The two men chitchatted for a bit, and I realized, upon closer inspection, that both men were exactly the same height. Although the stranger was muscular and powerful-looking, Kingsley had a beefy savagery to him that no man could match. Even ex-football players.
After all the silly football talk, I soon learned that the tall stranger now worked as a private eye. I perked up. Kingsley mentioned I was one, too, and the man nodded and reached into his sweat pants pocket and pulled out a brass card holder. He opened it, gave me one of his cards.
He said, "You ever need any extra help or muscle, call me. I can provide both."
I looked at the card. Jim Knighthorse. I might have heard the name before, perhaps on some local newscast or something. On his card was a picture of him smiling, really cheesin' it up for the camera. I had a very strong sense that Mr. Knighthorse just might have been in love with himself.
"Helluva picture," he said, winking. "If I do say so myself."
I was right.
Chapter Seven
It was far too early in the morning for me, but I didn't care.
The sun was high and hot, and I was sitting in my minivan in the parking lot of my children's elementary school near downtown Fullerton, where I had parked under a pathetic jacaranda tree. The tree was mostly bare but offered some shade.
Beggars can't be choosers.
I was huddled in my front seat, away from any direct sunlight, the shades pulled down on both the driver's side and passenger's side windows. My face was caked with the heaviest sunblock available on the market. Thin leather gloves covered my hands, and I was wearing another cute wide-brimmed sunhat, which sometimes made driving difficult. I had many such hats - all purchased in the last six years, of course - and all a necessity to keep me alive.
And what happens if I'm ever exposed to any direct sunlight?
I didn't know, and I didn't want to find out, either. All I knew was that the sun physically hurts me, even when I'm properly protected. I suspected I would wither and die. Probably painfully, too.
So much for being immortal.
Immortality with conditions.