Yes from him? Never.
William excused himself from the female admirer and rushed to us. He put out his hand to me. I took it, and his hand swallowed mine. I had to look up to him. He had three plus inches on my six-foot-one height.
“Nice to meet you.” Seana smiled.
Ending our handshake, William turned to my wife. “My pleasure.” His stare lingered on her a little too long for my taste. They clasped hands. “Your Vids didn’t do you justice.”
“The same’s true about you, Mr. Graves.”
I felt a boulder of jealousy drop in my gut as William brought Seana’s hand up to his lips.
He released Seana’s fingers, but his gaze remained fixed on her. “ William, please. Welcome to Texas,” he said with no sign of a southern accent.
We were swept into his waiting limo. As the driver pulled onto the highway, William began asking questions about our work and family and then filled us in on the latest happenings in his life. Three photo shoots in Europe and one in Australia a month earlier had rounded out his year, plus he had just finished his doctorate in Philosophy, giving him a total of five graduate degrees. He had decided to learn Mandarin since he was thinking about relocating to China. He invited us to the opening next year of one of his clubs. His fortune reached around the globe.
Gloom coiled around me like a noose. William was good-looking, charming, intelligent, and happy. Why did he have to be so damn happy?
“Maui opens in the perfect season for great waves. Do either of you surf?”
Seana was enthralled-as was I. Who wouldn’t be? I wondered if she had forgotten why we were here, but when I looked over at her, I knew she hadn’t. She flipped her hair back many more times than necessary, a dead giveaway that she was nervous. Tick tock.
“Thanks, but it depends if Seana and I can coordinate our vacations.” I was with our city’s public works department, and she worked for a communications company with an asshole for a boss. We both got three weeks off each year. No more. How could he understand our life?
I knew asking someone’s age was the worst social blunder, but I was tempted. There had to be less than twenty people with William’s years in the entire world. The original team that cured aging would’ve been proud of their handiwork in him. I realized that William was far beyond human in our twenty-second century world; he was a god. Trepidation took hold of my entire being.
The black vehicle arrived at William’s private drive and stopped at the front of his massive estate. It was hidden from the street by heavily wooded grounds; this was no McMansion. William informed us he had had it built for his late wife, Heather.
The interior was elegant and filled with incredible paintings and sculptures. A marble staircase surrounded the circular foyer. Music and the scent of fresh flowers met us. A handsome butler took our luggage.
After going to our suite and changing clothes, we were led by a servant to the library. Books lined every square inch of the walls of a room that could’ve easily held our entire apartment. William sat in one of the four wingback chairs, reading an ancient text. There were no computers here, only visceral books. We joined him, more mesmerized by the man than the surroundings.
William asked if we would like some wine. We both answered with the affirmative.
“I must find the perfect bottle. It’s not often I see family.”
Trying to appear sophisticated, I questioned, “Do you have many to choose from?”
I immediately felt stupid at the comment. My nerves were on edge, like Seana’s, who continued to flip her locks back like a wild stallion.
“Several thousand.” He smiled and then exited the room.
Seana’s exterior of ease evaporated when he left. She put her head in her hands and began to rock back and forth.
I reached over and touched her shoulder. “Sweetheart, he might do it. We just don’t know.”
She looked up with tears welling in her eyes, her last flicker of hope dimming.
“Have you been listening to him? He won’t do it. Why should he? He’s perfect, and he has the perfect life. ” And with that she let out a long resolute sigh.
We both stared at the floor. There was nothing else to say. Tick tock.
Moments later, William appeared with a bottle of red and three crystal wine goblets. The cork was popped, and we all sipped silently.
“So, enough of the niceties.” He asked, “What are you two really here for?”
Unable to help herself, Seana burst into tears with a volume far exceeding the previous display.
“Take your time,” William coaxed.
Slowly, Seana composed herself. We told William what we wanted. Seana was eleven months away from turning thirty-eight, the last legal age for a woman to become pregnant. With the Zero Population Growth law, we needed a death to have a baby- his.
I had this urge to run from the room. What were we thinking? Were we so selfish that we could ask such a thing from him? I knew we were, but the hole in Seana’s soul was so deep, I had to press on. “So, will you do it or not?”
William stared at us. “I was wondering when you were going to ask.”
“You already knew?” When I’d spoken with him to arrange our trip to Dallas, I’d just told him we were taking a little vacation and wanted to see him while we were in town..
“It was either that or money.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “I get it. You would’ve asked for money from me a long time ago if you were so inclined. Obviously, you’re not. So, I put two and two together. Your age. Seana’s age. It all added up to me about what you wanted from me.”
Seana’s body shook like a reed in the wind. “Will you help us, William?”
“I think we might be able to come to an arrangement.”
“What?” we said in unison.
He laughed, and his eyes were even brighter, if that were possible. I took a long drink from the heady liquid. It had a taste of smoke and was warm going down. Seana’s tremors ended, replaced by a stillness similar to that of Auguste Rodin’s Thinker, but her eyes sparkled with hope.
I choked out, “You said might. What do you mean?”
William pointed to the oil painting above the fireplace. “That’s my wife and your relative, Greg. You’re here because of her choice to provide a death to your mother.”
“You mean… I didn’t know.”
“Your mother told me at your high school graduation that she’d never shared it with you. I agreed to keep her secret.”
Seana leaned forward in the chair. “So, you want to make the same sacrifice for us that your wife did for Greg’s mom?”
He shrugged and kept gazing at the painting. “Did you know that we never had children of our own? We both always wanted them, but it didn’t work out.”
Realization began to dawn at what arrangement he had in mind. I curled my hands into fists. “We will name the baby after you, William.”
“It’s not good enough. Not even close. I want a child of my own.”
Seana stood up. “It’s too much to ask of Greg. Thank you, William, for your hospitality. It’s been a long day. I’m going to our room.” She turned to me. “You coming, honey?”
“I’ll be up in a minute, sweetheart.”
She smiled weakly then turned back to the man who had crushed her flat. “Goodnight, William.”
I watched as Seana’s perfect hips swayed as she walked up the stairs, When she was out of earshot, I turned back to William. “How dare you?”
“Me? You’re asking me to end my life, Greg. Don’t you think you’ve got it turned around a bit?”
I knew he was right, but what he’d asked was hard for me to swallow.
He stood up. “Let’s get some air.”
I followed him to his pool area. I could see the tennis courts off in the distance. The place was more like a resort than a home. The patio had an outdoor kitchen and several tables with chairs. He went to the refrigerator and brought out beers for us.
William was so self-assured. I guessed it came with age. Much age, I thought.