Imagination can be tiring

Imagination can be tiring

Deirdre strolled confidently down Ash Street, turned a corner at Haight, stopped and waited. She’d been down this road several times before, twice the street signs changed names, and more than once, so had she. So far, she’d been a Heather and a Joy, the author finally settled on Deirdre.

She felt a subtle push, so continued down Haight. Her thoughts turned to the date ahead with David, nope that was the last alternative, this was Graham. She daydreamed about his blue eyes, and black curls and hoped they’d stayed that way. She’d only been dating him for three weeks and he’d already been through more hair colours than a salon trainee. Finding the bistro she opened the heavy door with long tanned arms. She’d had pale but muscled ones earlier so this was an improvement.

Stepping inside, her green eyes (and a hall mirror confirmed they had stayed the same colour), scanned the patrons. She smiled as Graham waved at her from a corner table. She crossed the room having to shift her hips between tables. The small restaurant had been through author renovations and while her hips had mostly stayed the same width, the ability to squeeze between tables had changed. Dee leaned down and gave her date a peck on the cheek, surreptitiously inhaling his aftershave. She wasn’t sure what this one was called but she liked it better than the last one.

They traded greetings and asked tentatively about family members without using names. They’d learned a sad lesson when his grand-dad Ralph had had a quick death the week before. The author had felt bad, however, and changed their mind, so celebrations were abundant this past weekend. 

Dee scanned the menu and noted that the Greek food had disappeared, she asked Gray ‘if it was her or had they not been here before for knock-out moussaka’ He nodded sadly and supposed out loud that he could stomach seafood lasagna if she was okay with it. It appeared to them both that their motivations, careers, families, menus and even sex moves were reliant on whether the writer had had a good or bad day.

Ordering their meal and beverages from a new server didn’t phase them, and neither did driving different cars, or living in different flats. In some ways, it was exciting to wake up in a contrarily decorated space and put on clothes you didn’t remember buying. Gray had been intrigued at first by the career changes, but after the switch from lawyer to the owner of a used car lot, he’d grown despondent.

When their food came it had changed from lasagna to large American-style burgers with Bud Light rather than the IPA’s they’d chosen. They shrugged and dug in. Dee had to acknowledge that their writer had good taste in food, even if the choices in interior design left something to be desired. They discussed the news between bites, as a journalist Dee had an inside track into new political developments. She was grateful every morning that she hadn’t been written to be a war-zone writer, quickly banishing the thought as if it could prompt a sudden scene change. She and Gray wiped their chins off and with a subtle lift of his right eyebrow, she grinned. She prayed that the writer was in a good personal space because she could use some good sex. The last two times Graham had inexplicably suffered, as did she through association, the horror of extremely early completion. They had lain there cursing the obvious dating glut the author was dealing with and hoping it ended soon.

Gray paid the bill and she left the tip, it was a habit but who knew how? They couldn’t remember yet how they’d met. They didn’t know if it would come to them in a flashback or a friend’s storyline, either way, they were happy. She had noted a birthday card on his mantle the week before so knew that he had just turned twenty-seven. She had scanned her face in the mirror of the most recent bathroom and gauged that given the absence of wrinkles and silver strands, she was likely about the same age. They clasped hands and strolled towards Graham’s most recent flat. He was happy with its space but wondered how long he could afford it in his new commission-based job.

They ascended to his floor, she carried the bag with the few groceries they’d bought at the little market, a few things for a light dinner and breakfast, along with a bottle of the wine they liked but hadn’t been able to access at lunch. Opening the door they heard a faint mewing. Gray remarked in a slightly sarcastic tone that he hoped their patron had thought to provide cat food as he hadn’t known he had a feline to feed. Dee took the groceries into the kitchen and looked around. She saw a double dish with kibble in one and water in the other.

The groceries were put away, the wine was breathing and she had nothing else to do so she walked around and explored the new space. The last time they’d been together at his, it was in a different building and had an L-shaped floor plan. Calling out to Gray she heard his voice from the back room. Following his trail of clothes, she smiled and plonked the cat into a conveniently placed cat carrier.

Laying back on crumpled sheets, winded and sated, she blessed their creator for being in the right space of mind today. They’d been making passionate love for over an hour, switching positions and finding new buttons to push. Gray had proved to be a great lover their first time, they seemed to mesh well in that regard. Dee knew that she was using some form of birth control but had no idea what it was, she assumed it was the pill as there were no accessories to be found in her bathroom or his. She also knew he didn’t use a condom, that would have been fairly obvious, so they’d clearly had some prior conversation about it. Damn, this situation could be annoying.

