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  do my homework early, I can invite someone over for supper some night?”

  “Mm-hmm?”

  Michelle looked up at her nervously. “How about Evan? Can we have Evanover?”

  Mary wasn"t sure how to answer Michelle"s request. Michelle had just turned thirteen. Evan wasn"t even going to school. Mary had seen him working the sundry shop during weekdays for at least a few years. Despite his boyish looks and manners, he could very well be over twenty. Mary considered asking Evan his age, but thought the moment to be wrong. It would seem that there was a condition being placed on the invitation, if in fact she agreed to it. Then again, Evan may politely decline anyway. Does he really want to be the guest of a child for a meal at the parents’ home?

  “Well, Michelle. Why don"t you ask Evan for yourself?”

  “Then I can? Oh, mom… thanks! You"re the best! Evan, will you come over?”

  “Uh… that depends on what date you plan on getting that homework finished early.”

  Michelle blushed. “Oh… right. Um… I"ll do it tomorrow!”

  “Deal.”

  “Great! We live at 32 Grove Street.” Michelle"s heart was racing. “We usually have supper at six o"clock.” Michelle felt as though she needed to keep talking. She had no idea how to stop, but also had no idea what to say next. Mary bailed her out.

  “Honey, I think Evan knows where we live. He has walked by and waved to us on the porch, remember?”

  “Oh, yeah. How could I forget? I just get silly sometimes.”

  Mary smiled at Evan. “I hope you like pot roast.”

  “That will be fine, Mrs. Fleming. Thanks for the invitation.”

  “It was all Michelle.”

  “But she did need your permission. And after all, you"re the cook, right?” Evan looked at Michelle. “Thanks for thinking of me. And don"t worry. If you are not done with that homework, perhaps I can give you a hand with it.”

  “Ahem,” interrupted Mary. “She must do her own homework.”

  “Ah, of course. Hey, Mrs. Fleming… I"ll see you tomorrow night. I"m not working, so it will be a nice relaxing day for me.”

  Mary smiled, picked up her bag, and started away. Michelle gave one last smile, larger than usual, to Evan, turned and followed her mother. As they got outside, Mary thought to herself. Well, tomorrow evening will provide a good atmosphere and opportunity to find out some things about Evan, like his family background, his age… oh, listen to my thoughts. He’s just a nice guy. It’s not like he and Michelle are dating. Still, it would be nice to know what family he is from… where he got his good manners, etc.

  December 11, 1983

  Michelle leaned over close to Evan and put her head on his chest. “You know there"s no way you can die on me, don"t you?”

  Evan tried to get comfortable, wishing he could get out of the hospital bed. “Michelle, my darling girl, I am praying this minute for both of us… and especially for you.” He then pondered the situation deeper. “I never thought about death, you know... at least not until tonight. I guess that I have been very lucky until now.”

  “I didn"t think you could ever die.”

  “There"s the rub, sweetheart. Eternal youth does not equate to immortality. A youth can still be killed with a bullet, and any man can clog his arteries with years of reckless eating. I spilled a lot of blood when I came into contact with thatoak tree.”

  “But people aren"t supposed to have their bodies disintegrate as the result of car accidents.”

  “No… only people who should be dead long before they have their accidents.”

  “Evan… if this is the end of your life… I should end mine before something similar happens to me.”

  “Don"t talk that way, Michelle. I was afraid you would think that. Look… you will always be young and beautiful. I hope to God that you will also be with me. But you need… we both need to face the possibility of life without each other. And we both believe the soul will at least live forever in an even better state.”

  “If that’s what you believe… then why did you not let life take its natural course regardingme?”

  “Believe me… I have been asking myself that question all night. If I go way back to the first most fateful decision I ever made, I would have to say I did it in the name of curiosity and science. After all, I really was a curious young man back then. When I made my second most fateful decision ever, I was hopelessly in love with the cutest little girl I ever had the pleasure of meeting. So to answer your question… I can think of no other reply than to say I was being purely selfish.”

  “Why didn"t you at least ask me if I wanted to live the same life as you? Or even wait until I was older and ask me then?”

  “Would you have still been with me had I waited that long? I fell in love with the sweet little child in you, Michelle. And I love the woman you have become. But I have loved gazing at the child for all these years. I could not have risked you having any suspicions. Perhaps I also wanted to keep you young before a high school boy or college man swept you off your feet.”

  “And what man will want this little child now?”

  “You are only childlike in appearance now, Michelle. You are also a very intelligent woman. Your youthful appearance attracted the man you wanted some seventeen years ago. It will happen again.”

  “No, Evan. When I was twelve years old, I may have been a cute little girl. Now I"m a freakish old woman.”

  “Twenty-nine is hardly old.”

  “Twenty-nine will become thirty-nine and then forty-nine, Evan.” Michelle started to cry.

  Evan wished he could set everything right. For the first time in his life, he was scared. More scared for Michelle than he was for himself, but scared nonetheless. The twist of fate escapes no one, he thought. And sometimes fate can look like a cruel illusion.

