by A N Busch
“Yeah, you’re probably right. Thanks for talking some sense into me. Well I should get some work done; I have to give my boss a mini-presentation of the project on Friday. I started over practically from scratch last night, and I have a lot of work to get done now. Thanks again.”
“Any time, glad I could help. Now get to work and get that promotion woman.”
“I will, have a good one.”
“You too Abby, bye.”
“Bye.” As Abigail hung up the phone, she paused realizing that Rachel had just called her Abby. It was weird. Abigail yawned and thought a nap might be just the thing she needed after all.
She went into the living room to lay on the couch. It was not long before she was sound asleep and dreaming of the building. It was going to be perfect: it started to develop in front of her like a sketch and then slowly started to fill in with colors and textures. Beautiful brickwork took form and the doors became larger, made of sturdy wood with beautiful stained glass windows in them that looked old, like they were crafted centuries ago.
When the vision of the outside was complete, she was compelled to open the front door and walk inside. A beautiful ivory statue took form in the middle of the lobby; it looked like a Greek goddess with pearls and jewels on it. She was pouring water out of a small jar into a large fountain surrounding her. Just like water pouring from the jar, big black and white pictures of old New York City started to cover the walls from top to bottom in large extravagant frames.
Abigail felt like she was on a pedestal turning around the room watching as new things appeared with every turn: a reception desk made of sturdy wood, large and functional, but classic and old looking, a seating area filled with classic looking chairs made of cherry wood. Abigail thought the cherry wood had a very old and hand-made feel.
All the ideas in her head were leaping to life in front of her. Then she could see people walking around - some going about their daily business, some looking at the walls or the fountain in the center of the room. Abigail could not help but feel pleased with herself. It was the most beautiful building, inside and out, that she had ever seen. It was all here in her mind just waiting to be put together. It was going to be good on paper but if only the people she was going to give the presentation to could see the way it looked in her mind right now. “This really is my greatest accomplishment ever.” Her voice was no more than a whisper in her own head.
The answer from behind startled her, “Of course it is Abs. It’s from your heart. I always knew you would be great at this. You had the greatest passion for it, even all those years ago.”
Abigail turned to look for the source of the voice. It was Westly standing beside her, still young with his striking blonde hair and bright eyes shinning from no particular source of light. He turned slowly looking toward the ivory statue in the middle on the fountain and smiled.
“Westly?”
“This really is so wonderful Abs! I’m glad you decided to share it with me. Thank you.”
“How did you get here? Why do I keep dreaming of you? What do you want from me?”
“I have always been in your mind Abs. I have always been with you.” Westly took one hand out of his pocket and glanced at his watch. He slowly placed his hand on her cheek and she could feel warmth from him spreading over her body. “I love the statue in the fountain, if I didn’t know better, I would think it was Galatea herself, made right from the hands of Pygmalion. But you have to go now Abs.”
Abigail grabbed his hand as he started to pull it away. “No, I can’t go. Please stay and tell me more about why you are here. Who are you? Please I have to know something more.”
“It’s time to get your children Abigail.” Slowly, like water was being poured over him, Westly was gone and she stood alone her hands grasping at an empty space in front of her.
Abigail gasped for air as she woke up. She sat up dazed and confused. It took a moment for her to realize that she had fallen asleep in her living room. Slowly she got up and went into the kitchen for water.
“What a weird dream that was,” She thought out loud. “Why was Westly there? I have really got to shake this thing or I just might go crazy.” She gulped down her glass of water and walked to the bathroom still talking to herself, “Wow, that building was amazing though. I really hope what I can do on paper will do justice to what I am seeing in my mind.”
As she walked out of the bathroom, she glanced at the wall clock. It was well past time to pick up the kids. She should be there now. Abigail grabbed her purse, pulled out her keys and phone, popped her flats back on and rushed out the door. She called the daycare to let them know she was running late but was on her way and would be there very soon.
The whole drive there Abigail felt like Rachel’s words were fighting with Westly’s words in her head. “Just forget him Abigail.”… “I have always been in your mind Abs. I have always been with you.” She switched the radio onto a rock station, turned up the volume and started singing along to drown them both out.
The rest of the evening went by in a flash. Then Abigail was back in her office and back at work on her project until nearly midnight when she crawled into bed with her husband and fell fast asleep.
Chapter 14
Days turned to weeks and weeks went by in a blur. Abby spent more and more time with Westly. They grew closer to each other by the day and their relationship was becoming more serious. They had attended a party at Rachel’s Friday. Jamal seemed to be really taking a liking to him; although, he was not happy that Abby had skipped going running so much. She promised to go with him that Sunday morning. When the alarm went off early Sunday morning, Westly was the first thing she saw. And he was staring at her. “What?”
“Did you know that you really talk a lot in your sleep Abs?” He had one eyebrow up and a half smile on his face.
“Oh, yeah, I knew that,” Abby could feel her cheeks turning red, “What did I say?”
