conclusions,” she said, patting my hand. “As you said, this isn’t some regular guy from the Mission who plays in a band. He is much more complicated than that. I think you need to discuss this with him further before you can understand what he wants. It’s possible he will ask you to do nothing.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked, wondering how Lily could be so sure.
“For a number of reasons,” she said. “First, he is not the first Other to feel strongly against intervening in human events. This is a frequent topic of discussion in my own family. It is a common theme, and one that you will encounter more often as you wade deeper into the Council’s affairs. Second, William has lived a long life and may have seen what ultimatums do to relationships. It’s possible he will never ask you to change your life, but he is certainly entitled to question what you’re doing.”
“Why is there opposition to the Council’s work?” I asked, realizing I probably should have known these things before I allowed myself to be tattooed by a witch.
Lily walked over to a window and regarded the passersby on the sidewalk, before she spoke. “They are the watchers, the invisible hand. The work of the Council is hidden from view,” she said. “It goes unnoticed by humans and, in the opinion of some, doesn’t always make much of a difference in the long-term.”
“But, if you know you are going to live forever, why wouldn’t you try to ensure the world is a pleasant place to live?” I asked, some of the bewilderment of my situation showing.
“I’m not William, Olivia,” she said. “I think you need to ask him why he left the Council. That is an important part of his story that may tell you a lot about why he feels the way he does. But one theory may be that after many years he came to realize his actions were only a drop in the bucket.”
“Yes, but if you get enough drops, the bucket will slowly fill up,” I said, feeling slightly defeated.
Lily took my hand in hers. “Olivia, are you falling in love with William?”
I nodded.
“I think I have been in love since the moment I first encountered him in the tunnel, even before I knew who he was. I know it’s silly.”
Lily smiled. “No, it’s not,” she said. “But I do think it’s time you introduced him to your friends. If you love him, then he needs to know the people in your life.”
“He is playing at a club tonight. I was planning on going after I get back from Palo Alto. Do you want to come?”
Lily nodded. “I’ll text Elsa and ask her to come too,” she said, smiling. “You might as well expose him to everything at once.”
“OK,” I said with a laugh. “You’re right.”
Lily grabbed my hand once again. “If you love William, you must try to accept his perspective of the world. It may always be less optimistic than yours; he’s been around longer and has had more time to be disappointed by humans.”
I knew that this was good advice, but the human in me was itching for a rebuttal. “You know, Lily,” I said as we were gathering our things to leave, “It’s possible that one day an Other will do something to disappoint a human.”
Out on the street, we went our separate ways, Lily promising to choose a few books for me about the Civil War and European history. I walked to my office and picked up a few files and then got in my car to drive to Palo Alto.
It was an easy day of reviewing website text, editing fundraising appeal letters and creating a schedule for house parties through a network of volunteers. I left feeling that I had put in a good days’ work in Levi’s absence. During the afternoon I texted with Lily who confirmed she had found several books I would enjoy reading, and that she and Elsa would be joining me at the Treasure Chest for William’s performance. My stomach tightened at the prospect of assembling the whole group, but Lily was right. I couldn’t separate him from the rest of my life. It was time I brought everyone together.
Once again, I got home in enough time to shower and change. Elsa and Lily were in the kitchen having a drink when I arrived. Lily was educating Elsa in the ways of mixing a dry martini, and she had