Chapter 2: A Pair of Surprises at the Beach

On the way to the airport, with Gail driving Alex's car and Gini following on her motorcycle, Alex asked a series of questions, trying to ensure he actually knew everything he needed to about Gail's heading back home to Carbondale. He'd been caught completely by surprise, and he wasn't fond of having the rug pulled out from under him like that.

"So you're flying directly to Carbondale?"

"Well technically, I'm heading home to St. Louis to spend the day with Melissa first. After that I'll meet with some more applicants I have lined up. But after that I'm heading back to Carbondale."

"So you're doing more than just heading back to Carbondale to work out Gini's paperwork?"

"Oh, yeah, I've got a whole slew of things to do. On many of the stops we made on the way out here, the women wanted me to set up shop in their cities. Many of them with businesses want to hire security people who'll understand the situation they're in, and what to expect if the news ever leaks out."

"So this is really a full time business?" Alex asked, surprised by her unexpected revelations.

Gail rolled her eyes at that response. "Alex, it's always been a full time business. I make a decent amount of money protecting you, plus before I left I hired several other female ex-cops to guard both the co-op and the new sorority. Speaking of which, I'll need to hire people for each chapter house they're talking about setting up this coming year. For now, I'll only need someone who can speak to the schools about what role we'll play. Once the sororities get approved, I'll have to hire full staffs, arrange housing for them, make business connections and hire a local business manager. This is a big deal."

"So somehow I created two full time businesses completely by accident?"

"No, you didn't create anything. Instead you appointed a couple of highly competent women to handle the task for you, and they ran with it, growing it into an ongoing enterprise. You don't understand just how organized and committed these women of yours are. Not only are they driven and successful, but they're working to make sure the others excel as well."

"I'll be damned."

"You see, that's why we don't bother telling you about this type of thing," she explained, motioning to include both Cate and herself, while intimating all of Alex's other women. "It all goes right over your head. You simply have no idea of what goes into a project, or even notice when a particular project takes off. It's easier for us to only tell you when it will impact you in some way. If I didn't have to take off for so long, you'd still never know what was happening. What's more, once I come back, you still won't know anything has changed. Your job is to reach as many people as you can in the little amount of time you have left. You can't afford to focus on every little detail. You have enough on your plate for a full time staff.

"Luckily for you, you're a natural at delegation. You pick competent people to handle something, you provide them with the resources, and you link them to other competent people who can work together. You don't need to sweat the details. Just like you didn't need to know the details of our experiments about how you boost people. You just told us to go ahead, Cate and I got it started, everyone else took the ball and ran with it, and soon we had a whole list of answers for you.

"And it isn't just Shanna and I either. Your women are all pooling resources and requesting services from each other. Liv is working overtime, Hannah Lampre and your other obstetrician / gynecologist contacts have seen their business booming, many of the girls at SIU already have their future jobs lined up and everyone is trading contacts and calling in favors. You sir, are an economic juggernaut who's completely ignorant of all the work you're creating for everyone."

Gail's object lesson was brought to a close as they arrived at the Los Angeles Airport. Gail pulled over, handed Alex his keys and they got out grabbing her luggage. Once she got it organized she turned to Alex.

"Well, Alex, it's hard leaving you after all this time and everything we've been through."

"You really don't need to yet, so let's put it off for a bit," Cate suggested. "We can accompany you inside and see you off. It's not a lot more time together, but it's something."

Gail grinned at her as if sharing an inside joke. "Sounds like a plan. As long as it's not a problem."

"Don't worry, it's not," Cate assured her. "It's only a little out of our way."

That seemed to satisfy Gail, so she enveloped Alex in a hug, tearfully thanking him for everything he'd done for her, and then led them inside the departure terminal.

There was another goodbye once she'd checked in and they saw her off at the security checkpoint. She gave Alex, Cate and Gini fond farewell hugs before she set off into the TSA Neverland, and as Alex turned to head back out, Cate grabbed his arm and redirected him.

"Where are we going? The car is that way."

"Don't worry, we're taking a slight detour," she said.

