Entangled

by Albert Sartison

  ENTANGLED

  by

  Albert Sartison

  Copyright © 2014 by Albert Sartison

  First edition

  1.01

  Contents

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  1

  Aaron came to, opening his eyes with some difficulty. He could dimly make out the contours of the room. His surroundings lacked any distinct detail, just random grey-coloured silhouettes and strange shapes which, when looked at more closely, merged into familiar objects.

  He tried to raise himself up off the bed to see more but was unable, his arms were not up to the task - his muscles simply refused to do their job. He would have to settle for just moving his eyes. Moving his head also proved impossible. An impotent weakness enveloped his whole body.

  OK. Now he understood. It was a hospital. Aaron had absolutely no memory of how he had ended up there, which meant it had happened again. His doctor had warned him that sooner or later it would happen, and it looked like that time had come. He had had a heart attack. The second in two years.

  Aaron could feel his teeth chattering as if he were freezing to death. But he was well covered, he was warm, so it was not from cold. It had been the same last time. Maybe fear? No, he was not scared of death. The worst was already behind him. The very fact that he was lying in a hospital bed looking at a hospital ward meant that this time around he had survived again. Everyone died at some point, and one day it would be his turn, but not this time. This time he had pulled through.

  In a way, he was already getting used to the thought of his death. After his first heart attack, he had not been himself at all. Back then, the first time round, when he had also come to in a hospital bed, the doctor had told him what had happened and he had almost broken down. He knew that his life would no longer be the same ever again. Tears had run down his ageing, wrinkled cheeks and he had been unable to stop them. This time, however, it was bearable.

  Suddenly, the door swung open and a doctor came into the ward, followed by a nurse. Aaron could barely make out the outlines of the newcomers, but he could distinguish the silhouettes and hear steady footsteps. In a hospital, only the doctors walk with such confidence. The patients are too weak and visitors tread softly, trying not to make too much noise. They practically walk on their tiptoes. The doctors, however, are a different matter. They stomp around like soldiers on parade. Also, he could smell them. A smell that only doctors in white coats give off. Even with his sense of smell, dulled by noxious vapours after forty years in a factory, he could tell them a mile away.

  "Good morning, Aaron! How are you feeling?" said the taller and leaner silhouette. His voice was encouraging. The atmosphere in the ward seemed to lose some of its melancholy and become more welcoming.

  "Sister, would you open the window please? It is a little stuffy," said the doctor.

  Aaron watched the second, smaller silhouette obediently move over to the window, pull at the sash cord and open it with a rattling screech. Noise from the street burst into the ward. The twitter of birds, the conversation of passersby, the clicking of heels on the pavement. After a moment, Aaron could feel the cool air flowing in from outside. First it touched his cheeks, then it blew down his thinning, grey hair to his shoulders, and soon it enveloped him completely, hugging him in a cold embrace that he could feel even through his warm blanket. The chilly freshness was more than welcome. It had a particular smell, which for some reason he always associated with the smell of watermelons.

  Suddenly he saw an image of himself many years before, also springtime, arriving home from work with a bag containing an enormous, stripy watermelon. He had only been married for a short while and he and his wife had just moved into their first apartment together. Their firstborn could already sit up unaided, and Jessica was pregnant with their second. Hearing the front door close, she popped her head around the kitchen door.

  "Ah, it's you. Wash your hands and sit down. Dinner’s on the table already," she said to him, her words coming out in a rush. In one hand she held an empty baby bottle, having only just finished feeding the baby.

  The food was already waiting for him on the table, and there was a wonderful smell rising up from the steaming plate. Jessica rocked their child in her arms. The baby was looking at the enormous watermelon in his father’s arms wide-eyed, as though it was an unknown miracle.

  Aaron washed the stripy fruit, wiped it dry and took out a large knife. No sooner had he sunk the knife through the thick skin when a crack appeared along the back of the watermelon. The small kitchen was immediately filled with its aroma, an aroma that was the very essence of freshness. He cut off a small slice and tasted it.

  "How sweet it is. The baby will love it. Do you want some?" he asked his wife.

  "Go on then."

  He cut two pieces from the very middle and carefully removed all the seeds, then gave one to Jessica and held the other out to his son. He opened his mouth obediently and Aaron fed him a piece. The boy ate the juicy fruit noisily and happily. As he chewed, he looked at both his parents in wonderment.

  "Do you like it, my little teddy bear?"

  Their teddy bear reached out towards the table where the fragrant watermelon sat.

  "You want some more?"

  The child laughed. It would have been impossible for him not to have liked the sweet delicacy. Aaron cut another piece. They stood like that in the small kitchen and watched as their tiny little son ate watermelon for the first time in his life. Aaron hugged Jessica from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and stroking her stomach. In her seventh month of pregnancy, she was gradually starting to look like a watermelon. And that is what he called her - my little watermelon.

  Jessica came up with the nickname herself. Six months ago when they had been planning their holiday, Aaron had not been able to get time off at the beginning of the summer as he had wanted, only nearer the end. His wife was already pregnant, so did not like the idea of having their holiday three months later than planned.

