The tone of my writing became a little somber when I wrote about waking up and realizing the best months of my life weren’t real. But then writing about going to the care facility and how hard I worked changed the tone back to a more positive one.
Three months had gone by since I’d written the very first word. I was really proud of myself. I thought it would have taken me forever to write it, but things just started flowing out of me. By the time I finished the book I thought it had a pretty uplifting feel to it. I tried to convey my true feelings about what was happening at the time. I wanted people to feel like they were right there with me.
When I finished the first draft I asked my mom to read it. Of course, she agreed. When she was finished she told me it was really good. I hoped she wasn’t being biased because she’s my mom. I decided to find someone else to read it. I thought about it for a few days and decided to take a copy to Dr. Grey.
It had been almost a year since I’d walked out of the care facility and when I went to the reception desk I was mobbed by the staff. I spent a while catching up with them. Eventually they had to get back to their jobs and I went to Dr. Grey’s office. Luckily for me she wasn’t with a patient. Her door was open, so I knocked on the doorframe. When she looked up she had a smile for me.
“Eve,” she said warmly, “how nice to see you. Please come in and have a seat. What can I do for you?” she asked as I sat down.
“I’ve come to ask you a favor. I’ve written a book about my life and what happened. I’d really like you to read it and give me your honest opinion,” I told her.
“Oh Eve, I think that’s wonderful and I’d be happy to read it for you.”
I handed her the copy I’d brought. “I know I’m not a professional author so there’s probably a ton of mistakes, but I hope you like the idea behind it. And I really do want your honest opinion. If you don’t like it or parts of it, I really want to know.”
“I promise I’ll give you my honest opinion, that’s kind of what I do for a living,” she said laughing.
I had to laugh with her because it was true. I gave her my phone number and email address, so she could get in touch with me. We talked for a few more minutes until a patient arrived for their session. I drove home feeling a sense of accomplishment.
Chapter 15
After I got back from seeing Dr. Grey I knew I needed to talk to my parents and figured dinner would be the best time.
“Mom, dad, I have something I need to tell you,” I said, as we dished up our plates. “I think it’s time for me to get my own place again.”
They were quiet for a moment but then smiled at me.
“We’ve been waiting for this day,” Dad said. “We’ve watched you come a long way in the last two and a half years and we think you’re ready too.”
“But just remember you always have a place here,” Mom told me. “We can start to look for apartments tomorrow.”
“I love you guys,” I told them and meant it with all of my heart. No one had better parents than I did.
After dinner all I could think about was living on my own again. I’d miss my parents, but it was time. I went to bed that night feeling excited and nervous all at the same time. That night was the first time in months that I dreamed about Jackson.
* * *
It took me and mom two weeks to find the perfect apartment. It was on the top floor of a twelve-story building with a view that overlooked the city. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the view. The entire living room was floor to ceiling windows and the kitchen, oh the kitchen. It was all light colors and had a country feel to it. I could see myself cooking for my family in that kitchen. The master bedroom was a good size and had more of those great windows. And the master bathroom had a claw foot tub. As soon as I saw that I was sold.
I had to buy all new furniture as mom and dad sold my stuff when I was in the coma. I had quite a bit of money saved from working as I had no expenses living with my parents. I had a blast picking out my new bedroom set and a couch and chairs for the living room. The kitchen store was my favorite place to shop. Good thing mom was there to stop me from buying the entire store.
The day I was moving in I was about ready to burst with excitement. My brother was home for the summer so luckily, we had his muscle to help us. It took the whole weekend but the four of us got everything in, put together and in place. Mom and I even went grocery shopping and I made us dinner on Sunday.
I was so happy. I knew it would take some adjusting to living on my own again. Yes, I had Molly and mom was only a phone call away, but it was going to be different. Last time I lived on my own I had a group of friends that I spent lots of time with. This time it was just me.
