William looked over at the patio of the hotel where Debbie and Georgia were seated. The two women were talking with each other oblivious of their surroundings. It was obvious to him that they had left their depression behind.
Kim and Nancy joined William at the table. The pair of Druids did not look happy. Nancy said, "I feel like we failed."
"What do you mean?" William asked.
Kim said, "We're supposed to be the grief counselors, not you."
"We were useless," Nancy said running a hand over her medallion. It had been unusually heavy over the past few days.
Shaking his head, William said, "Do you think they would have lived long enough for me to get here if you hadn't been by their side?"
"No," Kim said. She looked over at Nancy and added, "We barely kept them from hurting themselves on several occasions. I've never seen anything like it."
"When I was in the glade with the Two-Sided One, Oscar charged me with taking care of his wives. Thanks to you, I was able to begin fulfilling the promise I made to him," William said.
"We didn't do much," Nancy said looking at him with an odd expression on her face. She was surprised that he mentioned anything about his time in the glade. She had never heard a Druid make reference to their time in the Glade.
William sighed and asked, "Did you know that Georgia was favored by the God and that Debbie was favored by the Goddess?"
"No, I didn't know that," Kim said with a frown.
"Yes. It was a union encouraged by the Gods and Goddesses. Both of those women loved Oscar with their entire heart and soul. I think the love they felt for him was never stronger than on the day he died. He really loved them back. The love they shared was so strong that it was almost physical. I mean, you could almost see the threads that tied those three together. To lose that kind of love has got to be horrific. I'm not surprised that they didn't want to live," William said.
"Oh."
Seeing that he hadn't convinced them that they had performed their duty well, William said, "The Goddess has not chastised you for failure, has she?"
"No," Nancy said.
"We each have a role to play in our service to the Gods and Goddesses. You have provided the service that was asked of you and you did it well," William said looking from one to the other.
"Thank you," Kim said rising from her chair.
"Yes, thank you," Nancy said. She stood and looked down at her robe. She sighed and said, "We have to go shopping for something else to wear."
"If you wait a little bit, I'm sure that Lucy, Debbie, and Georgia would like to go shopping with you," William said. He knew that Debbie and Georgia only had clothes that were appropriate for traveling through the hot climate of the Middle East. Neither had the clothes that would be appropriate for a return to the colder climate of Pennsylvania.
After the pair of Druids left, Lucy joined William at his table. Sitting down, she said, "I see that Debbie and Georgia are out of their room."
With a satisfied grin, he said, "It looks like they've taken the news that they are about to be mothers very well."
"It gives them a reason to live," Lucy said. She thought about how she would react to William dying and knew that she'd want to join him in death. There was no doubt in her mind that Debbie and Georgia had felt the same way. The idea that the Gods and Goddesses would have rendered their birth control ineffective like that was truly staggering. She said, "The Gods and Goddesses work in mysterious ways."
"Yes, they do," William said with a smile.
"I guess I had better go talk to them. I've got a feeling that they really want to share this with a woman," Lucy said recalling that William had said that they women would want to talk to her for the day.
"Yes. You might want to take them shopping. They are going to need some clothes for Pennsylvania," William said.
"That's a good idea," Lucy said thinking that a little time shopping would cheer the women up significantly.
"I think that Kim and Nancy would like to go with you," William said.
"Okay. What will you do?" Lucy asked.
"While you're off shopping, I'll talk with the Guardian Angels and make arrangements for dinner," William said.
Gabriel looked across the table at William seeing his employer for the first time. That someone so young had provided so much money to protect another man's wife was rather impressive. He wasn't sure what to make of the young man, but he knew that he could trust him. He said, "You wanted to talk to us."
"Yes, I did. I just wanted to let you know that you and your crew did a very good job in protecting Debbie and Georgia. I was quite impressed with your performance. Debbie did not even know that you were her bodyguards until Oscar told them," William said. He looked around the table at the others of the team. He sighed and said, "They are safe now. I'll be taking them to live in Pennsylvania where no one will know who they are."
