I'd slept restless with recurring dreams of the happenings of the night before. But, like all dreams, it was slowly fading away. The morning fog had lifted and the view of the Golden Gate Bridge promised to be magnificent. It was still part way dark at 5:30 am and I was sipping my coffee and thinking about the renovations I planned to make for the coach house. My friend, Alex, was a contractor and someone I dated now and then. I'd do the design of the interior and felt confident that he and his crew would do an excellent job.

In between searching for this house I'd interviewed several couples to hire as housekeeper and handyman. I needed a couple who would want to live in. Finally I hired the Lawsons. Betsy was a retired bookkeeper, and Mike had just retired after working for 35 years as a school custodian. They were looking for a live-in position that would allow them to work together. I felt they'd be perfect and their references were impeccable.

I wanted their quarters to be comfortable for them and was going through the designs in my head, but the blue dress kept popping into my thoughts. I didn't know if the red wine stains were part of a dream or had actually been there. I really needed some time before I ventured into that attic again, but I had to get the dress to a good cleaners as soon as possible. 

During my travels house hunting I'd seen a dry cleaners closer to the center of town with a sign in the window stating, "Any Stain Removed From Any Garment. Satisfaction Guaranteed." They didn't open until 9 o'clock so I'd have to wait. The sun was out now, but I knew it would be chilly so put on a warm turtleneck sweater and jacket over my other clothes, grabbed my pruning shears and a large gardening basket and I ventured out to the back gardens to prune the roses and see what I could do with the neglected vegetable garden.

While I was dead heading the bloomed roses to insure reblooming the thoughts of the attic and the dress kept prodding at me. "I guess you better go check it out," I reluctantly mumbled to myself.

I remembered that I had carefully laid out the dress on the top of its storage box before leaving to go to bed. When I returned to the room the dress was there but there were no stains. I thought, "How can that be?" I remembered those stains and how I felt thinking I had destroyed such a beautiful item. I knew I had been drinking white wine. Is it possible that white wine could have changed the color of the stain? "No!" I adamantly said out loud.

I picked the dress up, held it in front of me, and walked to a standing boudoir mirror in the corner. As I was wiping off the dust and cobwebs from the mirror with a gardening rag I had in my pocket, I saw a shadow move behind me. Then, "Clarissa."

Hastily I turned around and replied, "What?"

"You responded to your name," a tall man said.

"I responded to a voice, not a name. Who are you?" I never had but I thought I might faint.

"I'm Maxwell Covington and I've been waiting a long, long time for this moment."

"I don't know who you are or what you're doing in my attic, but my name is Suzanne! Suzanne Cummings. And you’re not Maxwell Covington! He’s been dead for generations. I want you to leave. Now!"

"I can't leave. I live here."

“In this attic?"

"Yes, and anywhere else in the house I choose to."

"Anywhere?" my mind was envisioning all the possibilities of invasion on my privacy.

"I allow and respect your privacy but other than that I go where I please, when I please. After all, it is my house."

Now I knew it was just a matter of time before I fainted. "This is my house! I have the papers to prove it."

"Actually," he said with a smile that would melt any woman's heart, "It's our house."

I just stared at him for long moments. Then into a heap on the floor I went.

"Clarissa, come back. You're okay. You've just had a shock is all." Then he helped me up off of the floor, brushed the hair out of my face, and led me to the mirror. On the way he’d picked up the blue dress. “Here, hold the dress in front of you and wait a minute.” He then went to a rather large jewelry chest in the corner and retrieved some items along with the dancing slippers that went with the dress. I stood there transfixed, wondering why I was going along with whatever was happening.

“Close your eyes and lift your arms,” he softly said. For some strange reason I wasn’t alarmed. I felt him remove all but my bra and panties and was grateful that I’d put on a pretty lacy set, “How lovely you are. Just as I remember.” Why wasn’t I embarrassed? I didn’t know. It all felt natural. He slipped the dress over me. After fastening it he had me slip my feet into the matching dancing slippers. He piled my hair on the top of my head and secured the mass of blonde curls with an ivory hair comb. I then felt his hands at my ears and then at the back of my neck. I began to tremble. “Okay, you can look now.”

If I hadn’t fainted just before I surely would have then - around my neck and at my ears was the gold and blue topaz jewelry.

