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Chapter 6
The drive home
was pleasant. Jenny thought about her "adventure" in Dr.’s
Schultz’s office and the path her life now seems to be taking.
Who is this marital arts guy and why me? Should I be nervous? What
is happening to me? Too much happening all at once…but it feels
so right! She pulls in the drive way to the Wang’s home and
unlocks the door. Sandra is waiting impatiently at the bottom of
the stairs facing the door. She looks like an excited 13 year old..waiting
for the phone to ring. She rushes up to Jenny and squeezes her with
all her might. Jenny feels drained from the last two days and finds
the bannister quickly to support her and flops down on the third
strep.
Sandra
Are you okay? You
don’t look so good. What’s wrong? Did your meeting not
go well?
Jenny
No..It’s fine.
It went well. I am just tired. I’ll be teaching at his house
on Tuesday.
Sandra (Squeals)
Wow! No.. You aren’t! Can I
come??………..no only kidding
Jenny (smiles)
Hey.. Did dad find my box of pictures?
Sandra
Yes... They were up the attic. He brought them down.
They are in the study..Why do you want to look at them? Jen..something
is going on..please tell me. You haven’t looked at them since
your Mom died.
Jenny (stands up)
Get me some lemonade
and meet me in the study. I do have something to tell you but you
not going to believe it.
Sandra (puzzled)
Ok.. I’ll meet
you in there.
Sandra runs towards the kitchen
and Jenny walks across the foyer to the study. There are four dusty
boxes of pictures sitting on the table. Jenny feels nausious but
knows she has to look. She pulls apart the flaps of the first box.
It is filled with childhood memorabila from school. She goes to
the second box begins to open it and Sandra walks in. She has slipped
into her sweats and t-shirt and appears to be ready to work.
Sandra
So..What’s going
on?
Jenny
Something weird happened.
Well.. remember I
had an appointment with Dr. Schultz? (Sandra nodds)
Sandra
What do you mean weird?
Did he try to touch you or something? I know he friendly but I didn’t
think he would try to get-it-on with his clients!
Jenny
No.. Sandra. Nothing
like that. Hmm.. He hypnotized me and …Oh.. never mind ..it’s
silly!
Sandra
What are you trying
to tell me Jenny. Something is wrong. Please tell me. When I saw
him he hypnotised me but that was no big deal..
Jenny
I saw things Sandra.. I was a woman
in a bomb shelter in WWII and then I was a little girl in China
in 1792.. He thinks that he tapped into my "other reality"..My past
lives. But what is even stranger is that in both experiences there
was the same Chinese man. He thinks that maybe we will find some
answers in these old pictures.
Sandra
Ooo.. I have goosebumps!
Freaky! Do you really believe all this Jen?
Jenny
Actually..Yes. I do believe it. I have always felt
I had a path I needed to take and I had never done anything to change
the path I was already on. Call me silly but I think this new job
teaching is connected. I feel like all of this is happening for
a reason and I can’t figure out why. So lets look through these
old silly pictures and see if there is a connection. Gonna help?
Sandra
Sure. Pull out that
book and I will start looking photos that while you look through
the book.
Sandra looks at
Jenny..She has a worried expression on her face because she knows
how painful loosing her mother was. Jenny was only 17. She had watched
her mother wither away. She had breast cancer and it spread rapidly
through her beautiful body. The Dr.s never gave up. They tried everything.
Her name was Christina and she was a teacher at the same school
that Jenny teaches at now…everyone adored her.
Sandra is flipping through the pages of the family
Bible..
Sandra
Here’s something..Looks like a family tree
maybe..
Jenny
Let me see.. (Sandra
passes the Bible)
You’re right. I haven’t looked at this
in years. Mom kept it on the dresser in her bedroom. Look she recorded..
my birth.. Dad’s.. Who is this? Grandma Krissy?? She was born
in Scotland in 1912. Looks like she had a daughter and three sons.
Can you see anything else on them Sandra?
Sandra
Let me look in this
shoe box here… Look here’s some old black and white pictures.
Here’s one looks like an older woman, her husband and three
children. (passes it to Jenny)
Jenny looks at the older woman who is dressed
in a black and white polka dot dress and has her hair in a bun.