I’d gotten a two-bedroom apartment in case one day I wanted a roommate. But for now, the extra room was my office/work out space. In the mornings I would run on my treadmill and lift my weights. In the evenings I would often spend time editing my book. Dr. Grey was sending me feedback after each chapter she read, and I was making the changes she suggested.
After about a month of living on my own I was getting into a routine and I was enjoying myself. The week mostly consisted of going to work and cooking dinner in my awesome kitchen. After I cleaned up the kitchen I would either watch some TV, read, or work on my book. Saturdays I spent doing things like shopping, baking, and trying new restaurants. Sunday was the day I spent at mom and dads.
I realized one Saturday that I hadn’t met any of my neighbors, so I thought I’d do something about it. I decided to make up a triple batch of my favorite oatmeal chip cookies. My time practicing while I was at mom and dads had made me a pretty good baker. I now had a favorite cookie, cake and brownie recipe. Mom was always telling me that I was making them fat with all of my baking. I’d laugh every time she said that because my mom was the epitome of healthy. My dad on the other hand had a bit of a sweet tooth and a little bit extra around the middle. He had no problem eating up a lot of what I baked.
I made the cookies and packed them up in cute little bags. I put a note on each one that said Compliments of your new neighbor in 1204. Enjoy! There were twelve apartments on my floor. After I finished I went around and hung a bag of cookies on every door. I felt really good about it when I got back to my apartment and I hoped my neighbors appreciated it too.
As a result of my cookie gesture, over the next week I met all of my neighbors, with the exception of 1203 across the hall. Everyone told me they were really surprised by the cookies. When they tasted them they all had stopped by to thank me. I chatted with everyone when they dropped by to see me. I got to know a little bit about them. They all seemed like very nice people.
1201 was an elderly couple that had been married for almost fifty years and had just moved from the house where they’d raised their children. 1202 was a young couple that was recently engaged and worked for two different large companies. 1205 were two girls that had been college roommates. They’d just finished school and had started new jobs. 1206 was a single man in his late thirties. I got the eternal bachelor vibe off of him. 1207 was a married couple in their forties. They were both lawyers and had no children. 1208 was a single woman. I couldn’t determine her age, but she was the vice president of a big company. 1209 was two guys, one was a doctor and the other one was a teacher. I think they might have been a couple, but I wasn’t sure. 1210 was another married couple. She didn’t work, and he was a pharmacist. 1211 was a mother and daughter. The mom turned out to own her own clothing company and the daughter was studying business in college. 1212 was another single man around my age. He worked for an advertising company and was very good looking. I was thrilled to have met my new neighbors and I thought I could become friends with some of them. I was still hoping to meet 1203 and then I would know everyone on my floor.
A week and a half after the cookie delivery I went to leave for work and found a piece of paper outside my front door. Turns out it was a note. It said, Thank you for the cookies. They were very good. It made my week. Your neighbor
in 1203. That made me smile and wonder as well. Who was the neighbor across the hall from me? Was it a man or woman? A couple? The handwriting didn’t tell me anything. The apartments were fairly soundproof, so I didn’t usually hear anyone coming or going.
I spent all day at work thinking about the note and my mysterious neighbor. I decided that when I got home I’d go over and introduce myself in person … and maybe take some more cookies.
As soon as I walked in my door I whipped up a batch of cookies, but different than the last ones. These ones were going to be soft and chewy coconut cookies. I just hoped 1203 liked coconut. After dinner I took the container of cookies and went across the hall. I knocked on the door and waited. I knocked again but there was no answer. I decided to leave the cookies anyway. I went back to my apartment and scribbled out a quick note. I made more cookies and wanted to introduce myself, but I guess I missed you. I hope you like coconut. From 1204.
I went back to my apartment and turned on the TV. Tonight, was one of those reality singing shows that I considered my guilty pleasure. I always rooted for the underdog. I watched TV until it was time to go to bed.
