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

BUILDING 52

— Kev!

— Oh hey.

— You were napping?

— Well, buddy, there’s not much else to do out here. You’ve been running? You’re out of breath.

— I ran back here. I had to tell you. I met her.

— You met the girl?

— I did.

— Wow. Good. I’m so glad.

— I know. I did like you said. I went back to the bluff, and I waited for her to come by again with her dog. It was three hours or so, but she came back. About five o’clock.

— See, told you.

— Yeah, so I saw her down the beach, and she was walking toward where I was, but there wasn’t any way for me to get down there. I hadn’t figured out a route to the beach. And the bluff there is too steep to jump or shimmy down. So I start freaking out, looking around for some path or something. But I had to find one quick, so I could get down to the beach and start walking toward her like it’s casual, like I’m just like her, someone who walks the beach this time every day, right?

— Right. You’re smooth.

— So I run about a quarter mile down the way, away from her, and finally I find this huge path down to the shore. It must have been some kind of boat launch back in the day. So I get down to the beach and can still see her down the way, walking toward me. And you know what the great thing is?

— It all sounds great.

— She’s wearing the same sweater, this cream cable-knit sweater. I mean, the sweater is half the whole thing for me. Any woman who wears a sweater like that knows everything I want. And the jeans rolled up. I mean, a barefoot woman with jeans and a white cable-knit sweater! That’s my fantasy.

— And it should be. So you talked to her or what?

— Well, that was cool. I mean, I’m not ever good at approaching any woman, but she made it easy. The first thing she did was wave. I mean, just when we were in clear sight of each other, but still pretty far away, she waved. We were the only two people for miles, so I guess it’s not unnatural to wave, but still. She made the first move.

— A clear sign.

— It is, right? We’re all alone out there, and the sun’s dropping over the water, and she’s throwing this ball to her dog, and there we are, walking toward each other. It was like we were the last two people on Earth.

— Or the first.

— Right. It was beautiful.

— And then?

— Well, eventually we get close enough to talk, and we say hello, and I ask what kind of dog she’s got, and she says it’s some kind of Labradoodle, which itself is another sign, given I’m allergic and that’s a hypoallergenic dog.

— And you told her this?

— I told her I was allergic. Not that it was a sign that we were destined for each other. I’m not nuts.

— And she looked like …

— Oh god. I mean, perfection. She’s a little younger than me, I think, probably thirty, but honestly, she’s the embodiment of everything I’ve ever wanted. She’s got the clothes, I knew that, but then she has this great J.Crew face, you know, no makeup, just this handsome face, these small blue eyes, a little crinkly around the eyes, like she’s been outside a lot and doesn’t care about a few wrinkles. I like that.

— Body is good?

— Like an athlete. I didn’t ask her yet, but I bet she played soccer or lacrosse or something like that. She’s a little short, so one of those sports where you can be smaller and fast.

— So you found out where she lives?

— Apparently there’s a small town just at the edge of the park. She’s a vet there. Isn’t that incredible? I guess she’s the only one for twenty miles or something. And she walks about five miles a day with her dog, who she says needs long walks twice a day or else he chews up the house.

— Told you. Twice a day.

— Right. And this is just about the endpoint of her walk. So again, a perfect sign that she was meant to be here, and I was meant to be here. Think of it: if I had been half a mile farther down the beach, I never would have seen her. If I hadn’t brought you or anyone here, I wouldn’t be here. Actually, if I’d only brought you here, and if I’d left after a few days, I wouldn’t have seen her at all. So it was destiny that I kept taking people, because this is three days in, and I only saw her now. It all connects. Everything was necessary.

— And did she ask why you were here?

— Her dog liked me, too.

— That’s good. Why wouldn’t he?

— Yeah, right? I told her I was just a tourist, just checking out Fort Ord, taking pictures. She did bring up the fact that the park is closed, but I think I scored some points by saying I just went around the barrier with my van and had been camping here.

