Raymond Johns took a second drink from his bottle of beer. He was a little man, balding and overweight. He spoke with a ‘cartoonish’ accent that made me like him. He kept glancing at Eve’s crossed legs from across the patio. She would intentionally move her skirt higher to make him more nervous … like catching a kid with his hand in his mother’s purse “borrowing” a few dollars. I sent her one of my silent expressions that said “will you please stop that”, and she looked away trying to hide a smile.
“Mr. Johns,” I continued, “I am not sure I understand. The things you have been telling us seem like a fantasy story from an old book. We’re just people.”
The man smiled, “People? Maybe you look like us, but you’re not like us. I know there are eight of you running around living your lives from day to day in appearance, but you can do things and you’re old.” He pulled a small package from his pants pocket. “Look, I’ve found pictures and have looked through old books and found each of you ”
He handed me the documents bound by a rubber band in a tattered folder. Several pictures slid out from the civil war era and small prints of portraits from the 17th century were behind them. There were newspaper articles about miraculous healings and criminals turning themselves in while speaking gibberish, mimicking a small child’s voice.
He took a big gulp of beer and said pointing to the papers, “It’s all there, pictures of you and her and the people you are with now and those 2 red-heads in Texas. You’ve all been around for quite a long time. I’ve documented everything, Mr. Ancient.”
“Joseph?” Eve moved closer to us. “Joseph, let me see.”
“Well Ray, looks like you’ve caught us?” Eve looked up from the documents at Joseph as he confessed. “Yes, we are a bit different, but not by much. We are the same, just gifted. It all started in my village a long time ago. We were fisherman and we were peaceful people. It was a very clean and calm place where I came from. I hate to do this . . . .”
“What are you going to do?” Raymond asked nervously. “I’m not gonna’ tell anyone, I just wanted to meet you all and ask questions and hear stories.”
“Now you have met us, Mr. Johns. Let me shake your hand to congratulate you. You are the best around today, to have found us when no one else is paying attention to us. Now I will tell you everything. Does anyone else know about our group? Have you told anyone?”
Raymond hesitantly extended his hand to be shaken, not sure if this man was going to hurt him. Just the same he took his hand and replied, “No. Who would take me seriously? I did it as a hobby, but when I saw you had a website, I entered www.ancientscoin.com with such excitement. I was able to buy and handle the things you and the others surely held and examined. I would have a piece of you and a piece of history. No. I only told my wife. But she, in the meantime, took off with her sister to Canada to live in a commune that makes soap. That’s a whole ‘nother story. I’m alone.”
Eve felt sort of sorry that Joseph had to do what he has always done. She hoped that it wouldn’t hurt the man in any way. This guy seemed like a nice man, a lonely man. Raymond Johns began to feel confused and dizzy, but nothing was spinning. Joseph’s touch was causing this.
“What’s happening”, he asked, starting to drool and slump in his seat.
“Joseph, he’s not a bad person, not like the others. Be gentle --- kind with him, even though he is a dirty old man.” Eve pleaded on behalf of Raymond Johns.
Ray stared blankly at the ground, drool slipping from his lips. Eve fixed his shirt collar as Joseph spoke.
“Raymond, I want you to forget all about the research you did and destroy the evidence. Get rid of this notebook and any other information you may have at home. I want you to just remember that you visited a fun website called House of Ancient Coins and Curios and had a nice fantasy about some people that were different than everyone else. You will just think of us as characters in a book that you have enjoyed. Of course keep buying my stuff at www.ancentscoin.com , but just for keepsakes to fuel the fantasy. In the meantime you will become obsessed with joining your wife in Canada. You will see her in the same way that you see my wife Eve…beautiful and desirable. You will be her hero.”
The only word that came from Ray’s mouth was “Okay”.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? To have him hunt down his wife? What if he winds up stalking her?” Eve interjected.
“Okay, Ray, listen. You will be the most romantic man that she ever met and you will hang on her words like they were the most beautiful music.”
Once again, Ray just replied, “Okay.”
Eve smiled. “So our body chemistry will always be this potent or toxic to others.”
“It’s the medicine,” I replied, “it will always be us and we will always be it.”
“At least he will be okay,” she said as they walked away from the patio to head back to the hotel, “he won’t be trying to rob a bank by pointing his finger and singing the words like you made that Mexican drug lord do.”
“Yeah … now that was fun.” I said as we made our way arm in arm down the boardwalk.
