Cosmology - The branch of Metaphysics that focuses on the totality of the Universe. It seeks to determine what happened, predict what will happen, and explain how things fit together.

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Alone again in the open-air lunchroom, Hank pondered what to believe. Thinking about Reality Making—which was pretty much all Milton and Rio ever talked about—gave him a creepy feeling. So instead, he thought about how Rio had kissed him and cried in his arms the night before, while holding herself to his body.

Today, she showed him how she could plant visions in his head that were disturbingly similar to the nightmare he endured while taking his second PEP test.

She's going to demand that Milton makes me stay.

He mulled over the crap the two of them had put him through, stoking the courage he needed to leave by convincing himself that they had taken advantage of his humble nature. Still, the things they had told him crept around the edge of his mind—things he found himself almost believing.

I affect the people I know. I even affect those I don't know, simply because I care.

Making Reality for millions of people seemed like an enormous responsibility, and one he did not want. Most of all, he didn't feel any different about himself than he did before he had taken that stupid test. He was still plain, ordinary Hank.

And plain Hank's life sucks.

Even so, he'd accepted that fact about himself long ago. He took his first PEP test because he knew his life sucked, and the second one ten months later for the very same reason. Now, hanging out with Milton and Rio, life definitely didn't suck. But it scared the bejeesus out of him.

While wondering which side of the internal debate he was having was going to win, the vending machine began humming, as its refrigeration unit kicked in. The darn thing freaked him out every time he had to use it, and he'd have to walk past it if he ever left.

Which was exactly what he did. He reasoned with himself further while making his escape.

Milton and Rio are right. People can be influential. Magicians do it all the time. Poof! A rabbit is in the hat! And hypnotists do it, too. Now you think you're a chicken! What's so special about that?

Hank knew in his heart, though, that this was stupid talk. Milton and Rio were savvy, but he wasn't an idiot. He knew they weren't trying to trick him. He felt relief, however, from letting a natural instinct of his take over.

He was leaving, and that was that.

His pace slowed unintentionally as amorous thoughts about Rio returned. I want to be with her.

He went over the possible reasons why he had feelings of affection for someone he barely knew. He decided the main reason he wanted to be with her was because she wanted to be with him. But he couldn't be sure if her intentions were noble, or even if they were just.

Hank regained his pace. Rio was very sexy, and capable and smart, but she was also scary and mean. And more than a little strange.

I'm not ready for someone like her. Not yet.

With a city sidewalk under his feet, and familiar sights all around, Hank was glad things were back to normal. Padding around Milton's estate, with its big empty rooms and manicured lawns, wasn't the life he knew. Here, where noisy cars drove by in the hazy sun, making the tar filling cracks in the road smell like rubber galoshes, here was where he belonged. He took off his hoodie and soaked in the city, through his ears and his nose and his skin.

It feels good to be home.

After a while, Hank realized he was walking towards Asok's, rather than his dumpy flat. He hadn't been there for almost three days, and was supposed to have worked all of them. He was certain he'd been fired, so he didn't want to simply show up and act like things were normal. He could ask for his last check, he supposed, but he didn't even care about that. Milton had given him everything he had any need for, including spending money. In fact, Milton's generosity was so complete that Hank hardly thought about his old life at all, or any of the things he owned.

He twirled the key to the carriage house he still had in his pocket. It reminded him further of how he wasn't the least bit interested in going back to his former life. He didn't miss the few friends he had, who he never saw anymore anyway, or the distant members of his very small, very uninteresting family. He didn't even want to stock shelves at Asok's, which was the only thing he enjoyed doing.

But not anymore. This isn't like me at all.

This was a whole new Hank. Perhaps he wasn't a Dot, and he certainly wasn't an Other, but whatever he was now, he was no longer his ordinary self.

He resolved to clear any doubt in his mind one way or the other. He walked up to Asok's, but didn't go in. Instead, he stood nearby on the sidewalk, and watched as customers came and went. No one noticed him, or glanced his way, even though he knew some by name.

He ventured closer and sat at the farthest table set out for customers, facing away from the door. As Milton had told him about RMing, Hank tried his best not to think about anything. Not daydreaming, nor talking to himself with an inner voice, but truly opening up to the possibilities of the unending cosmos.

He concentrated on his body, and on the presence of air. With each breath in, he let an equal one out. He kept his eyes open, but stared at nothing.

No one went in or out of Asok's for a very long time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Then along came Anna. Hank couldn't help thinking about how everyone admired her as he watched her approach, taking long, purposeful strides.

She didn't go into the deli and instead, walked up to Hank and sat down. She set her small white accent purse on the table with a decisive thud. He made sure his mouth didn't hang open, but his eyes widened with surprise.

Anna smoothed the seams of her business jacket and slacks before sitting up straight and squaring her shoulders. As each waited for the other to speak, Hank realized he didn't even know how well Anna knew English. They had almost never spoken to one another, even though they had often acknowledged the other's existence for the last six years.

During that time, Anna had grown from a not-so-little girl into a stunning teenage adult. She blossomed innocently and with grace, and now, being all grown up, she was an Amazon compared to most Japanese. Still, at six-foot-two, Hank was more than a few inches taller.

