The Incubus

by Len du Randt

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  ‘Pregnant?’ Rebecca asked once they were outside.

  ‘I dunno,’ Justin said and shrugged. ‘I guess this scan will confirm it.’

  Rebecca bit her lower lip. ‘We’re not prepared for this,’ she said and fought back the tears that were trying to break through.

  ‘I know,’ Justin said and hugged her tightly. ‘I’m sure it’s nothing.’ In his gut he hoped that the doctor was wrong and that she merely ate something bad. They wouldn’t be able to afford a baby right now and he silently hoped that this problem would somehow just disappear. ‘Either way,’ he said. ‘We’ll be fine.’

  She looked up into his eyes and searched for a glimmer of hope. ‘You think so?’

  Justin nodded. ‘Everything will turn out fine,’ he said. ‘Trust me.’

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  The reception area at the gynaecologist’s consulting room was small, yet had a certain warm feel to it. Justin found the silence extremely uncomfortable and almost overwhelming. Shifting one’s weight on the wooden chairs made a creaking sound to which everyone present looked up. Justin didn’t feel at home enough to read one of the magazines on the table in the middle of the room, so he played a game on his cell phone instead.

  ‘Rebecca Greene?’ A voice came from the small passage way.

  Rebecca put down the magazine she was reading and Justin quit his game and switched off his cell. They followed the doctor down the passage and were guided into her office.

  ‘Please,’ the doctor said. ‘Have a seat.’ Justin and Rebecca sat down while the doctor took her place behind the huge desk. ‘I’m Doctor Taylor,’ she said. ‘Doctor Jacobs sent me your urine and blood samples.’

  Rebecca nodded.

  ‘Congratulations,’ she said.

  Both Justin and Rebecca murmured their thanks.

  Doctor Taylor then asked a few routine questions and worked out the baby’s expected due date. Taking the information from the form that Rebecca filled out, she calculated the baby to arrive shortly before Christmas. She then asked Rebecca to change into a robe, after which she led the couple to a smaller adjacent room with a reclining hospital bed inside.

  The first thing Justin saw when he entered the room was the bed. Then he noticed the strange equipment next to the bed that consisted mainly of a strange looking monitor and keyboard, and finally he noticed the massive painting against the side wall. The painting was an elegant one of a pregnant woman. Inside the woman’s womb the viewer could see the baby, upside down and fully formed. Ready to be born.

  Rebecca lay down on the bed and drew a blanket over her legs.

  Justin could sense that she was just as nervous as he was. Doctor Taylor produced a long white plastic tube that reminded Justin of an electric toothbrush.

  Doctor Taylor lubricated the tube and her hand disappeared underneath the thin blanket. A few seconds later, something moved on the screen. ‘That’s the Amniotic sac,’ she explained as she pointed to a black spot on the screen.

  ‘Where’s the baby?’ Justin asked.

  ‘The foetus won’t be visible at this stage,’ she said. ‘We gauge the age by measuring the sac itself.’ She clicked on one end of the black spot and again on the other end. She then pressed a button, and the machine responded with a beep and a printout of the spot. After a few seconds, she pressed the button again, and another photo appeared.

  ‘All right, you can get dressed now,’ she told Rebecca and then allowed the couple a moment alone before meeting them at her desk again. ‘So far everything appears to be fine,’ she said and handed them one of the printouts. She stapled the other printout to her notes, which she kept in a file.

  ‘How old is the baby?’ Rebecca asked shyly.

  ‘Five weeks, and one day,’ the doctor said. I’m giving you a repeat prescription for vitamins that I would like you to take once, daily. I would also like you to go into the hospital after confirming your next appointment with my secretary, and have the Pathologist test your blood for cholesterol, iron, blood type, and immunity against Rubella.’

  Rebecca flinched. She didn’t like the idea of being prodded with needles again, but her joy about the pregnancy overshadowed her fear of needles.

