Mind Slide

by Glenn Bullion

  She didn't get a lot of that growing up, and she would never have the chance.

  The room was a touch on the red side. There were more flowers and chairs, and paintings on the walls. Dad was in an open coffin, his arms straight at his sides, wearing a suit.

  Waves of emotions constantly attacked her. She could only look at his peaceful visage for a moment before walking away crying, then repeating the process. There was anger for her father never being there. She was angry at herself for always being angry at her father, and at the drunk driver that hit her father on the highway, killing them both. There was sadness for the drunk driver's family.

  So much anger and sadness.

  In the middle of all the emotions were the circumstances she had to deal with. She never had anything to do with a wake or funeral before. Dad's lawyer, a man named Barry, was taking care of everything. Apparently Dad had set everything up ahead of time regarding his death. Barry would read the will after the funeral. Kelly nearly cried at the thought of her father sitting around with a lawyer, planning out his death.

  She gave Barry the lawyer a small wave as he poked his head in the room once again. She appreciated the fact that he checked up on her. No doubt a request from Dad.

  The viewing hours were nearly over when two men walked into the room. They strolled over to the book near the door and signed their names. She was annoyed at first, just wanting to go home and cry alone.

  Surprise hit her when she recognized one of them.

  Same close blond hair cut, same strong build. He hadn't aged much at all, except for a little more experience behind the eyes. He wore a white shirt and tie instead of a blue uniform. She'd seen him a lot after the days of her kidnapping, and owed him her life.

  “Officer Brian?” she asked. “Is that you?”

  He smiled. “Hi, Kelly. Please, just call me Brian. Wow, you've, uh, grown.”

  Her weight was fine, so he was either complimenting her figure, or just very uncomfortable.

  She looked at the man next to Brian for the first time.

  He didn't look at her. His eyes were locked on Dad, just fifteen feet away. He looked to be about her age. Very attractive. Short black hair and dark brown eyes. Well muscled, but slouched a little. He looked a little pale, like he'd been sick.

  She didn't think he was related to Brian. They looked nothing alike. Brian looked like he'd just left work. His friend looked like he lounged around all day in jeans and a black tee shirt.

  Kelly tried to subtly get his attention with her eyes. She flashed Brian a smile, then looked back to his friend again.

  Brian got the hint.

  “Mason, buddy?” he said, nudging Mason's shoulder. “Are you okay?”

  Hearing his name was like a punch to the gut.

  That old bitterness started to rise up once again. She held onto it like a long lost friend. It was far easier to be bitter than it was to cry.

  Mason shook his head and looked into Kelly's eyes. He had vomited in the bathroom just ten minutes before, and felt like he could again. His emotions were causing him physical problems.

  He couldn't believe Doc was gone. He almost fell to the floor when Brian called him. It took standing in the same room with his dead corpse before it finally became real.

  At odds with his grief were the butterflies in his stomach from being in the same space with Kelly again. He knew she would never know it, or probably even see it the same way, but they went through a very traumatic experience together. He was with her in that dark, terrifying basement. No one else could say that.

  It was silly, but he felt like they had some kind of connection.

  Kelly felt no such connection.

  “Hi. I'm Mason Thomas.” He extended his hand. “I've heard a lot about you. I've always wanted to meet you.”

  She didn't shake his hand. All of those lonely nights at the dinner table came rushing back to her. All because little Mason had a screw loose. She had no idea why he was at Yingling, and didn't care.

  “I wish I could say the same.”

  The tension was thick. Mason let his hand fall to his side. Brian looked around awkwardly. He wanted to stay with his best friend, but saw Barry motioning for his attention.

  “You gonna be okay?” he asked Mason. “That guy is signaling me over there.”

  Kelly turned around. “That's Barry, my father's lawyer.”

  “Yeah, I'm fine,” Mason said, looking at Kelly and Brian both. “I won't be long. I just want to say goodbye to Doc.”

  Kelly scoffed at the nickname.

  The three went in different directions. Brian walked over to talk to Barry. Kelly sat in a chair against the wall while Mason slowly approached the open coffin.

  She crossed her legs and smoothed her skirt. She double checked her panty hose to make sure it covered the scars on her foot. The biggest scar, the one that stretched from her big toe almost to her ankle, was nearly visible. She uncrossed her legs and moved her bad foot behind the other.

  She didn't mean to eavesdrop. The room was small and everything was so quiet.

  “Now you get to mind slide, Doc,” Mason said. “I always liked the Eiffel Tower, myself. I'll miss you.”

  Kelly narrowed her eyes and stared at Mason's back. He seemed sane at first glance, but she reminded herself he spent a long time in her father's care at the nuthouse.

  Strangely, he was the only one of her father's patients that showed up to pay his respects.

  That eased her bitterness. Just a little.

  He turned around and caught her staring. She stood up and walked toward him. He actually flinched and backed up a step. They moved away from the coffin. She stood next to him and watched Brian and Barry talk on the other side of the room.

  How did Brian and Mason meet? It had to be through Yingling, no doubt after the kidnapping. Her father spent a lot of time with Mason, and Brian spent time after the kidnapping with her father. They probably bumped into each other somewhere along the way, and became friends.

