Mortal Desire (13 page)

Although, I did not think that it was funny. I returned to eating my meal. ‘I miei complimenti allo chef.’

‘Thank-you Liam, and flattery will get you nowhere,’ said Albert.

‘I know that you are a stubborn old mule Albert. My compliment of your cooking was from the heart,’ I explained.

He narrowed his eyes at me and continued to eat.

‘What do you know of love Albert?’ I asked, genuinely wanting his opinion for guidance in this very unfamiliar territory that I was about to enter, or perhaps had already entered.

‘Ha! You’re asking an ugly brute like me?’ His laughter resonated throughout the walls and his belly bounced up and down as he guffawed. Then he stilled and became serious. ‘Love ... or lust?’ His voice was deep.

‘Both,’ I responded.

He sat back in his chair, folded his hands over his over-large stomach and took a huge unnecessary breath.

‘Love is kind, love is patient. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. This definition Liam, can be found in an Earth human book called the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:4—It sums up love perfectly. Lust on the other hand …’ He looked up to the ceiling and tilted his head to the left, and then to the right, cracking a couple of vertebrae. ‘Lust is … how shall I put it? Lust is an intense sexual craving. It is about possession and greed. Lust has as its focus on pleasing oneself, and it is about fulfilling one’s desires with no regard to the consequences. Lust is a devastating fire that will devour you and destroy relationships. It is lethal to your soul.’

I raised my eyebrows on hearing Albert’s last words. ‘How will I know whether I am feeling love or lust?’

‘Lust is all about you Liam. You won’t care about the other person or their feelings. It will be all about their looks and their body and nothing else. Love, on the other hand ... you will want to talk to her, spend time with her, you will be concerned about her feelings, you will be interested in things that she does. You will want to be a better person for her. That is how you will know. Why do you ask boy?’

‘I’m just … expanding my knowledge of worldly things Albert.’

‘Ah, don’t ever think that love is worldly. Lust is worldly, but love was defined before there was even a human being on the Earth. Things will come to pass, but love endures forever.’

I pondered his words for a moment. ‘I am wondering if it is the red thread that is pulling Sarah and I together ... ’

‘Perhaps, but time will tell. Love endures, but a crush will not. Enjoy the journey and see where it takes you Liam. That is my advice. You have taken your immortality far too seriously for four hundred years. Live a little on the mortal side!’

‘In that case, I must go and email someone. Thanks for the advice. You are a rare gemstone in the pile of sludgy rocks!’

He snorted, then got up to clear the table from dinner. I went to the study room and powered up the computer, butterflies bumping into the walls of my stomach.

FROM:  Liam O’Connell

DATE:  3 May  21:10

TO:  Sarah Flynn

SUBJECT:  Saturday, May the 4th be with you.

Dear Miss Flynn,

There is a flowering Jacaranda tree outside Cafe Oooh Laa

Laaa! I would like to meet you there at 6:30am.

Liam.

Send ...

FROM:  Sarah Flynn

DATE:  3 May  21:13

TO:  Liam O’Connell

SUBJECT:  RE: Saturday, May the 4th be with you.

Dear Mr. O’Connell,

No civil person gets up that early on a Saturday morning.

I will see you under the flowering Jacaranda tree at 7am.

Sarah

#Iamknittingyouascarfforyourneck!

FROM:  Liam O’Connell

DATE:  3 May  21:20

TO:  Sarah Flynn

SUBJECT:  RE: RE: Saturday, May the 4th be with you.

Dear Miss Flynn,

I look forward to meeting you then.

Liam

#scarveslooknicewrappedaroundjacarandatrees!

Send ...

After rereading our three emails several times, I headed off to prepare for the customary routine of human sleep. Albert still sat in his wing chair knitting under the muted light when I walked past to go to my room.

‘Take an extra long warm shower tonight Liam. I can hear your heart thumping away from here. Sogni d’oro intossicato uno!’

‘Sweet dreams to you too Albert, and I am not intoxicated!’ I replied.

‘You have been exposed to the love potion Liam. Watch out before you see rainbows and unicorns everywhere!’

‘Oh - grow up ancient one. I’ll give you a sip of my love potion. It might fix up your ugly face!’ I retaliated.

‘Be careful Liam. What is said cannot be unsaid!’ he stated, and chuckled to himself.

