The World Through Various Eyes

[5] Reasoning The Unreasonable (Alex's POV)

"Jade, seriously! Let's be rational. You don't really think that's a possibility, do you?"

I found it ironic that a calm, logical psychologist-wanna-be was now acting like one of her future patients. Damn she could be crazy. Her obsession with personality disorders and mental illnesses didn't help.

If I didn't know better I would have thought she herself had multiple personality disorder-but it really wasn't a matter of that. While she had a tendency to to act like entirely different people at certain moments, it wasn't random, she could control it (to an extent) and her different personas didn't have individual names.

Nonetheless, Jade could be quite a lunatic at times. As if to prove my point, she giggled madly.

"I don't know, maybe? How else could you explain your predicament?" she said, shrugging casually.

"Cut it out!" I snapped, my temper growing thin. Not now Jade, not with the limited patience that I had left.

"Fine, fine, be that way!" she responded playfully.

It was about time she realized it was time to stop her antics. Maybe I was just being crabby, but I just wasn't in the mood!

"So..." I started, trying to divert her attention back to my issue.

"I really don't know what to tell you, Alex! I'm not a psychologist yet, but I think what you experienced was merely a dream. " Oh, as if.

"I'd love to believe that. And I did before, I did. But it was too detailed to be just a figment of my imagination."

I was done dismissing it as a dream. Whatever it was, I wanted answers. I needed them. Things had changed, and it was showing. I didn't feel like myself anymore.

Was I going insane? Or was I just seeing things the way they actually were for the first time since that day?

This situation was just too complicated. Why couldn't the answer just show itself?

It was possible that I had lost my sanity a long time ago and just didn't realize it. Even that would be better than the uncertainty that I was facing then. I wasn't sure of anything anymore.

The time was 12:28. I had undoubtedly talked Jade's ear off with my memory problems, yet she was still listening.

Patience was definitely one of her strong suits, and I figured that would serve her very well in the future. Nonetheless, I felt compelled to allow her to speak without me constantly inserting my petting lack of recollection abilities.

She arose from the couch we had sat on for who-knows-how-long. Her slippers made no sounds as they connected with the floorboards, shuffling deliberately towards the kitchen.

Although she didn't instruct me to do so, I followed her silently to her destination. Ah, that was right; the growling pain in my stomach reminded me it was lunch time.

"I can make us subs if you want." I suggested, feeling guilty for all she had done for me. I had already consumed most of her time, and if I was going to consume her food as well, I might as well make it.

"Nah," she dismissed casually. "I'll just order us a pizza."

Her arm outstretched upward, reaching for the telephone on the wall. I liked the fact that her house still had such an old-style phone; in a way, it was comforting.

The buttons lit up and made a faint beeping noise as she jabbed them, and before long, a ringing tone was audible on the other end of the phone.

I lightheartedly reached over her shoulder in an attempt to grab it away from her. Jade stifled a giggle, swatting away my hand and turning away to face the cabinet.

"Hi, umm... yes, I would like to order a medium, only-cheese, thin crust pizza. No. No thank you. Yes, that will be it. You too! Have a good day!"

She hung up to see me struggling to keep from bursting into laughter.

"Hilarious Alex, completely and thoroughly amusing!"

"Don't lie, you're trying not to chuckle yourself."

And it was true. Moments later, she too was laughing along with me; a good-natured, lightness about it. She should laugh more, I noted. Her behavior in this kitchen was not in keeping with her usual demeanor.

For some reason, this comforted me. The fact that she felt safe with expressing her real self, rather than her intellectual attitude that she kept on for general public display. It's not that she wasn't smart; she was brilliant actually! She just had a tendency to be overly formal in her actions and mannerisms.

Sometimes I wondered why I was the one she trusted. Probably because I had known her close to my whole life. I couldn't seem to conjure a more appropriate explanation.

My useless rambling on and on in my mind ceased upon hearing the abrupt sound of the doorbell. Without a word, I dashed from the kitchen to the entryway. Grasping the doorknob and turning it with a controlled whip of my wrist, a young man is revealed, clutching a takeout box.

"Oh yes," I remembered- pizza. Smiling graciously and handing him a wad of bills, I thanked the man, and he was on his way. I made my way back to the kitchen and saw Jade, who huffed in mock impatience.

"Well it's about time!" she continued, using a hilariously snitty tone of voice.

Furthering the joke, I lifted the box's lid, and faked a peek at its contents.

"You ordered anchovies, right?" I replied with a smirk.

Jade giggled and snatched the box. You see, this isn't the kind of thing you could do with just anybody. Many would have been hurt by Jade's faux frustration when I first brought the pizza, or any number of other actions in our little charade.

That was perfect proof that somethings only best friends can understand. I was lucky to have her; her sarcastic, yet understanding personality was just, for lack of a better term, perfect. I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"Nice pizza." she said, amidst a mouthful of the food. "And no anchovies!" I smiled at that remark, remembering my previous comment.

She hated anchovies and I knew it. I grabbed a slice myself and bit into it slowly, savoring its taste. Despite my missing memories, everything was perfect.

We didn't need an elaborate plan for the day to have fun. The fact that we could do almost anything and have it not be awkward was very comforting to me.

The day had been fun, and a nice event to take my mind off if things. Nonetheless, I still couldn't help but think about my "dream".
Towards the end of the day I decided I should probably get going. I rolled up the sleeve of my long grey shirt and glanced at my watch. 5:29 it read.

Standing up from my seat, I started towards the door. I would have said something to the effect of "I should be getting home now. My dad will be worried about where I am." but I knew that she would see right through that.

Jade knew all about my father and his idiosyncrasies and I was certain that she'd make the connection that he most likely wouldn't be conscious enough to recognize my absence.

Instead I said, "It's been fun! I think that I should be getting home now, though."

She smiled understandingly and I could tell she thought the same thing. When she wasn't looking, I snatched a piece of pizza from the remaining amount of slices in the box. Flashing a mischievous grin and taking a bite, I walked closer to the door and turned the handle.

Immediately a cold, forceful breeze invaded Jade's house and whipped my face harshly. I stepped out, pulling my collar up to protect from the wind. Jade waved to me calmly from the doorway and I returned the gesture, albeit with a semi-frozen hand.

I stuffed the hand into my pocket directly afterward, flexing it to increase blood flow. How was it this cold; and in November? This fact made me partially worried to see what the winter months would bring.

But not as worried as I was to return home.