ALL MY LIFE
PART FOUR
"Jack, honey, come out from under there. Go play with Dana or Ricky."
Joan Williams pleaded with her seven-year-old to come out from under the living room coffee table. She was holding her three-month-old daughter in one arm and a bottle of milk in the other.
"When’s Uncle Rafe coming?" Jack whined.
"Soon. He’ll be here soon. Now go play."
Joan bounced young Avery on her hip. She was anxious. She had met Rafe’s girlfriends before. She had, on rare occasions, met other mutants before. However, she had never met anyone as powerful as Rafe claimed her to be.
A week ago, Rafe had come to dinner. After her two youngest were in bed, and Mel had gone to watch t.v. in another room, she, her husband, her mother and Rafe had been sitting around the table talking. Rafe was telling them about a woman he had been seeing. Their mother, of course had insisted on meeting her. Her husband David had asked what she did for a living.
"She, um. . . well. . . she’s a student."
Their mother narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "And?????"
"And, she. . . She works for a. . . defense organization."
"Like the police?"
"Not exactly."
Their mother grabbed Rafe’s ear like she had done when he was a child. "Rafe Issamu Wallace, don’t you lie to your mother!"
"Oww! Ma! All Right, I’ll tell you! Leggo."
Joan was covering her mouth.
"Not one word!" Rafe warned.
"What? Me?"
"Rafe. . ."
"Okay! Ororo. . . she’s an ------n."
"What was that?"
"An X-Man all right! She’s an X-Man."
"An X-Man!"
"Actually, the leader, uh, co-leader, of the X-Men."
"Cool!"
The group turned their heads to where Melissa was now standing.
"I, uh, just wanted something to drink. Uncle Rafe, you’re really dating an X-Man, uh, Woman—whatever?"
Rafe sighed. "Yes, I am. But don’t you go around telling anyone. It’s not exactly something she puts on a business card, you know."
"The X-Men." Joan mused. "They’re sorta the cream of the crop aren’t they?"
"There are different classes of mutants on the team. Ororo’s Alpha Class."
"Meaning. . ?"
"Top of the line."
"What can she do?"
Rafe took a sip of his coffee. "She— she controls the weather."
"What?" Joan exclaimed in disbelief.
"She controls the whether. You know, rain, sleet, snow, wind, all of it."
"My god. . ."
Joan was a telekinetic. She didn’t know about Mutant Classes, or power levels or anything else like that. All she knew was that if there was a high level, she was farthest from it. Her powers were minimal. She could move books and trays. She had caught Melissa six years ago when she fell out of a tree. She had been the heaviest Joan had ever tried to move. It cost her. She was bedridden for a week with the mother of all migraines.
And any moment now, Mother Nature herself was going to walk through her front door. She was feeling more than a little insecure.
{Ding Dong!}
‘Speak of the devil.’ "Who is it?"
"Me." Rafe called from the other side of the door.
The baby and the bottle occupying her hands, Joan opened the door mentally.
Her younger brother entered, followed by a tall regal looking black woman dressed in a beautiful, dark coloured pants suit.
"Uncle Rafe!"
Before Joan could speak, the birthday girl ran forward and threw herself into the arms of her only uncle. She hugged him tightly for a moment then stepped back. She noticed Storm.
"Wow. . ." she said in almost a whisper.
"That’s what I said the first time I saw her."
"Rafe!"
"It’s true."
Ororo rolled her eyes. "Hello, Melissa. I am Ororo Monroe." She extended her hand.
"Nice to meet you ma’am." She replied quietly, eyes wide.
"Ororo, this is my sister Joan."
Joan handed the bottle to Melissa and shook Ororo’s hand. "Hi."
"So where’s my present?" Melissa asked composing herself.
Rafe picked up the large box that was leaning against the doorframe.
"Oh, my god. It’s huge, thank you!"
"It’s a car. A compact car."
"Cool."
