ESP

Recently, I have posted many stories in different categories. These stories were written over many a month, but I posted them in a rush. They elicited many comments from readers. Thank you to the many commenters who offered constructive feedback. I have taken as much of your advice as possible! To those, especially anonymous commenters who only bagged the stories, well karma is a bitch!

I do not write these stories for a star rating, but simply for the joy of writing. I know many authors who submit here write for a similar reason.

I hope you enjoy this story. I tried to make it as realistic as I could, provide a better ending, a conclusive ending and I also added meaningful dialogue, all comments made by many readers of my other stories. Enjoy! (I hope)

ESP

My wife, Elaine, had ESP. No really! At first, I was also a sceptic, but over the years of married life that we shared, the number of times that she predicted something before it happened was too great to discount. She would know who was on the phone before we answered it. She would inexplicably tell me to take a different route on the highway, only to find later that the first way was blocked. Buying decisions were put off because she felt that something was going to happen to that particular product, which it almost invariably did. We both felt that her ESP was real.

Elaine was also a prolific dreamer. She would wake up almost every morning itching to tell me about the dream, or dreams she had during the night. Some were hilarious, but some were chilling in their accuracy. It was as if her dreams were another manifestation of her ESP.

We learned to live with these gifts of hers. We married, of course, and had two beautiful children, John and Mary. At the time of this story telling, they were both embarked on their university studies, leaving Elaine and me to our own devices at home.

Things became interesting when I noticed that Elaine had not bounced out of bed in the mornings to tell me of her dreams. This went on for nearly two weeks.

"Lainey, you haven't been telling me about your night-time adventures in dreamland lately. What's up?" I asked at breakfast.

"Oh!" she replied, a bit flustered. "They have been even too weird for me. I don't think you need to hear them," she added.

Now every husband knows when given that comment, it is just an invitation to push a little further. "Come on Lainey! I have been hearing about these dreams of yours for all our married life. Why would you stop now?"

"Because, because," she added hesitantly, "Because you may not like what you hear. There! I have said it, now please leave it be!"

I was slightly taken aback by this outburst from Elaine. It must be something very difficult for her to talk about for her to even entertain the idea of not sharing. Now, the topics of her dreams have always been fairly eclectic, so I never knew what I would get each morning. This was way out there though! The list of things that she didn't like to talk about went through my mind. Was it her parents' deaths? Was it the early scare with John straight after his birth? Was it the mysterious disappearance of Mary for one night when she was eighteen? Was it her past boyfriends? (Although we did speak about them, and my own girlfriends, often, early in our married life!)

I knew to let it be for now. I knew it would surface eventually and all I had to do was be patient! Like a good husband. Which, without blowing my own trumpet too loudly, I was, mostly! I had been an accountant all of my working life, and although the money I made wasn't fantastic, it was a stable steady stream of income which provided a middle-class lifestyle for our family. I could honestly say that I was a level-headed type of guy, slow to anger, but quick to appreciate the funny side of life. Our house was always filled with laughter and good-hearted fun. The times when I had to be tough, I was. Bringing up two children does have its difficult times, as well as the times of absolute joy.

Elaine and I enjoyed a very comfortable relationship. After the white hot passion of our early married life, we settled into a more sedate unspoken partnership where occasionally, the old passions emerged. We both accepted that. We often spoke about this change, but agreed that we didn't regret one thing about how our life was going. Money was good, health was good, the promise of grandchildren sometime in the future, and the ability to travel. All good!

Sure enough, this dream was really eating at Elaine. The non-telling continued for another two weeks, until one morning, while I was preparing breakfast, she rushed in and sat straight down. "Bill! I have to tell you about this dream. It is killing me!" Elaine was almost distraught. We had always discussed things with each other. Sometimes the telling was uncomfortable and brought on heated discussions. My level-headed nature balanced Elaine's emotion filled tellings perfectly. Our arguments usually didn't last long until we both settled on a compromise and ended up laughing about them, or enjoying some love-making.

