Finally, Jake called time out. James gave them each a towel and a bottle of water. Between gulps Jake gave Em additional pointers and they played out certain punches and blocks over again. Em seemed proud to be able to show him a trick or two. Then Jake handed her her gi pants and top and a white belt. She took them and her face fell. She held up the belt. “White?” She looked at Ron, her face a mask of confusion. “I’ve a blue belt in jui jitsu now.” He moved towards her, but Jake was there first. Her training session wasn’t over yet.
Jake called out to the young guys who had come in about half an hour earlier. There were six of them, high school students, loaded down with backpacks and team jackets. They were strong and fast with the agility and quick reflexes of youth. They circled Em and took turns attacking, ambushing her, some with plastic knives, and others with sticks or mock guns. She used every takedown she knew to defend herself.
*
If what came before shocked Ron, this made him physically ill. Shocked me too even though I knew she’d be okay. I hated watching her in the dojo. Why she insisted on martial arts for her workouts baffled me. What was wrong with yoga, or Pilates, or running?
Elspeth puffed up at that moment, ending her run with a good sprint. “Hey, Bro, how the heck are ya?” She punched my arm.
My mouth fell open. “Elspeth!” She giggled. “You're seeing entirely too much of Earth life, if you're talking like that.”
“Gotta admit it's kinda cool.” She jogged on to the gym, waving a hand over her shoulder at me. Big sister or not, she had no business dropping our traditions and ways. I'd have to have a serious talk with her.
*
Em backed away from an armed attacker, hands raised, as if pleading for mercy. An instant later, she was on her back on the ground, toy gun in hand, aimed at her assailant.
“Just where did you learn that?” Jake demanded.
“From the soldiers.”
“Soldiers?” one of the boys asked.
“They know everything.”
“Show us,” Jake said. Em broke the move down into its component parts and had the guys practice. Then she showed them two more ways to face an attacker with a gun.
Soon they were back to what Jake called the “circle of love” and she was attacked again. Jake watched as she grappled with whichever of the boys had been able to take her down, encouraging her to use strategy rather than brute force.
Over and over again Ron watched Em defend herself. He was both torn with a desire to turn away, but held in a trance that kept his attention glued to the scene. By the time it was over Ron’s whole body ached and he felt slightly sick to his stomach.
Finally, Jake seemed satisfied with the training session. He examined Em's hands and sent her off to cool-down and stretch. He came back with an ice pack for the bruised and swollen knuckles of her right hand, said he’d launder her gi and put it away for next time. Ron winced when he heard that. Jake walked Ron and Em to the car, hugged her and shook hands with Ron.
Em groaned as she lowered herself into the car slowly and gingerly. “I’m too old for this,” she said.
“You could always give it up,” Ron said encouragingly.
“No way!” She stifled a yawn and groaned as she reached for her seat belt. “Ouch!” She rubbed her shoulder. “It’s too much fun.”
“Fun! God Em, that was brutal.”
“Actually, I like Predator and Prey better. It’s a game where—”
“No, don’t tell me,” he said. “I don’t want to know.”
Em closed her eyes and drifted off.
Ron slipped her ring off his little finger and studied it. What do you see in the ring, Em? He'd asked her about it once. “It tells me things,” she’d said. “Tells me where I’ll go and what I’ll have to do. What to watch out for.” He looked at the ring half expecting another wink but the stone was flat and dull. He slipped it on her finger.
Such an enigma, this woman he loved.
*
Ron went back to the gym some days later with Tony. Jake met them as they entered, greeted Ron cordially, and looked Tony up and down critically with his usual scowl.
“Cool space you’ve got here, man,” Tony said as he checked out the gym. He headed to the far wall and chatted with three youths working out. Ron watched Jake, wary of his reaction. He wanted Jake’s approval of his best friend. Ron hoped to work out here regularly, another way to stay closer to Em, and he wanted Tony to come with him. Jake glowered. His gaze never left Tony. Ron’s attention was diverted by a burst of laughter from the youths with Tony.
