The Weird Travels of Aimee Schmidt: Seeking Others

by J. A. Schreckenbach

  Dylan glared at her. His body was rigid. The truth must be hard to hear. But he wasn't the one sitting at home for days on end, waiting for Aimee. And it looked like he enjoyed the attention he was getting. Aimee cranked the motor and jerked away from the curb. They drove in silence the whole way home. Dylan stared out his window. Aimee pulled into the space next to her car. She eased the FJ into Park.

  Without looking at Dylan, she asked, “You okay to drive?”

  Dylan opened his door and slid out. In a second he opened the driver's door and said, “I have to go.”

  Aimee whipped up her purse and jumped out, then pushed past him. No good-byes. No “I love you.” Nothing else was said. What the hell does he have to be mad at? she fumed. I'm the one who should be pissed. Girls hanging all over him, right in front of me, and Mr. Too Cool can't let them know he's taken? She stomped off and he threw the SUV into Reverse, backed quickly, then spun out into the street.

  The day might have started out great together, but the last couple of hours really sucked. Aimee ran inside and tore past Ian and Sacha, who were studying at the dining table. Both looked up when she stormed past.

  In stereo, both hollered after her, “Hey, what's wrong?”

  Aimee didn't stop. She couldn't. The lump in her throat, the tears welled up in her eyes, and the anger in her heart had to pass before she could talk to anyone. She flew into her room, slammed the door and locked it, then dropped onto the bed and let the sobs erupt.

  Chapter 6 Tests of Faith

  Aimee didn't sleep well that night. In between tossing and turning, what little sleep she had was filled with dreams about Dylan and girls, lots of beautiful girls, hanging on him right in front of her. She finally gave up the last time she checked the clock and the green numbers read 4:35. Aimee got up and grabbed her phone hoping to see an “I'm sorry...” text from Dylan. Nothing. So she made some steep coffee and studied until light, then dressed and hit the pavement for about an hour. No calls came while she was out, and no texts either. She showered, dressed, and drove to campus for class. Later in the afternoon she had work, so she hung out on campus and ate lunch in the Commons hoping Dylan would wander by. But no luck. As the hours dragged by without seeing or talking to him, her mood grew more obstinate...and darker. She had enough waiting for him. She decided, I'll be damn if I'm the first one to break. I wasn't the one flirting with every good-looking guy at that party! After work she went straight home, stuck her phone on the charger, but turned it off. Two can play this game, she thought.

  The next day was a repeat of the previous, only her sour attitude had plummeted even lower. She missed Dylan. Really missed him. She hadn't slept well since the fight, and the not hearing from him made it harder to get over being mad, swallow her pride, and call him to apologize, even if Aimee didn't feel she was in the wrong. She wouldn't do anything to make Dylan jealous, or to mistrust her. After all, she didn't keep Joseph's card, and she didn't take the invitation to sit with Andrew and his friend at the coffee shop. She wouldn't put herself into situations that made it seem she was available or interested in anyone else but Dylan. Aimee knew, without a doubt, her love for Dylan would thwart any temptations to be unfaithful. And yet, deep down inside, she trusted Dylan to be as faithful, but it still hurt to see him surrounded by other girls throwing themselves at him. Why are relationships so darn difficult? It seems like every time we're apart, or even together, these days, it's a test of faith, she reflected. “Ughhh!” Aimee growled. “Quit being a stubborn mule, Dylan!” she groaned while she stared at their graduation picture.

  By Thursday, she still hadn't heard from Dylan. Aimee knew he was going on the road for the game in California this weekend. He was driving her crazy, and all she could think about were those two girls in his English class, and how they saddled up to him at the party and went on and on about how fun he was. She missed him more than she had ever missed him before, yet her anger had only grown over the past week. Her first full weekend off from work was coming up, and she didn't think it was a good idea to sit around the apartment and stew. It was a good time to head home to visit Dad. Maybe a few days away from Eugene would help her decide how to handle this awful divide between Dylan and herself.

