“Yes, Nonny?”
“Close your eyes and start counting. One…, two…, three…”
*****
“Holy crap, that was the most amazing thing I have ever seen!” Steve said. He and Sylvia stood on either side of Heather lying prone on the floor of the Eye Bleach Lounge. Her face was in a full grin, her eyes were closed, and she was chewing. Chewing and grinning. Most surprisingly, though, the wrinkle in her brow was gone.
“Heather, are you awake?” Sylvia asked.
“Wh… what?” Heather said as she sat up and wiped her mouth, the feel of the dream cookie crumbs still on her lips. “What happened?”
“That was effing crazy!” Steve said. “Just incredible.” He paused and added, “do you think it worked?”
“What worked?” Heather said. “I…, what is going on?”
“Heather, do you want to talk about the kittens?” Sylvia asked.
“Kittens?” Heather asked. “What about kittens?”
“Damn…, it really worked,” Steve said as he shook his head. He turned to Sylvia and said, “I am very impressed. I thought you were just talking a bunch of bullshit before, but…, I stand corrected. This shit works!”
Heather stood up and brushed her pants off. “Well…, I am not exactly sure what happened here…., but,” she said as she glanced around the room, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, “I know I have never felt better. It is like everything is now…, clear, you know? Like a great burden has been lifted.”
“You just got your brain washed, Sylvia,” Steve said.
“Steve! This is not brainwashing,” Sylvia snapped.
“Sorry,” he said as he grinned. “How about brain dry cleaned, then.”
Sylvia shook her head and sighed.
Heather walked over to Sylvia and touched her forearm. “Thank you. I have never felt better.”
“You are welcome, but, you really did it all yourself.”
“I really need to get your book,” Heather said.
“I will get you a copy,” Sylvia said.
“Say…,” Steve said. “Can you show me how to do this?”
“Sure,” Sylvia said. “If you have time, we can start right—”
“—No…,” he interrupted. “It’s not for me. It is for…, well…”
“I bet it is for his fiancé,” Heather said as her lips turned up into a smirk. “No doubt old Stevie here wants her to forget something.”
“Oh, I bet he does,” Sylvia said as she grinned and nodded knowingly.
“Hey, it’s not like that. It would be better off if she just…, misremembered a few things.”
“Yeah, I bet — like that skank from Opal’s you tried to hook up with last month.”
“How was I supposed to know it was her sister?” Steve said.
“Steve, Steve, Steve,” Sylvia said as she shook her head.
“Such a pig,” Heather added as she cast a sideways glance at Sylvia.
“It doesn’t work that way, anyway,” Sylvia said. “Those morons out there in the magic clubs with those hypnosis acts have done a real disservice to the public. They have given out a lot of faulty information and created an entirely erroneous narrative about how the brain works.”
“But, I thought—,” Steve said.
“—The subject has to do the work themselves, Steve. Unless your fiancé wants to blot out the memory of your indiscretion…, with her sister, I might add,” she added as she frowned, “you are out of luck. You cannot force this technique on anyone. It really has to be done by the person who wants to do the rewiring of their own memories.”
“I doubt she is going to be open to that,” Steve said. He smiled and said, “So, can you help me blot out the memory of her constant bitching about it then?”
“That…, I can help with,” Sylvia said.
“You know, this would have saved me a butt load of money in therapy,” Heather said. “God, the money I spent trying to get over Dave. Where were you three years ago?”
Sylvia smiled and said, “I was back in New York making lots of enemies in my department.”
“Oh, I bet,” Heather said. “Dr. Saferstein got a lot of money out of me with his Freudian techniques.”
“Oh, my dear,” Sylvia said as she reached over and touched Heather’s arm. “You had a Freudian as a therapist?”
“Yeah,” Heather said as she looked down at the ground. “Stupid, wasn’t it?”
“Well…, I wouldn’t be that harsh, but, I assume you wanted to get better, right?”
“Of course,” Heather said.