That night I dreamed about intense blue eyes. I hadn’t had a dream like that since I was in the castle and they turned out to be Jackson’s eyes. In my head the time I spent in the castle was still real. It had been the only reality I’d known for eight months. Logically I knew I’d been in a coma but the only thing I remembered was being with Jackson in the castle.
I had trouble concentrating at work the next day and found myself making mistakes. I hated making mistakes, but all I could focus on was the eyes from my dream. They were very intense like Jackson’s but were just a shade lighter. They were beautiful.
Since my coma I was more in touch with my creative side than I’d been before, and I wanted to try to create the eyes from my dream. So, I stopped by the art store on my way home and got a couple of canvases, some brushes and an assortment of paint. I got acrylic because the sales lady said it was easier to work with than oils or watercolors.
After I’d eaten dinner I watched a few videos on how to paint eyes. They made it look easy, I should have known better. I laughed at my first attempt. They looked more like cartoon eyes than real ones. I decided to sketch the next ones and then paint over my sketch. It was better but still not what I saw in my dreams. Good thing I got a couple of canvases because the first one I’d filled up with ten pairs of eyes. The good news was that each one was getting better. I called it a night and wasn’t surprised when I dreamed about the eyes again that night.
Chapter 16
Two days after I’d left the cookies for 1203 I found another note when I left for work. I smiled when I read it. Those were some damn fine cookies 1204. I love coconut! Thank you very much. From 1203.
I thought about the note as I drove to work. It had said “I love coconut” and the last one said “you made my week” so I guessed that there was only one person living there. I still had no idea if it was a man or a woman. I figured I’d run into them one day and then I’d know for sure.
The rest of the week flew by and before I knew it, it was Sunday and I was driving to my parents. My brother was visiting for the weekend and I was happy to see him. I was so proud of him. He was out in the backyard grilling when I got there. I went and talked to him while mom and dad were getting everything else ready to eat.
As we were eating I told everyone about how I met my neighbors and the mystery neighbor in 1203. Everyone had their own theory about 1203.
“I bet it’s a woman who’s a CEO and has to travel all the time,” mom said. “Or maybe she’s a travelling nurse.”
“My guess is that it’s someone that is really agoraphobic and never leaves the building,” dad said.
“Dad wouldn’t someone who’s agoraphobic hate to live in a place that has so many windows?” I asked.
“Good point. But maybe they can’t face going out of the apartment but like to see outside.”
“Your all wrong,” my brother chimed in. “It’s a super hot woman that’s actually an international spy,” he said grinning.
I rolled my eyes at him and couldn’t help but smile. “You guys are all crazy. It’s probably some overworked person that doesn’t get any appreciation at work. But trust me, when I find out anything you’ll be the first to know.”
I left my parents place feeling happy and grateful. I was still convinced that no one on the planet had a better family than I did.
When I got home that evening there was a small box and a note in front of my door. I picked it up and went inside. It was from 1203. The note read, I can’t bake so I hope you like chocolate. I just wanted to say thank you for the cookies. EJD (1203). Hmm, I thought, at least I had initials now but that really didn’t tell me anything.
I took the box and went and sat on the couch. The note had mentioned chocolate. It just so happened that I loved chocolate. The box was wrapped in silver paper. I unwrapped it and opened the lid. They were chocolates from Perry’s. That was the absolute best place to get chocolates from. Whoever 1203 was they had good taste. I was leaning toward it being a woman since I’d never met a man that went to Perry’s unless they were told to.
I took a bite of one of the chocolates and I think I moaned at the first taste. It had been quite a while since I’d had one of their delectable chocolates. Every piece that came out of Perry’s was handmade and you could definitely tell in the taste. I finished the one I was eating and put the box away. I’d have to savor these. They were way too good to binge eat.
