by Kim Hornsby
“I’m not invited.” He waited.
“Consider yourself lucky. You won’t have to watch me pretend to make nice with everyone, when all I really want to do is curl up in the fetal position with a straw in a beer.” She didn’t laugh.
When they hung up, Jamey thought of the wedding photo in a silver frame in Tina’s bedroom. She and Hank looked deliriously happy, gazing into each other’s eyes. It twisted his heart every time he saw it, and lately he’d avoided looking at it.
The time he’d spent on Maui with Kristina, many years ago, had been like a fantasy. Had one month in his whole forty-two years been that incredible? It was only a month. Having just broken up with Carrie, he’d been at a low point. Meeting Kristina was a nice distraction. At first. Jumping had been making him feel crazier than usual, and he’d vowed to avoid dream jumps on vacation. Since leaving Seattle, Jamey had steered clear of any triggers. But when he and Tina had started sleeping together, it was difficult to stay out of her dreams. He found himself jumping when he didn’t want to, and he had to turn around to get out before he saw anything. Tina was a big dreamer.
On the last night of his vacation, he was in her dream before he realized what was happening. The scene was fuzzy at the edges, like he needed glasses. It had paler colors than his usual dreams, but Jamey could see everything. Lost in a crowd of onlookers, he watched a couple on a dance floor. A tall, dark man held Kristina lovingly, gazing into her eyes with such emotion, Jamey’s heart twisted. When someone moved in front of his line of vision, he stepped to the side and noticed the wedding cake. The bride wore a long off-white dress and everyone smiled at the happy couple. A photographer took pictures. The mood was festive. Wearing only his jeans and a scruffy T-shirt was the least of Jamey’s worries as he watched couples move in to fill up the dance floor. A ringing, like a fire alarm sounded way off in the distance.
This was Kristina’s wedding. Who the hell was the groom? Not him. Why was she dreaming about another guy when she was sleeping beside him and had been for weeks?
Beyond the deck, the pink glow of a Hawaiian sunset completed the wedding scene. Jamey backed up to the portal where he’d jumped in and leaned against the wall. Like watching an accident happen, he couldn’t look away. Emptiness moved in and he felt cheated, after having spent the previous weeks falling in love with the bride.
Only hours before, they’d made love, satisfying each other’s every need. Tina confessed she was falling in love with him. He hadn’t said the words, but he planned to, before he got on that plane.
Before he jumped through the portal, Jamey looked back to see the horror that would haunt him for years, the scene that would cause him to wake in a cold sweat that morning. The man holding Kristina in his arms had become a grotesque, skeletal body in a tuxedo, his head cracked wide open, his long black hair hanging in strings.
When Jamey jumped out of the dream and woke, he silently rose from the bed he shared with Kristina and phoned Uncle Don from the kitchen. The hushed conversation with his mentor squashed all hopes for a life with Kristina.
“Remember we talked about this when you were nine?
Precognitive, it’s called.” Don sounded excited and scared. “I only had two in my life, but they both came true. Blurry edges.” He paused. “Jamey, remember your promise about not changing the future?”
“What if I’m totally wrong and it’s just a dream?”
“It’s not. The ringing sound you mentioned, the colors, the lack of clarity. You have to let this girl go, just in case. Remember your promise. Messing with the future could bring consequences, not just for her, but for anyone involved. You made the promise. You have to keep it.”
He had promised his uncle, way back when he was a young boy. It had been a day in Uncle Don’s backyard, when he was helping him mend a fence. They’d been talking for an hour about dream jumping when Don stopped what he was doing and turned to his young nephew. “Because we don’t know what could happen, how one little change in the past might trigger many changes and alter the course of the world, you need to make me a promise.”
He’d have done anything for the uncle he adored.
“Hold up your right hand, like this.” Uncle Don demonstrated.
The man’s face was so serious, it scared the eleven-year-old boy.
“Repeat after me. I promise to never use dream jumping...” He repeated his uncle’s words.
“...for doing bad...and if I ever have a dream about the future...” Jamey continued.