  Did Mason know of her kidnapping?

  “The funeral is tomorrow,” Kelly told him, an edge still in her voice. “At ten in the morning.”

  He swallowed and nodded. She intimidated him. The truth was simple. He wasn't good with women. He was not the dashing, confident man that took charge of a room.

  “I know,” he muttered.

  He wiped a tear from his face. Kelly caught him out of the corner of her eye.

  “You knew my father a long time.”

  “We had a...weird relationship.”

  She gave her father a quick glance and felt the familiar sadness she carried her whole life.

  “Well, whatever it was, it was more than we had.”

  Mason looked at her. He remembered Doc's face on the night of her kidnapping. The pain, the fear in his eyes.

  “He loved you. You know that, right?”

  She smirked sadly and shrugged. “If you say so.”

  Brian walked back and stopped when he saw Mason and Kelly. He looked surprised to see them standing together.

  “You ready to go?” he asked Mason.

  “Yeah, I'm ready.” He looked at Kelly. “I'll see you tomorrow at the funeral.”

  Kelly said nothing. She simply nodded and watched the two men leave.

  Chapter 10

  The funeral didn't go exactly as Kelly thought it would.

  Mason and she were the only two that attended.

  Barry warned her that might happen. A high attendance for a viewing didn't always translate to a big funeral. It was a little awkward. She didn't talk to Mason at all. It was all she could do to keep together behind her sunglasses as they lowered her father into the ground.

  Afterward, alone in her car, she cried for at least a half hour.

  Sadly, her day wasn't over yet.

  She needed to drive downtown to meet with Barry at his office, for the reading of her father's will. She didn't have the slightest clue if he left her anything. She was his only living rela
tive, but she imagined he would keep the few friends he had in mind. Plus there was Yingling, where he worked the later years of his life. He would probably leave something for them as well.

  She almost cried again at the thought of the later years of his life.

  Dad's life was over.

  She barely got to know him.

  She navigated the busy downtown streets and found a parking spot two blocks from Barry's office. She wished she would have went home and changed after the funeral. It was hard to jog across the street in her dress.

  A cute secretary led Kelly to Barry's office. It was small and cozy. He gave Kelly a sad smile and offered her a seat.

  “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

  She sat and subconsciously hid her scarred foot. Normally she wore sneakers and socks, but that didn't go well with a black dress.

  “No, thank you.”

  “How was the funeral?”

  A ridiculous question. “Very, very sad. Only me and that crazy guy were there. Mason.”

  She almost laughed when she thought of Mason in the suit he wore to the funeral. It barely fit him, much too large. He must have borrowed it from Brian.

  There was a knock at the door. Kelly turned in her chair to see Mason poking his head into the office.

  “I'm sorry,” he said. “Should I come back?”

  Barry smiled. “No, no, Mason. Come on in. We were just talking about you.”

  “Good things, I hope.”

  Kelly said nothing. She was stunned that her father included a patient in his will. She hated herself for it, but her jealousy was back in full force.

  Unlike Kelly, he had changed clothes before driving downtown. He wore blue jeans and a short-sleeved tee shirt. There were three chairs across from Barry's desk. Mason sat on the far end, leaving a chair between him and Kelly. He gave her a shy smile.

  “Okay.” Barry slipped on a pair of glasses. “I'm sure none of this will come as a surprise. Let's get started.”

  “Wait,” Kelly said. “No one else is coming? It's just me and him?”

  “Albert didn't discuss anything with you?”

  Kelly and Mason both shook their heads.

  “Well, I guess some of this will be a surprise. Kelly, he left me a note he wanted me to read. 'Dear Kelly. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to take care of you during my life. I was a terrible father, and believe me, I'm very sorry. I hope I'll be able to take care of you now that I'm gone.'”

  Kelly inherited her father's house. She would have inherited his car as well, but that was totaled in a junkyard somewhere.

  Tears ran down her face as Barry set the will down to give her a few minutes. She never dreamed of owning a house. Working as a waitress didn't exactly give her high hopes.

  “He left me his house?” she finally asked.

  Barry nodded. “Yes. The house is bought and paid for, and it's yours to do whatever you want with. There's property tax, of course, but the neighborhood is very nice.”

  Kelly dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. She noticed Mason looking at her patiently. He looked sad for her, which she thought was sweet. She tried to hold onto her anger, but was tired of being angry.

  She realized she didn't even know where her father lived. He switched houses right after she moved out a few years ago.

  “And Mason,” Barry said. “This is for you.”

  The lawyer reached under his desk and pulled out a plain brown box. It wasn't large or heavy. He set it in front of Mason.

  “Thank you.”

  Mason planned on opening it with Lucy back at the apartment. Barry and Kelly both kept their eyes on him, waiting for him to open it.

  So much for privacy.

  Kelly felt bad for him as he pulled the tape off the box to reveal packing peanuts. Her father left her a house. He left Mason a box.

  Mason's eyes widened when he pulled out the picture in a wooden frame.

  His parents, in the park, holding him in front of a swing set.