After my chocolate experience I went into the spare room to check my email. It had been a few days since I’d checked it and I was hoping Dr. Grey had more revisions for me to make. Sure, enough she’d sent the next chapter back yesterday afternoon. I printed it and read over her suggestions. As usual they were spot on. I went to my master copy and made the changes.
As was normal when I was working on my book I wondered what I was going to do with it after it was fully finished and edited. I’d read a bit about publishing and it seemed very difficult. There was also the self-publishing route which I knew nothing about. One step at a time I told myself.
I wasn’t tired yet, but I didn’t feel like watching TV or reading, so that led me to the kitchen. After looking through a couple of cookbooks and not seeing anything that caught my eye, I decided on my favorite brownie recipe. I was making a double batch, so I could take some to work with me the next day. Everyone loved when I brought in my baking.
Usually, I added milk chocolate chips to the batter, but I thought I’d change it up today. I looked through my baking cupboard and saw a bag of mint chocolate chips. That sounded just about perfect. When they were baked and cooled I cut them up and put them in the container. As a thank you for the chocolates I was going to give some to EJD in 1203. I added a note. Thank you for the Perry’s. They are to die for. You obviously have good taste. Enjoy the brownies. EMC (1204). Yes, I know, my initials were just like the famous formula, but I hadn’t named myself and my parents just liked the way Evelyn Marie Caulder sounded. I left everything on the counter for the morning. I got ready for bed and fell into a deep sleep.
* * *
As predicted the brownies were a huge hit. My coworkers loved the mint surprise. They kept telling me I should sell my baking but that seemed like a lot of extra work. It was a slow day and by 3:00 I’d finished all my work. I could have gone home but I figured I’d stay in case anything came up. I kept thinking about the initials 1203 had written on the last note. I spent the next hour coming up with possible names for the initials EJD.
Ladies:
Edith Joan Dexter / Elizabeth Joy Duffin / Ella Jane Donlan / Emma Jaqueline Durand / Erin Jessica Dillon / Erica Janet Davies / Emily Jennifer Douglas / Elena Jasmine Dale / Ellen Julia Daniels / Ellie Jamie Drew / Eleanor Joyce Donaldson / Eva Judith Dunford
Guys:
Earl John Dormer / Edward Johnathan Durvey / Elias Jack Downs / Eric James Docker / Eth
an Jacob Deane / Emmanuel Joseph Dowling / Evan Joshua Dixon / Elliot Justin Devlin / Emmett Jason Dunning / Easton Jack Danes / Emilio Jared Dyer / Eugene Joel Darwin
I looked at my list and laughed. The odds that I’d gotten the right name were astronomical. And it was sad that I could only come up with twenty-four names in that amount of time, and that was with the help of the internet. I took my list home with me. I had an idea of how to get to know my neighbor better.
When I got home the brownies were gone. That made me smile. I was going to try and guess my neighbors name while at the same time giving them treats. Twice a week I was going to leave some baking and a name guess. The thought made me giggle. I hoped EJD wanted to play along.
I called my mom and told her about the developments and idea about guessing my mysterious neighbors name. She thought it sounded like fun and then texted me some names she thought it might be.
I waited a couple of days before starting on my plan. I made a batch of cupcakes and put them in front of 1203’s door with a note that said, Enjoy these Edith Joan Dexter? I couldn’t help but giggle all the way to work.
A few days later I found another box when I opened my door in the morning. I was more interested in the note than the contents of the box. I brought it inside and read it. Cupcakes were fantastic. Edith Joan Dexter – I don’t think so. Try again! The note made me grin. I had just enough time to see what was in the box. It was assorted French macaroons. I loved them but had never been ambitious enough to try making them. I put them away and ran out the door. I’d have to wait until I got home to enjoy them.
This went on for the next month and I wasn’t getting any closer to finding out the name of my mystery neighbor, but I was having a great time playing this game. I would leave baking with a new name on it and a few days later I would get a box of goodies with a note telling me the name was wrong.
Trapped in a Castle Page 7
