|
|
| |
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 |
|
|
