The Other Side of the Nightmare

Alicia felt groggy after her nap, but she didn’t want to waste the day away in bed either. She used the bathroom, ran her fingers through her hair to straighten out her chestnut locks, and then changed back into the stylish dress Alyssa had gotten her. She stepped out of the bedroom and looked both ways. The other bedroom—what she could see of it—appeared to be empty, but Alicia could hear voices coming from down the hall, including a man’s voice. They were talking softly, and Alicia couldn’t make out any specific words. A light, jovial peal of laughter came from Rayna, and then Alicia was close enough to see the three of them sitting on the large sectional sofa in the huge living room—probably one of the biggest she’d ever seen. It had cathedral ceilings, which made it appear even larger. Alicia felt like she was walking into a cave, only the cave was brightly lit with spacious windows and even a skylight. The living room, kitchen, and dining area were actually one humongous space in which the rooms opened into one another. Rayna was the first to spot her. “Well, hello there,” she said. “Sleep well?” “Yes, I did.” “This is my dad,” said Alyssa, rising from the couch and motioning her forward. Alicia stepped around so that she was in the center of the U-shaped sofa. Alyssa’s dad smiled and said, “Hello,” then offered her his hand. “Hello there. Nice to meet you.” “I’m Dan.” He released Alicia’s hand. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay here so far.” “Well, I’ve slept through most of it as of yet, but I’m sure I will.” The Blakelys laughed, Dan being the loudest. “You’re just in time for lunch,” said Rayna. “Hope you’re hungry.” “Yes, actually, I am.” Alyssa’s parents rose from the couch and headed toward the kitchen area. Alicia glanced behind her, and Alyssa smiled and rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Alicia thought she was going to hug her—an idea that appealed to her—and that was when Alicia smiled and wrapped her arms around Alyssa for the expected warm embrace. Alyssa’s body language told her she might not have been reaching to hug her after all, but she was just as happy to receive one and promptly returned it. They followed Rayna and Dan, and Alicia glanced at a large framed photo sitting on a table. The photo showed the doctor standing between her parents on what appeared to be some sort of camping trip. Some guy was kneeling below Alyssa. Alicia had seen photos of the doctor’s hair ranging in length from her shoulders to the middle of her back. She wasn’t sure which length looked best—probably somewhere in between. “Lake Tahoe,” Alyssa said, noticing her checking out the photo. “Yeah?” “Yeah, last year. That’s my brother, Harold.” “Oh.” “What’ll it be, ladies? Ham and cheese? Tuna fish? Egg salad? Bologna? Roast beef?” asked Rayna. Alicia chose the egg salad, while Alyssa chose tuna, and then they sat at the dining table to enjoy a lunch together that was both formal and informal—or at least that’s what it seemed like to Alicia, who had never owned or lived with anyone who had such a fancy dining set. The marble top was both slick and lovely. Until now, she’d been used to sitting on worn chairs and sofas for meals at beat-up tables half the size of the one she presently sat at. Alyssa was to her left, her dad straight across from her, and her mother to the right. “So tell us a little about yourself, Alicia,” said Rayna. Uh-oh. Alicia hesitated, then said, “Well, I’m actually a pretty boring person. Boringly ordinary, you could say.” “Nah,” said Alyssa. “No one’s as ordinary as they think they are.” “You don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to,” Rayna assured her. “Oh no, it’s alright. I was born and raised in New York,”—she noticed Alyssa turn to her as if to say, Really?—“and then I lived in both New Mexico and Washington for a while.” “Oh, wow,” Rayna said with surprise. “You’re a well-traveled lady.” “You sure are,” said Alyssa. “For one with less than sufficient funds, I do admit I’ve been around, but that’s mostly because I won the trips I was fortunate enough to go on.” Everyone laughed, and then Alyssa said, “Ok, I’ve got to hear this.” “It’s really pretty simple. I entered sweepstakes online, before the competition got too great and I stopped winning, and won a Caribbean cruise in 2007, and then a trip to Hawaii that same year, which we didn’t take until earlier in the year.” “Oh yeah,” said Alyssa. “I remember you mentioning that when we first met.” “Hawaii’s a beautiful