Mary slowly walked to me. “John, are
you okay?” her voice got a little higher like it does every time she is
worried. I could feel my heart start to beat harder again. Deep breaths checked
in and out of my lungs like they were a one second stay hotel. My eyes darted
around the garage looking for something, anything that was strange or out of
place. My gaze fell upon the rear view mirror of the car. Written in red
sharpie was a sentence that I had to read twice. “She isn’t real.” An arrow was
under the lettering, and it was pointing in Mary’s direction. Slowly I turned
to look at her.
“John, are you okay?” she sounded
more desperate for an answer this time. “John”, she said. My legs gave out, and
I collapsed onto the concrete. “John”, she continued to call out. Over and over
she called my name, but her voice started to grow faint in my ears. My vision
started to fade. Before I knew it, the world around me faded into nothing but
blackness.
The pounding in my head was
unbearable whenever I tried to open my eyes. My hands clenched. Some sort of
fabric folded inside my fists. At that moment I realized that I was in my
bedroom. I heard footsteps and a clanking sound right next to me. Forcing my
eyes open, I saw Mary standing next to me starting to put a couple of sugars in
a cup, and stirring them into a liquid that smelled like tea.
“Good morning”, she said in her usual
soft, soothing voice. She handed me the cup as I sat up. Feeling the warm,
sweet liquid run down my throat made my muscles relax. My head started to stop
pounding.
“Thank you, Mary.” Her teeth showed
through a smile. “What happened?”
“You started to freak out in the garage,
and fainted. I think you just needed a good rest.” I nodded in agreement. I did
feel quite tired throughout the week. Maybe she was right and I did just need a
rest. “So, how did you sleep?”
“Pretty well, except for the
excruciating head ache I woke up with.”
“That’s what the tea is for.” She
giggled a little. I never noticed how much she giggled. It was almost as if she
was always trying to make everything a good thing. Come to think of it, I don’t
even think her and I have ever been in an argument.
“How long have I been out?”
“Right not it is 8:00 AM, and you got
home about 5:00 last night. About fifteen hours.”
“Wow, I was tired.”
“Yeah you were.” I took a moment just
to breath. Then I threw the covers off, and started to get ready. “What are you
doing”, asked Mary.
“I have been sleeping for fifteen
hours, I feel fresh, and I want some ice cream. I am going to the store, and
when I come home, you and I are going to have a lazy treat day.”
“Ooh, my favorite kind of day.” After
running a comb through my hair, I grabbed the keys and started on my way to the
store.
This sunny Sunday morning instantly
made my day start off wonderfully. Everything was peaceful. Everything was
normal. The streets weren’t too crowded, the store was full of weekend
shoppers, and the ice cream section had a kid crying to his mom in attempt to
get a tub of the delicious treat. I filled my carrying basket with two flavors
of ice cream and a variety of toppings.
Once I got everything done and paid for,
I headed outside. Everything was still operating as normal. I stepped down off
the curb when the car horn sounded out. I turned and saw a car speeding toward
me. Fear froze me in my place. My breath slowed and deepened. Time seemed to
move like icebergs. People surrounded the event. I didn’t remember so many
people being out and about this morning. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a
flash of red. I turned to see what it was. I saw Clara in her red rain coat and
boots. It had started to rain again.
When I turned to look back at the
car, an immense pain shot through my stomach. I closed my eyes as I felt my
body fly backwards. Every bone in my body was in agony.
As soon as I hit the ground, I opened
my eyes. I was no longer lying in a parking lot right after being hit by a car.
I sat straight up. There was something that was coming out of my mouth. It was
a tube. My instinct reaction was to pull it out. As I did, I could feel it come
up my throat as well. I pulled on it so quickly that it scratched my throat on
the way out. Coughs hurled themselves out of my lungs. My heart was racing once
again, and my breath was heavy. Looking around the room, I noticed a picture
sitting on the table next to my bed. It was a picture of Clara in her same red
rain coat and boots. She was splashing in rain puddles.
To Be Continued
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