Familiar Faces From Another Lifetime

Amber was a thirty-one year old personal support worker who was told by her closest colleagues, friends, her mom, and even her doctor, that she was "burnt out."

She felt normal. However they were perceiving her to be, that had been her way of life since before she was old enough to hold a paying job. "Busy bee," her dad used to call her.

She supposed that she must be displaying worrisome enough symptoms of this so-called burnout, since it was being brought to her attention with irritating frequency. All Amber could do was shrug it off and continue on.

Her doctor ordered Amber to take a vacation. "Ideally somewhere with some sun," the doctor said, with a concerned look on her face that translated to "you're so pale I'm worried you might die from vitamin D deficiency."

Living in Canada and working twelve-hour shifts, sometimes overnight, she really didn't get much sun. The workaholic in her early thirties hadn't taken a vacation since her second year of college, and even that was only a weekend trip to hectic New York City.

Convincing herself that a vacation would be a good idea, and that her clients would (hopefully) survive without her for a week, Amber began the tedious search for her sunny destination.

Always a bit of a scrappy lone wolf—someone who avoids large crowds and gatherings like one avoids a Saturday morning Costco run—she knew that an all-inclusive resort would be her own personal tropical hell.

No, it had to be a small, unglamorous cottage or shack on a quiet beach, or this vacation wouldn't happen at all. Mexico would be nice, she thought.

In her search she flipped past anything that looked luxurious. She wasn't sure why, but that had never been her style. When she landed on a small beach hut on a less-touristy island off the coast of Mexico, she had a flutter in her stomach.

This was the one.

For just under $80 per night, Amber would have the quaint beach hut all to herself equipped with a queen bed, a small table to eat at, and an extremely minimalist kitchen. It was surrounded by trees, and a short walk to a private beach. Amber loved that word.

It even had what the listing referred to as a "yoga room," which was really just a separate deck outside of the hut. It also happened to be available only on the exact dates she was looking for. It was perfect.

Amber had her flaws, but she was always good at listening to her gut. Her keen sense of intuition had never steered her wrong in life. She could distinguish a positive fluttering in her stomach from a negative one right away, indicating which path was best for her to take.

She just wasn't sure if it was her strong intuition that kept her from dating a man longer than a few months, or if it was her own self-sabotage guided by her preference for being alone. None of the men she'd dated so far had given her any sort of tingling or fluttering sensation—anywhere.

Besides, her work was her life. She dedicated herself to her clients because they needed her. They gave her purpose.

As always, Amber packed as minimally as possible. A few pairs of shorts and t-shirts, some pyjamas, a hat, a pair of sunglasses, her wallet and keys, and a bottle of sunscreen so old it was surely expired. She brought just two pairs of shoes—a pair of sandals with the tag still on, and her only pair of running shoes which she wore to the airport.

Oh, and a book, obviously. Lone wolves love to read.

The experience of getting to the hut was to be expected. Long airport lines, screaming kids, that person who has to put their seat back on the plane and suffocate the person behind them, who is already squeezed between two people—which, naturally, was Amber.

From the airport, she then had to take a four hour bus ride, followed by an hour-long ferry to the island, then a thirty minute taxi ride, with a driver who periodically gave her questioning looks in the rearview mirror. As long as she had her book to occupy herself, she didn't mind.

She arrived at her private hut just after the sun had gone down. There was a single lamp inside, which would do just fine. Despite only eating an overpriced bag of trail mix on the plane, she was surprisingly not hungry. Feeling tired from the long day of travel, Amber opted for a quick shower followed by an indulgent amount of much-needed sleep.

In the morning Amber awoke to the sound of birds, morning sunlight on her face, and a ravenous hunger. After brushing her teeth and a quick splash of cold water on her face, Amber got dressed and ventured out in search of a grocery store.

Realizing she hadn't scoped out the area very well ahead of time and with no grocery store in sight, Amber was grateful as she stumbled upon a vegan restaurant. She wasn't vegan, but the place looked welcoming, the food smelled amazing, and she was very hungry.

Walking into the restaurant, Amber felt a shift in her energy. This was different than her usual gut instincts, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

She was then led to her table, which looked out over the hills to the water down below. The windows were fully open, it was warm, and she could hear the sound of birds outside, and a light clattering of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.

