Chapter 13
So this is the stranger I was supposed to meet, Badru thought, staring at Elexander’s near twin, unaware that the canine lying under his bumper had gotten up unharmed from the street.
“Come, Nasiir,” Xander said to his friend, who quickly trotted over to his side.
Badru blinked several times upon hearing the familiar sound. The stranger even sounded like Elexander. “Is your last name Manning by any chance?” Badru had to ask that question. To his knowledge all of the Mannings were dead, including Elexander’s parents.
His only comfort was in the fact that the older Mrs. Manning, his own mother’s childhood friend, died believing that he was innocent of all charges against him. That had meant a lot to Badru and his mother, who died just last year – eight years after his father expired. Unfortunately, Juna’s parents were deceased, as well. However, along with the Mannings, the Harshals had bequeathed their sizable estates to a research foundation bearing Elexander and Juna’s names.
“I believe Manning was the surname of my birth parents.” Xander kept his voice low so as not to attract an even bigger crowd than they already had. Fortunately, the nearest uniformed officer was still a block and a half away.
Badru’s eyes bucked. “Your birth parents?!”
“Dr. Karson, is it possible that you could give me and my friend a lift to the edge of town?” Xander asked, still talking low as he moved closer to the shocked man. He would not discuss what needed to be discussed here. Not in front of so many witnesses. Allowing his eyes to dart pointedly left and right, Xander could only hope that Dr. Karson got the hint and quickly came to the same conclusion.
“How do you know my…?” Badru began. Yet he prudently allowed his words to trail off upon noticing the young man’s expressive eyes and the message contained within them. This wasn’t the place to continue their conversation.
“Yes, I can give you a lift. It’s the least I can do for almost killing your…dog?” Dr. Karson said, becoming acutely aware of another thing he’d overlooked in his shock.
Not only was the brown and gray canine completely unharmed, he didn’t even have a limp. And this was after being car bumped really hard, too! On top of that, the Doberman actually seemed to be smiling up at Badru.
Smiling!
What in the world was going on here?
Badru would soon find out. In fact, once they were in the car and safely away from onlookers, he immediately started up again with his questions.
“How did you know my name?” Badru asked. The stranger couldn’t have gotten it from his work nametag. Dr. Karson had taken that off before leaving the library. And even if he had left it on, it would have only shown his first name per library policy in order to create an informal work environment and put library visitors more at ease.
“I have known your full name for weeks now, Dr. Badru Karson. I knew your first name years ago upon reviewing my birth parents’ digital logs,” Xander replied, sitting as comfortably as he could in the passenger seat of the small car. There was hardly any leg room in the front at all.
The compact vehicle Badru drove was yet another sign of the times. Earth vehicles that were destined for personal use were deliberately made small in order to discourage people from having large families. Only street buses, rail buses, and airbuses had any width or length to them.
“That’s another thing. What did you mean by the Mannings being your birth parents? And which Mannings would those be?” Badru asked, just getting started good with his inquiries.
Xander decided to answer the last question first. “The Mannings I refer to are named Elexander and Juna. They were killed coming from the planet Hekima, though I believe you call it Nico-1.”
“But if they were killed, how can you be their son?” Badru looked in the rearview mirror to check on the dog in the backseat. He instantly noticed how attentively the canine listened. It was as if Nasiir understood exactly what was being said in his presence.
He did.
“The Mannings crashed landed on a planet called Katan after spending months teetering in space due to a computer malfunction. My birth mother bore me prematurely before she and my father died. Despite my low birth weight, I survived and was raised by a wonderful Katanian couple,” Xander replied, revealing things to this man that he would not to any other human. Yet the colors of Dr. Karson’s essence testified that he was indeed trustworthy.
Badru shook his head with disbelief at the things that had just been said to him. It all sounded too incredible to believe. Yet when he remembered Afua’s warning about it being essential for him to believe this stranger, he forced his logical mind to take a backseat for the moment.
