“Dylan was born on December 26, 1988.”
I waited for her to process what I was telling her. I saw the expression on her face change when she realized what I was really saying.
“Oh my God,” she finally said.
I nodded in agreement.
“Ethan was reincarnated into Dylan? Are you sure?”
“I’m positive. It all makes sense now, Veronica! All the strange things that he knew. He never realized it until he saw me again, and then it all started coming back to him!”
She shook her head. “Unbelievable. It never even occurred to me…”
“Me neither.”
“So the song…When did he realize he was Ethan? Why did he keep it from you?”
“He didn’t. The song had just always been in the back of his mind. He didn’t realize everything until Friday night. I wasn’t answering his calls because I was so freaked out, and then I found out he wasn’t 21 yet. Anyway, he came here Saturday night and…” I smiled at the memories of our weekend together.
Veronica was still in shock. She shook her head again. “This is incredible!”
“I know!”
“Ethan’s alive! Oh my God, Sarah!” She gave me a big hug. We both were wiping our tears when we pulled away.
After a moment, she chuckled and said, “You’ve been here having the best sex of your life all weekend, haven’t you?”
I laughed and looked around my apartment. There wasn’t one room we didn’t enjoy ourselves in. “Yes, I did.”
“I can’t even be jealous. You deserve this, Sarah. It’s the most romantic story I’ve ever heard. I’m so happy for you!” She hugged me again and then finally opened her salad. “We need to celebrate! Can you and Ethan...”
“Dylan,” I said, correcting her.
“Can you and Dylan pull yourself away from your activities to come to my house for dinner tonight?”
“He was planning to come over, so I don’t see why not.”
“Good. I can’t wait to see him again!”
“Nice house,” Dylan said as we walked up to Veronica’s door.
“Wait until you see the inside,” I told him as I rang the bell.
“What’s it look like?”
“Veronica,” I answered with a smile.
Veronica opened the door wide and looked at us with excited eyes. “Ethan!” she yelled out as she gave him a big hug. When she finally released him, she just kept staring at his face, until she realized she hadn’t invited us in yet. “I’m sorry. This is all so surreal. Come on in!”
Dylan looked fascinated as he took in his surroundings. Veronica’s large house and high ceilings contained a menagerie of the different sides of Veronica. It was gothic, French, spiritual, and of course it was adorned with cats. She only owned two real cats, but the pictures, statues, and other cat trinkets were an essential part of her décor.
She was wearing a purple velvet dress, which accentuated her dark eyes and hair. She led us to the kitchen and put her apron back on. Whatever she was cooking smelled delicious.
“What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll have a martini, please, with two olives,” I told her.
“And you, Ethan?” she asked, and then she added, “Sorry. I know I’m supposed to call you Dylan, but tonight I want to talk to Ethan.”
“Fair enough,” he answered. “Just a Pepsi or something, please.”
“I’m fixing a good Creole dish tonight. You’ll love it.”
“Sounds good. Can I help?”
“You can chop up the vegetables if you’d like.”
“Sure. It’s good to see you again, Veronica, even though I’ve already seen you. You know what I mean.”
“You too,” she said, smiling at him as he chopped. I just sipped on my martini and let them talk.
“You look a little different, though,” she joked. “And it’s not fair that you didn’t have to age.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Veronica smiled and shook her head.
We didn’t speak much during dinner. The food was so good that we really didn’t want to. Once we cleared our plates, we headed to the living room to relax. Veronica took off her shoes and tucked her legs under her as she sat on the sofa, holding her glass of wine. She was beginning to remind me of Priscilla a little. She had her grace. We took a seat on the sofa across from her.
“I don’t know what to say,” she said to Dylan. “I never dreamed this could happen. I don’t know why. We’ve all heard of reincarnation, but I just never thought….”
“I know,” he said. “If I hadn’t seen Sarah again, then I might have never known.” He looked at me and put his hand on my knee.
“It was meant to be,” said Veronica. “If you hadn’t lied about your age then maybe I would have figured it out sooner,” she said with a teasing tone.
He gave me a look of apology again.
“December 26, 1988,” Veronica reiterated. “You know, I wanted to kick your ass that day.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” said Dylan.
“But it all worked out. I’m so happy for you two I could bust!”
Dylan put his arm around my shoulder and squeezed me. I put my hand on his and teared up again as I looked him.
“I wish I could tell Monica,” Veronica added. I was surprised that she would even suggest it, and I felt fear at the thought of it.
“No. Absolutely not,” I said firmly. “And you’ve never explained your spiritual visitors to Monica.”
“I know. I’ve just hated having to keep this from her all these years, especially now. I think we underestimate her.”
“I agree,” said Dylan.
“Why don’t you explain everything to your roommate then?” I asked, challenging him. He was silent. “Nobody would really believe or understand this but us.”
“And my friends from Chico, but I haven’t talked to them in years,” added Veronica.
