Loneliest Man Who Ever Lived Ch. 03

The Loneliest Man Who Ever Lived

by Gary L.M. Martin

[Note: This is a romance story with some erotic scenes. It is not a story with erotic scenes in every chapter. Some chapters have incredible sex scenes, but many others have none.]

Chapter 3: Tuesday

"Her name is Goldie MacPherson, and she is a personnel recruiter for The Foundation," said Carl.

The Foundation. It didn't take Harry long to recall the name. He yawned as he got out of bed. It was almost 9 AM. He had been in bed for nine hours, but had barely slept a wink.

The Foundation. They had made a number of calls to him over the past few months, all of which Harry had not responded to. They were some kind of bioresearch firm that Harry had absolutely no interest in.

So Goldie was a recruiter for them.

That made no sense at all.

Recruiters recruited people; they didn't follow them for days and ask them out on dates. Goldie was making much, much more effort than any recruiter would. It's true that Harry had a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, or would have, if he had completed the formal requirements. But he had no specific knowledge, or skillset, that could be considered vital.

What, then, did The Foundation want with him?

"So she's not really interested in me, at least, not in the way I'd like," said Harry.

"Well, wasn't that obvious from the beginning?" Carl asked.

"Yes," said Harry. But he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. "But what does she want from me?"

"Presumably, to recruit you."

"That's a lot of effort to recruit someone," said Harry.

"I would imagine you have something they really want."

Harry shook his head. "There are a thousand biochemists out there. I worked in the field for only a year. No, there's something more behind this."

"Are you still going to meet her?"

"Yes." The answer was easy enough. Harry could either spend another day totally alone in his apartment, watching the stock market, or go out with a beautiful woman who flirted with him and pretended, at least, to find him attractive.

"Where are you going to go?"

"Where do women like to go?" Harry asked. "The ballet, Lincoln Center, Soho, the stores...." His frown grew deeper as he listed each option.

"No, Harry," said Carl. "If you feel she's just using you, and I think you're right about that, by the way, then I think you should use her. Do the things you like to do. She's volunteering to be your companion, for a day. That's a rare gift. Use her, Harry. Use her to do the things you really like."

Harry could think of one thing he'd really like to use her for. Goldie's sparkling blue eyes and slender face and plush red lips were etched into his memory. She was so attractive. He would never get to use her in that way. But there were more socially acceptable ways he could use her that he would still enjoy. So why not? He nodded. "You're right."

********

Goldie gave Harry a radiant smile as she stepped into the lobby of the Hilton at precisely ten minutes after 12. It was good to let the man wait a bit. It established power and control.

"Harry," she said, smiling broadly as she came up to him. She saw the uncertainty in his face. He didn't know whether to nod or shake her hand or hug her or... something else.

So Goldie decided for him. She reached out and gave him a broad hug.

When she pulled back, Harry took a good look at her. She was wearing the same beige coat she was wearing the night before, but underneath she was wearing a light blue blouse and jeans. He looked at the curvature of her shirt. Goldie had really nice sized-

"I didn't know how to dress because I didn't know where you were taking me," she said apologetically, noting his stare. "Where are we going, Harry?"

"The Museum of Natural History," said Harry, watching her face intently, looking for any sign of dismay or disappointment.

Goldie's face lit up. "I'd be delighted." She took his arm. "You know, I've only see the dinosaurs there once, years ago."

"We're not going to see the dinosaurs," said Harry.

"Oh?" said Goldie. "What else is there?"

"Wait and see," said Harry.

********

For once, Harry was not wearing his spacesuit. Every time he walked outside, he was always wearing his silvery, metallic, spacesuit. But now, with beautiful, vibrant Goldie hanging onto his arm, he felt like he couldn't be wearing it. So he was just wearing his black coat and hat.

She smiled at him constantly, as they waited for a cab; while they were in the cab, and even as they stood on line for tickets at the museum. Harry forgot what they talked about; he was focused on her face. She seemed so pleased to be with him. He knew it was fake; he knew it was pretense; and he knew it was very, very temporary; but he resolved to enjoy it for as long as it lasted.

When they got to the museum, they went inside to the entrance rotunda, where Harry bought their tickets. Goldie noticed that he paid for her, and she thanked him. "That's very nice of you, Harry. Not all men will be kind enough to pay for their women, even on a second date."

