They sat around the table staring at the empty chair that had been hers.
Shane looked around the group. “Hot damn! We … us! We just had dinner with Miracle Madame. And we … us, we are doing a movie for Miracle Madame. Can you believe it?”
His excitement was contagious. They all began talking at once, discussing every detail of the evening. No one mentioned the broken fingernails. Maybe they hadn’t noticed, Ron thought, keeping that little observation to himself. God, I’m truly fucked.
“She’s awesome.”
“So beautiful.”
“Can you believe she picked us?”
“Man, are we lucky or what?”
“Great sense of humor.”
“Easy to be with.”
“I still don’t understand why she can’t do interviews or make speeches. Doesn’t make sense.”
“She really is perfect, just like the reports claim.”
“God, yes!” Shane and Ron spoke in unison then glanced at each other and quickly looked away.
“She's this world-wide heroine, but she's so down to earth and warm, sort of motherly.” Vicky sounded amazed.
“I wonder,” Ian paused as if searching for the right words. “I wonder who takes care of her. She provides for everyone, finds all the answers. Who supports her, who answers her questions?”
Shane didn’t think she had questions. He was sure she was omnipotent. He professed to be madly in love, holding his hand over his heart, sighing dramatically, and pleading with them to not tell his wife.
“There has been so much speculation about what she really is—robot, alien, human. What do you think now?” Allan asked.
“Can you love a robot?” Shane asked.
“If she’s an alien, she sure knows how to come across as human,” Ian said.
“I don’t know,” Vicky said. The others looked at her questioningly. “Well, I don’t think anyone could do that good a job on a robot, and could any alien life form impersonate a human that well, unless of course they look just like us. Oh God, I can’t believe we’re even having this conversation. I just don’t know.”
The fingernails! She had to be human, Ron decided. No robot would have broken bloody fingernails and no alien would think to add that kind of detail.
“Ron!” Jamie poked him in the ribs. “You haven't said a word. What do you think?”
“I think she's perfect.” What he didn’t say was that the love he had felt for her at a distance was now alive and personal and dangerously close to breaking him.
“Okay, Allan. Tell all,” Jamie said. “How did this whole thing come about?”
“Why did you bring us here?” Ian asked. “I don’t think I’m a snob, and the food was great, but this little place isn’t exactly our style.”
“She chose the restaurant,” Allan said, “but I don’t know why.”
“Because she is a friend.” The answer came from Raûl who was clearing away the last remnants of the meal. He set a bottle of Kahlua and six glasses on the table and poured coffee. “Would you like anything else?”
“Answers,” Vicky said. “How is she a friend?”
“She helped us in Guatemala. She was there for a trial. My father had been arrested and thrown in jail because he would not cooperate and tell lies. We thought we would never see him again because so many people had already disappeared—forever. But la senora changed everything. She got my father out of jail and she helped us to get here.”
“We heard about that trial. It was one of the first things she did, but we heard nothing about your family.” Shane tone was challenging.
Raûl shrugged. “My father is alive. We are here. That is proof enough for me.”
“Why haven’t you told anyone of this?”
“She asked us not to.”
“That’s all? She just asked you not to talk about her and you kept quiet?”
Jamie reached out and put a hand on his arm. “Shane, relax.”
“Do you see her often?” Ian asked.
“Yes, she comes to eat sometimes but mostly to visit with my grandmother. They are great friends. My mother says they like to tell each other dirty jokes. I do not know if that is true but when they are together they are always laughing. I think waiting for la senora’s visits is what keeps my grandmother alive. She is with my grandmother now.” Raûl disappeared behind the kitchen door.
“Christ.” Ian expelled a gust of breath. “This is mind-boggling. There is obviously way more to Madame than what we hear in the news.”
Jamie’s eyes were wide with wonder. “What would people think if they knew what we now know?”
Vicky balanced dangerously on the edge of her chair and shook her finger at Allan. “Okay, spill.”
“I was alone at home last Saturday morning working on a script when the doorbell rang. I didn’t answer right away hoping whoever it was would go away. But the ringing was persistent. I yanked the door open ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off. Politely of course.” The others groaned. Allan was not known for polite, especially when he was angry. “You can imagine my shock when I opened the door and saw Miracle Madame standing there.”
“What did you say?” Vicky asked. “Nothing, at first. I just stood there staring.
I’m sure my mouth was hanging open and she probably thought I was an idiot. She introduced herself and asked if we could talk or did I want her to come back at a more convenient time. I managed to collect myself enough to invite her in. I took her to my office and offered her a coffee but she only wanted a glass of water. I reached to light a cigarette. She asked me to please not smoke or if I really wanted to, could we go outside. I put my cigarettes away. After a bit of chit chat, mostly to make me feel more comfortable, I think, she presented her movie idea.” He paused. “You know, I think the scientists are right when they say she is protected by some sort of force field.”
“Come on, that’s too Hollywood, even for you.” Vicky laughed.
“I’m serious, damn it. When I saw her standing at the door I was afraid she would disappear so I reached out to put my hand on her back and guide her in. I wasn’t able to touch her.”
“What do you mean?” Ron leaned forward, feeling sick and eager at the same time.
“My hand stopped about two inches from her body. It was like I was touching something solid but when I looked down there was a definite space between us.” The others shook their heads in disbelief.
“Maybe it’s the dress,” Vicky said. “I mean it does look sort of magical. All those colors, it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen.”
“I tested my theory tonight. I reached out to put my hand on her back and the same thing happened.”
“But, we shook hands and it was definitely skin to skin contact,” Shane argued.
“I know. Maybe she has to initiate the contact to break the field. Or only uses it when there is the possibility of danger. She must control it somehow.”
“Good Lord! This conversation sounds like something out of Star Trek. Maybe she isn’t even real. Maybe this is just a dream.” Jamie looked sad and bewildered.
“Maybe,” Ian said. “We’ll have to see what happens tomorrow.”
*
“I like them.” Elspeth said. “She’s chosen well. But, that one, Ron? What did he mean when he said he was fucked?”
Yeah, buddy, we are. “It’s a bad Earth word meaning he’s in trouble.”
“How is he in trouble?”
Because he doesn’t think of Em as a mother and neither do I. Elspeth tapped her foot and I knew I had to come up with an answer that would satisfy her. “He’s obsessed with Em.”
“You mean he’s fallen in love with her?” My sister blushed at her words and tilted her head. So, there was something to the rumors about her and a boyfriend. Elspeth giggled. “That explains the goofy expression on his face every time he looks at Em.”
The guy had it bad. Trouble was I probably wore that same expression when I thought of her.