Yesterday (Part One - Chapters 9 & 10) (Patreon)

CHAPTER 9

Eva arrived in Valencia at dawn. The streets were deserted. The hospital admissions desk too. She had to wait for a while before she was given access to the hospital area where Adrian was admitted. She felt numb, uncomfortable and most of all angry at having to be alone in that place at that hour. Hospitals made her sick.

When she arrived at the monitoring room she saw Adrian behind the glass lying on a bed and surrounded by monitors, and although no one explained anything to her, she assumed that he would be sedated. She got as close as she could to the bulkhead and sent him a kiss. A paramedic approached her and told her that the doctor would be stopping by afterwards to meet her when possible, and then escorted her to an empty waiting-room across the hall. It was going to be a long night.

She woke up uneasy several times throughout the night, the stalls were worse than a torture rack, but the room stood deserted and silent, and the doctor didn't show up.

It was 7 a.m. when she saw a nurse checking the data on one of the flickering screens next to Adrian's bunk. Eva approached the window and tried to get some information out of her, but only to be gently asked to wait. After a while she came back and gave her a robe and protective clothing for her feet and hands, then accompanied her to Adrian's bedside and asked her to wait there.

It was half past eight a.m. when a younger lady showed up in a differently coloured robe, and Eva assumed she was a doctor, as she was more sullen than the nurse. This one greeted her briefly and then, concentrated, began to check Adrian's pulse.

­­––What's the matter with him?

––It is too early to tell, we need to run more tests, my colleagues will fill you in shortly, don't worry.

––Why doesn't he wake up, does he need to be so sedated? –– Eva asked.

––Sedated? –– The doctor stared at her confused –– Didn't they tell you?

––Tell me what? –– Eva paled.

The young woman hesitated for a few seconds.

––Adrian is in a coma.

––It happened shortly after he was admitted, just as we were about to take him up to his ward –– Eva listened in astonishment, and the doctor adopted a more delicate tone –– He had a crisis and became unconscious after the CT scan. We will need to perform more tests to determine exactly what is happening to him, but you shouldn't worry, his vitals are stable and actually quite healthy by now.

––How can this be? I was told on the phone that he was fine.

––I can' t answer that yet –– a nurse arrived just then –– now we're going to take him with us, I suggest you rest, or that you take the opportunity to have a walk and freshen up, because this will take several hours.

They picked up Adrian and then she sat on the edge of the bed. She inadvertently placed her hand on where he had been. The sheets were still warm. She was gawking at the pillow. She stepped out of her introspection, remembering that her cell phone was turned off. She walked out and turned it on.

Who could she call?

As she wandered through the hospital hallways she realized that she was on her own. Adrian's parents were on a trip and she didn't want to alarm them, besides they made her a little uncomfortable, because her relationship with them was a little tense. She suspected that they didn't like her and whenever she could she tried to avoid them without being overly obvious.

Her cell phone buzzed and the humming brought her out of her mind, it was her mother.

––Mom?

––Eva, what happened? Is Adrian all right? I've been calling you for quite some time.

Eva pondered a few seconds, not sure whether she wanted to include her mother into the matter. She chose to answer her with a half-truth.

––He's in the hospital, they've taken him to be tested, they've told me they won't know anything until they have the results.

––But you are coming back today, aren't you? He would be better treated treated here in Madrid, don’t you think? –– her mother insisted, concerned.

––I don't know, mom. I'll call you later when I find anything out. I gotta go. Bye.

And she hung up, she just didn't feel like talking to her. Probably because every word she was saying made her increasingly aware of her own reality. She was in Valencia, alone, in a hospital, Adrian was in a coma, and she had no idea what to do next.

She decided to go back and wait by the bedside..

A nurse broke into the room, disorienting her. She awoke suddenly from a dream. Everything was strange to her.

––Are you all right, ma'am? –– asked the nurse.

––What? ––she flinched –– yes, yes, thank you.

––You don't look so well. Have you eaten anything?

––Not yet, I'm waiting for my boyfriend to be brought back from the tests –– she replied –– Do you know if they're going to be much longer?

––I don't think so, but don't worry, I've just been asked to fix up the room –– she stared at her –– do you want me to get you anything?

