Chapter 14 – Recognition
‘Look Mummy,’ Hester said. ‘That man looks just like Daddy, but a lot younger. He sounds like Daddy too.’
‘What are you watching, love?’ Liz asked on automatic.
‘I was watching the cartoons,’ Hester replied, not taking her eyes off the screen. ‘But then this came on. It was annoying. Some boring government meeting. I hate politics. So I flicked channels and it was everywhere. Then I noticed that it sounded just like Daddy; and he looks like Daddy too. He’s even saying the same kind of things that Daddy says.’
Liz was tidying up the kitchen after tea and drifted into the sitting room and sat next to Hester. She frowned at the screen even though her heart wasn’t in it. It showed a huge conference room with delegates sitting at their desks. Each had a little flag of their country. It looked like the United Nations. Standing in front of them, holding the floor was a young man whose voice rose with conviction and was rich, sonorous and expressive.
She was instantly transfixed. It sounded exactly like Opher. She looked hard at the young man and knew she’d recognise him anywhere. It was Opher. But not the old slightly flabby middle aged guy she had been living with lately. This was the sleek young model she had first started going out with all those years ago. She knew that face, that voice, that posture. But it couldn’t be. That was impossible. She rejected the whole notion. Yet her mind started flipping. She nearly got up and rejected the whole nonsense to go back to the clearing up, but she could not drag herself away. She felt that somehow it was him. How could it possibly be? Her rational mind told her that it couldn’t be him and to stop being ridiculous. Yet her heart was thumping because she knew it was; her body knew that it was. You did not live with someone for that length of time without knowing every little nuance and gesture. But he looked twenty years younger. That slim young man was not the old comfy model that had taken Sam up the lane. She snorted and shook her head. She was deluding herself. It could not possibly be Opher. It was just somebody who looked just like he’d looked years ago – a coincidence. But the tears were falling from her eyes as she watched. Her heart was talking to her. But it was preposterous. What would Opher be doing addressing the United Nations? How could he possible look so much younger? Make-up can only do so much. It was absurd.
The three boys slid in to join them and the whole family was gathered together peering at the screen.
‘That is Dad,’ Dylan said disbelievingly. ‘But he looks so young.’
‘And totally cool,’ Barnaby added, a slight hint of admiration creeping into his voice. He’d never seen his Dad as cool before.
‘Yeah,’ Dylan agreed. ‘He’s supercool.’
Dylan was sixteen, approaching seventeen, and Barnaby was coming up fifteen. They were of the age where parents were totally uncool. They didn’t like their music, their clothes or the way they danced. Everything about them was a total embarrassment. But this was definitely their Dad and he was totally cool.
Liz watched in amazement as Opher spoke. He was not the bumbling fool she had grown to love and despair of; this younger model was lucid, authoritative and full of confidence. He didn’t stumble over his words once. His demeanour was perfect. He did not slouch and mumble. He was saying it like he believed it and he was totally impressive. And she knew it was really him. There was no doubt. Yet it was impossible.
The phone rang and Liz answered it without taking her eyes off the screen.
‘Is that Opher on telly?’ A disbelieving Mandy asked. Her voice was incredulous. ‘Everybody is saying it is. But he looks so different.’ A mixture of awe and disbelief was there in her tone. She thought it was Opher too but she did not believe it either.
‘I don’t know,’ Liz spluttered tearfully.
‘I’ll come right round,’ Mandy said, picking up on Liz’s distress.
Liz hung the phone up like an automaton. The moment she put it down it rang but she made no attempt to pick it up and stood staring at the screen.
Somehow a younger Opher was addressing the United Nations. That was all she knew. She did not know how. She knew it was not possible. But she was sure.
What had happened? How could this be happening?
The address reached its end and a man, a broadcast anchor-man, appeared on the screen looking more than a little unprepared but gathering things together. This was the sort of moment where he earnt his corn.
‘We would like to apologise for this unscheduled programme change,’ he announced. ‘It was due to technical issues beyond our control. What you have heard is an address by the self-proclaimed President of the World – one Opher Goodwin, to the United Nations general assembly.’ An electric bolt went through Liz’s head when she heard him say the name. It was Opher. The man had confirmed it. She felt she’d been pole-axed. ‘We have no idea how this was put into our broadcasting schedule, and are making every effort to return you to your usual viewing. Thank you for your understanding.’
Liz stumbled across to the sofa and slumped back down.
‘See,’ Dylan said triumphantly. ‘I told you that was Dad.’
‘Cool,’ Barnaby drooled.
‘Supercool,’ Henry chipped in. He was only six and seeing his Dad up there on Telly was great. He wasn’t bothered by what he looked like or how it had happened. He just accepted it. That’s what it’s like when you’re six.
Liz’s head was spinning. She could not understand the evidence of her own eyes.
