Chapter 1 Part 5

Part five

That evening, Joe took the last flight to New York. Unlike his family in Seattle, he knew of Paul’s strange gift. He arrived at the house at four in the morning, having not slept since reading the article two days earlier. This city looked different as well. It was much hotter then he was used to. He took the elevator to the fifth floor and walked down the hall to his winter home. He dared not use his key and decided to knock on the door.
After a short while, there was a resonating sound of locks being undone. Joe, who had until now been too tired to be anxious, now felt his heart begin to beat faster. Nicole opened the door. Her eyes were half shut. She had clearly been woken up. Without a word she let him in and went into the bathroom to get organized.

Joe stood in his own living room as if a stranger. He was afraid to sit or get himself a drink, though he was thirsty.
Joe walked to the children’s room and looked in. There slept Paul and his little sister Margie, as quiet as angels.
Was this the last time he would see his children? He thought.Nicole returned to the room. She was now as angry as could be expected.
Nicole was short, thin and usually energetic. She would otherwise never walk into a room ready for a fight, but in this instance she had good cause.
‘Nice of you to turn up’ She said sarcastically.

This was one of only a few times Nicole had successfully used irony. She was simply not that sort of person. In her mind she thought: if one enjoys the company of others there should be no reason to be rude to them. She was a housewife with two children and a husband who was never there. Math gave her a headache and she felt quite content sitting in a coffee shop and flipping through design magazines.

‘So is that your real job? Traveling the country fathering children with magical powers?’
Oddly enough, in a way, she was right.
‘Nicole, my dear, believe me when I say I never meant to hurt you.’ Joe finally uttered.
‘Well, it almost sounds as if you mean it.’
‘All I ask is if I can see the children before I go.’
They noticed little Paul standing at the door to his room. Joe motioned him to come for a hug, but Paul walked into his mother’s arms instead. She picked him up.
‘You told him?’
‘He read it on his own. Your son is smarter than you think.’‘I’m sorry…’ Joe’s apology was interrupted by a slap in the face by Nicole.

The grim reality of what had happened in the past few days finally dawned on him. He had experienced almost nine months in two days and had lost everything at every stop. It may not have seemed like it, but Joe loved every one of his four families. He loved all of his wives equally; each was so different in every respect from the other. He loved each of his children and wondered if they would ever look up to him the way they had until then. Each season, Joe would walk into each house bearing gifts and good spirits. He feared he would never feel loved in that way again. Sadly he was right.

Joe accepted Nicole’s feelings. He turned to give his son a kiss goodbye but Paul, angry as well, struck him in the face as hard as his 11 year old hands could.Joe felt a little better.

New York can be a peaceful place in the early mornings. Joe stepped out of the elevator and stood in the lobby. All that was left was to say goodbye to the doorman. He had been vacated from three of his four homes. Before him was a long trip to Tucson and his wife Evelyn. But Joe was tired and in no mood for an airport. He decided to take a train down south. Maybe time would do more to save his image than he could. These good reasons aside, Joe was also a little afraid of his mother.