Amoeba (The Experiments) (7 page)

Cal was apprehensive about entering Jake’s office. She guessed she always would be. She stepped inside into Jake’s world.

Corporal Lancing sat behind his desk. He greeted her. “Soon to be Mrs. Graison, Ma
’am, how are you?”

“Fine. Is he in?”

“Expecting you.”

“What’s his mood?” Cal asked.

“Normal.”

“Shit. O
kay.” Cal moved to Jake’s office door. “Should I just go right . . .”

The door opened,
and Jake’s arm reached out and snatched Cal in. Cal shrieked and the door slammed.

“Jake.” Cal pulled away. “You scared . . .” She was silenced by a kiss from Jake.

Jake stepped back with a hard smack kiss and he smiled at her. “Guess what?”

“What?”

“They took our offer. We got the house.”

Cal let out another shriek and jumped up allowing Jake to grab her and hug her. “Oh, Jake
, this is so great!”

“That’s why I needed you here.” He set her down. “By the way, did you finish working out this morning?”

Cal grumbled. “Yes. Why?”

“Because you’re gonna be busy the rest of the day. Do you mind?”

“Jake, you have me busy every day. What am I doing?”

Jake walked behind his desk. “I apologize, but you’re going to have disregard today’s agenda.”

“Oh, bummer.” Cal sat in a chair before Jake’s desk.

“Sorry. Anyhow.” Jake handed her an envelope. “I need you to run this check to Estelle. Hand money slash down payment.”

Cal opened the envelope.

“Cal, must you peek?”

“Yeah, Jake, I must.” She whistled. “I could have written a check. You should have called.”

“I don’t want you using your money.”

“Our money,” Cal corrected. “Unless you have no intention of going joint once we get married.”

“Hey, I’m willing to go with ‘what’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine’ now. You’re the one who won’t . . .”

“Not again, please.” Cal placed the check in her purse. “Is this it?”

“No.” Jake shook his head. “Estelle is giving you papers to bring here,
and I have to fill them out and sign them. Then I need you to take them back. Actually, we both have to fill them out.”

“What kind of papers?” Cal asked.

“Mortgage papers.”

“Aw Jake
,” Cal whined. “Why are we getting a mortgage? Why don’t we just use all our money for the house?”

“Cal, please.” Jake looked offended. “We cannot liquidate most of our cash. Besides, it is completely un-American not to have a mortgage payment.”

“All right.” Cal shrugged. “I’ll be back.”

“And no dallying.” Jake pointed. “I have us down for lunch.”

“I’m not eating at the mess with you again. People are weird with you. I feel funny.”

“No mess
,” Jake told her. “We’ll leave base.”

“Excellent. It’s a date.” Cal hurried to the desk, bent over
, and kissed him. “See you soon.” Cal raced to the door trying to make an escape before another Jake instruction was thrown at her.

“Cal.”

Too late. Cal smiled and turned around. “Yes?”

“Be careful.”

With a quiet, appreciative smile, Cal nodded, and glad for no more instructions, she left.

As soon as the door shut, Jake picked up the phone and pressed intercom. “Lancing, stop Cal and tell her I said do not blow off the dress lady again today. Thanks.”

The bright orange and yellow printed cartoon tie really didn’t go with the other business aspects of Billy’s attire. White shirt, black pants, his curly hair styled and combed neatly. But Billy didn’t care. His niece had gotten him that tie, and he promised her he’d wear it, hideous or not. A little bit more upbeat, Billy walked into the newsroom. He walked by Trudy, the main secretary, dropping a folder on her desk. “It’s boring, but it’s what Kenning wanted. Can you get him on the phone and tell him Boswell Financial did indeed withdraw their bankruptcy? I’ll tell him ‘I told you so’ myself. Thanks.”

“Not a problem.” Trudy, an older woman
, smiled and nodded then returned to her typing.

Billy continued on through the newsroom toward the cubicles. He passed by the one before his
where Elizabeth Curry sat, her medium-length red hair tucked behind one ear as she clicked slowly on her computer. “Morning Liz.”

“Morning . . .” Elizabeth looked up. “Hey
, Bill?”

Billy backtracked his footsteps. “What’s up?”

“Did MacMillan get a hold of you?”

“No
, why?”

“His wife went into labor. He needs you to cover Senator Johnson’s lunch this afternoon for him.”

