[Chapter 87: Madonna Wants a Kid]
What Madonna shared happened the day before yesterday.
Orlando called Hillary. He asked her if she was pregnant.
Hillary initially said no, when asked in the morning. But by the evening, she called back again with an excited voice: "I went for a check-up! God, I'm actually pregnant!"
Pregnancy is usually a natural instinct for women who are mature and haven't reached menopause yet. That was true for most women -- but it was clear that both Hillary and Bill had fertility issues.
Bill Clinton had shared that he had mumps years ago, which led to inflammation throughout his body, eventually causing loss of reproductive function. He himself admitted this more than 20 years later when comforting a friend. Hillary had a constitution that made getting pregnant difficult, especially now since she was already over 40. Although she wasn't menopausal yet, the chances of pregnancy were very low.
This was one reason she hadn't used contraception. Unexpectedly, it might have been Orlando's "electrotherapy" over the past ten days that healed her body enough for her to conceive.
The call Madonna overheard was Hillary announcing she was pregnant. Bill was with her, but he didn't say anything like, "Thanks for getting my wife pregnant." Instead, he just asked Orlando to "take care" of his wife while she was in Los Angeles.
It was a different approach, but at least it sounded normal.
Later, Orlando spoke with Hillary on the phone again, asking questions in a cryptic way -- "Does your husband have any... unusual fetishes?"
Hillary said probably not. Bill didn't care much, but he wasn't into anything odd.
The reason Bill didn't say anything was because divorcing Hillary was impossible. If Hillary got pregnant again, as long as it wasn't obvious the child wasn't his, it would seriously help Bill's political career.
Simply put, Hillary and Bill thought alike: if the baby was a boy, and two years from now Bill ran for election, his chances of winning would increase by at least 10%.
Hillary explained a lot about why. But without telepathy, Orlando couldn't read her mind directly, so he only caught parts.
Orlando could only sigh. If he hadn't been cheating, he figured he'd be as good as dead if he faced these people.
Because of this phone call, Madonna actually thought Orlando must be the illegitimate son of some ultra-powerful figure. Otherwise, how could the head of a state be willing to be cuckolded and still call to thank him?
Now, Hillary was the mother of his first child, and Bill -- the future President of the United States -- became the father of that illegitimate child.
"Tell me..." Madonna took a sip of coffee from a fine porcelain cup, feeling sleepy as the sunlight filtered gently through grapevines onto her. Suddenly, she asked, "What's it like to have kids?"
"You're asking that? I'm not even married yet. How would I know?"
"But you are having a kid!"
"Tsk, but I'm not sure if he'll call me dad in the future."
Orlando glared at her and saw exactly what she was thinking -- this woman wanted to have a baby herself, stirred up by Hillary's pregnancy and all the speculation about Orlando's "true identity."
Even though he'd clarified it countless times, Madonna still believed his background was more complicated. There'd already been Daisy Cuomo, and now Hillary Clinton... These weren't people ordinary folks got involved with.
Madonna thought, 'He can electrocute people! He must be from some noble bloodline! Is he a descendant of some superhero? If he and I had a child, would our kid inherit his powers?'
That was what filled her head right now.
Orlando laughed, annoyed yet curious.
The truth was -- his powers didn't pass down genetically.
He could read minds, shoot electricity, invoke premonitions, and possessed physical fitness beyond human limits. If any of those abilities were hereditary, his offspring would surpass ordinary humans easily.
Honestly, Orlando felt like studying himself.
"Do you really want a kid?" he asked, irritated by Madonna's wild imagination.
She just nodded eagerly.
He said bluntly: "You can have a kid with me, but I'm not marrying you."
"Well, then who will you marry? Hillary, Daisy Cuomo? Or some other socialite's daughter?" Madonna asked immediately.
No matter how he explained, she believed Orlando was some illegitimate son of a powerful man -- or perhaps even "descended from God."
Otherwise, how else could he generate electricity?
"No one," Orlando said firmly.
