Chapter 37

Perhaps the best descriptive words for the grounds surrounding The Palace is ‘over-indulged’. About ten acres, carved into old forests, surrounded by the coastal mountains of Northern California, fueled by frequent rains and fertilization, with the front-piece of the Palace wearing a meticulous green manicure. The thick Augustine grass carpeted the several acres in front of the main building, obscenely lush.

I remembered Nyota and Darcy and Matty running, with wild abandon, over and around the ornate fountains and non-indigenous plantings, halting their rumblings to roll in the grass, or to chase each other. But foremost in my thoughts and remembrance, were of an interval of time where Sandy Collins and Matty Edison had given me a brief period of an illusion, or perhaps more of an allusion, to that of family.

“What are you doing, Mark?”

“Gonna let the furbags out. Nyota and Darcy loved to run around the lawn in front of the Palace.”

“I do not think that ... never mind, baby ... Where will we rack out?”

“Dunno. Maybe the hangar apartment?”

“Certainly not. We will find a room in the residential wing. We will be close to Sandra.”

Geez, then why the fuck did she even ask? Whatever, Dinky can tactically maneuver my dumb ass anytime she wants ... I bet Dinky would look really good airing her tits out in the middle of this fancy shit. That would be really cool - Dinky totally naked, on the grass, in front of that fountain. Now that would be peak art, better than all of those fuckwit statues of Roman gods.

“Yes, ma’am. How ‘bout we use the two rooms next to Sandy’s room ... Dinky? Have you ever thought ‘bout walking around naked on the front lawn? That would make a great pic, ya know, a hot naked woman in front of The Palace.”

“I will not ... Girls, no. Stay away from that fountain.”

“Give your tits a rest. The furbags can swim ... Ya know, that reminds me, my boards and suits should be down at the airfield in the 340 hangar. Shit, can’t remember the last time we surfed.”

“Florida?”

“Probably. You and Tim were freaking over the gators. Sorta how nature balances shit out, huh? We got great white sharks and earthquakes, Florida got big gators and hurricanes ... Dinky? How we gonna handle this?”

“First, we will prepare her room for her arrival. Then we wait for Jim Salik and Matty to arrive, then we will discuss the important subjects. I can’t believe that Matty is flying all the way from Colorado to California in that little death-trap.”

“Yo lady, back the bus up and calm your tits. Matty and me built that airplane. The RV-6 is rated fully acrobatic, and an FAA inspector signed it off. Our airplane is a lot better built than all those stupid cookie-cutter little things that Cessna and Beech and Piper been cranking out for the last forty or fifty years ... Sounds like the furbags want chow.”

“Put them back into their trailer compartment. We will feed them once we check in with the Garcias and into our Q. And I need a shower badly.”

“Yeah? I’ll wash your body for you. Ya know, just to make sure ya don’t miss anything.”

“I’m sure you will, Mark. Let us go and find Mister Garcia. He needs to know that we have arrived.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Cancer is an evil thing; it is nature at her worst. Cancer is your body punishing you for unknowable sins. Cancer is your body punishing your most close friends just for choosing to be your family. Cancer is nature’s way of saying that there is no God, there is no Allah, and there is no Yahweh. Cancer proves that there is no Ar Rahman. Cancer is the antithesis of tits.

“Mark, she’s awake.”

“Thanks, Matty. Go get some sleep.”

“Mark?”

“Right here, Sandy. What’s up?”

“Just before he died, Dad said that Matty and yourself were my true family.”

“Yep. We are. How ya feel?”

“Much better than yesterday. You never told me, what are your cats’ names?”

“Never named them. Dianne calls them ‘The Girls’.”

“Did you see the two puppies that came with me on the medical charter?”

“Yep, they sorta look like Darcy.”

“They are descendants of Darcy; I am guessing his great great grandchildren ... Mark, about Darcy. I spent several days wandering in the forest, looking for Darcy. I did not abandon him. But I am so glad that you were the one that found him and that he was able to spend the rest of his life with you. Darcy and me, we are very similar.”

“Yeah? How’s that?”

“We both loved you. You and Darcy are one of the few that I have ever trusted. After the first time I saw you, at Fullerton, I knew that I loved you. The first time Darcy saw you, he loved you.”

“Yep, he was a major slobber-monster when he ran out to greet me. I really miss the guy. I think that when Nyota croaked ... well, I think that is what really killed him. They were good buds ... Ya want some chow?”

“Perhaps later. I just want to be with you.”

“I ain’t going nowhere, lady. Neither is Matty ... Sandy, don’t tell Matty I said this, but I want you to know that she said that her time here, with you and me, was the best time of her life. She still thinks that.”

“It was my best time as well. I just wish that I had been more mature when we got Matty. I did not handle things well, did I?”

“Ain’t nothing like twenty-twenty hindsight. You were a momma bear protecting your cub. I understand.”

“Did you know that I had that physical therapist investigated?”

“Yeah? I don’t know shit ‘bout medical stuff, but it sure didn’t seem right what that fat nazi was doing to Matty. I’m really sorry I reacted like that, but I just couldn’t take hearing the kid scream any longer. It was just too much for me.”