“Well then, having endless therapy sessions with a Freudian is literally the least effective way to achieve wellness. They tend to create far more issues than they ever solve.”
“Yeah,” Heather said. “I can see how you were real popular back in the Psychology department at NYU.”
Sylvia laughed.
“But…, this certainly worked wonders,” Heather said. “Whatever it was that bothered-”
“—Oh, it was about that big box of kittens that idiot set on—” Steve said.
“—No, no, no!” Heather barked. “Please, Steve, I just got over that. I don’t want to get re-traumatized by whatever it was I saw. Plus, I don’t know how long this will stay…, you know, fixed.”
“Well,” Sylvia said. “I wouldn’t watch the video again; but, you should be good for a long time, probably forever.”
“You should do this procedure for the guys in the military, Sylvia,” Steve said. “I know I have some buddies that saw some pretty messed up shit over in Iraq. This could actually help them, and, it is so fast. I will say it again, I am just blown away.”
“I had quite a few clients from the military, but, my technique is controversial, and so the Defense Department stopped allowing any active duty clients from seeing me.” Sylvia shrugged and added, “I think it embarrassed quite a few of the Military Psychologists they have on staff. Politics, you know. Politics.”
“That is horrible!” Heather said.
“Typical bureaucratic bullshit,” Steve said.
“It is,” Sylvia said with a heavy sigh. “But, I had quite a few retirees and other servicemen that left the service come and see me. And of course, my book was moderately successful.”
“Oh yes,” Heather said, “You wrote, Reprogram your Mind, Reprogram your Life, right?”
“Yes,” Sylvia said. “You did your homework!”
“I did,” Heather said. “I looked up your name and got the title. I meant to pick up a copy from Amazon. Now I know I will.”
“I just had it formatted into eBook form,” Sylvia said.
“But, don’t you have to be a therapist or something to use this technique?” Steve said.
“Not really,” Sylvia said. She smiled as she lowered her voice into a conspiratorial tone, “I will let you in on a little industry secret. Most of the healing done by psychologists is done by the patients themselves. We psychologists, are, at best, only guides. I wrote my book specifically for the layperson who wanted to rewire some troubling memories out of their own mind. You do not need a “professional” to facilitate, but, of course, it doesn’t hurt.”
“So, not to pry, but, have you done this procedure on yourself?” Heather asked.
“No,” Sylvia admitted, “but, of course, if I had, how would I know? The bad memory would be gone, as would the memory of the therapy itself.”
“Incredible,” Heather said. “Just incredible. And…, no side effects or anything?”
Steve turned to Sylvia and said, “Didn’t you say something about Turrets Syndrome occasionally flaring up, or sudden homicidal urges? And of course, when Heather took off all her clothes during the trance and started writhing around on the floor, it was quite a show.” He grinned as he turned to Heather and said, “I always wondered whether you were a natural brunette. Now I have my answer.”
“What?” Heather cried.
“Don’t listen to him,” Sylvia said as she l
aughed. “I said no such thing, and you did nothing like that! This is all done only with your own mind, and without drugs—”
“—Nothing wrong with drugs, you know,” Steve interrupted.
“Drugs,” Sylvia continued as she glared back at Steve. “It is all natural. No side effects at all.”
Heather smacked her lips and said, “I was wondering if an increase in appetite was a side effect. Suddenly, I have this overwhelming urge to eat an entire box of oatmeal raisin cookies, or even better, Mallomars.”
“Last call, guys,” Nancy said as she opened the door and entered the lounge, her cart rattling before her as she walked. “I saw the light on and thought I should check. So…, any snacks for the road?”
“Well, you couldn’t have stage managed that better,” Steve said as he glanced over at Sylvia.
“What time is it?” Heather said.
“It is coming up on 5:30,” Nancy said. “Everyone has left for the day, and I was just about to pack up myself.”
“I think I will have a Kit Kat,” Steve said.
“Do you have any oatmeal raisin cookies?” Heather asked.