"A detour? What could you possibly want here?"

"Hush up and just do as you're told," she teased, giving him no more information. She led him down the wide concourse with shops on both sides, until she stopped off at a florist shop. The light finally clicked on over Alex's head and he stepped up.

"Any particular flowers you'd like?"

"Let's go ahead and splurge. Buy nine roses, three red for love, three dark pink for your appreciation and thanks, and three yellow for joy and friendship."

"Really? That many to say what you already know? Wouldn't it make more sense to buy one of the brighter multicolored live bouquets which represents all that without having to cut the flowers so they'll die a short time later?"

Cate smiled at his response, leaning in and kissing him. "Don't worry, it's the thought that counts, and this shows you're committed to the concepts involved, whereas the prettier flowers are just nice to look at. I'm trying to teach you how to convey your emotions without having to blubber all the time. Girls love it," she confided.

"OK, I'm glad you told me exactly what to buy you to convey the precise messages you want me to tell you," he replied with a laugh.

"Just buy the damn flowers," she said, slapping his arm.

"What about Gini? Shouldn't I get her some too?"

"Yeah, get her one of the prettier ones you'd have bought on your own. Since it's from you, it'll mean more."

"She'll appreciate my honesty, while you're still hoping to change me?" he asked, ducking just in time to avoid yet another slap, greeting the saleswoman with a smile as he ordered exactly what he'd been instructed to.

"Here, Gini, these are for you, they accentuate your beauty while disguising just how lethal you are," Alex said, handing a small vase of mixed orchids to his new protection detail.

"Thanks," she replied, blushing—which seemed strangely incongruous, given her tough, confident persona. "You know, I've never actually gotten flowers from a man before—well, aside from some my father bought after a play I was in during seventh grade—but you know what I mean. With my physique, no one ever thinks of me like they do most women."

"Well, it's their folly. As I said, it suits you."

She leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss, hesitating just before touching his lips. "Still, you realize these will only get in my way if I have to draw my gun to defend you."

"You're packing in an airport?" Alex whispered, shocked. He'd never have entered the airport if he'd known.

"I'm authorized as part of a security detail, and my job is to protect you. But if it makes you feel any better, I left my sidearm in my bike's luggage bay. Given all my problems with PTSD, I'm a little nervous about carrying a weapon in crowded situations like this. I'll do it when I think an attack is more likely, but given that few people flying carry weapons, I figured the risk to you was an acceptable one."

"Good, that makes me feel better," Alex replied before cocking his head. "But I thought you were doing better with the PTSD."

"Forget that," Cate interrupted, looking upset, "you mean you choose what's an 'acceptable risk' for each place we visit? Sometimes carrying a gun and sometimes not?"

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that," Gini replied, glancing around to ensure no one was paying too much attention before continuing. "It's not like we're protecting Alex from any threat. We're mostly concerned with people who respond badly to his energy. The biggest risk to Alex is when someone with a longstanding grudge seeks him out. But frankly, there's little chance of that here since no one knew we'd be here. Given my history with PTSD, I decided it was safer not risk it. If I thought there was a bigger chance of a confrontation then I'd carry it anyway.

"But don't forget, Gail and I aren't just your typical security guards. We can pick up on things no one else can. That's why Gail's business is increasing so much. Many of your communities are asking for her services for a variety of purposes. They want protection, not just for themselves, but for their businesses. They realize how much extra we bring to the table.

"We can both feel and see most trouble approaching. When someone gets angry at Alex, it screams at us. In a situation like this, that extra warning gives us plenty of time to deal with it ahead of time. What throws a monkey wrench into the works are the things we can't control, like people lying in wait for you, someone hunting you down, or even worse, someone with a gun who we can act before we have a chance to respond. Since all three of those cases are minimized here, my added abilities mean there are few things I wouldn't be able to handle."

"Oh," Cate responded, surprised she hadn't considered all of that herself.

"OK, now that that's settled, how do we get out of here?" Alex asked, ready to drop the subject now that he knew Gini had everything covered. He trusted Gini implicitly, but he just didn't like unexpected surprises.

