My Journal

By Harriman Nelson

35

“It’s here,” Joe announced from our suite’s open doorway. “Still in the air, but touchdown in about five minutes, give or take. Lee’s already outside.”

“Very well,” I said, petting Winston who’d taken over one of our suitcases in the bedroom along with Missy.

“I suggest you remain here, Mrs. Nelson. "It could be…dangerous."
“Of course it could be dangerous. But if my husband is going to meet and greet an alien that has  enough power to blast him to bits, I’m going with him.”

“Lee’s pretty sure it won’t come to that…but…”

“We need to be prepared…yes, Cmdr. Lead on.”

In minutes we had joined Lee on the lawn, protected on all sides by armed Special Forces soldiers.

The shuttle landed and the hatch opened, but instead of rampaging aliens with weapons of unspeakable power, only the captain and his wife emerged. Lee nodded to his soldiers to back off, and approached them privately.

Saying a few words I couldn’t hear, the captain and his wife took Lee’s shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. Then the couple approached Emmie, Joe, and me.

“Thank you for help-ing to make our daughter happy during her stay here,” Melody’s mother said.

“Of course,” I said.

“I will go to the jail with Lee to see my Lt., ” the captain said. “Perhaps you can entertain my wife," he told Emmie.”

“I’d be happy too,” Emmie said, took her arm and headed back to the house.

“I’d like to accompany you,” I told the captain.

“As you wish.”

It wasn’t long before the presidential limo drove up to the local jail.

Ronald was awake and hissing epithets toward us as we passed and stopped by  Numbers’ cell.

“Did you do what the pres-i-dent said?” the captain asked Numbers. “Did you en-en-gage that man to kill him?”

“Yes, Captain,” Numbers said.

“But he killed my daughter instead.”

“Yes, Captain,” Numbers said bowing his head. “I was not to know he would betray me.”

“It is still your fault,” the captain said, suddenly pulling out a ‘ray’ gun and vaporized Numbers. Lee had to hold out his arms to keep the cops from firing back. “I give you the right of justice with the other one,” the captain told Lee, handing over the ray gun.

“We don’t do things like that here,” Lee said handing the ray gun back, “justice will be served by our laws.”

“Very well. If you change your mind, I can return to do the job for you.”

“Thank you, but I don’t think I’ll take you up on it. Shall we return to the White House?”

“Yes. The sooner my wife and I depart from this prim-I-tive planet, the better. Where is my daughter’s body?”

“The city morgue, ” Lee gulped. “The funeral is tomorrow and….”

“No. now. It is our custom.”

”I’ll make the arrangement’s Lee," I said. "You go ahead back with them to the White House, Emmie.”

I waited until they’d left before making my calls. Since the request to have the body released to me was in effect, a presidential request, there was no problem with time and red tape.

I sat next to the driver of the coroner’s hearse, and we were waved through the gate, the marines pointing us to the area of lawn next to the shuttle.

 The shuttle’s two pilots, the captain, his wife, Joe, Lee, Emmie, Mrs. C. and I stood on both sides of Melody's body as it  was lain on the ground.

Her father lowered the sheet from her head, bent down and cut off a swatch of hair.

“It’s bleeding,” Emmie hissed. It might have been green blood, but blood it was, nonetheless.

“Shhh,” I warned.

The hair was handed over to Lee, who wadded it into his fist, clutching what he could of her.

Then the captain and the two pilots aimed their ray guns at Melody’s body and fired.

No gaping hole or pow of power, only a soft glow surrounded her and in seconds she had disappeared.

The pilots, and Lee’s mother-in-law returned inside the shuttle.

“I do not think we shall meet again,” the captain said, extending his hand to Lee. 

“Goodbye,” he added toward us.

We backed off as the shuttle lifted off and gained altitude and was soon out of sight. And out of orbit. By the time we returned to the house, the SEA informed us that the spaceship was well and truly headed out of the galaxy.

“Should we stand down from the alert?” Joe asked.

“Not until they’re far far away,” Lee said, the blood dripping from the swatch of Melody’s hair staining his clothes and the red carpet.

“Want me to take care of that?” Joe asked.

“No, I…I want to save this… I think I’d like something made to store her hair. For me to look at, maybe wear…and remember.”

I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea. I remembered my grandmother had a broach with her mother’s hair in it, and it caused her nothing but tears every time she wore it. But this was Lee’s decision, come what may.

Edwards, having been informed of the bleeding tresses,  came in and handed Lee a small bowl that I recognized having held some flowers. It had been wiped dry and there were some paper towels in it. Not a very dignified way to store something so intimate to him. My heart bled even more for Lee’s grief. But he was bearing up better than I expected him to. Perhaps he’d gotten a great deal of the pain out with his earlier tears. At least he was better able to control his emotions.

“Joe,” Lee said. “I’ll be addressing the nation tomorrow. See to it, will you. You pick the time.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“Would you like me to stay up with you tonight, Lee?”

“No, I’ll manage. Thanks for being here, all of you. Goodnight.”

He used the stairs to go up to his apartment, while the rest of us, like the semi senior citizens we were, waited for the elevator.

“Well,” Mrs. C. said. “I hope he can get some sleep.”

“What’s he going to say tomorrow, I wonder,” Emmie mused.

Indeed, what is he going to say? Is he even going to get some sleep tonight? Should I go ahead and enter his bedroom unannounced to check on him?

In the end, common sense prevailed and I’ve left him to grieve alone. He has to face it by himself sometime. Now’s as good a time as any.