by S S Bazinet
Carol paused and turned towards him. “Yum, I love your cooking and that does sound good, but only if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Trouble? It’s no trouble.” He was amazed with himself. He was able to lie so effectively, even when he felt ready to keel over.
Carol’s smile broadened as she walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. “You’re such a jewel.”
For a moment he felt like it was the Judas kiss, but he quickly stopped himself from going down that road. He might never come back. He pointed to the sofa instead. “Now go sit down, and I’ll get that omelet started.”
“Arel?”
“Yes, my dear?” He turned back to look at her, noting that she was a picture of calm and serenity. Da Vinci could have used Carol as a model for a Madonna. “What is it?”
Carol gave him an adoring look. “You know, I’ve never seen anybody more thoughtful when the chips are down. Where do you get all your patience and energy? You’ll have to share your secret with me.”
* * * * *
“Where do I get all my patience and energy?” Arel repeated the question as he fell into bed two hours later. He pulled the covers up to his ears and lay still and unmoving, listening to the quiet.
Solitude, you are a companion I’ve scorned when I didn’t know any better.
He knew better now. How innocent he’d been when he started off that morning. He hadn’t thought that Kevin would be a challenge. And he imagined dear Carol, that gentle lamb, would be so easy to please. When he reviewed his actual day, he wondered how Kevin could get sick so many times. How could he miss the toilet, not once, but twice? Carol was a lamb alright, one that required constant tending. Crackers and a light breakfast were only the beginning of her need for sustenance. She had to have food every two hours because she had low blood sugar. She got bored easily, needed only short naps, and enjoyed ‘keeping him company’ when he desperately needed a moment to himself.
But it’s over . . . finally . . . and I did it.
He shut his eyes, letting the vomiting, the moaning, and the demands all drift away from him. Still, he renewed a vow to remain steadfast.
This is just a temporary situation. After a good night’s sleep, I’ll be fine. And I will help those two as long as need be.
He tried to be strong, but he couldn’t help himself. He let out a final sigh of self-pity as he was drifting off. Unfortunately, his slide into nothingness was interrupted a moment later by the loud buzz of the intercom.
“Oh no!” His loud moan was as pitiful as Kevin’s had been earlier. Gripping the blanket edge, he clung to it as he listened to the voice coming through. It was Carol’s voice, sounding upset again.
“Arel, can you come up and help? Kevin’s had a relapse. He’s sick again.”
Seventy-Nine
SITTING IN A linen-covered, bedroom chair, Tim stretched out his legs and smiled at Carol and Kevin. “You two look like you’ve been on vacation for the past week.”
Kevin pulled Carol close as he grinned back from the bed. “It started out pretty rough, but thankfully the bug I had only lasted a couple of days.”
“Arel took such great care of him,” Carol added.
Kevin’s grin broadened. “Hotel Arel is a five star gem.”
“You’re right,” Peggy said as she came out of the bathroom. “The place is spotless. I’ve never seen such an immaculate bath.”
“I told you that you had to check it out,” Kevin said. “Every morning, I drop my clothes in the hamper and get a shower. When I get back home from work, the place is perfect and my clothes are clean and back in the drawer. It’s like having maid service.”
“That’s great, but we’re not all so fortunate,” Tim said, crossing his arms with a frown.
Peggy sat down in a chair next to him and let out a disgruntled sigh. “Now I’ll have to go home and work on our place. But I don’t think I’ll ever get our bathroom to sparkle like this one.”
“You do a great job,” Tim insisted.
Peggy gave him an appreciative shrug. “Thank you, but you’re always helping me, so it’s easy.”
Carol squeezed Kevin’s hand. “Kevin does the same thing when we’re at our place.”
“But there’s only one Arel,” Kevin said almost reverently. “I have to take back a lot of stuff I said about his demanding personality. Helping him out was worth it.”
“I wonder if we’ll get a turn,” Peggy asked with an impish smile.
