Chapter 6 - Brent
~June~
My best friend, Jeremy, took a seat across from me. His brows furrowed, and he frowned. “Dude, you feeling ok? You look like shit.”
I groaned and rubbed the back of my neck. “Not… really? I feel like shit. But it’s nothing contagious.”
“Explain.”
I swallowed… “First, if I wasn’t feeling this bad, I wouldn’t believe it myself. But it’s the only thing that makes sense…”
“Go on,” he prodded after several seconds.
“I think… I might have fate-sickness.”
“The fuck??” he cried loud enough for people at nearby tables to turn and stare.
I waved my hands in an attempt to get him to settle. “I know… I know…”
He growled low. “So are you the one being an asshole? Is he? Why the fuck did you allow yourself to get fate-sickness?”
I shook my head. “It’s not… like that. I don’t even know who he is.”
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Ok, now I’m really confused. You think you have fate sickness, but you don’t know who he is? How does that happen?”
I rested my elbows on the table and scrubbed my hands down my face before meeting his gaze. “You know how I like to try to hit the beach at least one morning every weekend?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I went out on Saturday morning.”
“Hold up,” he interrupted. “Saturday? That’s a week ago now.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“So you’ve had fate-sickness for a week, and this is the first I’m hearing about it?”
“In my defense, I didn’t think it was fate-sickness at first. I just thought it was end-of-the-school-year exhaustion, or maybe a last-minute bug I’d picked up from a student.”
He studied me for several seconds, then nodded. “Ok, fair. You’re usually wiped out at the end of the year.”
I forced a smile, then thanked a waitress as she set a basket of fries between us.
“So end-of-the-year exhaustion is a thing, but this wasn’t that…
and I’m not sick in other ways. The exhaustion is there, but in a way that’s different.
Normally it’s just my body telling me I’ve been working too hard.
But this? It’s like every sense is cranked to eleven every waking moment.
It’s overwhelming, and by the time I hit the bed both my brain and body have been in overdrive all day. ”
“Ok… why don’t you go back to the start. What happened at the beach?”
I nodded and ran a hand through my hair.
“Right… sorry… my thoughts are all jumbled the past few days. I’d gone to the beach right around sunrise, and had been there for several hours.
Most of the morning crew had left, and the recreational crowd was starting to arrive.
It was about time for lunch, so I decided to leave… ”
“Oooook…”
“I was walking back toward the parking lot when I smelled him. Every instinct just knew that it was my fated mate. But I couldn’t find him.
I only smelled him for a moment, but it was enough.
I looked around for several minutes, but between the people coming and going, plus the shifting winds at that time of day… ”
He sighed. “If you’d been anywhere else, I might have accused you of giving up. But I know better. All those people and the inconsistent winds at that time of day… That’s an almost impossible task.”
I nodded. “I started feeling off a few hours later, but like I said, I thought it was just exhaustion or a bug. But it never got better.”
“And you said your senses are running wild?”
“Yeah. It’s… too much. I don’t know what’s real, and what’s my body overreacting to everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought I smelled him near my barber, but all the people and the scents from the aftershaves made it impossible to tell. Then again, a different day at a coffeeshop, but it was older.” I paused. “I think.”
“Ugh.”
I hung my head. “I feel like I’m chasing ghosts. I don’t know what’s real and what’s some sort of scent hallucination. It’s like I’m smelling him everywhere and nowhere.”
“Damn. And there are no leads?”
“No.”
“Have you tried a dating app? Maybe he scented you and is desperately swiping.”
I shook my head. “While my contract doesn’t expressly prohibit dating apps, they’re heavily frowned upon. Besides that, which app would I use? There are a lot of options. What if he’s using one that was ok in a bigger city but has fewer hits here?”
“You think he’s from out of town?”
I nodded. “Harris Cove has a decent population, but we’re not a big city, either. I think if he’d been around a while, then we would have met before now.”
“Ok. Makes sense. Think he was just here on vacation?”
I shuddered. “I hope not. Right now I have nothing but hope, but if he leaves…”
He cringed. “Sorry for even suggesting that.”
“It’s ok. I’ve had to think about it, too. But for now I’m hoping he’s new to town.”
“I get it.” He paused. “So… how are you handling it? What’s it like? Nobody I’ve known has had fate-sickness.”
I let out a sarcastic laugh. “How am I handling it? Badly. I’m pushing through, but I’m glad the school year is over. I don’t think I’d be able to deal with kids and fight this at the same time.”
I rubbed my beard. “As to what it’s like…
I think that not knowing who he is… is playing a big part.
I said it earlier; it’s like every sense is cranked to eleven.
I’ve never smelled so many competing scents all at once, all the time.