He thought the same.
Unless... maybe Rockefeller or Morgan's daughter...
Marrying someone like that could help him a lot.
Well... marrying wasn't impossible.
---
The revelation of Hillary's pregnancy triggered a series of follow-up events.
After several days of meetings and discussions, Warner, Seymour, and others finally came up with a plan Orlando wasn't thrilled about -- but still could accept.
"Don't release the EP yet," Frank personally told Orlando, explaining Warner's thinking. "Release a lead single first! See how it does over two months. If the Gulf War hasn't started yet, release another single! Then hold off until January 15 next year."
This was to avoid clashing with the Gulf War.
The decision came after dozens of meetings between Warner and Orlando's team.
Orlando accepted it since, even in the parallel universe he remembered, the war wouldn't officially start until next year.
But that was just one universe.
In this space and time -- he'd even gotten Hillary pregnant and made Bill father.
Within four months, the war might break out earlier than expected.
For example, under the butterfly effect, Saddam Hussein might launch missiles at U.S. carriers in the Persian Gulf.
Compared to his own memories, Orlando now trusted his premonitions more. Memories could be wrong, altered by butterfly effects, changing the timeline. But his visions had never been wrong so far -- even Hillary's pregnancy was foreseen!
"Okay, then let's release the first single," Orlando agreed readily. "Which one do you think fits best?"
He already knew -- his mind reading told him. Frank and others thought Counting Stars would be best.
It was a rock song -- an upbeat, positive pop-rock anthem. The melody, rhythm, and lyrics all catchy, bright, and light-hearted. It could even be performed at major events like the Fourth of July celebrations.
"Counting Stars!" Frank stated with certainty.
"Your previous tracks and Shania's hit prove your rap and country skills. But, boss, if you want to make real money, you have to do rock. Records sell and concerts sell best in rock."
It was true.
Culturally, whether in Europe or the States, especially when it comes to touring, rock bands and rock stars were the top earners and had the biggest fan base.
It was a steady career you could enjoy young or old.
"Then let's go with Counting Stars," Orlando said without much care.
Mainly, he realized he could prompt his Awakening after his Wall Street phase. He wasn't as obsessed with his singing or entertainment career as before.
He'd keep singing and acting, but just because he liked it -- the feeling of being the center of attention, loved wherever he went.
That was enough.
After all, even if he could sing like Michael Jackson or pen hits like Quincy Jones, act like Leonardo DiCaprio and direct like James Cameron, if powerful people wanted him gone, it'd only take a little push.
But happiness didn't come with money.
He loved singing, and had just started acting more seriously.
---
After August 7, Orlando reported to Cameron's film crew for the second time.
This round lasted eight days.
Most T1000 scenes had been shot.
"Hey, man, you acted really well! Compared to you, Schwarzenegger doesn't even look like a robot -- you actually look like the real thing!"
On the set of Cameron's Terminator 2, Will Smith, who'd come by to visit, surrounded Orlando, chatting nonstop.
"Bro, I didn't expect you to be so agile and skilled. Your moves remind me of Bruce Lee! I should show you my moves! But Schwarzenegger's muscles are huge. Of course, he can't compare to you -- really! You were born with the face of a leading man."
"Okay, okay, Will, Arnold's gonna get mad if he hears this. He's the real hero of the movie..." Orlando smiled.
Will Smith had a tough time last year and early this year. The Grammy winner bought a mansion and a fancy car in New York last year, but because no one warned him, he messed up on taxes. The IRS caught him for tax evasion. He had to pay back taxes and fines.
Suddenly, even selling all his luxury cars and mansions wouldn't cover it.
Even in Los Angeles, he could only afford the cheapest apartment in North LA.
If not for help from other black friends and loans from Orlando, it would have been rough.
But Will Smith's winter had passed.
He starred in NBC's sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which scored high ratings and great reviews.
More importantly, after Orlando signed him to Orlando Records, his single Killing in the Name dropped and got rave reviews.
*****
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