TEN YEARS, The Kenny Ackerman Story BOOK TWO~ FUTURES, by Melly O'Hara

FAITH

CHAPTER  11     FAITH

Unusually, Kenny had woken early and as I lay in our bed; surrounded in the softness of the covers, the sun peeking through the half open curtains opening my eyes to the new day. Slowly regaining consciousness, listening to the sounds of him bathe, gradually recalling the information he'd shared with me the night before; my agitation grew at his willingness to make a deal, any deal, with Rod Reiss. The person who had commanded Uri to kill him. The person who had always held Kenny in such low regard. The person who would use Kenny for his own ends, never minding the consequences. And, if Rod were involved, the consequences would likely be that, Kenny would die. All to serve some underhanded, conniving plan that Rod, of course, had not revealed. And in his arrogance, Kenny had trusted him!
It was now no longer the thought of losing Kenny to some kind of Titan ' experiment' that I feared, but to his 'partnership' with Rod.

Watching him come into the bedroom and beginning to dress, completely oblivious as to how breathtaking he was, as the rising sun cast its golden rays on his chiseled body; the shadows and highlights emphasising his long, lean and muscular frame, his towel dried wet hair, hanging in strands across his tanned, angular features, as he subdued it into position with his brush. I was unable to contain the mixture of love and irritation that fought for dominance inside me; and throwing back the bed clothes, I made my way into our kitchen.

"I can't believe that you're doing this!" I shouted as I prepared breakfast, banging the pans on the stove, crashing the dishes on the countertop, my face red with frustration.

It had been late, when Kenny had finished telling me about the events of the last four days that had kept him from me. And as the candles had burned low; the relief of having him home, of knowing what had happened, of having him in my arms, had made everything else unimportant. Well, unimportant until now.

Now, as the morning sun streamed through our kitchen windows, the day yet another mild Spring day; with its blue sky, gentle, soft,cotton ball clouds and light breeze; the significance of all I'd learned last night, and it's repercussions, hit me like a tonne of bricks. The juxtaposition between the normalicy of our little every day, mundane lives; with me cooking eggs for breakfast. Kenny following me into our kitchen and seating himself at our kitchen table; dressed in his white shirt that was barely buttoned, revealing his bronzed, athletic chest, his black waistcoat open, his black pants, tightly hugging his lower body. And those famous cowboy boots. His hair, still damp from his bath; slicked back, falling in wet strands around his shoulders.  His stubble, slightly tamed into neatness, after his morning shave.
And me; dressed in his old white shirt, barefoot, my hair still slightly mussed from sleeping, as I stood cooking our breakfast.

At his silence, I continued. "I can't believe that YOU are trusting ROD!" I exclaimed, angrily, with disbelief etched all over my face; glancing at him, as I slid the omelet onto a plate.

He sat, his head down staring at his  despised tea, as he gently swirled the liquid inside; slowly rotating the cup in a circular motion. I could see his impatience with me, with this conversation. His face a mask of exaggerated tolerance.

"Ain't a matter of trust", he stated evenly. Still staring at his cup, beginning to tap his black cowboy boot on the pinewood floorboards, his impatience growing.

"Then what IS it a matter of?" I screamed, sarcasm creeping into my voice. " 'Your precious blue serum?!' And EATING another human being?!! WHAT THE HELL?!  Are you nuts?! What are you THINKING?! That this is REAL?!  It's BULLSHIT! He's screwing you Kenny! And you've just put your entire future in his hands! What happens when all this goes wrong? And it will! What then? He isn't Uri, Kenny! He's using you!"  There, I'd finally said it.