“I have to admit, you do look just like your father, except with your mother’s coloring and lips,” Badru replied, trying to embrace the possibility that this could all actually be true. Yet to ease his mind he had to ask at least one more question. “I truly want to believe everything you say, young man, but I still need more proof. Can you tell me something else about your birth parents that only a true son of the Mannings would know?”
Xander thought for a moment. Then he smiled as just the right piece of evidence crossed his mind. “Based on the digital logs my birth mother left, I can tell you exactly how my parents met.”
“Excellent. Yes, tell me that,” Badru replied. He knew that only a handful of people knew how the Mannings’ met and most of them were dead now.
“They met in a church during a moment of deep despair. After being converted to Christ, they fell in love and went on their first date that very evening. I think the restaurant they went to was called Back to Africa,” Xander summarized.
If this didn’t convince Dr. Karson, Xander was prepared to show him pictures of his birth parents’ wedding rings. They were made of gold so he could not take them off the ship using the transporter. They were too precious sentimentally to catapult out of the hatch as they’d done the Katanian gold nuggets.
Upon hearing the exact events of the Mannings’ first meeting, Badru almost had another wreck as he swerved in the road. Fortunately, they were nearing the edge of town where the traffic was much lighter.
When the small car was back on track, Badru began to ask more questions. These questions pertained to why the young man had come to earth now and why he deliberately sought him out. Badru also finally learned Xander’s first name, which is one thing he initially overlooked in light of the heavier questions that needed answering first.
Chapter 14
Afua couldn’t really describe all the things she felt the first time she saw Xander enter the living room of her home. It seemed as if heat simultaneously began in her feet and head, then collided together in her midriff. She actually felt her knees buckle.
Had an earthquake suddenly hit Florida? Because Afua literally felt the earth move upon seeing Xander. And this was all without saying the first hello.
“Baby girl, are you okay?” Badru asked, noticing how shaken his daughter looked. He hadn’t seen her this ruffled since the night her mother died. Usually Afua kept a tight rein on her emotions. Too tight of a rein at times.
Afua blinked and placed a hand on a nearby chair to steady herself. “Yes, I was just startled to finally meet the man that’s going to change our whole world.” Inwardly, she prayed for strength. She had no idea that this man would affect her so. In fact, Xander was the most handsome man Afua had ever seen in her life. Plus, she picked up nothing but good things from his spirit.
Though still concerned about her lack of composure, Badru proceeded to make the proper introductions anyway. “Xander, this is my daughter, Afua or Baby girl as I like to call her. Baby girl, this is Xander and his dog Nasiir. I…ran into them in town and invited them to have dinner with us.”
“Welcome to our home, Xander and Nasiir,” Afua said, addressing each one in turn in a much calmer way than she felt. When her eyes lit upon the dog, she felt something stir in her spirit. This is no ordinary dog, she th
ought with unexplainable certainty.
“Thank you. It is very good to meet you, Afua.” Xander extended his hand in greeting as custom on this part of the planet. He was amazed to see so much light of the Creator in her essence.
“Nice to meet you, too,” Afua replied, preparing to shake the hand offered to her. Yet when she shook that hand, her whole world tilted again. Her speech instantly changed. Soon Afua began to speak in an unknown tongue as her grip on Xander’s hand grew tighter.
The language she spoke may have been unknown to Afua and her father, but Xander and Nasiir understood every word she said. In the Katanian tongue, she said, “Yes, you have come to change our world, but you have also come to change my world. For you are my mate and I am yours.”
An intrigued Nasiir looked up at Xander at those words.
Xander was too busy looking at Afua with a startled expression upon his face to notice anyone else. It wasn’t just her words that caught him off guard; it was also the change in her essence. Yes, the Divine light was still there in abundance, but there were also vivid splashes of purple, blue, orange, and the kind of red that denotes the presence of deep love and passion.