“...I will not try to change what I see.”
He promised. They sealed the deal when Don took out his pen knife and drew a speck of blood from their thumbs. They pressed their thumbs together. That day, an eleven-year-old child knew his gift was something too serious for jokes. Although there were frivolous jumps in the coming years, Jamey stuck to his promise and never questioned its wisdom. Until he dreamed of Tina’s wedding. After the hushed phone conversation with Don, Jamey was crushed. Kristina would marry this man, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, it looked like tragedy was headed her way. Leaving Kristina that day was difficult. Their kiss goodbye had been longer than intended, his hug too tight. She commented on how they’d see each other in a month, maybe sooner.
But when the plane landed in Seattle, news awaited that would take him out of Kristina’s life, regardless of his dream. Carrie was pregnant. The lifeline to Kristina had been cut from his end, leaving the woman he loved to drift until the dark stranger arrived.
***
On the day of her thirty-fifth birthday, Tina woke reminding herself of her long-term plan to find her soul mate and have a baby. She was back at the beginning with neither. Today was Pepper’s surprise party, where she’d have to pretend her world wasn’t in shambles. The familiar heaviness pressed against her chest and she tried to take a deep breath.
Katie had let the details of the party slip the day before. Everyone would arrive while Tina was out to dinner with her parents. She would have to feign ignorance for Pepper’s sake. For everyone’s sake.
Jamey was not on the guest list, but he promised to show up afterwards. She was relieved he’d be spared the ordeal. She wasn’t even supposed to know about the party, so inviting him was out of the question. He’d sweep up the after-mess. Figuratively. If the pattern that Jamey suspected was correct, tonight was another dream. He had a new theory about avoiding the headache and said he’d try to jump from Pops’ condo. If that didn’t work, he was getting in the car and “coming over to your bedroom to try the good old-fashioned way.” When Tina imagined him joining her in the bed, a thrilling shiver shot through her. “Whatever’s necessary,” she’d said, trying to sound disinterested. But denying her interest in Jamey was becoming more difficult.
An hour into paperwork and phone calls at her desk, Jamey walked through the back door. “Come on, birthday girl, I’m taking you for breakfast.”
He must’ve known she was hungry. “I’m going to let you, only because I’m ravenous, but you have to stop reading my mind.”
He grinned. “I swear I didn’t. I just want to take you to breakfast.” He held out his arms, palms up.
She hadn’t strolled along the picturesque main street of Lahaina in years. Several hundred feet of pastel-painted shops sat on prime Hawaiian real estate. The store fronts were fairytale pretty. At that hour, shopkeepers were just rolling out awnings to shield T-shirts and clothing from the sun, and to keep the boutiques at tolerable temperatures, workers hosed down the sidewalks, put out ‘open’ signs, and readied for a day of selling souvenirs to tourists. Longhi’s Restaurant, located in a house left over from the whaling days of the 1800s, dominated the north end of Front Street. The sky-blue, historic building overlooked the Lahaina coastline to the north and the craziness of Front Street to the south. Jamey held up two fingers to the hostess and looked around, almost suspiciously.
Following the woman upstairs, they were led to one of the best tables overlooking the seawall. Jamey pulled out the c
hair for Tina, his finesse and manners still impressive. Hank hadn’t done this sort of thing and she chided herself for comparing.
After ordering eggs and toast, they talked about the plan for that night. “Call me when you get into bed, whatever time that is. I’ll get an idea of when you’re going to dream. Don’t drink much at the party.” He added sugar to his steaming coffee and stirred. “I’m not sure if that contributed to my headache.”
She looked across the breakfast table at Jamey, aghast. “Oh God, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I’m just grasping at anything here. My last dreamer in Kandahar was heavily drugged with something new and my heart stopped, so I’m trying to figure it out.” Jamey took a swig of coffee and stared her down with his steel blue eyes.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about the jump into your sexy dream the other night. For technical reasons.” He waited for the waitress to set their plates of food on the table before he continued. “Being able to enter that dream and not wake up with a headache gave me hope. For jumping,” he added for clarification.