  Doctor Taylor wrote a letter that Rebecca had to deliver to the Pathology department. ‘To minimize morning sickness,’ she said, ‘you could eat dry fruit or biscuits before you get out of bed, and break your meals into smaller portions spread out during the course of the day.’

  Justin made mental notes as Doctor Taylor made more suggestions. They then left the office and made another appointment at the reception desk. After fifteen minutes at the Pathology department, the dumbstruck couple headed for their car; their lives, for better or worse, irrevocably changed in the course of a single hour.

   

  Chapter 2

   

   

  Simon inhaled deeply. He loved the fresh smell of early morning air. There was a certain sense of purity in the early morning breeze that one wouldn’t find after the rush-hour smog.

  Coffee, Simon thought. That’s what I’ll start my day with.

  It was his day off and he wanted to savour every moment of it. ‘Where to begin,’ he said as he looked in both directions up and down the road. He figured that he would get started with a fresh cup of coffee and a muffin at a local coffee shop. From there it would be a movie followed by a few hours’ worth of reading in the park. The mall then, he thought. It’s closer to the movie theatres.

  ‘Good morning,’ he greeted a jogger. She frowned and side-stepped him before jogging away without returning the greeting.

  It’s sad what this world has come to, Simon thought, that two strangers simply couldn’t greet each other anymore.

  He took another deep breath and continued his stroll down the sidewalk. Simon wondered how many people stopped for a moment to admire the beauty in a few golden rays of sunlight as it passed through the leaves of overhead trees. He wondered how many people even stopped to notice the cheerful chirping of the birds as they announced the birth of a new day. At street level, rush-hour traffic was slowly building up. Simon just shook his head at the expressionless faces in the cars that drove past him.

  Solomon was right. All this is truly a pursuit of wind; a mad rush for nothing.

  Even though he too was part of the proverbial “rat race,” he never considered himself to be one of the rats. Simon only did what he did for a living in order to pay the bills at the end of the month. He found greater satisfaction in the smaller things in life. He especially loved helping people. The real pleasure was in changing lives; especially when they weren’t aware of it. It was the thrill of seeing people’s lives altered for better that motivated and drove him. He never once considered a financial award for what he did, and would never accept any if ever offered. In a way, he felt like a super hero: Mild mannered computer geek at day; defender of the innocents at night.

  Simon chuckled. Defender of the innocents. Yeah right.

  He continued his stroll toward the mall at a lazy pace, soaking in the beauty of his surroundings. When he reached a small patch of flowers, Simon stopped. He hunched down next to the flowers and picked one.

  ‘Samantha,’ he said as he smelled the flower.

  Rolling the little stem of the flower between his thumb and forefinger, Simon stood up and continued walking.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  ‘I hate you!’ the girl screamed at her stepfather as loud as she could manage.

  ‘Don’t you raise your voice at me, young lady,’ the man shouted back. ‘Just do as you’re told!’

  ‘You’re not my boss! You’re not my father!’

  With th
at, she stormed from the apartment and slammed the door behind her.

  ‘Go on, you tramp,’ her stepfather hollered at the closed door. ‘See if I care. See if anybody cares.’ He took a swig of his bottle of cheap brandy. ‘Nobody cares about you! You hear?’ The stepfather grunted and fell down onto the couch. A few minutes later he was fast asleep and snoring loudly.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  The slamming door made Simon look up. A teenage girl walked from one of the cut-and-paste houses down the road to the steps leading down to the street and sat down. She covered her face in her hands and shook as she sobbed loudly.

  Simon wondered if he should approach her. Something in him urged him to.

  ‘I hate him,’ she sobbed as Simon walked closer. ‘I hate that man.’

  Simon hunched down in front of the girl. She looked up and forced herself to stop crying—as if embarrassed to be crying at her age—and wiped at her face with her sleeve.

  Simon just smiled at the girl. She didn’t say anything; didn’t know what to say to a stranger that just walked up to her and smiled without saying a word.

