Chapter 35

"Congratulations, Dr. Carter," Oliver Brown said with a grin. He was seated in a large chair in one of the emptier rooms of the mansion sipping on an iced tea. He was wearing a pair of silvered sunglasses. Despite years of living with his gift, it still hurt him to be around too many people.

William took a seat across from the Grand Druid and said, "Thank you. What are you doing in here?"

"I'm hiding from the President of the University. He wants me to send some of our graduating students here," Oliver answered with a shake of his head. He had talked to Kotyit and found that the man had a similar experience with the President. It was hard to blame him. Every University administrator wanted to attract the best and brightest students they could.

"Do you want me to talk to him?" William asked.

"No need. He was just doing his job as he saw it," Oliver said with a tired wave of his hand. The thought of attracting good students made him think of some students who had recently applied to the Druid College. He said, "I heard that you ran off to Texas to work on your Dissertation."

"Yes. I went to my father's hometown," William replied.

Oliver sat up a little and said, "That's real interesting. So I guess we have you to thank for two students who applied to the Druid College."

"Two? I figured one," William said.

"Which one? Mark Thomson or Wanda Torrence?"

"Mark," William answered, "I've never met Wanda."

"It appears that her friend suggested that she apply," Oliver said. He reached into his pocket and withdrew a small notepad. He looked it over for a moment and realized he couldn't make out the last name. Giving up, he said, "Yes, a fellow by the name of Joe."

"Ah, I know Joe," William said with a nod of his head. "So what about them?"

"Nothing. I just thought it was a little odd that two people applied all of a sudden from your father's hometown," Oliver answered. "It is an interesting co-incidence that you happened to have just visited there not that long ago."

"A young woman there was given a wonderful opportunity by the Rangers, too."

"That is interesting. Is it something in the water?"

"It is nothing that exotic. I was there and talked to people. Some of them discovered talents that they didn't know they had," William said in a matter of fact voice that was neither boastful nor modest, but more like the tone one would use to say that they had rinsed out a glass.

"So how do you feel now that you've finished your education?"

Laughing at the question, William answered, "The only education that I finished was the formal one. I'll be learning new things for the rest of my life."

"Good answer. I'll have to remember it and use it in a graduation speech," Oliver said with a smile.

"That's odd. If I recall correctly, that's where I heard it."

"Have you had a chance to talk with your grandfather yet?"

"We chatted a little this morning. I expect we'll spend some time out on the patio this evening," William answered. He was pleased when the Reverend Jones was able to slip away from school to attend his graduation. The thought of his grandfather teaching at the Druid College reminded him of another topic. William was quiet for a moment and then asked, "How is Oscar Meyers?"

Puzzled, Oliver sat up and studied William for a moment. Curious, he said, "You seem to take a lot of interest in Oscar. Why?"

"I don't know. It seems to me that our futures are entwined somehow, but the connections are very nebulous. I don't understand it," William answered. Every time the subject of Oscar Meyers came up there was some sort of uneasy feeling that came over him.

"Are you going to be involved in bringing peace to the world?" The idea that William and Oscar were somehow linked was intriguing. He wanted to see the two of them together and see what his gift would show him.

"I don't think so. I know that we are both going to serve the Two- Sided One, but we are both waiting for that to happen. It just seems weird to me that we are both waiting around for our service to begin," William said.

The Grand Druid studied William for a moment and then asked, "Did you know that the average age at which a Druid begins their service is thirty two?"

"No."

"You aren't even eighteen. Don't rush into your service."

Their discussion was interrupted by a shout from the entrance to the mansion, "The weird man in a green dress has arrived. Let the party begin!" The announcement was followed by lots of laughter from the other room.

"Happy Harry is here," William said with a grin.

"Someone is going to have to teach that man the meaning of the word shy."

Laughing at the idea of trying to teach Harry how to be shy, William said, "I once told him that I had seen the center of the universe. I asked him if he knew what I found there. He answered, 'Of course. You found me looking back at you.' I don't know if he was joking."

"Sounds like Harry," Oliver said with a smile.

"Let me go out there and protect all of the women from his charms," William said with a wink.

"You just keep attempting the impossible. I expect that one of these days you just might succeed," Oliver said. He laughed at the look on the young man's face.