“I do,” Nancy said as she handed the Kit Kat bar to Steve. After digging through the shelf for a few seconds, she lifted out a bag of Archway Soft Oatmeal Raisin cookies and said, “Will these do?”
“Perfect!” Heather said as she took the bag from Nancy’s hand and ripped it open. After jamming one in her mouth, she added, “I am starving.”
“You going to get anything, Sylvia?” Steve said.
“No thanks. I think I will pass on the sweets today,” Sylvia said. “I need to watch my blood sugar. I had a little episode the other day and went kind of — funny, for a minute or two.” She smiled and added, “This infinite candy supply is starting to have an adverse effect. God knows, if I don’t end up with diabetes working here, it will be a miracle.”
“An occupational hazard,” Heather mumbled with a full mouth of cookie.
“Don’t let her fool you, guys,” Nancy said. “I just wheeled my cart past Sylvia’s desk and noticed she brought in ice cream for herself.” She turned to Sylvia and in a joking tone said, “And I don’t think she means to share. You know, if everyone sees you eating ice cream at your desk, I will have to stock it.”
“Ice Cream?” Sylvia asked. “What are you talking about? I didn’t bring in any ice cream.”
“Well…, you have some waiting for you on your desk,” Nancy said. “Assuming it hasn’t melted already.”
“Well now, this is mysterious,” Heather said.
“Hey, who knows,” Nancy said. “Maybe you have a secret admirer or something?”
Heather said, “I would be in heaven if the company started handing out Rocky Road, you know.”
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Probably means our dental insurance is getting ready to be downgraded again. Make up the difference in Eskimo Pies.”
Sylvia laughed and said, “Well, now I am curious.” She headed out the door and towards her desk. The others followed, and when they turned the corner to enter the row where Sylvia’s desk was located, Heather pointed and said, “Look Sylvia, all of Alyssa’s stuff is gone.”
“Well, that explains it,” Sylvia said. “She must have left the ice cream as a…, gift? It is odd, but, nice.”
“Alyssa was odd, and nice, if I remember correctly,” Steve said.
“A Dove Bar!” Sylvia said. “My absolute favorite! How could she possibly have known?”
“Look,” Heather said as she picked up a folded-up piece of paper from the desk. “It looks like she left a note.”
“What does it say?” Sylvia asked as she greedily bit into the Dove Bar, her eyes half closed in pleasure.
Heather read the note and cocked her head. “It doesn’t make much sense. Did you know Alyssa or something?”
“No, I never met the girl. You know that. She was gone before I got here.”
“Why do you ask?” Steve said. “What does the note say?”
Heather said, “It says…’Sorry it took so long, Mommy. At least I didn’t drop it this time.’”
Chapter 6
April 20th, 1996 - Central Park, New York City - 2:30 PM
Sylvia tried to focus her eyes on the page of her book but it was no use. The letters seemed to jump around on the page, leaping and dancing about like a troupe of black clad ballerinas twirling across a stark white backdrop. In her rational mind, she knew it made sense. In the logical side of her brain, she knew John was right. She knew she should stay put so when Billy returns, he will see her and not wander off again. It was not easy, though. Her mind boiled like an overflowing pot of spaghetti as one horrific scenario after another flashed before her mind’s eye. The logical side of her brain was not in control now. The irrational side, the one full of fear, dread and terror was firmly in charge.
He is just playing hide-n-seek, that’s all. He always does that. He will be here any second, Sylvia thought to herself as she tried hard to resume reading her book. She tried to will herself calm. John is always so calm in these situations. “Oh, you know Billy, he loves to play jokes,” John had said as he headed back down the hill to find their son. Well…, if this was a joke, it was a joke that had gone on far too long.
“Mommy!” a voice cried out behind her.
Sylvia exhaled an explosive burst of air out of her lungs. She spun around towards the voice, half delirious with relief but also with her jaws itching to scream. First, I am going to kiss and squeeze him tight, Sylvia thought. And then I am going to spank his ass!