I poured the coffee, waiting for the tale to begin. "This should be interesting!" I thought. I could see that Elaine was very nervous and did that wringing of the hands that she always did when she wanted to concentrate on something.

"Bill. I dreamt that I would see James before I die. Before my life is over."

"Holy crap!" I thought. "She has an inkling of her own death? This is new. Now I'm getting worried."

"Bill. I keep having the same dream every night. It has been getting more and more urgent. I just can't seem to shake it. You know who I mean don't you? James. James Sloop. The boy I met in New Zealand many years ago."

Now she looked at me with those desperate eyes which I rarely saw on Elaine. I knew James Sloop. I only met him once. That was the day after our wedding. The story is that when Elaine was eighteen, her, and one of her good friends joined a group that toured the two main islands of New Zealand for two weeks. It was an exciting time for her. Elaine had travelled many times overseas before, but always with her parents. This was the first time she was basically on her own. The tour group was basically a camping type where all the travel is done in a bus. Everyone spent a great deal of time with everyone else during the long bus rides. While not being restricted to eighteen year-olds, it was the age of the majority of the members. James was also in that group and he and Elaine got very close during the tour. I didn't know Elaine all that well way back then. We were basically just in the same school system. I did, however, see the pictures of the tour later and could see that they were obviously close during that time. By the time I did see the pictures, Elaine and I were a couple and I had to bury the hint of jealousy which tried to surface at the realisation that the now love of my life, was close (maybe intimate?) with another man. I had to rationalise it by realising that it was a past thing and the present was different. I also had old girlfriends and I had to bury those experiences as well.

I got a little pissed when, the day after we were married, we had to hold off leaving for our honeymoon until James could come over and give his wedding gift. I only agreed because all of Elaine's family insisted that we wait. He had taken a late flight from New Zealand and could only come that morning. He had actually missed the wedding.

"Poor James, flying all that way and not getting to see the wedding," Elaine's mum piped in. She knew about James and Elaine. More than I did apparently, but she was happy with our decision to get married. I always had the impression that Elaine's mum would have been just as happy if Elaine had married James. It was only a feeling though and never something said outright. They always treated me with the respect a son-in-law deserved and I always respected them. They were an easy family to get to know and I did love them like my own parents. A well-oiled wedding celebration was extremely important to Elaine's mum and for her to think that someone would come all that way and end up not seeing the happy couple, was almost unbearable for her. "Bill, you just have to wait a little longer. There's no need to rush off. You will have the rest of your lives together!

Elaine and I waited.

As the airport taxi rolled into the driveway, I spotted a very handsome figure of a man climb out. He was about my build with an impeccable head of hair, almost blond hair. His facial complexion was almost baby-like, not a blemish on his skin. I was amazed that he would look so suave after such a long flight, but there he was. Elaine immediately ran to him.

"You made it James! I didn't think you could manage it!" My primal instinct to claim my woman started to surface, but the public nature of the scenario and everyone's 'oohs and ahhs' settled me down somewhat. The greetings were all very cordial and huggy. He gave the wedding gift, which was a leather bag! An expensive one! "Fine!" I can remember thinking. "I am sure I'll get great use out of that!" Then we left, never to see James again.

"Yes, Lainey. I remember James. So, in your dreams, was it explained why you had to see him so urgently?" I was spinning the yarn on, trying to get Elaine to verbalise her dream. In the past I found that by getting her to do that, it settled any anxiety which some dreams bring on.

"No! That's the weird bit Bill. There was no reason, except for a very strong sense that I would see him before my life ends. This was a very real feeling, Bill. I have never experienced something so strong in a dream before. I'm not kidding about this. I have to go!"

Well, that left me in a real quandary. I knew Elaine's ESP was a real and powerful part of her life, now our lives. The times when we acted on her intuition, mostly turned out well for us. The funny thing about ESP though, is that you don't always get the full picture. It is more like driving a car with a muddy windscreen. You get glimpses of what is ahead. History is full of examples of people who have come to grief because they relied solely on an intuition to make serious life-changing decisions. I knew I had to slow down this sense of urgency and let it play out slowly.