William stepped into the room where Harry was standing with his arm around the wife of the President of the University. The normally conservative woman was giggling like a school girl. William had to wonder what he was saying to the woman. He was heading over to the pair when he heard a familiar voice in his mind. "He's not going to live forever. You need to start preparing for the day when he returns to us."

William faltered and came to a stop. He thought, 'It can't be.'

"That is the nature of life, my little one."

"When?"

"You will know when the time is to come," the voice said. As quick as it had come, the feeling of the other world presence was gone. The feeling was replaced by an ache in the pit of his stomach.

Happy Harry shook William's arm. With a look of concern, he asked, "Are you all right, William?"

Shaking his head, William said, "The Two-Sided One was here."

Seeing the expression on William's face, Harry had an idea about the subject of discussion. He said, "He said something about me."

"Yes," William said without thinking, "he said that you won't live forever."

Harry was about to make a glib comment and then realized the seriousness of an exchange between William and the Two Sided One. He asked, "Did he say when I'm to die?"

"No. Just that I would know when the time was to come," William answered still shaken by the conversation.

"Ah," Harry said. His mind was working a thousand miles an hour trying to figure out what it meant. Finally, he said, "William, I want you to promise me that you'll let me know when my time has come."

"I can't do that, Harry," William said with a frown. "I can't tell you that in so many hours you are going to die. I don't want to be the messenger who brings such horrible news."

"It isn't horrible news. It's a chance for me to let the special people in my life know that I care about them for the last time," Harry said. For the first time in years, emotions threatened to keep him from talking. Harry licked his lips and finally managed to say, "I'm a rolling stone. I never take a moment just to sit down and put things in order. I need that chance. You have to give it to me. Promise me that you'll tell me."

William felt that nothing good could come out of such a promise, but his feelings were not based on his ability to see the future. Shaking his head, he said, "Harry..."

Harry said, "William. I want you to swear on your future service to the Two-Sided One that when you learn that I'm to die that you'll tell me."

Ears ringing, William felt dizzy. He knew that the Two-Sided One had chosen that moment to tell him for some reason. Was the reason so that Harry could extract that promise from him? He didn't know. Looking up at Harry, William said, "I so swear."

The relief that washed over Harry was visible. In a soft voice, the old man said, "Thank you William."

"I don't know if you'll thank me when I come to you one day in the future and say that tomorrow you die," William said with a heavy heart.

Patting William on the shoulder, Harry said, "William, you are the son I've never had. Do not worry about my reaction. I'll thank you on that day."

William continued to frown. He said, "Okay, Harry."

Happy Harry decided to change the subject. "So, what I understand about your dissertation is that if enough people understand something, someone is going to try to profit from it. Did I get it right?"

William laughed at the simplification of his research result and said, "You know. If I had talked to you a couple of years ago, it wouldn't have been necessary for me to do all that work."

"Aw."

Laughing, William pointed at Jennifer talking to her mother. He asked, "Do you see that young lady?"

"Yes, I do," Harry answered. Adopting a lecherous expression, he added, "She's a little young for me."

Pointing to the son of the President of the University, he asked, "Do you see that young man?"

"Ah, he looks at the young lady with desire. A great desire if I'm not mistaken," Harry answered with a grin.

"Yes, I would say so too," William said with a playful expression on his face.

"What do you think we should do about that?" Harry asked with a twinkle in his eye.

"I don't know. Maybe some weird guy in a dress could introduce them to each other," William suggested with a knowing wink.

Harry strode over to where Jennifer stood and picked her up. She screamed in shock at the unexpected treatment. Before she knew it, Harry was walking across the room carrying her in his arms. She kicked her legs and tried to get away. Happy Harry stopped in front of the young man and, in a voice that carried through the whole room, said, "What was that you said young man? I'm to unhand her before you thrash me to within an inch of my life. Ah, I am terrified!"

The young man stared at Harry in shock. He had said no such thing. Harry set a squealing Jennifer down and stepped back. As theatrical as he could, he said, "Ah, young lady. This young man has threatened me with great harm if I continue off with you. Reward him with a kiss for having saved your virtue."

Harry pushed the two together so that they found themselves with their arms around each other. He turned to face the room with the back of his hand to his forehead and announced to the room, "The dashing hero has saved the fair maiden. True love wins the day. Let us all give them privacy so that the maiden can express her thanks without an audience."

