Last minute instructions as he's beginning to pull his things together for a three week round the world odyssey to diversify, reaching out to some untapped desperate markets and have a trickle of European profits to round out what is shaping up to be a surprisingly solid and easy to oversee selection of projects. I reassure him if I have any problems I can easily reach him by phone. If that fails I can always go to Batman for help. Caleb frowns and says he'll check in daily and nothing can go wrong that can't wait.
I nod. This is a technicality. He didn't have to put me in charge of anything. It could have sat with a short note on his voicemail to relay his return date and an automatic reply on his email to say the same. He just likes to put me in the hot seat. He is always testing me and I always remind him that I do business using logic and common senses because that's the way life works. He always frowns and says I sound like Lochlan.
He tells me he is going to miss me while I count out pills and more pills for him to take along. Some are dailies. Some are just-in-cases. Some is spray nitroglycerin in triplicate and it's all neatly labelled now and in clear bags ready to be pulled out of his carry-on bag for inspection at airports. This part makes me a little nervous and so his daily check-ins are five deep. Batman in the morning. John at lunch. Ben at dinner. Henry at bedtime. Me at night. This is so over-engineered I want to Caleb to wait, that he can get Luke or even Batman or maybe possibly me to go at a later date but he wants to get this done and onto the books before year end.
I tell him to avoid the women. And the Russians. He laughs and tells me he's too old to get in any trouble these days.
Any advice for the really hard parts, Babydoll?
Late in the night when you can't sleep, you mean?
Precisely.
Call me. It'll be early here. I'll talk you through it.
Or you can just come with me.
I shake my head. I'm trying so hard to avoid this part of the present.
Take care of our son and if anything happens, Bridge-
I nod. I know what to do. I know where all the papers are.
Not what I mean. I mean if I'm gone, don't let them vilify me to Henry. I want him to be proud of me. I don't want him to have to hear the things I have done.
My nose gets all stingy and my eyes start to leak but I nod. I didn't let anyone do it with Cole. I won't let them do it for you.
And if I go, Bridget-
Just.. Just shut up. The odds aren't there that you won't come back so let's not do this.
Well you don't read the letters anyone has left for you so I made a video. I emailed it to you already. Watch it now or if I don't come back or later but watch it eventually, okay? It's important.
I nod and he kisses the tears off my eyelashes. Diabhal? I can't talk about this.
Hey. I know. And this goes both ways. If you need me to get through the really hard parts, call me.
You're never going to get any work done. You realize this, don't you?
That's fine. I'm at a point in my life where I set up the pieces and the puzzle solves itself.
You're so humble about how hard you work. Stop it. You need to take it easier like you promised.
I need to actually be busier because then I get into less trouble concerning matters of the heart. Did I tell you one of my side excursions is to the Taj Mahal?
I have always wanted to see it with my own eyes and it's hard not to turn jaded green at his news.
Send me a selfie when you get there. I'll put it on my blog.
You'll do nothing of the kind, Bridget.
It would be nice for people to see that you're human, Cale.
Why would I want to be human when I can be a God instead? And he leans down to kiss me hard because I'm finished. There's nothing left to pack.
Gods don't need luggage, Diabhal.
This is not my final form, of course. I like to travel in disguise. He winks and lets me go. His charm. I could drown in it if it didn't dissolve my bones the moment it touches me.