She rose and donned a t-shirt of his, he was 5’ 10” only a few inches taller than her, so his clothes weren’t swimming on her. Padding into the kitchen through the living room she glanced at the cat carrier and was unsurprised at the change from cat to Komodo dragon, it hissed at her but didn’t seem phased at its change any more than she was. She poured the wine into two glasses and picked up a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels in her teeth.

Two hours later she and Graham emerged from the bedroom. He eased up behind the cage to see the new pet and expecting a reptile merely shook his head at the mewing coming from the cage. Deirdre topped up their glasses while Gray found a movie on one of the streaming services he had, He reiterated his worry about money, his tastes had adapted to a legal career, and since the recent career change, he’d have to tighten the purse strings. She calmed his fears with a reminder that given their author’s changeability, he could be a US Senator by the end of the afternoon. He smiled and clinked his glass to hers. She told him she’d start dinner in an hour and they settled in to watch the new Top Gun film.

Deirdre paused ‘Barbie’ after an hour and looked fondly at Graham's face, he’d fallen asleep after ten minutes. She didn’t blame him, he’d had an active afternoon in bed and couldn’t bother to stay awake long enough to get his Kens straight. It had been a cruel change, she’d been looking forward to the Tom Cruise movie. Shrugging, she set her empty glass on the side table. Easing his head off her shoulders she rose to start the meal. She smiled to see the kitten sprawled on Gray’s lap, thinking it was probably a better choice than the reptile for cuddling.

A half-hour later she returned to the living room, the light dinner menu had been altered while they’d been busy. She’d promised him a family favourite shrimp and green onion omelet but found the ingredients for pulled pork on ciabatta buns instead. An angry knock sounded on the door so she detoured to answer it, her shoulders tight in anticipation, who could it be with that much heat? Gray sat up, dislodging the cat in the process. He pleaded with her not to answer the door, saying only that it didn’t bode well. She glanced at the straight red hair standing straight up, sighed and assured him it would be fine. Peering through the peephole she saw a short, obviously dyed-blonde woman with flashing eyes on the other side.

Easing the door open, Dee stepped back and addressed the woman with a question. “Can I help you with something?” The woman screeched and pushed her aside to enter the apartment.

“Where is he, where is David?” She took note of Graham standing up near the couch and took in his 6’ 4” frame. She asked again where David was, seeming to realize she may be in the wrong apartment, or at the very least with the wrong occupants. She shook her curls and glared at them both. Gray and Dee stood side by side and waited for her to come to the same conclusion as they had. The author had left a character hanging from the last incarnation.

The woman, who called herself ‘Melanie I think’ reported that she’d been here with David six weeks prior but hadn’t heard from him since. She’d asked at his place of employment and texted his sister, only to discover he didn’t exist. Dee sat in the chair nearby and attempted to explain the unexplainable. They were all at the mercy of a writer who changed plot lines, character descriptions and day-to-day details on a whim. Melanie nodded, but her eyes which went from blue to brown at a disturbing speed, remained blank. She agreed, finally that it would explain a lot but couldn’t help her in the end. She was still pregnant and there was no father on record, or even in existence. Dee helped her to stand and hugged her goodbye. There was nothing else she or Graham could do, after all. Melanie walked out the front door after turning to look at the apartment again, clearly seeing herself and David enjoying a similar evening together.

Dee returned to the kitchen, glancing again at the changes in Graham. She had more than empathy for Melanie as she’d been through physical changes in her boyfriend. She realized with a start that at some point Graham had been a David too, she’d almost called him that this very afternoon. That would be too much of a coincidence, right?

He had followed her into the kitchen and poured them another glass of their favourite Greek red. Moschomavro had been the first bottle they’d drunk together, she knew that at least. The rest of the first date details still eluded her, well them actually as Gray hadn’t been able to remember much either. Over their sandwiches and coleslaw, they discussed Melanie and the uncertainties about their futures, pasts and details about their present they hadn’t been shown. Dee cleaned their plates and with a mind, that she had concluded was written smutty, wondered how Graham’s change in height related to his other dimensions. She smiled and decided to find out for herself.

Returning to her flat the following morning, more than sated and a bit tender, she was glad it was Saturday. There were household chores of her own to deal with, not to mention the piece for the London Style magazine she freelanced for. After an hour of tidying both herself and her space, she sat at her laptop and checked her email.

