"Yeah well we just bought this one last year," I sighed.
"Then give her a beach house or something. I bet she would love to decorate a beach house," Jim said chuckling lightly.
"I don't know ... she doesn't even like to go to the beach. I don't have the time for it so what would we do with a beach house?" I asked, exchanging my glass for another one from a waiter's platter as he walked past us.
"Still surfing?" Jim asked.
I scoffed. "When?"
"Yeah, me and you both, brother. Making money takes up your time right? Haven't even been fishing lately or hunting for that matter."
I felt a pinch of relief in my heart. No hunting meant Aiyana was safe when she went on her nightly forays in the swamps. I thought for a second about my dream earlier that day. About her. There was something I had seen. Something in her face. It was as if she were trying to say something but I just couldn't hear it. I shook my head slightly. No, it was just a dream, I told myself while wondering what she would look like by now ten years later. Did she have any kids? Considering what she was and the secret she carried in her blood I knew she hadn't aged much. The Fountain of Youth flowing through her veins would prevent her from looking older than her mid-twenties. Just like her mother and grandmother had done. She would definitely still be astonishing.
I toasted again with Jim while contemplating the spectacle of rich people showing off in front of one another, creating connections and laughing their empty laughter filled with pride and supremacy all in the name of charity. People toasting, greeting, smiling, nodding, discussing money, loving money, living small meaningless lives filled with only the love for themselves and what they have created in life. How I loathed these kinds of parties. How I loathed myself for being a part of it.
As I returned a greeting from a man in black suit and bow tie by lifting my glass while wondering who he was and why I even cared, I suddenly felt the strangest thing. It was as if a hot flash radiated through my entire body. My blood started to boil; everything inside of me was steaming. I bent over and tried to loosen my bow tie while I gasped for air. Jim gripped me and pulled me up to look me in the face.
"Chris! Are you alright?" I heard him say in the distance.
I tried to focus on him but my vision was foggy and dreamlike.
"Chris! Talk to me. Are you okay?" he repeated. The sounds of the party became distant, like a humming and inside of my head. A loud and very clear voice took over. I wanted to smile but don't think I managed to do so. It was the singing voice of Aiyana. She was calling my name.
“Christian. Christian.”
It was the sweetest of all sounds. How I had longed to hear her say my name again.
I heard Jim talking in the distance but didn't care. The heat was burning me up inside, but all I cared about was her voice. She called me again and again. And then just as suddenly as the voice had appeared it was gone. My sight returned and I was staring directly into Jim's face.
"Hey there. Are you alright?" he asked.
I shook my head slightly. "I ... I’m fine. Just a little dizzy there," I said.
Jim drew a relieved sigh and laughed. "Boy I thought for a second you were going to faint there," he said. "It was crazy. I tell you. Your eyes. They ... They ... it was like they glowed there for a minute man. It was like the blue in your eyes lit up in the dark for a second. That's crazy man. Maybe you should have a doctor check you or something. Your eyes looked weird. It was like they were on fire or something. I’ve never seen anything like it. Are you sure you're okay? Your eyes are still glassy. Maybe you have a fever or something."
"I do feel a little warm," I said.
Jim touched my forehead. "A little hot!? Man you're burning up!"
"I guess I'd better go home," I said.
Jim put his glass on a table. "I'll take you home."
"Thanks man," I said and looked towards Heather’s direction. The look in her eyes told me she was drunk by now. She was leaning on some guy who looked like the rest of the company. She was laughing at everything he said while gently touching him.
"You want me to tell her that you're going home?" Jim asked.
I shook my head. "She won't care by now," I said. "Probably won't even notice."
"Come on. We'll take my car," Jim said.
I threw one last glance at Heather as I left the ballroom of Regina and Ralph's oversized mansion. As I did she turned and looked straight into my eyes while touching the man's chest gently. We had been through this so many times by now. I knew that look in her eyes. She knew I was going, but she couldn't care less.
Chapter 3
I was still burning hot as I paid the sitter and checked on William. He was sleeping soundly in his bed as I went in to kiss him on the forehead. I stroked his cheek while feel my love for him rose inside of me. He was the one thing I had accomplished that I was proud of. The one thing that kept me sane. Everything else, the house, the cars, the clinic none of it had anything to do with me. None of that could make my heart pound like the sight of William breathing heavily under the covers did. I smiled and kissed his forehead again while wishing that he grow up to have all of his dreams realized and that he end up with the woman he truly loved.
I felt a drop of sweat roll down my forehead and saw it on the tip of my nose as it left my body and landed on Williams cover. I wiped the rest of the sweat away with the back of my hand. It was hot outside but I did not normally sweat like this. Plus I had been in air-conditioning all day. Merely going from Jim’s car to the house would not make me perspire like that. I felt my forehead and it was still burning. I had to have a fever, I thought. But why didn't I feel sick? I didn't have that feeble, feverish feeling. I wasn't even tired. To be perfectly honest I felt even stronger than usual. I looked at my arms and felt strength rising in them, like the muscles were literally growing as I watched them from outside the white shirt. What was going on? Was it muscle-pain caused by the fever? Maybe it was just a cold coming on or the flu, I thought and got up from William's bed. I didn't want to infect him if I was contagious.
