I Remember (Remembrance Series)

by Cynthia P. O'Neill

  I jumped off the bed and headed to the bathroom, as he sat up smiling. “Hurry back, Sweetheart,” he said teasingly.

  I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face and straightened my hair a bit, feeling giddy. As I turned to exit the bathroom, I caught sight of the towel he used to stop the bleeding on my arm last night. Suddenly the reality of what happened caused my good mood to come crashing to the ground.

  I exited the bathroom with a sullen face. “What’s wrong?”

  I sat at the edge of the bed next to him. “We need to talk about what happened last night.”

  He pulled me across his lap and held me securely, like his life depended on it. “I should have never left you last night. I feel so responsible for everything.” His voice was sad and strained.

  “How is it your responsibility? I’m still trying to figure out what all this is about. I haven’t had any physical harm like this since…” I suddenly remembered the first time I started dreaming of Angeline and Daniel again, when a demonic witch spirit gave me a warning and left a burning hand print in my skin.

  His eyes widened in horror. “This has happened before?!”

  I quickly explained the dream I had and how the burned handprints lasted only a few hours.

  He took a deep breath, still holding me tight to his chest. “Our dreams are much more than they appear. Apparently some force out there doesn’t want us together. But, I know nothing that could ever keep me away from you.”

  He pressed a warm kiss against my temple, before lifting my chin “I don’t know why ‘WE’ keep dreaming of Angeline and Daniel. My only guess is that maybe we’re related to them in some way and we need to figure out how. I just wish I knew their last names. It would make my search for them easier.”

  “You mean ‘OUR’ search. Something evil is trying to keep us from being together and somehow they are related to this mystery. I’m tired of getting hurt and want to take a stand against the spirits,” I said, adamantly.

  “I don’t want you risking yourself. I’m the one who promised your father I would take care of you.”

  I gaped in shock. “What?”

  He realized his mistake. “I don’t know how I came to find you in your dreams, that night, only that I did and I talked in detail with your father about watching over you and guarding you with my life.”

  My heart sank. He had withheld this information from me. Suddenly my emotions were conflicted.

  “Are you mad at me?” He finally asked.

  “Yes, I’m mad! What happened to being honest and telling me everything? In the park, you said you would never keep things from me again.” I paused for a moment trying to get a grasp on my temper. “Why would you not tell me?”

  His face was somber. “Please forgive me. I’m trying to be as honest as I can be, but I also stated I would only hold back information to protect you.”

  I could feel the anger slowly dissolving, as I realized my father would’ve requested keeping me in the dark, as a means of safety. “I’m hurt that you didn’t trust me enough to disclose this with me. I was serious when I said no more secrets. I have to know what is going on in order to be able to protect myself, when you are not around.”

  Gregory finally let out the breath he’d been holding, “You have my word that I will not keep anything from you again.”

  I leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “Good. Because if you do, I don’t know that I would ever be able to trust you again.” For now, I would give him the benefit of the doubt. Besides, how could I stay mad at someone that I loved so dearly?

  I could hear Lorraine and Douglas moving about downstairs. “Should we get up and get dressed?”

  He glanced over at the clock. “We can do one of two things. I could go downstairs and bring up a tray of breakfast goodies for us to nibble on and keep talking, or we could take a shower, get dressed and go downstairs to have breakfast with my parents. My grandfather will probably be back over around lunchtime.”

  “What do you all normally do on Sunday’s?”

  “We sit around the kitchen table reading the Sunday paper, talking about what we have on the agenda at the office and for the week, then we take a vote on what everyone wants to do for the rest of the day. The majority wins.”

  “Anything is fine with me. What would you like to do?” I asked, secretly wanting to spend more quiet time with just Gregory.

  He nuzzled his lips into the side of my neck. “Guess?”

  I turned my head toward his, until our lips met, kissing him gently. He pulled back. “I’ll go see what I can dig up for us food wise.” He jumped off the bed, stealing on more kiss, and headed downstairs.