  He ran his finger across the glass. He tried to hold in the tears, but wasn't successful. His breathing was under control, but he didn't know for how long. He had to leave soon, or he'd be bawling in full view for everyone to see.

  He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over at Kelly, who actually had concern in her eyes. He touched her hand, only for a second, then rose to leave.

  “Thank you,” he said. “Uh, is it okay to leave?”

  Barry motioned for him to sit back down.

  “There's just one more thing. Moving past the property, we've also got the financial assets. Savings accounts, his own inheritance. He wanted his accounts to be split evenly between the both of you. You'll both get a little over two million dollars.”

  Mason and Kelly were quiet. There was silence in the room as Barry searched their faces. They both looked at each other, then back to Barry.

  “I take it this is a surprise, too,” he said.

  “Two million dollars?” Kelly said.

  Mason shook his head. “That isn't right. I'm not a blood relative. It should all go to Kelly.”

  Kelly looked at Mason. She could see he was serious. He would give her two million dollars.

  Every preconceived notion she had about the man who spent so much time in the nuthouse was gone.

  “My father was rich?”

  Barry nodded. “He inherited from his family. And now he's passed it on to the both of you.”

  Kelly barely remembered signing what seemed like one hundred forms in Barry's office. Mason didn't have as much to sign and had already left. The whole thing felt like a dream.

  It became real when Barry handed her an address and a set of house keys.

  “If you need anything,” he said. “Don't hesitate to call.”

  She thanked him and left the office. She stepped onto the sidewalk into the early afternoon sun, not bothering to move as people walked around her.

  She didn't know what she was supposed to do. It felt like her life that she crafted over the past few years was gone. She had to start over.

  She laughed at herself.

  What life, exactly?

  She had a dead end job and no friends. She didn't go out on Friday night. She didn't go to parties. She didn't invite anyone over to watch a movie. She didn't even have a pet to feed.

  She was the most pathetic person she knew.

  Maybe a fresh start was exactly what she needed.

  Thanks to her father, that was possible.

  She saw Mason near the curb, a few cars away from where she stood. He was folding the soft-top down on an old Jeep Wrangler. He looked up at her as she approached him.

  The picture he cherished was on the passenger's seat.

  “Look, I don't want your money,” she said, standing a little too close for comfort. Mason leaned back on his Jeep. “My father left that for you. He wanted to split everything, so that's what we'll do.”

  He gave a small smile and nodded. They both stood awkwardly for a few seconds. Mason jumped when a car drove by and honked at someone.

  “So,” Kelly said, wanting to fill the silence. “We're both millionaires. What are you going to buy first?”

  It was a joke, but Mason thought seriously.

  “Let's go get something to eat,” he said, pointing down the sidewalk. “There's a great Chinese place just around the corner.”

  She laughed. “Uh, no. I don't eat lunch with people. Besides, I'm not exactly dressed for lunch.”

  Mason looked at her dress, which made Kelly feel self conscious.

  “You never eat lunch with anyone? Ever?”

  Kelly felt foolish, but shook her head.

  “Wow. That's weird. I figured guys would be asking you out all the time.” He shrugged, reached into the Jeep for his picture, then gave her another smile. “You have a nice day.”

  He walked away and rounded the corner, the picture under his arm.

  Kelly knew he was right.

  It was weird.

  Sh
e was weird.

  She had just done what she had been doing all her life. Pushed someone away.

  Her kidnapping ruled too many parts of her life. She never left home without pepper spray, always walked in a crowd at night.

  She never made any friends.

  She hadn't even met Mason until recently, but she decided she wasn't going to like him a long time ago. She blamed her father, and Mason, for every bad thing in her life. But the truth was she was responsible. When her father tried to make amends, she pushed him away.

  Now he was gone.

  What possible harm could it do just to eat lunch with someone? What was she afraid of?

  Out of habit, she checked for her pepper spray in her purse.

  She followed in the direction Mason went.

  *****

  Mason carefully set the picture of his parents on the table as a young lady gave him a smile and a menu. The picture was gone for so long. He was taking no chances. There was no way he would leave it alone out in his open Jeep while he ate.

  He stared at his parents, who stared back at him.

  “Thank you, Doc,” he whispered.

  Doc had come through for him.

  The picture meant more to him than two million dollars.

  He didn't plan on spending much of it anyway.

  He heard the front door open, and looked up at the beautiful Kelly. He was surprised to see her. It was obvious she had very bad feelings for him. He fully expected her to turn down his lunch invitation.

  He didn't expect her to change her mind.

  The hostess tried to lead her to a seat, but she shook her head and pointed at Mason.

  He felt himself clamming up already.

  “Hi,” she said as she sat across from him. “Actually, I am hungry. You said this was a good place?”

  He swallowed hard. “Yeah. Brian and I eat here all the time.”

  Kelly ordered a soda and gave Mason a smile.

  “Did Brian ever tell you how we met?” she asked casually, looking down at her menu.

  “No, he didn't,” he answered honestly.

  She didn't offer any information, and he didn't push for any.

  It was going to be a very delicate dance.

  Mason could almost visualize under the table. There was no doubt she was hiding her right foot, even while in a restaurant.