This was all news to Harry.

1) He wasn't aware that their brief encounter last night, in the coffee shop, had been a date.

2) He wasn't entirely clear that what they were doing now constituted a date. Harry was all too aware that Goldie was a recruiter, in all probability here to recruit him.

3) Goldie's reference to herself as his "woman" made Harry nervous. They had barely just met, and now Goldie was already calling herself "his woman."

It made the farce Harry was participating in seem even less real than it already was. But Harry resolved to soldier on. When was the last time he had been on a date? When was the last time he had even talked to a girl, or had one touch his arm? Harry couldn't remember.

And yet... as they stood in the entrance hall, Harry felt a thrill go down his spine. The museum was so elegant, with its tall ceilings, marble pillars, marble floors, sconces and chandeliers and elaborate wall carvings. To bring such a finely dressed elegant woman here excited Harry. Goldie, so beautiful and dressed impeccably, felt like she fit right in. One could take an image of her in the museum and she would seem to be a part of it; she was so graceful, so regal. And yet this graceful, beautiful being had come here, to Harry's most special place, not to see the dinosaur bones, not to see the exhibits, but to be with him. In Harry's mind, it was the highest class date he had ever been on in his entire life.

After they got their tickets, Goldie wanted to gallop all over the museum. But Harry dug in his heels and said, "Let's start right here."

"Here?" Goldie made a face. She looked beautiful even when frowning. "In the lobby?"

"Look around," said Harry.

Goldie looked around. The Rotunda was big and expansive, four stories tall, with giant marble pillars at all ends. The marble floor was ornate. "Is there something I'm supposed to be seeing, Harry?"

Harry pointed to the walls. "Look."

And then Goldie saw.

There were tapestries, huge ones, over all the walls. These tapestries had dozens, even hundreds of images sewn into them. There were animals of all kinds--lions, tigers, zebras, exotic birds, mammals, reptiles, more than Goldie could count. But there were also people. Not merely people, but examples of different cultures. There were ancient Egyptians, and Turkish Muslims with red caps on their heads. There were Japanese Samurai. There were kings, queens, and princes. There were scenes that were famous throughout history. And then there was one man, in a white safari hat, with a shotgun over his shoulder, who seemed to appear more than once.

"Who was that, Harry?"

"Teddy Roosevelt," said Harry. "He started the museum."

"I did not know that," said Goldie, her eyes wandering. Now that she noticed it, she saw so many shapes, forms, colors.

"Do you like it?"

Goldie turned and gave him a broad smile. "Yes, Harry. Yes I do." And when she said it, somehow Harry felt she wasn't humoring him. Somehow he felt that she really meant it, and what's more, she appreciated not just but him, his artistic eye, that noticed things that other people didn't.

They went inside. As Harry promised, they didn't go to see the dinosaurs. Instead, he took Goldie to see the dioramas.

The American Museum of Natural History was world famous not merely for dinosaur bones, but its impressive collection of dioramas. It had dioramas capturing not just animals, but habitats and vistas from all around the world.

Harry pointed to one, a grizzly bear standing on its hind legs.

"Impressive, Harry," said Goldie, taking his arm.

"No, behind it," said Harry.

Goldie looked, and saw a giant mural of snowcapped mountains. It was stunningly beautiful. It was so detailed she felt like she was looking at a real landscape. It took her breath away.

Harry took her from diorama to diorama. Sometimes he called attention to the animals, but mostly he pointed out the landscapes painted behind them. One particularly impressive one featured a sun setting on the African plains. There were shades of pink, yellow, and red all across the scene. Even the landscape and animals carried a yellowish tinge.

"How do they do that, Harry?" Goldie whispered.

"By using hidden colored lights to tint the actual objects in the setting," said Harry.

"Oh." Goldie had never seen anything quite like it. It was all so simple, so low tech, and yet still so amazing.

Harry showed her more dioramas. They saw monkeys in a densely forested jungle. They saw a cougar in its den, in front of an amazing landscape painting of the Grand Canyon. Another painting seemed to show a hill descending into a glacier valley, which seemed to rise up as an icy mountain behind it.

"It's not just the quality of the paintings, but the sense of perspective," said Goldie. "They make it look like mountains and hills that go on for miles and miles." She turned to Harry. "You don't come here for zoological study, do you Harry? This is your own personal art museum, isn't it?"

