Not Quite an Angel by Bobby Hutchinson Page B

sure as hell didn’t make him feel comfortable. “Give me an example,” he made the mistake of saying.
    â€œA few minutes ago, when we were discussing childhoods? You said yours had been ordinary and boring. And I knew right away you weren’t being truthful at all with me.” She shrugged. “It’s your privilege not to reveal what you’d rather keep hidden, but I just thought you ought toknow that I know right away when you do—lie to me, that is. And you should be aware of it. Otherwise it feels as if I’m taking unfair advantage of you.”
    She was right about what he’d said, no denying it. He hadn’t been anywhere near truthful about his childhood. He never was, most of the time not even to himself, and he sure as hell had no intention of spilling his guts to her about it. So maybe she did have some sort of cockeyed ability to detect bullshit, which didn’t make him feel exactly comfortable.
    Adam thought of the countless times over the years when he’d made up successful but blatant lies to extricate himself from delicate situations with women, and he all but groaned aloud. If this neon-light thing Sameh was talking about ever became known to other females, he and just about every other man he knew was dead in the water.
    â€œSo you always know when somebody’s lying?” He made a sharp right and took the route that led up to Griffith Park.
    â€œAlmost always. Sometimes a person isn’t aware himself that what he’s saying is false, so then of course I don’t know, either.”
    He thought about that for several miles. “Was this something you were born with, this light thing?”
    She shook her head. “Not entirely. I had a latent ability, at least that’s what the testing showed. If we have latent ability, we develop it, in awareness training.”
    And here they were, right back to square one and loony-land. There wasn’t much point in trying to keep her on the straight and narrow path of logical and reasonable conversation, Adam could see that. And after Saturday night, he wasn’t about to try anything heavy in the romance line unless he was damned good and sure she was willing. He felt a sharp pang of regret over that.
    So, if they weren’t going to make out, and she wasn’t going to discuss anything more normal, he had to make an effort to meet her on her own ground and be absolutely honest about it. His ingenuity would certainly be tested.
    He pulled into a parking space near the observatory and shut off the engine. Millions of lights were blinking on in the city that stretched out beneath them. She undid the seat belt and shifted forward, her face reflecting her delight at the fairyland coming alive far below.
    â€œWhat’s it like, where you come from, Sameh?” He was surprised to find that he was really curious to hear what she’d say. Apart from anything else, she was the most inventive woman he’d ever met. “Are there cities like L.A.? Are there restaurants like Luigi’s? Are there guys like Bernie and me?” She turned and looked at him—a long, speculative look. He met her gaze honestly. “You told me last night that if I wanted to know anything about you, I just ought to ask,” he reminded her. “So I’m asking.”
    The drive in the convertible had tousled her hair even more than usual. It curled around her face and throat, soft and shining. He wanted to touch it, but he resisted.
    â€œFirst of all, we have strict population control, so there aren’t nearly as many people on Terra in my time as there are now, which makes everything much simpler,” she began. “Our cities aren’t like this, either.” She gestured at the scene below. “They’re smaller, more manageable. It took us hundreds of years, but we’ve managed to cleanse the earth of the pollution and repair the damage our ancestors—your