“A little mumbling, not a lot that was understandable really, just a couple words here and there.”
“Like what? It was a dream you know,” Abby could not help but get a little defensive. “There is really no reason to read too far into it.”
“If you say so, but I know what I heard you say.”
Abby buried her face into his chest, “Okay Westly, just tell me; let’s get the embarrassment over with already.”
“There is no reason to be embarrassed.” Westly lifted her chin back up so that she had to look at him, “You were talking about being in love.”
Abby moaned and buried her face into her own hands. “That is embarrassing!” She didn’t even want to look at him; she was so horrified. “You know what? Never mind, let’s change the subject all together. Can you believe we have been spending time together for a few months now? Almost three, time has just been flying by.” She got up quickly and started to walk to the small fridge to get a bottle of water.
“Come back here to me and don’t think you can change the subject so fast.” Westly pulled her back down to his side and hugged her close to him. “Now, let’s see if I remember correctly, and I’m sure I do. You asked me what you said in your sleep, right?”
“Uh, yes I did.”
“If you had to guess, who’s name do you think you would have said?”
“Westly, I -”
“My name, really, you would have said my name? Hmmm.”
“You cut me off, butthead.”
“Butthead, nice! One minute you’re telling me you’re in love with me and the next I’m a butthead.”
Abby was so frustrated; she didn’t know what to make of what he was saying. Did she say a name? Was it his? Was he just messing with her? How did he feel about it if she had, the same? In her heart she knew she was in love with him, but they had only been together a few months. She couldn’t say it; could she?
“You need to get ready to go running with Jamal. I’ll see you later on this afternoon. I have a couple things to take care of; do you want to come over
around six-thirty or so?”
“That sounds good; I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too, love.” With that Westly gave a kiss on her forehead and was up and putting on his shoes. Had he just called her ‘love’? Why did he wink at her when he said it?
“Hey Westly,” she paused - should she tell him she loved him? Just say it now and be done with it? “Are you just teasing with me? Are you going to tell me what I said?”
Westly stood and smiled at her. “No I’m not teasing you. And no I am not going to tell you. What fun would that be; I know what you said. You should know too, without me telling you that is.”
As he walked to the door to leave, she wanted to say, You, you. It’s you I love, but she couldn’t find her voice till he was out the door.
Abby went to the bathroom and started getting ready. It was just a run so it didn’t take long. Long enough, however, to decide she should talk to Jamal about this. He was a guy; he would know what she should do. She walked down the stairs and stretched before she even left the dorm. A brisk jog to the track would do her good, and she was there in no time.
Jamal was at the side of the track stretching when she jogged up, “Hey lazy I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show or not. But I’m glad you did; let’s get started.” He bent over to stretch the back of his legs and a girl running on the other side of the track almost tripped. “Do you need to stretch still?”
Abby had to suppress a giggle, as the girl still could not take her eyes off of Jamal even after tripping a second time. “Sorry Jamal, it has been a really weird morning. I think I’m going to need your advice on this one. I stretched before I jogged over here.”
“What’s up Abby, trouble in boyland?” Jamal gave her a little push forward and they were off around the track.
“Ha ha, not trouble really. I thought you liked Westly anyway.”
“He is a cool guy. I will admit though I was afraid he was going to be a tool or something. He’s very nice and I’m happy for you, as long as you’re happy that is. If you’re not happy, well I'll take that up with him then.”
“Thanks I’m very happy. These past months have been the best of my life. The problem is that I talk in my sleep, and well, I think I kind of said that I was in love with him.”
“Well, are you?” Jamal’s steps didn’t even falter as he asked. Abby would have thought he was asking if the sky was blue today.
“Um, yes, I think so. I mean, I have never felt this way for anyone before. I have never been in a relationship before though.” Abby took in a couple deep breaths as she made up her mind, “Yes, I am in love with him.”
“Okay. Why do you think you are in love? How do you know?”
“What kinds of questions are those?” Abby almost stopped dead in her tracks.
Jamal gave her a look that said he was serious, “Abby I’m just trying to make you think about it, to really truly know if you are or not. Saying, ‘I love you,’ is a big step. And if this is the first time you are going to say it, well, you really need to know if you feel that way about him and it’s not just hormones.”
Abby thought about it for a moment, “I melt every time I see him; I feel safe and secure in his arms. When I look into his eyes, I get lost in them. I could stare into them for hours, and it feels like he looks right into my soul, and I don’t care I want him to. When he kisses me, the rest of the world melts away.” Abby took in a couple deep breaths and looked at Jamal right in the face. “There is no one else but the two of us. I just feel like it’s love; it has to be.”
“Well besides being a mushy girl, it does sound like being in love to me, not just hormones. The question now is, are you going to tell him while you’re still awake?”
“That Jamal is why I am asking your advice. We have only known each other for such a short time. Can I really say it this soon, or should I keep waiting? Would it freak you out if it was you?”
Jamal and Abby moved around another group of runners on the track before he responded to her, “How do you think he feels about you Abby?”