  James and Sacha couldn't go with her, which relieved Aimee. Their smothering was getting on her nerves. When she arrived at the house, Dad's truck was parked in the driveway. Four o'clock was unusually early for him to be home. I hope he's okay, she worried when she pulled her car behind his truck. She grabbed her backpack and raced for the front door. Zonker appeared in the front window barking his happy bark. Aimee opened the door and Dad was on the other side waiting for her. He threw his arms around her and trapped her in a big bear hug.

  “Omigod!” he sang. “You don't know how I have missed you! Z Boy, too. I'm so glad you're home!”

  Aimee couldn't talk because she couldn't breathe. “Da..” she began and stopped. Finally he let go and she sucked in two lungs full of air and replied, “Me too, Dad.” Zonker jumped up on her leg waiting for his greeting, too. Aimee knelt down and petted him while he licked and whined, and licked some more. He took off and jumped on the couch waiting for her.

  Dad and Aimee walked into the living room. She tossed the backpack on the couch and plopped down, kicked off her shoes, and set her feet up on the coffee table. Zonker instantly spread his plump body across her lap. She sank into the softness of the cushions and felt the tension start to roll off. She sighed deeply. It felt good to be home.

  “Tired?” Dad asked, then he dropped into his recliner.

  “A little. It's been crazy busy since school started.”

  Dad chuckled. “That's why college is for you youngsters. Too much excitement for old folks like me.”

  Aimee laughed. “Dad, you would be surprised how many old folks, like you, take classes. You might think about going to school.”

  Dad scoffed. “Me? No way. I'm perfectly content running my business and spending my spare time with Hannah.”

  “So, how's Dr. Morris?”

  “She's great,” Dad answered. He suddenly got up and started towards the kitchen. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Just a glass of water,” she answered.

  In a minute he was back with a diet soda in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Aimee snatched the glass, took a sip, and put the glass on the side table. “What's with the diet soda?” she quizzed. Dad never drank diet, much less sodas. Aimee knew he had reduced his alcohol intake after his heart attack, but coffee and sometimes tea were about the only non-alcoholic things he drank.

  “I've quit drinking,” he informed her.

  “What?! Like no beer, or even a glass of wine, at all?” she screeched.

  “Nope, none at all. I've been off the good stuff for two weeks now.”

  “I think that's great! But why?”

  “I'm trying to change. Hannah's cooking for me and she has me on a strict, healthy diet...” he smiled, then took a sip of his drink. He shook his head, and continued, “...but I don't think these are healthy, only I'm not great about drinking water. Hannah has convinced me that I need to change or I'm not gonna make it to fifty.”

  “Dad, I'm proud of you. It's great you finally want to get healthy. I think you're doing better for Dr. Morris...

  “Hannah,” Dad interrupted.

  “Okay, Hannah,” Aimee conceded, then continued, “...than you ever did for me.”

  Dad began, “Well, I wanna make sure I'm around for a while longer.”

  “Me too,” Aimee agreed. “We all want you to stay around a while before you kick off.”

  “Well, I have a really good reason to want to hang around for a long time.” Dad stopped and took another sip of drink.

  “Of course you do. You gotta hang around to at least see James and me finish college so you know all of your hard-earned money was spent wisely.”

  Dad smirked. “Right, that's true. I'd hate to think any of my money is going for wild booze pa
rties, especially now that I'm on the wagon.”

  Aimee got up to head into the bathroom, but stopped and kissed Dad on his ruffled head of hair. “I'm proud of you, Dad. Keep up the good work.”

  Her dad beamed. After a few seconds he hollered at her before she closed the bathroom door, “Hey, got some new furniture in your room since you took all your stuff.”

  Aimee poked her head out and said, “Thanks, Dad. That's nice I don't have to sleep on the floor. I was expecting you to turn it into a man cave, though.”

  Dad laughed. “Saving James's room for that.”

  Later Dr. Morris came over. The three of them were going out to eat, Dad's treat. Aimee got to pick. Obviously healthy was the only option. Weeks of eating meals on the run was getting old so a good sit-down meal with her dad and his girlfriend sounded nice. Aimee met them at the restaurant because she planned to visit Ashley afterwards. Ashley was living at home and taking classes at the community college in Medford.

