The Rift In Our Reality: A Sweet Young Adult Romance

by Amy Proebstel

  Something was wrong, though. My fingers searched in vain before the truth became abundantly clear: my necklace was gone. “Oh, no!” I cried out into the nearly silent waiting room.

  “What is it?” Matt asked just as urgently.

  I’m sure there was something terrible going on with me physically, but how could I say my necklace was part of my mental health? “My necklace! It’s gone, Matt! We’ve got to find it right now. Do you see it anywhere?”

  “It’s okay, Haley. Calm down. I’m looking as we speak.”

  My breathing came faster as I began to panic in earnest. This could not be happening right now. Surely, Matt would find it on the floor in front of me, and all would be well.

  “Haley Vallem,” a nurse called from the far side of the room.

  “That’s us, Haley,” my mom said from right in front of me.

  “I can’t, Mom. I lost my necklace. I can’t go in there without it.”

  “Nonsense, Haley. We can’t keep the doctors waiting just because you lost your silly pendant. I’m sure it’ll turn up.”

  Tears began forming in my eyes. This was my worst nightmare. I’d never been to a doctor’s appointment without my pendant and now was not the time to find out if it made all the difference. I needed all the luck I could get, especially now.

  “Haley, listen to me,” Matt’s calm voice began, “I promise we’ll find your necklace. It’s got to be here in the office, the car, or the condo. We’ll check everywhere and make sure you have it for your appointment tomorrow.”

  “That’s right, honey. The doctor only needs to interview you today. You’re not starting your treatment until tomorrow. That’s when you’ll need your necklace. C’mon, Haley.”

  I knew I was acting foolishly, but it hurt too much to think the necklace might be well and truly lost. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and stood up. With a deep breath to clear my head, I nodded. I knew they’d follow up on their promises. I didn’t really need the luck until the next day anyway. We’d find my necklace and all would be well. This desperate mantra kept playing through my head as I followed my mom and the nurse into the doctor’s office.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  My distraction should have been quite obvious, but the doctor kept talking as if this were normal for his test subjects. Luckily, my mom answered all the questions for me once she realized I was too preoccupied to do so myself. Matt had stayed out in the lobby to keep searching, but I had the worst feeling inside my soul that something had gone wrong, or was about to.

  “Okay, so I guess we’ll be seeing you tomorrow morning at ten. It was nice meeting you both.”

  “Thank you,” I managed to mumble as my mom took my elbow and led me out of the room.

  “Get it together, Haley,” she whispered to me. “It’s just a necklace; it’s not the end of the world. Besides, Matt probably has it for you in the waiting room.”

  That must not have been true since Matt came up to me and handed Charlie’s harness to me. I couldn’t wait for him to try to come up with some excuse. “Well? Did you find it?”

  “No, Haley. The staff even helped me search the entire lobby. It’s not here, but I called your dad, and he’s looking around the condo. Hopefully, he’ll have good news for us when we get home. I’ll also be looking in the car on the drive back. We’ll find it, Haley. I know it’s important for you to have it for your appointment tomorrow.”

  I stepped outside into the sunshine, but the warmth did little to heal the pain I felt growing inside me. That was the first gift Jackson had ever given me. I’d treasured it for the past eleven years, and yet I might have carelessly lost it on the most important day of my life.

  So dark were my thoughts that the drive back to the condo was just a blur. The driver pulled up to the front of the condo and waited patiently while Matt diligently searched every crack and crevice of the back where we’d been sitting. Coming up empty-handed, our last hope rested completely on my dad’s search.

  “Honestly, Haley. You’d think you were ten years old with how you’re acting right now,” Mom criticized as we rode the elevator up to the penthouse. As soon as the doors opened, Mom called out, “Oh, thank heavens!”

  “What is it, Matt? Please tell me Dad found my necklace!” I grabbed Matt’s arm in desperation of getting the right answer. I felt him lift his arm.