  ‘He doesn’t mean the things he says,’ Simon said. ‘He’s been hurt and wounded in his past and it affects the way he treats people today. He can’t help it.’

  ‘What?’ The girl asked. ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Your stepfather.’

  The girl frowned. She searched her memory for where she might have met this man before, but drew a blank. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘But I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  ‘You hate it when he orders you around as if though he’s your father, right?’

  The girl didn’t say anything. Her eyes remained locked onto his.

  ‘You’re sick of being treated like a nobody, and the only way out at this moment for you appears to be suicide.’

  She couldn’t hide the shocked expression on her face. ‘Who…who are you?’ The girl asked. ‘How do you know these things?’

  Simon shrugged. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I just do.’ He then smiled. ‘My name is Simon.’

  The girl sniffed and wiped at the sticky tears drying on her cheek. ‘Why do you care?’ she asked. ‘Why should anyone care?’

  ‘I care because God cares,’ Simon said. ‘He loves you more than you could ever comprehend,’

  ‘God doesn’t love me,’ she said. ‘If He did, He would never have put that man in my life.’

  ‘God loves all people,’ Simon said with a calm and soothing voice. ‘Including him. He didn’t put your stepfather in your life. He put you in your stepfather’s life.’

  The girl didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Simon could see from the look in her eyes that she understood.

  ‘You are the one who will ultimately make a change in that man’s life, for better or for worse. It’s up to you to decide which.’

  The girl broke eye contact and looked down at her thin hands. ‘But who will be there for me?’

  ‘God looks over you,’ Simon said and held up the flower. He gave it a little whirl with his fingers. ‘He created this flower just for you, Samantha.’

  The girl held her hand to her mouth. ‘How did you know my name...?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Simon shrugged and smiled. He handed her the flower. ‘I just do.’

  She just sat there for a moment, lost in deep thought. ‘What do I do?’ she finally asked. ‘Where do I start?’

  ‘Start with yourself,’ Simon answered. ‘Forgiveness is the key. You have to forgive yourself and then forgive him. Also forgive your mother and your biological father.’

  ‘And then?’

  ‘Then the healing can begin. Teach your stepfather how to forgive those who wronged him in the past.’

  Samantha weighed his words. Finally her face lit up. This stranger knew her name. He knew about her stepfather. He also knew that she wanted to commit suicide. She figured that the least she could do was listen to his advice. ‘I’ll do it,’ she said and stood up. ‘I’ll do what you suggested.’

  Simon smiled and also stood up. He was much taller than the teenage girl that stood on the steps in front of him.

  ‘Thank you, Simon,’ she said and her lips pulled into a smile. She finally had a purpose in life; a goal. Samantha then turned and ran back to the house. She glanced from the door and smiled once more at Simon before closing it.

  Simon took another deep whiff of air before continuing his stroll to the coffee shop.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  ‘We’re going to be parents,’ Justin said, still unable to believe the words leaving his mouth. ‘I…I’m going to be a father.’

  Rebecca forced a smile. She didn’t know whether Justin was happy or unhappy about the fact that they were having a baby. She always wanted children, but Justin was dead set against it until—according to him—the time was “right”. She figured it was his way of politely saying, “forget about it.”

  ‘I guess we have to celebrate,’ he said as they left the hospital. ‘How about I treat you to something to drink?’

  ‘That sounds great,’ Rebecca said and held up her hand. ‘No alcohol though.’

  ‘Definitely not,’ Justin said, trying to sound as light hearted as he could manage. ‘No alcohol or caffeine.’

  ‘No coffee?’ Rebecca asked and made a sad face.

  ‘No coffee for the mommy,’ Justin said and hugged her. ‘Doctor’s orders.’ He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. ‘Come,’ he said. ‘We’ll get you something nice.’

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  Simon stirred his coffee slowly. He wondered how things would turn out in Samantha’s household.

