Untitled
an excerpt

I woke up and looked around in confusion. Something was wrong…the room seemed off. I blinked a couple of times and realized the dream was over. These dreams were becoming so intense they almost seemed more real that reality. And, despite my nap, I was so very tired. Maybe I needed to start taking vitamins.
I dressed and went downstairs, hoping I wouldn’t see James again, but at the same time hoping I would. James wasn’t in the lobby when I reached the ground floor, but a man was checking in, his back towards me. He turned and grabbed his bag before heading to the stairs. As he passed, he nodded his head cordially and I returned the gesture. A cold sensation blew over me, though, as he passed, leaving me feeling disoriented and strange. Shaking it off as the remnants of the dream I’d just experienced, I walked out to the patio.
James reclined on one of the lounge chairs, a book open across his chest and his eyes closed. I didn’t want to disturb him, so I turned to go.
“Don’t leave,” he said from behind me.
I turned back to him, ready to apologize for the way I ran off when he beat me to it. “I’m sorry if I hurt you when I said I didn’t seen anyone. I didn’t realize, even though I should have.”
“Why should you apologize? I’m the one who ran off like a scared rabbit. I…I didn’t want to see the pity in your eyes.”
The look of astonishment on his face was enough to convince me he’d not felt any pity. “Why on earth should I pity you! Hell, I envy you… and people with your talent. That’s one reason I went into the field I did.”
I’m sure it was my turn to have a look of astonishment on my face. “Talent? Envy? What on earth are you talking about?”
James stood up, laying the book on the lounge. He grabbed me by the shoulders and peered into my face.
“My God,” he said finally. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“Don’t know what?” I backed up away from him and out of his grasp. He was beginning to scare me. Maybe I wasn’t the only one here who was crazy.
He shook his head and looked around. “Not here. I don’t think this is a good place for us to talk. Let’s drive into the city for supper tonight and I’ll explain everything to you then. This afternoon, I want to get some things together that will help you understand.”
Despite my misgivings, I found myself agreeing, but wondered as he left just what I’d let myself in for. I picked up the book he’d left on the lounge, one of the bestsellers I’d been meaning to pick up and hadn’t gotten around to, and tried to read it. My mind kept swirling though, wondering what James had to tell me and why he was so amazed.