'Madison Springs'

Chapter 4
The New Man

Shafts of fading evening light poured into the bar, packed with the bustle of harried office workers and camel-haired lawyers. Nikau scanned the place three times before he finally found Bryan. They hadn’t met since he had returned from Madison Springs, and Nikau was surprised to find him wearing a sleek V-necked sweater with designer slacks, and perched jauntily on a bar stool while chatting easily with one of the waitresses. As he approached, he thought he picked up a whiff of cologne.

“Congratulations on getting off probation in record time.” Nikau slapped his back as he ordered a couple of beers.

“Thanks! Frankly, it was really easy. I think I’ve got everything under control now.”

“More than that, apparently. Your personnel report described an incident where you proactively intervened in a complicated situation between your officers, and resolved the dispute with unusual tact and… empathy?” he raised an eyebrow.

“Well, it seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Keep doing things like that and soon you’ll pass me in the ranks.” Nikau laughed, pulled out a small plaque and handed it over. “The blokes over at the Madison Springs station wanted you to have this.”

“I’m not sure why I deserve the recognition.” Bryan scratched his head as he examined the engraving. “After all, they did all the work. Finding the hideout, apprehending the accomplices, tracking down the victims and returning them to their families. I mean, all I did was to get really lucky. I could just as easily be an innocent little girl getting my diapers changed right now by the rich couple that bought me, totally oblivious of my past.”

“Well, it was fortunate that the lab was able to find a way to reverse the serum’s memory suppression effect. So how is your brother adjusting?”

Bryan shrugged. “It was really tough for her at first, she felt that her life had been stolen from her, and as you can imagine, no bloke likes to lose his donger. She cried so much that I thought she might get dehydrated, and cuddling her only seemed to make things worse, for it reminded her of how small and helpless she had become. For a while, she insisted on watching the financial news on TV, even though she could no longer read any of the words on-screen and had trouble understanding the commentator. Having to call me ‘Daddy’ was the most awkward of all, since she always had been the one watching over me.”

“A couple of weeks into it though, she started to come to terms with her new reality, and view it less as a catastrophic humiliation but rather an opportunity at a second chance at life. And there was the undeniable appeal in long, lazy days spent doing nothing but sleeping, eating & playing, as well as being pampered and having her every whim attended to.”

“So laughter and sunshine started creeping into her daily routines, and her long suppressed mischievous and impish side has resurfaced. She innocently claims that she can’t fully control her new body, though I’m not sure how that extends to flicking food at my face during meals, and soaking me at bath time.”

Nikau chuckled. “Don’t you need to pick her up from daycare soon?”

“No, I got a babysitter tonight. Aroha and I are going out for dinner.” Nikau did a double take, and Bryan continued. “I called her and we had a long heart-to-heart talk. After that, she agreed to give me a second chance.”

Nikau paused and studied Bryan carefully. The report from Madison Springs had suggested it, but his physical tests had come back normal. He did look a bit younger, but that could easily be explained by the clean shaven face and that expensive looking hairdo.

“I didn’t know this before, but she’s always wanted a daughter. If we can squeeze in some time after dinner, we’re going to go shopping for some new togs for Kelly.” Bryan continued.

“Well, in that case, don’t let me detain you.” Nikau rose to his feet and gave Bryan a firm handshake. “You have a good time, ‘kay?”

“Thanks mate, I intend to.” Bryan smiled broadly as he turned, ambled thru the sliding doors and out into the mellow evening breeze.