‘We are returning you to your normal schedule now,’ the announcer explained. His face disappeared and the channel cut back to the cartoons.
Just then the phone, which had eventually stopped ringing, rang again.
Liz, still in a daze, stumbled to her feet and picked it up. Her whole world was spinning in a whirlpool of confusion.
‘Hi Love, how are you?’ I asked sheepishly.
She heard my voice. It was me.
‘Oph. Is that really you?’ Liz asked in disbelief. She could not get her head around this. It felt like madness
‘Yes it’s me love,’ I said. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘Was that really you on the TV just now?’ She asked incredulously. One minute I was missing supposed dead and the next she found me on TV addressing the United Nations. Not just me but some slick supercharged model. It was no wonder she was struggling.
‘Yes, that was me.’
‘Oph. What on earth is going on,’ Liz wailed, all the pent up emotion and frustration, the anger, fury and relief all jumbled up and poured into those few words. It wrenched at me.
‘Look love, I’m so sorry. I know how hard it’s been.’ I explained lamely. How on Earth was I going to explain all this over the phone? I wouldn’t have believed it and I was living it.
‘You can’t possibly know,’ Liz wailed, her breath coming in sobs. ‘You can’t possibly begin to know.’ It descended into great heaving sobs.
‘I know. I can’t imagine,’ I said, even with a supercharged brain there were no words that were adequate. But that was secondary right now. There were far more important things. Now that I had made my first move things would progress fast. We had to move quickly. ‘But look there isn’t time for this now. You have to pull yourself together.’ I spoke harshly but I had to. I had to get her going. ‘I’m counting on you, love. You have to move fast. Get the kids. Don’t pack. Just get the kids. Take Sam round to Mandy’s. She’ll look after him. Take the kids and go down the back lane. Walk to the end. Behind the tall hawthorn hedge there is a field. I know this sounds strange but I will meet you there. I will be waiting there for you. You understand? There is no time. Just do it right now. It is imperative that you go right now!’
Something in my voice was authoritative and snapped Liz into action. She pulled herself together. I could hear her taking deep breaths and taking control of herself.
‘That’s right, love,’ I said encouragingly. ‘You must move fast. Do you understand?’
‘Yes.’
‘Good girl.’
I hung up.
‘Hester,’ Liz ordered calmly. ‘Go and get the dog lead and put Sam on it.’
Hester got up and did it. There was no argument. They all sensed the seriousness of what was going down.
‘Dylan – turn the TV off. Barnaby – run upstairs and make sure everything is turned off. Henry, put your shoes on.’
Within minutes they were locking the door and walking out. Sam was not pulling on his lead like he normally would. He was missing me and still shaken up by his close encounter of the third kind. But at least he was eating again and glad of a walk. That is until the family turned up the back street towards Mandy’s and John’s house. That was towards the lane and there was no way he was going down there again. He started pulling back so Dylan had to virtually drag him along.
Mandy was striding down the lane on her way round to Liz. She could see something was up as soon as she saw Liz and the kids in their coats and knew not to ask too many questions. She took Sam’s lead without any hesitation when Liz asked her if she could look after him. They turned and walked back up the lane, with Liz telling her about the phone call from Opher, and then Mandy turned into her house and waved goodbye. Sam was relieved not to be going any nearer that dreaded place. He was OK with Mandy. She was a dog person. He liked her and he was just grateful to go no further and wagged his tail in relief. This was as close as he ever wanted to get to those fields.
Mandy watched them walk off. She did not know what was going on. Liz hadn’t told her much more – just that she was going to meet Oph and not to say a word. She sensed that it was all top secret and had a million questions to ask but bit her tongue. Now wasn’t the time. Inside her head was spinning almost as much as Liz’s, running through a thousand guesses. But I don’t think she would have guessed the truth in a thousand years.
Science Fiction books:
Ebola in the Garden of Eden – paperback £6.95 Kindle £2.56 (or free on unlimited)
Green – paperback £9.98 Kindle £2.56 (or free on unlimited)
Rock Music books
In Search of Captain Beefheart – paperback £6.91 Kindle £1.99 (or free on unlimited)
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Other selected books and novels:
Anecdotes-Weird-Science-Writing-Ramblings – a book of anecdotes mainly from the sixties and other writing.
More Anecdotes – following the immense popularity of the first volume I produced a second
Goofin’ with the cosmic freaks – a kind of On the Road for the sixties
The book of Ginny – a novel
In Britain :
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Opher-Goodwin/e/B00MSHUX6Y/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1461306850&sr=1-2-ent
In America:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=opher+goodwin
In all other countries around the world check out your regional Amazon site and Opher Goodwin books.
Reblogged this on Opher's World and commented:
This is a fun Sci Fi novel – Opher saves the world.