“Billy!” she cried. “You had me worried to—” Her words froze in her throat. It wasn’t Billy. The crying child, unaware of the drama he had been an unknowing participant in, ran past Sylvia and across the lawn to his waiting mother. The temporary euphoria in her gut transformed into a solid iron ball in the pit of her stomach.
Sylvia looked down at her watch. Has it only been ten minutes? It feels like ten hours! John is right. I always worry too much. I just need to think about something else and get my mind off of it, she thought. Billy has pulled this hiding game many times before. I am sure this is no different. He will be back any second…, any second now, I just know it.
A few agonizingly slow minutes passed, and Sylvia looked up from her book again. The muscles in her calves were throbbing, as if they, separate from the rest of her body, wanted to leap to her feet and run off hunting for Billy. She knew better, of course, but the body often wants what the head does not. She glanced out over the people in the park and her brow furrowed. The sights of such happy families — eating their hot dogs, playing cards, chatting and lounging on the grass in the warm spring air only angered her. How can this day be so ruined? Why can’t we just have one day out in the park as a happy family? Just one! I swear to God, when Billy gets back I am never letting him out of my sight again! He will be under my thumb, and on a very short leash until high school.
Her anger turned to panic as new images, terrible and gut-wrenching visions, flooded into her mind in a torrential mudslide. She thought about the nearby rock climbers, just a few yards away out of her sight. Had Billy gone down there to hide? Was he, right now, dangling from the top of that stony manmade hill, ready to fall? Or worse, had he already fallen and busted his head open, blood pooling all over his tiny Spiderman suit, unnoticed and injured?
She could almost see it happening in her mind’s eye. It wasn’t hard to imagine, especially for a bright and energetic kid like Billy. Seven-year-old boyish logic didn’t always make sense to her, but, it does to the boys. She could just see him, his tiny arm outstretched as he spun his imaginary web onto an adjacent rock. He steps off, attempting to jump and then — She shut her eyes tight.
No! No! You have got to stop this, she thought to herself. This is not helping anything!
I just need to read, Sylvia decided. Working myself up into a half-crazed nervous breakdown is not helping the situation. A watched pot never boils. He is coming back, right now
, any second. I just need to calm down and finish reading my book.
With all of the willpower she could muster, Sylvia forced her eyes back onto her book. She gritted her teeth with a steely determination and ground her molars together. She was going to do this. This is supposed to be a relaxing day. This day in the park is meant to be fun. So far, it has been neither, but by God, she is going to force it. Billy is going to be back any second, and there was no use fretting about it! She turns the page to continue reading of Lady Catherfield’s exploits with her perpetually shirtless pirate pursuer. Such mindless trash almost always works its charms on her nerves. Whisked away to another world, another time. She begins to read.
Lady Catherfield felt Captain Scarantino’s hot breath on her neck. It smelled of rum… and lust. Lust for her. Lust for her treasure, but more than anything, lust for the sea. The swirling waves that rolled over the bow of her…
“Jesus!” Sylvia exclaimed. How far is that duck pond from here? She wondered to herself. We just started Billy in swim class last year. He doesn’t know how to swim that well, yet. He barely has even learned to keep himself afloat. Did he try and swim out to see the ducks? He loves feeding the ducks. Did he try and swim out to catch one? Is he, right now, lying lifeless on the bottom of the pond, his tiny face blue, his lungs exploding as he runs out of air?
“Billy! Billy where are you!” Sylvia screamed as she leaped to her feet. “Billy! Billyeeee!”
“Are you OK, lady?” a woman’s voice from behind her asked.
“It’s my little boy, he is missing. He went with his father to get ice cream, and…,” Sylvia said as she pointed at the ice cream stand. She turned around to the woman and added, “He was supposed to come right back, but he didn’t.”
“Where did your husband go? Wasn’t he right here?”
“He went looking for him. He was only gone a…,” she turned and yelled, “Billy! Billy come back here, now!”
“I think everything is going to be all right, dear,” the woman said. “I have been sitting right here for the last hour. I couldn’t help but notice you all. Your little boy is the one in the Spiderman costume, right?”
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