Your Fathers, Where Are They? And the Prophets, Do They Live Forever?

BUILDING 52

— You’re back.

— You hungry?

— With all these granola bars? How could I be hungry?

— I’m giving you most of the food, Kev, because you were the first. But now that there are four of you, I have to be careful divvying up what’s left.

— Four people?

— I guess I didn’t tell you that already.

— You have four people out here?

— It wasn’t even that hard, after you. I admit the others weren’t, you know, military men. And my mom was easy.

— You have your mom here?

— There were a lot of things we needed to talk about.

— Makes sense.

— I know it does.

— You’re a family man.

— I don’t need the sarcasm, Kev. This is all lining up. It’s working so fluidly that I know it was meant to be. And I have to thank you. You made it all possible.

— At least until they come and shoot you, which will be momentarily.

— You know Kev, I don’t know if that’s true. It’s been three days so far, and I don’t see or hear any sign of anyone coming. To me this is actually a sign of how far astronauts have slipped in our collective national esteem. You think Neil Armstrong would have been allowed to rot on a military base like this for two, three days? There would have been an international manhunt.

— You know, I don’t know if I need to talk to you anymore. It’s a waste of breath. Any minute, you’ll see a shadow in the trees, and that’ll be the sniper shooting you dead.

— Kev, that’s a very vivid and very graphic picture. You’re a military man, so I assume you probably get off on that kind of thing, picturing bullets ripping through skulls and flesh. But I can’t let it bother me. Today is a good day.

— You’re getting sicker.

— No, Kev, I’m getting better. I got some sleep last night, and then what happened this morning — it means that everything’s brightening for me, more so every day. The answers I’m getting are very helpful, first of all. And the craziest and best thing just happened to me while I was walking on the beach this morning. I saw a woman and I believe it’s a sign of good things to come.

— You saw a woman?

— I did. I know this park is closed and the shoreline should be empty, but this morning, before you woke up, I was down by the bluffs overlooking the ocean, and it was high tide, so I was deciding if I should risk going down to the beach. I was just standing there when I saw this figure along the shore. Seeing anyone at all freaked me out, so I dove onto the ground, thinking it might be someone looking for you or the congressman or something. So I was crouched down in the grass, and when I looked up the figure was closer and I could see it was a woman. A woman and her dog. I kept watching her as she came closer, and pretty soon I could make out that she had this cable-knit sweater on, and jeans rolled up to her calves, and she was barefoot and was throwing this tennis ball into the surf where her dog would retrieve it. The sun was still low, and everything was golden, and I thought I was seeing my destiny.

— I can’t believe I have to listen to this.

— I mean, this was the woman of my dreams, Kev! Just beyond my wildest fantasies. And for an instant I thought that I could get to her. You know, run down to the beach and unite with her. But then I realized that I couldn’t. I couldn’t talk to her, because I had you here, and I was hating myself for that, for taking you and preventing any chance with her, and then I was laughing at myself, because I’ve never been within a hundred miles of a woman like that, never had a shot at anyone like her, so who was I kidding? I’ve never been within reach of anyone I coveted. But I have to thank you, Kev, because if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here, and I wouldn’t have seen her.

— I think you should talk to her. Now. She might still be there.

— Wait, what? That was a pretty dramatic change in tone. Oh, I get it. You want me to talk to her so she can wonder who I am, why I’m here, maybe report me to the local police, maybe express some vague concern about the man staying at the closed Army base. And that’s why I can’t talk to her. I’m smarter than that, Kev! But shit, on the other hand, it must be a sign, right?

— It has to be a sign.

— It does, right? Why would a woman like that, who in every way fits the description I’ve had in my head since I was ten, be walking alone on this deserted beach? Where did she come from?

— She’s looking for you, Thomas.

— Don’t patronize me.

— I believe in destiny, Thomas. That’s how I met my wife. We shouldn’t have met at all. I missed a plane, ended up seated next to her in the airport lobby, and that was that. I believe in true love, and destiny, and love at first sight. And I think you have all three happening right there on the beach now. So you’re a fool if you don’t pursue it.

— Shit. This is so tough.

— It’s easy. Easiest thing in the world. Go for it.

— I have to, right?

— You do.

— Damn. I’m stuck, though.

— You have to act, dude. You have to talk to her. How far could she have gone? Go get her. This is the scene in the movie when the guy goes after the woman he’s meant to be with. Go.

— You think I should?

— I do.

— Fuck. Maybe this is what this was all about. You, the congressman, my mom, Hansen, maybe it was all meant to lead me to this woman in the sweater.

— It’s the only logical answer.