Tim chuckled. “We’ll be living next door soon. Maybe he can drop by in his spare time.”
Peggy giggled too as she glanced around the room. “By the way, why are we meeting in here? Or should I ask, what is Arel up to now.”
Carol leaned forward. “We’re going to learn to meditate. It’s supposed to be good for both us and the baby.”
It was Kevin’s turn to laugh. “According to Arel, if we do it in here, the room will have more serenity vibes.”
“After the rocky start with that stomach flu, you probably need some good vibes,” Peggy teased. “Arel said you vomited about ten times.”
Carol and Kevin looked at each other, and Carol blushed. “I’m afraid we almost did Arel in that first day.”
Kevin shuddered. “I’m grateful that he was around. Damn, I’ve never had a bug that brutal.”
“You still look at bit tired around the eyes,” Peggy said.
Arel walked into the bedroom and looked at his guests. “Tired? Who’s tired?”
“I would think that you are, you poor baby,” Carol replied.
Arel shot her a playful frown as he put a white, pillar candle on the dresser. “Me? I’m fine.”
“So we’re going to meditate?” Peggy asked.
“We will if you and Tim are game,” Arel replied.
Tim shrugged. “I don’t know anything about it, but I’ll try anything once.”
“I guess I’m way ahead of you,” Peggy said. “They had a class at the spa. I tried it and liked it. It was relaxing.”
“Do you meditate, Arel?” Carol asked.
Arel shook his head as he lit the candle. “No, but when I have time—” He paused and covered his mouth, yawning. “Excuse me. As I was saying, I’ve been doing some research on the net and found a lot of information that says it’s beneficial.” He yawned again. “Goodness, it’s not that late, I don’t know why I’m so sleepy. Anyway, meditation helps in any stressful situation, and it’s good for pregnant women.”
Carol smiled back. “I’ll be happy to learn more about it, especially if it helps me to be a better mother-to-be.”
Arel stared at her with dreamy, adoring eyes. “You’re going to be so wonderful as a mom. And when I think about the baby, I can’t tell you how excited I am for you and Kevin.”
Peggy stared at Arel. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look like this before, sweetie. Pregnant women are the ones who usually glow, but when you mentioned the baby, I swear you lit up.”
Arel shrugged. “I don’t know why, but I’ve never been more thrilled about anything. This child, this new life, is so extraordinary.”
“Then we better get to the meditating part,” Tim said. “Show us what to do.”
Arel looked at Peggy as he took a seat in a wing chair by the dresser. “Since Peggy’s done this before, maybe she could get us started.”
Peggy’s eyes brightened. “I’d love to. But I only learned a simple technique.”
Arel gripped the arms of the chair and adjusted his posture. “That’ll be fine, but I do know the first step. You close your eyes to start.” He shut his eyes as if to demonstrate. “And you let go, relax . . . .” His tone was quiet and slow. “Just relax,” he repeated as he took a deep breath. As he exhaled, his shoulders slumped. “Relax.”
As the group waited, Arel’s head fell to his chest.
Peggy studied him for a moment and spoke up. “Arel, honey? Are you asleep?”
Everyone smiled at each other. The answer was obvious.
Peggy stood up. “Let’s not wake him. We can go into the living room,” she whispered as she made her way to the door.
Carol, Kevin, and Tim all agreed and followed her out of the room.
“What have you two done to Arel?” Peggy asked when they reconvened in the living room. “He looks like he’s on Prozac.”
Kevin held up his hands defensively. “Hey, don’t blame us, right Carol? We try to help, but Arel insists on doing everything himself.”
Carol nodded. “All I did was explain that I need to snack every couple of hours because I get these sugar lows. It was never a big deal for me. I just eat some crackers or a bit of candy. But Arel says that everything I put in my body is important.”
“Yeah, she’s got a good thing going,” Kevin added. “Arel’s always fixing her great snacks like strawberries and special organic fruit shakes.”