This was a woman capable of loving a man with every fiber of her being. The only other human female Xander had ever detected that trait in was his birth mother. Juna’s digital logs had been splattered with those colors.
Suddenly, Afua self-consciously snatched her hand away from Xander’s. “I…uh…I apologize if I made you uncomfortable just then,” she said, now speaking in English again. “I assure you I meant no harm.”
“No harm done.” Xander fixed his eyes upon her beautiful face. “Do you understand what you just said?”
Afua shook her head, keeping her gaze fixed upon him, as well. “Unfortunately, no. Usually when I speak in tongues so publicly[i], there is immediate interpretation afterwards. However, I am confident that God will reveal all in time.”
Nasiir waited for Xander to give Afua the interpretation. When his friend remained silent on the issue, the amused Hekiman went to find a nice elevated spot to sit. Nasiir knew that he could better observe the humans when he didn’t have to keep looking up so much, straining his neck.
“Yes, He will reveal all in time,” Xander agreed, continuing to peruse the loveliness of the woman that he now knew was destined to be his wife. Lakota was nowhere in the race for his hand in marriage now. She had barely been before.
As Xander continued to gaze upon Afua, he marveled at her light cinnamon complexion. It was the perfect blend from the mixing of a mahogany-skinned father and a bronze-skinned mother. Her skin looked smooth and uniform. No doubt it would be soft to the touch.
Afua’s hair was thick and the color of brown mink. Its length touched her shoulders. Her almond-shaped eyes were a warm nut-brown tint. At only 5’3, Afua was one of the shorter humans, but still taller than the tallest Katanian. She was also shapely with generous curves that announced that she was full woman, despite the conservative gray shift dress she wore.
“Yes, well…what’s for dinner tonight?” Badru asked his daughter, starkly aware of how Afua and Xander kept staring at each other. Regardless of the fact that it would do his heart good to see his child finally fall in love and marry, especially with the offspring of the Mannings, the timing was too complicated for romance right now. They all needed to stay focused.
“Broiled fish and steamed vegetables. However, I could fix some stewed meat for the dog,” Afua replied, tearing her eyes away from Xander long enough to look at her father, who was hanging his navy suit jacket on a wooden hook near the front door. She missed the frown on Nasiir’s face as he sat on the stairs near the raised dining room entrance.
Nasiir was not looking forward to having anything on tonight’s menu. Although he was in canine form and could consume those items, he still preferred to graze. Besides, he’d already had enough meat products at Lakota’s house when they offered him and Xander breakfast and lunch.
Aware of his friend’s disposition, Xander said, “That will not be necessary. Nasiir has already eaten and I do not like to over feed him. If he could be turned loose out in the yard on such a calm afternoon, I am sure he will be quite content while we eat inside.” Xander also knew that Nasiir would want to graze a bit and survey the perimeter outside.
“Okay, let me show you the way to the back yard,” Badru told Xander as he led the way towards the back door. He wasn’t really used to having animals in the house anyway.
As Afua watched Nasiir leap down from the stairs to allow her father access to the entryway, she could have sworn the canine had an expression of relief upon his face. That’s if she was a swearing woman, which she was not.
That is definitely no ordinary dog. Afua’s gaze continued to follow Nasiir. When her eyes lit upon a departing Xander in the process, her mind added, That is no ordinary man, either.
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[i] 1 Corinthians 14:27-28
Chapter 15
Over dinner, Xander quickly learned that Afua was no ordinary person either. In fact, she was what Earthlings called a prophetess. She could tell past, present, and future events by the power of God.
Afua was also the reason her father was not dead yet. Because of her extraordinary gift, she had been able to let Badru know when danger was coming, thereby allowing him to escape in time.
“Have you been in a lot of danger?” Xander asked when Afua went to wash up the dinner dishes and let Nasiir back inside.
