Chapter 1

Erica awoke to the sun shining through her windows. She slowly sat up and looked at the time. It was a Sunday morning, so there was no need to hurry for anything. As she stood up and made her way to the bureau she could smell something coming from the kitchen. Seeing that she lived alone, she couldn’t figure out what was going on. Erica quietly walked to the door and peered down the hall to the kitchen. She smiled when she could see someone walking around the room.

“What’s all this?” She asked as she entered the room.

Kaioshin looked up and smiled. “I’m trying to make you breakfast, but I’m not having that much success.”

“It smells good…um, what is it?”

Kaioshin laughed. “What? You can’t tell that they’re eggs?”

The two sat at the kitchen table; Erica ate her breakfast and Kaioshin sat with her. “So what made you come here like this?”

“Must I have a reason?” Kaioshin asked.

“Well, you don’t normally come over and cook me a meal. It was very good though,” she added.

“Well thank you.” Kaioshin folded his hands on the table. “Actually, I had to come tell you that I won’t be able to see you for a few days.”

“Why not?” Erica asked looking up.

“It’s kind of complicated to explain. Every few hundred years or so, all of the gods are supposed to get together to talk about the universe.”

“How exciting,” Erica commented sarcastically.

“Tell me about it. Seeing that I’m the highest god, I have no other choice but to go.”

“So that takes how long?”

“That’ll only take one day. However, I need to make some visits to a few planets, and that’ll take another day or so. I wish there was some way for me to get out of it, but I can’t.”

“I understand.”

“You’ll be okay?”

“Of course! Kaioshin, I can take care of myself. Don’t worry about me; I’ll be fine.”

Kaioshin spent another hour or so with Erica, but then decided he had better leave. “I’ll see you as soon as I get back.”

“Alright. How long are we talking?”

“No more than three days. Not even that long. I promise,” Kaioshin said putting his hands on her shoulders.

“I’ll remember that,” Erica teased. They exchanged a long kiss, and Kaioshin disappeared from the room.

* * *

Friday of the next week came. Erica returned home from a long and hard day of work. The first thing she did was checking the table for a note. She looked into the living room, hoping to see someone waiting for her, but there was no one. She mumbled to herself as she went to her room to change.

“I’m getting kind of sick of this Kaioshin,” she said out loud. “This happens every single time. ‘I’ll be back in a few days’ and you never show up! Just wait…”

The next morning, Kaioshin greeted Erica when she came into the living room. He turned around and smiled at her. She gave him a cold look as he came over to give her a hug.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“What’s wrong? How can you even ask that?”

“What?”

“You do this to me every time!”

“Do what?”

“And you don’t even realize it! Sometimes I wonder why I let myself put up with this. You take off for weeks, and I have no idea what in the world happened to you.”

“Erica, I…”

“This is it Kaioshin. You’ve pushed me over the edge.”

“Are you going to give a chance to explain? I do have a good reason,” Kaioshin almost snapped.

“I know, I know,” Erica snapped back, “you had some important business to attend to. It’s the same story every time.”

“I can’t believe you’re jumping to conclusions like this,” Kaioshin yelled. It was a very rare occasion Kaioshin ever raised his tone of voice.

“Why can’t you ever let me know what’s going on?”

“I have to keep you posted up to the minute of my life? I do have a life other than you,” he answered.

“Oh! So let me guess, there’s someone else on the other side of the universe that you have to see all the time. That explains it. Fine then. You can have her.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“I bet,” Erica said crossing her arms.

“Believe what you want to! I’ve been working very hard for you, and you’re not even giving me the respect I deserve.”

“What about me? Don’t I get any respect?”

“I give you plenty.”

“When?”

“You know what? I don’t have to take this. I’m a god…I don’t need a mere mortal.” And with that he disappeared.

“Good bye! And good riddance!” Erica yelled at the ceiling. She fell on the couch and tears started to fill her eyes. “I don’t need you anyway…”