“I don’t know really,” Abby shook her head looking at he ground, “but he did call me ‘love’ like twice this morning before he left and he usually just calls me Abs.” Abby was having a hard time keeping her breath to talk now. “Maybe he was just messing with me though, I should wait for him to say it first.”
“Look if there is one thing I have learned by pursuing Mel for well over six months now, it is to just say how you feel. Yes, you might get hurt, but you have to put it out there and let him know Abby. I told Mel how much I was really, really into her at Rachel’s party. I really laid it out for her. I was afraid to tell her that I love her, but I told her flat out how I was feeling about her. And now -”
“Wait, you did what?” At that Abby came to a full stop, right in the middle of the track. Why hadn’t Melanie told her anything about this?
“Come on Abby, you’re not using this as an excuse to stop running. We have more than one mile down, and less than two to go. You promised three, don’t make me get all mean coach on you.”
Abby stuck her tongue out at him, “Ugg, I’m coming, but you better tell me more about what happened.”
“A gentleman does not kiss and tell, now back to your little situation. If you love him and you’re sure of it, tell him because if you wait for him to say it first, you might be waiting awhile. However, do keep in mind that you are putting yourself out there more than you have ever before, and there is a chance you could get hurt.”
“Jamal, you are not helping.” Abby threw up her arms, “Do I tell him or not?”
Jamal let out an exasperated puff of air and shook his head, “Abby I can’t tell you what to do on this one sorry. I can just tell you that I’m very, very glad I told Melanie how I felt about her and have continued to do so with her.” Jamal’s smile said more than he wanted it to, Abby was sure of that. She was going to talk to Melanie as soon as she got a chance. “Let’s go; I want to pick up the pace for the last mile or so. Just over five more laps - think you can handle it?”
Abby didn’t answer she just picked up her speed and ran. Thinking about Westly made the laps around the track seem like one. She would have kept going if Jamal had not yelled at her to stop. Afterward they grabbed a fruit smoothie and sat on a bench outside their dorm. “Thanks Jamal.”
“For what? I can’t believe how fast you ran that last mile or so. It was like someone lit a fire under you. I don’t think I have ever seen you run that fast.”
“Sorry, was I leaving you in the dust?” Abby laughed at the thought, she was usually the one yelling at him to slow down. Her mind really must have been in another place. “Thanks for listening. I was thinking about him, about how I feel. About all of it I guess. I think you are right; I’m going to tell him. I mean I might as well say it, the worst that could happen is he will say, ‘Thank you,’ and I won’t say it again. Right?”
“Well I’m happy for you Abby. You know him better than I do, so I can’t tell you what could be the worst thing that could happen,” Jamal said pushing her shoulder with a fist. “I have been meaning to say thanks to you by the way. For putting up with me crushing on Mel for so long; I didn’t think I was that obvious. Mel told me you had known for a long time now, and so did she. I hope you didn’t think that was the only reason I was a friend to you though. You are like the little sister I never wanted.”
Abby snorted, “Thanks! I think of you as a pushy, over-protective, big brother I never wanted, as well.” At that they both laughed, and Jamal put his arm around Abby’s shoulders and walked her inside the dorm. It really was good to have a guy friend like him, that big brother figure she never had growing up.
Abby was ready to pass out when she got back to her room but decided to take a nice long, hot shower first. When she got out, Melanie was knocking on the door.
“One second Mel, and you have some talking to do by the way!”
“Oh do I?”
Abby
threw her clothes on and unlocked the door, “Yes you do. I went running with Jamal this morning.”
“And?” Melanie had a smile from ear to ear.
“And, he wouldn't kiss and tell. But he hinted, so dish.”
“There’s not much to tell, he told me how he really felt about me at Rachel’s party a couple months back. Then last Friday at her party, he told me that he was totally head-over-heels for me. I told him I knew and was just waiting for him to tell me. He walked me home like any other time. I invited him in and told him that I felt the same way about him and… then we…” Melanie was waving a hand around like Abby would know what that was supposed to mean.
“What? Then you?” Abby waved her arm around mimicking the movement Melanie had done, “Come on Mel just tell me!”
“Well I don’t want to kiss and tell but let’s just say he stayed the night again, and there was a whole lot more than sleeping going on. It was a good thing you were at Westly’s all night that night.” Melanie’s smile now was big and bright. Abby didn’t need any more detail to know what she was talking about.
“Really, well, I guess I’m shocked. I don’t even know what to say,” Abby said blushing.
Melanie started laughing. “Coffee can only keep a girl going for so many months Abby.” She might just have a point; although, one would never know it with all the coffee she went through. Maybe she would go through less now.
“Well, I’m happy for you if you’re happy. I really hope it works out for you two.”
“Abby I am the happiest I have been in months and months. Are you going to be at Westly’s again tonight?”
“Um, yes I think so. But I might end up back here. Why?”
“Cause I hope to get happier again tonight if you know what I mean. And why is it that you might be back here tonight?”