She ordered a simple cup of coffee and waited for her food. As she did, she had a fragmented vision of an old home present itself in her mind. It appeared to her the way an old memory does, except she didn't recognize what she was seeing. Chalking it up to her hunger and the jet lag making her delusional, she pushed the thought aside.

The food was a little pricey, but as someone with a limited exposure to vegan cuisine, it was much better than she was expecting. It had been so long since she'd eaten a proper meal and had the time to truly savour it.

Feeling satisfied, Amber strolled slowly back to her hut to grab her book and a towel before heading down to the beach. She felt a deep sense of calm wash over her as she arrived on the beach to see not a single soul on it. It really was private.

She picked a spot to park herself for a few hours, and after getting a few pages further into her book, she realized she wouldn't have enough reading left to last the next five days, plus the travel home. She wondered what she was thinking only bringing a single book. It had been so long since she'd travelled anywhere for more than a night or two, and her packing skills had clearly suffered.

Instead, Amber put the book down and looked out at the water lapping up onto the beach, the birds soaring by, and the odd little crab creeping across the sand.

After about fifteen minutes of taking everything in, she started to feel fidgety. She liked being alone, but she didn't like being alone with her thoughts. It was part of the reason she worked so much, and read books or slept when she wasn't working. She knew this deep down.

Amber had always had this inner feeling of restlessness, like something inside her was missing. It felt big, yet insignificant at the same time.

She had a good job, a place to live, a loving family and a couple of good friends. Her romantic life hadn't taken off, but she never felt a dire need for an intimate partner. She truly enjoyed her own company. She convinced herself time and again that she had everything she could want or need.

Recognizing that her chest was clenched and not wanting to sit in this feeling any longer, Amber opted to walk along the beach. As she did, she had more visions flash through her mind, like she had at the restaurant.

She wasn't hungry anymore, so what was this about? She saw more of the old home she had seen before. A suburban-looking street lined with maple trees. A car that, to her, looked prehistoric. Maybe from the 1920s or 30s?

Maybe she was feeling boredom for the first time in her life, so her mind was coming up with a story, she thought.

As she turned around to head back, she saw a young man running toward her. Unsure of what to think, she quickly assessed the situation and decided the man looked harmless enough.

The closer the man got, Amber felt more and more of an energy shift within her, just like she had at the restaurant. The sensation was growing stronger and more peculiar. As he got about twenty feet away, he started waving his hand, and she saw that he was holding something.

"Miss, you left your sunglasses at the restaurant!" He shouted. She felt silly, she had yet to discover that they were no longer on her head.

As he slowed to a halt in front of her, it felt as though time stopped moving. They both stood and stared at each other for what felt like a hundred years. She felt an overwhelming fluttering in her gut.

Snapping herself out of the weird trance she seemed to be in, Amber said "Thank you. How did you know where to find me?"

The man, out of breath and wearing a dirty apron, had blue-green eyes and thick brown hair in dire need of a cut, as long strands hung in his face. He appeared to be just as stunned as she was.

He slowly answered, "I don't know, I guess I just had a feeling. I've always been good at that." He handed Amber her sunglasses and asked, "What's your name?"

"Amber," she replied quietly as she simultaneously tried to analyze this stranger and the odd feelings she was having.

"Lucas," he offered, as he reached his hand out toward her. Hesitantly, she shook it. When their skin touched she had more flashbacks, each one more vivid than the last. She could see a man's face this time. It was different than the one standing here in front of her now, yet she had this strange inner knowing that they were connected in some way.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been grasping his hand for, and once she came to and realized she was gripping it pretty hard, she quickly pulled it back. He seemed unfazed.

After a few too many quiet moments, Lucas said "Can I ask you something?" Amber nodded. "Do I look familiar to you?"

Amber was unsure how honest she should be, but then figured she was on vacation in Mexico and probably wouldn't see this man again. So she said, "It's the strangest thing... You don't look familiar to me—as in I don't think we've met before—but you feel familiar. That probably sounds crazy, I'm sorry..."

"No, no," Lucas said as he waved his hands in front of him, "Don't be sorry. I think I understand what you mean. I was working in the kitchen this morning when I started to feel very strange and see weird things in my mind. I thought maybe it was just too hot and I needed a break. But I'm realizing now that it happened at the same time you were there. And it's only been getting stronger leading up to meeting you now."

"Yes, the same thing has been happening to me. What do you think it means?" She asked.

After glancing out at the empty beach for a moment, searching for his words, Lucas replied, "I don't know for sure, but maybe we were supposed to meet for some reason? Are you here on vacation?"

