The CAP Epilogue Pt. 3: Rose Tells All (Almost)
by Ladybug
O.M.A.R. gazed at his beloved wife as her hips shimmied, grass skirt swishing.
****************
“Wait, wait!” Ladybug protested. “You can’t start there. You have to
back up. I wanna hear about the wedding.”
“Me too, me too!” chorused Rose’s audience.
“You do?” Rose seemed flattered. “All right, then. I’ll start from
when we left Lost Wages. But I’ll make it brief so you can find out what happened in
the end.”
****************
Rose was breathless. She’d escaped Lost Wages with O.M.A.R., her new true love, and
she could scarcely believe how she’d changed. No longer the bashful prude, Rose was
beginning to appreciate the feelings of independence and adventure she’d once
considered unnecessary. Now here she was, just arrived to Hawaiius with this man who knew
her secrets but loved her just the same.
O.M.A.R., meanwhile, was also breaking from standards that were set inside his mechanisms.
He somehow managed to manipulate the internal alarm systems that might have prohibited him
from taking these steps to make Rose his. He started to realize what his creator had been
experiencing, and had intended to keep the android from. He no longer considered himself
mechanical. She knew the materials he was made of, but she loved him as though he were a
real man, and that’s how he would see himself, too.
Of course, neither of them actually knew about each other. He thought she was the real
Ladybug, and she thought he was the real Omar. But they were madly in love, and barely
peeked out of their rental house the first several days they were there.
One day O.M.A.R. sat in the yard, looking out at the sea. He had been thinking a great
deal, and it was time to make something happen.
“Lemonade, darling?” Rose said, coming up next to him with a tall frosty glass.
“Thank you,” he said. “You know, this could be quite a cocktail if you
added some vodka and a twist, and--”
“It could,” she said. “You should try making one sometime.”
“I will. But later.” He set the glass aside and took her hand. “Ladybug, my
dearest, I must ask you something. I know you love me in spite of my physiology. That
alone makes me a better man, as it were. But there’s something missing.”
“I like your physiology just fine,” Rose grinned, putting her other hand on his
leg.
“I know you know about it already, but I must show you, so you can see with your
eyes. You must understand everything about me before I go on.” He released her and
pulled back the “skin” on his wrist, revealing the gears and rods inside his
forearm. Rose’s jaw dropped and she could not say a word. “Yes, I knew it would
be different once you saw it,” he said. “My creator never intended for me to
show anyone. But he never intended for me to fall in love with you. I can’t help what
I am, or what I feel, Ladybug.” He put the skin back. “I won’t give you
back to him. I can’t. You’re mine now.”
Rose was a smart girl, and she pieced it all together. He was a mechanical being invented
by Omar. He really didn’t know who she was, and she wasn’t stealing anyone from
Ladybug after all. They were both decoys. And that made her love him all the more. She
kissed him. “It doesn’t matter, O.M.A.R.,” she said. “We’re here
now. I’m not going back.”
He was infinitely relieved. He took her hand once more. “Now that you see me for what
I am, I must ask you, Ladybug. Will you be my wife? Marry me and spend your life with me?
I pledge to care for you always. You can depend on that.”
“I know I can. I’ll marry you.”
And so they were married on the beach the next day. She wore orchids in her hair, and a
light flowing white dress, her bare feet in the cool sand. The sound of drums and the
smell of flowers and sea air greeted them as they joined hands and were married....android
and wife. They were the happiest couple in paradise.
O.M.A.R. made good on his promise, too. He was not lacking in the art of love. He
worshipped Rose’s body, adoring her every curve and hollow, making sure she never
went away without complete satisfaction. In return, Rose embraced him with compassion and
care, making him feel as though he were the only man on the planet. Yet she never told him
who she really was.
However, the money was running out. It became clear that in order to maintain their
lifestyle here, they would have to make a living some other way. It was then that they
found a place at the Blue Parrot.
O.M.A.R. gazed at his beloved wife on stage as her hips shimmied, grass skirt swishing. He
was the best bartender they’d ever had, making the most mystical, delicious drinks
anyone had ever tasted. And Rose, with her training, was a fabulous entertainer.
“I’ve been thinking,” O.M.A.R. said to her one night. “We are
comfortable now, but it seems to me there is a great deal more profit to be made on the
management end of the business.”
“I’m sure there is,” Rose said. “I’ve studied quite a bit on the
intricacies of entrepreneurship. It’s a risk, but there are definite benefits
involved, especially if you can employ effective marketing and advertising to complement a
good product.”
He looked at her curiously. “I wasn’t aware such practical classes existed at
Deb U.”
“Oh. Well. I’ve studied on my own.” Rose thought quickly to work herself
out of the blunder. “It’s just that...around campus, they kind of tease you if
you’re too smart. And a real smart girl like myself has to learn things on the sly.
Sometimes my brain gets real starved.” She affected a wide-eyed look and twirled her
hair.
O.M.A.R. watched her. She was all surprises. That’s what he loved about her.
“That’s my girl,” he said. “You’re incredibly intelligent, I knew
that already. But as I was saying, I think it’s time we made a few investments.
I’ve noted that the current club owner has a gambling problem, and though the club is
lucrative, he has problems keeping the books in line. With your permission, I’d like
to dip into our savings and perhaps become a partner with him, until we can buy the club
outright.”
“Absolutely. I think that’s a wonderful idea. And once we have this club, we can
start buying into others as well, maybe even have a chain.”
“Excellent. We’ll start immediately.” He made a few notes and approached
the owner the next day, who, having been chased by certain loan sharks the night before,
was all too glad to go halfsies on the club with them. He already had one broken leg; he
wasn’t game for more.
Little by little, Rose and O.M.A.R. took over the Blue Parrot, until the previous owner
was pretty much just a figurehead. He was a nice man, if weak-willed regarding his vices,
and he’d given them their first break. They kept him around out of respect. They did
also invest in other clubs, and had at least part ownership of most of the popular spots
on the boardwalk. They made a great profit, but used it wisely, saving most of it for a
rainy day.
The day that Jackie and Delphus came to the club, Rose also nearly fled for her life.
Although Ladybug was no longer a threat, perhaps Omar wanted his robot back. Perhaps the
chancellors wanted their money back. Perhaps her own Omar had come looking for her!
But Jackie approached her, smiling, and gave her a big hug. “Congratulations,
Rose!” Jackie said. “I hear you’ve been married. Congratulate me,
too!” She showed her the ring. Rose ooohed.
“That’s a fabulous rock,” she said. “Congratulations. But what are you
doing here?”
Jackie went through the whole story, and told her what O.M.A.R. had said. “He called
you Ladybug. Doesn’t he know?”
“No,” she said. “He doesn’t. I know about him, but he doesn’t
know about me.”
“But why?”
“I’m afraid that he wouldn’t stay,” she said simply. “I know
he’s got an ethics program in there, and while he’s overridden it in rebellion
of the Omar here, he may not be able to do the same if he knew about my Omar. He has
nothing against him, and no good reason to inflict hurt upon an innocent bystander.
We’re in love, and I want to keep him here.”
“I understand,” said Jackie. “Well, I won’t tell. Nobody at home is
missing you or him, but they are concerned for your welfare. Here, let me introduce you to
Delphus.”
The four newlyweds became fast friends, and spent a great deal of time together over the
next few months. Delphus even did some investing himself, and soon they owned every hot
nightclub in Hawaiius. O.M.A.R. passed on his bartending skills to countless others, who
kept every tourist and local filled with his irresistible concoctions. Rose became
something of a celebrity as well, and began a dance school near their home.
But one week everything changed.....
Posted on Dec 10 1999 02:41 PM |