  "I'll be bobbing about in the sea like a watermelon," she’d said at the time, and Aaron had laughed, imagining what she was going to look like. It really had been funny, and her description proved to be spot on.

  Now, however, he was standing embracing his wife and looking at their son. Jessica tilted her head back slightly and her brown hair brushed against his face. He could smell her hair and feel the warmth of her body. And in her arms their first son sat quietly, unable to tear his eyes away from the watermelon. Aaron knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his life.

  2

  Aaron had drawn in a lungful of air to welcome the newly-arrived doctor, but the only thing that escaped from his throat was a barely audible wheeze. He was still too weak, he needed time. His reaction did not escape the doctor’s attention.

  “Please, do not strain yourself. You are going to be fine. Just blink once for ‘yes’ and twice for ‘no’. Do you understand?”

  Obediently, the patient blinked once.

  “Excellent. Aaron, can you see me? Sister, would you help the patient with his glasses please? Is that better?”

  At long last, the blurry shapes transformed themselves into a clear image. The doctor was tall with dark eyes. He was of normal build, but it was obvious that he exercised regularly. The colour of his skin looked unnaturally healthy somehow. His white coat had been quickly slipped on over his clothes and was hanging half open, but he had a kind face that warmed Aaron’s soul. He tried again to speak.

  “What happened?” he asked very quietly, but just loud enough to be heard. He was, very gradually, becoming more himself, the doctor’s exuberant vitality was catching.

  “Do you yo
urself know what happened?”

  This time, Aaron even managed to nod his head slightly.

  “You were in the park, probably out for a stroll, when the attack happened. Fortunately there were a lot of people there that day and somebody called an ambulance straight away. A young man performed heart massage on you until the paramedics arrived. You were lucky. I think you will be able to make a complete recovery.”

  A second nurse popped into the ward.

  “Doctor, you’re needed on Ward 230.”

  “Yes, yes, I’m coming. Well then. Get some rest. I’ll drop in to check on you again tomorrow evening. Is there anything you want? Maybe something to eat? Drink? Would you like the window closed or left open?”

  Aaron shook his head.

  “I’m fine, thank you. Leave the window open, please.”

  It was spring outside. Why would one choose to breathe in hospital dust, when there was such paradise outside?

  His past rose up before his eyes again – this time when he and Jessica were on their way to her parents for their anniversary. There were four of them in the car, as they had both of their children with them. Their oldest was ill and did not utter a sound, but spent the whole journey looking out of the window. He had a small fever and had managed to catch yet another cold, probably from somebody at school. The youngest, their daughter, was quietly playing with toys in her car seat. She was a quiet girl, absolutely nothing like her brother. He was capable of giving his parents hell. She, on the other hand, could be left to her own resources.

  After three hours of driving, Aaron had just replaced Jessica behind the wheel. She was now sitting on the seat next to him, rubbing her temples. It was clear by the way she was wrinkling her forehead that she had a headache.

  “I think I’ve managed to catch the cold as well,” she said, and sneezed.

  “We should have stayed at home. Our daughter is going to get it,” said Aaron.

  “It doesn’t matter, she’s rarely ill. It’s unlikely she’ll catch it. I simply won’t touch her.”

  Aaron just nodded and looked in the rear-view mirror. His daughter was listening attentively to the conversation.

  “Papa. Why isn’t anybody allowed to touch me?”

  “Mama’s not very well. She doesn’t want to give you her germs. I can still touch you though, don’t worry.”

  “What’s mama ill with?”

  “It’s just a cold, nothing terrible. Play with your toys.”

  “OK, papa.”

  The road was busy, and the congestion meant that it would take them a couple of hours longer to get to Jessica’s parents in the next town. By the time they arrived, it was already dark.

  Dinner was delicious since her parents were both excellent cooks. It was their hobby and they clearly had a talent for it. Aaron loved visiting his in-laws - their home was always so cosy. And the children loved them. While the grandparents played with their grandchildren, it was possible to relax a little.

  The next morning began with the smell of vanilla, which flooded into the room through the half-open door. Jessica had already gotten out of bed, she was an early riser, and her voice drifted up from below. He could not make out the words, but it seemed like she was helping his mother-in-law with breakfast, they were most likely making waffles. The children were probably still asleep. What paradise. He could just close his eyes and sleep for an hour or two. Smiling at the thought, Aaron turned over and fell back to sleep almost immediately.

  They spent almost the whole of the next day in the house. Although the sun was shining, the day was unusually windy. The trees around the house bowed violently, first one way then the other. Torn branches would occasionally fall against the window.

  Jessica’s father worked as a maths teacher in a school and spent the day teaching his grandson to play chess. He had already mastered the basic rules, knew how to move the pieces and was now receiving his first lessons in strategy. Their daughter, as usual, was busy with her colouring book. Jessica was helping her, but looking at them, it was difficult to say who was enjoying colouring in the pictures more - his daughter or his wife.