"This way," Cate said, once again taking his arm and leading him to the escalator leading to the arrivals area.

"Uh, Cate, once again we're heading the wrong way. This way is—"

"Don't worry," she insisted, patting his arm. "When are you going to learn I know what I'm doing?"

Alex quit arguing, intrigued where they might be headed. He couldn't picture her wanting anything in an airport, but she clearly had something in mind, and now she'd shown what she'd intended with the flowers he was interested in what else she had planned. Once they got onto the escalator he noticed a couple of Arab tourists ahead of them. At least he thought they were tourists. The two men were dressed in white robes with red and white checkered headscarves—obviously regional attire—complete with black headbands, while the sole woman with them was completely covered in a light breezy attire, leaving nothing but her feet, hands and eyes exposed.

Alex didn't think much about it. In a major international airport like this you were bound to get all sorts, but he found it intriguing as he'd never encountered anyone like that before. But as he watched, the women turned and glanced in his direction in mid-conversation, making eye contact. She reacted immediately, stumbling back into the two men who were surprised and looked up to see what had happened, only to catch Alex staring at her.

They didn't do anything as they helped the woman get to her feet, but Alex knew he had a potential international incident on his hands. Once they reached the bottom of the escalator, they stood off to the side waiting until he reached them. Gini, sensing trouble, started to pass him, but he waved her off.

"This is something I need to deal with on my own. They're unlikely to threaten me in a public place with everyone watching them, especially with the TSA nearby."

She nodded she understood, and positioned herself by his side, a step behind him so she wouldn't be the focus of their attention but would still be able to respond if anything happened.

Stepping off the last step, Alex walked directly up to them stopping several steps away.

"صباحالخير," Alex said in greeting, bowing slightly. The two men looked at him oddly.

"أنت عربي؟," they asked in Arabic.

"No, I'm just a fan of language," Alex lied. "I need to explain a few things to your friend here. Things you might find a tad unusual."

They glanced between Alex and the woman, and then one man stepped in front of her.

"If you know anything of our culture, you should know strange men do not speak to women they don't know. Anything you can say to her you can say to us."

Alex looked at the woman, seeing her trying to peer at him past the man standing between them.

'I think it best if I step away, ' Alex told her telepathically, relying on Shanna Shenouda, his travel agent friend, to guide him through any cultural issues. Though she only spoke a Coptic variant of Arabic, she was familiar enough with the customs of the region. However, the woman was so surprised to hear Alex speaking in her head, she stumbled back and collapsed to her knees. With the two men clearly concerned, Alex kept his distance and rushed to finish.

'We can speak telepathically. Don't tell anyone about this as it will only cause trouble, but I'll continue talking to you after I leave.'

"Excuse me, it's clear you have more important things to deal with here," Alex told the trio. "I'll leave you alone." The two men paid him no mind, while the woman couldn't take her eyes off of him.

"Uh, Alex?" Cate asked, nervously glancing over her shoulder as they moved away. However, Alex wasn't ready to answer yet, simply steering her away while he gave Akilah Asghar a brief rundown on what she needed to know to get by without them. This was so much more satisfying than his lost girl from before. It seems she was the wife of a Saudi financier, here to discuss financing businesses in both LA and Silicon Valley. After Alex got her calmed down, he passed her off to Shanna, figuring she'd be more comfortable talking to another woman from a similar culture. Once she took over, he looked around and noticed they were heading even deeper into the bowels of the terminal.

"Wait a minute, this isn't the right way. We're heading away from the front of the airport. This is the way to—"

"Shh, just come along," Cate told him patiently, still not revealing anything.

Shrugging, Alex merely tagged along, figuring she wanted to buy something else, spending much more than if they'd bought it on the way home. They were approaching one of the branch offs for the arrival gates when someone called out.

"Alex! Cate! Strange woman I've never seen before!"

