Post 18

...Or at least gave all appearances that they were. When they reached their families, congratulations were passed around as expected, and they all decided how they were going to get to the restaurant. Mr. Sinclair, whose first name Peter finally discovered was Alan, was going to ride with Patrick. Sarah and Heather would leave together in the truck. Laura and Peter would go in Laura’s car since they still had to drop off their caps and gowns inside. They decided that “somebody” would bring Alan back to pick up his car after lunch, depending on what plans they had then. Peter knew that his dad was likely to go back to the office, and his mom would want to visit Dan in the hospital. That either meant he and Laura would bring Alan back or that his mother would before she visited Dan.

Laura and Peter walked away from the group, towards the school building. The further away from their families they got, the quicker they walked. Everyone else was meandering towards their respective cars. Peter felt scared, and took comfort in Laura’s hand pressed tightly to his as they walked, then jogged. Inside the school building, they kept up the pace until they got back to room 109. Someone had made the executive decision to have everyone check out in the same room. There was a line of kids returning their caps and gowns as well, and the progress was slow at first. The faculty that was helping with graduation began to filter back in and open up additional check-out stations to get the kids done and out.

It took nearly ten minutes for them to reach the front of the line and get their diplomas. The entire time, they held on to each other. They were exceptionally tense, not knowing why Aura Man made an appearance and not knowing where he might be now. Once he walked past and disappeared into the crowd, they didn’t see him again.

Ms. Andersen, the English teacher who was helping Peter, didn’t seem to mind that the cap he turned in was far too small for his head. She took what he had, went to the table of diplomas and returned with his diploma in her hands. “Here you go, Mr. Valgard,” she said as she handed it to him, smiling. “Congratulations!”

Peter returned a cordial, “Thank you, Ms. Andersen” and waited for Laura to get hers. Once she did, they turned and left the room, nearly running down the hall towards the exit. Their nervousness became energy that they had to burn off. Outside, the parking lot was emptier than it was when they arrived, and a short line of cars was waiting for the police officer to let the next group through and onto the main streets. They got into Laura’s car and Laura immediately locked all the doors. They both took a deep breath and let out a long sigh of relief. Their tension dissipated somewhat, Laura started the car and got into the line to exit.

Cars were trying to merge from all directions, and progress was slow. Fortunately, the police officer directing traffic allowed a lot of cars to exit before allowing traffic along the main street to flow through for a while. This did give them an opportunity to talk about Gerald’s appearance at the ceremony.

“Do you have any idea how he might have found out about the graduation today?” asked Laura.

“I’ve been racking my brain, trying to come up with some scenario that would have led him here. Maybe he has some sort of connection to me since we bumped into each other. I certainly seem to have some connection to him.”

“True enough, I guess. Is there any other way he might have found us?”

“I can’t think of anything. Why does he even want to come near me anyway?”

“Maybe he can tell when you see the world from his perspective whenever you have your visions,” Laura speculated, “and that led him back to you.”

“That would be just my luck. I’m getting these visions that I don’t even want, and that I can’t control, and he’s using that to find where I am,” Peter said pessimistically.

“Ah, but that’s not true, is it,” Laura said as she finally merged into the main line of cars. “You can control it, at least a little bit. Remember slowing things down and picking up his name?”

“Picking up what I think is his name, you mean.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, Pete,” Laura said. “You’re pretty perceptive when you want to be.”

Internally, Peter beamed at her compliment. Aside from receiving his diploma today, he felt like things weren’t going well for him. He was still worried about how Laura thinks of him for hiding the naked redhead from her yesterday. That was only the tip of the iceberg for his problems. But he still said, “I don’t feel very perceptive right now.”

“Do you remember when you ran into Gerald at the airport, if he might have dropped something? Did you see him put anything down in his vision that maybe he is trying to pin on you now?”

“No, and no. Hey, maybe he thinks I lost something and he’s just trying to be a good friend and return it,” Peter said.

“That’s in interesting idea, Pete, but that doesn’t explain why he walked past us grinning rather than walk up to you and say, ‘Hey, you dropped this. Have a nice day.’ “

Peter studied his shoes. “Good point.”