"Yes, I'm just staying at one of the huts up the hill," Amber said as she pointed toward the trees.

"Okay, how about this?" Lucas proposed, "I have to finish my shift at the restaurant, but I can come find you after so we can talk more about this. I'll meet you back here at six o'clock?"

Amber, of course, had no plans. "Sure," she said.

Lucas smiled and turned to run back up the beach. As he became smaller and smaller in her line of sight, Amber was surprised to feel a novel cocktail of longing, excitement, curiosity and anticipation.

In a daze, she walked back to her spot on the beach and watched the clouds pass as she reflected on this strange encounter. She had so many questions.

Who was the man she saw in her mind?

Where was the house she saw flashes of, like memories belonging to someone else?

What did Lucas, a man who she had never met before, have to do with it all?

And how could he feel so familiar if they'd never physically met?

She had never thought much about the concept of past lives. It all felt like a huge stretch. A major improbability. But maybe...

Amber busied herself the rest of the afternoon by walking through town, getting lunch at a different restaurant, and going back to her hut to freshen up. Before she knew it, it was time to head back to the beach.

Making the short walk from her porch, Amber's legs felt like jelly. No one had ever evoked such strong reactions in her before.

As she approached the spot where they met earlier, Lucas was already there, sitting on a towel and looking out at the water. She eyed him up and down before he noticed her, feeling embarrassed as she felt her cheeks flush upon seeing how he'd transformed himself.

He was wearing washed out blue jeans and a crisp white t-shirt, with an open, white button down shirt over top. His dark hair was lightly slicked back, revealing more of his face. She noticed he had a bit of stubble. He had already removed his shoes and had his tanned feet resting in the sand.

All Amber had was another pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She'd never been one to worry about her looks or impressing a man, yet for once she wished she'd packed a more exciting wardrobe.

"Hi, Lucas," Amber said quietly as she grew closer, not wanting to startle him. He turned his head and smiled, and she noticed the charming single strand of hair that had fallen onto his face. He was so calm. Maybe because he lives in a tropical paradise, she thought to herself.

"Hi, Amber," Lucas said. "It's nice to see you again." He gestured for her to sit next to him on the towel. As she sat, she again felt an intensifying sensation inside of her. Yet she felt peaceful at the same time. There was something about his presence that seemed to have that effect on her.

They talked about the rest of their day, where they both came from, their jobs, their families, and their hobbies. To Amber, it felt like catching up with an old friend. She suspected that Lucas felt the same way.

As the sun was starting its slow lowering over the horizon, Lucas finally brought up the elephant in the room—or, in this case, on the beach. He seemed hesitant as he started speaking, and he looked down nervously as he said, "So... my grandmother was a big believer in the after life." He paused. "Not only that, she believed that a soul lives more than one life. That a soul can live many lives."

He glanced up, and when he saw Amber's comforting and non-judgemental expression, he continued on. "Do you believe it's possible that we may have known each other before? In another life, I mean?"

Amber could sense his vulnerability. This was all so strange to her as well, but she felt safe enough with him to dive deeper. "As crazy as it is to say, yes, I do believe it could be possible. I never thought much about it until I met you this morning. It was as if... I've actually known you for a very long time." Now Amber was feeling vulnerable too.

They both stared out at the water for a few minutes in silence, but not an awkward kind of silence. It felt right. It felt as if they had sat in peaceful silence many, many times before.

Feeling a magnetic pull toward him, without moving her gaze away from the water, Amber placed her hand down on the sand, as close to Lucas as she could without actually touching him. After a moment, she felt his hand rest on top of hers.

They looked at each other, and in that long moment of their eyes meeting, they both felt time move very quickly, yet completely stop all at the same time.

In his eyes, she saw something bigger than just the two of them there on that beach. She saw infinity. She saw comfort. She saw home.

No words needed to be said. They both knew that the other felt the exact same way.

For the first time her life, that feeling that something inside of her was missing had disappeared. She no longer felt restless, no longer afraid of the silence and the stillness. She felt complete on a soul level.

This wasn't serendipity. It was destiny far beyond common understanding. This clearly wasn't their first shared life, and they both had a feeling it wouldn't be their last.

Amber's gut instincts had never steered her wrong. Her entire life, her instincts had been guiding her to this very moment, to this very encounter in this improbable paradise. And no book could beat the story that was about to be written.