"There is no such thing as coincidence, only the illusion of coincidence."
— Alan Moore
We were far more alike than I wanted to accept. However, I knew that, given the chance to humiliate me, he would jump at it, so this made me savour and enjoy his own humiliation. He left the very next day.
As for my sleepwalking, not only did it resume after Jason died, it got worse…so much worse.
So dead was I to the world that I was now wandering further and further from where I would normally go.
Even though the domestic staff were very protective of me and always were sure to see me back to my bedroom without anyone else being privy to what had happened when any of them found me, it soon got to the extent that even they couldn't hide my worsening condition.
It was when the security men guarding the ranch at night mistook me for a thief and shot at me, the bullet missing me by mere inches, that the minister decided enough was enough. He took me to see Dr. John waverson, the Medical Director of the only hospital in Boston.
" This girl's issue is getting out of hand," the minister lamented, the first time we went to the hospital. "Please, you have to help treat it before she degrades me outside."
The old doctor had looked perplexed, and even I could tell that my issue was way beyond him.
He had gone ahead to prescribe several drugs, most of them antidepressants, which only succeeded in making me dizzy and drowsy during the day, but nothing else. My sleepwalking only stopped for a day or two, after which it continued with a vengeance.
But the minister insisted on my continued attendance at the hospital, and I was pumped with the awful medication for about five years, which only succeeded in dampening my personality but not much else.
It wasn't until the old doctor died that I finally was free. At that point, the minister also resigned himself to the fact that nothing could cure my condition and instead put additional security measures in place, to ensure that I was at least contained within the gates.
And so in 2017, after twenty years as his bride, this was life as I knew it.
Until it all changed.
"I need to stop attending some of these useless functions," the minister complained, as we made our way from yet another occasion he had been invited to in town. "Not only do I gain nothing, I only end up spending money!"
I smiled and patted the old man's hand. At 75, he was no spring chicken. Even though he was still much stronger and more agile than many men his age, he had started slowing down in recent years.
He now spent most of his time at home, and no longer had the same steady stream of women flocking to the house, but just the odd one or two.
"Don't worry, next time we get an invitation, if it isn't important, I will represent you," I offered, knowing fully well what his reaction to that would be.
As a more mature woman, I knew now that what I'd thought was possessiveness was actually an intense insecurity on his part.
He preferred to keep me caged at home not only so as not to risk a repeat of the incident with his gardener, but to prevent another man of means from stealing me. It hadn't even been months after Jason's death that my mobile phone had mysteriously disappeared, and when I'd made an attempt to get another one a few years later, he had vehemently refused.
But I hadn't even put up much resistance. What did I need a phone for anyway? Who did I want to talk to, and who wanted to talk to me? Nobody, was the answer to both questions.
Madam Maria was on hand to relay and receive messages from my brother, so that was enough for me.
"If I can't go, neither can you," had been his rigid response, prompting a knowing smile from me.
I could now read him like a book.
We rode in congenial silence till we got to the ranch. I smiled and waved at Ali, the longtime guard, and his new companion, Aaron, as the car drove past them. I knew it irked the minister that I was so close to the staff, but it was something I would not compromise on, not ever again.
"Who is that?" the minister remarked, as we noticed a car parked in front of the house.
"What is the point of having security guards if they will allow any and everything through the gates. That was how they allowed that useless Amanda years ago!"
After Amanda's unauthorised entry into the ranch many years before, the day she caught her late daughter with her lover, the minister always cited that as his perfect example of a security breach.
As it did anytime her name was mentioned, my heart dropped.
She never recovered from clara's death. The loss of her daughter had led to the loss of her own sanity.
Since that time, she'd roamed the streets of the town, looking unkempt and bedraggled, crying and shouting incoherent words.
Anytime I happened to see her, my heart broke. She didn't recognise me, nor anyone else for that matter.
She was completely lost to this world and lamenting to be a part of the one where her daughter now lived.
I looked at the Audi R8 parked in the driveway, trying to see if I could recognise it, but I couldn't.
It was obviously not somebody from around here.
As we approached, a tall man got out of the car. He was so familiar to me but I couldn't quite remember where.
"Good evening, Sir. Good evening, Ma'am," he said, with a polite nod first at the minister then myself. "I was just about to leave you a message."
I smiled as I recognised who he was. "Jacobi?" I exclaimed. "Dr. Waverson's son?"
A broad smile broke on the minister's face. "Oh! That Doctor! I wouldn't have recognised you walking on the street. How are you? And how is that your beautiful wife?"
Ah yes, his beautiful wife. My mind journeyed back to their beautiful wedding in Italy so many years before, and how in love they had looked.
"She's fine. She's in the UK,"he answered.
"Oh yes, now I remember your late dad telling me you relocated there," the minister went on. "That's very good. It's much better for doctors over there. So sorry about your father. When he died, he left a big hole here. We really miss him."
Jacobi cleared his throat. "Thank you, Sir. It's actually the reason I'm here. I've returned home to take over the hospital, so I just thought to pay you a courtesy visit to let you know."
"You are serious?" the minister exclaimed, his eyes almost popping from their sockets in his glee. "Did you hear that? This is fantastic news!"
I stared at the strange man incredulously, wondering why on earth he would do such a stupid thing, leave the U.K. to run a local hospital.
"It was his wish, but I couldn't return immediately as I was…taking care of a few things," jacobi continued, not making any eye contact with me.
"There's a lot of work to be done, so it might be a few months before we resume the practice proper…"
"Nonsense! You will continue from where your father stopped with this my wife. She is very sick, and he was treating her before he died!" the minister said, rambling on and on about my sleepwalking.
Jacobi cast a curious look at me, and I could see in his eyes that I didn't look sick to him. I also straightened as I recognised the faintest hint of admiration and was pleased that, as usual, I had taken my time to look my best.
But he looked away quicker than I liked, and I couldn't help but wonder if I hadn't just imagined it…his admiration.
As he and the minister chatted, I looked him over, head to toe.
He no longer had the Clark Kent glasses and was not as lean as he'd been fourteen years before. I noticed his toned chest and arms beneath the Ralph Lauren polo shirt he wore, as well as the small dimple on his left cheek as he spoke. "So, that settles it then!" the minister said, startling me out of my reverie. "We'll be there tomorrow."
Jacobi opened his mouth as if to protest, before thinking against it and nodding. "Okay, Sir. I look forward to seeing you," then turning to me, he bowed again. "Enjoy the rest of your day, Ma'am."
"Are you sure you don't want to come in for dinner or something?" I asked, suddenly remembering my manners.
"Didn't you hear when he said he had to rush to the airport to pick someone?" the minister chided.
"You see what I mean, Doctor. Her mind is forever wandering!" Jacobi smiled, revealing again that dimple. "Thanks, Ma'am. I appreciate the invitation. Maybe some other time. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
The minister walked ahead of me inside the house, and I couldn't help but look back as Jacobi got into his car.
Our eyes held momentarily before he started his car and drove off. A small smile formed on my face.
This was going to be interesting.