Mestral's Adventures

The Conclusion

Chapter 7 - The Conclusion

Mestral and Maggie settled in California They still had half of what Magtgie had realized from the sale of her bar. They divided the money. Part went for Mestrals Masters and Ph.D. programs. Part went for a downpayment on a house. Maggie got a job as manager of a bar and restaurant to support them while Mestral attended university. Mestral earned his graduate degrees. He got a job at a large electrical firm and later worked in Silicon Valley.

They lived in the house for some years working and saving. Finally they travelled to Europe. Mestral wanted to see Oxford and Cambridge. There Maggie bought him Newton’s magnum opus. Mestral devoured it avidly. They travelled to the continent. Arriving in Rome, Mestral was introduced to the works of Da Vinci. He believed that Da Vinci had lived out of his time, centuries before the machines he designed could be built. But this did not limit Da Vinci's imagination. Mestral said he wished he could have spoken with such a mind. On to Greece where Mestral discoverd the Golden Age: how the Greeks made discoveries using only observation and deductive reasoning. Pure logic. Mestral came away with a new admiration for humans. He decided if they could throw up minds like the Greeks, Da Vinci, and Newton, there was hope for them.

They returned to California and lived a quiet life. Jack married and visited with his family. This presented a small problem. Mestral being Maggie’s husband was now a “Grandpa.” At first he thought that if he was not Jack’s father he could not be considered a “Grandpa.” But Maggie pointed out that the kids thought of him that way, nevertheless. Jack’s daughter worshipped Mestral. She would climb on his lap to watch television with him. Maggie told Mestral, “Take her to the park and spoil her a little. Mestral reluctantly did so and found he enjoyed it hugely. It became a daily event. Soon he adored “his” grandchildren, especially the little girl, Elaine, and  looked forward to Jack’s visits.

Maggie said to Mestral, "You never seem to age. You don't look any older than the day you walked in to my bar.” Mestral had been dreading this. He told her that Vulcans lived for a very long time.

“How long?" asked Maggie.

“About two hundred years on average," said Mestral.

"So that is comparable to what age in Human years?"

“I am not sure, but I am about 70 out of 200 years old."

“You don't look it."

"Seventy years is young for a Vulcan."

It staggered her, but she accepted it. In an effort to fit in, Mestral grew a full beard and slowly dyed his hair and beard grayer as the years passed.

One night as they lay in bed Maggie asked, “Have I been a good wife? Would I be a good Vulcan wife?”

"You have been the best wife I could ever hope for. Human or Vulcan."

"We had a good life didn't we?

"Yes, I have been happier than at any other time in my life."

Then you are not unhappy about living here instead of Vulcan?

"There is nothing on Vulcan as dear as what I found on Earth: you."

"Even if I did embarrass you that time I kissed you publicly in Rome beside that fountain?"

Mestral harrumped. "I forgot that."

“It was hard getting used to you not wanting to show affection, or even touching, in public. I am a woman who would love to be hugged and kissed in public, if only to show other women that you are mine. Walking and holding hands would have pleased me too."

"Maggie, I tried, but there are some things I just couldn't do. I grew up with these customs. I lived them for years before I met you."

"It doesn't matter. I knew that you loved me even if you couldn't show it publicly."

Maggie grew old and was on her death bed. Mestral was with her to the end. Maggie said "Who is going to take care of you when I am gone?” She talked about the hereafter. "The Creator or God, whatever he is called, couldn't be so unfair as to not create a Hereafter. I will wait for you. I will be standing by the door when you come in. We will be together for eternity.

