“Really? It’s lovely to meet me?” She tipped her head back and studied his handsome face. There was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. “I thought you’d be defensive. Humans—I meanpeopledon’t like being told they’re lonely.”
He shrugged. “If it’s the truth, getting upset won’t help.”
Gaia had never encountered a human like this. “You’re so…forthright.”And right right.
He smiled. “It’s probably a holdover from my former career as a doctor. I had to give people the facts. Sometimes, their reality was difficult to hear and the news was unwelcome, but they had to hear it for their own health and safety. Lying wouldn’t do them any good.”
Mother Nature nodded sagely. “I’ve always felt that way too. So why do people get angry when they’ve been told the truth?”
“You mean if someone tells them they’re lonely?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you think?” Aaron asked.
“Maybe they think it means they have no friends.”
“Ah. That’s a pretty typical misunderstanding,” he said. “People can have loads of casual friends and acquaintances, but that’s different from having real orclosefriends.”
She tapped her chin as she mulled it over. “What exactly is a real friend?”
“Real friends are the people who you can trust and tell your secrets to.” He picked up a pebble. “Although I wouldn’t call this rock my friend.”
“No. You probably wouldn’t call my tree frog a friend either.”
He smiled but didn’t say anything.
She let out a long sigh. “I have sisters. Could they be my friends?”
“Sure. Can you tell them anything? Cantheytellyouanything?”
Not without causing a tsunami or avalanche…Mother Nature suddenly realized what the problem had been. Sure, she could tell just about anyone the truth, but could she handle it when the situation was turned around?
“You know what, Aaron? You’ve given me something to think about.” She was glad she had talked toandlistened to him.
“Good. Getting us to think is one of the major advantages a real friend can offer.”
“Oh. So does this mean you’re my friend?”
“I can be. Would you like us to be friends?”
“Yes.” She didn’t even have to think about it.
He rose and offered his hand to help her up. “Do you have a cell phone number you can give me?”
“No. I don’t need a phone. When I want to talk, I’ll just come and find you. How’s that?”
“But what ifIwant to talk? How will you know?”
She was tempted to say she’d just keep her frequency open, but that would alert him to the existence of a paranormal world. She couldn’t tell him who she was. And because she couldn’t tell him who she was, that meant she wasn’t telling him the truth—that she couldn’t tell him her secrets. Damn. He couldn’t be her real friend after all.
“I—I guess it won’t work out after all. I’m sorry.” She ran down the hill, around a thick copse of bushes, and disappeared.
“Wait! I’ll buy you a phone!”
Like I need someone to buy me a phone when I hired a muse whose whole job is keeping track of those damn things.Peeking at him from the ether, she noticed he hadn’t moved. He stared in the direction she’d run off to but hadn’t chased after her. Disappointment warred with relief.
* * *