It only took three sets of cars for them to be on the road. Laura turned left out of the parking lot and followed the route to the restaurant, both of them trying to come up with some justification for Gerald’s appearance, and neither of them succeeding. By the time they reached the restaurant and parked the car, they were both ready to admit that if there were a good reason, they were oblivious to it.

Their lack of ideas must have been plainly visible on their faces. When they went inside and met up with their families at a table for six, Heather saw them and immediately asked, “Is everything okay, kids?”

Peter made an effort to brighten up for their sake. “Yeah, we’re great, just hungry.”

They took their seats, next to each other on one side of the table. Heather sat across from Peter with Patrick on the end of the table. Laura sat across from Sarah, with Alan at the other end of the table. They ordered drinks and appetizers and made small talk. Laura’s mother was on a business trip and wasn’t going to be home until later that week. She felt terrible about missing Laura’s graduation, as Alan told the story, but they were going to make it up to Laura next weekend, after she returned.

The waitress came back and took their lunch orders, and by then the effects of having seen Gerald were diminished. They were more enthusiastic and conversational than they were when they first arrived. By the time dessert came around, which was a small ice cream cake that Heather picked up from Dairy Queen and brought to the restaurant, they were almost able to forget what had so scared them earlier in the day.

As Sarah was dishing out the dessert, Peter and Laura received cards from everyone. The ones from Patrick and Alan both had cash in them. Alan also gave Peter a book on knot tying, which garnered a laugh from everyone. Peter wasn’t aware that everyone knew about that story. Apparently, the parents have been talking.

By the time the cards were opened and half of the cake eaten, Peter and Laura were anxious about leaving. Peter spoke up first. “We’re going to get going now. We promised Dan that we’d visit him after the ceremony was over,” he lied.

Laura played along. “Maybe we can bring him a piece of cake?”

Heather said, “Sure, just get a to-go box. I should see you there later. I’ll drop Alan off at his place. Sarah, did you want to go?”

“I have some things I need to do at the house, mom,” answered Sarah.

“Okay, so I’ll drop you off and be right over to the hospital.”

“When I talked to Dan this morning, he said he should be getting out any time now, that the doctors felt that he was out of the woods, and aside from his broken arm, he should be ready for anything,” Patrick said.

“Oh, then we’d better hurry. We’ll see you over there, Mrs. Valgard,” said Laura as she stood up from the table. She nudged Peter, who stood up next to her. Laura leaned over and gave her dad a hug while Peter pushed in their chairs. The check hadn’t come yet, so the rest of them would be there for a few more minutes at least.

They walked out of the restaurant and to Laura’s car. As soon as they were outside, they were on their guard again. Peter didn’t trust Gerald even in the slightest. They got in and once again, Laura locked the doors immediately. “Where are we going, Pete?” she asked.

“I think you had a good idea. Let’s go talk with Dan. It will be a while before mom gets there, so maybe we can ask him some questions. With any luck, he’ll be ready to get out of there today, too.”

“Alright, it’s a plan.”

They drove to the hospital, which was about eight miles away, and went straight up to Dan’s room. He was awake and ready to do something other than lie in bed and get poked by nurses, no matter how cute they were.

“Hey, Peter Pan,” Dan said. “I see you brought Tinkerbelle back with you.” Dan was smiling and definitely looking a lot healthier than the last time they saw him. “I hear the Wizard gave you your brain today?”

“You’re mixing your fairy tales, Dan. Peter Pan never met the Wizard of Oz. But it’s good to see you anyway. You look about ready to get out of here,” said Peter.

“Oh, I am, absolutely.”

“What have they told you? Will it be today?”

“According to the doctor, yes, but there’s paperwork to get filled out and signed and all sorts of hoops to jump through. It’s not as easy as getting out of bed and making for the elevator.” They laughed.

Peter looked at Laura and said, “Well, it would seem we have a captive audience here, at least for a little while until the bureaucracy gets into motion.” Laura nodded. Peter turned his attention back to Dan. “Remember that little episode I had while I was in here last time?”

“Remember it? The nurses haven’t let me forget it. ‘Is your sickie brother coming in today?’ they’d ask me.”