The gentleman is wearing a wool suit. They looked as though they
were on there way to church. One of the children was sitting on
a small wooden rocking horse. He had dark hair and pretty blue eyes.
The other boy was standing beside his father and was wearing a stiff
starched white shirt and a bow tie. He appeared uncomfortable but
very smart. Jenny looks up to the young woman in the white dress
who is standing next to her mother. She feels the blood draining
from her and grabs the glass of lemonade from the table.
Sandra
What’s wrong? You look like
you just saw a ghost!
Jenny
( her eyes tear up
and she is looking at the backside of the photo)
It’s me.. I
mean Isabel.
(She passes the photo
back to Sandra)
Sandra
Oh my god.. She looks just like you!
Sandra turns the
photo over and there are some scribbles on the back..
ISABEL DECEASED- 1944
JAMES DECEASED
– 1944
GEORGE DECEASED
– 1944
Sandra
It looks like the only people who survived were
your Grandmother and her husband. I wonder what happened?
Jenny (dazed)
They died. I know what happened.
The Nazis came back that night. The tenement next door was hit and
the blast took out half of the building where we lived.. I died..wee
James and George. This picture was taken on my 19 birthday 1944
three days before I met him in the shelter.. (Everything goes dark)
--------------------------
Dr.
Waving smelling salts under Jenny’s
nose..
Jenny can you hear
me?
What happened Mrs.
Wang?
(Mrs. Wang looks at
Sandra)
Sandra
We were looking at some old photos and she started
saying some really weird things and she got all white in the face
and the next thing I knew ..she was on the floor.. I tried to make
her wake up and it was no good.. Dad brought her upstairs and we
called you right away.
Dr.
Hmmm.. Jenny..Can you hear me??
Jenny stirs and
opens her eyes to find.. Mrs and Mr. Wang, Sandra and Dr. Aguilaro
standing over her bed..
Jenny
What happened? Did
I pass out?
Sandra
Yes.. Dad brought you upstairs. Are you ok?
Jenny ( Sits up)
Yes.. I’m fine.
Mr. Wang
I think you should
stay in bed for the rest of the night. Bring her a nice hot cup
of green tea. That should make you feel better.
Jenny
Hmm..That sounds good.
Dr. Aguilaro
Let me just take
your blood pressure again and your temperature and if everything
looks fine I can go.
Mr. Wang
Ok.. we will be downstairs.
When you are finished then come on down.
Sandra, Mrs. and Mr. Wang go downstairs
to the kitchen. Sandra starts to tell them everything that Jenny
had told her and what she was saying just before she passed out.
Mrs. Wang
This is very strange. We should talk to her when
she is rested and feels better.
Mr. Wang
I agree. Let’s do it after breakfast. I think
we should go look at the photographs that she was looking at.
Sandra
I know where the
picture is.. I’ll go get it.
Dr. Aguilaro (enters
the kitchen)
Well. Jenny’s fine. I think
she may be overdoing it a little. She still teaching at night?
Mr. Wang
Yes.. She loves it though.. I don’t
think she’ll give it up.
Dr. Aguilaro
Alright.. I understand. Have her come to see me
next week sometime please. So I can do a follow up exam on her.
Her blood pressure was a little higher than normal.
Mrs. Wang (Gets up from the table to see him
to the door)
I will make sure Jenny
makes an appointment as soon as possible. Thanks for coming out
..Especially on a Saturday night.
Sandra comes back in the kitchen
with the photo and explains the rest to her parents. They listen
intently and say nothing.. Mrs. Wang gets up and makes a cup of
tea and takes it upstairs to Jenny’s room.
Jenny
Thanks. Sandra probably filled you in huh?
Mrs. Wang
Yes.. But don’t
worry we can talk about it later. I don’t think it is strange
though. Buddhist’s believe in reincaration. Someone has a special
plan for you but only you can find it. This is your search.. We
can only give you support and lots of love. Don’t worry about
what we think.. We will always be here for you..
(Reaches over and
takes Jenny’s tea cup from her and gives her a big hug)
Jenny
Thanks Mom..
Sunday passes without incident. Jenny spends
the rest of the day going through the old photos. She discovers
that Grandmother Krissy and Grandpa George had another daughter
in 1956.. Christina.. Jenny’s mother.
Next Chapter
Written by Isabel Hodge
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