by Bob Blanton
Matthew kicked off his shoes and did a quick stretching routine. Then he lay down and stretched his body out, making each part relax separately, until he felt like a bag of bones. He then turned his mind to breathing as he started to meditate. As he lay there relaxing, Emily made her way back into his mind. “She must be getting ready now. I wonder what she’ll wear,” he asked himself. As he relaxed, he could picture her in his mind, as she got ready for their date. She was in her room standing there in front of a mirror in pink bikini panties with a matching bra. They were covered in lace. Matthew relaxed and continued his daydream.
In it, Emily slipped into a blue t-shirt with a picture of the Boston skyline on the front. Then she pulled on a pair of Old Navy khaki pants with a drawstring. Tucking the t-shirt in, she tied the drawstring on the front of the pants. Then she selected a pair of gold hoop earrings and put them on. She still had the diamond stud she wore in the upper piercing in her left ear. She slipped on her brown sandals he’d seen her wear before. Matthew noticed the toe ring she wore. It gave her a more down-to-earth look. Matthew was amazed at how pretty she was. Then Emily fooled around with her hair, putting it up on top, fluffing it; finally, she just put it in a simple ponytail. She put on her watch and looked at the time. Matthew read her watch, 8:00 o’clock. Emily looked startled as though it was later than she expected. She grabbed her Gucci bag and headed out the door.
The thought of time roused Matthew from his daydream. He blinked his eyes as he got up. He looked at the clock, 8:00, “That’s weird, I daydream in real time. I’d better hurry before Jason shows up.” He quickly showered and put on a pair of slacks and a Hawaiian shirt and a pair of Sperry Topsiders. He was at the curb waiting for Jason by 8:25. Jason pulled up at 8:40, demonstrating his usual tardiness. Matthew hopped into the car.
“We’re meeting the girls in front of the theater at 8:50. The show starts at 9:10. I’ve already got the tickets so we can go right in.”
“What do I owe you for the tickets?”
“Don’t worry about it. You buy my popcorn. I guess the girls will buy the drinks or something. I think Emily was serious about the Dutch treat thing.”
“I think so too, any clue why?”
“Probably; she always wants to pay her own way. Who knows?”
“Or it could be she doesn’t want it to be a date,” Matthew sighed.
“Could be, but no pain, no gain. You might as well go down swinging.”
“So what do you think they’ll be wearing, casual or dressy?” Jason asked.
“I’m pretty sure Emily will be casual, something like Old Navy khakis and a t-shirt,” Matthew described what he’d imagined Emily putting on. “Alex might be dressed up. She’s really into looking good.”
“What color t-shirt?”
“Blue, with the city of Boston on the front.” Matthew decided to play along.
“What kind of shoes?” Jason continued the game.
“Brown sandals, no belt and that brown Gucci bag she carries some of the time.”
“What kind of earrings? You might as well go for the whole ensemble.”
“Gold hoops in both ears, and a diamond stud in her left ear, hair in a ponytail.”
“Rings?”
“Probably.”
“What’s the matter, you run out of imagination?”
“Not really, toe ring on the left index toe.”
“That’s the way,” Jason said as he pulled into the parking lot. “There they are.”
“Where?”
“Right there to the right of the entrance. Alex is in the red mini skirt with the white top and Emily is dressed just like you said…. , blue Boston t-shirt.”
“I see them now,” Matthew said as Jason pulled up beside them.
Emily was standing at the curb next to Alex dressed just as Matthew had described it.
“About time you got here,” Emily said.
“I’ll park the car and we’ll be right back. I’ve already got the tickets so we’ve got plenty of time.”
“See, I said we’d have plenty of time,” Alex said, defending Jason.
Jason pulled away searching for a parking space. “She dressed exactly like you said,” Jason gave Matthew a look, “right down to the toe ring.”
“She always wears that toe ring.”
“I know, but you got the rest of it right.”
“Good imagination, huh,” Matthew said, his mind racing. “How could I have gotten it right?” he thought.