––Do you have any water?

––Yes, sure, give me a minute to finish setting this up and I'll get it for you.

She had a sweet voice, and she moved around the room skillfully and effortlessly. She picked up a few things from the small table, pushed some buttons on a keyboard under the screen, checked the plastic bag that had hung from a pole by the bed and walked out not saying a word. She came back with a bottle, a cookie packet and a smile.

––They're from breakfast, that's all that's left, but I'm sure they'll come in handy.

––Thank you.

The door opened with a bang and some nurses rushed in with the gurney as she was about to pick a cookie. They deftly moved Adrian to his bed, connected all his electrodes and left in the same bustle. After a short while a mature gray-haired doctor came in accompanied by the same young woman from the morning.

––Good morning ma'am, are you related to Adrian? –– he asked in a deep, husky voice.

––I'm his girlfriend, Eva Samper, I was called yesterday, could you please explain what's wrong with Adrian? –– she couldn't help but notice that Adrian was still unconscious and her hands started shaking.

––We have performed several tests and, although the results are not yet conclusive, we suspect that the neurological coma he suffers is due to a brain tumor.

Eve became paralyzed as she listened.

––We are still waiting to determine the extent of the tumor, but the good news is that it doesn't seem to be large or causing heavy bleeding, since we haven't been able to isolate it yet, and Adrian is relatively young. We'll know more when we do an intracranial biopsy, but before that we'll need to keep him monitored for a day or two.

The brutality and poise with which the man was talking made Eve feel a little overwhelmed. But curiously enough, that same self-confidence also reassured her.

––Will it take long before he wakes up? –– she dared to ask, glancing back at Adrian.

––I can't answer that, every single patient needs his own time.

––And there's nothing you can do to wake him up? I've seen on TV....

––You can not believe everything that appears on television, miss –– the doctor interrupted her with a decidedly condescending gesture –– Be patient and don't worry, Adrian is in good hands. I will speak to you again this afternoon, when I will have more detailed findings.

The doctor left and Eva stared at Adrian, lying still in his bed. She approached his face and stared at him and felt her anger at him for pulling that off. Grasping him by the shoulders she shook him slightly as she whispered in a clenched voice:

––Wake up!

CHAPTER 10

I woke up back at the hotel with a pasty mouth and the diffuse memory of a nightmare. An accident, flickering colorful lights, a hospital. The images resonated in my mind but I was unable to hold onto them for more than a few seconds, it hurt my head to try.

I took a long shower, and when I went down to the hotel lobby I realized that I didn't remember coming back there. I was about to ask the receptionist but I held back.

Better not to draw more attention to myself.

I know I may seem selfish for doing this to Eva. I'm sure she thinks I've become nuts or worse, but when we meet again I'll explain everything and I will convince her of the value of this experience for me, how good it will be for both of us if I choose to do it. I have to go ahead, finish figuring out the scope of it all. I am a privileged person, one of the few chosen, this I know and I consider it something extraordinary, a unique opportunity, but I will not tell her until I know it is safe. I feel the world opening up to me and showing me things that I never dreamed could be possible.

I still get the willies when I remember the chat with my grandfather. I don't understand how something like this could happen, and I'm afraid to put too much thought into it before the spell breaks; it's clear to me that I'm not going to get anywhere using logic, this is different.

I'm going to try and flow, not think about anything too much and live things as they come.

“Live in the moment, react, let yourself go, and enjoy the experience”.

I must admit, I'm having the time of my life.

I stepped out into the street eager to continue discovering the city. I crossed the hotel roundabout and started walking in the opposite direction to my previous route. That vague memory of the avenue where I lost my footing disturbed me and I didn't really feel like going back there.

This neighborhood looks better than yesterday's. Everything looks more neat, expensive clothes shops, flowerpots at the doors, trees here and there, a notary office, a private clinic, a shop with Lladró miniatures. After looking inside the storefront, my previous life seemed so far away. It was only a week ago. To think how much your life can change in seven days…

There is a gypsy woman in rags across the street dressed like a greasy onion, as she saw me, she raised her head and stood up. She' s looking at me and she' s starting to point her dark fingers at me. She seems angry. She yells something at me but I don't understand it, in fact it's as if, in spite of opening and closing her mouth, she were mute. I can't hear anything. It must be the traffic between us. Her anger is accentuated by my indifference and she becomes more grotesque in her gestures. I'm starting to feel embarrassed and I get off the curb, can people see us?

