Ghosts (Book 1 Part 3)

Sometimes I think The Delphi Circle spoils me a little. I know it is more than that. They try to motivate me with beautiful and willing women. They think that our goals are the same and that by lending me one of their women for a time I might be less inclined to drink. They are partially correct. It is sometimes hard to think of continually drinking when I have thrilling and romantic options open to me, but I always go back to it, and none of them can compete with Violet, not even Vera. Actually, it is relatively difficult for them to compete with the bottle as well.
I awoke, Vera’s warm body next to mine, sharing homeopathic heat under the white comforter in the cool Shanghai morning. I was tempted to enjoy the moment, romanticize the scene into something it was never going to be. I decided not to fool myself this time. Several years ago we might have been able to almost do that. Still, she was of The Circle then, like now. I wondered if her husband knew exactly what she did for The Circle, primarily with me on my dark and lonely nights. Vera was doing her job; I was fulfilling biological wants that I pretended were needs.
Sunlight was attempting to creep through the curtains and came through softly in several places where they were not quite flush with the walls or floor or ceiling. Another day. This day I woke up in China.
“I was waiting for you to wake up, Ulie,” she said, her very soft voice almost a whisper.
“How’d you know I was awake? I haven’t even moved.” I reached over onto the dresser and grabbed my cigarettes and lighter, lit up a smoke.
“I remember from San Francisco. Whether you realize it or not, your body always tenses up when you awaken.” She was silent for a moment. “I’m sorry, Ulie, sometimes I judge you but I have no idea what it is like to see what you see.”
“Don’t worry about it, baby. We all have our destiny.” Violet; Vera; former girlfriends; my ex-wife. Nothing ever worked out for me. I suddenly felt too emotional, saddened, depressed. Nothing ever lasts.
“Should we get some coffee? We need to talk.” Vera removed herself from the bed. As she gently took her feet I was in awe of her body. Maybe she wasn’t perfect, skin blemishes and a little extra weight seemed to have crept up on her since I had last seen her, but damn, she was just fine for me.
“We talked last night.” She stood nude, not shy or remotely put off by my gaze.
“Ulie, I needed to wait for you to sober up. Please, hear me out before you go back to whatever you think you need to do today, okay?”
“Fine.” I got out of bed as well. I wanted to take her in my arms, maybe back to bed, maybe just to hold her for a time before this scene in my life ended. My emotions were too much. I was getting abdominal cramps again. Completely aware of my nudity, the cold room, the effect as it appeared on my genitalia, the beer weight I had taken on since last she had seen me, I felt the unhappiness start to overwhelm me and my eyes began to water.
“Ulie—“ Vera was not stupid, and her distinctly feminine radar immediately picked up on my emotions.
“I need to shower.” Before she could say anything else I was in the bathroom with the water turned on. I flicked my cigarette into the toilet and let the warm water envelope me before there were any tears to be noticed. I don’t really get suddenly upset too often, maybe it was the presence of Vera, and maybe it was the lack of alcohol in my bloodstream, as that can often make me more human and emotional, more caring at times.
Lately, whenever I had gotten in the shower, it made the abdominal pains worse. Three rough areas hurt, the lower right quadrant of my abdominal region where I know my liver to be, and two areas on my lower back where I know my kidneys to be. These areas had been bothering me off and on for months, but the pain was sharper this morning. I needed some Scotch. But, Vera was not going to allow that until she told me what she needed to tell me.
After my shower I came out of the misted and moist bathroom to the smell of freshly brewed coffee, a smell I allowed myself to enjoy for a mere moment before the present situation took control of me again. Vera had gone down to the lobby and brought a couple cups of coffee back. She was awaiting my bathing’s end and we talked. We started with light conversation, but as the DTs started in Vera decided to tell me what she needed to tell me before she lost me.
“Ulie, first and foremost we are a little worried about your visa. Here in China, The Circle of Delphi has virtually no influence. I’m not saying that the Chinese Government is incorruptible, but I am saying that when we tried that in the past, the government got too involved in our affairs. It took years to sever that tie, so we operate outside of the government’s knowledge in this nation.”