  I knew my mother was an early riser, so I decided to give her a call on her cell to see how she was doing and give her the news of my new engagement.

  “Hi, Mom. How are you and Uncle Henry doing?”

  My heart had felt heavy about Mom going on this trip, alone. But, when she started describing how they had dinner with his kids and reminisced over old photos of Dad, I realized that she was having a good time and it was probably just what she needed.

  “I’m so happy to hear that you are enjoying yourself. Please give Uncle Henry a hug and kiss for me and let him know that I miss him and will try to see him, soon.”

  “Did you say yes?” Her voice was filled with excitement.

  At first I was shocked by the question, but then remembered Gregory had everyone in on the engagement, except me.

  I heard footsteps slowly approaching, from down the hall. I turned my head toward the door to see Gregory smiling as he pushed it open, carrying a tray full of goodies. I was taken aback by the beautiful white aura surrounding him.

  “Jordan?” Mom sounded concerned and I was brought quickly back to reality.

  “Sorry, Mom, my mind was elsewhere for a second.” I smiled at Gregory. “Yes. I said, ‘yes’”

  Her voice raised several octaves, with sheer excitement. “How wonderful. I can’t wait to meet Lorraine and Douglas, in person. We’ve already talked over the phone and they seem like wonderful people. I’m so happy for you and Gregory. You both remind me so much of your father and me.” She paused for a moment. “I need to go; we have some visitors here. Call me when you get back to Gregory’s house, tonight. Love you, Jordan. Bye.”

  I was so happy knowing that Mom was all right with everything, “Love you, too, Mom. Have fun! Bye.”

  Gregory climbed gingerly onto the bed, setting the tray down in the middle. He had a small carafe of coffee, along with one coffee cup, a large glass of orange juice, a couple of fresh blueberry muffins, several pieces of turkey bacon and a small plate of scrambled eggs. “I didn’t have much room on the tray, so I figured we could share.”

  I scooted over next to him and gave him a kiss on the side of the cheek. “You are too sweet. How did I ever get so lucky?”

  “No, I am the lucky one.” He poured some coffee and gave it to me for a sip as he took a gulp of the orange juice. “So, how’s your mom doing?”

  “She’s fine. However, someone failed to mention that not only was she in on our engagement, but she also talked, at length, with both of your parents over the phone.” I held the coffee cup to my mouth and took a long drink of the warm liquid, letting my eyes squint towards him.

  He laughed a moment and then admitted, “Do you know how hard it was to pull all this off?” “I had to enlist my grandfather’s help to finalize the teddy bear and get it operational. It just so happens that his company is working on something similar and, in coordination, we finalized the kinks and got it to function. You have the very first demo of the product!”

  “The ring was much easier to get. Your mother explained your taste in jewelry. I was going to go for one that was more elaborate, but she told me you preferred simpler things.”

  I shook my head in amazement. “But, how did you get your parents on board, when they had never met me?”

  “I’d already told them everything about you and s
howed them your picture. I’ve told them about our dates and everything we’ve done and how good you are to me. I would’ve still asked you, whether they had they approved or not. But we had set up certain signals in advance to let me know if they liked you or not. And they adore you.” He leaned in for another kiss.

  We continued to enjoy our breakfast, talking and relaxing. I was the first to feel full, so I left him to continue with breakfast and took a quick shower.

  By the time I had emerged from getting ready, Gregory was already showered and dressed. To no surprise, our navy and tan outfits coordinated.

  We were about to head downstairs, when Lorraine knocked on the door and entered, carrying a medium sized package. “Oh, good, you two are dressed. Grandpa is here and we’re trying to figure out what we want to do, today.” She placed the package on the bed and grabbed our breakfast tray.

  “I can do that, Lorraine.” I offered with a smile.

  “That’s okay. I have it.” She turned and headed toward the door, before turning back “Oh, that package came for both of you, yesterday, with strict instructions from the driver, to not give it to you until today and only if you got engaged.”

