When She Comes

Chapter 3 - The Gallery Event

Sabine's eyes were a glassy mess as she stared at the ceiling, blinking faintly, trying not to allow the tears to spill from her sockets. Wallowing in a mixed bag of happiness and melancholy is a difficult position to be in, being happy and sad at the same time, can sometimes bring you to indifference.

Sabine never aspired to live a life of indifference.

On and off for weeks, Sabine has been like this most mornings and there was no sign of it retreating anytime soon because those dreams were becoming more aggressive. Brutally aware that she was staying in REM sleep longer than what is considered normal, the clues continued to swirl repetitively as if she would suddenly understand what the angels were striving to communicate.

Today, waking hours were dedicated to being thrilled for Clive. This evening's gallery show was bound to open all sorts of new doors for him, and he deserved it because he had been on pause waiting for a break for as long as they've known one another. There was just one thing about his joy that was burdening her conscience.

Tonight, her body was meant to rest and repair itself. Instead, her dreams felt like an elephant sitting on her chest. Sometimes when she woke she could barely breathe, sweaty and panting. The images were becoming more ominous and that had her heart gloomy and clueless as to what to do. It wasn't just affecting her sleep and heart, it had her so distracted that she hadn't done much creatively...even Clive has noticed.

Disturbed, unsettled is how she felt. The only recourse she had was to sleep in the hopes more would be revealed to her but that would only trouble her heart more than it already was, thus the melancholy setting in.

A ringing cell phone jolted Sabine out of her daze, it was her grandmother Valeria.

Sitting up in bed to take her call, "Hi abuela."

"Granddaughter don't you, 'Hi Abuela' me. Do you realize it's been three weeks since I've heard from you? How are you? I've been worried. You don't have time for your abuela? Eh? Eh?"

While there was snickering on the other end of the line, Valeria was also serious.

"You know I joke with you. How are you love?" Valeria's voice was full of comfort and love.

"I'm good. I'm good." She declared very non committal.

"That's it? I don't hear from you in weeks and all I get is I'm good? Come now...tell me. Tell me some exciting news." Baiting Sabine to admit something, anything to give her a clue as to what was going through her mind and resting in her heart. The tone of her voice told Valeria that she was troubled and she was willing to bet angels were involved.

"Well...Clive is doing an art show tonight." Genuinely sounding excited temporarily distracted Valeria. She didn't want to talk about the dreams, at least not yet.

"OOOOOOOOOH how wonderful for him. How did this happen? He's been waiting so long." A relieved Sabine was pleased to throw Valeria off her scent.

"Yeah...you know he really has." Sabine joined in agreement.

"Sabine...are you going to the show?" Valeria asked sensing some uneasiness in her voice.

"Of course." Surprised that her grandmother would speculate that she might not go.

"Then what is it?" Abuela questioned with tinge of concern.

"What? Nothing..." Sabine responded dripping with a fakeness that was as thin as tissue.

Valeria was quick to interrupt, "Don't you know child...nothing is always something."

The silence was everything to Valeria. Even as a child Valeria knew when Sabine felt guilty, nervous or upset about anything.