“Let’s set the record straight,” Tina said, digging into her scrambled eggs. “It only became sexy when you arrived and made it that way. So, maybe it’s the type of dream that gives you the headache.”
Jamey passed the salt before she asked for it. “If so, I should offer myself up as a dream gigolo.”
The sound of her own laugh took Tina by surprise. It had been a while since she’d laughed out loud and it felt good to release an emotion with a laugh, end it with a smile. And here she was in Longhi’s eating a meal, not just grabbing something to quell her hunger pangs. Maybe she’d turned a corner in her grief and was headed towards anger, or one of the last stages. Around Jamey, she’d become more like herself again.
They ate in comfortable silence, passing each other the jam, commenting on the beauty of the day, talking about her past birthdays. The year before, Hank had taken her for dinner at Swan Court in the Hyatt Hotel.
Jamey’s eyebrows lifted to hear mention of the Hyatt.
Tina fell silent. The Hyatt had special memories for Tina and Jamey. It had been their love nest ten years earlier. She’d thought of Jamey during that dinner, and hated herself for betraying Hank that way. “I don’t usually make a big deal out of my birthday, but this year Pepper got a bug in her bonnet and is having this big shindig.” Sitting back in the white rattan chair, she folded her hands over her full tummy. “I haven’t eaten here in ages. And I haven’t eaten like that in a long time. Thanks.”
“Happy birthday.” Jamey didn’t look up, popping the last bit of toast in his mouth. “You’re looking a little scrawny.”
She smiled. “I’ll get back up to my fighting weight with this meal. I’m kind of relieved you’re not invited to the party tonight.” “Sounds like it’ll be a bunch of people drooling over how wonderful you are and making me feel terrible all over again for leaving you.” Jamey’s gaze made her laugh nervously.
“S’okay,” he said. “I don’t know the words to Happy Birthday anyhow, and even if I did, you might remember that I sing like a moose in mating season.”
The freedom of laughing was like something had been stuck all these months, not allowing anything to emerge. “I don’t recall your singing voice being that bad.”
“Trust me.”
They’d laughed the day before about something, but she couldn’t remember what. “Did you ever figure out what M.O. is?”
“Nope.”
“It has to do with me, doesn’t it?”
“Now who thinks they’re psychic?”
“Does it?”
“Sorry.” Jamey shook his head.
“Where did you hear it?”
“Someone used it.”
“Ask them.”
“Yeah, I guess I better, if I can get in touch with them again.” Jamey handed his credit card to the passing waitress.
***
With Tina fed and relatively happy on her birthday, Jamey was pleased he’d done something, however small, to make her happy. He pulled into her driveway and parked. Noble’s truck was there, but when he entered the house, he saw no sign of the man and didn’t feel his presence.
As he opened the bedroom door, a wave of heat hit him. The curtains were closed and, judging from their lack of movement, so were all the windows. Even the closet door was closed. Sweat beaded on his forehead immediately. The framed photo of Tina and Hank was missing. Only a dust-free rectangular spot remained on her dresser.
“Hank?” He had no idea if this would work, but he held the paper in his hands along with a light marker. “Are you there? Hank, I don’t know what M.O. means.” He listened and closed his eyes to feel something. Did Hank mean ‘M.O.’ to be mountains and a bay? Today he had to get to the questions sooner since automatic writing seemed difficult to sustain.
Seconds passed, then a minute. Jamey stood and paced the room, wondering what tactic might get results. He didn’t feel a presence. Had the ghost left? His need to communicate didn’t guarantee contact.
Feeling nothing but the stifling heat of the room, Jamey left and pulled out of Tina’s driveway. What in hell was M.O.? Maybe he was going about this wrong. Then he passed a real estate sign with the name of the listing agent, ‘Monty Okawa,’ and it hit him. Maybe M.O. was a ‘who.’
Chapter 19
The Grill and Bar had been Tina’s choice for her birthday dinner. Philip Greene was not pleased.
