“Just not well.” It was like he’d taken the words right out of my mind.
I nodded. I didn’t feel well because I’d remembered things not just from that life but others. “The bombs of 1940, I was Nellie Camellia Wilkinson, daughter of Walter and Edith Wilkinson, I had two younger sisters Patricia and Lillian, and younger brother named Edward you were—”
“Thomas Gallagher,” he said squeezing my hand gently. “You remember that life?”
Rubbing the side of my head I sighed trying to think of how to explain it when I remembered he’d understand. “Yes. But I didn’t see it, or dream it like I did just now. I know you were a tutor. Edward’s tutor, and you walked with a limp because you’d broken your leg as a child and couldn’t afford to get it reset.”
“Which meant I wasn’t fit for war, which led me to the home of Walter Wilkinson, a merchant with a love for politics, philosophy, and poetry.”
“You forgot the other P’s—his fear of poverty and his love of power.” Somehow, I just knew that life, how Walter Wilkinson wanted me, his daughter, to marry into money. How the night of the blitz Thomas and I were going to run off together, but we died. Like always.
“Not all the memories come as dreams. Some come just as they are: memories.”
“I don’t want to…”
Hearing Für Elise begin to play, I rose from the chair and let go of his hand to find my phone in the living room. Luckily whoever had cleaned the room put it to charge near the lamp.
“Hello—”
“Esther! Thank god! Are you alright? I got your message about canceling for yesterday and tried to call to confirm but you haven’t been answering.”
I pulled the phone from my ear to check and sure enough I had over two dozen missed calls and much more emails waiting. Shit.
“Esther?”
“Adith, I’m here. What’s going on?” I said putting him on speaker as I checked through my emails.
“I was able to reschedule your today meetings to Friday, but that means I had to move yesterday’s meetings to today and I don’t want to push back Issenberg, you said it was important—”
“It is. What time did you reschedule for?” I asked as I quickly replied to Shannon’s message to approve one of Malachi’s translations along with a few others.
“At one for lunch at the Waldorf. Li-Mei said that’s where you were. So I figured it would be easier.”
“Perfect. Give me an hour—”
“After that you still have Steeler and Michaelson at three. Are you going to be able to make it?”
Putting my hand on my head I took a deep breath. I’d forgotten about the mountain that was on my head. “Yes, send me the whole schedule, Adith, and then call and double check. Also apologize on my behalf for the postponement. I’m also going to need clothes, I’ll send you the room information.”
“Wait! There’s also one more thing…”
“What?”
“Your mother. She’s been calling about her…money this month.”
I paused mid-text. “She was already given money this month.”
“I told her that, she said she didn’t want to speak with me but you about it. But she also couldn’t reach you.”
I bit the inside of my cheek.
“I’ll call her. Is that it?”
“Yes. I’m sending the schedule now.”
“Thank you—”
“She’s here.” He cut me off to say.