“I’m especially not getting them involved,” I told her, and she nodded in agreement. I continued, “And Monica…she’s an expert of the mind, but she’s not going to understand spirituality.”
“Like we do?” Dylan asked, meaning that we didn’t really understand it either. He did have a point, but I was ready to drop the subject.
Veronica attempted to lighten the mood again. “Well, this is a wonderful discovery, so just enjoy it. Enjoy each other! In fact, I have a terrific idea! Why don’t you go to my cabin again this weekend? I’ll give you the key.”
She jumped up and left the room.
Dylan squeezed my knee. “You want to?” he asked.
My memory of our time there before was still so vivid, like every moment I spent with him. It was a beautiful night, despite my frustration. I remembered him playing his guitar and singing for me, and it always made me smile.
“Sure. I would love that,” I told him.
Veronica entered the room again and handed Dylan the key. “It’s too early for snow of course, but there’s a 4-wheeler in the shed.”
“Cool,” Dylan answered, getting excited.
“Thanks, Veronica,” I said.
I couldn’t wait to be there with him.
42. Full Circle
“Another weekend trip? Sounds like this is getting serious,” said Jake as he washed glasses behind the bar.
“It already is,” I answered. “Only this time it’s not freaking me out.”
I took a couple of more drink orders and continued our conversation as I mixed.
“Damn,” Jake said. “Another one bites the dust.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Pretty soon you’ll be moving in together, I’ll have to find another roommate, you’ll ask me to be the best man at your wedding, and then you’ll forget me. You’ll have babies and no time to spare, and you won’t want to piss her off by going out with me on a Friday night. I know how it goes.”
I laughed at his scenario, although I knew how things often ended up. �
�I promise we’ll still hang out.”
“Sure. But all jokes aside, I’m happy for you, man. She seems really cool.”
“Thanks. What can I say? She’s the one. She’s always been the one.”
He gave me a strange look, but I just let him be confused.
“Well, I’m glad she didn’t dump you over the age thing. Sorry I spilled the beans.”
“It’s fine. It was time for us to get some things out in the open.”
I brought the drinks over to the two attractive ladies who were waiting impatiently. One of them was flirting with me with her eyes. I gave her a polite smile and then went back to Jake.
“So will you?”
“Will I what?”
“Be my best man?”
“Dude. You’re kidding, right? I mean, I’m glad you found someone, but you don’t have to rush so much. You’re not asking her this weekend are you?”
“No, probably not, but I might soon. I gotta figure out how to buy a ring first, so I better go work on my tips.”
I left him speechless and shaking his head as I returned to the ladies to put on my charm. A moment later I heard him say, “Hey! I’m throwing you one hell of a bachelor party.” I smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
I brought Sarah a steaming cup of coffee in bed Saturday morning, urging her to get up so we could get going. I brought over my things for our trip the day before. I hadn’t spent one night at my own apartment all week, and I loved it. She would sometimes already be asleep once I got off work, but it still felt great to climb in bed with her, even if all we did was hold each other.
“Let’s leave an hour later,” she said, trying to convince me.
“You’ll be fine after some coffee. We don’t want to waste the day.”
She sat up and smiled, taking the cup from me. “You’re right. I don’t want to waste our time together sleeping.”
When we unlocked the shed to get the 4-wheeler, we noticed the snowmobile stored in there as well.
“I had so much fun driving that thing,” Sarah told me with a laugh.
“I didn’t let you know how scared I was. I thought we would crash any second.”
“So can I drive the 4-wheeler?”
I laughed as I backed it out and then scooted back and motioned for her to sit in front. “Be careful,” I warned her.
I was actually really impressed with her driving as we headed up the mountain. “I’ve actually driven one of these before when I was young,” she explained.
As I unlocked the door to the cabin, Sarah asked, “So are you going to cook me a steak like before?”
“Of course. Are you going to attack me again like before?” I asked, remembering how she tried to go further than we were able to that night.
“Of course,” she answered, as if it were a silly question.
I playfully hit her tush as I followed her through the doorway and she yipped. We both looked around as we set down our bags.
“Wow. This place hasn’t changed, except for there’s no Christmas tree.”
“I’ve changed, though,” I told her jokingly as I rubbed my chin.
“No, you haven’t. All I see is the man I love.” She walked over to me and kissed me slowly.
I was tempted to take her straight to the bed. I cleared my throat, backed away from her, and kissed her hand. “I better go get the cooler.”
After we got settled in, it was nearly time for lunch. We cooked hot dogs on the little propane grill and then decided to do some hiking. It was so nice to simply be together, without the constant worry and frustration of everything we had to face before. Our relationship back then was always plagued by the immediate issues of life and death, and the harsh decisions we had to make. Now we could just…be.
“That wore me out,” Sarah said lazily as she flumped on the sofa back at the cabin.
I raised up her legs and took a seat before placing them on my lap. I rubbed her thigh as I sat there silently.
“Isn’t it great?” she asked. “I mean, now that things are simpler?”