“Very nice,” Peter said sarcastically. “Well, I’m definitely over that. But it reminded me of that guy that you saw on your flight. The asshole.”

“Yeah? What about him?” asked Dan.

“He showed up at my graduation today.” Peter waited for that to sink in.

“You’re kidding me.” Peter shook his head no. “What the hell was he doing at graduation? Does he have a kid in high school?”

“I don’t think so, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t even consider that. But it gets weirder. I...” Peter hesitated, remembering the embarrassment of the moment. “I tripped on the way back to my chair, after I got my diploma on stage. I landed face-down in the grass.”

Dan laughed. “Classic move, klutz.”

“I’m serious now,” Peter said, feeling insulted. “When I stood up, there he was, in the stands. He was looking right at me. I didn’t know what to do, so I made a beeline back to my seat and tried my best to look like everyone else, which was pretty easy since we were all wearing the same outfit.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad, except for the part where you will be talked about for many graduations to come,” Dan said.

“Well, let’s see if this trips your weird-meter. After the ceremony was over, I’m standing there with Laura and the guy walks by with this nasty look on his face. He’s grinning the whole time, but I feel like he wants to rip my throat out.”

“Are you sure you’re not just reading too much into it? You say he was there. Maybe his little brother was graduating or something. Then you say he walked by and grinned at the guy who fell flat on his face trying to walk across a flat surface. Is that about the size of it?”

The way Dan said it made Peter feel absurd. Everything he said made sense. Could it have been so innocuous? Is he just blowing it all out of proportion? His gut told him that he was right to be concerned, but Dan’s explanation gave him reservations. He definitely thought he read malice in Gerald’s expression, but could it have simply been derision over the fact that he tripped? Peter obviously did not want to go into all of the visions he had about Gerald, or the fact that he knew Gerald’s name. But now he doubted himself.

Laura had been standing by the whole time, trying to be supportive of him, but her silence now gave greater credence to his doubts. Did she agree with Dan? Was he overreacting? It was starting to become too much for Peter. He wanted to forget about it all. His doubts were getting the better of him, and he just wanted to change the subject.

“Mom’s on her way here. She should be here pretty soon. She was just going to drop Mr. Sinclair off at his place and Sarah at home, and she’d be right over. She could give you a ride home if your paperwork comes through in time. Otherwise, give me a call and I’ll see if we can’t swing by and get you.”

“Sounds good. Are you heading out already? You just got here.”

Laura was looking at Peter with concern. With her earlier silence, he wasn’t sure what to make of it, but didn’t want to talk about it in front of Dan. “Yeah, I was just thinking that Laura and I could catch a movie or something while it’s still light out.” Peter winced at his words, realizing that he was proposing spending a couple hours in a dark theater and trying to justify it because it was still daytime.

Laura played along, though, and moved closer to Peter. She pulled his arm, and he understood her agreement to leave. She looked back at Dan as they were leaving the room and said, “We’ll see you later, Dan. I hope you’re able to head home soon.” Once they were outside and waiting for the elevator, she asked, “Are you okay?”

“I don’t know. What he said made sense, but I was just so afraid at the time, I can’t believe it’s all just in my head.”

“I know what you mean. Something’s telling me there’s more to this guy. I don’t remember ever seeing him. I doubt he has anybody at the school.”

Peter said, “You saw him. He looked like a soldier.” Peter thought about the shooting vision again, and how he was convinced that Gerald was a soldier.

“So maybe he’s been in Iraq or Afghanistan or something, and he just got back. He was on a flight from the east coast, right?”

“You and I both know that this guy doesn’t give off good vibes. There’s something off about him.”

“But what are we going to do about it?”

“I don’t know,” Peter said yet again. He was starting to feel like a broken record.

