Oscar Meyers Part 2: Academia By Lazlo Zalezac Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2005 Chapter 30 William Redman Carter looked at the check and then across the patio table at Oscar. He was impressed by the size of the check. Raising an eyebrow, William asked, “How did you manage to win so much in Las Vegas?” “I was seeing the future,” Oscar said gesturing to the sky with an open hand hoping that William wouldn’t think he was insane. “You were seeing the future?” William asked leaning forward in his seat. His curiosity had gone into overdrive on hearing that Oscar was seeing the future. “It was real strange. It was like I was seeing the now and the future at the same time.” “Why do you think it happened?” Oscar frowned and looked at William with an expression the other man couldn’t read. He answered, “The Two-Sided One said that it was training.” “Training,” William repeated staring at Oscar in shock. That was the same thing that the Two-Sided One had said when his gift had left him. A sinking feeling came into his stomach. He asked, “Has it happened before?” “Yes. It’s been happening off and on for a couple of months. I don’t understand what’s going on,” Oscar admitted. Feeling uncomfortable discussing the matter, he took a sip of lemonade and looked around the garden behind William’s house. A couple of rabbits were eating some grass. A few squirrels were chasing each other around a tree. One of the trees was loaded with birds. It was odd seeing so many animals concentrated in one yard. William sat back in his chair and thought about what Oscar had said. After a minute of silence, he said, “You say this happened Monday afternoon around two o’clock Vegas time.” “Right,” Oscar said. That was the same time that his gift had left him. William didn’t bother to mention that little detail. Seeing that Oscar seemed uncomfortable discussing that matter, William decided to change the subject. Holding up the check, he asked, “So why did you give this to me?” “I was hoping that you could invest it for me,” Oscar answered. From their discussions he knew that William was pretty good when it came to investing money. On the other hand, the only thing he knew to do was deposit it in a savings account. William sat up realizing that this was the first time that anyone had ever asked him for investment advice. Surprised at the request, he asked, “Why?” “Look, I don’t think I’m going to ... I want to leave a little something to support Georgia and Debbie once I’ve left for the Middle East,” Oscar answered glancing away feeling uncomfortable about the subject. Knowing what Oscar meant and wasn’t saying, William raised a hand to stop Oscar. Aloud, he said, “Say no more. I understand completely. I’ll do my best for you.” “Thanks,” Oscar said feeling relieved. He knew that he could trust William to get the most out of the money. “It’ll take the rest of the day to set up an investment account for you,” William said while pulling out his cell phone to make arrangements for Oscar to meet with Sandra. Oscar nodded his agreement and pulled out his cell phone to tell Oliver that he would be delayed by a day in returning to the College. When William hung up the phone, Oscar said, “Thanks. I really appreciate this. I love them both so much. I just can’t leave them without making sure that they are taken care of.” The next evening, Oscar stepped through security at the airport and spotted Oliver waiting for him. He had expected to find one of the regular drivers waiting for him. Walking over to the Grand Druid, Oscar asked, “You came here just to pick me up?” Oliver peeked over his silvered sunglasses at Oscar and shook his head. He answered, “I came here to yell at you.” “Why?” Looking at Oscar in dismay, Oliver answered, “You hit over twenty consecutive numbers in roulette and you dare ask me that question?” “How did you know about that?” Oscar asked wondering if Mullah Farzin bin Saud had told Oliver that he had been spotted gambling. His actions were having significant repercussions concerning his education. “The casino manager called me. He wanted to know why one of our Druids would go in and rob them of three quarters of a million dollars,” Oliver answered. The casino manager didn’t have any proof, but he was convinced that Oscar had cheated. Although he knew that Oscar hadn’t cheated, he still wondered how Oscar could have possibly picked that many numbers in a row. “Oh, I thought maybe Mullah Farzin bin Saud told you.” The old man had been very upset, particularly when he heard from several sources about how much money Oscar had won. Oscar hadn’t been aware that he had attracted that many observers. “Oh, he told me, but he was relatively calm about the matter. The owner of the casino was a bit more perturbed,” Oliver said. He still couldn’t figure out how Oscar had