"We did very little," Gabriel said. Debbie had been very low key in Jerusalem and had not drawn much attention. The exception was her visitors.
"You got them out of the country before anyone could react. That was very important," William said. The search by the press for Debbie and Georgia had kicked into overdrive less than thirty minutes after the plane had taken off. He doubted they would have survived the onslaught of harassment by the press.
"I'm sorry that they witnessed what happened there," Remiel said with a frown. He felt guilty that they had allowed the women to watch. The violence of Oscar's death had shocked him. The violence that had occurred afterwards had shaken him to his very foundation. The Powers that Be had always been a kind of abstract distant thing for him. He added, "I'm really surprised that the Druid Gods and Goddesses killed so many people."
William shook his head at the misunderstanding of what had occurred there. He said, "It wasn't the Druid Gods and Goddesses that killed the people in that square. What you saw was Old Testament. It was Yahweh, Jehovah, and Allah punishing those who falsely proclaimed to be their followers."
"What?" Uriel asked staring at William.
"There were four voices of the Powers that Be in that square. Oscar was the only pagan. All of the other people in that square were followers of the other Powers that Be. When those followers turned their backs to their Gods because they refused to obey the commandments that had been delivered to them, their Gods punished them as an example to the rest of their followers," William answered.
The bodyguards looked around the table sharing glances at each other. They had all been concerned with doing their jobs that they hadn't really given that much thought to what had happened in the square. Uriel said, "Oh. I didn't realize that."
Gabriel asked, "What now?"
William pulled out an envelope from his pocket and said, "I suggest that you all take a vacation somewhere. You've earned it. I've included a bonus that should cover six months somewhere nice."
"Thank you," Gabriel said accepting the envelope from William. He didn't bother to look inside it. He said, "Give Ling our regards."
"We're not exactly on speaking terms at the moment," William said with a grimace. There was one more little piece of business to conclude. He looked around the table and said, "We'll be leaving the day after tomorrow. If I may make a suggestion, why don't you take Debbie and Georgia out to dinner tonight? I'm sure that they would appreciate the chance to thank you personally."
Darnel Hammond approached the hotel with butterflies in his stomach. So far this had not been a very good day, but it could have been much worse. He had been shaken by what he had discovered when he the workers reexamined the installation of the new hot water heater. The young man who had warned him of the danger had been absolutely correct. He had been stunned when the foreman had told him what would have happened if it had exploded during business hours. The idea that everyone who had survived the initial explosion would have suffered major burns over their bodies sent shivers down his spine.
His day had only gotten worse when his Chef had climbed all over him. It had happened the moment the Chef had learned the identity of the young man who had given him the warning. The Chef had been furious that William Redman Carter had been seated in the main dining room like a common tourist.
After cajoling the Chef into not quitting, Darnel had decided that it was time for him to find out more about William Redman Carter. After putting in a query on the web, he nearly fainted when he read about the young man. At twenty one, the young man was a major powerbroker in the business world. He learned that William's word could destroy the career of a CEO in a matter of days. He nearly was sick when he thought back to his attitude towards the young man the previous day.
Darnel found William seated in a chair on the patio of the hotel sipping from a glass of iced tea. He approached the young man and said, "Pardon me. I wanted to thank you for your warning."
"Ah, they discovered the problem with the release valve," William said.
"Yes," Darnel answered.
"I'm glad to hear that," William said knowing that they would have witnessed the explosion when leaving the next day.
"My Chef and I want to extend an invitation for you to come to the restaurant for a special meal," Darnel said.
"Ah yes, your Chef. He has the potential of being great, but you are holding him back," William said.
"He does? I am?"
Nodding his head, William said, "He has to prepare too many different dishes and serve too many people. He can't fully develop his culinary skills under those circumstances."
"What can I do?"
"Have a seat," William said gesturing to the chair beside him. Once Darnel had taken a seat, William answered, "I'm not exactly an expert in the restaurant business, but I do have a couple of suggestions."
