Two Souls

This is a dream I had that I decided was good enough to become a story.

“Happy three year anniversary baby, I hope we have many more glorious years together.” I raise the glass and make a toast.

            “And to you my love, I hope we have many more happy years too.” Richard raises his glass and clinks it with mine. I lean in and give him a kiss….

            I awaken with a gasp of air. Panic rises thick and strong in my throat as I try to sort out all the noises I can hear through the fog of grogginess. Constant loud beeping sounds all around me, and pain riding up my arms. I reach for my head to try and stifle the noise, to no avail. I take in a few more breaths and look around. I am in what looks to be a hospital room connected to so many machines. I look down at the needles protruding from my hands. I reach to grab one.

            “Oh please don’t do that, it’ll hurt and we will have to hold you down to re insert them.” I look up at the voice. A nurse is bustling over towards me.

            “Where am I? How did I get here? What is going on?” I beg for answers. I am so confused. I can’t remember anything but Richard. Richard! I need to find him. Ask him what is going on!

            “Please lie still. It is a miracle that you have awakened. Your mother will be here soon to answer all your questions. For now, you need to rest and possibly eat. Are you hungry?” The nurse asks. I look up at her. A miracle? What’s a miracle? How did I wind up here?

            “What is a miracle? How long have I been here?” I look around, searching for anything that would be familiar.

            “It is a miracle you awoke from your coma. You’ve been in one for three years ever since your accident.” The nurse replies. I look back at her even more confused. Three years in a coma? What accident?

            “What accident? Where is Richard? He must know why I am here.” I ask as I try to sit up. The nurse pushes me back down. She looks at me confused.

            “Who is Richard? No one by that name has ever been here. I have been on watch over you since you were admitted three years ago. Only your mom came to see you. Speaking of which, your mom will be here soon. She will have answers to your questions I am sure. Now please just lie down and rest.” The nurse says as she puts her hand firmly on my shoulder. I look up and nod. There is no use fighting a battle that cannot be won. So I lay there waiting while she checks my machines and the fluids running into my veins via the terrible needles protruding from my hands.

            I awaken sometime later to someone shaking me. I groggily look up and see my mom standing over me. Her face looks strained and worn. She seems to have aged at least twenty more years. Tears stream down her face towards her cracked smile. At forty my mom looks somewhat worn with grey hair and some wrinkles starting to form. Her crow’s feet have wavered and she seems to have tons of stress lines marring her face. Her eyes look sunken and her cheekbones shallow. Concern and fear seemed to be etched within her features. I reach up and wipe one of her tears away.

            “What is going on? Why am I in the hospital? Where is Richard?” I sit up a little awkwardly. It feels like I haven’t used my limbs in years. If what the nurse said is true, I guess I haven’t.

            My mom looks down at me confused. “Who is Richard? And don’t you remember why you’re here?”

            “Mom, my memory is a little fuzzy but Richard is the man I have been dating for three years, now stop playing games. Where is he?” I rub my eyes wearily.

            My mom sits down in a chair beside my bed. “I do not know any man named Richard.  You’ve been in a coma for three years hun. We got into a car accident. Your head was split open by a piece of window glass when the front panel shattered.  Shortly after the ambulance arrived you slipped into unconsciousness and have been in a coma since, until now. The doctors were saying you were never going to wake up. You don’t remember the accident at all?” I look up and shake my head.

“No mom I don’t. My memories are a little fuzzy. Can I have a drink of water?” I reach for the cup on the table, but my mom gets to it first and hands it to me. I drink down great gulps of water only stopping to take a breath.

“Well it happened hun. Now you should rest and probably try to eat something. You’re so much thinner than before. Your precious brown eyes look hollow and your cheekbones are sunken in. Your once beautiful auburn hair is now somewhat dull in color and stringy. You need to eat and rest to gain your strength back. We will worry about your memories later.” She reaches out and rubs my head. I pull away and sink back down into the bed.

I sigh. “Mom, I am not hungry and if I was in a coma for three years don’t you think I wouldn’t want to sleep?” I rub my eyes again. “But if you insist, I will eat and try to rest. But I want out of here as soon as I am able.” I press the nurse call button on the remote and wait for food.