“Yes.” Badru nodded as he led his guest into the cozy living room. “Ever since your parents died, I have been in life-threatening situations at least once a year. It used to be more than that when Elexander and Juna first died. At one point I was actually afraid to leave my house.”
“That must have been awful for you.” Xander sat on a brown half-moon-shaped settee in the middle of the room.
“It was awful for all of us, my wife and daughter included.” Badru sat on the beige settee directly across from his guest. “Over time it started to slack off. So much so that I began to let my guard down. But then when my wife Daisy suddenly died in that hit and run accident when she happened to be driving my car instead of her own, I realized that danger was just going to be a part of my life. I’ve been overly cautious ever since.”
“Could your daughter not sense danger near your wife, as well?” Xander asked.
Badru’s voice lowered. His eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Yes, she could. But at the time, Afua was going through a rebellious stage. She was in her teens and hated everything about being different from her peers. She tried so hard to fit in with the popular crowd.” Badru paused and took a calming breath. “When Afua had the vision of her mother being hit by a car, she was at a wild party. Although her conscience wouldn’t allow her not to call at all, she procrastinated. By the time she finally did call with news of her vision, her mother, my wife was already dead.”
Xander nodded in understanding of many things. He understood Afua’s need to fit in with those around her. He also understood Badru’s grief at having lost someone very special to him. “I am sorry for your loss, Dr. Karson.”
Badru received those consolatory words with a nod. “I never blamed my daughter for her lapse in judgment. After all, I, too, have made mistakes in my life. Unfortunately, Afua blamed herself and still continues to do so even to this day. The only positive thing that came out of all this was the fact that my daughter finally embraced her calling. She stopped trying to fit in with any crowd and instead focused on living the life that God destined for her to have.”
“It is commendable that she was able to learn from her mistakes and become a better person. Perhaps she will allow herself to receive the forgiveness that the Creator has for her one day.”
“I pray so,” Badru replied quietly.
Then Xander thought of something else. “Have any other associates of my birth parents met with unfortunate accidents? I discovered tha
t almost all of them are dead, but not all of the reports reveal how they met their ends.”
Badru nodded. “Yes, all of them died in freak accidents. For a while I thought the whole project had been cursed. That was until I used deductive reasoning and realized that not all of us were dying or experiencing deep despair. As a matter of fact, one individual in particular was excelling with each passing year.”
“Jay Horrell,” Xander supplied, coming to the same conclusion. “I detect that he is a very wicked man.”
“You detect right,” Afua said from behind them. She was standing near the dining room stairs with Nasiir at her side. They both seemed quite comfortable near each other, though they’d only just met today.
“Are you also prophetic?” Badru asked Xander. The young man did seem more perceptive than the average person.
Xander shook his head. “No, since I cannot tell past or future events. However, I would describe myself as very discerning since I am able to detect a living person’s essence, diseases in the body, and angelic beings.” He frowned and added, “I can also detect dark spirits at times, but I loathe seeing them.”
Afua laughed. “I loathe seeing them, too. Maybe one day you will let me show you how to make them leave with the Word of God.”[i]
Xander smiled at her. “I would like that very much since I have not exercised myself in that technique yet.” He also would like to hear her laugh again since the very sound of it had brought joy to his heart.
Yet Afua had other things to do in the back of the house. She’d only come into the living room to show Nasiir where the others were.
~~~ >
After answering even more of Dr. Karson’s questions about his birth parents and about the research that had been preserved and made better by the Katanians, Xander asked his own share of questions. He wanted to know what had happened to his birth parents from Earth’s point of view, why Badru was blamed for it, and who could possibly be behind the wickedness that transpired with the whole Nico-1 mission.
Halfway through their discussion, Afua returned to the living room. She had drinks for everyone, including a bowl of fresh spring water for Nasiir. Afterwards she had a seat in the brown recliner near the door and listened quietly to the lengthy discussion. When it was over, Afua took that moment to reveal a few things herself.