“I was thinking the same thing earlier. We’re not used to this, are we?”
“This is how it’s supposed to be. We just had a long and unusual journey before we could get here.” She looked far away for a moment before she continued. “I’ve been thinking about Alexis a lot lately.”
I nodded my head in understanding. “You think she might be out there somewhere.”
“It’s very possible. She could have been reborn like you. Only I would have no idea how to find her.”
“Maybe you’ll be reunited with her someday too. You never know.”
She smiled widely at the thought. I wished there was a way I could find Alexis for her, but I didn’t know where to begin.
I looked around the cabin, remembering our night so many years ago. “Sorry, I won’t be playing the guitar this time. I’ve been more interested in the cello in this life. I should try playing it again, though. I bet I’d pick it up quickly.”
“You make beautiful music no matter what instrument you use.”
I smiled and rubbed her thigh some more. “I did bring a deck of cards.”
She laughed. “Well, I haven’t played Crazy Eights since the 80’s, but I have a feeling I’ll beat you this time.”
“Bring it on!”
After dinner, we stayed inside the cabin, drinking beer, talking and laughing in the candlelight. Sarah told me all about her trip to Europe when she was young and her more recent trips to Paris. I could see the excitement in her eyes when she talked about it, and I started to get choked up when I really thought about how far she had come since I left.
“I’m so proud of you, Sarah. I was so worried about how you would handle me leaving you, but at the same time, I always knew you would find the strength to get through it. And look at you now! Look at what you’ve done. You followed your dreams.”
“I kept my promises,” she said, teary eyed. Then she laughed, “You should have seen me go after Veronica after you left. I nearly drowned her.”
“You’ve had good friends. I’ve been afraid to ask you this next question, but it’s been on my mind.”
“What is it?” she asked, very concerned.
“Have you seen any other spirits since that day?”
“No. Not ever.”
I’m not sure if she realized the main reason I was asking by the way she so lightly answered, but I didn’t explain further.
“Veronica, on the other hand,” she said as she laughed. “They’re instructing her how to decorate the old houses.”
I laughed and then gave her a kiss. “I think I’m ready to turn in early,” I said suggestively.
“Me too. I’m pretty tired,” she said, smiling and biting her lip.
We didn’t actually sleep until very late.
43. Up, Up and Away
A couple of weeks later, Dylan called me at work, like he did every day, but he seemed especially excited about something.
“So do you need to be at the gallery this Saturday?” he immediately asked me.
“I should be. I feel guilty that I haven’t been here enough.”
“OK,” he said sadly.
“Why? What do you want to do?”
“Take you somewhere for a surprise. That’s OK, though. We’ll do it another time.”
I continued working diligently all morning. I really had been taking too much time off, and I needed to put more effort into my business. Our sales were still steady, but we needed another boost, and I still needed to find some fresh art.
Jessica was helping me redesign our website while we tried to catch up. I hadn’t been spending as much time with her and Patrick since Dylan and I made our ‘discovery’.
“So, how are things with your boyfriend?” I asked her.
“Lame. I don’t know. He’s been acting weird. I hope he’s not seeing someone else.”
“He’d be a fool if he were.”
“I know. I probably should break up with
him and concentrate on my career anyway.”
I was afraid it would come to this one day. Jessica was too fantastic to limit herself to my little gallery.
“You’re moving on, aren’t you?” She knew I wasn’t referring to her boyfriend.
“Possibly. I’m so sorry, Sarah. I wanted to wait until I was sure, but it’s looking pretty good. It’s an opportunity to be an art director at an advertising agency in New York.”
“Jessica, that’s terrific! You need a job with more opportunity, benefits and all that. I’m happy for you, but I’m going to miss you terribly.” I gave her a hug. “You’re irreplaceable you know.”
“I know,” she said, pretending to be arrogant. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for me, Sarah.”
“Thank you. You just better let me come visit you in New York.”
“Sure thing.”
The gallery phone rang loudly. I tried to quickly wipe away my tears, but Jessica told me she would answer it.
“Sarah’s Collections,” she said. “Oh, hi.” She started to hand me the phone and then stopped. “Oh OK. OK. Oh my God, really?” She got really excited and then started acting a little secretive as she turned away from me. “OK. Sure. I’ll see you there.”
I gave her a questioning look.
“Sarah, do you mind if I take an early lunch?”
“Sure. No problem.”
“Cool. I’ll be back in a little while.”
She grabbed her purse and quickly left. I continued working and then realized that an hour and a half had gone by, and she hadn’t returned. I was supposed to meet Dylan for lunch, so I was hoping she’d hurry up. I called Dylan to let him know I’d be delayed.
“Hey, sweetie,” he answered.
“Hey. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to meet you for lunch. Patrick’s out, and I don’t know what’s keeping Jessica.”
“Oh, that’s OK,” he said quickly. “I’m pretty busy with something anyway.”
“OK, well, I’ll see you tonight. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Sarah's Solace Page 34
