times outside, how he’d held her, and then, how he’d made her so angry, traded places with worry about Uncle Theodore. After tossing and turning and getting up three times, she took out her v-phone, did her own search for the number of The Grand Hotel in Los Angeles. 

The woman on the phone said that Theodore Green had checked out.                                  
.