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The most important achievement of humans, in Mae’s opinion, was coffee. Well, that and the disco ball. And french-fries.
Mae closed her eyes as her latte warmed her throat and tickled her taste buds. “Liquid ambrosia,” she muttered happily.
“Excuse me, Miss,” a soft, frail voice said from behind her.
Mae turned around to face an elderly, human male with hardly any hair, a million wrinkles, and kind eyes. Familiar eyes.
“Yes?” she said, searching those eyes in hopes of sparking some kind of recognition. It was there, at the edge of her mind, but she just couldn’t figure out where she knew him from.
“This may sound strange, but are you related to… that is,” he shuffled nervously as he tried to find the right words. Clearing his throat, he started again. “My name is Marcus Allerby.”
His wrinkled hand reached out and she took it, shaking it gently. His skin was so soft. As memories of her beloved Marcus rushed back to her, emotion caught in her throat, and Mae had to blink hard to keep the tears away.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Allerby,” she managed. “I’m Mae.”
Marcus smiled, and for an instant, it was her Marcus that stood before her. “Mae,” he said softly, “that was her name. You look just like her.” His voice was wistful. “Just like her.”
“My grandmother’s name was Mae,” she lied. “They say I look just like she did at my age.”
He accepted that, as well as the bits and pieces of her grandmother’s history that she gave him. It was enough to convince Marcus that he had the right granddaughter, and they spent the next hour chatting about the past.
She’d met Marcus just after WWII had ended, on his first night home, in fact. He was handsome and charming and the sweetest boy Mae had met in a very long time. The romance had been brief but intense. She’d loved him. With all of her heart. But…
He was human, and he wasn’t her anam-cara… but mostly, he was human, so she couldn’t hold on to him. Marcus would eventually grow old and Mae wouldn’t, and unfortunately, only Mae understood that. So, in typical Mae fashion, she’d disappeared.
Never had she thought, even in the middle of a Reckoning, that she’d see this man again. But here he was, telling Mae her own memories and shattering her heart with his quiet words and his twinkling eyes. Marcus wasn’t bitter about the past. He didn’t understand Mae’s disappearance, but had decided, as the years went by, to let go of wondering and just hang on to the memories they’d shared.
He'd married a beautiful woman that he truly loved, and had five grown children and a gaggle of grandchildren. As he proudly showed off the pictures of his family, Mae choked down the overwhelming urge to explain everything. Suddenly, it was very important to her that Marcus understand what had happened, though she knew it was impossible to tell him the truth.
He'd had a good life and he had wonderful memories of a lost love. Mae had to leave things as they were, not only for his sake, but for her own.
He'd married a beautiful woman that he truly loved, and had five grown children and a gaggle of grandchildren. As he proudly showed off the pictures of his family, Mae choked down the overwhelming urge to explain everything. Suddenly, it was very important to her that Marcus understand what had happened, though she knew it was impossible to tell him the truth.
He'd had a good life and he had wonderful memories of a lost love. Mae had to leave things as they were, not only for his sake, but for her own.
As they said good-bye, Marcus took her hand and kissed it sweetly, wishing her well and thanking her for her time. It was bittersweet for Mae, and a good reminder of why she did not get involved with humans anymore. By the time she reached her apartment door, the tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and she was helpless to stop the memories rolling through her head.
Thankfully, the apartment was empty. Mae flopped down on the couch and blew across her palm, allowing the memories to play themselves out. The crying ended as the exhaustion took over, and her heavy eyelids slid closed as Mae and a very young, very handsome Lieutenant Allerby danced the night away in her hand.
Faetal Illusion (late 2013)