‘They do say that love is blind don’t they? Buona notte amico mio, tu lo sai che ti amo,’ I called over my shoulder as I headed to my room.

‘Yes, good night Liam, and … I too, love you,’ Albert replied, and brushed off the comment with a waving of his hand in the air like a butterfly fluttering about.

The warmth of the water quietened my thumping heart before I made myself comfortable on the extravagantly adorned mattress. Waves of pleasure streamed through me while thoughts of meeting Sarah continually invaded my head space.

‘Il coraggio, la temperanza, la saggezza, la giustizia, la pazienza, courage, temperance, wisdom, justice, patience.’
I meditated on these five words while I held the blue energy mass of light, letting it lift me higher until I experienced my spirit free from my body. But this time, instead of wanting to stay captured in that state, I wanted to return to my human form, eager to meet Sarah Flynn in the morning at 7am.

I re-entered my body, and felt the heaviness of the bone, muscle, blood and organs that were anchored to the Earth by gravity. I watched the blue mass of light ascend to hover above me when I realized how similar the feeling of love was to the uplifting energy of the blue energy mass of light.

I shuddered as my new thought scared me.

I looked to my left; the lesser red ball of caution still hovered. The danger was not finished.

Was I heading into trouble by meeting Sarah tomorrow at 7am, or did danger lay elsewhere?

Albert did say that the immortals had not finished with me yet. Before I gave in to the delta sleep zone, I set my mind for energizing to heightened alertness to intuition in my unconscious and conscious state.

All things are possible ...

CHAPTER EIGHT

I changed my clothes three times before I was happy with what I was wearing. It was ridiculous that one person could have such an effect on one’s choice in clothing! Never in my four hundred years of walking the Earth had I been indecisive about what to cover my human nakedness with. This was simply ... irrational!

‘Matisse approves of your woody oriental aftershave today,’ Albert commented as I walked by him at the breakfast table.

‘Tell Matisse that she needs to get out more and smell the catnip!’

‘She is the Observer. You know that she likes to pass judgment on us as we live in her castle. You should bring home a new box for her to sit in and ponder about our human antics. That will keep her happy,’ Albert suggested, tongue in cheek.

‘The aftershave masks my immortality Albert. That is why I wear it,’ I commented.

‘Of course it does!’ Albert teased and winked at me. ‘Would you like to carry the antidote to the love potion?’ he continued.

I walked out the door, waved him off and shook my head at him in disgust.

Although I was wearing aftershave, I pulled my collar up to cover my neck while I walked to the jacaranda tree. Old habits die hard. And besides, the aftershave had not passed the test of fire in its deceit with immortals yet. At this point in time, it was still hypothetical that it may work in masking my immortal scent.

I arrived at the jacaranda tree before Sarah did and leaned against its trunk. I looked skywards into the abundant bloom of delicate flowers that provided a canopy of a sea of purple, broken by dabs of blue.

I followed the flight path of one flower as it sailed down from the umbrella of leaves and towards the ground. But my vision was interrupted mid-flight when my eyes settled on Sarah’s beautiful face as she stood before me.

‘Good morning Sarah,’ I said.

She frowned and tilted her head to one side. ‘Good morning to you Liam,’ she replied, smiled and looked down.

I placed my finger under her chin. ‘Look up. There is beauty to behold,’ I said, and lifted her head upwards. I watched her face to see her reaction to the canvas painted by nature.

Her eyes widened, and a beautiful smile grew on her face.

‘Yes, it is magical Liam,’ she whispered. Her eyes met mine and locked, drawn by some inexplicable force of the universe.

I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes. ‘Let’s eat, I’m hungry,’ I said.

‘Hmm ... men! Always thinking of your stomach! Let’s go inside before you starve to death,’ she said with sarcasm, laced with warmth.

I smiled to myself and followed her inside Café Oooh Laa Laaa! I increased my walking pace and took the lead to the waiter to procure our table.

Sunbeams cast a pretty patterned shadow across our small table. We sat opposite each other for the first time in our story together. I looked into Sarah’s eyes before I made a huge effort to avert my gaze, and examined the daisy flower centre piece of the table instead.

I was most unfamiliar with the emotion of shyness that occupied my mind and feelings. She had set many different emotions alight in me since we first met. How could it be? I barely knew her, and yet, my reactions to her were akin to the dictionary definition of a high when taking drugs. I was puzzled, but very happy—deliriously.

