Familiar with Allison

Almost five years passed in San Jose, I lived a life without any affair or romance in my life, but still I had not forgotten Allison. In these past years, I had become a totally opposite person as compared to my earlier life. Now, I was a stubborn plus selfish sort of guy who lived only for self-purposes.

One sunny morning, while I was leaving for my clinic, on the mid of road, I realised that I had forgotten my wallet. I checked the whole coat of my suit but found nothing. Now I got heated, and just called my nurse partner, she answered:

‘Hello, Good Morning!’

‘Kim, tell me how many appointments do I have today?’

‘I don’t know exactly, but there are too many… it’s Monday sir!’

‘Okay, just cancel them all.’

‘Cancel, are you sure? But why sir, the patients must be waiting desperately for these appointments.’

‘It’s not our problem. It’s their matter od concern. You just do as you’ve been asked to do.’

I ended the call, switched off my cell phone immediately and said to myself:

‘No cash means no taxi, no taxi means no clinic, which finally means no patients…’

I began to walk on my left and on my way I saw a bookstore with its name entitled on a board ‘Allison Bookstore’. I turned my face away from it getting angry. While walking on the other side, I accidentally bumped to a lady carrying some shopping bags. Her shopping bags fell on ground and she leaned down to pick it. As my mood spoilt, I was about to yell on her, but as I looked at her I found her face totally familiar to my ex love Allison. That woman was just as her adulthood period of life, that for an instance I felt that Allison was back in my life. I hardly said to her:

‘I-I’m so so-sorry miss, I couldn’t watch my way… I was thinking of something else…’

‘That’s okay, no problem!’

‘Who are you?’

‘Excuse me?’ she said sternly.

‘You heard me right,’ I said in a flirting accent, ‘I would like to know your name?’

‘Well, I’m Mrs. Dean,’ she said making a confused expression.

‘Oh, bad luck for me then, you’re married?’

She chuckled and started walking on her way. I walked along with her and said:

‘Come on talk to me please, you don’t seem to be married at all. I think you’re just twenty five years old.’

‘On how many girls do you use such lines?’ she laughed.

‘Well, on all gorgeous and beautiful girls like you,’ I lied wooingly.

‘Well, thanks for your compliment but I’m above thirty and have two daughters.’

‘Okay, at least tell me your name!’

‘Rebecca Levesque…’

Telling her name she moved inside towards the stairway of a building and left waving me goodbye.

This girl was totally someone like Allison. I couldn’t find a single difference between her and Allison’s face. Except that she was not as young and charming as Allison and had a different tone of language.

A Date with Rebecca Levesque

Next morning, while Rebecca was coming out of her home’s building, she saw me waiting for her outside. She smiled, but still ignored me and walked away. I followed her and caught up with her,

‘So, Mrs. Dean you’re ignoring me, why is that?’

‘Because I’m not interested in you,’ she said nervously.

‘Oh really, but I am…’

‘Okay, then impress me!’

‘Sure, come and let’s have some coffee at this café first.’

‘Gosling Café,’ she read the café’s name next to us.

I got disturbed hearing the name Gosling, so I said to her:

‘Miss Rebecca let’s leave this place, I’ll take you to a better place.’

‘Why, what’s wrong here?’

‘Nothing, just come along…’

We walked a little distance and reached another café and this time I purposely didn’t see its name. So after getting seated and making order, I looked at her and said:

‘So, Miss what do you do? What are your interests and activities?’

‘Well, I’m a very boring person, I like walking alone in alleys.’

‘Allie?’

‘Alleys, alleyways, lanes…’

‘Oh, I see… anyways I want to share a feeling with you.’

‘I wasn’t finished with my…’

‘…Really sorry to interrupt,’ I interrupted, ‘but please listen to me, you know years back, I couldn’t get something and today wherever I see her name or any sort of similarity at any place, I just feel annoyed and turn away my face from it.’

‘You are saying that few things remind you of that thing which you are trying to ignore… then I can bet there is an unfinished love story behind.’

‘Yes, you are right, and you are quiet similar to her.’

‘Is that why you are making me a substitute?’

‘I’m sorry…’

‘Listen, I’m elder than you that’s why I’m giving you an advice’ she said looking straight in my eyes, ‘go back to her and fix things right the way you want, because no matter if I’m totally similar to her just like her twin sister or something, I can never be replaced to your original love.’

Saying this she stood up and left the café. I began to realise how right she was so without thinking of anything I made a phone call and ordered my tickets for San Diego.

Allison's Home Life

2003

Kennedy stops writing on his diary and looks around seeing weather with rainy clouds, so he just stands up and puts the diary in his coat’s pocket. He remembers that tomorrow he’ll have to leave San Jose and finally return back to San Diego from afternoon flight. So goes back to his home.

At San Diego, Allison is having a complicated life at home. She is pregnant with Claude's first child after five years of marriage. She is aware of Claude's affair with his girl friend Molly, who is his office colleague. Allison and Claude don't share any moment of romance, because there is no more love between them.

Allison feels like she is in love with her previous and real soul mate Kennedy, but also realizes that there is no point in thinking about someone who can't return back in her life. She has still kept all his gifts and cards, as his memorable souvenirs and goes through them every night.