And so I began to walk among the crowd, frightened and not looking back. I lowered my head and made the first turn as I had the chance. I've always been afraid of homeless people. I'm not sure why.

I walked into a nearby cafe, its smell of freshly ground coffee captivated me as I passed by, it smelled like a refuge, like friendship. The place was dimly lit, quiet. A glimmer of light was shining through, but the blackened varnish on the wood that adorned the walls seemed to engulf it. Yet the atmosphere was fresh and welcoming. It looked like an old cafe, one of those you can see in the old XIX century photographs of literary gatherings.

It was lonely, and as I looked around I assumed it was because everyone would be at work. I sat at the bar and five minutes later I had a hot latte and a newspaper before me. The waiter, totally indifferent to my presence, vanished through the swinging doors, and I was left alone again.

Shortly afterwards a small woman came into the bar and sat down on one of the coffee tables. She was probably in her fifties, but still very beautiful.

“I'm sure she was a babe in her youth”, I said to myself. She actually reminded me of a girlfriend of mine.

Brunette, hair up in a tight bun and fancy clothes. I had a déjà vu of sorts, maybe because of the memory of that one girl. I stopped peeking at her and went back to my newspaper.

––Do you have a light? –– the woman had inadvertently approached me.

­­––I'm sorry, I don't smoke –– I replied in surprise –– but please wait, I'll ask the waiter.

I climbed up to the bar and waved to the waiter who, after a short while, reluctantly gave her a light and left again.

Then she stood beside me, very close, staring at me with a half smile as she sipped her slender cigarette.

—I didn't know you could smoke in here —, I said trying to work the situation out. Suddenly I realized the obvious and prayed it wouldn't become the same old pub cliché.

––Are you on vacation? –– She asked me out of curiosity.

Her voice was somewhat raspy but profound at the same time, with a mysterious hint at the end.

––Yes, getting to know the city –– I felt so stupid, I couldn't think of any way to get out of that situation other than being rude.

––I'm sure she won't let you down –– she offered me her hand –– I am Araceli.

––Adrian –– her grip was soft but firm. She kept staring at me, and there was definitely something about me that amused her.

––Glad to meet you. I'll see you around.

She went back to her table, picked up her things and walked out the door.

What a weird town.

Some time later I walked out of the cafeteria wrapped in my thoughts and not paying too much attention to the surroundings. I wandered aimlessly for at least an hour. It was sunny and warm, and the sensation of having no commitments was very liberating. My footsteps took me back to the wide avenue of the previous day, but this time I walked across the street, I was not in the mood for another strange experience before lunch.

I got to a street from where I could see an old train station in the background and decided to go over to check the timetables of the trains to Madrid. As I got there, I was overwhelmed with remorse over my conversation with Eva, and I decided it was best to return home as soon as possible to finally explain her everything in person.

As I walked past the first block of earth-colored buildings, I noticed one of them that was remarkably unique. It was painted blue with polychrome motifs here and there and with golden edges, somewhere between a synagogue and an Egyptian fantasy, totally extravagant and misplaced among the other more common and ordinary elements that surrounded it.

There was a storefront on one of the two ground floor premises flanking the main door of the building, the other one seemed abandoned. Out of pure curiosity I halted and went over to check the gate of the building, and it turned out to be an unexpected masterpiece made of dark metal and floral patterns entangled in its wooden bars soaked in blue paint. It struck me that there were no bell buttons, just one, black, round and used up.

The place on the left was an esoteric workshop, “what else?”, I thought, smiling. Its small storefront displayed a baroque collection of books, saints, tarot cards, crystal balls and a miscellany of colorful objects that I could not identify spread over several shelves. I don't know why I decided to go in. Maybe because I didn't have any more interesting things to do.