Having read about William's business record, Darnel wasn't about to miss a chance to get some advice. Sitting on the edge of the chair, he asked, "What are they?"
"First, you need to cut back the number of tables by about twenty per cent. It was too crowded to really enjoy the meal. The noise level was so high that it was hard to hold a conversation. It is also hard to maintain good quality control as a Chef when you have to deliver that many settings in an evening. I wouldn't expand the operation at all by adding more room to the restaurant."
Thinking about the loss of revenue that cutting back that number of tables would involve, Darnel said, "Okay."
"Second, I'd reduce the number of items on your menu. I'm sure that your Chef has a dozen or so main courses that are his real specialties. Those are the dishes that keep your place full of customers. There are a few dishes that you would have to include for those who don't have the palates developed enough to appreciate his specialties. I'm sure your Chef knows exactly what to include in the menu," William said.
The look on Darnel's face was sufficient feedback to know that he didn't exactly like the idea. William added, "You also need to increase the prices by thirty percent. You'll be moving up in terms of clientele and they'll be able to afford the increased prices. If you were to do that, you'd still increase your profits."
Darnel sat back in his chair while he thought about what William had said. He realized it was the kind of advice that could move the restaurant up a level. Earning that last star would really be a major accomplishment. He could see where William's advice could very well lead to that result. Nodding his head, he said, "I'll talk to the owners."
"Do that," William said.
"Will you come to our place tonight?" Darnel asked.
"Yes. We'll be there around eight," William said.
"Thank you," Darnel said. He looked around and said, "I'll tell my Chef to expect you."
Nodding his head, William said, "You might want to warn your Chef that I don't drink wine."
"Thanks," Darnel said and then left.
William took a drink of his tea and looked at the view around him. It was a shame that it was near the end of December. He could just imagine what the island would look like in late spring.
Still recovering from their grief, Debbie and Georgia looked around the tastefully decorated house with subdued emotions. Although the original furniture of the house had gone to Arizona with them, Lucy had fixed up the house with new furnishings. Georgia turned to William and said, "It seems to me like the Carter Clan is always providing me with a place to live. First it was Ed Biggers and now you."
"I hadn't thought about it that way," William said with a smile. He walked over to the front door and opened it just as someone knocked. Holding the door open, he said, "Come in Jan."
Jan entered the house and gave William a quick hug. She then went over to Lucy and gave her a nice long hug. William went over to where Georgia and Debbie were standing and said, "That is Jan. She lives in the RV that is parked beside the house."
"Oh," Georgia said wondering why the woman was living in an RV rather than in the house.
Jan finished hugging Lucy and said, "I won't be here much. I'm driving the RV around the country for book signings. Fat Fred is coming with me."
"I'm so happy for you," Lucy said pleased to hear that the relationship between the two had progressed to that point.
"Thanks," Jan said.
Debbie asked, "Book signings?"
"Yes. My second book has finally been published and they want me to go around to bookstores to sign them," Jan said.
"That's great!" Lucy said. She had read the early manuscript and had found it to be just as inspiring as the first book. The second book had been about the lives of people in the Fusion Foundation.
"I owe it all to you," Jan said giving Lucy another quick hug.
William turned to Debbie and Georgia and said, "Our original staff will be returning here to take care of the house. You'll find them very helpful."
"We don't need anyone," Debbie protested.
"You and Georgia are both expecting twins. You'll need someone to look after you. I'm sure that you'll like Lisa and Ken. They are a nice couple," William said.
Lucy looked at William puzzled by the news. She hadn't known that Ken and Lisa were returning here. Rather than make a scene, she asked, "What about Tim?"
"He's going to finish high school on the reservation and then head off to college," William answered.
"They didn't say anything to me about moving back here," Lucy said feeling hurt that they hadn't mentioned anything to her about leaving.
William looked off into the distance for a second and then back at Lucy. In a soft voice, he said, "They're going to talk to us when we return home. Lisa is homesick."
"Oh."