  May, 1967 Mary made certain that she prepared a fine meal for the Flemings" special guest. Not her fanciest feast though. After all, Michelle needn"t be encouraged to consider this anything more than an evening with her parents and her first major crush. Evan is a nice guy, but Michelle will be over this crush in less than a year, Mary thought. I’m just glad that Evan will eventually let her down easy. Mary could not possibly think Evan would be anything remotely cruel to her little girl. She did her best to believe that he would never let her sweet little girl keep believing in something that will never materialize.

  “It looks like you went through a lot of trouble for me, Mrs. Fleming”, said Evan as he sat down at the dinner table. “No trouble at all. I make pot roast at least a couple of

  times a month, don"t I, Michelle?”

  “Uh, yes… you do. Daddy, have you ever met Evan?” John Fleming looked up from his newspaper and cleared

  his throat. “Yes, I do believe I have seen him down at the sundry

  shop. Of course, I don"t go there often. Your mother does most of

  the shopping. I"ll get the occasional pack of cigarettes or

  something she forgot to pick up.” He cleared his throat again and

  asked Michelle, “So, how did you two become… er… such good

  friends?”

  Michelle was visibly nervous, so Evan did his best to bail

  her out. “Oh, Mr. Fleming... your daughter has a great heart. She

  has always been so kind to me, and when she invited me over for

  dinner, well… how can anyone say no to sucha nice kid?” Michelle felt bad that Evan had referred to her as a kid.

  She had known Evan for a few years and he always treated her as

  an intellectual equal. That"s one of the things she liked about him.

  Of course, it was his good looks that first attracted her, but his

  warm personality was evident after the initial attraction. Evan

  sensed her dismay at his remark, but he wanted to enter Mr.

  Fleming"s good graces and he did not want to reveal his true

  feelings to John.

  “Did I say kid? You know�
� that"s the wonderful thing

  about Michelle. She is very mature and not silly like the other girls

  her age. She"s sort of like a throwback to another time… like

  Shakespeare"s Juliet. Did you know that the Virgin Mary was

  thought to be fourteen years old when she was betrothed to

  Joseph?” Evan smirked nervously. I suppose that last thought

  would have been best kept to myself.

  “Well, I think that charminglegend remains a mystery,”

  huffed John. “Regardless…

  different period and culture.

  you are talking about a vastly Michelle will not be engaged to anyone by next year… I can assure you.” Evan tried his best to make light of the conversation.

  “Well, I"m certainly glad to hear that, Mr. Fleming. I was worried

  that some schoolboy was going to take her away from me. After

  all… I"m hoping that she will be inviting me back for dinner when

  she turns eighteen. Please, just a small amount of pot roast for me,

  Mrs. Fleming. I"ll have plenty of vegetables though… thank you.” Michelle again looked dismayed. She wanted Evan to like

  her now... not having to wait another five years. Evan picked up

  on her disappointment and gave her a wink as he put his hand to

  his left eye, feigning a headache so her father would not detect the

  wink. Evan hoped that the discretions he would need to use during

  the course of the evening would not end up turning Michelle away

  for good.

  Mary jumped into the conversation as an ally to Evan and

  Michelle. “John, these kids see each other a lot. They"re just

  friends.”

  Michelle looked at Evan, then across the table to her

  mother. “Um… well… we don"t see each other that much, Mom.

  Just when you send me to the store, or when I happen to go there

  for an ice cream bar.”

  “Of course, dear. But that still happens a few times a

  week.”

  Michelle giggled. “Oh, yeah… right.” She had started to

  worry that her mother possibly knew that she sometimes would

  sneak over to the sundry shop when Evan was finishing his shift so

  they could sit and talk about things, usually either what has been

  going on at her school or the wealth of information and seemingly

  endless experiences in Evan"s life. Michelle even recalled Evan"s

  first kiss, which took her by surprise. It came about a couple of

  weeks after she gave him the birthday card. It was almost a half

  year later now. As the late spring evenings lingered long after the

  sundry shop closed, hardly a soul would pass the bench outside the

  store. It was there that the first kiss took place. Evan and Michelle

  never talked about their future because of Michelle"s young age.

  There was never a compelling reason to rush anything. It suited

  both lovers. Michelle sometimes worried that Evan would want someone his own age someday, but she was too much in love to

  end the relationship over that particular insecurity.

  “So Evan… tell me about your family. Where do you

  live?” asked Mary.

  “Well… uh… I don"t have a real family. That is to say… I

  don"t have a biological family. Part of my compensation for

  working at the sundry store is that I get room and board from the

  Cacharellis. They own the store… a great couple.”

  “Well, that"s nice of them. Do you mind if I ask what

  happened to your parents? Your last name is Troy, isn"t it?” “Uh… yes it is. Well… um… I remember being very

  young when my grandfather started taking care of me. Just before

  he died, he talked to the Cacharellis… knew them well, in fact. He

  was responsible for getting me the job. Then when he died, the

  Cacharellis took me in.”

  “You said you were very young when your grandfather

  took care of you. Did you knowyour parents?”

  “Uh… I really don"t remember them.”

  “Are they alive?”