 

            Three months, it had taken at least three months before I finally got out of that dreaded place. Three months for me to dwell on the supposed dreams I had of me and Richard. They had felt so real. It took forever for the linger of what I was sure was a real kiss to fade from my lips. My memories of the accident and before were slow to come back, but I remember everything. I had believed I was still in Iowa, living out my life there; that I had met Richard shortly after I had been kicked from my dad’s place. But in reality, I had only lived there until my father had kicked me out, then I moved back here to Kansas to live with my mom. What I had thought were memories of me and Richard were nothing more than comatose dreams, but I can’t shake the feeling that he is real. I must find him, no matter the cost.

            I am sitting at my mom’s kitchen table, stirring my tea endlessly. I don’t know how I am going to tell her that I am leaving to find Richard. I know how she will react. She just got me back and I am ready to leave to go on what she would call a wild goose chase. But what she would never understand is that I need to know if he is real. That he is out there somewhere, maybe waiting for me.

            I take a deep breath. “Mom? I am leaving for a while. I do not know when I will be back.” I slowly look up at her waiting for her response. She turns around and stares at me.

            “And where are you running off to?” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the counter.

            I sip my tea and look back down. “I am going back to Iowa, to find Richard.” I take another sip and wait for the storm of anger to hit.

            I hear her sigh and slightly look up, she’s rubbing her eyes. “How many times must I tell you that this Richard was nothing more than a dream? He does not exist. He cannot be real.” She walks over and sits down. “You my dear are chasing a ghost trail. Please let this go.”

            “Mom, I know you do not understand, but I must see if he is real. I was in a coma for three years and dreamt up a whole life with him. A life of three years. I cannot just let that be a dream. I have to know if he is real. Nothing you can say or do will stop me. I am 23 years old. I am going to find out if he exists.” I finish my tea and stand. I go and put it in the sink.

            I hear my mom’s chair scrape as she gets up. I stay turned towards the sink. “What if you find him and this “Richard” happens to exist? What are you going to do then hmm? Interrupt his life for the sake of yours?” I hear her footsteps head towards the door. I turn around and look straight at her.

            “I don’t know what will happen if I find him, but I plan on telling him my story and letting it go from there.” I sigh and watch my mom leave. I walk out of the kitchen and turn towards the stairs. Time to pack for my journey ahead.

 

            I drive up to the house and pull to the side of the road to stop. I look up at the house from my comatose dreams. The same one Richard and his family live in. The same exact look and detail. It is very lightly blue with a white wood roof and plastic white pillars within the front. A great big window dominates the porch. The curtains are drawn closed. The door has three diamond shaped windows going down, stacked on top of one another. I kill the engine and just stare at it. I am nervous and yet shocked at the same time. I did not expect it to be here, what with my mom downsizing me and telling me it was all a dream over and over again. I swallow hard and get out of the car. I slowly approach the porch and see a small white fluffy face peer out of the bottom diamond window at me. He barks loudly to signal to the owners someone is intruding. I take a closer look at the dog and gasp; it is even the same breed as the one in the dream. I swallow and continue up to the porch until I reach the door.

            The door is opened before I can knock and Richard’s brother is standing in the doorway. Raymond looks the same as I had seen him. A very big man with very short dark brown hair, brown eyes and glasses. He has chubby cheeks, and always is wearing striped shirts. If I recall, the guy is the same age as me, 23.

            “I am looking for Richard, is he home?” I look up at his face and he raises an eyebrow. He turns to the side and hollers for Richard. I swallow even harder.

            “He will be right out. Can I ask what your name is? I have never seen you with him or around here before.” He holds out his hand. I grasp it and shake it.

            “My name is Anne, and no you haven’t. I have only seen Richard...” What? In my dreams? What do I say, “I have only seen Richard around. I just wanted to talk to him for a moment.” I run my hand through my hair and straighten as Raymond moves away from the door and Richard appears. God he is real. Every detail I remember of him is the same. Short cropped military style black hair, deep brown eyes, clean cut goatee, and very tall and muscular. He is at least 6’0 ft. and is muscularly built and if my dream is right, he is 25. I swallow and had to ask him to repeat what he said.