Harry smiled, and Goldie saw something in him, something she hadn't seen before. Harry had a keen sense of vision, an eye for beauty and excellence. He could see what was best in a place, and bring it out and show it to others.

"I sometimes view these as my portals," Harry whispered. "I look at them, and imagine I've actually gone there." He looked nervously at Goldie. He had never shared that with anyone before.

"Why not actually go to these places, Harry?" she asked.

Harry blinked. He hadn't been prepared for that question. "It's just... it's no fun traveling alone."

"Oh Harry," said Goldie, taking his hand. She smiled up at him. He felt so embarrassed, but also, so very excited. For a moment, they stared into each other's eyes.

And then the moment passed, and Goldie looked at her chrono. It was 2 o'clock. "I'm hungry, Harry. Are you?"

They ate in the museum cafeteria. Goldie expected the usual fare, but was surprised when Harry told her to order the chicken nuggets. Goldie asked why, but Harry told her to just do it, so she did.

Goldie cackled with surprise when her chicken nuggets arrived.

They were all shaped like dinosaurs! They were incredibly cute. She had never seen anything like it. She bit into a stegosaurus's neck and smiled at the man she was with.

Harry was so excited. To be with a woman who could get pleasure out of a small thing... most women would take no notice of the shape of the breaded chicken pieces. Or, if he called them out, they would grunt, "Uh, yeah, nice." But Goldie seemed to genuinely find it amusing! He was starting to like her, very much.

"So Harry, I hear you're a genius," she said, admiration in her eyes.

"I am?" said Harry.

"That's what they say," said Goldie. "Are you brilliant in everything?"

"Everything is rather expansive," said Harry, eating a french fry.

"If I were a genius, do you know the first thing I'd be brilliant at?"

"What?"

"Sex." Goldie, smiled, as she saw Harry redden.

Harry felt his pulse quicken. He tried to remain calm. "Does that really require brilliance?" Harry asked. "I would imagine a road map would suffice."

Goldie laughed. "You're funny, Harry. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Possibly," said Harry.

"Possibly," she said, imitating his deep voice. "You never give an inch, do you, Harry?"

She glanced slyly down into his lap. What was she really talking about?

"I'd give more than an inch if I knew what we were doing here," said Harry.

"We're in a museum. Having a date, Harry," said Goldie, as she ate a french fry, staring at him hypnotically.

"We both know this isn't a date," said Harry.

"Really? Why?" Goldie asked.

"Because there's something else going on," said Harry.

"Yes, there is," said Goldie, waving a brontosaurus at him. She looked at it, then bit off its head. "Ummm.... dinosaurs taste so good. Who knew? Now, where was I? Yes, Harry, of course there's more to this than it seems. But why can't we be doing two things at once? Why can't we be on a date, a genuinely fun date, I might add, while also pursuing a second agenda?"

"Because it seems to me that the second agenda trumps the first," said Harry.

"Poor Harry," said Goldie. "Everything with you has to be one thing or another. Black or white. Zero or one. This or that. Can't it be that I find you genuinely attractive, while also wanting something else from you?"

"It could be... but you're not," said Harry.

"I could resent that, Harry," said Goldie mildly. "What in life has caused you to be so suspicious?"

"Life itself," said Harry. "Now are you ready to tell me why I'm here?"

"No," said Goldie, wiping her lips with a napkin. "But I am ready to see more of this wonderful museum. You know, I was here once, years ago, with...."

"A boyfriend?"

She pointed a finger at him. "You caught me, Harry! You're not the first man to have me. Yes, he was a boyfriend. A scientist type, like you. But he wasn't nearly as interesting as you were. All he did was show me the bones. One bone, in particular, as I recall, although it wasn't very impressive." And she smiled, as she saw him shift uncomfortably.

********

After lunch, they went to the planetarium. Goldie gave a small groan.

"What?" Harry asked, as they looked for seats.

"I went to a planetarium when I was eight years old," said Goldie. "It was kind of boring."

"Well, it's 15 years later," said Harry. "And you should give it another try."

Goldie gave him a peck on the cheek. "That's sweet, Harry, slipping in a subtle compliment like that. But no, I'm older than 23."

They sat down in their chairs.