“Okay, I’ll tell Kenning. Thanks.” Billy moved on.

“Oh
, and Bill, the . . .”

“Oh yes!” Billy clenched his fist with excitement
and peeked his head into Elizabeth’s cubicle. “When did it arrive?”

“About an hour ago”

“Yes.” Billy excitedly raced to his desk and ran his hand over the box whose shipping label read ‘Southwest High School, Seattle.’ He pulled at the tape.

Elizabeth walked around to Billy’s space. “I take it the Internet thing worked.”

“Like a gem. I think it was like less than twenty-four hours after I posted her picture that an old high school buddy recognized her.” Billy grinned and opened the box, pulling out the first of four yearbooks. “This is a start.”

“How about that Graison guy?” Elizabeth asked. “Any news on the background check
?”

“No.” Billy flipped through the yearbook. “Talk about a highly classified individual.” He looked at Elizabeth. “What is up with that? All I got is that he is stationed as Executive
Officer of Fort Bragg, and he is now Lt. Col. Graison.” Billy tossed the yearbook in the box. “I’ll have to work on this on my own . . .” He stopped speaking when Elizabeth cleared her throat. Billy turned around. Paul Kenning stood there. Billy gave a quick smile of appreciation to Elizabeth as she left. “Mr. Kenning.”

Paul flipped open the box. “Which story?”

“Caldwell and the experiment. Just a way to find out more about the two participant survivors.” Billy shrugged as if it were nothing when really he was loving it. “I guess I’m trying to get a grip on what kind of people they chose. Normal people, I mean.”

“Hoping to fit a perfect bill?”

“Hell, I mean, heck yeah.” Billy smiled “I want to be exactly what they want.”

“Good.” Paul nodded. “Just wanted to say you were right on Boswell. And will you cover Senator Johnson?”

“Yes.” Billy took the box from his desk and laid it on the floor. “Gonna head there now.”

“Thanks.” Paul began to walk away,
and then he stepped back. “Just one more thing. What day is it that you’re going to Caldwell?”

“Monday
,” Billy answered.

“Good luck. Keep me posted on that.” With a pat to Billy arm, Paul gave a boss’ smile and left the cubicle.

Billy gathered up his things to leave again. As he did so, his eyes kept shifting down to the box on the floor. He wanted so badly to take just five minutes to review the year books and high school transcripts. Amongst other things, he was curious to see was sent to him. But knowing five minutes would turn into hours, Billy had to forgo his anxiousness of getting to that box and return to the work that paid for his rent.

It was bad enough Jake had to deal with what he liked to call ‘derelict enhanced’ individuals, but now on top of that, he had to deal with personal calls, too. Not that he minded them much, but when they could be avoided, he grew irritated. Like the woman at Bridal Boutique. She called Jake three times to inform him that Cal failed to show up for a fitting. With it being the last straw, Jake promised if he had to drag Cal by her long hair, he would to ensure she was there the next day.

More annoyance hit when Jake pulled in his driveway. He had long since accepted the reality that neighbors were a fact of life. Unless you lived
in seclusion, you would have them. But if they had to live in such close proximity, could they not control their offspring’s amusement devices? Walking up to his house, Jake paused on the walk, picked up what looked like a bad imitation of a dump truck, and tossed it to the next yard.

D
espite Jake’s demeanor, one thing remained certain. He was happy to be home. Jake actually liked coming home, unlike before the experiment when he didn’t have Cal. Now he looked forward to his weekend with her. Alone. With his briefcase in his hand, Jake opened his front door, stepping inside and stopping cold. “What the fuck happened to my house?” He spoke looking around the living room which looked like a tornado hit it. Cushions pulled some off the couch, papers spread about. “Cal.” Jake set down his briefcase and took a step into his living room. A rolling sound precluded the painful crash into Jake’s shin. Before he could even say ‘ow’ he heard the tiny little voice giggle. Staring ahead, Jake’s eyes widened, and he slowly looked down. Total surprise took over Jake when he peered down, hands on hips, to the bald baby, towering like a giant over the smiling infant in the walker that was pressed to his legs. “Cal!”

Cal came from the
dining room,. “Hey, Jake.” She kissed him. “We have company.”

“I see. Who’s it belong to?”

“It? Him. Lisa next door. She burned her hand and went to the infirmary. I said I’d watch him.”

“Why?”

