that attracted Eric. It was obvious that Jean was not tied to any of the men in the room. Eric extended his hand to her. Jean smiled and
daintily touched his fingertips.
“Well, since this apartment is equally mine as well as
Bryan"s, I should see if he needs any help,” said Eric as he
followed Bryan back to the kitchen.
“You can take it easy, Eric. Get to know the group.
They"re all very outgoing, except Jean. She"s very nice but a little
quiet and shy sometimes. She takes a while to come out of her
shell when she meets someone new.”
Eric made sure he kept his voice low. “Was she ever
abused?”
Bryan was startled by Eric"s sudden question. “I never
thought about it. You mean physically abused? She never gets
close to guys. Maybe she was. Why? Can you tell those things?” “Sometimes. In my travels I"ve found that nervous shyness
in someone her age… I assume she"s in her mid-thirties…
generally indicates some type of traumatic experience occurred at
some pointin her past.”
“Well, we can"t very wellask her.”
“Does she have any guy friends?”
“We"re all her friends, but I assume you mean romantic
interests? No, she doesn"t.”
“Does she ever date?”
“She has been out on dates... usually one every other month
or so. I don"t think she ever dated the same guy more than once.” “She just needs someone to pay attention to her without her
feeling that it"s superficial.”
“Careful. You don"t want to scare her away with your
suspicions. Even if you"re right, she probably won"t admit it.” “Don"t worry. I would never say anything to her about it. I
sense a nice spirit about her. Plus I think an older woman would be a good change for me. The young ones can be so impulsive and
immature.”
“Jean willbe a challenge though, especially if you"re
right.”
Eric paused. “She would be a bigger challenge if I was out
for what most men are after… but I"m not. I may be able to get
her out of her shell just by being friendly.” After countless years
of traversing the globe, Eric tired of always moving on after
spending time with interesting people. Each time he pulled up his
stakes and left people he loved, he felt as though he lost something
precious. Every now and then, he would remember people in his
past and come to grips with the fact that most of them had surely
passed on. Still… the small bottle in his duffle bag remained
sealed.
December 13, 1983
“So what have you been hiding from us, Evan? And what sorcery have you inflicted on Michelle? I"m not leaving without answers.” Mary calmed her voice, but she was still visibly irate.
Evan"s deteriorating body was getting sore as he tried to shift his position in the bed. “Michelle knows everything.”
“I want to hear it from you first. You can start by telling me who you really are. There is no record of Evan Troy"s existence.”
“I"ve been many names to many people. In the last few hundred years, I"ve lacked imagination and have practically exhausted all the E.T. names my mind could manufacture. Evan Troy was to be my final permanent moniker. All because Michelle Fleming is the loveliest creature I ever laid my eyes on and her soul is too beautiful to ever force her to change that wonderful name. And if I did not intend to change her name, how could I ever change the name of her own true love? May I also add that preserving Michelle"s name is also a tribute to you and your husband, who nurtured and reared the finest girl to ever grace this Earth?”
“Your rambling makes me sick. Why don"t you try answering my questions?”
“Yes, you deserve the answers, but I warn that you may not believe the answers and they may only make you more angry.”
“Just spit it out.”
“Mary…” Evan now dispelled calling her „Mrs. Fleming" in order to establish a more friendly tone. “You always treated me kindly. Please don"t speak harshly.”
“ That was eleven years ago, before you whisked my daughter away from her parents without leaving
daintily touched his fingertips.
“Well, since this apartment is equally mine as well as
Bryan"s, I should see if he needs any help,” said Eric as he
followed Bryan back to the kitchen.
“You can take it easy, Eric. Get to know the group.
They"re all very outgoing, except Jean. She"s very nice but a little
quiet and shy sometimes. She takes a while to come out of her
shell when she meets someone new.”
Eric made sure he kept his voice low. “Was she ever
abused?”
Bryan was startled by Eric"s sudden question. “I never
thought about it. You mean physically abused? She never gets
close to guys. Maybe she was. Why? Can you tell those things?” “Sometimes. In my travels I"ve found that nervous shyness
in someone her age… I assume she"s in her mid-thirties…
generally indicates some type of traumatic experience occurred at
some pointin her past.”
“Well, we can"t very wellask her.”
“Does she have any guy friends?”
“We"re all her friends, but I assume you mean romantic
interests? No, she doesn"t.”
“Does she ever date?”
“She has been out on dates... usually one every other month
or so. I don"t think she ever dated the same guy more than once.” “She just needs someone to pay attention to her without her
feeling that it"s superficial.”
“Careful. You don"t want to scare her away with your
suspicions. Even if you"re right, she probably won"t admit it.” “Don"t worry. I would never say anything to her about it. I
sense a nice spirit about her. Plus I think an older woman would be a good change for me. The young ones can be so impulsive and
immature.”
“Jean willbe a challenge though, especially if you"re
right.”
Eric paused. “She would be a bigger challenge if I was out
for what most men are after… but I"m not. I may be able to get
her out of her shell just by being friendly.” After countless years
of traversing the globe, Eric tired of always moving on after
spending time with interesting people. Each time he pulled up his
stakes and left people he loved, he felt as though he lost something
precious. Every now and then, he would remember people in his
past and come to grips with the fact that most of them had surely
passed on. Still… the small bottle in his duffle bag remained
sealed.
December 13, 1983
“So what have you been hiding from us, Evan? And what sorcery have you inflicted on Michelle? I"m not leaving without answers.” Mary calmed her voice, but she was still visibly irate.
Evan"s deteriorating body was getting sore as he tried to shift his position in the bed. “Michelle knows everything.”
“I want to hear it from you first. You can start by telling me who you really are. There is no record of Evan Troy"s existence.”
“I"ve been many names to many people. In the last few hundred years, I"ve lacked imagination and have practically exhausted all the E.T. names my mind could manufacture. Evan Troy was to be my final permanent moniker. All because Michelle Fleming is the loveliest creature I ever laid my eyes on and her soul is too beautiful to ever force her to change that wonderful name. And if I did not intend to change her name, how could I ever change the name of her own true love? May I also add that preserving Michelle"s name is also a tribute to you and your husband, who nurtured and reared the finest girl to ever grace this Earth?”
“Your rambling makes me sick. Why don"t you try answering my questions?”
“Yes, you deserve the answers, but I warn that you may not believe the answers and they may only make you more angry.”
“Just spit it out.”
“Mary…” Evan now dispelled calling her „Mrs. Fleming" in order to establish a more friendly tone. “You always treated me kindly. Please don"t speak harshly.”
“ That was eleven years ago, before you whisked my daughter away from her parents without leaving
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