“Man, do you have a telescope on her house, or did you guys coordinate clothes over the phone?” Jason asked, as he poked Matthew in the ribs.
He backed the car into the parking space and they got out and headed for the girls.
“We’re going to have a hard time getting seats,” Emily said, glaring at Jason.
“Jason runs on Pacific Winthrop time,” Matthew said, “that’s about twenty minutes after Pacific Standard Time.”
“Oh, I’m not that bad,” Jason said, “and there’s hardly a line yet.”
“Lucky for you it’s not too busy on a Thursday night,” Emily said.
The four went into the theater, Jason handing the tickets to the usher. “I’m going to hit the head while you guys get the drinks and popcorn,” he said. “Save me a seat if you make it to the theater before I get back.”
Alex headed off behind him saying, “I’ve got to make a stop, too,” she said. “See you inside.”
“What’s this head stuff, and do they think we’re buying that bathroom stuff? Alex just went fifteen minutes ago,” Emily said, a little miffed.
“Jason’s family has a big sailboat so he’s into the nautical theme,” Matthew said. “And I guess they want to warm up their lips before they get into the dark space.”
“Oh well, what do you want to drink?” asked Emily.
“I’ll have a Slice and Jason will want a large Diet Coke. I’ll get the popcorn.”
“OK, get me a small one and Alex also. Do you want any candy?” asked Emily.
“No candy for me, but you might get some Sweet Tarts for Jason. He’s a sugar fiend.”
“Alex, too. All right I’ll see you at the cash register,” Emily added.
They paid for the refreshments and headed for the theater, grabbing some salt for the popcorn as they went by the condiment stand. They picked four seats in the back of the theater, center section, and sat down and waited for Alex and Jason to show up.
Jason and Alex showed up just as the movie’s theme music started. Alex scooted past Matthew and sat next to Emily.
As the James Bond theme ended, Matthew turned his attention to the movie. He and Emily shared comments and laughs about the different events in the movie. They generally ignored Alex and Jason who appeared more interested in each other than in the movie.
As the movie was ending, Emily grabbed Alex and said to Matthew and Jason, “We’ll meet you out front,” and she pulled Alex after her. The girls went right to the bathroom.
“Alex, now don’t you bail out on me and go off with Jason,” Emily said. “I don’t want to have to take Matthew home.”
“Why not, don’t you like him?” asked Alex.
“Sure I like him, but as a friend,” Emily said. “I don’t want him reading too much into this. It’s not a date.”
“I’m sure he thinks it is,” Alex said.
“Probably,” Emily said, “still you’re going home with me. If you want to go out with Jason, have him pick you up after he drops Matthew off. Okay?”
“All right, but the guy’s crazy about you,” Alex said. “I know he’s younger than you, but he’s good looking, smart, and he really likes you.”
“I know, but I just want to be friends,” Emily said. “I don’t have time for a relationship now. And he’s too young for me to date, so don’t encourage him.”
“Okay, Okay,” Alex said as she washed her hands. “You don’t have to be so pushy about it.”
“Right, like when you ditched me at the co
untry club,” Emily said.
“All right,” Alex said, “sorry.”
They left the restroom together and found the guys waiting next to all the other guys who were waiting for their dates.
“Hi guys, that was a lot of fun,” Emily said. “I always like James Bond movies, even with all their sexist tripe.”
“Bond always gets his man,” Jason said, “but getting the woman is what makes the movie.”
“It’s late and I’ve got an early court time tomorrow,” Emily said, “We’ll see you guys later.”
“It’s early,” Jason said, “you sure you don’t want to go check out the new music at Bodey’s?”
“No, I’ve got to get home,” Emily said. “Maybe we can do another movie before school starts.”
“Sure, and maybe we can play some tennis later,” Matthew said, watching the two girls walk off into the parking lot.
“Well, that sure ended fast,” he said.
“You two seemed to be having a good time in the movie,” Jason said.
