The Reincarnation

David convinced Laura to pull off at a motel and give him some money. He got out, paid for a room, and told the woman at the desk they would be shopping in town for a while. He told her what a great town it was, and how they were going to spend some time there. How the motel wouldn’t need to clean the room; they didn’t want to trouble them, and besides, it would save them the expense of laundering and cleaning. He reserved the room for four nights.

Flashing the key to Laura as she sat in the car, he was grinning wickedly. He went into the room, ran some towels under the shower, hung them on the towel rack, got back in the car, and they left.

John awoke before dawn. He put his boots on. He was deeply troubled by his condition. Somehow, he was already at the Lab, but he didn’t remember waking up and going there. He certainly didn’t remember stripping and laying down on the table he was on. He finished dressing, took a bag that had his belongings in it from a shelf next to the table, and found an exit where he could slip out. He found his car. The keys were in the bag with his other things. He got in and drove.

He identified with the fugue state that took his energy away, and by concentrating, sensed its cause. More, he could focus on where it came from. He felt a prickly heat in his chest. It motioned him north.

He finally obeyed it, and followed the feeling as he drove.

David and Laura slept in the car. They had found a rest area that was exceptionally quiet, and nodded off for a few hours. David was slow in waking. He got the feeling he had felt Friday night – that part of him was busy somewhere else. Studying it, he deliberately waited twenty minutes before finally waking.

They were close now, and Laura called her sister. Her sister sounded apprehensive, but agreed to meet them. They drove to the park her sister had suggested and waited for her.

She was an hour away, but David and Laura enjoyed the time. This far north, there were trees galore, dancing in the mild breeze; their leaves whispering as they rustled together. Ducks talked among themselves on a pond. Laura and David lay in the grass, running their hands over the soft green carpet of life. David could smell the fertility of the soil. He enjoyed it.

An African woman pulled up in a Volkswagen Bug and parked next to their car. David whipped around, alarmed, trying to determine if she was good or bad. Was she from the Lab? Was their escape over? Were they caught?

A white van pulled in immediately after the Bug. David’s heart raced, preparing for a run.

Laura ran to the woman. David felt betrayed. Had she really called her sister? Or the Lab? The thoughts flew from his mind before he had time to harness them, to consider them, to figure out if they were his true, rational feelings.

He watched the women embrace. They held hands as they walked over to David.

“David, meet Donna. Donna, David.”

David was speechless.

“She’s not really my sister, Dave. I’m sorry, I just call her that. We grew up together and, well, we call each other sister.” She saw David’s surprise. “Are you nuts? Do you think I’d take you to my real family? I’m sure the Church is living in their houses by now.” She looked despondent. “That’s okay, they’re pretty big fans of the Church, unfortunately.”

Relieved, David got up and shook Donna’s hand. He had once worked with a woman from Ghana, and suspected that Donna was from there as well. Her skin was so beautifully brown that there were triangles of lavender on her cheekbones when the sun hit them just right. Like Laura, she wore no jewelry of any kind.

A family piled out of the white van. The father, surveying the area, told his children that this was what he called living.

They stayed at the park as Laura and David explained their story, watching the family run in the field and, hands on knees, peer into the pond. Donna was attentive, nodding her head as they relayed the tale.