Tim looked at Peggy with raised eyebrows. “And we bought the house next door. We should have moved in here.”
Peggy winked back. “We’ll have to ask him if Hotel Arel is taking in new guests.”
“I don’t think so,” Kevin teased. “We’re thinking that the second empty bedroom would make a nice nursery.”
Tim slapped him on the back. “Good plan. You could give Arel the two o’clock feedings.”
Carol gave both men a playful frown. “You two are bad, but I have to admit, it’s tempting. Just kidding, of course.”
“Hello, everyone.” A familiar voice rang out. It was calm and steady, but it had the power to make the group look towards the foyer with expectant faces.
Peggy rushed over to greet their unexpected drop-in. “Michael! Thank goodness you’re home.”
“Why? Is there something wrong?” Michael asked as the group came over.
Carol spoke up. “No, but Arel is absolutely worn. I think he could use some help.”
“He fell asleep in the master bedroom,” Peggy said.
“I see.” Michael gave the foursome a sweeping smile. “Tell you what, I’ll get Arel to his quarters and into bed, and why don’t all of you take in a movie.”
“We’re supposed to be meditating,” Carol said guiltily.
Michael’s smile broadened. “But you can meditate tomorrow. How about that? Perhaps you need to have some fun tonight.”
The group exchanged glances.
“Sounds like a plan,” Tim said.
Kevin’s face lit up. “Yeah, and there’s a new thriller out.” He stopped himself and looked at Carol. “Or we could go see a comedy.”
Carol laughed when she saw his smile slip away. “I love thrillers. Let’s go.”
Eighty
AFTER MICHAEL ROUSED Arel from his slumber and directed him down to his own bedroom, he lay in bed, thankful that Michael had returned. On the whole, he enjoyed his role as a caretaker. People depended on him. He was needed, and that was great, but every night he was more tired than he cared to admit. Still, as he enjoyed his chance to relax, the house seemed too quiet. With everyone out for the evening, he missed hearing Carol’s laughter and the sound of Kevin’s heavy footsteps as he walked through the upper level of the house.
The guy loves those late night snacks.
As he thought about Kevin’s insatiable appetite, he began to go over meal planning for the next day. He was tempted to write down a few more items on his shopping list, but the thought of his alarm going off at five thirty made him pull up the covers instead. He needed his sleep, but it was hard to quiet his mind once he started thinking about all the duties that came with his live-in house guests.
Maybe I should give meditation another try. It worked for me earlier.
He closed his eyes and began to recall the steps that led to a tranquil mind. “Relax . . . just breathe and let go . . . as you let it all go . . . tune into the stillness.” He’d just about managed to clear his mind when an image of Carol popped in.
Carol, the beautiful mother-to-be! She looked so young and pretty sitting next to Kevin tonight.
He smiled contentedly. As the days passed, Carol’s confidence was coming back. Her fears were being replaced by a sense of wellbeing. She was happy again, knowing her unborn child was safe.
“How foolish of her,” he sighed.
The words he’d uttered came out of nowhere. He tried not to panic as he reasoned with himself. He was probably still shaky about Carol’s baby. Like he told Peggy, he’d never been so excited about anything before. Now, his subconscious fears were coming up.
He tried to let go and relax again, but the ache in the pit of his stomach wouldn’t go away. What if he was sensing real danger? He’d begun to accept his steadily increasing intuitive abilities. Facts appeared out of the blue. Now, a certainty, a deep, inner awareness took hold. Carol’s happiness was ill founded. He knew it.
That can only mean one thing. Michael said that souls sometimes change their minds about incarnating.
Immediate grief flooded in. The baby they were all so excited about wasn’t going to make it. The thought was followed by a rush of anger and resentment. They were the same feelings that he’d had in the hospital waiting room.
Why would a soul do such a thing? Why would it make a decision that caused so much misery?
Gritting his jaw, fighting the temptation to let his feelings go crazy, he knew he had to stop himself if he wanted answers.
