Chapter 4: Chapter 3

The upper area of the city is home to the rich, the privileged, the upper echelon. Even the cheapest apartment was out of limits to those who couldn't afford its mere million-dollar price tag. That was true of Building 2001 which was home to Norman. Working to keep his company running, not a single second of his day would be spared away from his role as its owner. But, despite his devotion to his work, he is not a machine as he stretched his left arm and rubbed the back of his neck with his right. His body demanded a break and when he heard the front door buzz, he practically agreed.

"Hello, Daughter,” he said when he opened the front door.

“Hello, Sir,” responded Lucy as he allowed her to enter his apartment.

Stepping into the wooden floor and passing by the decorative marble pillars, she took her seat on a gray plush sofa in the living room.

Before he joined her, Norman headed toward the wine rack and pulled a bottle. “Would you like a glass?” he asked as he grabbed two glasses.

“I don't know what that is.”

“It's champagne, dear.”

“I can't drink alcohol.”

“I don't see why not. After all, you are growing up now.”

“Growing up, but not fully grown.”

He scoffed a bit as he headed towards the living room. “When I was your age, I was already tasting wine straight from France.”

“I'm just going to say no, Sir.”

“Suit yourself, but don't be too much of a teetotaler. When you enter the business world, it would be rude to refuse a glass of wine when networking.” Arriving at the couch, he took his seat, popped the cork, and poured himself a glass. “Now then, how are your flute lessons going.”

“They're going well. I can play a few songs now.“

“Good, but don't spend all your time on your hobbies. Remember, too much fooling around will make you forget things. Always be studying, otherwise, you won't be a good CEO in the future.”

“I know, Sir. I only practice on the weekend.”

“Good, good, but even then, you must be preparing for the great task ahead of you. Don't think that just because you're young you have plenty of time. Youth is fleeting and before you know it, you are middle-aged and taking your seat at the head of the annual meeting.”

“I will, Sir.” He took a sip from his glass while Lucy told him, “I went on a field trip to a community college today.”

“Community college?”

“There was an invitation and I accepted. I wanted to see what a formal place of education was like.”

“That's a waste of time, dear. Community colleges are for the poor. With a single check, I can send you to the most prestigious school in the country.”

“But it was an opportunity I figured you wouldn't want me to miss.”

“If you feel that you needed to see a university, I could've arranged a tour to a finer institution.”

“But I was just thinking that-”

“No, Lucy. You were not thinking. If you were thinking, you'd consider what your role in the company was, and realize you need more than just a lackluster school.“

“I don't think that's fair to assume of the college.”

“It doesn't matter what I think. The reality is that you must go to a proper school and get the right training, and you won't find that in any second-rate school. In fact, forget about middle school as well. I'll send you to an institution that will prepare you for university right now. You don't need to waste your time in a place that lacks the necessary resources that you need.“

“Sir, I made it clear I wanted to go to public school.”

“And I have no idea why. If I had it my way, you would already be a clerk in one of our regional offices, going to school at night, and meeting the heads of the company. Lucy, I don't think you understand that you are wasting your time with public school. They will only teach you two things: what you will eventually learn on the job and useless information that will never be put to use. You are not considering your future as you should.“ He sighed and got up. “If only things were my way, you'd be on your way to success now.”

He headed towards the large sliding doors that lead to the balcony. As he stared at the admirable view of the city, Lucy got up from her seat to join him. “Sir, can I ask you something.”

“Depends on what it is.”

“Well, I've been having these dreams lately. Actually, I've been having weird dreams for a long time, but this time it's gotten kind of... surreal.”

“What about these dreams?”

“I've been dreaming of, well, this girl. She's not me, but I take her role. And she's in love with a man who loves her back. It usually takes place in the past, something like a fairy tale. However, something goes wrong. One of them gets into trouble and ends up dying. But before they die, they swear they will forever be together in the afterlife.”

“That's quite a story.”

“But I'm confused. I keep having these dreams and I don't know what it means.”

“It means nothing. It's just as you said, a fairy tale.”

