Slut - Woodruff Jettie - Страница 11

“No, but my mom would have loved you. I mean, I don’t think I ever have. I know my mother did, but I don’t know why I know that.”

Mi walked over and turned the top of a long tube. I hadn’t even realized that it was a speaker until I heard the quiet flute playing throughout the room. “That must be horrible for you.”

“No, what’s really horrible is when you don’t remember your kids, but yet you love them so hard, and now—” I paused while I thought about what the now was. I had no clue.

“And now you’re lost, but don’t worry. I’m going to help you. I truly believe that people come in and out of your life when you need them to. That’s the force we as humans don’t understand. Sometimes you just need to sink inside yourself and let it be. The answers will come.”

I smiled a sad smile and nodded, but truth be told, I had no idea what the hell she was talking about, just like the sparkling rocks that made her feel better. Okay…

“I’ll find you some clothes,” she said, head tilting to the side as she brushed past me.

I watched Mi walk out of the room and looked around with a smile. Observing the zen-like room and the many clay pots, I thought about my things. I had fifty-one dollars in that room and new clothes, but I knew with everything in me that I wouldn’t be going back to get them. My eyes shifted to the noise when I heard the door close, and then back to the clay pot. It was blue with tiny gray dots on the inside, a chrome ring around the top, and one small, silver dot on the outside. I wondered about the one dot and its beauty on the outside and set it back to the shelf, not even realizing I had picked it up. I centered the one lonely stone back to the middle, and turned to Nick.

“It’s a symbol of how your ego is your worst enemy.”

“Excuse me?” I questioned while turning to Nick, centering the one lonely stone back to the middle of the little pot.

“The one dot on the outside. It’s just as shiny as the rest of them, but it’s full of itself, too pretty to mingle with the dull dots.”

“Oh,” I said just like I had to Mi. Eccentric might have been an understatement. These people were eccentric on steroids. There wasn’t really a comeback that I could think of. How do you respond to something like that, I wondered.

Nick laughed and scratched his head. “Mi thinks all the rocks and pots symbolize something. She’s crazy in the head, but I love her, and I don’t want her involved in this.”

“In this what? You say it like there’s more to it than what it is. It’s just you hypnotizing me, trying to help me remember something about my sister.”

The expression on Nicks face changed to a condescending one, and then he stopped himself from saying something.

“What? Say it,” I ordered.

His only response was a deep breath and more lies. “Nothing, forget it.”

I argued with myself briefly, trying to toss out the trust card, say something about him hiding stuff, too. I didn’t say anything like that. Instead, I checked it off as me being paranoid again, thinking everyone was out to get me.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble, Nick. I really didn’t mean to get you or Mi involved in any of this. I don’t have anyone. Not one person. Do you have any idea how hard that is?”

Nick leaned a shoulder to the door frame and crossed his arms. “No, and I’m sorry. It’s just, well, Mi, she’s always getting me into stuff that I don’t want to do. Stuff like this that may or may not be dangerous. What if I put you out and you tell me that you’re a murderer or something? What if you tell me you’re the real Gabby, but you didn’t marry Paxton? What if you tell me you killed your sister to fill her shoes? What if—”

“Okay, okay, I get it, but I really don’t feel like that. I have the dreams, or sometimes I’ll see something that will trigger a quick vision of my past.”

“But which twin were you in those visions. Were you Gabby or were you Izzy?”

I had to think about that one for a second. “I was Gabby.”

“So you were Gabby after the switch? What about before?”

I had to think about that one, too. “I—I was Gabby. Oh, my God, Nick. I don’t know. I don’t feel like I was ever Izzy. Can you tell? Like if you hypnotized me?”

“No, I’m doing the night of the accident and that’s it. Hopefully you’ll get enough from that.”

I frowned and walked to the window. My fingers separated the bamboo blinds and I took a deep breath. “How will I know?”

“What do you mean?”

Looking across the road I counted over to my hotel room window, realizing I’d left the light on. “You’re going to hypnotize me. How will I know what I said? Will I remember?”

“I’ve never hypnotized anyone with amnesia. I have no idea what you’ll remember, but I will record everything. You can listen to it later.”

“Okay, that works.”

Nick dropped his arms and stood straight. “You can’t stay here. You can stay the night. That’s it.”

“Okay,” I nodded in agreement.

“I fixed you a hot, lavender bath. It’ll help relax you,” Mi bubbly said as she bounced right into Nick’s arms.

His long limbs wrapped around her and he kissed her head. “I’ll get things ready in here for you,” he offered.

I felt a quick adrenaline rush when I realized what he meant. “You’re going to do it now?”

“Yes, if I can. I’m not making any promises.”

“Okay,” I agreed as my heart beat loud in my chest with anticipation. So many what ifs ran through my mind, but I focused on the lavender bath. This was it. Finally, I would learn the truth.

I hoped.

Three

The hot water and scented suds did little to calm the jitter going on in my entire body. The bubbles literally felt like sharp needles piercing my skin, thousands of them. I got out feeling more tense than when I had gotten in. What if it didn’t work? What if I couldn’t relax enough to go under? I couldn’t even relax enough to soak in an amazing tub. One of those old ones with the claw feet, and the reclining position that should have made me want to sleep.

Doubt filled my mind as I dried myself off and slipped on the soft cotton short set. I laughed at my reflection and the purple monsters covering the pink material. I barely knew Mi, but I could definitely see her in funny pajamas.

I walked softly across the hardwood floor. It wasn’t really eavesdropping per say, I just slowed my pace a little and listened to Nick and Mi bicker.

“Mi, I don’t need all of this to put her under,” Nick complained.

“It’s not for you. It’s for Gabby. I want her to feel relaxed and comfortable.”

“What am I going to do with you, Mi? You drive me crazy. I don’t even like you.”

My feet stopped when I heard kissing. “You’re going to keep me because you love me. That’s what you’re going to do with me, and you’re going to help this girl because it’s the right thing to do. Karma will thank you. I promise.”

“I’d rather you thank me.”

More kissing.

“Stop or I’m going to thank you right now.”

I smiled at their playfulness, feeling a longing for a man who didn’t long back. Stupid, that’s what I was.

“Will you at least turn that stupid fountain off? It makes me have to pee.”

“No, but you can turn it off if you can put her under, and find out what happened to her.” The if in Mi’s words were spoken with doubt, a hidden dare directed toward Nick.

“You know I’m a psychiatrist, right? You can’t manipulate me into a bet.”

“Fine, I’ll bet you a blowjob you can’t find out what happened that night.”

Great. Just what I needed. I moved my feet across the hardwood and interrupted them, clearing my throat. “Thanks, Mi. No pressure or anything,” I said as I joined them in the candle lit room. A blue clay pot the size of a baby pool sat on my left. Filled with turquoise blue water, white Lotus flowers floated alongside lavender scented candles. I had to admit, it did feel like walking into the Dali Lama’s room. A peaceful serenity covered me with a sense of wellbeing. Maybe Mi wasn’t as crazy as she seemed. Maybe Mi was on to something. The sound of the wind blowing, birds singing in a distance, and ocean water, lapping the beach was heard through an amazing surround sound. Other than the flickering candles and a blue light illuminating from the bottom of a floating chase, the room was dark.