“How would you know?” Matthew asked. “Did you and Alex see any part of the movie?”
“Sure we did,” Jason said. “We’ll probably have to come back and see it again, but we had fun.”
“I could tell,” Matthew said with a little envy in his voice.
Matthew was quiet during the ride back to his house. “I’ve got to figure out what’s going on. That’s twice I’ve seen something that there’s no way I could have seen. What is happening to me? Is this some psychic phenomenon or something? Next thing I know, I’ll be on Secrets of the Paranormal. ‘Young man sees women undressing and dressing, what strange powers does he possess?’ —I’ve got to figure this out,” he thought to himself.
Jason dropped Matthew off. “See you Saturday,” he said as he spun the car around and headed out.
“Probably going to Alex’s,” thought Matthew. “Now what the heck have I been seeing?” he said to himself.
Experimental Visions
Matthew awoke late Friday morning. He’d stayed up late trying to figure out what was going on with him. “Twice, I’ve seen something I couldn’t have seen. There has to be a common element, or am I just going nuts,” he thought. “No, even Jason had confirmed that I must have seen Emily getting dressed,” he said to himself, pounding his fist into his hand.
Matthew decided to try to duplicate everything he did the day before when he had seen Emily. He did the same workout followed by the same stretching routine. Afterwards, he lay down on the floor to meditate just as he’d done the day before. Nothing happened. “I’ve got to figure this thing out,” he said to himself. “Maybe I’m trying too hard.”
He tried to totally relax, emptying his mind, still nothing. He tried for another hour but to no avail. He got up and showered, because he had an appointment with a client to fix his computer at 10:00. After his shower he went back to his room to dress. He decided that since this was one of his regular clients, he could get away with wearing shorts and his tennis shoes. It was already hot this morning and he didn’t want to put any more on than he had to. He would have to ride his bike five miles to the client’s house. After dressing he picked up his watch from the dresser and put it on. Then he grabbed the stone amulet and slipped it over his head.
As he was fingering the stone, he felt the unique vibration that he always felt when holding it, almost imperceptible.
“Geez, how stupid can I be, of course it’s got to be the stone. I was wearing it both days, and this vibration thing has to be related. It’s the same feeling I get when I meditate.”
Matthew tried to relax and focus on Emily. “Let’s see if this is it,” he thought. His breathing relaxed and moved lower into his abdomen, and the sense of vibration increased. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his mind empty, just the hint of Emily in it. He starting feeling like he did when he’d seen her the day before, but he couldn’t see anything. “Drat! Nothing.” Deciding to give up, he slowly opened his eyes, and there she was. She was at the tennis court working with Carrie McClintock, the other major star from the tennis team. They were standing close to the net. Emily was just hitting the ball back to Carrie. Carrie immediately shot it back to Emily. They had three more exchanges before Emily hit the ball into the net. Then laughing, she darted to her left to pick it up and took a position in front of Carrie again. She hit a soft lob to Carrie. Carrie returned it with a little more pace. They hit it faster each time. After five exchanges, Carrie didn’t get her racquet on the ball squarely and it hit the ground and rolled away. Both girls walked to the net and started chatting. Matthew couldn’t hear anything, but based on their body language, they were talking about tennis.
The image suddenly faded away. “That’s weird, it only works with my eyes open,” Matthew said. “Well, whatever, now let’s see if I can see Jason.” He again emptied his mind, keeping a hint of Jason at the fringe. It took him a long time to get the right feeling; once he had it, he was looking at Jason’s room. Jason was sprawled across the sofa in his room, talking on the phone.
Again, Matthew could see him talking, but couldn’t hear him. He was able to make out that he was talking to Alex.
Matthew started to feel exhausted and the image disappeared. “Well that’s good. I seem to be able to control the images, and it’s not repressed sexual urges creating them,” He said. “At least I hope not.”
“How about my mom?” Matthew asked himself. He relaxed and tried to see his mother. After a while he gave up, “Why wouldn’t I be able to see Mom?” he asked. He tried Emily again, but he couldn’t bring a vision into view. “I must have used it up for today,” he said. “I’ll give it a rest and try tomorrow.”
