Humanity's Evolution: Part XII

 By Renee Hughes

Gershom stared at me a moment longer before clearing his throat. But before he could say another word on the subject, Michael reappeared. He had a companion with him that he introduced to Gershom and I. A Little Dragon who went by the name of Holly. Although the name was female, she wore the form of a young male. A handsome one at that I had to admit as I shook her hand. Occasionally, I would take a male form but in general I gravitated more towards females.

I glanced at Michael feeling more than a little guilty. I had allowed Gershom to monopolize my attention during and after Sandra's lecture forgetting all about him. He recognized the look in my eyes. Gershom had met Holly before through a mutual third acquaintance. As he started asking her questions about their friend, Michael moved closer to me and whispered. "Don't feel bad. I am glad to see you with someone," he said. I shook my head thinking about Gershom's and my latest argument. "I don't think it will last. We are too different." I glanced at Holly changing the conversation. "She seems nice," I said. Michael nodded his head and smiled. "We met when I was with Frank. It is nice to get reacquainted."

Unlike Jerome and I, Michael's relationships tended to last only a century well below the average length of three centuries. I watched how Michael looked at Holly and couldn't help wondering if she would make the difference.

Gershom was looking in my direction again. The man looked as if he didn't know what to do with me. It was irritating. Michael led Holly away for a moment leaving us alone. "What do you want from me?" I demanded from him. Gershom shook his head. " You can't help being yourself," his voice sounded tinged with regret. My anger ignited. "It seems you can't help being yourself either." I was fed up with him and about ready to leave when he said the last thing I expected. "I am sorry," he said in a soft voice.

I turned to look at him. Gershom wore a contrite expression on his face but I wasn't going to let him get away that easily. "If this project passes, you and I will be working together. It doesn't matter if we are mere acquaintances, friends or whatever so let's not try to make our relationship more than what it is." He gave a heavy sigh in response. "Arguing or disagreeing with a person doesn't diminish my feelings for him or her. You can't convince me that you are that shallow." It was my turn to sigh. "Feelings are all well and good but surely you can see our compatibility is being sorely tested."

"All I know is that we don't always see eye to eye on things and I find that both vexing and stimulating," he said a tender look coming into his eyes. Gershom then surprised me by gently kissing my hand. "The one thing that truly kills a relationship is boredom." My heart betrayed me a little at his gallant gesture, but I was determined not to be so easily swayed this time. "My last relationship Gershom lasted for five centuries. I think I can tell when something isn't going to work."

Gershom wasn't deterred. "I have no idea if we will meet that ideal. I only know you have two choices when you have feelings for someone to act on them or ignore them. Ignoring them never worked for me." He was really trying, and it flattered me. I am not even sure Jerome had worked so hard to date me at first. "Why don't we watch the next lecture together and see how things go," I finally said.

He agreed. "Dave's lecture on how we nearly destroyed ourselves should be entertaining." I shook my head and couldn't help laughing at his outrageous statement. "Only you would find a period where our worst qualities were practically thrown in our faces amusing," I said.

"See you are getting to know me already," he said smiling back.

That ends Part XII. Next month is Part XIII. If you have enjoyed this piece, please consider giving a donation of time or money to your favorite charity. A few worthwhile local organizations are Safe Futures, Inc., Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut and Thames Valley Council for Community Action. Together we can make a difference!