Read The Weathermakers (Rebelutionaries Series: Book 1) Page 16
Chapter 15
It’s not good for a man to be alone.
That’s why I originally designed woman.
She completes him, and he completes her when they become one.
Jireh (Α-Ω)
We pulled up outside the homestead. An elderly woman was standing near Jen. A new guest presumably. She watched us all get out, then put her hands on her hips and stepped forward in our direction.
“Jacob Lewis! Look at the state of your jeans!”
“Aw, it’s just a bit of dust. Don’t fuss.”
“Dust my foot! And you’ve got cuts and bruises all over your arms and... and what is that woman doing wearing your new shirt?”
Jake glanced over at me, and folded his arms protectively in front of his bare chest. I could feel the waves of self consciousness discharging out of him like lightning. I hurriedly stripped off his shirt and handed it to him. Jake clambered awkwardly back into it and looked down at his feet.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you... Did you have anything to do with that big explosion in the sky?”
“Explosion?”
“Don’t you deny it! I saw it. And heard it. In fact I reckon everyone half way between here and Perth heard it! You’ve got some explaining to do young man. So has that Professor Canney or there’ll be no more workshops for you!”
I exchanged glances with the three amigos.
“Poor Jake... She’s worse than my Mum!” whispered Pete.
“SShhhh...” I hissed back.
Zac stepped forward. Hand extended. Eyes twinkling. Calm. Like he knew exactly how to handle the grumpy old woman.
“Hello Ma’am. I’m Professor Canney. I take it you’re Jake’s Nan.”
Zac had turned on the charm... Even filthy dirty he looked charming. Jake’s Nan looked slightly taken aback.
“And I’m Professor Canney’s boss,” added Gordon stepping forward.
Nan’s jaw dropped. Jake looked at her reaction with interest.
“You? It is you isn’t it? I might have known that sooner or later you’d get Jake involved in... in... in whatever it was you two were always involved in!”
“Hello Joyce... It’s good to see you again after so many years!” grinned Gordon, lovingly wrapping his arms around her.
Ω
Everyone had eaten, showered and generally spruced themselves up. The three amigos had diplomatically gone off to learn judo with Dave. Gordon made Joyce a cup of herbal tea and sank down comfortably in the lounge beside her as if relishing her company. Zac was in the bean bag. I sat down on the carpet near him. Happy that he and his team had knocked out the bad guys’ bad equipment. Sad that the most wonderful week of my life was coming to an end.
“Well this is it, ain’t it? The day I’ve been dreading,” sighed Joyce.
I know how you feel lady.
Gordon wrapped an arm tenderly around Joyce. I inched closer to Zac. He tugged me even closer and gently played with my fingers.
“Joyce, we’ve been doing things your way for the last eighteen years. For the first nine, I let Tess grow up like you suggested and hardly saw Jake. And for the next nine, I supported you both financially, but kept my distance while you brought Jake up the way you felt he should be brought up. And you’ve done a great job.”
Gordon cleared his throat.
“I have a proposition for the next nine years... How about I run it by you and you think it over? You don’t have to say yes or no straight away... And you have the option to extend the arrangement indefinitely if you like it. Or terminate it early if you don’t.”
“What’s your proposition?”
“I know Jake keeps a low profile in Australia, but his name’s already well known oversees because of cracking the Lewis constant... Many of my colleagues have already met Jake. As Tess’s son - a child prodigy. Over the years whenever they’d asked for an update, I’ve fed them snippets... You know... Awarded the Premier’s research prize for making the most significant scientific breakthrough two years in a row... youngest Masters student in Australia and so on.”
Gordon caught Joyce’s eye...
“A couple of months ago the head of Faculty asked me what sort of a relationship I had with Jake these days. I said we were like father and son from a distance... and that I hoped to entice him over for an extended stay one of these days... He made a few phone calls... and the short of it is, there’s a paid position on staff next year if Jake wants to take it up...”
“Work at the University of California?”
Jake looked overwhelmed.
“It’s a research position with extensive field work, but you can complete your doctorate concurrently. It will mean that you spend a fair bit of the time with Zac however. Which is why I wanted to see if you two could get on together. ”
Jake’s eyes lit up.
“Well I can see he likes your proposition,” sighed Joyce.
“There’s more Joyce... I’m just trying to choose my words... I know you’ve lived in the same house in Perth for thirty years, but with the CFL scare, maybe it’d be a good idea to live somewhere else for a while... I’m asking if you’d consider relocating to California. I have a big house with five empty bedrooms... And I’d like you both to live with me. And be the family we were meant to be.”
“An old woman move in with you? What would your neighbours say?”
“Nothing... Everyone in my neighbourhood has a live-in housekeeper except me anyway. And I’ve already chin-wagged with the neighbours and told them I’m trying to get a bright young man from Australia over, with his caregiver.”
“But what would your colleagues say?”
“They knew Tess and I were engaged before she died. They know that I’ve been keeping in contact with you and Jake. I’ve even let drop that I’m like a father to Jake...”
“In case I accidentally call you Dad in front of colleagues?”
“Whether you call me Dad or Gordon or Professor doesn’t bother me Jake. Tess was cautious about scandal, but I’m not nearly as sensitive... Besides, if you did slip up, chances are my colleagues would think that’s just what you’re used to calling me. Zac calls me a lot of things in front of our colleagues too... Endearing names like... Dad...pops...old timer... And they just laugh it off. Because they all know of the circumstances under which I met Zac... And they know we’re as close as father and son.”
“Well Dad, I reckon you really need to have a serious father-son talk with my older brother...”