— And did you bring her back up here? I mean, where is she?

— No, no. I didn’t think that was the way to do it. Do you?

— I don’t know. Carpe diem, right?

— C’mon. You know I’m not that stupid. I bring her up here, one of you guys sees her, starts yelling, everything turns to shit.

— Sure, but don’t you want to talk to her? Sit somewhere?

— There’s no way I can bring her here.

— So what did you say? How’d you leave it?

— I just said I’d see her again tomorrow.

— Okay.

— And see, that’s where things got interesting. I feel pretty proud of myself here, because I knew she walks in the morning, too, right? But I thought if I told her I knew that, it might scare her. So I couldn’t say, “Hey, I saw you this morning, too.”

— Right. You don’t want her to think you’re strange.

— Exactly. But I didn’t want to have to wait till tomorrow afternoon to see her again. So I needed her to volunteer the information that she does a morning walk, too.

— And did she?

— She did indeed. When I said, all casual, “Well, maybe I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon,” she said, “Oh, I’ll be back before then. I walk in the morning, too.”

— Perfect.

— Right. So I’m set.

— Wow. This is incredible. You’re so close.

— I know.

— And tomorrow, what happens? You bring her up here? I don’t mean so close that she can see us, but up here in general?

— I don’t know. Damn. I can’t.

— Why not? You need someplace to close the deal, don’t you?

— Close the deal?

— I don’t mean you’re gonna make babies. But it seems like you walk up here, find a warm and quiet nook where you can at least get a first kiss or something.

— Yeah. Right.

— There’s no other way. This is how you know if she really digs you. It’s always a change of venue. You know how I told you about meeting my future wife?

— You were at the airport?

— We both missed our flights, and we started talking just there in the waiting area. But then I asked her to get some food and a drink with me. Just in the airport bar, like twenty feet away, but that little trip, those twenty feet, meant everything. It meant that she liked me enough to stay in the airport when she could have gone home. And to walk with me, from one place to another, to have a drink with me, a stranger. That’s the sign she’s intrigued enough to take a chance. But until the woman does that, follows you somewhere, you’ll never know.

— Right.

— Damned straight I’m right. So tomorrow, you talk to her, you see if she’ll come up here. Just look around the fort. If it’s meant to be, she comes up, no problem. She’s already out on a walk. You make some excuse, like you have a fire up here you need to feed. Something to get you off the beach and up the hill.

— Brilliant. Thanks, Kev.

— No problem.

— You know, I told my mom about all this, about you helping me out here, and how far back we go, and she was such a bitch about it. She doesn’t believe we’re friends, that I could know someone like you.

— Who cares what she thinks? She doesn’t understand.

— Not even close, right? Jesus, I’m wired.

— So what’ll you do the rest of the night?

— I don’t know. But I feel like I can will anything to happen.

— You’re in the zone.

— Shit, I did have this one idea. I thought it was outside my reach completely, but now I’m not so sure.

— What is it?

— I shouldn’t say. It wouldn’t happen. Even thinking it is pretty illegal.

— Thomas, you’re unstoppable. You never know. Like you said, things are happening for you. What was the idea?

— Well, I thought of going back to Marview and getting a cop.

— A cop? Like a police officer?

— Yeah. It’s stupid I know.

— And then bring him here?

— Yeah. Is that nuts?

— You wouldn’t hurt him?

— I haven’t hurt anyone.

— Then I think you should give it a shot.

— Really? I don’t think I can pull it off.

— What? You got me, right? How much harder could a cop be?

— You weren’t armed.

— Thomas, this is your time. This is all the coal of your life compressed into a diamond.

— Maybe I get an older cop.

— Take your pick. You’re unstoppable. You might be invincible.

— I’ll find the right one.

— There you go.

— I’ll bring him back.

— It’ll be a cinch.

— Wish me luck.

— Good luck, Thomas.