  “Turn around, Haley,” he directed.

  In the next instant, I felt the cold metal of the pendant backing begin to warm up against my flesh. “Oh!” I cried out, my fingers confirming this was indeed my lost heart as I identified the small nick in the side.

  “Where was it?” Matt asked my dad.

  “I found it under the bench out by the water. I was getting pretty desperate, but then a flash of sun caught it just right and there it was. Just like magic. How lucky was that?”

  “It’s the luckiest ever, Dad. Thank you for finding it.” I stepped forward and hugged him tightly. I didn’t bother trying to stop my tears of joy from falling onto his shoulder. He had no idea how much this simple piece of jewelry meant to me, but he knew it was important.

  Matt patted me on the back and said, “Now that you have that back, maybe we can work on getting you ready for our outing this afternoon.”

  With a considerably lightened heart, I happily nodded. Everything would be perfect from now on. I was ready for whatever Matt had in mind for my surprise tonight.

  Chapter Sixteen

  “YOU LOOK AMAZING, Haley,” Matt told me as I stepped out of the bedroom where my mom played dress-up on me with my clothes and hair. I had no idea what I was wearing as nobody allowed me the opportunity to look, but I suspected it was something my mom had purchased in the last couple of days on one of her mystery outings.

  “Thanks,” I replied, not really knowing what to do or say next. Charlie saved me from myself as he came and sat down at my feet and leaned against my leg. “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

  Matt came forward and took my hand so it rested on the crook of his arm. The three of us left the condo and walked outside in the sunshine. Initially, I’d thought we’d go somewhere in the car, but Matt steered us in the opposite direction once we got to the lobby. I had no idea where we were going.

  Soon enough, I recognized the scent of the waterfront and relaxed. He must’ve wanted to go for a walk. As tired as I’d been lately, I hoped it would be a short one. Matt seemed more in tune with me than I realized because he stopped shortly after my thought.

  “Sit down on the ground right here,” he directed.

  I frowned at his strange request. We’d just got dressed up, and now he wanted to sit on the grass? As soon as my hand touched down, I realized someone had put down a blanket, and I began to guess as to our next activity. “Are we having a picnic?”

  “Good guess. I noticed you didn’t eat much earlier and thought you’d probably appreciate something.”

  “Yeah, I never can eat before a doctor’s appointment. I just dread them. And about today…” my fingers fiddled with the wrinkles in the cloth beneath me as I organized my thoughts, “I’m sorry for getting so crazy when I thought I lost my necklace. I know it’s silly, but I’ve always worn it to every doctor’s appointment. It makes me think it gives me good luck.”

  “Hey, don’t worry about it, Haley. I understand. Trust me; I totally get it. Although, your mom seemed pretty peeved with you.”

  “Nah, it didn’t really have anything to do with me; she’s just afraid. She tries to hide it, but these appointments scare her to death. It’s part of the reason she does so much research; she hopes it’ll ease some of her anxiety about the unknown.”

  We finished eating our lunch and ended up lying out on the blanket, soaking up the warmth of the sun while holding hands. Suddenly, I heard a familiar sound and lifted my head to listen better. “Do I hear a goat?” I asked, really thinking I must be wrong.

  “What?” Matt asked. I heard him shift his body until he sat up. “Yep. I guess there’re all kinds
of people out here. There’s a lady coming our way, and she has a pygmy goat on a leash. Craziest thing!”

  “It’s not that crazy. We used to have goats, and they’re really smart.”

  “You know, I remembered you made some comment about taking the goats to the park. With the way your mom laughed about it, makes me think there’s quite a story behind it.”

  “Definitely. When I was about nine, we took the goats and our dogs to the park, and there was a dog park right next to it. All of the dogs swarmed the goats to the point we had to get out of there. So we thought it’d be better to walk along the walking trails instead.