“Why?”
“’Coz he’s afraid to fall in love.”
Jake caught Zac’s eye.
“Hey Zac... Just ‘coz Mum got killed, doesn’t mean Maya will... She’s been to lots of dangerous places as a journalist. She’s reported on tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis... Did you know she survived a plane crash in sub-zero temperatures in Nepal and was buried alive for three days?”
Our eyes met.
“Er... no... That sounds quite a story.”
“She told me about it when we were trapped in the cave... She’s one gutsy woman Zac. Gutsy enough for you to marry I reckon.”
A reflective smile from Zac.
“Is that comment based on empirical observation Jake?”
“Nah. Spiritual insight. Jireh showed the team when we were all praying for you both this morning.”
Silence. Zac went to answer but ended up saying nothing. I could feel the emotions sizzling inside him. I tried to work out why Jake’s comment had made such an impact on him. It was so un-Zac to be floored by anything.
“Jake. I’m not sure Maya’s ready for this conversation.”
Huh? Zac on the backfoot around Jake?
“What conversation aren’t I ready for?”
Jake wriggled over closer to us and made direct eye contact with me.
“The first day we met, Zac told me that it’d take a gutsy woman to keep up with him. That’s you Maya.”
We both looked at Zac.
“You’re blushing big brother.
Am I pushing you out of your comfort zone?”
“I’ll survive.”
“Want to know what the first piece of big brother advice he ever gave me was Maya?”
“Jake!”
Zac ran his palm through his hair.
Huh? Zac embarrassed?!
“He said, there’s a time and season for everything under the sun. Including making passionate love to a woman... He didn’t know it at the time, but that handful of words turned my outlook around a hundred and eighty degrees. I’d been all twisted up inside for several months because I knew mum was pregnant with me when she was not much older than I am now... And I felt like a reject... But I don’t feel that way now... I mean, what’s so reject about not having got to experience something yet? I’ve experienced other things other young adults my age haven’t... Like I’ve blown up a satellite with an E/M weapon that I built... Not many seventeen year olds can say they’ve done that! So it doesn’t matter if I haven’t had sex yet.”
Jake had made the quantum leap.
“That’s quite an admission to make in a group of people Jake. Are you sure you want to keep talking about this right this moment?”
“It’s okay to talk about sex around Dad and Nan. They’ve both been married so they know all about it. And you’re my mentor and you’ve helped me sort out my feelings and concerns about it. I s’pose I feel a little shy talking about it around Maya, but the way I figure it, I’m just gonna have to learn to talk freely around her as well. Since you two are in love and Jireh’s brought her to you as your future wife.”
“Jake! I’m not sure I’m ready for this conversation right this moment.”
“Time to push you out of your comfort zone then. Like you’ve been doing to me all week. Time to experience love yourself Zac, instead of just encouraging it in others.”
“Maya and I only met a week ago Jake. Your timing’s...”
“...perfect!” I finished. “And I agree Jake. Your big brother’s the sort of guy that can turn your life around a hundred and eighty degrees with a handful of words. I’ve been fiercely independent all my life. But one week with him has changed me on the inside... and for the first time in my life, I don’t want to walk away after an assignment and go looking for another scoop... I want to stay with him... I want to help him mould the young men he’s responsible for... and marry him... and make love to him...”
“The sex’ll be good. Lots of chemistry between you two.”
I turned scarlet.
“Jake!”
Zac hid his grin behind his hand.
“No, really! Think back Maya... Zac taught me just one way to arouse a woman and it practically brought you to orgasm, remember?”
Joyce’s eyes visibly widened. Gordon held his finger up against her lips.
“And Zac told me that Dad’s taught him half a dozen nice massage strokes. So imagine if he does them to you all at once. Or imagine if Dad knows more and teaches you them as well!”
I stared at Jake with opened-mouthed disbelief.
“Mind you, I have a hunch Dad’s intimacy classes might be wilder than Zac’s.”
“His what?”
“That’s what mentors do... Remember? Zac did it with us the other night... So that means Dad’ll be teaching you two about intimacy... Except he makes people strip naked for his massages. Like he did to Zac last night. So I think his preparation for marriage classes are gonna be more embarrassing than Zac’s.”
I shot a look at Gordon. Gordon and Zac both burst out laughing.
“Er... Maya. As your newly appointed mentor, if you’re seriously thinking of being Zac’s helpmeet, I’d better let you in on a few secrets about relating to teen prodigies. Rule number 1 is - Never let anything they say or do rattle you...”
Zac grinned and got up, tugging me to my feet as well. He drew me close. Faraday cage close.
“Hey Jake mate. As your recently appointed mentor, having some intimate massage strokes under your belt is important to keep the spice in your marriage. But when you’re just starting out, you don’t want to scare a gal off... Want to observe how to woo a beautiful woman when it’s the right season for love to spring forth?”
Fingertips gently combed hair away from my cheeks, then followed the contours of my face down until they came to rest tenderly on my shoulders. I shivered at the kiss that he planted on my forehead and spontaneously embraced him.
Four heads appeared through the window behind me. Wolf whistling…
“Chaperon Sir?” tormented Pete.
“Getting ready for my massage class I see?” added Dave.
I took a backhanded swipe at Dave and giggled as Zac ran his fingertips briefly across my buttocks. A wave of pleasure wafted over me.
“He’s right you know. The sex is gonna be great,” I whispered in Zac’s ear.
Zac pulled back - his eyes luminous with peace and excitement.
“It sure will be Mrs Canney,” he retorted with a school-boy grin.