place,” said Alyssa’s mother. “It is. I’d move to Maui if I could.” “So what brought you out west?” asked her father. “A friend of mine moved out to New Mexico—someone I’ve known all my life. He’s since moved back east, but he moved out west a year before I did. My parents had money—though they weren’t rich—and they helped me move out there mostly for health reasons. I was still a smoker at the time, and my asthma was better off in a drier climate.” “Oh, wow. When did you quit?” asked Rayna. “1997.” “Good for you.” “What brought you to Washington and then down here?” asked Alyssa. Alicia had really, really hoped the good doctor wouldn’t ask this. How did you explain that you ran because you broke up with your blackmailing girlfriend who caught you in a lip-lock with the wife of your married boss? And then how the bitch snapped a cute little picture of the two of you and threatened to show your boss if you didn’t return to her. It was just a lousy housekeeping job that didn’t last long, but she didn’t need the hassles anyway—and she really missed being in a warmer climate. Alicia tried to make it look like she had a mouthful of food to chew before she could answer. “It was mostly that I didn’t care for the cold and snowy climate.” She took a drink of her diet soda, wishing the questions would stop, but also understanding that it was only natural to be curious about your houseguest. “How long did you say you’ve been in California?” Alyssa asked. I don’t think that I did,thought Alicia. “A little over a year now.” “Oh, wow. So you weren’t here long when you first saw me,” said Alyssa. “No, I wasn’t,” Alicia said. She looked over at the attractive doctor sitting next to her, wishing she’d seen her a lot sooner than she had. “You like Cali?” asked Dan. “Yes and no. I don’t like how expensive it is, but it’s definitely warmer down here.” The others laughed, leaving Alicia to wonder what was so funny.

Rayna made up her “bed” by draping a sheet over it, then gave her a small cover sheet, blanket, and pillow. Alyssa helped her with her bath. Even though the doctor had seen her private parts before, Alicia was still a bit shy about them being exposed to her lovely eyes. “Ha, ha, too cute,” Rayna later said, surveying the scene with Alyssa in the bed and Alicia on the bench in front of it. “Sure you don’t want to move the long side of the bench against the bed so the pillow doesn’t fall off?” “I think it will be ok this way,” said Alicia, adjusting Alyssa’s too-large sleep shirt around her body. She was so glad they’d made arrangements earlier to pick up her stuff at Nakia’s tomorrow afternoon. She really missed her own clothes, even if most of them weren’t that great. After a round of “good nights” and “sleep well,” Rayna snapped off the light and closed the door. “Hey,” Alyssa said softly. “Yeah?” “Remember, if you need to pee or get a drink, that’s fine—but stay in here, ok?” “Ok,” Alicia said. She knew this probably meant that the doctor didn’t trust her, but she didn’t care. She would earn her trust in time. She just hoped she’d be around long enough to get the chance. “Alyssa?” “Mm-hm?” “Thanks.” “You’re welcome, sweetie. Sleep well.” But sleep took forever to come that night. Alicia wasn’t sure if it was due to her earlier nap or because she felt self-conscious even in the darkened room under the soft fleece blanket. There was just enough glow bleeding through the curtains from the streetlights in the neighborhood to see her way into the bathroom if she needed it, but everything was just shapes and shadows. Eventually, her mind began to drift. She thought about how strange it was that life as she’d always known it had suddenly come to such an abrupt end. It still felt weird, and Alicia was both miserable and excited at the same time. Was that really possible in the wake of losing a dear loved one? Well, “normal” or not, it was exactly how she felt. She missed her uncle terribly and the familiarity of their comfortable life back in the apartment, despite their struggles. Her uncle had been like a second dad to her, as well as a good friend and confidant she could always turn to for advice. Now all that was gone, and she was on her own. But she wasn’t totally on her own. She had Alyssa. She didn’t know how long she would have her, but she was determined to keep her in her life for as long as possible. The possibilities that lay ahead were what excited her and what had kept her alive this long. Her only fear was that the doctor wouldn’t have her in the way that she wanted to have her.