“I don't know about that. I started looking up the meaning of dreams-”

“Complete nonsense, all of it. Lucy, the only dreams you should be having are the ones where you have achieved your role of becoming the new CEO of the company. If you set your mind on that objective and concentrate on your studies, then you would not be having these worthless thoughts.“ He takes another swig from his glass and notices his watch. “I must get back to work. Do you have anything else to say?”

“No, Sir.”

“Then I must return to my office. Good day, Lucy.“

“Good day, Sir.” She approached him with her arms stretched out and he passed by her. Drinking the last of what remained in his glass, he placed it on the table on his way to his office and closed the door.

After a half-hour bus ride, she finally arrived at building 1337. It had seen better days but it was the third floor that Lucy called home. Entering her apartment, “Mom, are you home?” but there was no answer.

She headed toward her room, plopped her bag on a chair, and laid on her bed. One or two cars passed by before there was an extensive silence. At this moment it was as if the world had stood still and she was the only person left. Yet, even with her eyes open, a presence was felt. She squinted before she asked, “Who are you? Why do you show up in my dreams all the time?” As she allowed her mind to wander, the image of the mysterious man appeared before her, as vivid as he had always been. His youthful face stared back at her, emitting a strange aura of mystery and intrigue. He reached his arm toward her, beckoning her to accept his invitation.

The frantic beating of her heart caused Lucy to get up from the bed. “Who are you?” she said as her voice cracked.

 

 

 

 

 

“Reincarnation?” Johan asked.

“I'm just guessing,” Wendy responded. “I mean, there could be many reasons, but this one sounds more exciting.”

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“Stop joking around. I'm being serious.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get it. You don't have to repeat yourself. I mean, what else could it be?”

"But reincarnation? That sounds a bit too far-fetched, even for you."

"Think about it. You are having a dream about this guy in the past, and he is in love with a girl that happens to look like the one you just met. They both ended up dying and promised to meet in the afterlife. Maybe the afterlife turned out to be our modern world, making you his reincarnation, and this girl her reincarnation. Easy."

"Easy? It sounds ridiculous. Way too contrived to be the case."

"That's all I can come up with. I mean, you're the psychologist here and even you can't figure it out."

“I'm a student. I barely started learning about how the human mind works.”

“Then what do you think is happening then, Dr. Johan?”

Johan rolled his eyes. "It must be a coincidence. Dreams aren't meant to be interpreted as literal. Dreams are just visions in your head that your mind creates because it is sorting out information. It doesn't mean anything tangible."

"Then why are you so concerned? I mean, you saw that girl's face, came in here looking so frightened, tell me this story about your long lost lover from the past, and now denying what you saw with your own eyes."

"I'm not denying the coincidence. I'm not denying the validity of the dream. There's a rational explanation for everything. But I don't buy reincarnation as being one of those reasons."

"I don't see what else it could be. I'm sorry if it's not what you wanted to hear."

“Yeah. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. I probably should've kept my mouth shut.”

He walked away from the kitchen and over to the windows. Wendy followed and rested their hand on his shoulder. “I'm sure you wanted to tell someone for a long time. I'm glad you got that off of your chest.”

“I still wish I didn't.”

“In any case, you did. And now that it's out in the world, you can probably interpret it differently. After all that you said, tell me, what do you believe is the actual reason this is happening now that you see it before you.”

Johan gave it a brief thought before he replied. "Maybe I saw her earlier without realizing it. I mean, perhaps I saw her walking down the street but didn't really notice her, and her image was unconsciously stored in my head. Maybe I noticed her today among the crowd but didn't specifically point her out. No, that couldn't be. Her face is so uncannily familiar, but not from a distance. That's probably it. I saw her earlier but didn't really recognize her. That's why I was so shocked when I saw her then and there... except that doesn't explain my dream. She's been in my mind for so long... Probably because I saw her years ago? No. That's not possible either. She must be at least..." With a silent gasp, he turned to Wendy who listened intently to every one of his words. “Forget about it,” he concluded before walking away from the window.

As Johan paced once again, Wendy sat down on the couch and told him, “In my opinion, it doesn't matter. Whatever the reason that you have met her, it doesn't matter.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Don't get me wrong. This is all very important, but you are concentrating on the wrong thing.“

“What are you suggesting?”

“The answer is obvious.”

