The Hourglass

Chapter 3/6

The next day, Jordan visited Christi once more. As always, he arrived at the residence and checked in before walking down the hallway. He knocked on the door and called out her name, but, to his surprise, one of her aids answered instead. Shortly afterwards, the aid opened the door to speak. "Good morning, Mr. Dansereau. I was just caring for Mrs. Lukasiak. I'm afraid she isn't feeling too well today. Are you sure you want to see her?" "Oh, um, I didn't expect to hear that... what exactly is wrong?" "I don't believe anything in particular; I believe it's a progression of the disease. She's just not herself today". "OK, I understand... but I'd still like to see her if possible". "Of course; please come in". "Thank you". Jordan entered and immediately took notice of Christi's rather unkempt appearance. She looked absentmindedly at the wall and paid no attention to Jordan or her aid. "Are you OK, Christi?" he asked. She barely blinked, almost as if she were stuck in a trance. "Christi, could you speak to me?" he asked. Only when he touched her shoulder did she acknowledge his presence, but even then, she appeared somewhat distant. "How low of a human being can she be" ... she muttered to herself. Jordan lightly shook her. "It's OK, Christi; I'm here" he said. Suddenly, she snapped out of it and gazed into his eyes.

Jordan spoke to Christi more delicately than prior. "How are you, Christi?" he asked. "OK" she answered. "Are you sure? You don't look as well as you did yesterday". "Oh... when was yesterday? I mean... did I see you then?" Jordan sat down on her bed and looked at her. "Of course; I visit you almost every day. I'm just concerned about you is all; your hair is a mess right now". "I see... but... I'm not sure where my hairbrush is" ... Jordan searched around her eyesore of a bureau and eventually noticed the hairbrush. "Here, let me help you out". He started to comb her and was careful not to be too rough. Christi still gazed blankly at the wall. "Thank you" she murmured. Jordan continued to comb her hair. "So have you been up to anything interesting lately?" "No" .... "That's OK; you can just relax... I started re-watching you on TV yesterday; you were always such good friends with Kelly". "Who was that?" "Brooke and Paige's mother; you two were like partners in crime". "Oh". Jordan finished combing Christi and put her comb back onto her bureau. "Do you ever miss Kelly?" "I guess" ... Jordan sat up. "Christi, is something bothering you?" Christi paused before answering. "Mother... mother... mother" ...

Baffled by Christi's strange behavior, Jordan wasn't sure how to respond. "Uh, yeah... um, your mother loved you so much Christi; I hope you know". Suddenly, Christi looked intensely at Jordan; there were tears in her eyes. "Why won't you let me be a cheerleader? That's all I want" ... Jordan attempted to redirect Christi's attention to something more positive. "Of course; you were the best cheerleader on the entire team!" Christi was evidently unmoved by Jordan's words and cried instead. "You're not my real mother! Why don't you love me?! I hate you!" "I'm so proud of you, sweetheart! Your father and I love watching you on the field!" "I had to sneak out... she wouldn't let me... but you did" ... "Of course; anything for our daughter". "You love me... I'm glad I'm with you now; she thinks I'm a mistake... I don't wanna see her anymore" ... Christi ultimately stopped crying, but Jordan felt pity for her, as he never saw her break down like that before. He wondered what he would do the next time she had flashbacks of her childhood. On the one hand, pretending to be Elizabeth could bring comfort to her, but on the other hand, deceiving Christi would probably just confuse her even more in the future. "Would you like something to drink?" "OK". Jordan got up from Christi's bed and went into her kitchen. He filled up a glass of water and gave it to Christi. "Here you go". "Thank you".

Christi appeared calmer, but Jordan wondered whether she still needed to get something off her chest. He gingerly glanced in her general direction; she stared clumsily at him. "You know... sometimes just venting what's on your mind makes you feel better. We can talk as much or as little as you like now". "I'm not sure who I am... everything's a blur" ... "You encouraged Chloe to be a dancer when she was just a little kid. She would go to a dance studio to practice for dance competitions, and then they made a TV series about it. You guys were many peoples' favorites, including mine". "Why don't I hear about that more often?" Jordan took a deep breath before answering. "Dance basically consumed your lives; it was very hectic at times. And the show... wasn't what you guys bargained for. Things started to go downhill. You guys went through the ringer, verbally and mentally, but you were contractually obligated to stay. Eventually, things reached a boiling point, and so you guys decided enough was enough. Um... I don't remember if your contracts were up, or if you negotiated getting an early exit by threating legal action against the producers, but you guys went on hiatus for a few years before returning as guests to have some closure. So that's why you won't hear too much about the show; it was very stressful". "I see" ...

Jordan worried Christi would have another breakdown, but she appeared collected. "Does that help to explain things?" "I guess some of what you talked about... sounds familiar... but I can't imagine why we wanted lives like that" ... "But you didn't, Christi; you would never wish that on yourself, and certainly not on Chloe. They did a switcheroo on you guys". "Did I ever... regret anything? I feel like there would've been a lot" ... Jordan chose his words carefully. "Probably... but you always mentioned everything happened for a reason. Maybe you said or did things you wished you could've taken back, but then where would you be now? I mean, would you have been able to buy your fancy house in Mars, or would you have become my mother-in-law?" "Hmm... Maybe you're right... then I guess it was all worth it after all?" Jordan smiled as he looked into Christi's eyes. "Of course; I promise. This response satisfied Christi. "OK, good" ... There was silence for a moment. "I hoped that helped you out, Christi; you deserve to keep your memories alive". "Yes, thank you; I know I can trust you". Jordan revealed more of Christi's past for awhile longer before he left her for the day. He was quite relieved she appeared to enjoy their conversation. As Jordan traveled back to his house, he wondered how much time would pass until she experienced another relapse. Still, he took solace knowing that he would always be there for her.