I glanced at him for one more second before I carefully closed the door to his room and went back to the master bedroom. I stripped off my shirt and pants that had started to feel like they were tightening around my thighs. Sweat was still pouring down my face like I had just been working out. I found a towel in the bathroom and wiped my face and neck while more sweat poured out. In the medicine-cabinet I found a thermometer and took my temperature. One hundred-two point two degrees. No wonder I was hot. I did have a fever and a pretty high one at that. I should be feeling weak and tired instead of this incredible strength that I sensed rising in me, causing me to want to go for a long run or do an intense work out. I stared at my reflection in the mirror over the dresser. I even looked bigger than usual, I thought. It wasn't just a feeling? Maybe the fever was causing me to be delusional, but hadn’t my eyes changed, too? It was like they were glowing, the blue in them on fire. Just like Jim had said. I shook my head and found some pills in the bathroom-cabinet to kill the fever. It had to be the fever making me see things. Could the fever make me feel strong and energized as well? Give me a craving for running wild in the yard or through the nearby forest?
I shook off the feeling and went to bed. My heart was racing as I lay in the dark. I couldn't have any cover on me because of the intense fever. The heat and racing heartbeat kept me awake. My body was restless, agitated. I opened my eyes and to my surprise I could see. I saw everything in the darkness just as clear as if it were the middle of the day. I propped myself up on my elbows as I studied the room closely. The light was definitely off but everything was visible in this bluish light. I saw Heather's earrings on the dresser that she had decided not to wear; I saw my own cufflinks in the bathroom through the open door. Was it just because I knew they were there? Was my mind playing tricks on me again like when I was attacked by the alligators and heard voices and saw strange images?
I put my head back on the pillow. It
had to be the fever. I couldn't even see the cufflinks from where I was lying if it had been bright daylight. I felt everything pumping inside of me as I closed my eyes again. I needed to get some sleep. I hadn't been able to sleep at night for almost a month now. Instead I took those small naps in my office just to get by during the day. Maybe that was what was finally catching up on me? Maybe it was some sort of stress? My body saying "Stop I can't do it anymore."
"You need to slow down," I whispered to myself in the darkness. "It's not worth it. To die from stress-related diseases before you turn forty and leave William without a loving father. It's just not worth it."
I heard a door slam and opened my eyes. Heather was in the room. She swayed from side to side leaning on the dresser while taking off her high-heeled shoes one by one. They both made a bump as they hit the floor.
"What's not worth it?" she asked while taking off her earrings concentrating on keeping her balance and not falling. I studied her face and eyes that I could see perfectly in the darkness. Even the smallest features were clear to me. Her make-up was a mess, the lipstick smeared. I could smell the alcohol on her breath.
"Nothing," I mumbled with a deep sigh.
She took off her dress, nearly falling over with the effort. "So why on earth did you leave the party so early?" she said.
"Do you really care?" I asked.
She laughed and almost tipped backwards. "No, I guess I don't," she answered. She put on her negligee and threw herself on the bed. "What happened to you anyway? You used to be so much fun."
"I guess I grew up." I closed my eyes and tried to remember the last time I had really enjoyed my life. Besides wonderful moments with William there weren’t any recently.
I opened my eyes and turned to look at her. It startled her.
"Oh my god!" she burst out. "What's with your eyes? It's like they’re glowing in the dark!" Heather sat up and stared at me. "Stop it Chris. It's freaking me out!"
I didn't close them. Instead I kept staring at her. I smelled the scent of another man on her skin. It drove me wild. Wild with rage and jealousy.
"Chris, stop staring at me. Jeeez. Please just close those things would you?"
I didn't. I felt my heart racing even faster now. The thought of Heather with another man drove me crazy. She was my wife, my woman, the mother of my child. I felt my sex rise as I climbed her. I was harder than ever.
She sighed. "Not now Chris. I had a really long day," she said trying to move me, but I clung on to her holding her arms down.
"I bet you have," I said with a hoarse voice. The strength in my body and sex was arousing. I felt powerful and strong. "And now you're going to have a long night with your husband," I whispered in her ear.
"Chris, I really don't ..." she stopped talking as she realized I wasn't going to move. I held her down with one hand as I tore off her negligee and ripped it to pieces. I grabbed her panties and removed them in one quick movement. She was naked and defenseless underneath me. Defenseless under the inhuman strength that had risen inside of me. She smiled as she seemed to enjoy my newfound desire for her that had been lacking for years now. With beastlike lust and desire I entered her and rode her again and again. I exploded inside of her but was ready for more a few seconds after and gave her another turn.
Never had I felt such a rush, such a lust. Heather kept stroking my chest and my arms like it was the first time she saw them, dazzled by their size and shape. I continued till she was almost worn out and said she simply couldn't take anymore. Then I took her once again - just to make a point - before I fell back on the bed not feeling the least bit exhausted but rather filled with more strength and a feeling of incredible invincibility. One thing was definitely sure. Fever or not.
I wasn't sick.
