Again and Again by Jonathan Evison

Author:Jonathan Evison [Evison, Jonathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2023-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

Things to Come

The following day began with a visit from Wayne. I should have recognized this unwelcome development for what it was, a harbinger of things to come. As was his custom, Wayne invited himself into my quarters and leaned against the dresser, peering down at my current puzzle, upon which I was halfheartedly at work: the Alcázar of Seville, its striking red walkways lined with greenery, its arches, its white banisters.

Mercifully, Wayne was not sucking a Life Saver as he peered over my shoulder, or I may have snapped.

“Lisbon?” he said.

“Seville,” I said.

“Ah, I see,” he said. “And does the palace look familiar?”

“I had no occasion to visit it in my day, if that’s what you mean. Only from the outside.”

“Mm,” said Wayne. “Amazing you remember it all after all this time. So, how are you feeling after your event?”

“Is that what we’re calling it, an event?” I said. “I’m fine.”

“Nervous?”

“About what?”

“The test results,” said Wayne. “It’s okay to be nervous, you know?”

“Thanks for the permission, Wayne. I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “Do you think I’m afraid to die, is that what this is? Well, probably not gonna happen. I might be checking out of this mortal coil temporarily, but I’ll be back before long—you can bank on it.”

“I see,” said Wayne. “Can I ask you something?”

“Can I stop you?”

“How can you be so certain you’ve actually had these experiences? Did you ever have any past-life regression or hypnotherapy?”

“No.”

“Not even at Metropolitan?” he said.

The mere mention of Metropolitan put me on edge.

“No,” I said.

“How do you know these memories, as you call them, are not delusions?” said Wayne. “Because Dr. Stowell said so?”

As usual, I was running out of patience for Wayne. God, how I resented his entire manner, the way he executed his endless interrogations as though they were innocuous, the expression of some innocent curiosity that just happened to cross his mind, when they were actually part of an extended campaign to undermine my credibility. Why, I still had no idea.

“What is it with you, Wayne? You’re relentless. What exactly is it about me you find so fascinating? Angel said you came here because of me. What the heck is he talking about?”

“I’ve been interested in you for quite a long time,” said Wayne.

“Why?”

“Like I said before, you’re a fascinating case. Isn’t that what Dr. Stowell thought, too?”

“Leave him out of it.”

“Why so touchy about Dr. Stowell?” he said.

“What do you want from me, Wayne?”

Wayne plucked a framed photo off the dresser and presented it to me as though I hadn’t seen it before ten thousand times. It was the picture of Gladys and me seated at King George’s Smorgasbord, wineglasses half-full, Gladys looking a little stunned.

“Who is the woman in this photo?”

“My wife, Gladys,” I said.

“Yes, it is Gladys,” said Wayne. “Gladys Van Buren. But she was not your wife.”

“How do you know her last name?” I said.

“Because it’s my grandmother’s first married name,” he said. “Your Gladys is my grandmother, Eugene. I’m Nancy’s son.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.