‘Your eyes are more blue today Liam. Are you wearing coloured contact lenses?’ Sarah asked while she perused the breakfast menu, keeping her eyes from mine.

‘No. This is me, in the flesh. Naked ... except for my clothing,’ I replied, shook my head and pulled a face at the stupid words that I had just muttered. Thankfully, she was still looking at the menu.

‘It is very delicious,’ she said. She looked up at me, and caught me staring at her. ‘The food on the menu I mean,’ she added.

I raised my chin a little before I nodded in agreement with her. Butterflies rammed into the sides of my stomach. I looked back to the menu.

‘Have you been here before?’ I asked, trying not to muddle up my words.

‘No, this is the first time. You?’

‘Same. Actually, I have never eaten out for breakfast before,’ I revealed to her, then looked into her green eyes.

She stared at me and froze. ‘Like ... never?’ Her eyes were wide, her eyebrows raised and her mouth open.

I frowned and shook my head. ‘No, my uncle cooks every morning. I have never had a need to grab breakfast out,’ I tried to explain.

‘Not even with friends?’ she asked me.

‘No.’ I didn’t know what else to say. I just simply have never been out for breakfast before.

‘What do you normally have for breakfast Liam?’

‘Bacon, eggs, cooked tomato, toast, cup of tea, fruit sometimes as well. And you?’

‘Toast and tea in the morning before I hit the art studio ... I am
so
ordering breakfast for you today,’ she said.

I raised my eyebrows, surprised at her assertiveness. ‘If you insist Miss Flynn,’ I replied, playing along with her game.

She smiled at me, and then motioned for the waiter to come to take our order. As the waiter stood beside her, she pointed to the items on the menu, and the waiter made careful eye contact with her, before they both smiled at each other.

What plan was she hatching? I had absolutely no idea what she had ordered for me.

Within a minute, two tea cups and a pot of tea had arrived. Sarah poured the tea for us both, after turning the tea pot three times anticlockwise, and three times clock wise.

‘Weird isn’t it?’ I said.

‘Mmmm?’ she said looking up at me.

‘The turning of the tea pot. Some people become obsessed with it, are you?’

She stopped stirring the sugar into her tea and looked at me. ‘Do I look weird to you? No ... you had better not answer that! I like the tradition. It is a little bit fancy!’ she said.

I nodded my head and smiled at her. She would be fascinated if she knew that I had four hundred years of history and traditions embedded into my memories.

‘Do you wish to spend your life as an artist Sarah? Or, do you have other dreams and plans?’ I asked, cupped my hands under my chin and looked into her eyes.

She looked away from me and tilted her head to the side in thought. ‘Hmmmm ... for now I am happy painting, dreaming, creating, exploring the beauty in the world. I don’t have any long term plans. I like to think of life as an adventure and see where it takes me,’ she said, now playing with the spoon on the table. ‘What about you Liam. Are you going to be an Elevator Operator for the term of your natural life?’ she asked, oblivious to the fact that the term of my natural life had no end at this point in time.

I looked at my tea cup and smiled crookedly. ‘You would be amazed by the people that I have met, by the connections I have made, and by the satisfaction that I get from driving Elevator Thirteen. It is about the journey through life. It is also about caring for other people, being kind to other people even when they are not, and helping them when they feel that their situation is hopeless,’ I replied.

She placed both of her hands, one on top of the other, flat under her chin and narrowed her eyes. ‘So, you are saying that you are implicated in using psychological practices on others, is that correct?’
she asked, now running a finger over her bottom lip, distracting me.

‘How does that make you feel?’ I asked in the tone of a psychologist, my face deadpan.

As my answer to her question was with a question sunk in, she let out a glorious giggle, and placed her hand over mine. I felt the zap of electricity as our life forces melded together, and then the warmth of her soft hand on my skin. Our eyes met and locked in a moment of connection of our souls, and time slowed down.

I was high on the love potion again. The red thread was unbreakable.

The arrival of our breakfast plates broke our moment of eye-love. I smiled coyly at Sarah before I looked at the food presented on my plate.

It was French toast with a miniature jug of maple syrup with fruit salad on the side. This was a first for me. I had never had French toast before. Sarah had ordered the same.

‘Pain grillé français Mmmm, je vous remercie - French toast, thank-you,’ I said.

She widened her eyes at me. ‘You speak French Mr. O’Connell?’ she asked, frowning at me. Her voice was full of surprise.