“I like it here,” Tina said, having thought her father would appreciate the ambiance of the restaurant associated with the Kapalua Golf Course. “Sorry.”
“It’s more of a lunch place, isn’t it, Kristina?” her mother asked.
Tina held firm. “The food is fabulous. Wait.”
She ordered the artichoke appetizer while her father perused the wine list, knowing he’d find something absurdly expensive. She keep her mouth shut to allow the evening to go smoothly. Her mother had already started in about the lack of fine dining on Maui.
Tina had been grinding her teeth for twenty minutes. When a bottle of four-hundred-dollar wine arrived, Philip Greene poured three glasses. “To our daughter.” He smiled. “Who means so much to us.”
“Thank you, Father.” She sipped sparingly, remembering Jamey’s headache. She did not want a repeat of last time’s brush with death.
Dinner went well. They actually shared a few laughs together and when Philip paid the bill and Tina thanked him for a wonderful dinner, she meant it. Exiting the restaurant, Tina recalled that Jamey’s condo was just across the street in The Ridge complex. She remembered torturous nights, years ago, driving along this road, wondering why he’d given up on them so easily. Her heart twinged and she had to remind herself that it happened for the best.
According to Katie, Jamey was staying at the condo this time too. “Not far from your house,” she’d said. Katie had been dropping hints of her uncle’s availability for weeks. Her obvious attempts to get them together were amusing. “I think he really likes you. You should see Pops’ condo, it’s so beautiful, and you’ll love the view. You should ask Jamey if you can see the view.” Little did she know? The Greenes’ car twisted along the lower road towards Tina’s house. Elizabeth talked the whole way about her daughter returning to Seattle. “Even just for a few weeks. You need a break from here.” Her mother only had one thing on her mind. “Maybe at the end of the summer.”
“You need a break now. Your health is suffering. You haven’t even had a good haircut in years.”
Tina bit her lips together before saying something she’d regret, like, “Blah, blah, blah.” She’d learned the hard way never to cross her mother. There was no winning that battle. Instead, she avoided these conversations. Usually. But when she stole a glance, her mother looked far too smug to give Tina reason to think she’d given up completely.
The house was dark when they pulled into her driveway. No extra cars. “That’s strange,” Tina said. “I thought I left a light on.” She
stepped out of the car and Obi barked from above, his head poking between the railings of the deck. Pepper would be hunkered down inside, telling people to “shhhh.”
“Hi, Obi.” Turning to her parents, she asked, “Would you like to come in for a nightcap?” There’d better be a party about to happen, because she had nothing to back up that offer of a drink.
“That would be nice.” Philip helped his wife out of the car and they mounted the stairs.
With the flip of a light switch, the house came alive with people, like a group of happy burglars. “Surprise,” they yelled at different intervals. Tina staggered backwards in fake shock. “Oh, my God! What’s going on?!” Her hands flew to her mouth. This was the move she’d rehearsed in the mirror earlier. “Where did you come from?” She scanned the group of friends smiling in her living room. These were people she hadn’t talked to in months. Some, not since the memorial service at Honolua Bay. Pepper hugged her, and Tina smiled beyond the embrace to Katie, who clutched her boyfriend Ned with one arm and waved with the other. Noble grinned from his place near the stairs.
“Where did you all park?” Tina laughed.
Drinks flowed, music blared and Tina schmoozed, all the time wishing that she had insisted Jamey come. He would’ve been a welcome addition, after all. His smile and jokes would’ve been a beam of light in a room full of worried faces trying to avoid talk of
Hank. At least Jamey hadn’t known Hank.
Although she drank only one glass of wine during the course of the night, and it was mostly filled with ice cubes, inebriation took over her body and by the time the limbo sticks were pulled out for Hank’s favorite party game, Tina was flying high. “Where’s Jamey? He’d love this. Where the heck is James Dunn?” Elizabeth grabbed her daughter’s upper arm and led her through the crowd of people to the bedroom.
“Kristina, you are drunk.” The look on her mother’s face said it all.