One evening, while she is preparing dinner at her home, she receives a call at her cell phone. She answers the call:

'Hello?'

'Is this Miss Allison Gosling?' a male's voice replies.

'Yes... Who is speaking?' she replies politely.

'It's Inspector Lon…'

'...Yes,' she answers after a pause getting surprised, 'how can I help you?'

‘Ma'am, we need you to reach the S.D.S. University within a few minutes.’

'But why? Is everything okay?'

'We just need to make some enquiries.'

She ends her call, and decides to leave her house after preparing the dinner.

An Interesting Enquiry

An hour later, she reaches the main gate of the university. She finds some police officers coming towards her led by Inspector Lon. As they come closer to her, Inspector says to her:

'There was this aggressive guy who was quarrelling with us at the airport, and he escaped us leaving behind his bag'.

'So? What do I have to do with this?'

'I hope you're aware of this...,' he says showing her a spoilt blue flowers' bouquet.

She takes the bouquet in her hand getting astonished and realizes that this was the bouquet, which she gave Kennedy while they were getting separated.

Inspector shows her a photograph of an art gallery, which she gave Kennedy while he left her five years ago. Giving it he says:

'Then, I'm sure, you're definitely aware of this picture.'

She keeps on looking at the photograph and talks to herself:

‘I can't believe that he's still having all these souvenirs…’

'Excuse me?' Inspector says.

'Sir, I'm aware of both of these things. I'll explain everything but tell me did you find anything else?'

'Well, yes, it was piece of paper which had your name and your cell number, due to which we got into contact with you.'

‘Oh!’ she smiles, ‘ so he was here looking for me.'

'Anyways, tell us about him now?'

'Sir, he's my old friend, he wouldn't do any harm, please leave him.'

'Sure, unless you call him here,' inspector says mockingly.

'...I've never forgotten his number,' she says after thinking for a while, 'I hope if he hasn't changed his number, then we can contact him.'

'It seems to be an interesting enquiry to me,' Inspector says.

Allison dials a cell number and makes a phone call.

Romance Calling Back

Meanwhile, at another corner of San Diego, Kennedy is walking angrily by the park, with his nose bleeding. He is carrying his diary. He is thinking about getting his stuffs back from the police department. He gives a last look on his diary's front cover and says:

'Farewell love life, no more romance!!!'

Saying this he throws his diary inside a trash can nearby the park.

Few minutes later, his cell phone begins to ring. He takes out his cell phone and reads on screen 'Allie Calling'. He gets shocked and amazed seeing this,

'Allie is calling me?' he asks himself, 'I just threw away romance from my life and now it's calling me back. What is happening with me?'

He looks aside for a while thinking whether he should answer or not. Then without making any decision he answers it,

'Hello?' he speaks in stuttering voice.

'Kennedy Ipkis is a wild dog,' Inspector Lon taunts.

'Now, who the hell is this?'

'Your girl friend has given a statement against you, we have a warrant against you.'

'Allie? Hold on, is she with you people?'

'Yes, and she wants to get you arrested,' he mocks, 'Just kidding... if you want to remove this warrant and your stuff back, show up to your memorable university right now on the spot.'

Kennedy ends his call angrily and thinks whether he should go back to his past love or not.

Back at the university gate, the police officers had been waiting since few minutes. Getting bored of the situation, Inspector Lon says to Allison:

'Thanks for your cooperation, please just wait on the road side next door, we'll send him to you as soon as we are done with him.'

'Sir, you won't be harsh with him, promise me, please!'

'Sure, no problem. You may take his bag and other stuff with you…'

She picks up his bag and takes the picture and the flower from him, and presses them against her forehead, expecting a beautiful reunion.

However, she walks away and reaches the road on the opposite side of their university. She feels quiet uneasy in standing and waiting as her pregnancy was creating difficulty for her.

The Reunion

Almost half an hour passes away like this, Allison keeps on walking around waiting for Kennedy. Her health gets worst from worse. She almost collapses on ground and cries out in pain.

After a minute or two, while she is lying, she sees someone coming closer to her. He was Kennedy who was walking slowly towards her and looking quiet disturbed. As she recognises her love's face, quiet like a miracle, her health gets much relieved and she stands up getting recovered. She gets over excited seeing her soul mate returning after five years for her. They get closer and a feeling of delightfulness comes in both but Kennedy was still not prepared for this reunion. When they get just next to each other, Allison fells in his arms and tightly hugs him with a feeling of deep affection. Kennedy remains still for a second, and then slowly he also puts arms around.

After few moments, as they let go each other, Allison looks at him and says:

'Seems like a return of one and only marvelous and fabulous happiness of life.'

'Yeah sure, same here,' he says in a dull voice.

'Kenny, you've kept me waiting, I knew that you would return one day.'

'Yeah, so Allison how are you?'

'Kenny?' she gets surprised, 'You okay.'

'Yes, I'm good!'

'I don't think so, you're not calling me Allie.'

'Allie Allie! How can I forget your perfect name!'

'Aren't you happy to see me again?'

His face expression changes, he turns around and walks a little. He puts his hands in pockets and says:

'You're married, aren't you?'

'So?'

to be continued...