Chapter 28: Chapter 25

Families going on vacation, men and women heading towards their jobs, and college students were returning to campus as others headed off to their own ventures. The train station was bustling with activity this Saturday as everyone attended to their own personal business, but the only exception was the lonely girl sitting on a bench waiting for noon to hit.

Try as she may to calm herself, Lucy was visibly shaken. The last meeting ended with her running away and that same sentiment resonated within her at this moment. She had a desire to get up and forget this entire episode as a feeling of isolation and fear was grasping her. Yet, when she thought of going back home to an empty apartment, remembering the feeling of dejection she experienced and having nobody to comfort her, it pinned her in place. 'Is this really what I have to do? Is this really the answer? I'm scared, but there's no one to comfort me. Is there no one I can trust?'

It felt like she was waiting for an eternity, a delay that she hoped would last forever, but only a few moments after the twelfth hour, Johan now stood a few feet away from her. Presenting himself before her a second time, all she could do was look with awe at the man that so resembled the one in her dreams. It was uncanny at how much he felt so familiar to her yet still be a stranger all the same. It was as if she had been by his side this whole time.

The feeling was mutual for Johan and perhaps even more so as the word 'impossible' ran circles in his head. The girl in his dreams always had this particular look to her that felt ascertainable. It was a look that permeated from the dream world and into reality as the perfect image was right before him. It was such a shock to him that a sense of guilt enveloped him. Dreams were one matter, but he felt the full brunt of reality as she started walking toward him. He wanted to turn around and take flight, but he stood in place with all the energy he could muster.

Standing a distance from him, enough for her to get a good look without invading his private space, "It really is you," she said. Johan could not reply, at least not until she said. "Thank you for coming."

Perhaps it was Lucy's effort to approach him, or perhaps it was her voice that had an effect on him. Whatever it was, it gave him the confidence to relax and respond, "Thank you."

 

 

 

 

 

Not too far from the train station, a small park could be reached by foot. Side by side, leaving a respectful distance between them, Johan and Lucy walked along a path. They tried making eye contact but every time they did so they were reminded of the ones waiting for them in their dreams and quickly diverted their attention away.

They wanted to remain silent but each knew the reason for this meeting. Someone had to start up a conversation eventually.

"I..." both said at the same time, causing them to hesitate and returned to giving each other the silent treatment.

Johan sighed silently and thought, 'Everything about this is so awkward. But I want to talk to her. I have to say something eventually. But...' He took a long breath and exhaled while closing his eyes.

"You were the one who rescued me," Lucy said, causing Johan to twitch. "Back during the field trip. I tripped on some mud and almost fell into the water. That was you, right?"

Johan turned slowly towards her but found her still facing forward, and then returned facing forward. "Yes, I recall. Who would've thought that was our first meeting rather than... I guess... when you discovered my blog page. What a crazy coincidence, huh? Ha ha." He ended with a forced laugh.

"Is it? Is it a coincidence? I mean, we have the same dreams. They seem so... strange. We have the same dreams, and we so happen to have met at that moment, but we go our separate ways. Then I go online and see the blog page and we become friends. And now we're meeting like this. This can't be a coincidence. This is just too weird. Jonah, I don't know anything about this. It's just weird to me."

Johan listened to not just her words but the sad tone that was carrying them. He could tell she found the situation awkward as the feeling was mutual. He didn't know what to reply but after thinking back a few words prior, "My name is Johan." Lucy looked in his direction. "You called me Jonah. My name is actually Johan."

It took her a few moments before, "Oh, that's right. I'm sorry. I know someone in my school named Jonah and I guess he was in my mind. Johan is quite a weird name for me to pronounce as well. Oh, I didn't mean your name was weird, it's just that I'm not familiar with it."

Johan gave an earnest smile. "Yeah, I get it. Johan isn't as common as Jonah. Have you been calling me that for all this time? I mean, when we were chatting. Have you inadvertently been calling me Jonah?"

"No. I've pronounced your name a few times. I really don't remember how many, but I know I have. That name is just... well..." She turned her head and saw that Johan was chuckling a bit. "That's an interesting name, Johan."

"It derives from John," Johan responded continuing to face forward but looking slightly at her. "If I can remember correctly, it actually goes all the way back to biblical times. The source is from the Hebrew name Yochanan which means 'God is Gracious."

"Really?"

Johan started scratching the back of his neck, "I tend to look up random trivia when I'm writing my novellas. I guess I was curious about my name."

"That's right. You told me that was your hobby, writing books. Now it makes perfect sense."

"What does?"

"Well, I thought you were a kid my age. I thought it was interesting that you were trying to be a novelist. Now, it feels more... normal, I guess. Are you looking to publish?"

"I've been writing since I was in high school, so it's not too far off for someone your age to be interested in writing. And second, I just like to write as a hobby. I'd rather concentrate on my studies and become a psychologist."

"I would love to read your novel when it's finished."