  Samantha, he thought and a shiver crawled down his spine. How did I know her name? How did I know about her personal problems? He sipped at his coffee and thought back to many similar incidents in the past where he just somehow knew certain things about people without knowing how he knew it.

  There was the lady with the missing dog, Simon thought and chuckled. There was the husband who had lost his wife to cancer. And then there was the missing girl; Lucy.

  A few weeks ago, Simon had an urge to knock on the door of a certain house that he had never seen or been to before. He found out that the daughter of the couple living there had disappeared without a trace three days earlier. Somehow Simon just knew where they could find her. The father’s brother had taken the nine-year old and had locked her up in his basement. The idea was to collect ransom for the girl before returning her to her parents. All parties involved were highly emotional. The parents were disgusted because a trusted relative would kidnap their daughter. Simon was bewildered because he had some sort of universal knowledge that he was not supposed to possess. Over time, he learned to embrace his “gift” and just go with it. Sometimes something would happen that still managed to surprise even him, but he realized that the more he listened and acted upon his instincts, the stronger it became.

  ‘Spot,’ a man said from the table behind Simon. ‘We’ll call it spot for now.’

  A woman giggled.

  ‘How much longer until we see something other than a black spot on the sonars?’ the man asked.

  ‘About two more weeks,’ the woman said softly.

  Simon smiled. The miracle of new life always made him feel good inside.

  There was a moment of silence before the man spoke again. His voice was softer now; more concerned. ‘We’ll get through this, baby, you’ll see.’

  ‘I know,’ the woman said. ‘I’m just a little worried about our finances. That’s all.’

  More silence.

  ‘We’ll be fine,’ the man tried to re-assure her. ‘I’ll try extra hard to ge
t a job this week. I mean, how hard can it be to get a job in the computer industry with my qualifications?’

  The couple finished their drinks while discussing their financial concerns and how to break the news to their families. When they finally paid the waitress, they stood up to leave. It was when they walked past Simon that he gently took hold of the man’s arm.

  ‘Excuse me, Justin,’ Simon said. ‘Am I right in saying that you’re looking for a job in the computer industry?’

  The man looked at Simon with a puzzled expression. ‘Yes...?’ he said reluctantly. ‘I’m sorry, but do I know you?’

  Simon smiled. ‘My apologies,’ he said. ‘I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I overheard your conversation. Congratulations by the way.’

  ‘Erm…Thank you,’ Justin said and shook Simon’s hand.

  ‘I tell you what,’ Simon said. ‘Give me your contact details, and I’ll pass it along to my employer. As far as I know, we are looking for more technicians at the moment.’

  Justin looked at his wife. She merely smiled, but the look in her eyes and the nod of her head made it crystal clear that he should give his details to the stranger.

  Justin borrowed a pen from a waitress and scribbled his details on a piece of scrap paper. He handed it to Simon. ‘Thank you,’ he said, unable to hide the bemused tone in his voice. ‘I’m sorry, but I didn’t get your name.’

  ‘It’s Simon.’

  ‘Thank you, Simon.’

  The two men shook hands again and, still baffled, Justin and his wife left the coffee shop.

   

   

  *    -    -    -    *

   

   

  The first thing Rebecca did when they got home was call her parents. Both her and Justin’s parents were equally thrilled to hear that they were going to be grandparents, and immediately felt the need to take charge and start planning everything.

  Although most of the tension had been placed on temporary hold by the potential job that Justin could get, he still felt a hollow feeling in his gut. There was a constant gnawing at the back of his mind that he was forgetting something; that he wasn’t ready to be a father just yet. He figured it best to keep his feelings to himself for now and pretend to be happy; for now at least. Justin waited until Rebecca put down the phone. ‘I’m going to update my résumé,’ he said and pointed in the direction of the study.

  ‘Enjoy it, Love,’ Rebecca said and snuck in a kiss. ‘I’m going to call Tanya and tell her. She’ll be so excited.’

  ‘I’m sure she will,’ Justin said as he made his way to the study.