Alex spun, recognizing a voice he never expected to hear. Looking down the arrival gate, he saw two beautiful young women, one a gorgeous chocolate mocha color in a flower patterned green dress, the other a light skinned girl with dark hair who looked like a twig compared to Gini.

"Kitty, Chalise!" Alex cried out, moving forward to greet them. Only Cate—still clutching his arm and refusing to release it—effectively stopped him. When he looked at her in confusion, she motioned to the flowers he was holding.

"One each?" he asked, realizing she'd had the entire thing planned all along. She nodded, so he handed her three single roses, then took off running to the two girls who were trying to drag their suitcases behind them on their way to him.

They met halfway, Chalice jumping into his arms, kissing him wildly before moving aside, allowing Kitty her opportunity to do the same. It was easy to see just how happy Alex was. Although he was frequently pleased, this was the first time Cate had seem him positively giddy in a long time.

"Uh, these are for you," he said after letting them down. He pulled out his flowers, ignoring the one he'd accidently crushed. "Wait a second, one red, one yellow, and one dark pink. It represents—"

"Don't worry, Alex, we know what they represent. After all, we're girls, and since we were young their meanings were drilled into us," Kitty responded as both girls kissed him simultaneously on each cheek. "Thank you, and you are going to be getting so lucky as soon as we get someplace we can take advantage of you."

"Uh, that might be a—"

"What my brother is trying to tell you is that he has plans for you before you stop for the evening," Cate said, jumping in to save Alex from saying something stupid before she turned to twist the hidden dagger. "Alex, what did you have planned for us?"

"Uh... ," Alex extemporized, however Cate once again rescued him, hugging and kissing each girl, distracting them and giving Alex time to make some last minute plans.

"It's so good to see you both again. How was the flight? Did you get off OK? How are your mothers doing?" The girls related their news while each grasping one of Alex's arms. Since his arms were occupied, Gini and Cate each grabbed a suitcase.

"So, did he have any clue?" Chalise asked with a playful jab in Alex's side. "He certainly looked surprised."

"Yeah, they could have landed the plane in his gaping jaw," Kitty added.

"Nah, we like to keep him guessing," Cate admitted. "He's too easy to sidetrack with too much information that doesn't immediately apply to him."

"You mean like what flowers to buy?" Chalise guessed.

"Hey, those were supposed to convey specific meanings," Alex playfully protested, hardly remembering what they were supposed to mean. "But I did pick out Gini's." That, of course, led off to a whole series of introductions. The girls were amazed at Gini's size and physique. As a bodybuilder, she was an imposing figure!

"You're the size of my brothers," Chalise told her, feeling Gini's bicep as Gini cheerfully flexed it for her, familiar with people's fascination with her physique. "Although I'd bet you're more graceful than they are, and not quite as murderous."

"Alex was also distracted activating some Arabic princess," Cate added, just for fun.

"Her name is Akilah and she's a Saudi," Alex explained, wanting to set the record straight. "She's not a princess, but apparently her husband has a lot of money."

"Man, you're branching out now, going international?" Chalise asked, always amazed at Alex's accomplishments. Although they'd been kept apprised of his activities, they were still eager to hear the details from him directly.

"I just deal with whoever I run into. We met on the escalator on the way here. Her husband and his friend weren't overly friendly. So instead of trying to work out our cultural differences and justify why I should be talking to someone else's wife when I don't even speak their language, I put her in touch with someone who could tell her what she needed to know."

"So," Cate began, the fate of a woman she never even met no longer of much interest to her, "now that we've made our introductions, what's first on the agenda, Alex?" Cate took great delight in twisting the knife she'd inserted in her brother's back earlier a little deeper, smiling the whole time. However, she was interested in seeing just how quickly Alex could think on his feet. She knew he reacted best when he responded naturally and didn't over think situations. He was fretting too much about the changes happening around him and she hoped applying a challenge would break through, forcing him to respond quickly without thinking.

"Sure, I was thinking the girls would love to see Disneyland."

"Disneyland?" Kitty exclaimed excitedly. "Are you kidding me? I've always wanted to see it!"

