A Strange and Wondrous Tale

a/n not entirely within Take a Chance arc...tho does not contradict it.

 

A Strange Story

 

Ranger never lies to me...does he?
....................

Evening/beach day

 Ranger has a thing for this beach. And tonight it was beautiful, I can see why he loves it. It is mid-summer, late evening, just before dusk. Shorebirds and softly waving beach grass. White sand, navy blue ocean. Long, long rolling waves.

 

The sky to the west was turning pink, the sun a brilliant red ball. The air was hot and sultry, salt-filled.

 We walk hand in hand over the grey wooden dune walk that led to the beach. This beach faces south, oddly---so the sunset was off to our right. Ranger once told me that when he was a kid, he and his brothers and Jilly could stand on this boardwalk and see the WTC Towers far off in the distance where the sun is now setting. His father’s office was there. How sad.

 

 

I  glance at the man beside me. He is silent of course. Ranger and I have a strange relationship, based on intuition and wordless communication. I love him more than hearts can feel or words can tell---so our unspoken trust works well for me, for us both.

Ranger can walk this shore in silence for hours. But usually his features relax and his eyes become calm and dense and I can tell that he is happy. This evening that doesn't happen. Ranger is waiting. For what?

 Finally I ask, "What's up?''

His head turns a fraction towards me. I can't see his eyes, he is wearing black mirrored sunglasses.

 

He starts to speak, but halts. Ranger is usually quiet to the point of silence, but I have never known him to be inarticulate. Spare of words, yes; wordless, no.

He stops and reaches out to me. holding my wrists. I turn and face him as we stand by the shore. The sun is behind his head, an incongruous glowing rose halo.

Ranger slides his sunglasses to the top of his head. His hair is dark and cut very short these days. It suits him, but I miss his long wonderful silky black hair. Ranger has beautiful hair, like a shampoo ad, Ranger has supermodel hair.

Maybe that's why he cuts it short now.

Ranger is waiting for me to focus and finally I quit staring at his beautiful face, those eyes, that mouth, the white teeth, the full sexy lower lip. Skin like brown satin. Uh….

''Babe.''

''Yeah?''

''Babe, I have to go out of town for awhile.''

Noooooo! Oh god please no!

I say nothing of course. I am a good soldier’s wife, even though Ranger is not exactly a soldier. Is he? And I am not his wife.

He says, "I want you to know this…."

''That you are leaving?''

Leaving me?

''That I love you. I never really told you that, not exactly. Not in words. And I know you like words, babe, even if you  don't always want to talk about things.''

''Huh?''

''Stephanie. Never doubt that I love you. I have always loved you, I always will. Even if....''

 

''If?''

''If  I, uh, don't come back. Promise me that you will never wonder, never be uncertain of my feelings for you.''

 ''I love you too. I always will.''

''I know, babe.''

''Um. Do you think you will not be coming home?''

I am screaming inside.

''I'm sure I'll be fine, home soon, no problemo. But you never know.''

''Great, Ranger, that's fucking great.''

He smiled wide and I forgot that I was mad. I just looked at him, memorizing him.

He said, ''I have one more favor to ask you, Steph.''

''Sure.''

''If I don't come back---can you love Anthony? He will love you like I do and he will take care of you forever. I couldn't leave if I thought you'd go back to Morelli.'' 

Okay, now this is weird, I thought. I love Anthony, I do. He is wonderful and beautiful and very like Ranger. I know he loves me too, he has stayed in the shadows because he loves Ranger too.

I said, "I'm confused.''

''But you love Antonio, right.''

''Um. Yeah?"

"So, okay."

''But why isn't he going on this job with you?''

"I'll make him stay here.''

''But then if you don't come back the next time HE will go. And then what, Ranger? Lester? Tank? I'll work my way through all the guys?"

''Whoever. Just not Morelli.''

 "Fine! No Joe."

 

The tension in Ranger's shoulders eases a little.

Then I ask, ''Are you going to explain about yourself and Anthony and Lester and????''

 ''Like how?''

''Ranger.''

?

 ''You know what I am asking.'''

?

 ''Who are you? What are you? Where do you come from?''

''Babe.''

I said, ''Is this how you guys really look?''

''What?''

''Are you really---a human being? Homo sapiens?''

''Babe!''

He is grinning.

''Yes. I am really a human being and yes this is how I really look. Jesus, Steph, you think I really look like Godzilla or Darth Vader or something? Chewbacca, maybe? Geez.''

''So that's it? You are human? But not from here. Not from---this planet.''

''Shit.''

''What?"

''How can you tell, no one ever gets that.''

''Every once in awhile you guys make weird mistakes, like that time when Joe talked about picket fences and forever. And you all have such extensive ESP and psychic powers. Not to mention the locked doors thing.''

''Locked doors?''

He is doing a very cute clueless, but I know he knows what I mean.

I huff, ''Those things are not normal, Ranger. We don't have that here on Earth. And you guys, like you and Anthony and Les to an extent, you are just too close, too much one person in two or three bodies. You never cared if Anthony kissed me, because it was really you. Only not.''

He was nodding and smiling.

''Okay here's the truth. Our cultures separated eons ago. Our genetic evolution is similar but different. Reproduction is through artificial means and uses cloning.''

''Yeah, right. If you guys are clones how come Anthony has blond hair?''

''Genetic anomaly in the chromosomal sequence valuations.''

Oh fer chrissakes.

''You know, babe, one of the great things about being sent here to earth is the sex.''

I am not sure I wanted to know that.

He turns on the sexy and I don't care where he'd come from or why or when.

I laugh and say, ''This is all just nonsense.''

Ranger nods a fraction. "Fantasy."

"Make believe…"

He smiles wide.

 ''Sci Fi, babe.''

''You are who you are. And I love you.''

''Good to know."

.................

Later~~~

 

''You certainly succeeded in distracting me from this suicide mission you're going on!''

We rolled across the big white bed in the big white beach house, laughing, kissing.

 Yeah, thought the man who was sometimes called Ranger. Yeah.

 

the end