The Invitation(71)
“I love you, Ken.”
“And I love you, Carol. That’s forever. Carol, I want to say something to you now that I hope you will seriously consider.”
“What?”
“You are still young, with many years to live. I don’t want you to live those years alone, and so, when you think you’re ready, I want you to allow yourself to be loved again, and I want you to allow yourself to return that love.”
“What?”
“Do you know why you couldn’t conceive?”
“Tell me.”
“It was determined that it would be less painful for you to go through this without children, but you are young. You can still have a family.”
“You mean remarry?”
“I’m just suggesting that you allow yourself to be loved.”
“No, no, I will never remarry, never. I’ll wait. You say we’ll be together again. I’ll wait. I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll wait. I love you, Ken. I couldn’t love anyone else.”
“I love you, Carol. Always. I have to go now, sweetheart. Until we see each other again, I love you, Carol.”
“I love you, Ken. I love you. I’ll wait. I promise. I’ll wait.”
Turning to the flag-draped casket, Carol breaks down in tears, repeating her promise.
“I’ll wait, Ken. I promise. I’ll wait.”
In the weeks, and months that follow, the alleged espionage of Ken Myers is hotly disputed. The implanted microchip that would substantiate the case against him is never found, and both the brain scan, and the video recording of a youthful Ken Myers, taken while he was in college remain unexplained. Though continued assertions of an elusive Chinese connection sound increasingly specious, rumors of unidentified origin in the U.S. government keep the story alive. Most Americans, however, refuse to believe that Ken Myers would have acted in ways inimical to the nation’s interest. He is well remembered for the three-and-a-half years of what a strong majority of Americans consider an ‘inspiring, and enlightened Presidency’. The energy bill he diligently advocated easily passed, mostly for its intrinsic merit, but also as a gesture of respect for a slain President. People seem to separate the inexplicable events in Miami, from what they know and admire about Ken Myers. Already loved by millions, that bond has only deepened with his passing.
An investigation conducted by the Justice Department, and the FBI concludes that Todd Keniston acted alone in the assassination of the President. When asked whether or not, what all of humanity witnessed for two consecutive nights in Miami was a hoax or not, the government’s position is that it has no position on that question, and all investigations are continuing.
Though the government is reticent in commenting on what happened, most Americans, along with countless millions around the world, are fully convinced that what they saw for two consecutive nights in Olympic Stadium in Miami, Florida was exactly what it appeared to be, and nothing else. For the countless millions who witnessed those incredible events, they would never look at the night sky in the same way again.