  The greeter seated them at a table, then brought them some water. The waiter quickly arrived and took the orders. After, both Dad and Dr. Morris started drilling Aimee about school and work, and everything in between. Aimee didn't want to talk about everything in between, so she stuck to what was happening in her classes. About five minutes into the conversation, Aimee abruptly stopped. Dr. Morris sat across from her. She seemed to be intently listening to Aimee discuss how much grief chemistry was giving her, when Dr. Morris casually picked up her water glass and took a sip.

  Aimee suddenly spotted it. A nice sized sparkling diamond set in a gold band, adorned the third finger on Dr. Morris's left hand. In mid-sentence Aimee stopped. Shocked, she looked first at Dr. Morris, then at Dad.

  Dad quickly asked, “What's wrong?”

  “Uh, when were you gonna tell me?”

  “Tell you what?” Dad answered with a question.

  Dr. Morris looked at Dad, then back to Aimee. “Mike, I think she is referring to our little surprise.” She held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers.

  Dad grinned. “Oh that.”

  “Yeah that,” Aimee replied. “Are you two married?”

  Dad quickly answered, “No, sweetheart, but we're engaged.” Dr. Morris looked a bit nervous, like she was waiting for Aimee to give them her blessing...or throw a fit.

  “Oh...” Aimee started, then stopped. She figured sooner or later this would happen, just figured it would be later. But she really was happy for them. Besides, they didn't need her permission. A few seconds later Aimee added, “...that's great. I'm really happy for you two.”

  Dad swung his arm around Dr. Morris's shoulder and kissed her cheek. He said, “I'm glad, Aimee. I hope James will be, too.”

  “So, he doesn't know?”

  “Nope. I was hoping he and Sacha would get to come this weekend, too, so we could tell all of you together. Don't tell him, okay? I want to tell him myself.”

  “All right, Dad,” she agreed. “I'll let you be the one to share this with James.” She managed a smile, then asked, “Dr. Morris, can I see this rock Dad picked out so I can tell you if I approve of his taste?”

  Dr. Morris laughed and extended her hand across the table. “Aimee, now that we are going to be family, do you think you can call me Hannah?” she asked.

  Aimee cringed. James already referred to her as Hannah, not Dr. Morris, but it wasn't that easy for Aimee. At least she didn't want Aimee to call her “Mom”. It would take her a while, but she would make the effort. “It may take getting used to, but I guess it sounds awful stuffy, huh, calling you Dr. Morris, now that you're marrying Dad.”

  “Good,” Dr. Morris replied and smiled.

  “So, when is the big day?”

  Dad answered, “The day before Thanksgiving.”

  Aimee choked on her water, wiped her mouth, steadied her voice and responded, “...the day before Thanksgiving? That's like six weeks away! How are you gonna put together a wedding and reception that quick?”

  Hannah answered, “Well, Mike and I decided we didn't want anything too big, so...”

  Dad cut in, “...so we're gonna fly to Las Vegas, get married, and have our honeymoon at the same time.” He smiled waiting for Aimee to give them her approval of their plans.

  “No church wedding?”

  Dad answered, “No church wedding in Medford. We plan on tying the knot at one of those chapels on the strip, though.”

  “What!?!” exclaimed Aimee.

  “Amos, we didn't want to make this a huge thing. We want something small and special, just the two of us. I hope you understand.” Dad could tell Aimee wasn't exactly thrilled with their plans.

  Aimee sat mulling this over for a long moment. Sure, she wasn't excited about the two of them getting married without family being part of the ceremony. But she was happy for Dad because she knew how much joy Hannah brought him. She suddenly thought about Dylan and how miserable she felt the past week. Aimee winced. Now wasn't the time to share her grief, although she seriously wanted to talk to someone about the friction between them.

  “Dad...Dr....I mean Hannah...” Aimee spit out, then paused, “...I'm really happy for you. I'm sure it will be a lovely ceremony, and I know the two of you will make a really awesome couple.” She grinned at Hannah, then added, “Now I know why Dad is behaving and getting healthy.”