Nevertheless, Anna was big, and beautiful in all the right ways. Over the years, Hank was amazed at how she had just kept on growing. Her waistline now was wide, yet her ample hips never surpassed the dimensions of her more ample bust. He realized the only things that had changed about him over the same period of time was that he wore his hair a little shorter, and stopped riding his skateboard to work.

He suppressed an inner urge to remind himself again about how his life sucked, especially since at this moment, Anna was sitting across from him, looking radiant yet not saying a word. She wore a slimming off-white French cut tee top underneath a slightly darker business jacket, and four bright plastic bangle bracelets, all on her right wrist. Each bracelet was a different color, matching the four thick stripes decorating the length of her jacket, which was completely unbuttoned at the moment. While at work, Anna was sure to have kept her jacket buttoned, for the material her top was made of was too thin to allow a woman of her proportions to go without the support the garment provided.

Anna leaned towards Hank. Every strand of her long black hair cascaded straight down her back. As she leaned in, her bosom spilled forth, stopping just short of touching the table. But Hank didn't look at her bosom, and instead kept his arttention focused on her nearly all-black eyes.

For whatever reason, Hank wasn't the least bit taken aback. In fact, he felt pretty good. Milton had provided him with a plentiful wardrobe, and he sported a new pair of his favorite brand of brushed black denim jeans, coupled with the cool studded leather belt Rio had given him. His earth-tone green pullover top had a loose fitted collar, with two of its three buttons open. Peeking out from under this shirt was a new black t-shirt that, should Anna get the chance to see it, bore the name of his favorite band.

Anna chewed on an earpiece of her chunky square white sunglasses as she matched Hank's continuous stare. As was usual when in her presence, he couldn't think of a thing to say.

"Hey," she finally said, sounding annoyed by the prolonged silence. "I've missed seeing you around."

"Yeah," Hank mumbled back, unsure of why Anna would miss him. "I've been… elsewhere."

"You've got another girl going on, don't you?"

Anna's English was Midwestern perfect. It came from a place deep within her, yet had the lilt of a Japanese youth.

She accused him with indifference. "You're stepping out on me. Aren't you?"

Hank was flummoxed. He and Anna were never an item. If it weren't for the fact he was looking right at her maroon glossed lips as she spoke, he wouldn't have any reason to believe she was speaking to him at all. But he played along because, after all, he was supposed to be this great Genius RMer.

"I wouldn't step out on you. I just want you to notice when I'm gone."

"I did notice you were gone. And now I notice you're back…"

She paused to lean in closer, keeping her posture straight so her boobs didn't touch the table.

"… For me," she finished with firmness, into Hank's almond butter brown eyes.

He practically burst out cheering. Even so, he minded his manners by not looking down at her bountiful cleavage, as he continued playing their game.

"Well," he replied calmly. "Only if you'll have me."

"Yeah, I'll have you…" She again paused for a long while. "… With me."

She tossed her head, pretending to straighten the lay of her otherwise flawless hair, and to get Hank to stare at the jiggle it produced down her thin tee top.

"Let's go," she said, standing up.

She adjusted herself to make sure she was proper, and to get Hank to stare at her ass. Satisfied, she put on her sunglasses, picked up her purse and walked away.

Follow her, you idiot!

Hank stumbled over the table as he got his big feet out from underneath, while grabbing his hoodie from the back of his chair. Anna never slowed down, using her signature long strides to force him to sprint to catch up. Once there though, instead of striding and bouncing, she changed her gait to a glide.

She appeared to him for all the world like an angel taking flight. He tried to glide along too, but his hiking boots stuck and scuffed on the uneven sidewalk.

"Uh… where are we going?" he asked, trying to sound cool, and failing.

"Some friends of mine want to meet you," she said in a professional voice, keeping her eyes straight ahead. "I've told them all about you, and now they want to have tea during lunch at the White Tea House."

As Hank pondered this idea, Anna looked him square in the eye. "And you're the guest of honor."

The last time he was in this neighborhood he almost got beat up by Mr. and Mrs. Satō. Now he was following a woman he barely knew into the heart of the Asian community, to sit with her inside one of their most cultured venues.

But he sallied forth, confident about one thing. Anna was very beautiful, and he'd face a platoon of mean old Asian couples to get even half a chance of scoring a babe like her as his girl. Plus, if what Milton had told him was true, this was his Reality, and he was in charge of what happened.

And so far, things are great!

Still, one thought popped into his head, as he stole a loving glance at the angel beside him.

I wonder if Rio misses me?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After quoting from The Dhammapada in The Book of LIBERALITY - Chapter FIVE, I pointed out how Buddha is considered a founder of Ontology. At the beginning of this chapter, I offer a definition of Cosmology and, together, these two disciplines describe the Universe as a whole.

Cosmologically speaking, Hank is figuring out how the pieces fit. Anna, on the other hand, is gonna get Ontological with his ass in very short order. She'll show him where he belongs in the grand scheme of things.

Hoo boy. He's in for surprises. 😃

The Book of HUMILITY - Chapter TWO

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