“Baby, you are easy to worry about because you give us so much to worry about.”
“I didn’t call for a lecture.”
“When we meet up on the current, how soon are you conscious after your return?” I asked.
“You mean, how much time does it take for the process?” Michael was getting clarity.
“Yeah.”
“It’s about an hour from beginning to end. So let’s schedule the space hook up for the night before you leave. Why don’t you call me just before you’re ready and we’ll go from there?”
“Ok,” I said as I put it on the calendar.
“Michael have you given any thought to the red sparks that we’ve seen coming from Ricky?”
“Not really, about the only thing that I can come up with is that maybe they’re a warning.”
Not being known for beating around the bush, I jumped right in.
“Yesterday while I was in the garden, Ricky invited me and even sent her red spark. I accepted and jumped in. There was a red feel to everything and there was spinning and turbulence and chaos, so different than the regular party.”
Michael was listening and barely breathing while doing so.
“Anyway, when all the craziness stopped, I was in pitch black and on the balcony of the ship during that horrible storm. Somehow Ricky had taken me into the past. I heard myself offer you a drink of my scotch and then we got hit by that big ball of wind that slammed us into the window.”
Michael hadn’t made a sound and his breathing nearly stopped.
I continued.
“When I woke up, I was on a stretcher in the garden with an oxygen mask over my mouth, like I’d need oxygen when I was in the oxygen capital of the world. What I’m saying is that I was still in the garden unconscious when Charlie came home at 5:30. I’d been there for 8.5 hours. I’m not telling you this to scare you. I just want it chronicled that your take on the ‘red warning’ may have been right on.”
I stopped and wasn’t going to say another word until I heard from him.
“For Christ’s sake Helen, we should talk about this. Someone needs to know when you are taking off into the universe. I always thought that that someone should be me. So the next time you decide to do that, please call me first.”
“Unclench, would ya, I’m alright. Poor Charlie was nearly beside himself and kind of freaked out when I told him that I’d gone to visit the universe. We just need to use this information to figure out the rest of the riddle. 8.5 hours is a long time to be out of commission. But I want you to know that my interest is peaked and I am going to explore this new development.”
“Are you trying to give me a freaking heart attack?”
“Michael, if I wasn’t an exploring kind of person, we would never have discovered the universal travel in the first place. You got to know me by now.”
“Oh Baby, I get it. You’re going to do as you damn well please, even if it scares the hell out if me.”
“Michael, you sound like you need a reconnect. I’m sorry if I frighten you by my behavior; but Baby I gotta be who I am. You want to hook up now?”
“I’m not home and if I passed out here there’d be a stink for sure.”
Michael chuckled at the thought of it. How about tomorrow at about 2 or 2:30?”
“I can make that happen.” I assured him.
“Can you promise me that you won’t jump the sparks until after we see each other next week?”
“Can’t make that promise but I will promise to be careful and to think of how much I love you if I do accept another invitation from Ricky and her red sparks.”
“Hellie,” he used my nickname as a coddle.
“Please listen to Charlie. Allow him to protect you if you do decide to travel again without me.”
“You have no idea how it would please him to know that you said that. He pretty much thinks that you and Lu hate him.”
“He’s not exactly our favorite person but both of us have seen how much he loves you and that works for us.”
“I’m planning to bring him with me on one of my trips to London in the next couple of months. Well, if he’ll come with me, that is.”
“You can count on us to make him feel welcome, I promise.”
“Thank you Baby, I love you. Give Lu my love. Call me tomorrow when you’re ready for our hook up.”
“I will. I love you, too Baby, b-bye.” Michael ended the call.
“B-bye,” I called into the receiver as he hung up.
The following day Michael and I hooked up on our current in the universe to receive from each other the ultimate reconnect. Our beings combined into one for a single unit and the most fulfilling completeness either of us had ever experienced. That single effort brought us peace and confidence throughout the following days.
A couple of days before the trip to London I found myself accepting another invitation from Ricky and her red spark. Remembering everything that had happened the time before, I took precautions and made the decision to only jump in while making sure that my body was safe on my bed.
Thinking that I knew what to expect but also carrying a respectful fear of the unknown I jumped with the intent to relax and let Ricky take me where I was going. The sense of falling through space was exhilarating and a challenge to meet with calm. The redness still carried a foreign feel and a basic sense of danger probably due to the chaos and turbulence.
When I stopped I was on Michael’s balcony aboard the cruise ship during our first dinner together. Michael was surrounded by an aura tinged in red. I could still see how handsome he was in his tux. I could see that at anytime if I used my recall. So I questioned why Ricky took me there and what value was it to us.
In the quiet, between the songs on the CD player, I heard something that I know my recall would never pick up. Granted with the quickest glimpse of the intent in Michael’s mind, I heard his thinking.
“I’ll show them, I don’t need anyone. I’m tired of having to placate others, I’m the star.”
It was brief and then the darkness was upon me.
Charlie, sitting on the edge of my bed, was watching me when I came round and regained consciousness. The look on his face held a number of emotions, anger seemed prevalent but it didn’t completely mask his fear.
“You ok,” he asked.
It took me a moment as I couldn’t speak. I looked at Charlie and slowly replied, “Yeah.”
“Thanks for staying in here,” he continued.
“I can’t seem to move and I remember that the last time I was gone so long a kiss from you made me feel stronger right away.”
Charlie, completely clothed except for his shoes, crawled into bed with me and wrapped me in his arms, kissing me tenderly. Who could ask for anything more than that? In no time I was feeling strong enough to be a handful for Charlie and turned all of my sexual attention on him.
Before I knew it, we were both naked and pressing our bodies together and expressing our individual urgency. Our coupling was swift and a bit brutal but not awkward. Later I would discover bite marks on Charlie’s chest and neck.
Charlie was my treasure; we lay cradled together in our sated bliss.
“I’m sorry woman if I hurt you; I couldn’t stop myself.”
Charlie