“You’re stunning. Just as I remember. Do you trust me?” Maxwell asked.

And beyond all comprehension and common sense I did. “Yes, I trust you.”

“Wonderful! Now, forget everything you think you know. We’re going to take a short journey. Have no fear. I have no intention of losing you again. Just trust me. You’re going to meet your destiny.”

With that said, he put his arm around my waist and I had a flashback of that same feeling the night before. Also holding one of my hands we waked straight through a wall of the attic room with not so much as a whisper of sound. Then, we were in the same ballroom I’d seen last night. I looked back and all I saw were the beautiful walls of the room, the baroque mirrors, and we were waltzing as one person. I looked into his eyes, saw myself reflected there and told him so.

“That’s because I’m part of you and you’re part of me. You’re in my soul, and I’m in yours.”

“My god in heaven, what’s happened?” I was trembling. “I must still be asleep. There was no tremor that woke me. This is a dream.”

“It’s no dream my love. Don’t you see now? You are Clarissa. Following your death from the miscarriage you’ve lived three other lives in preparation for this one. You had to live those lives in order to learn and to be open and prepared for our reuniting. I was given the choice to go on to the white light and beyond, or to remain here and wait for you to evolve. I chose to remain. Come, let’s sit down and I’ll explain more to you. Would you like a glass of champagne?”

“I’d very much like a glass of champagne, a large glass. But please, no red wine.”

Maxwell smiled his charming smile and went to fetch our drinks.

Quite suddenly I was very calm. There was something about the situation that made me know it was real and that my life as I’d known it was going to change.

He returned carrying two large crystal goblets. I drank half the contents of mine with one long swallowing.

Maxwell took my hand, kissed the palm and said, “We’re soul mates Clarissa. I know you know what that means. You have a choice to make. Whatever you decide I’ll abide with it. We can either stay in this time frame but your won’t lose the baby, we’ll have a good life, and more children. Or, you can chose to return to the life you woke up to this morning and in a very short time I’ll join you there. Take your time and think. I won’t rush you.”

“I don’t understand Maxwell. How is it possible that you could join me?”

“I was given that choice when I died. I took it and have been waiting. While I was waiting there was no sense of time passing. I was in a state of suspension until you walked into the attic last night. If you choose to go back to your life as it was this morning our souls will eventually join and we’ll live a happy life. You’ll give me three strapping sons and one daughter who will look  like you. Either way, we’ll be happy and together. Together for eternity.”

Suzanne though long and hard. Finally, she replied, “These times we’re in now were not easy. There was a lot of disease, plagues, lack of people’s rights, poor educational systems, wars, and people died relatively young. I wouldn’t want to live like that. I will if it means being with you, Suzanne now knew that she was hopelessly in love with him. But it’s not what I want. I have a family, obligations, and a life that I like. I want to return to that life.”

“Very well then,” Maxwell replied. “We’ll return and I’ll come to you as soon as I can. When I join you I’ll have no recollection of the events of today after you found the dress unstained. I’m going to leave now my love. I ask that you wait a minute or two and then walk out the door of this ballroom. When you do you’ll be back home.” In an instant he was gone.

She did as he asked, left, and with no recollection of the event, was kneeling in the vegetable garden pulling at the invading weeds when her cell phone rang. She took off her gardening glove, reached in her pocket and answered. “Hello? Suzanne Cummings here.”

“Sue, this is Alex. I’m afraid I’m going to have to let you down. I won’t be able to do the construction on the coach house for you. My mother suffered a stroke last night and I’m leaving for the airport to go to New Jersey in just a few minutes.”

“Oh, Alex, I’m so very, very sorry about your mother. Of course you must go,” Suzanne replied.

“I located another contractor for you, a good friend of mine named Jack Douglas. He’s excellent and specializes in refurbishing  and restoring Victorian homes. You’ve probably seen his signs around town. He should be calling you soon.”

“You take care Alex. I’ll pray for your mother and I’ll look forward to Mr. Douglas’ call.”

She returned the telephone to her pocket and resumed the weeding. As long as the dress was okay she didn’t have to worry about it. She’d put it back in it’s garment bag and returned it to the box. Then she put the box back to its original place and started to leave. She then noticed all the dust and cobwebs on the standing mirror in the corner and thought, “There’s a project for you - clean up this attic, and start with that lovely mirror. I think I’d like to have it in my bedroom.”