  Back when Jessica had been pregnant, she had always said she wanted a girl.

  “What on earth am I going to do with three boys? There will be nothing left of me!” she complained jokingly to Aaron. “No, I need a daughter. I am going to colour in pictures with her.”

  And sure enough, they gave birth to a daughter. Jessica must have second sight – their daughter adored brightly-coloured pictures since she was tiny.

  Aaron looked around the room where his family and his wife’s parents were gathered. Everyone was busy doing something. How quickly time flies, he thought to himself suddenly. It seemed like only yesterday he had fed his son watermelon for the first time, watching with amusement as he wrinkled his tiny forehead eating the juicy fruit, and now he was already in his second year at school. Being taught by his grandfather how to play chess.

  Almost as if she had heard his thoughts, Jessica looked up at him. It seemed she had guessed what he was thinking by the expression on his face. Getting up, she came over to him and perched on his knee, hugging him.

  “Why are you looking so sad?”

  “I’m not sad. I’m just watching you all.”

  Jessica kissed him on his ear and Aaron pulled away uncertainly. He did not like displays of affection in front of her parents. He himself did not know why, but it made him a little uncomfortable. It may have been that her father had been too strict when they were first going out.

  Jessica knew this, of course. She smiled and snuggled into his chest, not altogether innocently, and Aaron tickled her in the ribs. She started giggling and immediately jumped off his lap. She really hated being tickled. It was Aaron’s secret weapon that he kept in reserve for situations just like this one.

  He had first met Jessica when he had only just turned twenty-three. It was at a student party where he had ended up quite by accident. He had spent most of the evening flirting with another girl and generally talking her ear off, when all of a sudden he saw Jessica. She was talking to friends, but was obviously not that interested in the topic of conversation. She looked at Aaron playfully and gave a faint smile.

  Who has not heard of love at first sight? Everyone has heard of it, and Aaron was no exception. But it was something he had absolutely no belief in. He had never experienced it, so he thought it was just the fairytale stuff of over-emotional individuals. When it came to Jessica, it was the same. He did not fall in love with her at first sight.

  She was certainly beautiful, but it was not love that forced Aaron to switch his attention from his friend to Jessica. At that age, guys have other things on their mind. And with exactly those thoughts in mind, he spent the rest of the evening trying to find a reason to talk to the pretty stranger.

  Aaron was not particularly timid, and conversation with Jessica flowed smoothly. While chatting about everyday things, he kept stealing furtive glances at her blouse, which was unbuttoned one button further than it should have been. Jesus, it had been quite a sight to behold!

  They had chatted sitting on a small settee. The advantage of the settee had been that there was only enough room on it for two. This meant they were safe from some boring friend of his new acquaintance suddenly making an appearance to announce she was going home, dragging Jessica along with her.

  Jessica was wearing a skirt that stopped just above the knee. They had been chatting on the settee for maybe half an hour when she kicked off one of her shoes and tucked her leg up under her. Instantly, Aaron’s gaze travelled up the length of her leg. In this new position her skirt, which had not been very long to begin with, had ridden up a little higher, and the sight of her leg made him catch his breath. As soon as she looked away he had started to devour her with his eyes. Naively, he thought that women did not notice such things...

  Continuing their conversation, he had ‘accidentally’ placed his hand on her knee. Whilst laughing at his jokes, Jessica,
also without acknowledging it, slowly removed it.

  After that evening, he could not get Jessica out of his head. There was nothing strange about that, she was beautiful, but the more he thought about her, the less he thought about her appearance and the more he thought about what she had talked about that evening. She had given him her telephone number, but he did not know whether she had made the number up. He waited a few days in torment then finally decided to call. After dialling the number with bated breath, he put the phone to his ear. His heart was beating like crazy. What if it was the wrong number?

  After ten rings, it seemed that nobody was going to pick up the phone. Aaron hung up in disappointment. Maybe it was not going to lead anywhere after all, it was probably not the right number. Damn! Fine, he would just have to try again later.

  But nobody answered the phone at all that day. He tried again and again, but to no avail. Well to hell with her! She could have just not given him her number rather than mess with his head. His exams were fast approaching and now he was completely unable to keep his mind on his studies. That really would be the last straw if he failed his exams because of that... stupid woman!

  Aaron put his textbook aside, took the scrap of paper off the table and, in a fit of anger, screwed it up and threw it in the bin with the other rubbish. He once again buried his nose in his book. His eyes moved along the lines, but he could not understand what he was reading and thought only of Jessica. After a few minutes, unable to bear it any longer, he stood up and went over to the rubbish bin to retrieve the crumpled up ball of paper.

  “I’ll try again and if she still doesn’t answer, then I won’t call anymore!” he said to himself angrily. He dialled the number without much hope and once again listened to the phone ringing at the other end. One, two, three...

  “Hello?” said a woman’s voice, suddenly.

  Aaron gave a start of surprise and his heart sped up to a gallop. It was not the person he had been expecting to hear.