"So where’s mom?"
"I believe that would be me."
Natsuko Wallace came down the stairs. Rafe picked her up off the last step in a hug. "~Hello, mama. How are you?~"
"~Fine, once I’m on the ground again.~"
"Spoilsport." He put her down.
"~Well? Are you going to introduce me to your pretty lady, or what?~"
"Mother, I’d like you to meet Ororo Monroe."
"Hello, Mrs. Wallace."
Natsuko raised a hand to touch Ororo’s face. "Oh, child! What a beauty you are!"
"As are you mam."
"Ha! This old face?"
"Ma, you’re not that old."
"Over my travels I have learned that beauty is something rarely found solely on the surface, and I therefore never judge it as such."
Natsuko looked wide eyed from Joan, to Melissa, to Rafe. "Oh, I like her." She said with a smile. It was an honest one. She took Ororo by the hand and led her towards the back of the house where the rest of the family was gathered. "You come with me and tell my sister how much more beautiful I am than she." She said with a laugh.
Ororo looked back questioningly to Rafe who only shrugged. He had an amused look on his face, and winked at her before she focused her attention back to her escort.
Melissa looked up at her uncle. "Bulls-eye!"
* * * * *
‘She’s amazing.’
Rafe was watching Ororo lift baby Avery up and down as the child squealed with delight. The evening had gone perfectly. His family was in love with Ororo. ‘But how could they not be?’
Joan was at the seeing the last of their cousins and their families to the door. She had seemed nervous around Ororo at the beginning of the evening, but Storm had a way of growing on people.
She had brought his mother a gift: a beautiful hand carved African necklace and bracelet. His mother had gotten angry at him for not introducing the two of them earlier.
Upon putting on her birthday jacket and discovering the tickets, Melissa had run and hugged Ororo first.
"Hey, what about me?" He had complained.
"Aww, come on Uncle Rafe. There’s no way you picked these out by yourself. You probably wanted to get me a teddy bear or something."
"Barbie." Storm said quietly to her, although not quiet enough as to prevent everyone else from hearing. She smiled at him as his relatives began laughing.
"Hey, it was your dad’s idea."
"Got that right." David Williams said in agreement. "Either that, or a My Little Pony."
Needless to say, it didn’t take much for the men in his family to approve of her. He had suggested to his cousin Ryan that he try carrying around a napkin to mop up his drool.
The children were drawn to her as though she were Mary Poppins, their faces swimming with smiles. She spoke to them softly, but with a dialogue that did not undermine their intelligence.
The other ladies present may have jumped to conclusions about Storm’s character, based on the way she looked. But Ororo’s kind nature, and humility, erased any thoughts of arrogance or selfishness they might have assumed.
Joan returned and Storm returned Avery to her. She went and sat next to Rafe on the couch. He draped an arm around her shoulder.
"How are you doing."
"Your family is wonderful."
"I believe the feeling is mutual."
"Ms. Monroe, thanks again for the presents." Melissa said. She was still wearing the jacket. "You too Uncle Rafe." She added quickly.
"You are quite welcome child, and please, call me Ororo."
"Or- Ror- O- Ore-. I don’t think I can."
"Then call me Storm. Many of my friends do."
"The X-Men?"
Rafe had informed her that the William part of his family knew about her, and had agreed to be cautious with the information. Storm had not minded.
"Yes. That is my code-name."
"Hey! The weatherman said it was supposed to rain all today and tomorrow, but it’s been perfect. Did you have anything to do with that?"
Ororo smiled as rain clouds formed and opened up. "I suppose it is all right to set nature back on course now that the rest of the guests are gone."
"Thank you, Ororo." Joan commented as she sat with Avery in her arms. "I think all those kids would have driven me nuts if they had to stay indoors all day!"
"Think nothing of it."
"Ororo, would you like a cup of coffee or tea?" David asked, standing.
"Tea, if it is no trouble."
"None at all. The usual, Rafe?"
