by R.H. Proenza
****
It had taken many months but he thought he had finished with his home projects. The attic was properly floored with plywood. Now he could store boxes up there, and the garage was all set with shelves. All his tools hung on pegboards for easy access. He did it in his spare time away from work and he was proud of it all.
He rarely dreamed of Callie anymore. When he did they weren't as vivid as before, and he never remembered what happened in the dreams except for the recurring words: "Don't be alone." He always thought that was odd. It had already been six-month since the tragedy happened. Maybe that's why she was in his thoughts. He needed to get out of the house. Grocery shopping would be a good distraction.
The groceries bags were set up in the trunk of his car. As he closed the lid and stepped out of the way another car slowly rolled into the side of his back bumper with a dull thud. He heard a girl's squeal as the driver came out running from her car.
"Oh no, oh no. Oh nooo! I am so-o-o sorry. I can't believe I just did that, oh no!"
He looked at where the cars had made contact and looked up at the girl. "Hey, no problem. Look, you just hit the thick rubber part of the bumper. Just a nudge. Absolutely no damage."
"Oh, but that was so stupid of me. My phone slid off my seat and me just, you know, reached for it and let the car roll." She made brief eye contact with him and he flinched.
Those beautiful green eyes, and her hair and voice ... they’re so much like, no, there goes my imagination. "Uh… Hi. My name is Dan, Daniel Brody," and he held out his hand.
"Oh gosh, this so awkward. I'm Charlise - uh, Charlie. You are being so nice even after I ran into y ..." She froze and stared into his wide unbelieving eyes, and gave a familiar body shiver. "Wha…? Uh, sorry, I... um... do... do we know -- each – other…?"
The End
ALTERNATE ENDING:
The groceries bags were set up in the trunk of his car. As he closed the lid and stepped out of the way another car slowly rolled into the side of his back bumper with a dull thud. He heard a girl's squeal as the driver came out running from her car.
"Oh no, oh no. Oh nooo! I am so-o-o sorry. I can't believe I just did that, oh no!"
He looked at where the cars had made contact and looked up at the girl. "Hey, no problem. Look, you just hit the thick rubber part of the bumper. Just a nudge. Absolutely no damage."
"Oh, but that was so stupid of me. My phone slid off my seat and me, I just, you know, reached for it and let the car roll." She made brief eye contact with him and he flinched. Those beautiful green eyes, and her face and hair, and voice ... how could they be so much like---no, there goes my imagination again. "Uh… Hi. My name is…
“I’m such a klutz; I’ll pay for any damage,” she interrupted and held out her hand. “Look, I’m Charl…” As their hands touched they both felt an unexplainable jolt of energy pass through them. He gasped and she squealed. He saw her have the worst body shiver. She shook her head as if trying to shake off a long sleep. At once they stood frozen in time as he stared into familiar green eyes. It was for seconds but it seemed for many minutes where they couldn’t let go of each other’s grasp.
His breath caught as his eyes widened when she whispered the names she couldn’t possibly have known, “D…Danny?” His lungs refused to work; she was now trembling. “My…MY DREAMER?” came her raspy whisper once again…
*****
Passersby see two cars are in a store parking lot in an odd way, one apparently having backed into the other. A young man and young woman are shaking hands yet appear momentarily frozen, appearing as if statues. Perhaps the couple has come to a friendly agreement as to the outcome of the minor incident.
Suddenly they are into each others’ arms kissing with such intensity that a passing lady has to stifle herself from blurting out, “Hey, you two. Get a room, will ya’!”
EPILOGUE
Months earlier Daniel Brody conceived the notion that some things in the universe existed that could not be explained, and they existed whether or not you believed them. Danny and Callie were together again. They spent the following months clinging to each other like conjoined twins and trying to understand what had happened.
Callie had no memory of anything prior to their shaking hands in the parking, nor having died from a bullet wound. All she remembered was that they had been hugging in the kitchen, and then the feeling of a long passage of time. She felt the sense of having been away and missing him. And now she was there, in front of him! Later after seeing the proof of her passing he presented her, she reluctantly accepted the facts.
The only explanation they could both agree on was that, somehow, they had been given a gift. A very special once-in-a-lifetime gift. They would not waste it. They would make it count. They would enjoy and cherish each other as much as they could….for the rest of their lives.
The End