“It is?”

“Yes, Johan. Of course.”

Looking perplexed at what Wendy was saying, Johan stopped and stroked his chin.

“Are you really thinking about this?” Wendy asked irritated.

“I don't understand what you just told me.”

“Johan, you fool. Ask her out on a date.”

“What?”

“You said so yourself. She was beautiful, and she reminds you of this girl you are dreaming of. She is literally the girl of your dreams. So ask her out on a date.”

“I can't do that, are you crazy?”

“There's nothing crazy about this. I mean, I'm going to be honest, I didn't even think you were interested in girls. In all the time I've gotten to know you, you never showed any interest in any girl. This is actually quite a revelation that you actually have romantic impulses.”

“I'm not going to ask her out. I don't even know where she is, and even if I had the chance, I shouldn't.”

“She doesn't come to this school?”

“No. She's probably in middle-” He forcefully stopped himself before he could utter another word. After exhaling, “I can't do anything about this. In fact, it's better that I forget this whole situation.”

He exited the living room and headed toward his bedroom. “I think I'll just sleep it off. I must be stressed. I think I'll just work on my novella tonight and save studying for tomorrow.”

“That's a shame. Here I thought you were finally going to talk to a girl. Well, I mean a 'real' girl.” Wendy snickers.

“You must stop making those jokes. You're going to offend someone.”

“Let them be offended. I don't care. But let's forget about me, Johan, if you like this girl, ask her out.“

“Wendy, do me a favor and just forget what you heard. I regret my decision to talk about this.”

“But this could be your soul mate.”

“I'm not going to accept reincarnation as a valid explanation. I'm just going to lay in my bed and clear my head. I'm not going to eat tonight so just make something for yourself.”

“Oh, that's right. I forgot to make breakfast for you.”

“That's okay, I don't care anymore. Just... leave me alone for a moment.“ With all that said, he retreated to his bedroom.

After locking the door, he rested on his bed. With the exception of Wendy's feet shuffling, all was quiet. He closed his eyes but the vision of the girl quickly opened them. “Who are you? Why do you show up in my dreams all the time?” He took a deep breath before closing his eyes once more.

He found himself in a strange place where everything was suspended in the air. Even the very ground under his feet was a great slab of dirt that was breaking apart.

He heard her cries as a piece of debris hit her, causing her to collapse.

He ran as fast as he could, stomping on the void of nothingness that kept him aloft. Every ounce of his energy was allocated toward his legs propelling him with all his strength to reach her.

He watched as the winds picked her up and flung her like a feather in a draft. It did not matter how much he struggled, the void was toying with them as she spun around wildly into the darkness.

He awoke from his temporary slumber and rubbed his temples. “It's just a dream. It doesn't mean anything. I'm just stressed about mid-terms, that's all.” He released his face and stared at the ceiling. “But I can't deny that she's been a constant throughout my entire life. No matter what dream I have, she is always there. Always smiling, always cheerful, always encouraging. Always there for me. Always welcomed. Always.”

His heart raced as his breathing got heavier. “Reincarnation? I don't buy it. I just don't. There's no scientific evidence that it's real. That's more like a religious thing. It has nothing to do with the modern world. Besides, if it was real, there would be some documented case of it, right? I mean, whoever the person in the past was, I'm sure they left some record somewhere. And it would be just like in my dream, right?" He chuckled. "Wouldn't that be weird if I stumbled on an ancient document and it followed the same events in my dream? But the odds of that happening make it impossible to actually be the case.” He paused briefly to exhale. “But... you know... I'm not knowledgeable about this. I haven't studied this concept at all. I still don't believe it, but I shouldn't be so hasty in assuming things. It may even be a sensitive topic. You know, religious folks believe this stuff, so I probably shouldn't assume things. I'm a respectful person, I don't discriminate.”

He looked out the window to witness the sun setting, barely visible in the small gap between buildings. Shifting his body, he felt something hard poke his side. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

The faint sound of a door closing was heard. Not a single sound from Wendy existed. The silence that followed let him know that he was now in solidarity. His only companion in this lonely world was the reflection on the phone's screen. “I guess there's no harm in exploring the topic right now.”

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