We were both retired, so there was no physical impediment to actually going to New Zealand. Afterall, it was a country on our bucket list and we were planning on going there in September, nine months away, anyway. I wondered if our discussions about this future trip actually instigated the dream in the first place. But the nagging gut feeling I had was that it was not a good idea. Yeah, I had gut feelings too! Now that I am older and my gut is getting bigger, my feelings are getting bigger as well. Hah! I went to her and hugged her tightly from behind.

"Lainey, I know that you feel that this is a necessity right now, but let's wait on it. We were going there anyway in September, so are you prepared to wait until then?"

She nodded. Looking at her eyes, I could see that she saw the logic of waiting, but there was still that desperation there as well. The hug remained for quite a while until she seemed to settle. I loved these hugs. They were always warm and comfortable. I think over the course of our married life, we had perfected the art of the perfect hug. Not too tight, not too loose, just comfortable enough to share our desire for closeness.

September couldn't come quickly enough for Elaine. She had spent the time since her reveal to me, like a woman obsessed. She trolled every social media platform, looking for James. She found him and where he lived. She knew his profile off by heart. Married. Three kids, all adults now. Divorced. Living alone in Queenstown, South Island. What a coincidence! Queenstown was where we hoped to be based during our NZ trip.

She planned our trip meticulously. Tickets were bought and hotels booked. Then she messaged him to say where we would be and when. Again, I was a little disquieted by that, but I lived with it because I knew how important it was to Elaine. She just had to get this visit out of her system. I knew from past experience with her, that if things didn't happen in a way that gave her closure, it would eat at her for months. Besides, I trusted Elaine. We had been married a long time and she often commented romantically, "Bill, I know that if I am not with you, I would just die. My life would be over. You are my life and love." Those words and many other similar ones cemented my trust in her. She had proven time and time again, that she was a loyal partner. Elaine is a good-looking woman and often attracts speculative looks from men. I have seen her in action many a time, putting these men in their places and then being sure to rub our stable relationship in their faces. I knew in my heart that the trust I had for her was real. I am not the paranoid type to come to drastic conclusions at the mere hint of something out of the ordinary. I will leave that to those couples whose relationships are shallow and on edge. Besides, her itinerary only listed one meeting with James, so it wasn't as if it was the sole reason for going. Maybe it was the reason which prompted us to make sure we actually went there, but we both had many other reasons to visit the place.

Air New Zealand landed in Queenstown with two very excited passengers on board. Elaine was excited about all the stuff she had planned and I was actually excited about some skiing on The Remarkables and my visit to Glenorchy, where many of the Lord Of The Rings scenes were shot. I am a fan of that series and truth be told, it was one of the main reasons that I wanted to visit NZ. We settled into our hotel, overlooking Lake Wakatipu, a very romantic outlook. Almost immediately, Elaine was on the phone, trying to contact James. They connected and we arranged to eat out together that night.

The evening went surprisingly well. James was a perfect gentleman all night and seemed to spend a great deal of time with me. I found that I quite liked him after all. He seemed to know just what to say and when. He also knew when a topic was dead and would deftly change to something else. His baby good looks as a teenager bode him well for his older age. He looked at least ten years younger than his real age and he was obviously quite fit. That crop of blonde hair I remembered from my first sight of him, so many years ago, now sat on his head proudly. He was clothed like a businessman. He gave off the aura of confidence. He knew what he was doing. Elaine was happy to be in the background of our conversations most of the time, but I could see that she was concentrating on his words. We spoke about our respective families, and how our retirement was going. Any disquiet I had about the meeting was disappearing quickly, so at the end of the night, we agreed to meet again in three days. An uncle of James owned a vineyard in the Otago district and it just so happens that Elaine and I love pinot noir wine! One of Elaine's activities on her detailed itinerary would have to go, in order to fit it in, but given the company and the opportunity, it seemed like it was worth it.