            “Can I help you?” He asks as he extends his hand. I nervously shake it and withdraw quickly.

            “Yes, can I please speak to you in private? I have something I must tell you.” I look up as a woman approaches and puts her hand in his.

            “Who is it Richard?” She puts herself to the side of him and places her other hand on his shoulder possessively. My heart sinks in my chest. He has a girlfriend.

            “I don’t know but why don’t you go back inside with Ray and I’ll be in probably in a bit.” He gently pushes her to the side and closes the door. “Where do you wish to speak?”

            I twitch my fingers and fumble with a button on my jacket. “How about around back? This may take a while.” I step off the porch and head for his back yard. He follows close behind me.

            Once back there I have him sit down and then I sit down the opposite of him. I take a deep breath. “My name is Anne. I am 23 years old and have been in a coma for the last three years. I know this will sound strange and possibly a little creepy, but please hear me out before you go running. I have a story to tell.” I rub my arms and look up at him. He nods for me to continue and I launch into the three years of my life that never existed. I told him about us meeting, how much we loved each other throughout the three years, what all we went through together, the hard times and easy times, the fond memories and the bad ones. I even told him things about himself that I remembered that many would not know.

            It took hours to tell my story and through it all his face remained neutral. Occasionally he would nod or undo his leg crossing and cross them the other way. He seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, even somewhat shocked when I said some things that clearly no one else knew about him. Once I finished I swallowed hard and waited for his response.

            “So, let me get this straight. You’re telling me that while in your coma you had a three year long dream about us being together?” I nod. “Ok, I can see that, then you go and tell me things about myself that no one else knows and you expect me to believe these are from your dreams as well?” I nod again and swallow. He stands up and begins to pace. I stand as well and wait. “Interesting. And I am assuming you don’t want me to think of you as a stalker?” I nod and bite my lip. “I like your story but what did you expect after telling me all this?” He stops in front of me and looks me in the eyes awaiting my response. I swallow hard.

            “I don’t know what I was expecting. I just had to see if you were real and if so I had to tell you my story. Obviously you are with someone and aren’t available. Even if you weren’t with someone and didn’t think I was crazy, which I am sure you do, I would not expect us to date right away. But I would hope you would want to possibly be friends?” I firmly keep my hands at my side. They itch to touch him, to hold him. My lips tingle to feel his pressed against them. I mentally slap myself and stand completely still.

            He rubs his goatee and looks at me. “Look, this is a lot to take in. I need time to process all this and your right. I am with someone. If you know me, then you know I won’t drop a relationship without reason, and I especially won’t drop a relationship based on dreams.” I nod and take out a pen and paper.

            “If you ever wish to talk, I am going to be in town for a while. I am staying at this motel and this is my room number. I am sorry to come out of know where and hit you with all of this. As I said though, I needed to see if you were real and if you were I had to tell you my story. I know we will probably never be friends and even less so lovers, but at least I know you exist and that will be enough for me.” I hand him the paper with my information on it and head towards the door. I turn and look back at him.” It was good to see you again, even if on different terms.”

 

            Two weeks had passed since I had seen Richard and told him my story. Every time I had heard footsteps my heart had leapt. Only to sink back down when they either walked passed my door or cut short before it. I had given up three days ago that he would never show. I must have scared him with my story, but his gentlemanly ways kept him from being rude.

            I grabbed the last of my clothes and packed them in the suitcase. A tear runs down my cheek and I swipe at it furiously. There is no way I am going to cry. I knew this would probably happen; my emotions must remain in check. I blow out a breath. I closed the suitcase and turn as a knock sounds on the door. Who could that be? I walk to the door and open it.

Richard is standing in the hallway with a slight smile on his face. “I have a story to tell.”

Author's Note

I may revise this and lengthen it though my ending will stay the same. Remember the details throughout the story and you will understand the ending.