They grabbed a newspaper on the way out and checked movie timetables. The movie they were interested in seeing was playing at the Continental, which was a little further east than they were used to, but right up the road from the hospital. They drove out Hampden and down Monaco to the theater and went inside. The movie was going to start in about fifteen minutes on the giant screen. They bought tickets, popcorn and a Sprite and went inside. There were only a few other people in the theater when they arrived, and they sat where they thought they would be able to see the best, right in the center of the row. They listened to the music and watched the thinly-disguised commercials play. After the previews, the movie started. Peter had his hand in Laura’s lap, and she held it tightly in both of her hands. She occasionally leaned on his arm. Peter loved the softness of her touch, the gentle way she would stroke his arm, and the feel of her lips against his when she would lean over and kiss him. She was a good-natured, charming, attractive girl who has so far put up with all of the strange things that have happened to Peter. She was going straight to his head.

After the movie, they went to the Starbucks across the street and got some coffee, which they drank as they walked around. The area wasn’t the best place to be walking since it was mostly parking lots and streets. They made their way over to the parking garage of a nearby hotel and walked the spiral all the way to the top where they kissed until they heard someone getting into their car near them. Then they walked back down and across the parking lots back to Laura’s car. By the time they returned, it was nearing dinnertime, and Laura had to get home. She drove Peter home and they said good bye for the day, and Laura pulled away. Peter watched her car disappear around a corner and walked inside.

His mother wasn’t home from the hospital yet, and his dad was still at the office. Sarah was here watching TV and folding laundry. He went in and talked with her a little while and found out that she had hired a lawyer to start divorce proceedings. He was sad for her. He remembered how happy she was when she got married, and how proud she was when she announced that they were going to have a baby. Now, she has to readjust everything in her life because Jason, her husband, had an affair.

Peter went up to his room and lay down on his bed. He was thinking of Jason and Sarah, and that led to the redhead he saw in his vision. He still felt guilty about all of that, as though he had cheated on Laura, but that was preposterous. He had no control over what he saw and felt in that vision. That’s like feeling guilty over having a dream about someone. But the truth of the matter is that he felt guilty because he actually fantasized about the redhead. He usually went to church, so he understood guilt and impure thoughts, and he was certainly beating himself up over the impure thoughts he had about the redhead. He saw first-hand what that sort of behavior could lead to, and tried to be conscious of that, which only served to amplify his guilt.

Not having anything to do for a while, Peter actually took a nap until his mother came into his room and woke him up for a late dinner. He groggily made his way downstairs and ate unenthusiastically. After dinner, he helped clear the plates and load the dishwasher before sitting in the living room and watching TV. He watched the end of a game show that his dad liked, and was about to start watching something else when his cell phone rang. Caller ID showed Laura’s number, so he sprang up off the couch and went up to his room before answering.

As he reached his room, he pushed the “talk” button and said, “Hello?”

The voice on the other end of the line wasn’t Laura’s. It was a male voice that said, “Don’t hang up.” He sounded threatening. Peter froze in his tracks and didn’t make a sound. The voice continued, “And don’t go calling the police, your dad, your mom, your sister or your poor, hurt brother, either.” Whoever this was, he knew a lot about him.

Peter panicked. He closed the door to his room and covered his mouth and the microphone on the phone with his hand so that nobody would accidentally hear what he said. “Who is this?”

“Don’t play games with me, boy, you know damn well who this is.”

“Gerald?” asked Peter timidly.

“Oh, we got a smart one here. How the fuck did you get my name?”

Peter was in shock. He was actually on the phone with Aura Man, who obviously did something with Laura. “Where is she? What have you done with her?” Peter couldn’t keep the emotion out of his voice, and tried very hard to make sure nobody else in the house heard him. He didn’t want to take the chance that Gerald would do anything dreadful to Laura because of something he did.

“She’s just fine, Peter. Just fine. She’s one pretty lady. You got good taste in women.” Peter’s blood was boiling. He could barely stand to listen to the conversation. “And I’ll make you a deal,” Gerald continued. “You give back to me what you stole and I’ll give back to you this little lady here in one piece, safe and sound.”

Peter searched his memory again, unable to come up with anything that he might have stolen from Gerald. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Don’t!” Gerald sounded like he was on the edge of control. “Don’t lie to me. You have something that belongs to me and I will get it back or your bitch will be gone for good.” In the background, Peter could hear a sick, smacking sound followed by crying. It had to be Laura.

“What do you want me to do?” asked Peter.

“That’s better. Let’s just be reasonable, right? Here’s what I want you to do.”