Maggie died a few days later in her sleep, peacefully. Mestral took her body back to Carbon Creek. By now Mestral was wealthy from astute investments he made in computer hardware and software. He bought several acres of land, had a park built, and in a corner he had a crypt of green-veined marble built for his wife. There was a simple plaque on it. Mestral insisted filigree be put on each side of the plaque and supervised the work of the stone cutters so the filigree was exactly as he had drawn it. Mestral set up a foundation to take care of the park and crypt. The caretakers would be paid by the foundation. If they failed to keep up the crypt and park, they would be fired and new caretakers hired. Mestral over the years watched the foundation and in disguises visited its headquarters giving orders and checking to see the health of the foundation. His wealth had grown too, so if money was needed he could provide it.

Mestral travelled, finally settling, first in Nepal studying with the Buddhist Monks there. After China released and withdrew from Tibet, the Tibetan Monks went back to their ancient monasteries, and Mestral went and studied with them, only leaving a few times to visit Maggie’s Crypt. As Mestral lay dying, he asked to be cremated without embalming. His last thoughts were of Maggie and he felt regret that his ashes would not be put in the crypt with Maggie. But his requests were carried out: He was cremated and his ashes put in a jar to be placed in a niche in a monestry.

So ends the story of Mestral’s time on Earth and Mestrals and Maggies love.

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Epilogue.

"How come you brought us to Carbon Creek?" asked Trip. “The kids . . ."

"The children are being supervised by their grandparents."

“T-Mir has her grandpa wrapped around her little finger. He is going to spoil them rotten. Take them to the park and fill them up with all sorts of candy that will make them sick at the end of the day."

"Your mother will not allow that."

“Now, why did you bring me all the way to Carbon Creek?"

"On Enterprise, I did not tell you everything when I told you about the Vulcans crashing here in the 1950s.”

"Oh? Like what did you skip?"

"I had T-Mir's handbag with me on Enterprise when I told you that story."

"You did?!"

"Yes, and there is something else that I did not tell you."

"What?"

"You will see in a minute."

They rounded a corner and were in front of a green marble crypt. There was a plaque on it.

‘Maggie Vulcan’ and below, “Beloved wife of Mestral Vulcan.”

"Is that the Mestral who stayed on Earth?" Trip asked.

"Yes."

"He married a Human woman?"

"Obviously," said T’Pol

"I wonder if she loved him as much as I love you."

"Yes, she did."

'How do you know?"

"It says right here." T-Pol pointed to the filigree.

"What can the filigree tell you about that?"

"It isn't filigree; it is Vulcan script."

"What does it say?"

"This was the Human woman I met, loved, and married. She made the time we spent together the happiest of my life. She loved me as much as I loved her. She knew I was not Human but it made no difference. She said that love bridges species. Her only regret was that we could not have children."

"That all?"

"No, there is a message for us," she said pointing to the other side of the plaque.

"Message for us?"

"In the far future, if any Vulcan-Human couple read this, we hope that they find as much hapiness as we had."

"I’ll be damned. All that distance . . . I wonder what . . .?"

"Brought them together?" said T-Pol anticipating his question. The same Fate that brought us together. Of all the female Vulcans who might have been assigned to Enterprise, I was chosen. I met, fell in love with, and married the most unique Human male alive."

"I married the most wonderful Vulcan woman in the Universe. How come you never told me the story of Mestral and Maggie before?

"There was a certain Engineer I began to fall in love with.  I didn't want him to know that there had once been a Vulcan-Human couple until I was sure that we also could be a couple.

"Why not?"

There was amusement in T’Pol's eyes.

"I didn't want him to get ideas until I was sure."

“I was damned sure for a long time."

"Yes, I know. But if you knew about this couple, you might have thought of marriage when it was still too soon."

"Never too soon. Some other guy might have come along and grabbed you first."

"No, that would not have happened. I would not have wanted any other mate."

"T-Pol, I wonder what ever happened to Mestral? All we have is this crypt, and it must have been built long before Mestral died."

"We will never know. I just hope he found what he had been looking for on Earth."

"I think he found something that proved he had made the right choice in staying."

"Yes, happiness with a Human woman."

"Will our love story be as happy?"

"Ask me in sixty years."

"Because of you I actually have an incentive to live that long."

Finis