After scanning the list she was confused by the absence of writing assignments. The saved file she had set for her magazine article had disappeared and all the new messages related to architectural assignments. Her head dropped to the table next to the laptop. So, she was an architect now? Was the author re-watching Seinfeld episodes or something? She pushed away from the table and strode to the window. Her flat hadn’t changed as Graham’s had but given who she was dealing with, it was just a matter of time so she wanted to catch the view she loved before she lost it. Her mobile buzzed and she drew it from her back pocket. The name was withheld and her first instinct was to ignore it. The buzzing continued unabated so she pushed the green phone icon.

“Hello, Deirdre speaking.” She heard breathing on the other end, but no voice, she tried again with her name, but the breather didn’t speak up. “I’m going to hang up now, so speak now or forever hold your peace”

“Dee? Is that you truly? It’s me, your mother, no father, or is it brother, perhaps a high school crush, no that’s silly, I’m your mother, I haven’t seen you in forever.” Dee clicked on the red phone icon. She was emotionally full and didn’t have time for any bizarre reunions. She’d been raised by her sister since their parents had died in a car accident twenty years before. She’d accepted that and had no desire for newly discovered parents or siblings at this point. She didn’t know what their writer was working towards but she could just leave her heart out of it. She placed the phone on the counter and realized she no longer had a writing assignment, so the afternoon was hers.

Her sister’s house was a short train trip from downtown London to whatever small village the author had chosen. It boasted a scenic main street that hosted the usual pubs, post office and bakery. Her sister and husband commuted to the city during the week but as this was a Saturday, she hoped to find them at home. Dee wasn’t sure if her sister had been affected by the author or if the machinations were for her and Graham alone. She had a picture in her mind of what Stacey and Bernie looked like, could trace the interior of their two-level home in her mind and held on to that as a frame of reference. If they’d gone through sudden changes her questions would be answered.

Stepping off the train she strode through the small station and out onto the street. The first thing she noted was the fountain that usually graced the town square had been replaced. The statue of Boris Johnson was hardly a fit replacement in her provided opinion. She hadn’t given any thought to her politics as it wasn’t a part of the storyline, but maybe it was time to start thinking for herself. She began to feel an uprising of passion and then…

She stood in front of Stacey’s driveway with no memory of having walked there. She shook off the eerie feeling of being manipulated, she knew she ought to be used to it by now but it still rattled. The door opened and her sister stepped out to greet her. They hugged and Dee was folded into a house that was the same as the last time.

Stacey took her out to the garden where they’d be having lunch. Dee hugged her brother-in-law as well as her twin nieces. They attended Oxford during the week but as their home was so close they commuted at weekends. After a few hours of easy family time, she left with promises to return more often. Stacey walked her back to the station and asked in that older sister's concerned tone about Graham. Dee blushed while admitting to a solid sex life and confirmed things were going well, but it was ‘early days’. They chatted a bit more and Deirdre was only slightly put out when she noted on the fly that Boris had been replaced by a green-scaled dragon.

She hugged her sister before boarding the train and told her to stay solid, reminding Stacey just how important it was that she had consistency in her life. Stacey gave her an odd look but smiled and waved. Upon her return to London Dee made her way to her flat while talking to Graham on the phone, they agreed to meet the next day for lunch with Gray warning her what he now looked like. She huffed out an expletive, a shock to them both at first. Swearing clearly wasn’t in her character file. With a laugh, they clicked off. Dee had a plan for the evening before her and what if it worked?

________________________________________

The author sipped her tea, found it cold and bitter so set it down and away from her so she wasn’t tempted again. Should she even continue with Dee and Gray?  It wasn’t like she hadn’t started and abandoned a dozen potential contest entries. What was it about these two that had her continuing, kept her coming back to them and foregoing the Mahjong games she enjoyed? She knew it wasn’t fair to play around with the character descriptions so often but every time she’d see someone on T.V. she’d take some of their physical characteristics and plant them into her writing. She smiled wryly, and with fierce determination added their backstory, tidied up the loose strings like poor Melanie, and established a future for Dee and Gray. Finishing close to midnight and knowing she was in danger of exceeding the three thousand words, she shrugged, needs must when a writer has a story.

      _______________________________________

Dee and Graham looked down at their daughter and held their breath, it had been a year with no changes, but they called her Navina, which meant ‘an eternally fresh person’ just in case.