Page 18 of Saving Meadow

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“You’ll find out soon enough. I’ve been married a long time. It took me two years to ask my wife out on our first date.”

“Okay.” That was interesting and all, but I didn’t see what Joel’s courting process with his wife had to do with this or the insane attraction I felt toward Meadow.

“It took me two years to get my shit straight. I knew the minute, the very second, I’d clapped eyes on my Ellie, she was mine. I knew I was going to marry her. So, I waited until I was ready to be the man she needed before I asked her on our first date.” Joel didn’t wait for my response, with a slap to my shoulder he moved to his desk and sat down as if he hadn’t just rocked my world.

Marriage?

No one said anything about marriage. I was infatuated with the woman, I couldn’t stop thinking about her, and sure I wanted to know everything about her. Hell, I was still on the fence about asking her out.

Marriage? Crazy old man.

10

Assumptions

“You’re doing great.”

Mandy had turned off most of the overhead lights, leaving only a small amount of light, and with the door closed it was surprisingly quiet in the room.

“Have you ever been hypnotized before?” she asked.

“No,” I answered and continued to concentrate on rubbing Sally’s head like she’d told me to do.

“It’s not like what you see on TV. You won’t fall asleep or even be sleepy. Hypnosis is a state of focused relaxation. It’s simply a psychological state, a different kind of awareness, where your brain will be more open to memories. Your focus will change from perceived expectations to the actual event.” Mandy’s voice was soft and soothing as she spoke. “I want you to continue to pet Sally. Relax and only think about how soft her fur is. Good. It’s soft and smooth. Now slow your breathing - deep, slow breaths, good.”

Mandy’s voice gentled as she spoke, and it was becoming difficult to concentrate on her words. The sound alone was calming. Sally’s head had long ago rested on my lap; it was heavy and warm, anchoring me to the chair I was sitting in.

“Keeping your eyes closed, I want you to tell me what you had for dinner last night.”

“Orange chicken and white rice.”

“Meadow, what did you have to drink with your orange chicken and white rice?”

“A Diet Coke out of a can.”

“Tell me what you were drinking at the Blue Bird.”

“Gin and soda.”

“Did you have lime or lemon with your gin?”

I thought back to that night. I had to wait to get the bartender’s attention. When I finally did, I ordered gin and soda. The noise level was so loud I had to yell over the bar for extra lemon.

“Extra lemon.”

“Where were you when you ordered your drink?”

“At the bar.”

“Tell me about that night. You ordered your drink, what happened next?”

“The bar was packed. Wall-to-wall people. I picked up my drink and headed to a table that a waitress was clearing. I sat down and checked my phone. My friend Maya was late, and I hated being there by myself. I sipped on my drink, and after a few more minutes I checked my phone again. I had a missed text message. Maya had a fender bender and was tied up with the accident and had to cancel. There were so many people looking for an open table I felt bad and went back to the bar so someone else could use the table. I finished my drink, and I ordered another. I was talking to someone.”

“Who were you talking to?”

“I don’t know. They’re right there at the bar, but I can’t see.”