Georgia and Debbie exchanged glances as they recognized that expression on William's face. They had seen Oscar do the same many times in the past. Georgia said, "I'm sure that we'll like them."
William looked over at Georgia and Debbie for a second and then looked over at Jan. A male voice with a definite female overtone to it said, "Yes. Jan will tell Oscar's story, but it will be a long time before they are ready to share it with her."
"That is good to know," William said aloud. Everyone turned to look at him wondering why he had said that when they had been discussing which rooms they would be using. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, "Sorry. I wasn't talking to you."
Lucy accepted the soft drink from the stewardess and took a sip. She put the drink on the little tray built into the plush leather chairs of the leased jet. The seating was much more comfortable than the jet that had flown them from Bermuda. She sighed and said, "It's been a busy ten days."
"Yes, it has been," William said looking over at Lucy. Although they had not been physically active, the emotions she had experienced since leaving Arizona had taken their toll. She looked tired.
"We haven't really had a chance to talk since you came out of the glade," Lucy said.
"I know," William replied.
"So much has changed in the past few days," Lucy said.
"Yes. I've regained my foresight. We've helped Debbie and Georgia with their grief," William said.
"Ken and Lisa are leaving," Lucy said.
William nodded his head knowing that was the real thing that was bothering Lucy. She viewed the couple like a favorite aunt and uncle. He said, "You know that Lisa hasn't really been all that happy in Arizona."
"I know. She was doing all right until Peter came. After that, she's kind of felt useless," Lucy said. She had known that it was kind of hard for Lisa to give up ownership of the kitchen, but she hadn't realized that she was so miserable that she wanted to leave. In a way, she felt as if she had failed Lisa in some way.
"I think that she's discovered that she likes taking care of people. With the increase in staff, she isn't taking care of us. She's going to enjoy helping Georgia and Debbie with the babies," William said.
"I'm going to miss her," Lucy said with a slight quiver in her voice.
"So will I," William said.
"So what are we going to do now?" Lucy asked.
"Well, I've got to publish my book. We'll work on the model and start making predictions about how this country is doing. I'll start my service to the Two-Sided One," William answered. He looked over at Lucy and asked, "Are you interested in getting your doctorate?"
"Yes, I think so," Lucy said.
"Good. We'll start a family after you finish your degree," William said with a happy nod of his head.
The stewardess returned and leaned over to William. She smiled at him and said, "We'll be taking off in a minute."
"Thank you," William said while looking down to double check that he had his seat belt fastened.
Lucy looked at the stewardess and noticed that she had undone another button on her blouse. She smiled at the fact that William hadn't noticed. It was obvious by the slight frown on the stewardess's face that she was a little bothered that William hadn't noticed. In a voice that was a little louder than necessary, Lucy said, "Thank you, stewardess."
"You're welcome," the woman answered straightening up and glancing over at Lucy before returning to the rear of the plane.
That the woman would try to pick up William while she was seated next to him irritated Lucy. She said, "From now on, you travel with Barbara or Sandra when ever you leave the house without me."
"Why?"
"You didn't notice the stewardess?" Lucy asked gesturing towards the back of the plane with her thumb.
"What about her?" William asked puzzled by the question.
"She was trying to pick you up," Lucy said.
William laughed and said, "What are you talking about? There's no way she could have picked me up. I'm a little too heavy for her. Besides, I'm fastened in my chair with a seat belt."
Lucy burst out in laughter. She was too busy laughing to notice the plane take off. When she recovered, she said, "I deserved that one."
"You did. I tell you, you have a real active imagination," William said shaking his head.
"I'll bet you that she has three buttons of her blouse unbuttoned when she comes back up here," Lucy said knowing that William was chalking her concerns up to an overactive imagination.
"That kind of defeats the purpose of wearing a blouse, doesn't it?"
"Do you want to bet?" Lucy asked.
"Sure. Standard stakes?"
"Yes," Lucy answered with a smile.
"Good," William said shaking his head. Fifteen minutes later,
William was paying off the bet with a kiss. It wasn't that he minded
losing, but it had taken him by surprise.