  Gregory and I looked at each other, confused. “Who would be sending us a package?”

  Lorraine smiled a slyly. “I hate to admit it, but I might have mentioned to a couple of relatives that you might be getting engaged. My guess is that it might be an engagement present. Why don’t you both open it and then meet us down stairs?”

  We inched towards the bed cautiously, noting the package was addressed to both of us. Neither one of recognized the return address, marked: R. M. Iel, 777 Heavenly Way, Orlando, Florida.

  I ran my hand over my face in frustration and let out a small groan.

  “What’s wrong honey?” Gregory’s voice was filled with worry.

  I shook my head trying to dispel the feeling of déjà vu. “I don’t know why, but the name on the return address seems vaguely familiar. I feel as though I have either seen or heard it before, but I can’t remember where.”

  Gregory reached out, taking the tape off the top of the package. We each took a side, opening the box up and then pulling back the inner wrapping. Our eyes met with confusion as we looked at the contents, a hair brush and a steampunk hat.

  Our eyes met over the box and we shrugged our shoulders, not understanding the meaning of the gift. We caught site of a note inside, which read:

  We both shook our heads, wondering who Ray is and what the note was about. I finally decided to lift the hairbrush and examine it more closely.

  As soon as my fingers grasped the intricate golden and ivory detailing of the handle, I was instantly transported in my mind to Angeline’s bedroom. I watched her, dressed in her heavy night shirt and robe, brushing her hair at the vanity, where an oil lantern illuminated her reflection in the mirror.

  Suddenly, I was Angeline, sitting at the vanity, turning toward the footsteps entering my room. “Angeline Olivia Carlson, aren’t you done brushing your hair, yet?”

  I found myself responding. “No, mother. I want my hair to be soft and perfect for my date, tomorrow.”

  “Is that boy, what’s his name…Daniel Whitfield, calling on you, again?”

  “Yes ma’am; if it is all right with you and father.”

  She nodded her head in approval “He seems like a fine man and would make any woman a fine husband. His family is strong in banking and would provide you a good life.”

  I let the brush drop out of my hand and was catapulted back to the present. Gregory’s eyes were frosted over, probably similar to my own, until he dropped the hat from his grasp.

  We turned to one another and in unison said, “I remember!”

  Gregory spoke first. “I don’t know if I am remembering the hat belonging to a distant relative of mine or if it was mine, which would be impossible. But, I saw Daniel getting ready for a date with Angeline.”

  “I agree. It would be impossible for the items to be ours, but this brush feels oddly familiar. I don’t know if we are being haunted by memories of our ancestors or what, but I remember the brush.” I paused for a second. “And I remembered their last names.”

  His eyes grew wide at the revelation. “You do?”

  He continued. “I’ve been wanting to research them.” If we can figure out who they are, then we can probably figure out our connection to them, which would probably put our minds at ease.”

  The tension in the room was unbearable. I hastily wrapped the brush and hat back up in the box and sat it near our luggage.

  I quickly placed my arms around Gregory’s waist and snuggled up against his chest, trying to draw him out of his shock. “We should probably head downstairs before your mother sends out a search party for us,” I said with a laugh.

  He leaned down for a quick kiss on the lips. “You are probably right.”

  We arrived downstairs to questionable looks. “So, what was in the box,” Lorraine asked.

  I looked over to Gregory, but he was at a loss for words; so I spoke up, “I guess someone knew we’re both history buffs and sent us an antique man’s hat and woman’s hairbrush.”

  Lorraine’s eyes lit up with excitement. “How wonderful! Would you mind if I took a look at the items before you leave tonight? I can help you narrow down the time frame they come from. Right now, both of those seem to be hot commodities for collectors.”

  Gregory nodded, in agreement. “That would be wonderful, Mother. Thank you.”

