I’ll hide nothing from you. What you see is what you get. I can’t control what Ricky shows me just yet. When I do get more control I’ll steer clear of your thoughts if it’ll make you feel better.”
“Lu isn’t really happy about me ‘going on a red space trip’ with you.” He laughed.
“But I’d like to schedule a trip after our PBS taping at your place. Do you think Charlie would help with it? I really liked the idea that he set up the camera for your safety”.
“I’ll talk to Charlie.”
“Michael, tell me, have you ever seen Ricky’s red sparks in any of the particles that you’ve jumped to get on the current? Have you seen the red sparks without me being there?”
“No baby, I haven’t.” Michael admitted.
“How many times have you seen them with me?” I asked.
“I think 3 maybe 4.”
“We can give it try. I won’t schedule anything for awhile after the taping so that I’ll be available.”
I tied it up.
“Oh Baby, I almost forgot about the last song, the one you wrote the day before you left. I’ve played it for Lucy a few times and she agrees with me that it should be the final song of the show or maybe even the encore at the end of the performance. Are you good with that?”
“Of course, I’m ok with that. So, Lu likes the song?”
I wanted to know more of what Lu thought of it.
“Yeah, we both do and we like it more each time we hear it. It’s a strange phenomenon that the meaning becomes fuller with each rendition. We both think it’s a song that everyone, in any love situation, can get behind.”
“I sang it to Charlie and now it’s his favorite. It’s now our song.”
“Of course it is baby, I love you b-bye.”
“I love you, too Michael, b-bye.”
As the conversation with Michael was ending, Charlie came into the room. His expression was one of tolerance and maybe resignation at hearing me say that I loved Michael.
“Lover, I’d like to run something by you regarding the red spark travel. Michael wants to take a trip with me but he wanted to find out if you would help us out. He likes your camera idea and the monitoring and was asking if you would monitor a trip that we both attempt to take. What do you think?”
“If you’re going I’m monitoring. If he’s there, so be it.”
“Thank you Charlie.”
Sunday dinner was fun to prepare for. I wouldn’t be cooking but I just had to bring something. Along with the ripest harvest, I made a potato salad to take and Charlie had the computers to return to the shop. When we got there we were the last to arrive. Ollie, Mattie, and Margaret were already there.
Kevin was doing a bar-b-que so my salad fit right in. I was pleased to know that Margaret made her specialty cinnamon nut cake and Ollie and Mattie brought some nice white wine. Kathy was thrilled with the fresh produce and created a lovely green salad from some of the contents of the basket we brought.
Charlie got a beer for each of us and then found a good chair for us to settle ourselves in while we waited for dinner. It was a nice time for Charlie and me; we just teased each other. There were a couple of times that evening before dinner that Charlie would have gladly taken me home for a quickie and then come back for the meal.
After dinner Kevin showed us his designs for the ‘Catch Arena’ and the official, endorsed by ‘The Queen of the Catch’, swivel chairs represented at the edge of each of the arenas – a set of six chairs went with each arena, accommodating both the ‘Two Person Catch’ and the ‘Group Catch’. Ollie was submitting Kevin’s designs during the following week to the Olympic Committee for their endorsement for the games. Kevin reported that he’d been asked by the Olympic committee if his team would spear head the Olympic trials for ‘The Catch’. We all knew that Kevin was the man for the job, who else could handle it? No one knew more about the catch, the objects, or the stage it took to be part of a memorable catch.
For that evening’s ‘Group Catch’ we used his proto type arena and the swivel chairs. The arena was the perfect size and shape and we felt honored to be the first to use it. The chairs were a hoot and worked well for our group catch. That night Charlie and I were the two battling players at the end. It was a long catch because Charlie was good and could throw the object with excellent velocity using a variety of pitches. He made me laugh but I could tell when he could no longer hold his own. I couldn’t say what it was that brought on the erection but I knew exactly when it happened because he stopped looking at me. The catch ended with the object nailing Charlie in the stomach but he didn’t really see it coming.
Shortly after that we said our good nights and walked home. On the way, Charlie apologized for ending the catch.
“Woman, I couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s ok; I wanted to be home with you anyway because of all of the teasing before dinner. Every time I looked at you all I could think of was having you inside of me.”
“Oh God woman,” Charlie said. “Can you wait until we’re home to say stuff like that?”
We had a good time after we got home. Tut was asleep and Charlie picked me up as soon as we got in the front door. With the dead bolt securely in place he marched us to the bedroom and had our clothes off in less than a minute. His clothing removal process, again, a thing of beauty to watch.
In the following week I traveled on the red sparks nearly daily in search for the reason I would be deemed a punishment for another human being. Charlie was there for me every time after to wrap me up in his big arms and help me regain my strength.
The more I traveled I gathered more evidence pointing to the idea that my involvement with the connect was random and that it was just Michael’s dumb luck to be partnered with me.
Each time I traveled during that week Ricky took me back to the cruise ship and my time with Michael. With each trip I relaxed more and embraced my role as an objective observer. I watched as Michael’s attitude changed towards me from basic annoyance that he had to deal with me to actually thinking of me first and trying to protect me so that I’d not breach my principles.
While relaxing into the turmoil of the decent into the past I began to catch what seemed like breaks in that decent as I fell. Those breaks could be ledges of time and I intended to pay more attention to them during future travel.
At the end of each trip, Charlie loved me while I regained my strength. When I’d open my eyes to see Charlie watching me I’d feel his love for me and mine in turn grew for him.
Before the week was out I’d be in LA for the taping of the special. I’d designed six gowns for the event but they hadn’t gotten back from the ‘Three Women’ machine.
“Amanda; it’s Helen.” I opened the conversation.
“Hi Helen. What’s up?”
“I’m traveling to LA this week and I haven’t gotten the gowns I created for the trip.