  “Uh… no. No, they died somehow. Grandpa never really

  divulgedthe details.” Evan got visibly uncomfortable. “I"m sorry if I pried,” said Mary. It must be painful not

  knowing whathappened to your parents. You"re such a nice

  young man. Your grandfather must have been a good influence on

  you.”

  Evan cleared his throat. “Yes… yes… he sure was. And

  the Cacharellis also.” He paused. “And speaking of the

  Cacharellis… I wanted to ask both you and Mr. Fleming

  something. They are having a cookout in their yard, next door to

  the store, this Sunday. Can Michelle be my guest? It would just

  be a small way of thanking her for this wonderful meal.” “I think that Michelle is a bit young for dating, Mr. Troy,”

  gruffed John.

  “I"m sorry, sir. I wasn"t thinking of it as a date, especially

  since it would be in my employer"s backyard. How about if Michelle just stops by the sundry shop after school on Monday and

  I will treat her to one of myspecial ice cream sodas?”

  “Oh, Daddy, that sounds great. Can I?”

  John looked at Mary, who gave a reassuring smile and

  simple nod. “I suppose so,” said John. “But make sure you do

  your homework.”

  “Oh, I will do it immediately after supper, Daddy. Thank

  you, thank you. I love you.”

  “Evan… I see that you ate all the vegetables. Would you

  like some more,” asked Mary.

  “Please, Mrs. Fleming. That would be great,” replied Evan. “Are you sure you don"t want more pot roast?”

  “Oh… yes, Mrs. Fleming. I just don"t eat that much meat.

  It"s healthier, you know... especially if you want to live a long,

  healthy life. Once the arteries are clogged from years of eating too

  much of the wrong things, there is no way of undoing the damage.

  You did a great job on dinnerthough.”

  Mary gave Evan an extra helping of vegetables and bread.

  After the meal, the parents allowed Michelle to walk Evan to the

  door. Evan wanted to plant a kiss on Michelle"s lips, thought the

  cheek would be more appropriate considering Michelle"s father

  was somewhere close by, and then settled on a shoulder tap so as

  not to cause any grief for her. Then he said in a soft voice, “I"ll

  make sure my shift ends when I buy you that soda.” Michelle

  grinned widely, the smile that Evan fell in love with a year earlier.

  There may have been no cookout, but there would still be a date.

  II

  December 12, 1983 Drs. DiLaurio and Chan were discussing the Troy case and comparing notes when Linda Sherman, the hospital administrator, walked into the doctor"s lounge. “Hi, Frank. Hi, Hugo. I heard that you two practically pulled an all-nighter.”

  “Well,” said Frank, “we managed to catch a few winks while Nurse Croshere tended to Evan Troy… a most remarkable and unusual case.”

  “Yes, doctors. I believe that is the case you wanted to discuss with me?”

  “Well, Linda. The case is one matter. We have a car accident victim… leg pinned against a tree… severe nerve damage… followed by rapid deterioration. I should say „decomposition" to be more accurate. Our fear is that the decomposition is spreading beyond just the leg. We did manage to slow down the progression of the infection to a point where we hope to be able to deal with it. However, being at a loss for medical answers is working against us as well as against t
he patient.” Frank drew a deep breath. “Linda, we didn"t call for you to discuss the case, however, since you know no more than we do about this medical oddity. We want to discuss the patient"s status.”

  “Status?”

  “Er… identity… or lack thereof. While we feel compelled to help this young man as efficiently and expediently as possible, we can"t help but be concerned with the patient"s inability to provide positive identification. We did some background checks on him. He claims that his name is Evan Troy, and hedidn"t give his age except to hint that he is close in age to his girlfriend, who is twenty-nine years old and looks no older than a middle school kid. She was the driver of the car.”

  “Do you think we have a case of an underage driver that we need to report to the authorities?”

  “Linda,” Dr. Chan chimed in, “usually a thirteen or fourteen year old kid will try to pass themselves off as sixteen when caught driving illegally. Why would she try to convince us that she is twentynine?”

  “That isunusual,” replied Linda.

  “But… her identity and age checks out. She has a photo id… her driver"s license in fact. Her social security number also verifies that she is who she says she is. The patient is the one we are wondering whether we should report to the authorities. He also looks quite a bit younger than twenty-nine, but still somewhat older than the girl… uh, woman.”

  “This does seem suspicious, doctors. I would say that we need to provide medical treatment, as you have been, as the foremost priority. But the patient does need to realize that he needs identification for billing purposes. No identification implies no health insurance, I surmise?”

  “That is correct,” said Frank.

  “Has Mr. Troy been hostile?”

  “No… quite the opposite. Both he and Miss Fleming are delightfully polite andrespectful. However, I don"t believe they are completely honest. They are hiding something. I can"t explain her seemingly valid driver"s license, but it does look, by appearances, like he is a man with something to hide while on the run with a minor.”

  “Alright,” said Linda. “Here"s my decision for now. I will check out that driver"s license. You inform Mr. Troy that we need identification and method of payment, but don"t push the issue if it impedes the care you are providing on his behalf. Perhaps I can get some information from the girlfriend while you two concentrate on treating the patient even if Mr. Troy still cannot provide identification.”