He now very much believed that she had never been intimate with a man in her life, whether for pleasure or rape. And as for an abusive father figure she showed no hesitation in regarding him in a fatherly way so that couldn't be it either.
Maria was such a mystery, but perhaps most intriguing and downright alarming of all was that she did not age. He had known her for a number of years now and she hadn't aged one day. She tried to disguise it with the artful use of makeup, but wipe it away and you would still see the flawless skinned beauty of a woman of about 25. Beneath the makeup she was the same woman who'd approached him so many years before in search of a job.
Maria's ageless condition, however it was achieved, was a mystery above all the mysterious things he'd discovered over the course of his wildly varied life. He knew of only one other individual that could boast of such an endless vitality and defy the aging process that all humanity had been cursed with since the Garden of Eden, when man had fallen from grace and perfect unity with the Father, because of sin.
Chantry's eyes flared wide, as they were lit up by a spark of Divine origin and he exclaimed, "But of course! Why didn't I think of that?" He chuckled out in glee, as his melancholy mood lifted away entirely.
"Chantry are you all right?" Maria asked cautiously eyeing him up with concern.
Chantry looked back at her, his gaze alive with probing merriment in a way that she hadn't seen in a long time.
He chuckled again, as he indepthly studied her, which made her nervous. What was he up to?
"Couldn't be better my dear! I've found someone to pick up the pieces so to speak." Chantry said before chuckling again to himself. He rolled away in his wheelchair with more vigor than Maria had seen from him in over a year.
What did he mean by picking up the pieces?
Was Chantry beginning to lose it mentally?
Chantry's progress stopped and he swung back around, "I almost forgot in my excitement to tell you……"
Maria held up a hand interrupting him and asked, "What are you so excited about Chantry?"
Chantry smiled warmly at her and said, "I'm excited about you darling. Everything is going to be all right Maria, you'll see!"
Chantry's words hit Maria with an impact that struck her to the core, as if they had been prophecy itself.
Chantry went on with what he had been about to say before she interrupted him, "Go find Utah tomorrow and give him his assignment. I believe he's ready for it and after the hell I put him through today I know that I can trust him, but he's probably going to be angry so consider yourself warned."