"Thanks," Kenny Runkle said to the barista as he took the grande hot vanilla latte with Lowell in black marker and a hazelnut double espresso labelled Ted. He walked to the steps leading to the second-floor seating and paused. He looked up the fifteen steep steps that led upstairs and swallowed. He held a deep breath and put his right foot on the first tread. Then left foot on the second step as he let out his breath. The remaining steps passed under his feet as he reached the small second floor. The room was empty. A table for two was by the window and he put the drinks down before sitting.
His gold-rimmed glasses slid down his nose, and he pushed them up with his finger. He took brown designer eyeglasses from his pocket and placed them by Ted's drink. He sipped his latte and the warm vanilla coffee relaxed him. Milly was due and she was punctual.
Someone was coming up the stairs, and his heart began to pound. He breathed slowly and steadily. Two teenagers walked onto the floor carrying drinks and backpacks. They sat across from Lowell and began talking. They gazed in each other's eyes and Lenny knew they were a couple. He sighed, thinking of the days when he and Milly had been something of a couple.
Then there was Ted. Not a threesome, as Kenny had refused Milly's request to be exclusive. Ted wouldn't permit it, but he couldn't explain to Milly as he didn't understand what Ted was about. He only knew Ted treated Milly to adventures such as hiking in the Appalachians, riding on his motorcycle, and other active experiences that his agoraphobia and anxieties denied him. Today was the first time he'd climbed to the second floor at the cafe.
His smartwatch ticked 2:01. Milly was a minute late. Is she coming? Kenny wondered. No, she'd have called or texted to cancel. If she doesn't come, I'll have to call and talk to her. Hard. I want to see her again. One last time.
The stairs creaked as a slender young woman came on the floor carrying a cafe americano and a vanilla scone. Milly's dark complexion glowed in the soft light from the windows, and her braids swung down her back.
Kenny stood up. "Milly. Over here." Milly smiled and came to the table. "Please sit down. I owe you an explanation, before you hear about it from others. Candace."
"Explanation?" Milly asked as she sat across from him. Sorry I'm late. I was looking for you downstairs. You're on the second floor." She smiled gently. "You can't stand heights. I hope everything is all right?"
He closed his eyes briefly. Her perfume filled his senses. He looked at her and nodded. "Yes, I'm OK. Dr. Makery and I have made a breakthrough, and I want to tell you about it."
"OK, Kenny. Where is Ted?" She nodded at Ted's cup and eyeglasses.
"He's here. He likes hazelnut. I don't. That is." Kenny sighed. "I'll get to the point. "When you and I were dating, I refused to commit." Kenny looked out the window, then down at the ground. He eyes widened and he looked away. "Heights. Getting better at them but still working at it. Mackery and I have made some progress in the last two weeks. Since my accident a few years ago, I've been afraid of heights, won't drive a car or ride a motorcycle."
He smiled, a bit proud. "That's my bicycle chained outside. Haven't ridden one in three years."
Milly's smile lit up her eyes. "I'm glad you're getting better." She looked around. "But where is Ted? What does this have to do with us? And what about Candace?"
Kenny looked down at his cup, twirling it in his hands. He nodded. "Ted is here. And he isn't." He pushed his hair off his forehead, removed his plain gold glasses and put on Ted's dynamic pair. His blue eyes were brighter with the new frames.
Milly stared at him. "You look like Ted! She frowned slightly. "He's your cousin, I know. He could be your doppelgänger."
Kenny shook his head. "No. I don't have a cousin Ted. Theodore is my middle name. This is where your friend Candace comes in. She's a friend of my sister, Jill, and she knows my family. When you told her you were seeing my cousin Ted and me, she asked my sister what was going on. They both came to talk to me. I had no explanation until Ted came out."
"Came out?"
Kenny peeked at her shyly and nodded. "That's how I learned my illness is called dissociative identity disorder or DID. Multiple personalities."
Milly stared at Kenny silently, eyes wide.
He looked up at her. "I'm making progress. I asked Jill and Candace to give me two weeks to work with Mackery, and let me tell you myself. That's why I asked you here. I felt you deserved an explanation from me. Not us. Me."
"Thank you, Kenny," Milly said, "I'm glad you did. But tell me, how do you know about the picnic?" She cocked her head to one side, examining him. "You should wear Ted's glasses, if you can. They look good on you." She smiled and Kenny smiled back.
"One of the things therapy helps with is communicating with alters. Other personalities. Well, just the one, mostly. Ted. I can talk to Ted, sort of, and get his memories. He hasn't taken over since I found out about him, but sometimes he tries to when you're involved." Kenny shook his head. "Dr. Mackery believes there are a few other weak personalities, but Ted is the main one." He grimaced. "He developed strongly, Dr. Mackery thinks, to be with you in ways I couldn't."
"Hiking." Milly whispered.
"Dr. Mackery is working with me to treat the condition. DID can't be cured, but it can be controlled and lived with. Those blackouts were Ted taking over. Like the time we, well, you and he, went hiking upstate." Kenny's face fell at Ted's memories of high trails, and low distant horizons. "You brought a picnic lunch with fried chicken." She nodded. "Bridges." His face fell. "That's why I wouldn't go to Isle of Palms beach with you. The Cooper River Bridge." He shook his head.
Milly nodded, her eyes watching Kenny.
Kenny glanced out the window and back at the far wall quickly. "Actually, Jill and I went to Isle of Palms last week." He looked at Milly and smiled. "She drove over the bridge."
"That's wonderful."
"Next Saturday, I'm going on the Guinard quarry hike. It's got maybe twenty feet of elevation. Manageable. Time of year to see alligators. I can maybe get some pictures."
"That's dog friendly, right? And picnic areas?"
"Yeah," Kenny said, a flutter of hope in his heart.
"Would you like company? I can pack fried chicken for a picnic. And bring Fluffy on a leash so the alligators don't get him."
The End
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