Ling, followed by four bodyguards, had dashed into the room before Jennifer had even stopped screaming. They watched, transfixed, as Harry pursued his little drama. It was like watching two trains collide. It was horrible, but fascinating none the less. When it was over, Ling said, "That was awful."

Harry put his hands over his heart and said, "Twice in one day women have rejected me. First it was the young lady and now you. I am crushed."

Looking at Harry staring down at the ground as if he had lost everything, Ling burst out laughing. She grabbed his arm and said, "Come with me, Harry. I'll try to find someone who won't reject you."

Rock turned to Colt and said, "I tell you, these Druids are crazy."

William went over to Marjory. Pointing at Jennifer, he said, "Look at that. I didn't know that a human being could turn that shade of red. I'd say that the young man with her is about the same shade. Do you think they could be embarrassed or something?"

Flabbergasted, Marjory had witnessed the entire thing. Shaking her head, she said, "Embarrassed? No. I'd say that they're mortified."

"That's a nice word for it." Offering his arm, William said, "Care to join me for a little something to eat from the buffet?"

Seeing that her daughter hadn't removed her arms from around the young man, Marjory decided that maybe something good was going to come out of it. She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Why not?"

When they reached Lucy, William offered her his other arm. Lucy was laughing and asked, "Did you set that up with Harry?"

"We might have talked about the subject for a bit," William answered with a grin. He winked at Marjory and said, "I might have suggested that he introduce them."

"Of course, that explains everything," Lucy said. There were times when being around William and Harry was an adventure. She never knew what was going to happen next. She asked, "By the way, where are we heading?"

"To get something to eat," William answered. He heard a giggle from another room and said, "I think Harry just met Jan."

"Should we rescue her?"

"Do you think she wants to be rescued?"

"Not at all," Lucy said with a smile.

When they entered the room where the food was being served, Lucy looked over at Fat Fred and stopped. William looked at her and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Did you hire Fat Fred to serve snacks?"

Marjory looked over in the direction Lucy was pointing. A large homeless man was walking around with a tray and offering the items to the other people in the room. When they would refuse to take one, he'd pop one in his mouth. She asked, "What's that man doing?"

"I'd say that he's having a little fun," William answered.

Fat Fred came over and offered the tray. He said, "Odd, people don't seem to be all that interested in the food."

"It looks good to me." William grabbed a little pizza off the tray and popped it into his mouth.

"Hey, that's supposed to be for me," Fat Fred said surprised that William had taken one.

Lucy grabbed one and, winking at Fat Fred, said, "Looks good. Are you having fun?"

"I was until you started eating all my food," Fat Fred said staring down at the plate. William grabbed another little pizza. He nudged Marjory and she took one.

"How did that get to be your food?" Marjory asked holding the little pizza in her hand. She didn't really want to eat it.

"When the person who was carrying the tray around gave it to me, we decided that I could eat whatever people left behind."

Rolling her eyes, Lucy asked, "Is that what really happened?"

"Well. Actually, I took the tray. The waiter person said that it was for all the guests. I suggested that I'd offer it to everyone and then eat whatever they didn't take. He went off in quite a huff."

"I can imagine," Lucy said, "Happy Harry is here. Why don't you go see if he wants any?"

Fat Fred looked crestfallen. Looking down at the tray, he said, "He'll eat all the rest."

Grinning, William said, "Don't worry about him. I think he's with Jan."

"I guess I better go find Harry. He really should have something to eat," Fat Fred said as he rushed out of the room carrying the tray with him.

Marjory watched the large man waddle out of the room. She looked at Lucy and asked, "What was that about?"

"Oh, I think that Fat Fred has a little crush on our dear Jan," Lucy answered. She grinned and said, "I'd say that he's afraid that Harry will work his magic upon her. Harry could melt the heart of an ice queen and charm the panties off a nun. You are so lucky that young man stopped him from carrying off your daughter. She'd be a fallen woman by nightfall."

Marjory laughed at the reminder of her daughter's earlier ordeal and wondered how she was doing. Looking at the food, she said, "Let's eat."

Dave and Karla Anderson spotted William while he was returning from a trip to the bathroom. Having heard that two of the kids from their town had enrolled in the Druid College, Dave was interested in talking with William. They moved to intercept him, but he spotted them first and headed in their direction.

William shook hands with Dave and hugged Karla. After getting caught up on the local gossip, Dave asked, "What are your plans for the future?