Remember, you have the power to access information.
He’d done it with Mrs. Hayes. Why couldn’t he find out more about the soul that was backing out?
I have Michael’s blood. It’s time to start using it.
That meant that he had to think like Michael, which meant getting into the meditative mode again.
Yes, that’s probably why I had the premonition in the first place.
He started emptying out his thoughts a second time, but in the background he made his intention clear. He’d find the soul that was supposed to incarnate as Carol’s baby. He’d reason with it and explain why it was wrong to do what it was doing.
Relax . . . first relax.
After only a minute, he felt his nerves calming. He did let go. He fell asleep.
* * * * *
Arel stood in darkness and damp, breathing in the smell of rot and decay. As his eyes adjusted to the dim lighting and he could examine his surroundings, he knew he needed to wake up. The bowels of some ancient dungeon was the last place he wanted to be. Even if he was only dreaming, everything felt solid and real. The stone walls, embedded with chains and rusty wrist irons, were sinister reminders of man’s bleak history of torture and cruelty.
“Oh hell, what have I gotten myself into?” he whispered as he remembered a life when he’d been tortured unmercifully. But he didn’t have time to think about that life for very long. A sound brought him back to the grim dreamscape where he stood. Or maybe he wasn’t dreaming. What if he’d slipped into another past life? He heard the sound again. Dream or not, he wasn’t alone. He jerked around, scanning the shadows. “Who’s there?” he called out. “Show yourself!”
“Go away! Leave me alone!”
Arel pulled back, struck by the plaintive voice of the person who answered him. Whoever was in the cell with him was clearly terrified. As soon as he had the thought, he remembered why he was there. He’d fallen asleep with an intention to find a soul, the soul of Carol’s unborn child. “Listen, whoever you are, I just want to see you, okay?”
Silence followed, forcing him to make the next move. He took a few steps forward and stopped under the meager light of a lamp that hung from the ceiling. “Please, it’s alright. I won’t hurt you.”
“Arel?” His name was called out in a timid, barely audible tone. “I can’t believe it. What are you doing here?”
Arel squinted at the corner across from him. “Do I know you?”
“It’s Faine.”
“Faine?” He repeated the name, letting it linger on his lips, but he couldn’t put a face to the name. “I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”
>
There was a groan of frustration and disappointment. “We were friends, long ago.”
The statement carried a terrible sadness that filled Arel’s mind, but he still couldn’t remember a person named Faine.
His fellow occupant let out a small huff of disappointment. “You’ve forgotten our ties. I disappeared from the physical world so many lifetimes ago. But it doesn’t matter. You’re here for another reason.”
Arel nodded. “Yes, I’m looking for someone.”
“You’re looking for me.”
Arel grimaced. For some reason, when he thought about Carol’s baby, he’d pictured heavenly clouds and a chubby cherub just waiting to make its entrance into an earthly life. “I don’t understand. You’re the soul who—”
“I can’t go through with it. I tried to incarnate again. I thought that if I could be part of the family that adopted you, I’d be able to try another life. But my fear has been growing with every passing moment. I keep remembering what your world is like. I can’t do it. I can’t go back there, I can’t.”
“But Carol and Kevin would be wonderful parents. They’d love you.” He paused, seeing himself standing next to Carol as she cradled a tiny newborn in her arms. “I’d love you,” he said softly.
There was a long pause of silence, then a whimpering moan. “I know, that’s why I thought I could do it.” A trembling hand reached out from the darkness. The slender, bony fingers were so crooked and twisted that it was hard to tell if they belonged to someone young or old. It was clear that they’d been broken and never set. They were grim testaments to some horrible experience. Finally, a man stepped into the open, exposing the rest of his thin, battered body.
“My god, I do know you,” Arel whispered. But the friend he remembered didn’t have a scarred, mangled face. His version of Faine was one that was youthful and handsome. His eyes were passionate and as blue as the morning glories that grew on the back fence in summer.