managed to hit so many winners in a row. Oliver asked, “I just have to know, how did you manage it?” “It was the Two-Sided One,” Oscar said feeling uneasy about mentioning it. “Really?” “Yes, really. He was showing me the future,” Oscar answered feeling uneasy about making that claim. He looked down the length of the airport. The airport was busy, but the two men were standing in an island of isolation. Travelers moved around them giving them plenty of space. Oliver was surprised by Oscar’s answer. It did explain how he was able to pick that many winners in a row. Of course, the question of how Oscar was seeing the future remained unanswered. Frowning, he said, “Oh.” Looking over at Oliver, he asked, “Does Georgia or Debbie know about the money?” “No,” the Grand Druid answered wondering what Oscar meant by his question. “Good, I’d like to leave it that way,” Oscar said. He hadn’t told them about the money despite the fact that he intended to give it to them. Unable to see any malice in Oscar’s answer, Oliver said, “Okay. I won’t say a word.” “You might let the owner of the casino know that the attendees of the conference lost more than I won,” Oscar said. There was one very famous televangelist with a less than stellar reputation who lost a fortune at in the casino. Shaking his head, he said, “If I understand correctly, a certain television preacher lost exactly twice what I won.” Oliver found the idea of using the casino as a way to transfer money among individuals of a religious calling humorous. He chuckled and said, “The Powers That Be work in mysterious ways.” “Yes, they do,” Oscar agreed with a nod. He grinned and said, “The casino even got a fifty percent usury fee.” “So what are you doing with the money?” Oliver asked assuming that Oscar would turn it over to him to be used for some great purpose. “I gave it to William Redman Carter to invest for me,” Oscar answered after a slight pause. He felt a little guilty about keeping the money, but it wasn’t really for his use. “Oh,” Oliver said. The idea that Oscar would keep the money had never occurred to him. For a moment he didn’t have anything to say. Finally, he said, “Tell me about seeing the future.” “When I was walking through the casino, I realized that I was seeing the present and the future overlaid one atop the other,” Oscar said. “Ah, that’s interesting,” Oliver said studying Oscar carefully. At some point in time he would have to learn more about that gift. He asked, “Did the Two-Sided One let you know that was he was going to do that?” “No.” “Have you visited the Carter Glade recently?” “No.” Oliver shook his head and headed towards the exit of the airport without saying a word to Oscar. Everything about this situation sounded odd to him. On reaching the parking lot, Oliver took a deep breath and asked, “Did you ever have that happen before?” “That afternoon when I got sick by the road was the first time. At least, I think that was why I was sick,” Oscar answered. “And you haven’t been out to the glade?” “Not at all,” Oscar answered. Shaking his head, Oliver said, “I’ve never heard of a Druid getting a gift from the Gods and Goddesses without a visitation. Of course, I’ve never heard of a gift that comes and goes, so I don’t know what to make of it.” Rather than answer, Oscar walked beside the Grand Druid to the car. He didn’t really want to talk about the matter. There were other issues that required discussion. He asked, “So what did you think of the Mullah’s suggestion?” “I wasn’t happy about it, but we’re going to do it,” Oliver answered. When Mullah Farzin bin Saud had said that Oscar had been too visible at the casino, Oliver hadn’t understood what he had meant. Of course, once he had learned the rest of the story from the casino manager, he understood exactly why Farzin had changed plans. The stunt in the casino required that they avoid further contact so that there would be time for the connection between the two of them to be forgotten by anyone who may have noticed Oscar. “So what am I supposed to study for the next three months?” “Buddhism,” Oliver answered. He knew that Oscar wasn’t going to like the rest of the plan. “So when is the Buddhist … whatever he’s called … going to show up?” Oscar asked wondering what kinds of ranks there were in the Buddhist religion. “No one is showing up here,” Oliver answered. He paused to look over at Oscar and said, “You’re going there.” “Wow, so I’m going to India to study with the Dali Lama?” Oscar asked assuming that the Grand Druid would have arranged for him to study under the Dali Lama. It dawned on him that Dali Lama might be a title rather than a name. “Not quite. You’re going to Thailand,” Oliver said. Going to Thailand meant he was going to spend three months away from the school. Although the country of Thailand had a reputation for sex, he