  Both chuckled, then Dad said, “Thank you, Aimee. This means so much to both of us. I know it puts a damper on your birthday and your first Thanksgiving away, but I imagine you and Dylan can celebrate both at Paul and Jill's.”

  “Sure, Dad. You know I don't care much about celebrating my birthday, and we'll find a place to have Thanksgiving. Don't worry about us.” She took a sip of water and noticed the waiter bringing their food. Perfect timing. She didn't want to get into a discussion right now about anything else, especially about her and Dylan.

  After dinner, Dad and Hannah returned to the house. Aimee left to spend some greatly missed chick time with Ashley. She got into her car and checked her phone. A missed call from DT lit up the screen. Aimee's heart flipped! Instantly she thought, He does love me, and wants me to know how much he's missed me and how sorry he is for being a butt! She started to hit his number, but her finger froze before it touched the key. But what if he thought all week about how much he likes the attention of all those disgustingly cute college girls? What if he's calling to tell me he no longer wants me? What if...omigod, have I screwed this up? Was I so prideful that I couldn't see past a few girls at a stupid party and realize just how good I had it? Sweat dripped down her face. The phone shook in her trembling hands. She had had enough surprises this past week. She wasn't ready if his call was a bad surprise. She turned off the phone and dropped it in the console, started the car, and drove over to Ashley's.

  She and Ashley went out for coffee. Aimee hadn't seen her since graduation, and she couldn't waste what little extra time she had socializing, other than with Chels, so she hadn't kept up very well. It was really nice to get a couple hours to chill and listen to Ashley gossip about Courtney, Jana, and even Chels, and everything happening in Medford. Apparently, Ashley had more time than she did to spend on keeping up with everyone. When they got back into the car, Aimee noticed Dylan tried calling, then texting, followed by another call. They have to be at the hotel, Aimee decided. I guess I better suck it up, good or bad news, and call when I get home.

  Aimee dropped off Ashley at her house around 9:40 and started cruising back towards her house. She remembered she needed some shampoo, her kind, which Dad didn't have at the house, so she detoured to the store to buy some. She parked the car, grabbed her backpack, and stepped onto the sidewalk. Without noticing it, her foot snagged a rough bump on the concrete, and her pack dropped as she flew onto the grass. Before she could pick herself up, she vanished without a clue. The tunnel gobbled her, then spun her through time like a F-5 tornado. The swirling and gyrating and flipping messed with her brain. Dizzy meant nausea, and nausea usually ended in vomiting. Coffee
mixed with tortellini projected out of her into the darkness, then she blacked out. She didn't know how long she was out, but the tunnel released her and she dropped into the deep end of a swimming pool. Like a boulder, she sank unconscious, snapping awake when her butt hit the rough, concrete bottom.

  Aimee could see the surface above her. Her lungs were on fire from the lack of oxygen. Instinctively she propelled to the top and popped above the surface gasping for air. She managed to swim to the side and seized a hold on the ladder to catch her breath. No one else was in the pool. Once able to breathe normally, she crawled out of the pool, cold and dripping wet, and surveyed the area. It appeared she landed in a tropical resort area. Palm trees surrounded the buildings. The smell of the ocean hung in the air. Signs of Christmas were visible. Only no one was lounging around. But before she could blink, it all changed. People swarmed out of nowhere, then raced past her frantically like ants escaping a pile that was stomped on. Men and women shouted in different languages. Crying children were pulled along or carried by adults. They moved like something sinister chased them. A man holding a baby, followed by a woman, bolted past her almost knocking Aimee back into the water. They disappeared into the pandemonium moving towards the street.

  A second later, Aimee heard it. The it everyone was running from. She spun around. A huge wall of water, taller than any wave she'd ever seen, was rushing her direction! Her heart stopped, then a half second later fired on. She bolted, too, and was swept into the manic crowd trying to escape the enormous wave overtaking the town.

  The water's massive power ripped away anything in its path as it rushed faster and faster inland. In seconds people, alive and dead, animals, cars, and even things once attached to the ground succumbed to the water. Yet, the ocean was hungry for more. The water rushed in, grabbed and took what it wanted. Aimee ran, like everyone else, to save herself.