Another Road To Take

Doris Schwartz finds herself all alone in darkness. A faint noise can be heard that sounds like music. As it gets louder, Doris begins to adjust to her surroundings and she realises that it’s the familiar haunting sound of someone playing a cello. Doris also realises that she has her eyes shut which is why everything is pitch black. She opens her eyes and slowly begins to adjust to her surroundings. She is in fact sat in a darkened auditorium with lights on the stage that is directly in front of her. She can also see her friend Julie Miller, who is on the stage playing the cello. For a moment Doris thinks she’s back at the School of the arts at Julie’s audition, where she’s found herself a couple of times before.

Doris sighs and mutters to herself: “Oh no not again! Why do I always end up back here?”

Suddenly her curiosity stops as a thought comes into her head and a smile breaks out on her face. If she’s back in the auditorium at the school then at least she must be alive. Her Mother’s advice to start walking backwards and say “I want to Live” must have worked. Doris feels totally relieved that she’s alive and no longer stuck in the mirror or the smoky place she’d found herself in. Her Mother had said She was always watching over her so Doris looks up to the ceiling and mutters to herself:

Doris: “Thanks Mom”.

Doris’ attention is then caught by the ceiling that she is looking at. It is elaborately decorated and knowing that she’s never seen it before she realises that she’s not actually in the auditorium at the school but some other auditorium. She looks around the room and sees that it is full of people watching Julie play. As she pays more attention to the stage area she notices that Julie doesn't look like a teenager any more Suddenly, a wave of excitement passes over Doris’ body as she realises that not only is she alive but she’s also back in her own time. A huge smile breaks out across her face.

Doris whispers to herself excitedly: “It’s all over! I’m finally back home!”

Julie finishes playing the piece of music and the crowd rise to their feet, clapping their hands enthusiastically, to give her a standing ovation. The noise brings Doris back to the events that are happening in the room. Seeing all the people standing, she too stands up and joins in the applause. Julie smiles at the crowd, takes a bow and addresses the crowd.

Julie: “Thank you all. Thank you very much, you are all so kind. Right now before we take a little break, I’d like to introduce a very good friend of mine who will be performing for you and I will accompany her on the cello. Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome Coco Hernandez.”

Doris watches as a slightly older looking Coco walks on to the stage and bows to the audience. Doris marvels at how Coco never seems to age. Even now all these years after High School Coco still seems to have the Halo effect she had when they were teenagers. She’d always seemed to have a positive energy that brought her good luck and made good things happen. Doris remembers how she always wished she was more like Coco and that some of the positive energy had rubbed off on her. Coco takes a seat at the piano and begins to play with Julie joining in on the cello.

Doris sits back down in her seat and lets the gentle music soothe her. The message of the song strikes a chord with her and her thoughts turn back to her Mother. She thinks how wonderful it was to see her mother again after all these years and finally get to say she is sorry and that she loves her. Then suddenly thoughts of her son, William, flash into her head and an overwhelming feeling of sadness flows through her body. Doris is confused as to why the song would trigger these thoughts and feelings. She has no memory of anything bad happening.

Suddenly Doris is snapped out of her train of thought by the crowd launching into raptuous applause again as the song comes to an end. Julie announces an intermission and the crowd starts to leave the room, heading into the bar.

For a moment Doris is unsure of whether to stay in her seat or follow the crowd. As the theatre becomes empty she is shocked to see another Doris who looks exactly the same and is even wearing the same clothes approach the stage and talk to Coco and Julie, although the other Doris doesn’t look very happy.

Doris doesn’t understand how if she is back in her own time why there can be another version of herself there too. She’d kind of expected that kind of thing to happen when she’d been in the past but it didn’t make sense in the present. Questions pop up into her head. “Is she really home?” “Is she really alive?” However, as usual she has no answers

Concerned she would be spotted in the almost empty theatre she quickly heads to the exit and mingles with the rest of the audience in the bar. A video screen is playing Lady Gaga “Bad Romance” which Doris watches for awhile. She feels reassured that she is back in her own timeline but it doesn’t help with the confusion she is feeling.

Doris sighs, she’s always thought that returning to the present would end her problems but it doesn't appear to be the case and she has just as many questions as she did when she was in the past. For a moment she wonders what had actually happened to her that sent her back to the past. She is puzzled that she has no memory of these events. Even being back here now hasn't triggered anything.

Doris is again distracted, this time by an overwhelming smell of smoke. She coughs a little as the smoke hits her lungs and Doris looks around the room thinking someone must be smoking. Looking from one side of the room to another Doris can’t see any visible signs of where the smoke could be coming from. Then just as quickly as the smell came it is gone again.

Doris sighs again and rubs her tired eyes with her hand. She still has no idea where she is or why she is even there. She notices a news report on the video screen and the date makes her body go cold. September 11^th 2010. She is definitely back in her own time and it’s the anniversary of her Mother’s death.

Doris is again lost in her own thoughts, when after a few moments she is startled by someone tapping her on the shoulder. Doris almost jumps out of her skin as she wonders who could be touching her. As she turns round she sees Coco and Julie standing smiling back at her.

Coco: “There you are, I wondered where you’d got to. We were worried that you were feeling upset as you rushed off so suddenly. Here, I got you a glass of wine.”

Doris hesitantly takes the glass realising that it was actually meant for the other Doris and that’s who Coco must think is upset. Doris gives a weak smile and takes a sip of the wine. There is a brief awkward silence until Julie eventually speaks.

Julie: “Are you okay Doris? Bruno told us what happened. Is there any news of William yet? I was sorry to hear that he is missing at the moment.”

Coco agrees: “Yes Doris, I can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now.”