knew that his girlfriends would be more upset about the separation than the possibility of any visits to dens of iniquity. He said, “I don’t think that Debbie and Georgia are going to like that one little bit.” “You won’t be in Bangkok if that is what you are thinking. You’ll be far from the famous brothels of Bangkok. You’re going to study in a forest retreat,” Oliver said. “They wouldn’t worry about that. They’ll be upset about being separated from me. At least I’ll be able to call them every night. Although, if I’m in a forest retreat then I suppose that I won’t be able to call them every night. I’ll probably have to wait until the weekends to call them,” Oscar said. “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about how often you’ll be able to call them if I were you,” Oliver said. Hopeful, Oscar said, “Great. They’ll be going with me?” “No. You’re going to be isolated from the whole world for the entire time you’re there. They won’t be going there and you won’t be talking to them on the telephone,” Oliver said with a smile. Oscar shook his head and asked, “Why?” “You are supposed to learn inner peace. How are you going to learn that if you’re getting excited from talking dirty to your girlfriends on the telephone every night?” “I won’t be talking dirty to them!” Oscar said. Looking at Oscar as if he were a child who just announced that they’d never get married, Oliver said, “Don’t be silly. First you’ll start of talking about how much you’ve missed them and then one thing will lead to another. Before you know it, you’ll be sharing orgasms over the telephone.” Oscar would have objected, but he could see that happening. He frowned and asked, “So how am I supposed to learn inner peace if I’m horny?” Oliver laughed at the question and shook his head. He would have asked that same question if he had been in Oscar’s place. He answered, “Hey, we’re talking Buddhists and not Druids. I’ve got no idea how they manage that little trick.” Georgia was not pleased to hear that Oscar was going to be gone for three months. In a very loud voice that carried across the dining hall, she said, “You’re not going away for three months. I won’t allow it.” Despite being a redhead, Debbie was much more level headed in her reaction. In a very quiet voice, she said, “You’ll call us every night, right?” That was the question that Oscar had been dreading. Licking his lips nervously, he answered, “No. I’m going to be isolated in a forest retreat the entire time.” “Really?” she asked in a very reasonable tone of voice. Georgia flinched and stepped away expecting the redhead to explode any moment. She knew Debbie well enough to know that when she started using that particular voice she was getting very angry. The explosion would occur soon if she didn’t hear something that she liked. “Yes,” Oscar said with a wince. This was not going so well. “Bullshit,” Debbie said in the same controlled quiet voice. “Uh, I’m supposed to learn inner peace and they don’t want me talking to anyone who is liable to get me excited,” Oscar said hoping that she would understand. “Excited? I’ll show them excited,” Debbie said starting to rise out of her chair. “It’s only for three months,” Oscar said. Debbie stared at Oscar for a full fifteen seconds. It was the longest fifteen seconds that Oscar could remember experiencing. She exploded, “You are not leaving us for three months. I won’t allow it. We don’t have enough time together as it is!” Watching the pressure build, Georgia had been wondering about the sudden change in plans. She put a hand on Debbie’s arm and asked, “What happened in Las Vegas?” Debbie paused to hear the answer. Oscar looked around wondering how he could avoid telling them about the money. Giving a weak smile, he said, “I found out what was happening during those times when I was seeing double.” Concern over his health overruled their displeasure over his pending absence. Debbie asked, “What was happening?” “I was seeing the future and the present at the same time.” “What?” both women asked together. “The double vision was because I was seeing the future at the same time that I was seeing the present,” Oscar said. “You can see the future?” “Only sometimes,” he answered. Georgia looked at Oscar as if she couldn’t quite believe him. She asked, “So what happened?” “I drew a lot of attention,” Oscar said. Shrugging his shoulders, he added, “The Mullah Farzin bin Saud felt that I drew a little bit too much attention to myself. He fears that he or I will be killed if we continue to meet as we have been meeting.” “Oh,” Debbie said not fully understanding the seriousness with which some people took religion. “Let me get this straight. You can occasionally see the future, you were in Vegas, and you drew a bit too much attention to yourself. Did you win a couple grand at blackjack