I couldn’t help but wonder what people would think to know the things we know now. If someone had told me these things, I’d think they’d lost their minds and were stuck in some fantasy world. Only it was really happening. The seemingly impossible was not only possible, but undeniably so for me and those around me. Now there were so many others involved.
I now held in my hands two extraordinary spheres. One that came from someone in the skies and one that came from someone on earth, connected with someone in the skies. I looked forward to showing Arya the sphere and seeing how it affected her. It had affected Kimberly, Mo and me so differently, but gave us the same gifts; or so it seems. Yet, each of us manifested the gift differently than the others. It seemed to enhance what we already had within us — our human abilities that we nurtured before were now superior.
“Are you a juggler, young man?” A tall, beautiful woman was standing by our table at Pizza Hut.
“Ma’am?”
“Usually jugglers have at least three of those, don’t they?” she said, pointing at the spheres I had been staring at while thinking and waiting for Kimberly and Mo. I had arrived early, as usual, but this time I was even more excited to connect Arya to the Sphere.
“Ah. Only have two so far.” I smiled at the lady.
“You look familiar,” she said as she leaned back to get a better look. “Do people call you Jet?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m Josiah, but most of my friends call me Jet,” I explained.
“Oh, I heard you got into a tussle with some pretty serious characters a few years ago,” she said with a smile. She was so beautiful she made me a bit nervous.
“You look familiar too, ma’am, though I can’t quite remember how. Someone as pretty as you are, I can’t imagine forgetting,” I said without thinking.
“Ohhhh, you’re a smooth talker Mr. Jet,” she winked.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean…” I started.
When she stepped closer I got chills, and she smelled so good — I was instantly in awe. “I’m flattered, young man. Never be ashamed to pay a lady a compliment. If I were younger I’d be inclined to see where you’d take things. But since you’re so young…” She stood back up straight, her smile went away, and she leaned back again and asked, “Aren’t you some kind of karate-kid, hands like lethal weapon? –killed some gangster or something, right?”
It had been a long time since I even thought about that incident. It was almost like I had forgotten it. “The most horrible day of my life, ma’am. I was just defending myself and had no idea anything like that would happen. If I could do it all over, I sure wouldn’t want anybody to die.” I told her as sincerely as I could, but also as a matter of fact. Then I remembered her.
Rita could sense the sincerity in Jet’s response, but saw in his face that he had remembered. “You remember me now?”
“Yes. I remember you. Why did you attack me — grown people against a middle school kid?” I asked.
“We were just messin’ with you. But when you knocked me off the bike, I got mad,” she replied.
I replied, “I didn’t knock you off the bike…”
“I guess you didn’t kill my brother either, huh?” she said, folding her arms.
“I told you I didn’t mean…” I started.
“Yeah, yeah, you didn’t mean to, but he’s dead by your hands and that’s a debt that can’t go unpaid,” she interrupted.
“I’m not that little middle school kid anymore, Rita. I wasn’t afraid of you then, and I’m not afraid of you now. I suggest you let the past stay in the past.”
“Oh you suggest, do you? Do you know who I am? Do you know what I could do to you?” She twisted her neck and pointed her finger at me.
“I know what you THINK you can do to me. You were wrong before, and look where that got you.”
“Oh, you gon’ lip off at me huh?” she said.
“You started it, you get it,” I said.
She stood staring at me for a few minutes as I took a sip of water, staring at her.
“HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA,” she laughed; she stomped her foot and clapped her hands three times. “Wooooooo! Boyyyyyyy!”
I slid out of the booth and stood in front of her.
As I did, two teenage girls and a guy who were sitting nearby stood up. We all heard the bell on the door jingle and turned to look at who was coming in the door.
It was Mo and Kimberly. Mr Lee came out of the kitchen at the same time, so it was the three with her eyeing the three with me.
Rita looked back me. She smiled while nodding her head, then leaned toward me (no less beautiful and smelling better than before) and whispered, “Another time, young man.”
“Pencil me in,” I whispered back with a wink.
She giggled. “Good one… ‘pencil me in’… I like that.” Then she turned and walked out — her three companions walking backward to the door before turning to go out behind her. Rita moved with such grace, and her figure was flawless as she walked away.
JET (The Hero) 