I opened the door and got surprised by the nervous tinkling of a small bell above my head. I went inside and gently closed the door behind me. When my eyes got used to the half-light, I noticed that it wasn't your usual establishment. An austere circular foyer dominated by a narrow, elevated wooden lectern and two old-fashioned chairs with leather-lined seats on each side were set back to a passageway. I assumed that peculiar configuration would act as a barrier. There were a series of small yellowish illustrations hanging on the wall, arranged like a sanctum The nearest one looked like an Egyptian papyrus replica to me. Everything smelt old, but in a very peculiar way, probably incense, but sweeter, honeyed, although I couldn't identify it.

Despite my years of fascination with esotericism, I never really delved into the subject. I was more interested in results than symbology.

I wondered for a moment if they had heard me come in, even though I could hear a rumor down the hall.

There were some muffled footsteps and a door opened and then it closed. Someone was coming. I felt the blood rushing into my stomach as the footsteps approached, what the hell was I doing there?

The hall door opened with a rasp.

––Hello again Adrian –– it was Araceli, the woman from the coffee house. She offered me her hand again unperturbed by my shocked expression ––. I was waiting for you.

––Hi ––I staggered in confusion, my head was aching again –– what do you mean, you were waiting for me?

––I knew you' d make it, I saw it in your eyes, at the bar, don't you remember?

––But...

––Just come in and relax, Adrian. You are here and we have things to do –– she said, then opening the squeaky door again and inviting me in.

I followed her down the passageway meekly, stunned and arrested by the inertia of her determination. There where wooden doors here and there with a bevelled glass rectangle at eye level. A very dreamlike corridor, I said to myself, wondering if it had not been purposely designed that way. Some rooms were dark, others shed some light. As we approached one of the doors I thought I heard a muffled voice that kept repeating itself. I paid attention, and it was like it was played back and forth by an old-fashioned tape recorder, over and over again, back and forth. A few words were heard, and they were rewound. It was hypnotic. I couldn't make out what they were saying. There was a bigger door in the back, I recognized the sound when she opened it, it must be her office.

The room was spacious and bright, overlooking an interior courtyard. Had it not been for the strangeness of the whole ensemble, it would have come through a shrink's office. There were bookstores on the walls, and many different colored and sized spines struggled to stand firm, but I was struck by an antique framed black and white portrait that had been placed in one of the few bare spots left in the room. It depicted a man looking like a Victorian-era English lord, but half disguised in Egyptian attire, staring at the camera as he gestured strangely with his fingers. It was kind of silly. He looked vaguely familiar.

––It's Crowley, –– she said turning her back to light a cigarette ––. Like you, there were times in his life when he thought he could manipulate the world at will. He proclaimed himself Legion and his motto was "Do as you will".

––What do you want from me?

––You need me. That's why you' re here.

––I'm on vacation, that's all –– I tried to pretend, because in spite of all the fascinating things about that situation, I was beginning to feel trapped. At the same time, my instinct had decided to become silent at that very moment, would that be a test?

––You may leave if you wish and continue your journey, no one is holding you back, but I think you need to listen to what I have to say.

––Are you kidding me? How did you know I was coming, or that I'd be in that bar? –– I still didn't know what to make of it, so I decided to get defensive in the face of that woman's strange complacency.

––Sit down, please. Calm down and let's talk, I'll be very brief.

Araceli offered me one of the chairs at his table and I decided to sit down. Then she sat down across from me and gently opened a carved wooden box before me. Ceremoniously she drew a few elongated, worn-out cards from it and began to shuffle them calmly.

––I've never had a card reading before –– I overheard myself comment.

––I know… –– she replied as if we had known each other forever.

––How do you know so many things?

––Believe it or not, this is my job, Adrian –– and she stared at me, like the first time, with a cryptic jet-black glow in her eyes. Then she offered me the cards.

––Shuffle the cards please, then cut and make three stacks, then place the top three cards on the table, left to right.

––Do you know who I am?

––You're wasting your time, shuffle the cards, please.

I did as she asked. Despite my impatience, I would not dare to say another word. After all, I had brought it on myself, I had been out looking for adventures and this was one heck of a good one. I'd take it gracefully.