"I'm staying here for another two years while Lucy works on her Master's degree," William answered with pride.

"Shouldn't she go off to another school?"

William shrugged and answered, "This is our home until the house in Arizona is built. She didn't really want to move, so she decided to stay here. I'll support her in what ever she wants to accomplish."

Running a hand along Dave's back, Karla said, "And she'll appreciate that very much."

"You'll enjoy her appreciation," Dave said with a grin. He ran his hand along Karla's back, but his hand ended a lot lower on her body than her hand had gone on his. She giggled.

William looked across the room at Lucy and said, "We're getting married in a month. I can't wait."

"We're looking forward to it as well," Karla said. She didn't want to spoil the surprise by mentioning that she'd been working on a painting of William and Lucy. She said, "We've made all the arrangements to attend."

Dave started to mention something about their present, "Karla has been..."

Karla slipped her hand down and goosed him. She finished for him, "I've been so excited about your upcoming wedding that I've been driving Dave crazy."

William looked from Dave to Karla and laughed at the expression on their faces. He said, "Keep your secrets."

"We will."

Changing the subject, William said, "Karla, I would like to talk to you about a commission."

"A commission?" Karla asked hoping that he wasn't going to ask for a portrait of the pair of them.

"Yes, there is a Druid studying at the Druid College. I would like it if you could do a portrait of him after he graduates. You are going to have to keep this commission a secret though."

"Who is it?"

"Oscar Meyers," William answered. He said, "He's going to do something with international consequence. You'll have the only portrait of him."

Karla stared at William unable to believe what he said. Her most famous piece was of John Carter from just before he died. Amazed, she asked, "Why me?"

"You are the best," William answered with a smile.

"Will they let me visit while I'm working on it?"

"You'll need to talk to Oliver Brown and arrange it," William answered. He recalled his conversation with the Two-Sided One. He asked, "I would like a bronze statue of someone. Is there anyone you would recommend?"

Karla thought about it for a minute. There were a couple of very good people that came to mind. Finally, she recalled the one name of the person who had impressed her the most. She said, "Dante. If I remember correctly, he lives in Pittsburg."

"Is he good?"

"Yes, but he doesn't seem to have produced anything in the last three years,"

William thought about it for a second and then asked, "I've never heard of him. Where can I see an example of his work?"

"He has a piece at the Native American College. I think it is the bust of Geronimo," she replied.

William was very familiar with that sculpture. It was placed in a very prominent location inside the door. Nodding his head, he said, "I remember that piece. It is very powerful."

"Like I said, he hasn't produced anything in the past three years. I don't know if he's still working or not," Karla said. Curious, she asked, "What do you want a statue for?"

"A very large hole is going to open in this universe. I need something with which to fill it."

Once all of the guests had left, William headed out to his Hugger with his arm around Lucy. The bodyguards were marching behind them with Jan talking to the women. Lucy asked, "Did you enjoy the party?"

"Yes, I did," William answered thinking it over. The conversations had covered the entire gamut from happy and amusing to sad and serious.

"There was a little time there when you seemed upset while talking to Happy Harry. What happened?"

Shrugging, William said, "I'd rather talk about it later. Did you enjoy the party?"

"Very much," Lucy answered. It was her graduation party as well. She said, "You know, after my father had fought to keep me out of school for so long, he was so proud of me for graduating with honors at such a young age."

"He's right to be proud of you. I'm proud of you," William said.

"What I did was nothing. You graduated with a PhD," Lucy said.

Looking over at Lucy, William said, "And I didn't have to fight my parents in the same way that you did. The fact of the matter is that life isn't a race."

"It's not?" Lucy asked. She enjoyed when William started getting philosophical on her.

"A successful life is about enjoying as much as you can while helping those around you enjoy as much as they can. It isn't a race to see who can visit the most places, collect the most toys, make the most money, or achieve the most honors. Two people can walk down the same trail at different speeds and notice entirely different things along the way. Who is to say which person gets more out of the trip?

"I think that what is important is that we both celebrated an accomplishment today. They are different accomplishments, but there is no reason not to enjoy and celebrate them with equal fervor."

"Fervor? Who talks like that?" Lucy asked in a teasing voice.

William laughed and said, "You do."

I'd like to thank Drahkan for editing this story.