  “Everything was going great until some lady didn’t have her pit bull on a leash and the dog’s hunting drive kicked in and attacked the goats. Mom and Dad were frantically trying to get the dog’s jaws unlatched from Fred’s face.

  “Dad finally got the goat free, and the dog’s owner finally showed up, with no leash in sight, mind you. She didn’t even apologize as she grabbed her dog. We began herding up the goats when the dog broke loose from her and began charging toward us.

  “Mom slipped and fell, causing one of our dogs to think she was injured so she tried to defend her. Somehow our dog’s collar got hooked with the pit bull’s collar which didn’t slow him down much. The lady’s dog managed to grab our other goat’s back leg and began shaking her. It managed to get the collars unhooked, which was good.

  “Dad ran over and leaped onto the pit bull like he was falling on an IED in a war zone and he screamed ‘Go! Go! Run to the truck!’ So some strangers picked up the goats and started running while Mom still had our dogs’ leashes in her hand and we all made it back to the truck before another attack could happen.

  “Both Hunter and I were crying because we felt like it was our fault because we wanted to bring the goats. Mom and Dad took us home, and we cleaned up the goats. They only had little puncture wounds, but it was so scary.

  “I joked with Mom at the park that I fared better than the goats. I came away from my bike riding without any injuries.”

  “Wow, your poor goats. Were they afraid of dogs after that?”

  “No, it didn’t even seem to phase them.”

  “What happened with the lady?”

  “Nothing, she just walked away like nothing happened. Some people just shouldn’t have dogs they can’t control. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think there’s anything wrong with pit bulls, they just need to have responsible owners who understand their nature and are willing and able to correct them before it gets out of hand. That lady had no idea what to do.”

  “We should probably get going. We’ve got lots to do yet,” Matt announced cryptically. “Let me help you up.”

  I held out my hand, and Matt pulled me to my feet beside him. Charlie stayed right next to me as we began walking. I tried to slow him down and asked, “What about our stuff? Shouldn’t we…”

  “It’s taken care of. Don’t worry about it, Haley. This afternoon is all about you.”

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Boy, he wasn’t kidding! Matt had planned so many activities for us; it almost made my head spin. It started out at the nearby aquarium where we were able to touch all of the creatures. I was in sensory heaven!

  Next was a narrated bus tour of the city. I got to hear all about the history of the city while the people around us snapped picture after picture, exclaiming about different things which caught their attention.

  The bus let us off near our next stop. We only had to walk about a block before Matt said, “We’re going here to this museum.”

  I’m sure my look was comical. In my experience, museums were dedicated to displays to look at which would not be of interest to me at all. But I should’ve had more faith in him. This was a musical museum where we got to interact with different devices to make so many sounds I’d never seen or felt before.

  Once we finished there, we grabbed a trolley car to take us a couple of blocks to a little restaurant. I could smell the fresh-baked bread even before the trolley stopped and it made my mouth water. Matt took my hand, and we walked into the building.

  Something seemed different about this place. There didn’t seem to be any tables for customers which caused me to wonder if I’d gotten my ideas crossed because I was hungry again.

  “Ah, so are we ready for our cooking lesson?” A woman asked as we stopped at a counter.

  I laughed at this idea. Matt must not have heard about my disastrous adventures in the culinary arts. “I think I’ll just listen in while you guys handle it.”

  “Nope, not a chance, Haley. This isn’t like anything you’ve experienced before. Everything here is designed for visually impaired clients. Come on; give it a try.”

  This had me intrigued. I’d never heard of anything like it. “Sure!” I agreed, already wondering what we’d be making and hoping it would be quick and easy. “I’m starved; let’s get going!”

  Charlie curled up in a ball on the floor and promptly fell asleep. Matt and I spent the next thirty minutes trying out everything in the kitchen. With a lot of laughter and a little bit of messiness, we managed to put together a pretty fancy dinner. There were even some leftovers for Charlie who perked up as soon as the food was served.

