“My little dear, the torment you have been through. You must be exhausted.”
Mia didn’t question her existence. She set her cup down and made room for Grandma Fred on the porch swing.
“You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you, Ted and I may not have Ralph’s taste or pocketbook, but we do have a lot of imagination,” Mia said. “Would you like to see your great-grandson?”
“Oh, Mia, I have watched over him day and night. He is a beautiful baby and will bring you years of happiness and, yes, eventually a little strife.”
“Teenage years?”
“Yes. I remember yours weren’t exactly easy.”
Mia nodded. “Grandma, I’m scared.”
“He’s coming back, Mia.”
“For now. I’m not sure I can keep him. People leave me all the time. My parents, my lovers…”
“You think this is because there is some kind of flaw inside you?”
“Yes.”
“Your parents were but vessels to bring you forth. Ralph, Bernard and I raised you the best we could. The men in your life weren’t strong enough to stand in your shadow. It takes a brilliant man to see that by doing so, he is enriching himself. Contrary to what Angelo would like you to believe, Ted is the man for you. Yes, he is confused. He lives too much in his head. He is more afraid of you leaving him or being taken from him than you can imagine. He sees himself as inadequate physically. He can’t fight like Stephen, Angelo and Sariel, but he can help you to do so. Listen to him, Mia. He is connected to the world of science and numbers, where truth rules. He is your greatest ally.”
“This past month, I have been presented with two grandfathers. Do you care to comment?” Mia teased.
“Orion has come forth has he?”
“Yes.”
“Good, he has had his head in his books for far too long. Help him, Mia. He will need you more than you need him. Now, Amanda’s father Émile is a good man. You must take your family and friends to his home when the battle begins. He will protect them for you.”
“Grandmother, I have chosen Sariel to fight with. Have I chosen wisely?”
“Stephen Murphy is who you will fight beside on this earth, but in the heavens, Sariel will need you beside him. Angelo too. I know all this is so confusing. So many needy males. You’re going to have to find a way to accommodate them all.”
“Can you tell me about what is to come or when?”
“I’ve never been a seer, Mia. Those answers Orion will bring you. In the meantime, mend your marriage. Take Ted away from here, and make sure he knows that, above all, he is the most important being in any dimension.”
“The curse…”
“It bound you to Stephen when you were but a child. But you broke the curse when you showed him your soul. You gave him something he desperately needed from you. He will no longer tempt you away from your husband. He understands who you are, maybe more than you do.”
“I have missed your counsel.”
“I have missed giving it. But alas, my place is elsewhere, which I have to return to, pronto. Oh, I have taken the gift of having children away from you, just for now. I will return it when the time is right.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Mia said. “Brian needs siblings. Being an only child is lonely.”
“For now, he will have Sabine’s daughters. Later, you will provide him with many, many brothers and sisters.”
“Whoa, how many?”
Fredericka laughed. “Oh, Mia, some things must remain surprises.”
Mia hugged her and felt more than the transfer of love from a grandmother; she also felt strength move into her body.
“Take care and learn. Listen to Ted, and trust him, Mia. Oh, and tell Orion, he was the best.”
Mia shook her head in amazement as her grandmother walked into the dark night.
Ted pulled into the drive. He saw the light from a candle move through the trees before he rounded the bend, and the headlights of the car caught a lone figure standing on the porch waiting for him.
He stopped the car in front of the farmhouse, got out and vaulted up the steps and took Mia in his arms. He felt her cling to him, transferring her love with the heat of her body and the words that spilled from her lips.
“I love you so much. Never leave me again. I need you. You are my heart, you are my world.”
Ted set her down and got on his knees. “Forgive me, Mia,” he pleaded. “Forgive my weakness of wanting to be a superhero. I am a vain, insecure man who fears losing the best thing that will ever happen to me.”
“I forgive you, Ted, if you will forgive the times when I can’t be with you, when I can’t tell you things. Trust me, Ted. I need your trust and your love. I need your big brain to help me navigate in this changing world. I need your laughter in my ears, your body in my bed, and your love to keep me safe.” Mia pulled him to his feet. “Do you forgive me?”
“Yes, Mia, I forgive you,” Ted said.
He took her in his arms, and his lips found hers. He kissed her softly.
Mia opened her eyes and looked into his as she kissed him back. She traveled beyond his eyes, past the equations, and found