or something?” Georgia asked. “You might say that,” Oscar answered hoping to avoid further discussion about the topic. “I want to know more about seeing the future,” Debbie said. “Well, it’s kind of weird. In a way, it is a lot like being motion sick. You know, that queasy horrible feeling you get when you get off an amusement park ride. I felt like throwing up the entire time and even for a while afterwards. I think that getting sent to the Buddhist Monastery is probably a good thing. It may give me a chance to learn how to control it,” Oscar said. For the next thirty minutes, Oscar described what happened when he was seeing the future. He avoided mentioning how much money he won at the Roulette table. Georgia and Debbie both asked lots of questions. Most of the questions dealt with the far future rather than the events in Las Vegas. Glancing at the clock, Debbie realized that she was going to be late for her class. Rising from her seat, she smiled sweetly at Oscar. There was a hint that she was planning something in her smile. Looking over at Georgia, Debbie said, “I’ve got to get to class. You and I need to talk later.” After dinner, Debbie and Georgia went off to talk together. Rather than stay around the dining room, Debbie led Georgia out to the garden. It was dark and no one was around. Convinced that no one would over hear her, Debbie said, “I’ve always wanted to see Thailand. I guess it is time for you and me to have a little chat with Oliver. We are going there with Oscar.” “Uh, I don’t think Oliver’s going to accept that,” Georgia said. With a real flash of anger, Debbie said, “I’m tired of these Druids fucking around with our private lives. We’ve accepted that we can’t room together, but sending Oscar away for three months is bullshit.” Stepping out of the shadows, Oliver asked, “What is bullshit?” Spinning around at the sudden interruption, Debbie nearly tripped over her feet. Georgia had jumped a foot in the air. The shock caused her to come down with a bad case of hiccups. Debbie said, “Don’t sneak up on us like that!” “Sorry,” Oliver said looking at her over his silvered glasses. He asked, “What is bullshit?” Georgia hiccupped and looked at the others with embarrassment. After another hiccup, she said, “Let me get a drink of water … hic … and get rid of these … hic … hiccups.” Five minutes later Georgia returned. Debbie had used the time to put together what she thought would be a very compelling argument as to why she and Georgia should be allowed to go to Thailand with Oscar. In a very calm and collected voice, she said, “Georgia and I don’t have much time to spend with Oscar. You and I both know that he’s going to die when he goes over to the Middle East. At best, I figure that we have only got two years to be with him. Sending him off to Thailand is taking away too much time from us.” Oliver stared at Debbie thinking that she was the first student to really challenge him since he had taken over as President of the Druid College. Slipping off his glasses, he examined Debbie using his gift. Her spirit was pure in terms of wanting to love Oscar. She didn’t want to hurt anyone despite the fact that she was angry. There weren’t any black spots on her aura. Her aura was bright and clear. The problem wasn’t within her, but arose as a result of the situation. Counseling her would not help. He glanced over at Georgia and wondered when she was going to let loose with her shots. He sighed and said, “I don’t know what is going to happen in the future. I don’t know how much time you will have with Oscar. If I was convinced that he only had two years to live, I would probably tell you to go with him.” “You know he only has two years left,” Debbie shouted losing her cool. “No, I don’t know that. He has two years of courses before his internship begins. I’m sure that he will enter the glade to begin his service to the Two-Sided One during his final year. I don’t know if his visit will occur Midsummer’s day before his final year, Midwinter’s day of his final year, or Midsummer’s day at the end of his final year. I suspect it will be Midwinter’s Day of his final year. “I’m pretty sure that he will travel to the Middle East once he has returned to service. I don’t know what will happen when he reaches the Middle East. It could take two days or twenty years to complete his mission in the Middle East. I don’t know,” Oliver said. He wondered when it had become accepted that Oscar was going to die. Debbie sat back in her chair and studied the Grand Druid. He had made some very good points, but it didn’t make her feel any better. Maybe they had more than two years, but she didn’t really believe it. She sighed and said, “I love him so much. It hurts to know that I’m going to lose him soon.” “I understand,” Oliver said. “So we can go?” Georgia asked hopefully. “No.”