Tony eventually returned to join Ron and Jake. “You’ve got good equipment,” he said to Jake. “Having trouble with my back. Acupuncture and massage help but not enough. What would you suggest?”
“You a dancer?”
“Yeah.”
“Lifting the girls?” Tony nodded. Jake turned to Ron. “He’s okay, but don’t bring no others.” He took Tony by the arm and Ron could hear bits and pieces of a medical discussion. From then on, they went to Jake’s regularly and before long felt comfortable with Jake and the crowd who worked out there. Tony’s back improved steadily and Ron got stronger and leaner.
*
Wasn't that just jim dandy? I pounded the arm of my chair. Em would probably think Ron looked sexier than ever now.
“Oh, look at Ron.” Elspeth cooed. I swear she was drooling. “Hum, maybe I should take my honey to the gym with me.”
I was so mad I wanted to spit.
*
It was late afternoon by the time Ron and Em arrived back at the house after their workout. In spite of a mad dash through the pounding rain they arrived in the foyer soaked. Ron dried off and started a fire to ward off the chill while Em showered. After his shower, they curled up in front of the fire. Em had brought over a bottle of Muscat, two glasses, and a plate of freshly cracked walnuts. Ron helped himself to some walnuts raising an eyebrow quizzically.
“With my teeth.” Em laughed and handed him the bottle to open. She also had a pile of books by Nick Bantock. “These are so clever. Look, they have envelopes with letters on some of the pages. Others are postcards and Bantock's art is amazing.” They read aloud, playing the roles of Griffin and Sabine, pulling the letters out of the envelopes, unfolding them with care and stopping often to admire and discuss the art.
By the end of the third book, Ron was convinced that Sabine was a figment of Griffin’s imagination or that she was the other half of Griffin’s split personality. Em believed that Sabine was real and did exist. Ron accused her of being an incurable romantic.
“And you’re not?” Em's eyebrows rose.
“No one has ever accused me of being romantic.”
“What about us?”
“Are you suggesting we’re like Griffin and Sabine?”
“Aren’t we?”
“But we’re real.”
“So are they.”
“You win!” He grinned. “Are you sure you’re not a lawyer? Don’t move,” he said as he rose and went to the bedroom. He came back in a few minutes and settled beside her. “Em, I have something for you,” he said hesitantly. She hadn’t wanted to accept any gifts from him in Greece and he hoped desperately that she would accept this.
Ron handed her a small box covered in faded blue velvet and seemed to brace himself, as if expecting her to hand it back. Em gasped as she lifted the hinged lid. “Ron, these are beautiful.”
Ron had marshaled all of his arguments as to why she should accept his gift in one compelling speech rehearsed over and over again, even in his sleep. He rehearsed it yet again as he waited for the inevitable no, but it never came.
*
Guardian and damn. She was going to accept it. A gift! From him! The man who had taken my rightful place in her heart.
She removed the earrings carefully from the box and put them on. Diamonds. A girl’s best friend. She liked them, no question. Why do you think I chose that ring from the Anti
quities room? Solid diamond.
My heart ached as I watched her reach for Ron’s hand and lead him to the bedroom. She stopped in front of the mirror where she could admire the earrings. Ron stood behind, his arms wrapped around her waist.
She’d accept his gift this time. She felt she had to. She understood his need for a tangible connection. She understood because she needed that connection to him too. She prayed that she wouldn’t lose the earrings in a transport or in her other life, but she had no intention of taking them off, ever.
Hopelessly outmaneuvered by an oafish human bearing a little gift. I felt hollow. I gulped tears and then let them flow for there was no way I could go down to Earth and give her a gift to show my love.
The diamonds sparkled in the light. Their gold settings shone dully. Like her wire bracelet.
“These are old, aren’t they? Have been well loved? Where ever did you find them?” Em said.
“I searched for a long time. I found them in a small shop in London.”
Don't look so Guardian damned smug, buddy. Mentor found them for you.
Ron shivered and glanced around the room fearfully.
