Duron Ardiniero was looking at his wedding ring. He was looking forward to the third wedding anniversary dinner with his and Janessa’s family.
“What’s on your mind?” said Tania Zed as she slid up next to him by the window.
“I want to thank you Tania,” he said, “not just for introducing me to my wife but for being there, for being my friend.”
Duron joined everyone at the dinner table. He and Janessa were next to each other. They were happy and loving. Duron’s mother and father were there along with his brothers and sisters. Janessa’s parents were there as well. Tania Zed watched them all smile and laugh and enjoy each others company from her spot by the window. Tania walked out of the dinning room. She went out the front door. She walked around the house to the window she had been standing by. Janessa Kepshawn looked through that window at her and Duron’s wedding anniversary dinner. She watched their two families have a happy time with each other even though it would never happen in the real world.
“Are you ready to go in there yet?” said Tania, “Are you ready to wake him up?”
“I never met Duron’s family,” said Janessa, “but he told me about them. Hid older brothers Jorge and Simon were both disappointments to their parents. They couldn’t handle the pressure to live up to the family tradition of great success. Their father was an entrepreneur who built his company and became one of the richest men in South America . Their mother came from a rich Russian family. Duron said he always had this weird relationship with his parents. On one side they pressured him to succeed where his brothers failed and excel at everything he did. On the other hand there was also a part of them that expected him to be just as big a disappointment to them as his brothers and they did not hide it. Duron barely talked to his family. He said he had been close to his younger sister Dara but after she got married she never had the time. Duron’s parents were great believers in gene mods. They and my parents probably would have hated each other if they met in real life. Apperently when Duron’s parents heard he got engaged to me they freaked out. My parents were just glad I found someone who made me happy. When Duron left me my parents said all these things about how some enhancile who wasn’t even really human was not good enough for me. I made them stop. They thought they were trying to make me feel better but they were just venting their own anger at him for hurting me.”
“He still doesn’t talk to his family,” said Tania, “even thought he wants to. He wants to make amends with them but he truly does not feel that they will ever truly love him the way he wants them too. They tried to make contact with him after he left you. He was convinced they just wanted to say I told you so. He never responded to any of the messages.”
“How do you know all that?”
“I exist in his memory. The same way I exist in your memory. Now if you are going to save everyone you need to get in their and wake him up.”
“I know that but… god is this really who I am? Am I the person that lets the whole world down because I can’t face an old boyfriend?”
“He is more than just an old boyfriend. I won’t lie to you Nessa. What he did after I died was a stupid crappy thing to do. All I can tell you is that he regrets it. There are times when he is alone in the dark and it hurts so bad he wants to die. I’m not saying you should give him another chance because of that. You should only take him back if that is what you really want. But you are the only person that can get him to reject this dream. The memory of Antalla holds many things. It has many memories of love. The kind of love you and Duron had for each other, a lot of people never have that. And from what I have seen some of that love it still there in both of you. Just go in there and remind him of what’s real. Even if it hurts.”
Janessa nodded. She did not have to walk to get into the house. The next moment she was simply there in the dinning room. She looked across the table at Duron and the girl next to him. Janessa had to wonder if this thing made from Duron’s memories of her was accurate. Were her eyes that blue? Was her hair that red? Was her pale skin really like such perfect porcelain? Was this really how Duron saw her? She remembered all those times he told her she was beautiful.
“Duron,” she called to him, “you have to wake up.”
Duron looked at her and everything stopped. Everyone at the dinner table was suddenly frozen in place.
“Nessa?” he said, “what are you doing over there? This is odd. Aren’t you sitting next to me? You are. How did that happen?”
“Duron none of this is real. That is not me. It’s just this idealized version of me made from your memory. Your family and my family never had dinner like this. They never would. Whenever you talked about your family you told me they were assholes.”
“Yes that’s right. But things are different now. You and I are married. Our families love us. Everyone loves each other. We all get along now.”
“We never got married Duron. Do you remember what happened after Tania died?”
“Yes I remember Tania died. But I was just talking to her?”
“That was just a memory. Tania is dead. But as long as we remember her she lives on and in here she is helping us. You have to reject this dream Duron.”
“I don’t want to reject you. Not again. I won’t do it again. I let you go. I refuse to do that again. I love you. I am so sorry. I never should have… Please, I don’t want to be away from you again.”
They were no longer in a dining room filled with people. They were alone in a bedroom standing in front of each other. Janessa forgot about everything else. All she could see was Duron Ardiniero. All she wanted was him. But still…
“What if you hurt me again?” she said.
“I would die first,” he said, “I already may as well be dead without you.”
Janessa could not fight it anymore. She did not want to. She reached for him. She said yes come back to me. He broke down in tears. She kissed him. Soon they were in the bed. Nothing else mattered.
“Yo horndogs,” yelled Tania Zed.
Janessa and Duron distracted from what they were doing looked up and covered themselves with the sheets.
“Oh come on guys,” said Tania, “you know you aren’t even really naked. That wasn’t even real sex. That was dreamy mind sex stimulation feeling stuff. Would you two get your shit together and move out?”
“Tania?” said Duron, “but you’re dead?”
“Yeah I was over this with Nessa already. I’m just a memory. Now get out of bed and get moving.”
“Duron you have to reject the dream,” said Janessa.
“You both have to reject it,” said Tania, “you are sharing the dream now. That’s what will happen when you are together. The mind trap will draw you back into the dream. But now you share the dream so you have to reject it together.”
Janessa and Duron looked at each other.
“I’ll go wherever you want me to,” said Duron.
“We have to reject the dream together,” said Janessa.
“As long as we are together we can do anything,” said Duron.
“That is so cheesy,” said Tania, “even if it is true.”
They were all standing in the spotlight in the dark.
“Good,” said Tania, “now I need you both to come with me. I need your help to free Junitha.”
No comments:
Post a Comment