Later on in that day, Eileen had begun to feel better. James had spent that morning remaining by her side, pondering the dream he woke up from. He didn't understand the meaning of it and was even confused by it. Eileen could sense this and asked him about it.
"What's wrong?" She asked him. James hesitated to tell her but did so anyway.
"I had a dream. A dream that took place in the same area as last time. And by last time I mean-"
"The day your father died." Eileen said. James nodded.
"Yeah, in this one my face started to melt but it was still attached to me. My body was still intact but was drooping downwards. And then the river of blood appeared and I saw this giant face attempt to eat me. It was like an entire horror film." James said. Eileen nodded.
"It sounds intense." Eileen said. James nodded. And the silence fell amongst them. It was a silence so heavy and so loud that the doorbell spooked the both of them. James got up to go check it out.
He walked up to the door and looked through the peephole but didn't see anyone. He opened up the door and looked around. He still didn't see anyone. He then looked downwards and saw the index card. He picked it up and looked at the artwork. He saw him and Eileen and all he did was chuckle. He flipped the card over and saw the words:
Read More
James put the card into his pocket and then stepped over to the sidewalk and looked around.
"Whoever keeps sending me these, please stop! I have no use for them. I appreciate the gesture but really, enough is enough." James said. He looked over at his mailbox and saw a dove on it resting. James walked over and banged his hand onto the mailbox, making the dove fly away.
"And take the damn bird with you!" James said and he went inside. He walked over to where he kept the previous cards and set them together and closed it up.
James sighed and sat on the bed with his hands on his face. He looked up and saw Eileen staring at him.
"How are you holding up?" She asked him. James chuckled.
"I should be asking you that." James said. She grinned at him. She walked over to him and the two laid down. Eileen held onto James' hand next to her womb where the next Maxwell was residing. He then looked Eileen in the face and talked to her.
"Let's stay like this forever. No more pain, no more fear, just you and me and our future kid in ethereal bliss." James said to her. She looked over at him and smiled.
"I'd like that." Eileen said with a smile on her face. The two of them laid there in, just like James said, ethereal bliss.
"I love you." James said.
"I love you, too." Eileen said and the two kissed. And after a few more minutes of silence, the two fell asleep together. And for the first time in a long time, James had a rather pleasant dream.
In the dream, James and Eileen were running through a flowery meadow with the sun shining and no sign of fear, dread, consternation, or an oncoming ocean of blood. Everything was as it should be. And James wouldn't have had it any other way.
~
Weeks passed and James had become accustomed to Eileen's constant sick phases. And although James didn't like the sight of vomit, he had to admit that it was better her to be puking than for her to be slitting her wrists. He thanked God for that. Even though he doubted God was even there, he thanked whatever God's might be for her suicidal tendencies to be absent.
Around week twenty, Eileen grabbed James' hand and held it to her stomach. When James felt the kick, his face lit up with joy. James couldn't believe what he had felt. He could feel his child. That kick, that movement, happened because of him. And he couldn't have been anymore proud.
"Feels like they're a Bruce Lee fan already." James jokes. Eileen laughed with him. And by week thirty, she was was fully with child.
~
James had not gotten an index card in over a month or two, so had forgotten them. Their life had been pretty swell. James had even forgotten the creepy door dream. That was until he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to find no one there.
He looked down and picked up the index card and saw that the figures' bodies were halfway off the card and the back was blank. He looked up and saw the dove fly away to which all he could think of was that hymn I'll Fly Away. It was ironic and strangely fitting.
A few more weeks passed, and nothing happened. Eileen often felt the baby kick and move about. It was a type of pain that she was fine with feeling. As she told him, it hurt in a good way. And James understood that.
His life had been nothing but a constant state of tempest tost emotions. Some days he felt happy and proud. Other days he felt sick to his stomach. It was as if he was being beaten from the inside by some unseen deity. Much like the demon being with the cat o nine tails he saw in that dream. The dream he had when his father died.
And his mother smearing blood onto her face and crying drastically about it. It was a metaphor for her grieving and the feeling of blame she had. She did have sex with him which ultimately killed him via heart attack.
Poor Michelle. She came there, just like him, to stop their mom and dad from getting a divorce. She didn't plan on going to a funeral. How sooner until the next one? How much longer did their mother have? She surely was the next to die...right?
James had more questions than answers and he didn't like that one bit. But no matter what, he went outside and got some fresh air. The wind picked up and an index card floated its way towards him. James felt hesitant and reluctant to pick it up but did so and saw that the index card only had a sliver of the two figures showing. He flipped the card over and saw nothing written.
He grew angry and ripped the card into several pieces. He screamed as he did so. He looked to the sky and spoke angrily.
"What do you want? Huh? I tell you to stop and you never fucking do! I'm losing my goddamn mind here!" James yelled and he walked inside and slammed the door. Eileen heard this and was petrified.
"What was that all about?" She asked him. James breathed in and out and told her.
"That fucking asshole keeps sending those cards!" James yelled.
"James, just relax. And calm down." Eileen said kindly. James snapped at her.
"Don't fucking tell me to relax!" James said and he sighed. Eileen sat there and started to tear up. James realized what he had done and apologized.
"Oh Eileen, I'm so sorry. I'd didn't mean it. Please forgive me." James apologized and held onto her lovingly. Eileen was unsure of how she felt. She felt terrified of him but also felt safe and secure with him.
So she affected his apology and laid there with him in bed. And the both of them knew that this moment would be one of the last peaceful moments they would feel together. They accepted this domestic bliss, despite the vicious maledictions that were present and dreaded the pain that they felt coming along the way. Slowly. Carefully. Precisely.
YOU ARE READING
The Things That Will Be
Подростковая литература"If there's no struggle, there's no progress." - Frederick Douglass When a young couple expect a newborn, they are unaware of what the future holds when one of them slips into a coma and the baby becomes a sti...