“Is that possible? Aren’t these communists pretty strict, here?”
“Of course they are strict, but China is no longer exactly communist. Many Western businesses are popping up and many Chinese businesses are doing quite well. We have a rising middle-class here, now. But yes, they keep severe track of foreigners here. Whenever you stay anywhere other than a hotel you need to notify the local police station within twenty-four hours. Are you hearing me? This is important. We don’t want to arouse any suspicion on the part of the government. I also told you to get a Canadian passport, so why did you choose to get an American one?”
“Merlyn suggested that his newest fake American passports were just peachy keen. So, I thought I would try to be an American. Fuck, I am an American. It’s easier to lie when you have to lie about less.”
“The government keeps closer track of Americans, Ulie, so that was a stupid move on your part. Just don’t break any laws or do anything stupid. I will be in here with you in Shanghai, but you will need to go elsewhere soon.”
“Where?” I already didn’t like the sound of the conversation. The situation was getting a little more restrictive than I am used to.
“Okay, look. You have been enrolled in a TEFL course here in Shanghai. Now, this is important. We cannot pay off the teacher, so you need to go.”
“Fuck that.” The situation was just getting worse and worse. What the hell was a TEFL course?
“Ulie! Please listen to me. The man you need to speak to is hard to get ahold of, so you might be in China for a time. To arouse less suspicion, we need to get you a work visa. In order to do that, you need to have a job. You have one set up for you in Wuhan, which, incidentally, is also where Guanzhong was last reported to be.”
“Who?”
“We think the reason you are here is because of a dire situation that is predicted to occur soon, within the year.” She was growing irritated, but still in spite of my rising anger toward her, I found her absolutely beautiful, not Violet, but nice for a living woman. “Your new job will be teaching English to Chinese children.”
“My degree is in sociology. I can’t teach English. I barely remember how to speak it at times. It interferes with my drinking.”
“Your degree can be in anything. You don’t need a degree in English. You just need a BA, which you have. But, that doesn’t matter, as you are travelling under a false name. We will get you a false degree in sociology for visa purposes.”
“Get me a false degree in English.”
“You are not listening. Don’t you want to appear like less of a liar? Isn’t that what you said? You don’t have to teach anyhow. The job in Wuhan is a fake. The school is real, but the woman who runs it is sympathetic to our cause. Most of this is just for visa purposes, but you have to take the three week TEFL course.”
“I want to go home.” This situation was giving me a headache. I wanted a drink, but more than that, I needed a drink.
“You don’t have a home. Isn’t that what you always like to claim when you are sitting around feeling sorry for yourself?”
“Fuck you, Vera.”
“Ulie, listen—“
“No, you listen, Vera. Answer my questions one by one. Please.”
“Fine.”
“What is TEFL?”
“TEFL is an acronym for Teaching English as a Foreign Language.”
“Where the hell is Wuhan?”
“It is in the Hubei province of central China. It is about six hours by train from here.”
“Why the fuck do I need to go to Wuhan?”
“You need to speak to Guanzhong.”
“And who the fuck is Gone Zong?”
“Guanzhong,” she said emphatically, “Guanzhong.”
“Guanzhong, why the hell do I need to talk to him?”
“That is a story in itself. We think the reason you are here is to prevent a major catastrophe that both represents a very real danger to the world of the living and the dead, and all things as we know them to be.” She sighed, like she was dealing with an unruly child. “Ulie, this might be the most important thing you have ever done in your entire life.”
My entire life? My useless wasted life. “I need a drink.”
“Ulie, please let me explain this to you first.”
“I want some fucking Scotch.”
“Keep it at beer until I am done and we will have a deal.”
“Fine, beer then. Agreed.” The abdominal pains were getting a little more intense than I cared to deal with any longer.
It’s not easy to surprise me, as I see many things that would make most people shudder uncontrollably. Still, I have to admit, even I was more than a little surprised at what Vera revealed to me.