"James seems like a nice man," I commented as we undressed in our hotel room later that night. "He certainly knows how to charm an audience. He had me wrapped in conversation all night. He was a bit like a puppeteer, leading us down different roads at will. He would make a great used-car salesman!" I laughed, keeping the mood light. "So, Lainey, what did you think? Was the visit worth it?"

"He certainly was the entertainer and you're right. He seemed to pick up exactly when to start a new topic of conversation. He read you like a book, Bill. I was quite amused watching and listening to you two. To answer your question, yes it was worth it. He has changed quite a bit since we knew each other as eighteen year-olds. He seems to have lost his aura of innocence, but I guess age does that to all of us. I am pleased that we took the time to catch up with him. Thanks Bill. I love you. I really appreciate what you did for me. Now let's get to bed so that we can really show each other how much we love each other!"

"Tell you the truth Lainey, it wasn't that difficult a task tonight. I found that I was sort of falling into his spell a bit. I ended up quite liking him. Now what's this about bed?"

The next day was set down for skiing. Both Elaine and I love to ski. We aren't all that good at it as our incomes didn't allow us to globe trot the ski fields with the rich and famous! We donned the layer upon layer of clothing to ward off the icy wind and joined the que at the ski lift. I decided, in my foolishness to tackle the medium slope for those with some level of skill while Elaine, wisely, opted for the easy slope. It was probably a 'man thing'. Skiing at The Remarkables, truly was remarkable. The scenery was captivating, especially as the town of Queenstown could be seen in the distance. I started my downhill run and didn't really notice that there weren't many skiers on my side of the slope. At first, I just put it down to good fortune, but looking further down the slope, I got a hint of why. The slope I was skiing had an end section with very hard slippery snow. I saw it too late. I tried to slip off to the side but lost all control on the slippery surface. My momentum took me straight towards a stand of small trees which broke my downward spiral. It also broke my leg!

Luckily, the medical team at the resort was well trained for this and had me down to the hospital in Queenstown very quickly. Elaine hovered around me, cooing and 'tut-tutting', while the medicos did their thing. It wasn't until I was safely deposited into a bed in a general ward that we both looked at each other and laughed. The pain in my leg was bad, but the irony of our situation got to us.

"Wow Bill. You sure know how to spend a holiday abroad!" Elaine quipped. "I knew there was a reason I had to plan this trip so meticulously. The doctor says that the break isn't too bad, but given your age, you will need to be in here for at least two days and it will be crutches after that, maybe even a 'moon boot'."

"Hey, enough about the age bit, old woman! I know that this has thrown a real loop around our planned activities, but we'll see what we can do. I am sorry Lainey. I should have realised my limitations on the slopes. But!" and I emphasised the word, "This is a perfect opportunity for you to do the things that you didn't put on your itinerary, but were afraid to. Shopping, I notice wasn't on the list. I know you love shopping! Here's the perfect chance to do what you want to, shopping wise, without me tagging along waiting outside each shop while you browse and not buy anything. Go woman! Go forth and shop!" As I said that we heard snickers of laughter and turned to see the duty nurse, Courtney, trying very hard to suppress her laughter at my outburst.

By now Elaine was in fits of laughter. That was one thing I loved about Elaine and me as a couple. We could still, after all these years together, make each other laugh. That was a measure of our comfort with each other and our love for each other.

"OK husband of mine. The challenge is set. Two days of unbridled shopping for me while you rest up in this fine hotel with meals and room service. Done deal! What do you think Courtney? Could I fill the next two days with endless shopping?"

Courtney looked seriously at Elaine and said, "This town is made for shopping and eating after the shopping and partying after the eating!"

Elaine answered, "I am not sure about the partying, but the shopping and eating both sound good!" She turned to me again, "Do you think you will still be able to hobble on to the vineyard with James? The threat of endless glasses of fine pinot might do your leg the world of good! Besides, if I am spending my time spending our money on fine clothes and fine foods, you will need to get your share as well."