Doris looks from one concerned friends face to the other but doesn't have a clue what they are talking about. However, the mention of her son’s name triggers the same feelings of sadness that she felt when Coco was singing. For a moment there is awkward silence as Doris doesn't know how to reply.

Again this is broken by Julie, who notices how awkward Doris seems and reaches out to put her arms around her to give her friend a hug. The physical closeness of another person feels good and Doris squeezes her back tightly.

Julie: “I'm sorry I shouldn't have brought it up. As you’d not said anything I wasn't sure if you’d want to talk about it or not and I guess you don’t. That’s fine but if you do need to talk, you know I'm only a phone call away.”

Doris nods and gives another weak smile then takes another sip of her wine. Again silence falls on the group which is eventually broken by Julie and Coco making small talk about how well the show is going. Doris nods and smiles at appropriate places. However all the time she has a feeling that someone or something is watching her. Doris worries about what might happen if the other Doris comes back and the difficult questions that might raise. Nervously she looks around the room, while all the time wondering how she can get away from her friends.

As she looks around suddenly she sees something out of the corner of her eye. She doesn't see it clearly at first but it still scares her. Focussing she sees a hooded figure, standing on the street, looking through the window right back at her. Realising that they have made eye contact the person smiles menacingly back at her.

Doris gives a shiver as her whole body goes cold again, with fear. Looking at the familiar face she wonders why they are there and if they are going to try and harm her.

Thinking she is muttering under her breath she instead suddenly says something out loud.

Doris: “Leroy!”

Julie and Coco turn to her surprised by her sudden statement.

Coco: “Did you say Leroy?"

Doris hesitantly looks back at her friend and nods: “Yes I thought I saw him.”

Coco is puzzled: “Well that’s not possible!”

Doris feels alarmed: “Why he’s okay isn't he?”

Coco is surprised by the question: “Well, yes as far as I know but isn't he in Italy at the moment?”

Julie: “Yes he is he emailed me yesterday. I don’t think he’s due back for a couple of months."

Doris turns to look at the faces of each of her friends and then looks back at the window but the figure is gone.

Doris feels flustered: “Italy, oh right, I guess I must have been mistaken. With all that’s happened my mind must be playing tricks on me.”

Coco nods as Doris looks nervously around the room but there is no sigh of either Leroy or the other Doris.

An announcement goes out to say the show will start again in a few minutes. Coco and Julie quickly finish their drinks and say they’ll see Doris after the show. As a crowd of people starts to move back towards the auditorium Doris is relieved to be on her own again. She looks around the emptying room to see if there is any sign of Leroy but he is definitely gone. However, over in the corner she does see her other self talking to a man. As Doris moves slowly closer to them she notices that her other self seems very agitated. As she gets closer she can hear some of their conversation.

Other Doris: “ I'm sorry I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I never told you anything like that. How Could I? She’s dead!”

With that the other Doris rushes off to the ladies room and the man calls after her. Doris recognises the voice and as the man turns round she can clearly see it is Jesse. She hadn't seen him in years. He was looking older and his hair was short, totally different to how he used to wear it. As he becomes aware of Doris watching him shock shows on his face.

Jesse looks at Doris and the closing ladies room door: “Doris? How is this possible for you to be in two places at once?”

Doris shrugs and shakes her head. Before Jesse can say any more she feels an overwhelming urge to follow her other self into the ladies room. As she rushes off Jesse calls her name.

She opens the door to the ladies room she sees the other Doris standing by the mirror, holding a letter in her hand and crying. The sound of the door opening disturbs her and she looks over to see who is entering. The other Doris is puzzled that there is no one there and turns her attention back to the letter.

Doris, remembering that her other selves can’t see her, moves in closer. Standing behind her other self she reads the letter. It is an official letter from the U.S. Army and it states that her son William is missing in Afghanistan. The unit he had been serving with had been attacked and were feared kidnapped or worse. Doris takes a step backwards and feels physically sick. Suddenly memories start to flood back into her mind and she realises now what Coco and Julie were talking about and why her other self was upset.

After her Mother had been killed in the 9/11 attacks her son William had joined the Army and gone to serve in Iraq and later Afghanistan. At first Doris had been appalled as all her life she’d disagreed with wars and had always supported her older brother when he’d been a conscientious objector, when he’d been called up to serve in Vietnam. Her Father had thought him a coward but Doris always believed he was brave. However after losing someone in a terrorist attack had made her question her beliefs. Initially she’d thought the war was justified but even so didn't want her son fighting in it. Having lost a parent she didn't want to lose her son too. Now it looked as though that maybe the case. Suddenly she remembered the visit from the army officers who came to tell her the news and gave her the official letter it was two days before the 9/11 anniversary. The only person she’d talked to and told was Bruno and he’d encouraged her to carry on as normal until she knew for sure what had happened. He’s also encouraged her to go to Julie’s concert in an attempt to take her mind off of things. What happened afterwards was still a blank.

Tears rolled down Doris’ face as the memories returning felt like she was reliving the nightmare. Suddenly Doris is distracted by a rattling noise coming from the direction of the other Doris who has a bottle of pills in her hand. Suddenly a memory flashes into Doris’ memory of the doctor giving her a prescription for sleeping pills to help her sleep while dealing with her problems. The other Doris tips a handful of pills into her hand and picks up her glass that she still had with her from when she fled from talking to Jesse. Doris guesses that it no doubt contained some alcohol, no doubt vodka as that was her chosen tipple.

Doris shudders as she realises what her other self maybe about to do and screams at her to stop but the other Doris can’t hear her. Instead the other Doris moves her hand containing the pills towards her mouth.

To be continued.......