"I've dreamed of going there since I was three years old!" Chalise agreed, dancing around in excitement.

"Uh, Alex," Cate said, stepping in, "in case you're forgetting, it's almost lunchtime, we're several hours away from Anaheim and it's Sunday, meaning getting there in time to do anything is going to be difficult."

"Forget that," Gini said, her brows furrowing. "It's a walking disaster zone for you," she whispered emphatically. "Thousands of people, little kids, video cameras all over, and security people watching every step you make. You wouldn't get ten feet into the place before you'd have people throwing themselves at your feet, attracting the Park Police who'd toss you out while everyone posts pictures of you to Facebook."

The two girls, though, turned to Alex.

"Can't we please go, Alex? We'll be good," Chalise pleaded.

"Yeah, we'll cover for you. We're familiar with how your process works."

"It's not just a matter of watching your step," Gini stressed, not improving the girls' impression of her by arguing against their pleas. "All it'll take is one wrong move—and there's bound to be a bunch of missteps—and your face is posted around the world in seconds."

However, rather than letting the girls down easily, or casting Gini as the 'bad guy', Alex stepped forward, getting right into Gini's face.

"Look, this might be hard to understand, since you're tasked with keeping me safe, but I'm getting tired of being limited in what I can do. While this may seem like an unnecessary risk to you, it's important to me," he said, waving his arms around and standing toe-to-toe with the larger woman. "This is more than just a big park with a couple of rides; this is my last chance to be a kid. In case you haven't noticed, I've been very mature about the tasks laid out for me, my impending death, and needing to sleep with a whole string of complete strangers, all while trying to connect to them on a personal level. I need this! Think of it as my "Make a Wish" opportunity," he added, dropping his voice down to a near whisper. "If I'm going to die, and I'm going to have to slave my ass off trying to make a difference in thousands of people's lives before I go, then I want—no, I need—to do this. Like Chalise said, it's something I've dreamed of my whole life, and I'm not going to pass it up because it may prove difficult.

"Now, if you want, we can try to minimize it. We'll go early, we'll only stay for a short time, we'll skip all the rides, just doing a quick running tour, but we each want to see this, and we're all willing to face the risks involved, so we're doing it. End of story."

Gini just stared at him, her gaze softening as she tried to process what he said.

"OK. You're the boss," she answered with a shrug and a crooked smile. "If you want it, we'll figure out a way to make it happen."

"Fine," Alex replied, surprised she'd back down so easily. "Cate, as far as your point is concerned, you're right. Trying to go today would be a mistake. We'll head out early tomorrow, arrive early, run through quickly and get out with a minimum of fuss."

"That sounds like the best plan," she agreed. "And for what it's worth, although I know just how problematic it is, I'd also like to see it, and I think it would do you good to finally let off some steam."

"So that leaves us with plans for today," Alex said, addressing Kitty and Chalise, though he shot his sister a dirty look. "Since we're on the coast, a place famous for its beaches, how about we try lying out on the beach with all the sun tanned California beauties? Hopefully the beach will be sparse enough I won't run into trouble, and even if we do, it's the beach, and no one is likely to respond to people acting goofy."

"That sounds great," Chalise replied, clapping her hands.

"Yeah, I'm so tired of the freezing cold lakes in Illinois," Kitty agreed. "I'd love to visit the ocean and see some real waves."

"OK, hold on a second... ," he said, holding a finger up for a moment. "OK, I've contacted someone who can set us up. She'll meet us there and borrow at least one surfboard for us to try out. We can hardly visit a California beach without trying to surf, now can we?"

That excited the girls, including Cate, who danced around Alex, talking about what they'd wear and see, although Gini just shook her head. It was these kinds of last minute plans that always tended to go wrong. Hopefully that wouldn't happen this time, but she'd have to keep a careful eye for potential troubles.