Chapter 4
The next morning Heather was the one who was sick, not me. She was throwing up and was burning hot as I had been the night before. Me on the other hand; even if I didn't get much sleep I felt better than ever. The fever was gone and I had managed to get at least an hour of sleep after the sun rise. Apparently that was enough for me these days. As I did my morning routine I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt relief as I realized the glowing in my eyes was gone as well. To test it I turned off the light in the bathroom and observed that I wasn't able to see in the dark. It had all been the fever, some sort of illusion caused by my elevated body temperature. My muscles hadn't grown either. I looked completely normal, to my surprise I wasn't even pale or the slightest bit affected by the sickness from the night before.
It was Sunday - my only day off - and I was going to enjoy it. I decided to take William golfing while his mother nursed her hangover. She was lying on the bathroom floor when I went up to say goodbye. I had told William to wait in the car for me. I didn't want him to see his mother like this.
"We're leaving," I said.
Heather nodded without looking at me, and then she lifted her body to bend over the toilet once again and emptied her stomach into it.
"How much did you drink last night anyway?" I asked disgusted by the smell and the repulsing sound.
"Too much, I guess," she moaned
I scoffed. "You can say that again. Probably popping pills as well too, right? Maybe we should try and lay off the wine for a couple of days, huh?" I tried that approach before and knew the answer. Heather never managed to go after than two o'clock in the afternoon before she opened the first bottle of white wine or champagne. Mixed with all the crap-medicine she had her doctor prescribe for her she would always be drunk by late afternoon and keep the buzz going until midnight before she passed out if she didn't go out with her friends. But normally she didn't get sick from it. Not like this. I was hoping this would teach her to hold back a little. The thought of her driving around with William while drunk scared me like hell.
"I don't think this is from the wine or the pills," she managed to say between vomiting. "I think I might be coming down with something. Or maybe it was something I ate last night. I feel really horrible. I think I might have a fever as well."
I sighed. Then I helped her by holding her hair away from her face as she once again emptied the contents of her stomach. Then I wiped her mouth with a tissue and helped her on her legs. I carried her on top of the bed and felt her forehead. "You are a little warm." I took her temperature. 101.6. Not as high as mine had been but enough for me to know that she was right. This didn't come from the drinking. She was sick.
"I’m cold," she said. Her voice was shivering. I put the cover on her and made her feel comfortable in the bed. Then I brought her some pills to kill the fever and a glass of water that I put on the nightstand.
"I think I might have given this to you," I said.
Her eyes were closed. "How so?" she said with a feeble voice.
"I had it last night. I had a fever. That's why I went home from the party. My temp was one-hundred-two point two."
She turned her head and looked at me with weak feverish eyes. "But you were fine when I got home. You were fine in bed!"
I chuckled. "Yeah I know. Maybe it’s just one of those short viruses that are gone after a few hours. Get some sleep. I’m sure you'll be fine when we get back from the golf course."
Heather closed her eyes and nodded. "Sure. I just need some rest."
Heather was feeling a little better when we got back. Well at least she was up. She was sitting in the living room watching TV with a blanket wrapped tightly around her. She looked pale. William ran to her immediately.
"Mom, Mom. Guess what?"
She sighed and closed her eyes like hearing his high-pitched excited voice was too much for her. "Not now William," she said. "Mommy is not feeling well. I need some rest."
Seeing his young face change expression drastically I quickly grabbed the disappointed William in my arms pretending to be a child-eating monster and took him to the kitchen and fixed him a sandwich.
"What's wrong with mother?" he asked as he ate at the breakfast counter. He so
metimes sounded so grown up it made me smile.
"Just a little flu," I said. "Nothing to worry about."
William sighed deeply and I felt a pit in my stomach. Sick or not I resented Heather for acting like this. The least she could do was to let the boy tell his story.
"I really wanted to tell her about what I did today. I wanted to tell her about the hole-in-one I made. My first one ever," he said.
I grabbed a glass of water and leaned at the counter in front of him. "It really was something, huh?" I said trying to divert his thoughts. "I bet you could be a pro one day."
"You really think so?" His blond curls that he inherited from me framed his face in the cutest way. It made him look so much like me. I still had all of them, much to the envy of the other men in our social circles. I loved that we looked so alike, William and I. The blue eyes, the skin that tanned easily and the blond curls. He didn't have much from Heather except the nose. Her perfect, aristocratic nose.
I smiled at him. "You can be anything you want to in life," I said before drinking my water. It had been inhumanly hot out on the course that day. Ninety-four degrees and humid. Still I had played my best game ever and I could easily have done eighteen more holes.
"Really? Even a firefighter?" William asked, a bright light in his blue eyes.
I laughed. How I enjoyed these moments with my son. They were so precious. "Yes. Even that. Anything you set your mind to."
William became thoughtful for a few seconds while eating. "And I don't have to become a doctor like you?"
"Definitely not."
William took another bite of his peanut butter and jelly sandwich that he enjoyed just as much as I used to do when I first arrived in Florida. "It's just that ... Mom always tells me that I will one day grow up to be a doctor like my father and take over the clinic that granddad built."
I sighed. "Look me in the eyes."
He lifted his blue eyes and stared into mine. It was like staring at my younger self.