“What's wrong?” Em turned from the mirror and placed her hands on his chest. “Your heart's beating a mile a minute.”
“I felt ... something.”
That something was me of course, I wanted to throw him off balance, disrupt his smug pleasure with Em, but Mentor snuck up from behind just then.
*
Em looked at Ron worriedly. “I’m okay,” he said. “Really.” He scanned the room again as if looking for someone or something, and then shook his head. Em wondered if Powers…. No, surely not. He wouldn’t bother with something like this.
Chapter 37
Em wrinkled her nose. Stale beer, cigarette smoke, sweat, and the musty smell of sex. What a seedy little joint to be stuck in. And stuck she was—to the chair. She shifted and tried to stand, grabbed a fistful of her skirt and jerked it towards her. The skirt came free. She lost her balance and slammed into the floor face first. She tasted blood. Fuck! All the dangerous situations I'm in and the only time I get hurt is when I do something klutzy. She wiped her mouth with the edge of her skirt and ran her tongue around her teeth. None seemed to be loose, but she had cut her lip. Damn! She muttered and rolled to a sitting position.
“Here. Let me help you.” A hand appeared in front of her face. She looked up to see a woman in white smiling down at her. The beauteous face ... she half expected to see angel wings, a halo.... “He never should have left you here. I'll have a word with him about this.”
“No. Please. Don't say anything. It's alright. Really. I'll be fine.” Em accepted the helping hand and rose in one fluid motion. She brushed her skirt with her hands, and then ran her fingers through her hair. “Thank you.” She looked up. The woman was gone. The bar empty. She didn’t stop to think who it was she’d been defending.
*
She picked up the phone, dialed Tom's room. “Can you come to my office please?”
“What's up, Boss. You sounded worried and I don't mind telling you, you look like hell.”
She took a deep breath. “Do you believe in extraterrestrial beings?”
“Whoa, girl. Where did that come from?”
She shifted in her chair. “I ... nothing. Sorry. It was a bad dream I had last night. Spooked me is all.”
Tom frowned. “Are you sure you're not sick or something?”
She nodded. “Yeah, sorry to have bothered you.” She waved a hand at him. “Now get out of here. Back to the kidlets.” Her grin was wobbly.
Tom grinned back, but felt like cursing. He found Sue refilling her coffee cup in the staffroom. “She's not okay, is she?”
“No, and I don't mind telling you I'm worried sick. She asked me today if I believed in aliens and then seemed heartbroken when I said no. I thought she'd burst into tears then and there.”
“So what do we do?”
“I've called her family like you suggested last time we talked. Waiting to hear back.”
Tom squeezed Sue's shoulder. “Let me know as soon as you get word. I'll go with you to talk to them.”
*
Ron entered his dressing room weary but elated. This afternoon’s matinee audience had been particularly responsive and the cast performed on a high. The play was scheduled for a move to the Lincoln Center. There was talk of Tony nominations. It wasn’t until he sat down to remove his makeup that he saw her in the mirror behind him. She was sitting on the cot studying him intently.
“Em, you’re here.” Ron’s eyes lit up and his smile was wide and warm. “Brilliant Ron,” he mocked. “But I’m too happy to feel as stupid as that sounded.”
“I came to see your performance.”
“Did you like it?”
“You were wonderful as always, but I confess I didn’t understand the play at all.”
He laughed. “You know that most people would never admit something like that. You’re so honest.”
“Refreshingly or brutally so?”
“I haven’t decided yet. Can you stay for a while? I’ve got tomorrow off.”
“I know. That’s why I came tonight. If I go incognito, would you show me the sights?”
“I’d love to. Let me change and we’ll go to some trendy spot for drinks. Have you got something else to wear?”
“Em looked down at the dress that glowed. She often wondered if it cast a halo around her. Christ, she hoped not. That would make her look like some sort of religious figure. She gave the skirt a little shake. Tiny sparks flew off it and danced around her.