“You may have saved Matty from permanent damage. Did you know that the therapist lost her license about a year later?”

“That don’t surprise me. So what ya think of the kid now?”

“She is a fine woman. She is more like you than me, Mark. I think that is a good thing.”

“Nah. She likes to argue like you do. She plays all sorts of musical instruments like you do. She manipulates Bob just like you did to me, but I gotta be honest, I really liked the way ya manipulated me. I could go on.”

“She is your protege, Mark. She thinks like an engineer, and not just because of her education. She drops into problem-solving mode just like you do. She loves to fly.”

“Whatever. Ya know she ain’t gonna accept ya going away like this. She’s been researching all sorts of shit non-stop, and talking to several east-coast specialists, and has been studying your last six months of medical history.”

“How did she get my records?”

“She is in cahoots with Jim Salik. I’m gonna be upfront with ya, don’t care what Matty told me to do or say. They are planning all sorts of medical shit.”

“Mark, you are my proxy for medical decisions. Do not let them prolong this. They have to let me go.”

“I know, lady. I know ... Let them at least try to research shit. Matty is not like me that way. She cannot accept some shit. Let her feel like she’s doing something for you.”

“I understand. Let me sleep a little. I love you, Mark. Tell Matty I love her.”

“Likewise, lady. Me and Matty do. Take a nap, I’ll be right here.”

“Jim, ya gonna come with us?”

“No. I am exhausted and drained, both physically and emotionally. I will return to Seattle tomorrow or the next day. In any case, I am ill-suited and ill-prepared for such a hike into the desert.”

“Thanks for your help, Jim. Let me charter something for ya. I’ll call ‘em before we leave.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that, Mark. Please take care, Matty. It was good seeing both of you again, and take care of Dianne. Mark? Walk with me?”

“I am certain you know that Matty is not well.”

“Yep. Dinky and me talked ‘bout it. Also discussed this with Sandy. Matty has never been able to be fatalistic about this shit.”

“It is more than grief, Mark. She has a deep sense of guilt.”

“Yeah, that is what Sandy said. Not much I can do ‘bout that. I’m gonna take her and Dinky to a very special place. Sorta wish you could see it also. Would be good for ya. Anyway, was thinking that it will give Matty’s mind some rest. And I want her to see the place that Sandy really loved.”

“Call me when you return, Mark. We have several months of process filings for Florida, Georgia and California. The Hats estate is complex, both in material and in statutory terms. Please be careful.”

Shit, should’ve known. They’re both crying. Why can’t they be happy that we’re putting her ashes in a really cool place? Sandy thought this place was totally tits.

“Goodbye, Sandy. I love you.”

“You were a good person, Sandra. I am sure that you know we all loved you ... Mark?”

“Already said what I have to say, Dinky. Matty, we shouldn’t stay here too long. We don’t wanna block the critters from this area.”

“It’s so beautiful, Mark. I can see why Sandy loved this. Can we go to the mountain that she talked about?”

“Dinky? Wanna go?”

“We should. Never been to Joshua Tree park before. I wish that we had the time to be here longer than these two incredible days.”

“Why wouldn’t we have the time? We could reach the mountain by sunset. We don’t have any important shit for a month or two.”

“Tim said that he has been tracking a message sequence between Berlin’s Chief of Station and the DNI. The messages mentioned Stewart.”

“You’re just now telling me this shit?”

“It does not matter. It can wait. Take us to Sandra’s mountain, Mark.”

“Matty, are you certain that the dog will be okay in that little airplane?”

“Not a problem, Dianne. She did okay on my little test flight yesterday. I’ll just have to stop every three hours or so. Bob and the horses are gonna love her. Y’all call when you get there. Luv ya, Mark. Luv ya, Dianne.”

Damn, the kid is a better fit for that RV-6 than me. Should’ve known that the plane would end up being hers. Maybe I can get Dinky to build an airplane with me. Dinky would look really good, tits out, in an RV-6 flying inverted. Perfect tits on a perfect airplane...

“Mark? Come back to me, baby. Listen.”

“Uh, yeah ... What?”

“Is Matty okay?”

“Nope. The kid is dealing with a lot of shit. But a long cross-country flight is good for that. I’ll finish the doggy-mods for the trailer sometime tomorrow. When we gonna be ready to go?”

“You are not going to give Tim any further instructions?”

“Nope. What for? We can’t do shit for Stewart, and he can’t do shit for us. We wait it out. Got any better ideas, lady?”

“Not a one, Mark. Let’s go back to the Palace and talk to the Garcias. Did you know that Sandra paid for their kids’ school?”

“Yep. Sandy told me that Mickey got hired by Qualcomm after graduation. What a waste of a really smart mind.”

“Why? They are the market leader in wireless.”

“Big company and big bucks. Really fucked up way for an engineer just outa school to start a career, where everything is driven by making the suits look good for another quarterly report. And that idiot son of Qualcomm’s founder is taking over the company.”