"Man, look at all that water!" Chalise exclaimed as they climbed out of Alex's car, overlooking Santa Monica Pier and the nearby carousel. The beach was a marvel for them. There's nothing which quite compares to seeing a body of water stretching beyond one's vision when all one is used to are small lakes and ponds. Cate and Alex had at least seen the Gulf in Louisiana and Lake Michigan when they were young, but neither Kitty nor Chalise had ever seen anything like it. Even Alex was impressed, though it wasn't just the vast ocean that was impressive.

The beach spread out in a great expanse of sand with beautiful people laid out everywhere on it, yet there still was plenty of space to call your own. The sidewalks led right up to the beach and were filled with joggers, strollers, rollerbladers and groups playing volleyball. They'd parked a ways from the pier, so although they could see it, the carousel and the aquarium, they weren't close enough to be swarmed. The surf, while not huge by any measure, was certainly larger than anything they were used to.

"It's beautiful," Kitty said, hugging Alex in her enthusiasm as she stared out at the amazing scenery. "This really puts lying in the park to get a suntan to shame."

They'd stopped off at the hotel so the girls could dump their luggage and change, and change they did. Kitty now wore a very tiny yellow and black bikini which managed to capture Alex's attention, despite the fact his penis had been worn to a frazzle of late. Still, there's a big difference between seeing a bunch of naked strangers and being with your girlfriends, even if there are three of them. Chalise wore a slightly more demure one-piece, though it too was colorful in bright green with a multicolored floral design along one side. Alex had asked her about her choice of attire.

"It's a black thing, Alex," she'd explained. "While I love the sun as much as anyone, we're always concerned about our exposure. As soon as we get a tiny bit of a tan, someone's likely to make 'tar baby' jokes. And it's not just whites either. We blacks often judge each other based on our skin tones as well. Thus the more I cover up, the better I feel about it. I'll risk getting darker arms and my face getting some more color, but I'm going to hide as much as I can. Besides, as a gorgeous black girl, I know I've got more to show off with this wonderful booty than with a temporary tan."

Alex just shook his head at that. While he could see the sense in it, he had trouble agreeing with it. At least he'd gotten her here, in whatever she felt comfortable wearing. She looked wonderful in suit, so he wasn't about to criticize her for it. But he couldn't quite let the entire comment slip by.

"I hate to break it to you, but you've got about as much ass as my sister does, and while you've got more curves than Kitty, you don't have a lot more. Face it, besides your skin tone and hair, you're really more white than black anyway."

"Well, I'm not sure whether to take that as a compliment or an insult," she replied as they grabbed their towels and began moving towards the beach, "but I'll admit, being part of a nearly all white three ... foursome, it's really flavored my thinking a bit. What's more, your whole organization is pretty color blind. Everyone is so focused on other issues they really don't have time to dwell on which group is getting which benefits. Instead everyone is working together to move the whole collection forward."

"That's the whole idea. Personally I—"

"Alex!" another bikini clad woman called from the beach.

Alex turned and waved. "That's Emily McDonald," Alex explained as he steered the others towards the large beach umbrella, blankets and folding chairs she'd organized for them. "She's lives here in LA and works in ad sales. We met at the concert and I..."

"He means he activated her, which is why she could set this up and meet us here," Cate said, stepping into the void to save her brother from stepping on his own tongue again. "She was at Patricia's concert."

"So how was the concert?" Kitty asked. "I'm sorry we never got to see any of them. I mean, the one for us and the one at school were amazing, but I'd love to see a whole stadium rocking to her, swinging to her beat as she reads their emotions."

"I take it you've been talking to the other girls about how she handles the crowds?" Alex asked with a smile.

"Of course, you're the main topic of conversation in Carbondale," she said. "It's either the girls talking about what you've just done, Becky talking about her research, Ryan talking about your medical advances, or the girls at the university talking about what they're going to study to help you along. Frankly, I'd be surprised if there's anyone in Carbondale who doesn't know who you are by now."

When they reached Emily, she jumped up and helped them with their stuff before giving Alex a big hug, after checking with the girls to make sure it was OK. Alex could tell Kitty was a bit leery of her, but figured that was simply because they'd been separated for so long and she wasn't as sure of her place anymore. He figured she'd relax more once she got used to him again.