Cal laughed. “Jake, come on. You’re the Ex-O. You have a certain responsibility.”

“Not to be a babysitter to every bald child on base.”

“One child. And look at him.” Cal bent down lifting up the pudgy baby from the walker. “Wanna hold him?”

“No.”

Cal propped the baby in her arms. “Cute, huh?” She snickered at Jake’s grumble as she ran her hand over the boy’s head. “Guess what his name is?”

“I don’t know.” Jake still stared at the child.

“Come on, Jake, guess.”

“Um . . .” Jake shrugged his shoulders. “Bart.” He began to walk pas
t them.

“Bart?” Cal snickered. “No. Rickie.”

Jake stopped cold. He spun around.

“Yeah. Rickie.” Cal smiled and placed the baby back in the walker. “As soon as Lisa told me his name, I took an immediate liking to him.”

“Are you sure that’s the only reason?”

Confused, Cal looked at Jake. “What do you mean?”

“I . . . I need a beer.” Jake took off his uniform jacket, set it on a dining room chair, and walked to the kitchen.

When Cal got there, Jake was opening a beer. “Jake?”

“Cal.” Jake, serious, shut the fridge. “Babe, first you find a house with a nursery, then I come home and find you’re the neighborhood nanny.”

“Jake, it’s one . . .”

“I thought . . . I thought you said you didn’t want any more kids after Jessie.”

Cal swallowed. “Jake
, I’m sorry if I gave that implication.”

“No.” Jake closed his eyes and shook his head. He kissed Cal. “I’m sorry. Maybe it’s been on my mind and I’m projecting it as you.”

“I don’t understand,” Cal said, looking back to check on baby Rickie who was playing with a remote control.

“Getting married. Getting a house. Living in this family neighborhood.” Jake sadly shrugged. “I mean
, if you want a house, I can give you a house. A new car, it’s yours. Hell, if you wanted the world, I would see how close I could get to giving it to you on a platter. But . . .but this . . .” Jake pointed to baby Rickie. “If you wanted a child, I fail you, and I don’t like that.” He closed one eye and looked at her while taking a drink of his beer.

“Jake.” Cal stepped to him. “I told you it is not important. And I meant it when I said I don’t want kids. Jessie got all my maternal love,
and she took a big chunk of that when she was killed. And Rickie . . . Rickie, he took the rest. All I want is you in my life.” She touched his cheek. “Besides, kids would cramp that lifestyle you and I have and plan on having.”

“You’re right. And . . . and. . . fuck
, Cal, he’s getting my remote wet.” Jake marched over to baby Rickie. “Give me that.” He snatched it from the baby’s hand, a long line of drool trailing from the remote as Jake pulled it a way. “Uh.” Jake held it up in disgust.

“Jake.” Cal walked over and took the remote. “Go change your clothes.”

“I’m going.” Jake stepped over the walker. “And look at the mess he made. One small human being should not be making this much of a . . .” Jake paused. He bent down to the floor and picked up a red and white cardboard envelope. “Cal?” He turned around and held it up.

“Whoops.” Cal hurried to him and tried to take it. Jake held it from her reach.

“Are these our airline tickets to Atlanta for Monday?” Jake peeked in. “Why are the edges chewed?”

“Sorry.”

“I’ll put these away so they don’t become any more baby food.” Jake moved to the steps.

“Let’s not go
,” Cal said, causing Jake to stop.

“We have to.” Jake hesitated before walking up the steps.

“Tell them to send the papers, Jake. I don’t feel like going.”

“Cal, like the wedding dress lady you keep blowing off, just go and get it over with. O
kay?” Jake waited for a response. “Okay?”

“O
kay, but you don’t want to go either.”

“Why would you say that?” Jake asked.

“Your face when you took that call.”

Jake took a deep breath. “It just took me by surprise.”

“Are you sure that’s it?” Cal asked.

“Positive. I’m going up to change. Now take care of that kid before he destroys my house any further.” Jake stood on the steps and watched Cal go over to the baby. He looked at the tickets again
, and started up the stairs. The trip to Caldwell was now a reality, and he was looking at that reality in his hands. He hated not being honest with Cal, yet he had to do it. If Cal knew the reason Caldwell called, and it didn’t pan out--and there was a big chance of that--then Cal could be in for a world of hurt and let down. And since Jake vowed from the moment he met Cal to protect her, in his mind, not telling her the whole truth was protecting her.