She flipped the first card over. It didn't look like any other tarot I'd ever seen before. The card was illustrated with something like an old barge. She stared at me and unblinkingly pointed a thin finger at the image. She had very long nails.

––La felouk, your life is undergoing a major change but you embrace it positively. You are moving in the right direction and the results will not be delayed. You have a strong relationship that will survive, adapt and therefore both will benefit from this change.

I was surprised, I really identified with what she said, but it was something I could also have deduced from the few facts she had on me. She ceremoniously turned the second one around.

––The inverted High Priestess. You are at high risk of creating conflicts through your decisions because of your arbitrary choices. Try to think before acting.

––I’m… I’m already doing that –– I said.

She ignored me and revealed the third card.

––The inverted papyrus. You're stuck, you feel like you can't react, but you should wait for new events that will help you figure things out.

––Meaning what? –– I asked confused.

––That it's not over and you have to keep looking. All I can give you is clues. It's not in my ability to solve your riddles.

––But you said you were expecting me, that you had something to tell me, you even dared to judge me before you knew me.

I was growing tired of that charade.

––Adrian, you must relax and let it flow, only then will you be able to understand what is happening to you, that's all.

––And what do you know about what is happening to me?

––I know you are not here on vacation –– she stated firmly and looking me in the eye –– I know that since you arrived you can't find any answers, and you haven't made any sense of anything for now. My task with you is quite simple: I must make you well aware that what is happening to you has a reason and a purpose.

She opened a drawer, took out a white business card and placed it solemnly on the table. I didn't care, it was all too surreal for me. I decided to go all the way.

––Look, why don't you cut the crap and talk to me straight? I know I'm here for a reason, I'll admit that, but it is one thing for me to listen and follow my instincts, and it's quite another for you to suddenly show up at that cafe this morning. And now we're sitting here together acting cool while you just read my cards. Well, that's quite a coincidence. Don't you think I deserve a more coherent explanation? Is this a test? Can I be heard?

She stared me in the eye and for a second I thought I glimpsed a spark of compassion in her gaze. She gave me a crooked smile, and with her finger she pressed the card gently across the table to me.

––Talk to this man, he will help you. You need to be guided, learn to channel what is happening to you and protect yourself from possible eventualities. I repeat, there is nothing more that I can do. Tell him you are coming from me, it's not very far, you can even take the subway from nearby.

I read the card. Román Giner, San Rafael street, number fifteen, Malvarrosa beach, Valencia. Nothing else.

––And who’s this guy?

––A friend of mine. He'll help you wake up. My work with you is done, it has been a pleasure, Adrian, I hope you find what you are looking for. I'll see you out, I’m sorry but I’m afraid I have other matters to take care of.

––Do I owe you anything? –– I had to say it, though I felt awfully stupid the minute I opened my mouth. She glanced at me and smiled broadly for the first time, as if I had said something funny.

––You're a sweetheart, Adrian. You don't owe me anything, don't worry, you just do what I told you.

I left there disconcerted, but I didn't let anything stop me again. My later memories become confused, even my sense of time changed radically. I didn't stop walking, regardless of what was around me, and I realized after a while that I had left the station behind and that I hadn't had any food either. I guess I took the subway. Now I'm near San Rafael Street sitting in a coffee shop writing all this stuff. As you may have noticed, I have decided to keep a brief journal, so that I can at least have a coherent story to tell you about what has happened to me. Maybe it'll do you good. I need to know that I haven't gone mad. I'll ask you to read it. I'll make you read it, honey, so you'll know I did it it all for us.

I miss your pragmatism, your love of detail, your patience, and the way you remind me to behave when I don't do what I'm supposed to do. And it's funny, but it's now, the first time I've really felt you away, when I'm realizing that I really love you.

Up until yesterday everything in my life had followed a sort of screenplay. I was with you because it had to be that way, we were going to get married because it's what a couple does when they've been dating for a long time, you had your space, I had mine, and it was just easy for me. We were so "normal". In spite of everything, we were. We could not have suspected that this was possible, that life could really be like this.

I just realized that I want to share this with you, you're the only person I'd like to have here by my side right now.

That's how I know I love you.