A soothing effect had enveloped Johan who turned his head and was welcomed by Lucy's smile. He momentarily paused from the unforeseen reaction, but it eventually made him relax. "Well, in that case, I would love to hear a song from you sometime in the future."

"You remembered my hobby."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "How's the flute coming along?"

"I'm pretty good, but nothing like the pros. I'm too embarrassed to share my songs. I don't even post it online. I guess I'm like you and just do it for fun."

"Well, if you keep at it, I'm sure you'll be creating songs in no time. I'm certain they'll sound beautiful."

She giggled and responded, "You haven't even heard anything." He joined in the laughter too.

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Another extensive silence followed, but this time it wasn't so much from awkwardness. The sensation of joy going through them was no different than the ones they would experience beforehand. Only now it felt so surreal knowing who was once unknown was now the person walking alongside.

"Lucy, I hope I'm not being nosey, but I really have to know, why did you stop chatting with me? You don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable, but I have been curious about this ever since it happened."

Lucy thought for a moment before answering, "I guess it was the reincarnation you mentioned. I didn't know what it was, so I decided to look it up. I was actually amazed at the idea that I started looking up all the information I could get. It was then that I realized that..." She stopped herself as she put her hand on her mouth. Once she got the courage to remove her hand, "I guess, I had a lot to think about."

"So, what did you think about?"

"I'm going to be honest; I like the idea. I guess dying is a sad thing but knowing that a family member would come back feels like comfort to those who lost someone."

"I guess I understand what you mean."

"And what do you think?"

"Me? I'm still skeptical. I mean, I'm more of a science kind of guy. If there's no real scientific reason, I usually don't buy it."

"Well, how about the past?"

"The past?"

"I mean, think about this. There was a time people were alive hundreds of years ago, wasn't there? They lived completely different lives than ours. If we could travel back in time, it would be so weird, wouldn't it? They lived so differently from us that it would be like an alien planet."

"That's right. People lived differently in the past."

"It's quite amazing if you think about it. Thousands of people lived in that era and now they're all gone. Things changed over time and many things were forgotten. Yet we still know how they lived because of leftovers from that era. Castles, documents, paintings, all of them were done by people, weren't they? People that are now long gone, leaving behind these things that give us a clue to how they used to live. I think that's amazing. But it's a shame we can't live through that, can we? That's why I think reincarnation is a nice thought. It's like a piece of the past returns to the present."

To his ears, Lucy's explanation sounded simple, yet he was still astonished at her words. He didn't find them too profound, but there was a certain feeling within him that made him feel elated. "The past..." he says softly to himself.

There was a sense of relief coming from Lucy as a smile was on her face which Johan noticed, causing her to be embarrassed when she realized he was looking at her. "It's just my opinion," she said. "They're just my dumb thoughts," and veered her sight away from him.

Johan couldn't help but smile as they continued down the path.

--

The crowd's density had thinned by evening as Johan and Lucy sat down on a bench at the train terminal.

"So what does my name mean?" Lucy asked, "but don't look it up on your phone."

"What a strange request. What makes you think I know?"

"You were curious about your name, I'm sure you were curious about mine at some point."

"Details never escape you, do they?" Johan thought for a moment and when he was ready, while gesturing with his index finger, "Its origins can be traced back to ancient Rome. It derives from the name Lucia, the feminine form of Lucius, which is derived from Lux, a name that translates into 'Light'."

"You remembered all that?"

"Yeah..." he chuckled.

Lucy laughed, "You're quite smart, Johan, or should I say Yohan... uh... Yocan... uhh..."

"Yochanan."

"Uh, yeah. I definitely can't remember that." She laughed softly. "I guess I'm not as smart as you are."

"Of course you're smart, Lucy. The fact that you have a curiosity about these things shows that you are willing to learn. Most people don't care about learning about the little things in life."

The sun was now positioned next to a building and a blinding light reflected off its windows straight towards Lucy's eyes causing her to cover them.

"It's evening already," commented Johan. "We've been chatting for hours."

"Yeah, like old times, huh?" Lucy chuckled.

Johan sighed, "Yeah, I guess, but we better go home now."

He got up to his feet and in turn obscured the sun from Lucy's sight. She uncovered her eyes to witness the silhouette in front of her. Gone was the man known as Johan and in his place was a shadow of a build that was familiar to her. A profound sight was before her causing her heart to begin beating. The feeling she knew all too well was now upon her and it shook her so much that she quickly collapsed and fell to her knees.

"Lucy, what's wrong?" Johan asked as he knelt down.

She could not fight the tears flowing from her eyes as she looked up and saw Johan's profile shining in the sunlight. The aura he gave was so great that she could not help but embrace Johan with a hug. This charged emotion radiated throughout her body and transmitted into Johan's being, straight into his soul. Had he not been kneeling, he would also have bent to its will as he clutched the young girl closer, and a stream of tears flowed from his eyes.

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