  He leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Her knowledge can help us determine if they are authentic and pinpoint the time period we should be looking in.”

  It was decided that we would have a quick bite to eat at The Venue off I-Drive, which specialized in a variety of tapas, lunch and brunch specialties.

  To my surprise, Lorraine, Douglas and Gregory all wanted to do some window shopping afterwards and there was talk of going to a movie. Since the majority ruled, I followed suit, thankful that I had dressed in comfortable clothing and shoes.

  The afternoon flew by. Lorraine and Gregory seemed to enjoy taking me into a variety of stores and learning of my preferences in clothing styles. I kept trying to explain that I didn’t have the funds to buy anything, especially if I had a wedding to plan and pay for. However, they kept insisting I try on different attire to see what looked best on me. Lorraine was having a field day. I guess because she didn’t have any daughters, I was now the surrogate and recipient of her pent up frustration of not having a girl to dress up. Gregory just watched, a huge smile upon his face.

  Douglas and Grandpa were the lucky ones, escaping to a sporting equipment store in search of a new golf club they’d been looking for. I wished I could be with them instead of being dressed up to the nines like a living Barbie doll.

  Despite my protests, I ended up with several new outfits, shoes and accessories. I looked at the prices on the tags and felt sick to my stomach from all the money that was being spent on me.

  Gregory put his arm around me. “I know it is a lot to get used to, but this is what my family is like. Besides, if they didn’t buy the clothes for you, I would have, because you look amazing in them. I can’t wait to see the navy one on you tomorrow for work.”

  We’d spent so much time shopping that we ended up skipping the movie and instead, decided on a casual dinner. We ended up at Boldman Ale House for some quick food and video games. I had to admit, the place was definitely fun and I felt full of life.

  It was nearly nine before we arrived back at the Worthington’s house. Gregory moved our packages to his car and went to retrieve our bags. I had followed him up to the bedroom to see about straightening the bed and bringing down our used towels, only to find it had already been done. I looked at Gregory quizzically. “We have a housekeeper who helps out, though Mom insists on doing a lot of things, herself.”

  I followed Gregory down the stairs, taking great care with our mystery box. As soon as we reached the living room, I handed it
over to Lorraine for her expert insight.

  She pulled out the items, examining both of them closely with a magnifying glass. “They are definitely authentic and from the Victorian era. I would estimate the time frame to be around 1884 to 1886. These are in pristine condition and would definitely appeal to a collector who enjoys history.”

  She looked to her son with a revelation in her eyes. “These would look remarkable in your upstairs guest room, Gregory.” We both nodded in agreement.

  We exchanged a few more pleasantries, hugs, and well wishes, as I thanked them all for a wonderful weekend. Lorraine made me promise to take time out for a quick lunch with her next week, stating she would be in the downtown area to help with a new display at the Historical Center.

  All of them were so wonderful, insisting that I come back to visit, soon and asked me to consider their place “My home away from home.” Gregory’s family made sure I knew I was now considered a part of theirs.

  I intertwined my hand with Gregory’s as soon as we climbed into his Aston Martin and took off. The lull of the car’s engine played with my senses and lulled me to sleep in no time.

  “Jordan?” I heard his voice gently whisper in my ear, as he softly nudged my shoulder.

  I tried to respond, but my body was too tired to cooperate. Suddenly, I was lifted from the car and carried into the house. As soon as he tried to lay me down on the bed, I grabbed hold of his neck in surprise, scared that the darkness had returned.

  Gregory pulled me close to him, rocking me back and forth, “It’s okay, Darling. I was just putting you in bed, so you could finish your nap. I know you didn’t sleep well last night.”

  I breathed a big sigh of relief. “I was afraid you were the darkness.”

  He sat me back down on the edge of the bed, where I turned to let my feet dangle. “Let me help you with the luggage and bags.”

  “Why don’t you just relax? I can take care of everything, Honey.” He reassured me.

  I got up anyway. “I need to keep my mind occupied.”