It wasn’t until the next day that Matthew was able to bring up an image of Emily again. Immediately he tried his mother and she came into view. She was seated in her office at the university working on some papers. Matthew paused with this view. He had never really looked at his mother this way before. Usually he was talking or arguing with her, but here he could just examine her. His mother was dressed nicely as she always did for work. Her desk was piled high with papers and books. She had her usual makeup on, but she looked really tired as she studied the paper she was reading. He knew things had been tough, dealing with the insurance and the hospital after his father’s death had taken its toll. She’d been having trouble sleeping, and now that he was looking, the stress really showed on her face.
“I’ve got to figure out a way to make enough money to get the hospital off our backs,” Matthew said to himself, as he turned back to the client’s computer he was working on. It had quit chattering away on its hard drive so it was ready for the next step. Matthew quickly finished restoring the computer to working order and headed home.
. . .
Matthew spent the following week working on controlling his virtual camera. He tried to get it down to where he could switch it on quickly. By the end of the week he could get a view of his mother or Jason in a couple of seconds. Now he decided to spend some time trying to figure out whom else he could see.
“Let’s try Alex,” he said. “No dice, hum, I wonder why not her?”
“What about Jessica?” he asked. Immediately he saw her at the neighbor’s house. The two girls were watching the new Jungle Book movie, Jessica’s latest favorite.
“Now what about Jennifer?” Nothing happened. Matthew kept trying but he couldn’t bring forth a vision of Jennifer.
“OK, what about Grandma Brandt? Let’s check out the distance.”
As Matthew thought of his father’s mother, who lived outside Bridgeport, Connecticut, she came into view. She was working in her garden behind the house, picking tomatoes from her vines. She was always proud of her tomatoes; they tasted sweeter than any others he’d tasted. Matthew’s mouth watered as he watched her pick the large red fruit from the vines. She carefully cut the stem and wiped the tomatoes with a cloth before putting them into her basket.
“Well it seems to work for
close acquaintances and family members but not just anyone I know. I guess that would leave out enemies like Tyler.”
As Matthew thought of his arch-nemesis, a view of Tyler running stairs at the football stadium came into view. Tyler was sweating from the strain as he ran up the stairs. Matthew watched him run two more flights.
“Oh, I guess it does work for people I don’t like,” Matthew thought, “might be a convenient way to keep tabs on them.”
On the last flight of stairs Tyler started yelling at himself. “What are you, a wimp? Pick it up. No loafing, dig, dig, dig!” he screamed as he struggled to race up the last flight. At the top he stopped to catch his breath, his legs quivering from the effort. “You’ve got to keep working if you want to play in the big leagues, sissy,” he yelled at himself as he started down the stairs.
“Whoa, sound,” Matthew said. “I must not know how to control the volume yet; I could barely hear Tyler and he was shouting.”
Later that day as Matthew was coasting his bike down the hill toward his house, his mind drifted to Emily. He saw her as she and Carrie were walking in the parking lot at the country club. They were chatting back and forth about their practice and the tournament on Saturday. He focused hard on being able to hear them and the conversation came in. It was as if they were whispering so Matthew had to really concentrate to hear them.
“How do you feel about your chance next week?” Emily asked Carrie.
“Good, I’ve beaten the girl I’m playing the last two times we’ve played,” Carrie said. “But I’ve never heard of this Kirsten chick that you’re playing.”
“I’ll have to check around to see how she plays,” said Emily. “I wonder if anyone knows her.”
“No, she’s from the East Coast, so nobody around here has seen her play,” said Carrie. “I hear she has a high ranking.”
“Great, just what I need,” said Emily, “a tough opponent that I know nothing about.”
By this time Matthew had reached the bend in the road, but since his concentration on hearing the two girls, he didn’t see it. The next thing he knew he was in the hedges in front of Jennifer’s house.