Proximity Page 10

CHAPTER 10

  As the day wore on, I gradually came to the conclusion that I had to fill Sabela in on all of this. I’d never really kept anything of significance in my life from her, and the weight of concealing something this monumental was unbearable—especially knowing that she alone in this world could have any likelihood of understanding what I was going through. Not to mention the minor detail that we were not the only Onontians on Earth—breaking news she had a right to know.

  I went home to change after work and picked up the phone to call her. It turned out Dominick was working late tonight, so she was over at our father’s house cooking him dinner. I told her I’d head over to help out.

  I walked the hundred yards to my father’s house, letting myself in through the back door without bothering to knock. Sabela was bustling around the little kitchen, while my father sat in his usual place at the kitchen table. His face lit up when I walked into the room.

  “Paltafoena, my love! Come give your ancient father a hug.” My father refused to use my nickname, at least in the privacy of his own home.

  I walked over and bent forward to wrap my arms around him. As I stood back up, his warm eyes looked up at me. Then he squinted slightly, a scornful look crossing his face. Knowing exactly what his meaning was, I sheepishly reached up to tuck my bangs behind my ears.

  “Now, there’s my beautiful girl,” he smiled. My father hated when my hair fell forward to cover my eyes—and he saw absolutely nothing wrong with my freakish ears.

  I walked around the counter into the kitchen to help Sabela with the food prep. We fell into casual family banter, once again a comfort to my uneasy mind. As I had no intention of making my father aware of things—at least not yet—I chose other topics of conversation, making no mention of Eric until Sabela and I were alone. Once Father was settled into his library chair for his customary evening reading, Sabela and I said goodnight and set back on foot toward her house.

  “Would you like to stop by my place and keep me company for a little while?” she asked, sensing I was in need of a good talk. “Dominick isn’t due home for another hour or so.”

  “Yes, I would.” I looked at her meaningfully. “I have a lot to tell you about.”

  “I suspected as much,” she replied with a soft smile. “You were unusually chatty at dinner tonight. That usually means you’re trying to keep something from Father.”

  I had no idea I was so transparent. “When did you pick up on that?” I asked, admittedly impressed—yet a little annoyed that apparently I couldn’t hide anything, even if I wanted to.

  “Somewhere around a hundred and five years ago…Give or take,” she chuckled. “Only this time it’s more serious than just sneaking out of the house to go to a movie.” She eyed me thoughtfully.

  “You’re right,” I said. “You have no idea how serious. Trust me, Father isn’t ready to hear this one.”

  Sabela’s face grew somber as she read the troubled look on mine. “Come inside…I’m all ears,” she replied.

  “Yeah, so am I.” I rolled my eyes and smiled, trying to lighten the uncomfortably serious mood. Sabela smiled sweetly and led the way through the door as we entered her house. Flicking on the lights, she stepped over to the fridge to grab two bottles of water. I walked over to flop down on the couch.

  “Okay…Spill.” She handed me my water as she sat down next to me.

  I paused, tucking my bottom lip in as I debated how to begin. “Before I get to the dramatic parts, I think I need to catch you up to speed on the last couple of months,” I led off. “There is someone who…came into my life, so to speak…that I haven’t mentioned before.” I took a sip of my water, then set it down on the floor, turning to sit cross-legged as I faced Sabela on the couch. “His name is Eric Moran, and he’s a microbiology researcher at the medical school.”

  “And by ‘coming into your life’, I gather you don’t just mean the two of you are working together,” she guessed.

  “As far as he is concerned, it hardly even went that far,” I said with a forlorn raise of my eyebrows. I proceeded to tell Sabela all about the captivatingly perfect man who had dominated my thoughts for so many weeks. I explained that my weekend of isolation the month before had come at the realization that he was already involved with another woman—the equally captivating beauty who had become the object of my contempt.

  “I’m so sorry, Palta.” Sabela was genuinely heartbroken for me. “But try not to sell yourself short…You never seem to realize what an amazing person you are. Maybe with time Eric will see you for who you are, and this other woman may fall by the wayside.”

  “That’s just the problem,” I continued. “He already has seen me for who I am…”

  It took her a second to catch my meaning, then her jaw dropped ever so slightly. Regaining her composure, she spoke softly, “How did that happen? I thought you said you’d hardly spoken to him. Did he see something you didn’t intend for him to?”

  “Actually, more like I saw something that he didn’t intend for me to.” I continued my story, detailing the disastrous events of the night before. Sabela listened intently without interjecting a word. As I concluded—with Eric sprinting away while I sat dumbfounded in the shed—a puzzled expression crossed her face.

  “Why on Earth would he be afraid of you?” She seemed to be asking herself more than anything. “Surely he doesn’t think that you were the one who attacked him?”

  “I have absolutely no idea. He did suffer extensive brain trauma…Maybe he has no memory of the person responsible,” I hypothesized. “I suppose I would be freaked out in that situation too.”

  “Palta, you weigh all of a hundred and fifteen pounds dripping wet,” she said. “If he’s as athletic as you said he is, he could have no possible reason to fear you.” She paused to contemplate the matter. “Well, of course that’s just one of a hundred questions. What is he doing here? Is he alone? Surely every Onontian on Earth isn’t living in New Mexico by chance.”

  “Believe me, I’ve thought of them all,” I responded. “How long has he been here? If he just traveled to Earth, how did he do so unnoticed? You and Mother and Father were lucky—there was no such thing as a satellite or space telescope in those days. And probably most importantly…Who is trying to kill him, and why?”

  Sabela’s forehead creased as she concentrated intently. “I haven’t got a clue…But I think we have no choice but to try to find out. Did anyone say anything at work today? I’m assuming he didn’t show up?” she asked.

  “Apparently he came in for all of two seconds, maybe just to put in an appearance so nobody thought he was responsible for the mess,” I replied. “He didn’t say anything about my involvement…In fact, he didn’t say anything at all. Nobody seems to have any useful information—nothing more than idle gossip. Everyone thinks it was just a case of sabotage related to his work.”

  “Why would someone do that?” Sabela questioned the logic. “What was so earth shattering about his work?”

  “Nothing that I know of,” I responded. “That’s why it doesn’t make any sense. It had to be something personal. And somehow I highly doubt the person involved is human…”

  Sabela pointed out that my eyelids were drooping, and I had started to yawn uncontrollably. “I know you must be beyond exhausted,” she said gently. “We’re clearly not going to solve this tonight. Why don’t you go home and get some rest? We’ll talk about it more tomorrow.”

  “I think I have to, if there’s any chance of my waking up at a decent hour tomorrow,” I yawned again. “Do me a favor and fill Dominick in on all of this, will you? He needs to know, and he might have some good thoughts.”

  “Of course,” Sabela smiled gently. “Just call me when you wake up tomorrow, and Dominick and I can come over to put together a plan.”

  Neither one of us wanted to think about how, or when, we would tell our father.