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I notice she’s wearing a hospital cleaning uniform.
She works here?
The same place I work?
Why haven’t I seen her before? Has she been hiding from me? Does she know I’m the new doctor here?
She really is as every bit as beautiful as I remember.
And, as I watch her dance, blissfully unaware of my presence just like that time in the movie room all those years ago, everything comes flooding back to me like a tidal wave...
30
AUGUST
I don’t remember the rest of the night spent at the hospital - I am too consumed with memories and thoughts about that beautiful girl I had once believed I would never see again. I simply go through the motions for the rest of my night shift without barely a single opinion running through my head.
I turn the corner in my sports car and head towards my apartment building downtown. The sun is just peeking up on the horizon and the light hits through the windscreen. It’s early, but it feels late for me. All night shifts can feel very, very long - especially if you run into someone you weren’t expecting to run into at all.
A ghost from the past...
When I stumbled into that empty dark room where Emma was dancing, I quietly – and quickly - shut the door and shuffled down the hallway before she had the chance to notice me. I’m really glad she didn’t see me. I’m really glad she didn’t catch me staring at her as she danced.
She still looks as beautiful as the first day I saw her...
I speed through the city as I contemplate what the hell had just happened last night.
I’ve got a whole list of questions running through my head; questions that can’t be answered, but which dominated my thoughts all through the rest of the night shift after I spotted Emma.
What is she doing there at the hospital? Does she actually work there?
She was wearing a hospital cleaner’s uniform. Her mother was a maid for my family, so it’s only logical that Emma followed into that line of work and ended up at this place.
But here? Seriously? Does she know I’m working at the hospital as well? Has she seen me yet?
What a coincidence this all is.
I remember my brother Spencer talking about how he met the love of his life, Olivia Weldon. He’s a professor at Crystal River University, and she was his student. He told me hedreamedabout her before he even met her, as crazy as that sounds. She appeared to him clear as day before she even stepped into his university class, and now they’re together forever. That seemed like something supernatural. Something that wasn’t a coincidence.
Could this be something similar?
Or should I get my head checked?
I finally arrive at my apartment building. I park my sports car in the private secure parking lot underground that’s reserved just for me and I ride the private elevator up to the highest level, using my fingerprint to access the controls.
My penthouse at the top of the apartment complex looks out over the city. I input my security code to enter, and I immediately make my way over to the floor-to-ceiling windows that view out over downtown.
The sun is rising fast now. The sky is a beautiful pink. It’s going to be a good day.
I catch my reflection in the mirror. I’m looking tired but energized after running into Emma. All of us Penmayne brothers keep pride in our appearance, and I am no different.
I strip off my doctor's attire, leaving the dirty clothes scattered on the floor around my feet. I flex my bare muscles as I stretch. I really do make a real effort to take care of my physical health and body. When you’re a Penmayne boy, competitiveness runs deep in your blood, and I can’t risk losing my six-pack when my brothers might catch a glimpse. I’d be done for.
Now naked, I turn from the window and head to my alcohol cabinet. I spot framed photos on the wall – photos of my seven brothers. The main frame is a group photo of all of us. We’re much younger there. Arthur is in the middle – typical of him. He was always the most outgoing and gregarious of us.
And now he’s dead.
I sigh and pour myself a glass of whiskey, even though it is early sunrise. I need a glass after my night shift. This is my brother’s brand of alcohol. Damon owns a brewery on the outskirts of Crystal River. He ships this award-winning stuff all over the world, but we all know his real business is in organized crime in New York.