  “Well, the evening’s not over yet. We still have one more stop to make before we call it a night. Are you up for it?” Matt announced suddenly.

  I grinned at his eagerness. “This has been the best afternoon ever, Matt.” I stood up from my chair and held out my hand to him. He came to stand in front of me, and I put my hands behind his neck and pulled him toward me. “Thank you for everything.” The next few minutes were lost to both of us as our lips touched and time ceased to exist.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Did I forget to mention that the selfie-stick was a constant companion during all of our adventures? Oh, yes, it was like having another person tagging along, but I didn’t mind in the least. After all, I’d been the one to suggest documenting my life so many years ago. Why stop now just because I’m having a romantic encounter?

  Matt’s final surprise ended up leading us into a dark warehouse. Only the sound of our footsteps echoing off the walls could be heard as Matt walked confidently along. At least both he and Charlie could see fine; I was the only one to wonder if this was a good idea.

  He led me to a seat in the middle of the floor and said, “Take a seat.”

  “What’s going on?” This certainly wasn’t what I’d been expecting for the final event of the evening. Maybe a moonlight walk by the waterfront, but not an abandoned warehouse.

  Matt came to kneel in front of me, causing my heart to beat wildly in my chest. There was no way he was going to ask me to marry him. We were only seventeen, after all. So what was this all about?

  “Remember that new song you wrote?”

  “Yes. That one is for my mom. What about it?”

  “I wanted you to play it in a place where the acoustics are really good, so that I can record it for you. Will you do that for me?”

  “Okay,” I slowly answered, thinking this seemed strange, even for Matt. I heard a little commotion and then felt a cello being put in front of me. Then it dawned on me; this was my cello. This was the item Matt had brought from my house. Then he handed me my bow, and I chuckled at his deviousness in pulling this off. My whole family must have been behind it all along.

  “Haley?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Promise me that you’ll keep playing and singing all the way to the end without stopping. I’m almost out of room on my camera so we only have time for one take.”

  “Sure. No problem. Just tell me when to start.” I shifted the cello until it was exactly right in front of me and lifted my arms into the ready position.

  “Now.”

  My fingers knew exactly what to do; the music flowed through me just like it had at the museum. Now I realized what Matt had been doing all day. He wanted me to have a day full of sensory experiences all leading up to this one. When
the moment came, I opened my mouth and began singing the words which honored my mother’s love and her beautiful spirit.

  So into my own music had I become, I failed to realize more music had started all around me. It felt like I was playing in a symphony. Then a spotlight turned on, and my peripheral vision caught sight of dozens of people all playing their own instruments.

  They were all playing my music. Tears came to my eyes as I realized Matt had given me my biggest and most hidden dream. I was playing on stage with a professional orchestra. Even as I began to get nervous, I tamped down my fear and let the rush of adrenaline feed into my flow of music instead. This was my moment to own.

  When the last notes faded away, the thunderous sound of applause caught me off guard. Matt came to stand by my side, and he helped me to my feet again. “Take a bow, Haley. They’re all applauding for you. That was amazing.”

  “What’s going on, Matt?” I whispered even as I took a formal bow. I guess all those theatrical productions we’d performed as kids gave me one useful skill for this moment.

  “As I said, I wanted to get your performance on video where there’s good acoustics. It’s time for us to leave so the symphony can continue their concert.”

  I walked alongside him in a daze. Had that really just happened? This was the best night ever.

  “You were amazing!” Mom exclaimed as she pulled me into a hug I wasn’t expecting.

  “When did you get here?” I asked.

  “We’ve been here the whole evening waiting for your performance. That was absolutely stunning. Mr. Abernathy will be beyond proud of you when he sees this performance.”

  Mom linked her arm with mine as we left the building. Outside we got into a waiting vehicle and began driving back to the condo. “Did that really just happen? I feel like I’m going to wake up in the morning and find out all of this has been a wonderful dream.”

  “It’s all real, babe. We love you, Haley,” Matt assured me.