‘A little … nothing to jump over the moon about though!’
Actually I am fluent in five languages, acquired from living in diverse places around the globe. But then that comes with being four hundred years of age.

I devoured half of the French Toast relishing in the eggy sweet flavour that danced with my taste buds. Stopping to take a mouthful of my tea, I watched Sarah cut her French toast into mouth size bites, and then place them into her mouth piece by piece.

‘What do you believe in Sarah?’ I asked.

‘Oh? How about ... what is your favourite colour, or what was your first pet?’ She looked at me with a wry grin. Then she looked out the window in though and breathed out heavily. ‘I believe in happily ever after, family, love. I believe in having convictions. I believe that our walk upon the Earth is ridiculously short as compared to eternity. I believe in black jelly beans. What do you believe in Liam?’ she asked with her hands resting under her chin once again.

‘I believe my favourite colour is cerulean and that your question is far too deep for 7:45am. Voulez-vous du thé?’ I asked while gesturing towards the teapot between us.

‘Wee?’ she said, uncertain whether that was the correct French word for yes.

I nodded and smiled gently at her. She returned a smile that lit up the entire café while I poured more tea into her teacup.

‘Where did you go to school Liam?’

I sucked in a sharp breath. I had never been asked where I went to school before. ‘Nowhere ... I was home-schooled,’ I replied, hoping that home-schooling would be an adequate answer.

‘By your parents?’

‘No, by my uncle!’ I responded raising my eyebrows. ‘And you?’

‘I studied Fine Arts at an Art School and paid my way by working at the Museum.’

‘Ah, history—I have a particular bent towards all things historical. I haven’t visited the Museum for eons,’ I mentioned.

‘Then we must go to the Museum after breakfast Liam … that is ... if you have time?’ she asked.

Her face was full of hope. How could I say no? Besides, I was going out with her today to cure the “halo effect” that she seemed to be suffering from. ‘Sure, why not. I’m up for a history lesson today,’ I answered her.

I finished eating, then watched Sarah devour her food with gracefulness. I had never watched another human eat with so much intensity before, and it fascinated me. Once breakfast was finished, I stood up from the table and walked around to her. I held out my hand for her to take. When our fingertips touched, I brought her hand to my lips and brushed them over her skin, before I kissed it with the softness of a feather. ‘Thank-you for my charming breakfast Sarah,’ I said, while I looked directly into the depths of her eyes. ‘Let’s head to the Museum. I want to know what you know.’

She stood and curtsied to me with a gentle smile on her face. Her eyes were full of life. I pulled out my wallet to pay for breakfast, but she already held money in her hand to pay.

‘I asked you out Liam, I will pay,’ she said, looking at me from under her long black eye lashes.

‘No. I will pay. I believe in old fashioned manners,’ I said to her, pushing her money away.
Besides … I have four hundred years of savings …

‘Thank-you then old fashioned one,’ she answered, and shifted her weight onto her other foot before she hooked her arm through mine.

We left the Café and stepped onto the pavement under the Jacaranda tree once again. Automatically, I started to adjust my collar to cover my neck. Old habits are hard to break.

But then Sarah stood in front of me. She pulled a blue scarf out of her handbag, and began to arrange it around my neck. It felt comforting.

‘There Mr. O’Connell.’

She was so close to me that I could feel her warm breath on my chin. I wanted to reach out to her and run my finger along the side of her face and devour her lips with mine.

But I didn’t.

‘Thank-you for my scarf Miss Flynn. I will cherish it for always,’ I said in a low voice, remembering the hurt that she showed on her face when Elliot McEwan gave away the tie that she had chosen for him.

‘You are very welcome Liam. I chose the colour to match your eyes,’ she replied as the windows of our souls locked together. She stepped back from me and started to walk in the direction of the Museum. I watched her as she as she put some distance between us, soaking in the sight of her very shapely human form. She turned around and smiled at me, walking backwards. ‘Are you coming Liam?’ she called, and tilted her head to the side.

I looked down and smiled before I tucked my hands into my pockets and caught up with her. Then I put one arm around her shoulder. I had never done that before; another first.

The granite steps leading up to the museum were epic. As we passed through the Greek columns we stepped back in time. Sarah hurried ahead of me and then spun around and looked at me. ‘So, where would you like to go Mr. O’Connell?’ she asked, looking at me through her eyelashes again.