Ron laughed. “That sort of defeats the incognito, doesn’t it? We'll fix that tomorrow. Here put my coat on for tonight. Shame to cover such a beautiful dress.” Em did as he asked and he looked her over critically. “I don’t think anyone will recognize you and you just might make a new fashion statement.”
Em studied herself in the mirror. “I hardly think so. It’s a clever disguise. I’m not sure I want to look this frumpy though.” Em could have told him she didn’t need a disguise. With the blink of an eye, she could make them invisible if she wanted to. Caught once between warring cartels with no apparent way out, the ring had shown her how. But, Ron was having too much fun.
“Wait here. I have a better idea.” He was back moments later. “Try this.”
“A bit skimpy don’t you think?” He had found a dress belonging to one of the costume girls. It was a bit of nothing held up by the skinniest of spaghetti straps and barely long enough to cover her tush.
He leered and lunged at her, picked her up and swung her in a full circle. “Perfect for the New York hot spots. Very sexy.”
“Wow, I like the effect.” Em kissed him on the cheek and twirled in front of the mirror eyeing him over her shoulder. “But Ron, if the press take pictures of us how will you explain me?”
“I’ll say I was asked to entertain the producer’s daughter and I’ll try my best to keep my hands off you in public.”
“The producer’s daughter? The producer’s mother maybe.”
“Honey chil’, you are wa-a-a-ay too sexy to be anyone’s mother.”
Em felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes. But I am someone's mother. You showed me the stretch marks.
“Now put my coat on and go out the front.” He rolled up Em’s dress and put it in his carry all. “I’ll use the stage door and try to lose the reporters. Meet me across the street about half a block down to the right.”
They stopped for drinks at the Hudson Hotel and had a late dinner at Mooza’s in the Lower East Side.
They rose early the next morning to go to Ellis Island. Em cried when she saw all the suitcases. “Imagine all of your life packed up in one little case and leaving all that was familiar for the unknown. The courage it must have taken.” She read out loud the one quote that, in her opinion, neatly summed up the whole immigrant experience.
I came to America because I heard the
streets were paved with gold. I learned three things after I arrived. The streets were not paved with gold. The streets were not paved at all. I was expected to pave them.
They were browsing in ABC Carpets, Em caressing the wonderful old wooden furniture when it happened.
“Yo, buddy, how the hell are you?” a voice called from behind them. Ron froze.
“Tony,” he muttered. “It’s too late to avoid him. What the hell do we do?” He turned his back and shielded Em from his friend’s view.
Em moved around Ron, smiled and extended her hand. “Hello. You must be Tony. Ron’s told me so much about you.”
“All good of course,” Tony quipped, grinning and ogling her at the same time, still holding her hand in both of his.
“Paws off,” Ron growled.
Tony looked at him sharply and then back to her. “I still don’t know your name beautiful lady.” He oozed charm.
“I’m Miracle Madame. Call me Em.” Tony’s mouth dropped open and he let go of her hand so fast she almost lost her balance. Ron looked at her quizzically. “He’s your best friend,” she whispered.
“Still….”
“It’s okay, honest.” She mouthed the word lunch. Ron nodded agreement. Em turned back to Tony. “We were about to go for a late lunch. Would you like to join us?”
Tony stared. “I … uh… if it’s okay….” Tony fumbled and looked to Ron who nodded assent.
*
I watched and fumed when Tony took them to a small restaurant in Harlem. Once he relaxed he was entertaining, interesting, and fun. Em laughed heartily at his wit. It wasn't fair. I could be funny too—for her. Then she jumped into her probing questions, even accepted some of his opinions. What did a dancer know about anything? Oh, Guardian! It was time I went to visit my parents or something.
I saw Ron puff up with pride because he thought he helped Em clarify her thinking through their discussions. Did he really think she couldn’t do without him? Hadn’t she mentioned me often enough? My parents were waiting. I'd sent a message that I would stop in, but I couldn’t leave Em high and dry with these two bumpkins. She might need me for something at any moment.
Tony made a great fuss, bowing and kissing the back of her hand gallantly when they parted.
Still Tony was a good guy and after all she was Em.