"In fact, you know exactly how old I am, and my last name now, and quite a lot about me, don't you, Harry?"

"Not as much as you know about me," said Harry.

"Oh, don't be so sure, Harry. I've just begun to explore your inner depths," said Goldie. As they sat down, she snuggled against his arm. "You're right. I like this already."

Harry couldn't help but to be moved. He knew that Goldie was here with a purpose, a business purpose. And yet... she was a very attractive, smart, vivacious woman. And she was cuddling against him, in one of his favorite places, the planetarium. Harry had never even thought to dream of fantasies such as this. Harry remembered the Rule of Gary and the Rule of Onnika. All relationships were temporary. No woman could ever be attracted to him.

And yet even as he repeated these things to himself, he could not stop himself from feeling a secret thrill. Here he was, seated in the planetarium, and a gorgeous woman was curled up against his arm. Never in his life did he even think to enjoy such a simple pleasure. Never in any of his fantasy dates did he even imagine doing this with one of his women.

The show began. First they were shown the night sky. They saw the brilliance of the stars. Then the lecture began. They were shown close flybys of the planets--fiery orange Mercury, cloudy green Venus, the blue and white Earth, and reddish Mars. But the presentation really hit its stride when they saw Jupiter and Saturn, in all their colors. The multicolored layers of Jupiter were amazing. The show's perspective almost skimmed the surface of the giant red spot as it sped across the atmosphere of Jupiter. Then the perspective they were being shown appeared to fly between the rings of Saturn.

And then, after showing Uranus, Neptune, and belatedly Pluto, their perspective shifted again, and they were shown images of different constellations, constellations in all different colors--red, blue, green yellow, violet, and orange.

"Amazing," Goldie breathed. "Harry... are they really these colors? Or do scientists color them to get people interested?"

"They are really these colors," Harry chuckled. "I could explain why-"

"Later," said Goldie, grabbing his hand. "I just want to take them all in."

When the show as over, and the light level slowly rose, Goldie turned to Harry. "I don't remember ever seeing anything like that. That was truly amazing, Harry."

Harry smiled at her. It was nice to be with someone who could appreciate the same things he did.

Goldie was hungry again, so Harry took her for dinner at Tavern on the Green, one of the most expensive restaurants in New York. "Order anything you like," said Harry graciously.

"That's right," said Goldie. "You're independently wealthy, aren't you, Harry? So why isn't a handsome, wealthy 31 year old man like you married?"

"I could ask the same question about a gorgeous 28 year old like you," said Harry.

Goldie visibly shivered. "That's the first time you've said something nice to me, Harry. Or paid me a compliment of any kind. I was beginning to wonder if you liked me."

"I want to like you," said Harry.

"But..." said Goldie.

"But I also want to know why I'm here," said Harry.

"That would be so boring, Harry," said Goldie. "How would it have been, the first night we met, if I walked up to you and said, "Harry, excuse me, sorry to interrupt your nightly suicide, but I was wondering if I could have x, y, and z from you."

"It would have been more efficient," said Harry, wincing at the mention of suicide.

"But not nearly as fun," said Goldie. "If I had done that, we wouldn't have had that glorious afternoon at the Museum, would we? And we wouldn't be here, dining on $70 steaks, would we?"

Harry had to admit that they wouldn't. "But when am I going to find out what this is all about?"

Goldie raised a finger. "When the time is right, Harry. Shouldn't that be obvious by now?" She looked at him, teasingly.

After they ordered food, Goldie said, "You know, I just realized something." She checked her chrono. "Now is almost the time when you go out to kill yourself every day. Am I getting in the way yet again?"

Harry shook his head, feeling embarrassed. But he realized that it was true. This was the first time in a long time when he wasn't on the wharf, contemplating ending it all. But for once he felt no urgent need to be there. Right now he had something more compelling to do, a very attractive someone to be with.

"Are you sure? You could leave, decide whether to kill yourself, and then come back to finish dinner, assuming you don't do it. I'd be willing to wait," said Goldie, giving him a mocking smile.

"You raise that subject frequently. I suspect you're trying to unnerve me," said Harry.

"Oh, poor Harry, no, I don't, I'm just teasing you," said Goldie. "I always tease people I'm attracted to."

She's attracted to me. It hit Harry with a jolt.

"You claim to be attracted to me?" Harry asked, as their food arrived.