The Pear Tree

I opened my eyes and hit the alarm clock. The sun shone through the wall length windows in our bedroom, a main reason why we purchased the house. I stretched, pretending not to see my wife Eliza next to me as my hand pushed her in the face.

“Ugh is it time already?” she asked.

I turned to face her, “I guess we can be a little late” I said as I nuzzled my face into her side. She squealed with laughter and playfully swatted me away

“I have to get Abigail ready for school, it’s her school play tonight and they have practice all day. Don’t forget, Jack, it starts at 7”. She got out of bed and started for the bathroom.

“Why would I miss the chance to see a bunch of 4 an 5-year-olds prancing around on stage?”

As Eliza started the shower, I could hear the pitter patter of tiny feet running to my room. I quickly ducked my head and pretended to snore. I felt Abigail jump on the bed as she felt around trying to pull the blanket out of my face.

“Daddy! Wake up, it’s morning time!”

“What do you mean? It’s still dark!”

“Daddy! That’s because you’re under the covers!” She ripped off the covers as I feigned surprise.

“Oh, you’re right!” Thanks for waking me up or I would have been late” I grabbed her and started tickling her nonstop as she giggled and giggled . Eliza came out in her bathrobe.

“Alright Abby let’s go get ready for school.”

“OK mommy, I’m getting my backpack”

I watched the two of them leave the room and smiled.

After the morning routine came to an end, we went our separate ways. Eliza and Abby to preschool drop off and me on my way to the police station.

“Don’t forget! Seven o’clock!” Eliza yelled out her window.

“See you at my play daddy! I’m gonna be the pear tree in the garden so look for me!”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

And with that, our cars turned in opposite directions and we went our separate ways.

____________________________________________________

“Hey Joe, hear back from that witness for the hit and run yet?” I poured some coffee in my Best Dad mug and leaned back on the counter.

“Unfortunately, no but I have some follow ups to do today and hopefully we will have a lead sooner rather than later”.

I went to my office and looked at the mounting files on my desk that continued to grow each day. As soon as I hit the seat Joe ran in yelling ,

“They found him and are chasing him down highway 34!”

I grabbed my keys, “Let’s go.”

We sped to the highway followed by 5 other police cars. All of a sudden, one by one, the cars seemed to be going in slow motion and something didn't feel right..

“What the hell...”

“What’s going on Jack? Are you ok?” Joe looked at me with confusion

“I don’t know, don’t you see this?” I looked down at my hands and all of a sudden, the wheel and keys started floating in the air. I gasped and looked up and it all went black.

Slowly I opened my eyes and was surrounded by a blur of machines and people around me.

“Jack? Can you hear me?”

“What’s going on? Where am I?”

“Hi Jack, I’m Dr. Sam, you are in the hospital. There was an accident and you were asleep for some time.”

“Asleep?” I shifted into a sitting position. “What time is it? I have to make it to Abby’s play, I promised her and I can’t be late.”

Disoriented, I started pulling at the wires while the machines beeped faster and faster.

“Whoa hold on Jack” I saw my brother race to help me stabilize my body weight, “You just woke up, you need some time to adjust.”

“I promised her I’d make it; I can’t be late”

“Promised who?”

“Abby!” I said frustrated that no one would listen.

“Jack,” my brother started softly, “whose Abby?”

They couldn’t put a name to it besides near-death experience. I was in a coma for 3 months but lived 5 years’ worth of life. They said it’s not common but have heard cases of it happening before. They said a coma is a mysterious thing and that I may have pulled pieces of my present life together to make this parallel life as they call it. That I was filling my mind in my narrative with memories while I was asleep . Abby was the name of my boss, they said. I worked as an architect but had a huge interest in investigative reporting and watched crime documentaries for fun. I didn’t believe a word of it. The medication could help me forget but I didn’t want to forget. I had a wife and child. I had to find them.

The next couple weeks were the worst I ever experienced. I tore my apartment up to find any trace of them. I scoured phone books, the internet, hospital records, and Facebook to find any inkling that my dream life existed but was left with nothing. I sobbed myself to sleep screaming the names of my wife and daughter, whose faces were embedded into my brain. I even hired someone to draw them from my description and post photos looking for answers. My brother tried to get me to see a therapist, doctor, hypnotist, whatever he thought would help. Nothing would ever help.

I was down on my knees, 2 bottles of whiskey deep, in the mess that was my apartment, papers thrown everywhere. I screamed at the sky to help me get rid of this pain. I threw the bottle which shattered all over the papers.

I picked up a blueprint of a project I had been working on. Drawn out was a gorgeous house with huge windows, floor to ceiling, all designed around a 100-year-old pear tree.