Finishing her lunch Suzanne was planning out the rest of her day when the telephone rang. She rushed to the hall, picked up the receiver and said, ‘Hello?”

“Mrs. Cummings? My name is Jack Douglas. Alex said he’d called you about me and I’d like for us to get together and see what it is you need done. My schedule is light now and it would be a good time to start a project. Could I come by this afternoon at 2 o’clock?”

“Could we make it two-thirty? I’ve been working in the yard most of the morning and I’d like to take a shower and freshen up a bit.”

“That works for me Mrs. Cummings.”

“Please, call me Sue.”

“Okay. And I’m Jack. See you at two-thirty Sue. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Me too.” And for some reason, unexplained, she was.

Suzanne showered, washed her hair, blew dry it, and let it fall in it’s natural slight curl around her shoulders, put on a clean pair of jeans and a warm magenta colored sweater. Then she applied her makeup being careful that the lip gloss went with the color of the sweater, put a gold chain around her neck that held a blue topaz pendant and hooked gold loops in her ears.

She was in the kitchen at the table going over some brochures when the doorbell rang its chimes. “Good sign, he’s right on time,” she thought. She felt a slight jolt when she first saw him. He was tall, dark haried, blue eyed, and incredibly handsome. His hair was worn a little long, also had a slight curl, and just touched the collar of his blue work shirt that was tucked into a pair of designer jeans.”

“Hello Sue. I’m Jack. Have we met before? You look familiar,” he asked.

They stared at each other for long seconds and then she replied, “No, I don’t think so. I’m sure I would remember.”

She led him in and to the kitchen. “i use the table as a sort of work station until I can get my home office organized,” she explained.

“What a splendid room,” he said as he pulled out one of the pressed-back chairs and seated himself.

“May I offer you something to drink?” Suzanne asked.

“It’s a little early, but I’ll take a beer if you have one.”

“Never too early for a beer, and what’s a refigerator without a good stash of it on hand,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll join you.”

Just as Suzanne was reaching into the glass cupboard Jack said, “That’s okay. Out of the bottle is fine with me.”

“Ahh, a man’s man,” she thought.

They talked awhile about her plans for the coach house and then went out to inspect it. On the way there Jack said, “This yard is like something out of a magazine. Very unusual for a house in this city to have this large of a yard.”

“I know. It’s one of the reasons I bought the house. So far there isn’t a thing about this property I don’t love. I plan to spend the rest of my life here.”

“Who can blame you. I wouldn’t want to leave it either.”

Suzanne felt the sense of déjà vu come over her again.

They spent over two hours going over ideas. Decisions about whether to use reburbished or replicated details, where to put the windows, what to use for a walkway to the main house. The origianal coach doors would have to be removed and a nice front door and porch built in their place. Rooms needed to be partioned off for a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Then there was the issue of a fireplace. It could get very chilly in San Franciso and Suzanne wanted the couple to be comfortable. There was also water and electricity to be added. As they continued their discussion the costs were mounting up and ringing in Suzanne’s head like a cash register on a sales day at Macy’s. She justified the expenses by reminding herself she didn’t know if the couple she’d hired would work out, or how long they would stay, and the place might be used as a guest house for her family some day.

As they were returning to the main house Jack suddenly asked, “May I take you to dinner? To celebrate our collaboration?”

“I’d like that very much,”Suzanne replied.

“is tonight too soon? Do you like Thai food? There’s a new restaurant downtown and it’s terrific.”

“Tonight will be fine and I love Thai food,” Suzanne replied.

For reasons unknown to either of them Jack suddenly took her hand and hand in hand they walked back to the house.

The renovations went smoothly and were completed in a short four months. Jack’s crew worked long hours and seven days a week until dark.

Betsy and Mike Lawson moved in the first Sunday after completion and began their duties as housekeeper and caretaker. On the first day Suzanne knew she’d made the right choice.

One week later, on a bright and warm day, Jack and Suzanne were married in the gazebo. The yard was filled with family and friends who watched the bride walk towards her beaming soon to be husband. Suzanne was radiant in a long flowing blue dress.

THE END

© Marcia Miller-Twiford

For Part 1:
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewshortstory.asp?AuthorID=43211&id=45396