"Please."
"What does your name mean?" Melissa asked. "The one I can’t say."
"It means Beauty."
"It seems you were well named on both accounts, dear." Natsuko said.
"I’ve always liked them."
"Do you--" Joan was cut off by a quiet beeping noise. The family looked around for the source.
Storm pulled the source; a small disk shaped object with a red ‘X’ on it, from her pocket. Her face was serious. She looked as if she was about to stand, but changed her mind.
"Excuse me a moment." She said, but remained in her seat. She pressed down on the center of the ‘X’.
"Storm, here."
Scott Summers- Cyclops' voice came clearly over the communicator.
"Sorry to interrupt you Storm, but we’ve got a fix on the Marauders and they’re up to something. We need you."
"I’m on my way. Storm out."
"Marauders?" Rafe asked with concern.
"Nothing to worry about." She said, standing up. He knew she was lying but said nothing of it. The others in the room were also on their feet. Storm headed for the front door.
"Do you need a lift? No. Of course not, stupid."
She turned and gave him a reassuring smile. "Thank you, anyway." She kissed him on the cheek. "I will call you when we return from this mission."
"I’ll be waiting."
Melissa gave Ororo a hug. "Be careful okay."
Joan and David nodded, agreeing with their daughter’s statement.
Natsuko kissed own fingertips and placed them on Storm’s forehead. "~Go and return.~"
Rafe followed her onto the front porch.
"Please do not look at me like that Rafe. This is what I do. This is who I am."
Rafe looked at the ground a moment then back into her eyes. "You call. Right away. Don’t go to the bathroom, don’t get a drink, don’t get a snack. Just call, and let me know you’re safe.”
"I swear it." She kissed him gently on the lips, then took to the air.
‘Gotta get use to that; women flying away from me.’
* * * * *
Saturday evening passed, as did the whole of Sunday, without a word. Rafe went to work on Monday and checked his home machine every fifteen minutes. Nothing.
Tuesday came and went. Wednesday: his co-workers were beginning to notice how distracted he was. No one objected when he requested to go home early.
The silence of his apartment did not help his mood. He turned on the television but was neither seeing nor hearing what was on the screen.
There was a knock at his door. He sprang for it. It wasn’t a phone call, but maybe?
It was Rafe’s mother. His disappointment was evident.
"Dear, what’s wrong?" She said coming inside and closing the door.
He flopped down into the couch. "Ororo."
"Did you two have a fight?"
"I wish. At least I’d know she was all right."
"What do you mean?
"I haven’t heard from her yet."
"But it’s been four days!"
"Want me to tell you how many hours and minutes?"
"Oh, my poor boy." She sat down next to him.
"This is making me nuts. Why am I letting this make me nuts? I mean, I haven’t even known her that long!"
"This is true."
"There are a lot of things I still don’t know about her, or her about me. . ."
"What are you trying to say Rafe?"
"I don’t know!" He said, throwing his hands up. He dropped his head back and closed his eyes. "Mom, was it worth it?"
"Was what worth it?"
"Being married to dad. I mean, I know you loved him and all. But was it worth it living day by day not knowing if he was ever going to come home or not?"
"Everyone has to worry about that."
"Cops’ families have to worry more. If you knew then that dad was gonna get killed on the job, would you have stayed with him in the beginning?"
"I think what you are really asking me is whether or not it is worth you sharing your heart with someone who stands a better chance of not coming home."
"I guess so."
Natsuko sighed. "I cannot answer that for you, son. That is something each person has to decide for himself. But, if you really want to know, for me, yes, it was worth it, and yes, I would have still married your father knowing what would happen to him. But you cannot judge your life by mine. For those answers, you must look to yourself. To your own heart, and what it is telling you?"
The phone rang.
The number and identification on the display was the Xavier Institute.
He quickly picked up the receiver.
"Hello, Ororo?"
"No Rafe. This is Jean."