Instead of just smelling you sitting across from me, I can differentiate your aftershave from your deodorant from your natural scent.
The fries are competing with the beer, and there’s somebody wearing perfume a couple tables over that’s also in the mix.
It’s like the filter in my brain that would sift out the noise has been disabled, and I’m getting everything in the hopes that I’ll pick up the tiniest trace of him. ”
“Oh my God, that sounds horrible.”
“It’s miserable. I tried scent blockers, but instead of relief, I just got sinuses full of chemicals until I could scrub them off.
And it would be bad enough if it was just my sense of smell, but it’s everything.
You know how women and omegas will look at…
let’s say two green things… and say they’re different colors when they’re just green? ”
“Yeah?”
“I get it now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean… I get it. I was walking around my apartment the other day, and noticed that the blue pillows and the blue blanket on the couch are different blues. They looked the same last week, but now they’re distinct colors.
At first I thought one was sun-faded, but no.
They’re two different shades of blue. I just never noticed before.
And it’s like that everywhere. As if being able to see more colors will help me find him faster. ”
I licked my lips. “I don’t even know if hearing sets off fate-triggers, but it’s like that with my hearing too. My skin is sensitive to everything. The only relief is taste… sort of. I’m not really hungry, but things don’t taste right when I do eat. Nothing tastes bad, just… bland.”
“That sounds awful.”
I nodded. “Yeah. I think, if it went on long enough, I’d get used to it.
But right now, it’s like I’m constantly bombarded with things that used to be background noise, and I can’t ignore any of it.
It’s mentally exhausting, and then I’m lethargic.
I want to curl up in the arms of a man I’ve never met and sleep for a month. ”
“Are you sleeping ok?”
I shrugged. “Not really, but the exhaustion hits hard enough that I’m sleeping. It’s not good sleep, but it’s sleep.”
“Anything else?”
“I’m jittery. I just want to run. I don’t even know where. I just want to run until I find him.”
Jeremy crinkled his nose. “Damn. So let me get this straight: you’re simultaneously exhausted and lethargic, yet pumped full of adrenaline, not hungry, but every other sense is in overdrive.”
I nodded. “And just generally icky feeling.”
“Damn. I hope you find him soon.”
“Thanks.”
“What are you doing to find him?”
I shrugged. “Mostly trying to be in public when I can stomach it. I’m obviously not going to find him from my living room. So I’ve been going to different coffee shops to work, hanging out at the park, just trying to increase my chances.”
“Good call.”
I smiled.
“So I’m going to be a good friend now, and take your mind off it by changing the subject.”
I chuckled. “Ok, take your best shot.”
“What are you thinking of changing up next year? What’s the biggest challenge you need to address with the kids?”
I scratched my beard. “I think…” I blew out a long breath. “One thing I hear more and more every year is: when are we going to use this?”
“Really? You teach computer skills and programs that every company uses. They don’t get that?”
I shrugged. “These kids have grown up with smartphones and netbooks. They think everything lives in the cloud and that apps can replace long-established business tools.”
“Maybe ask some business owners to come in and say how these programs are used.”
I made an unsure noise. “I think the problem is that they’ll try to make the argument that whatever business owner I bring in is using old tech.”
He was silent for several seconds. “What about that new tech company that just opened?”
“Hmm?”
“TechSpeed? I think. I was curious, so I looked them up. They do business consulting. They’re advising businesses on what to use now, based on their own research. It’s not somebody who opened their business when the kids were still in diapers.”
“That… might work.”
“Give them a call. See if they might want to send somebody over to talk to the kids for a day or two. The worst they can say is ‘no.’”
Something fluttered in my middle, and I decided to trust it.
“Yanno… you’re right. I’ll give them a call on Monday and see if I can set up an appointment to talk to them about it.”
Jeremy grinned. “Good call.”
I smiled and leaned in. “Ok… enough about my life. Distract me for a bit and tell me about what you’ve been up to the past week.”
∞∞∞
“TechSpeed Consulting, this is Amelia. How may I direct your call?”
“Um… Hi…” I replied. “I’m not exactly sure. My name is Brent, and I teach business technology at Harris Cove High. I was hoping to talk to somebody about potentially coming in to do presentations for my class this next year.”
There was a beat of silence, then a soft chuckle. “I think…” she started. “We’re still getting settled. Maybe Dylan… the branch manager… I think he might be best.”
“I… I don’t know if this is a branch manager thing.”
She hummed. “It might not be, but he’d be the best to direct you to somebody else on the team.”
“Ok…”
“Hold for a moment while I transfer you, please.”
“Ok. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Then some jazzy hold music came through the speaker.
“Dylan Wall,” he answered a moment later. “Amelia said your name is Brent and you’re a teacher?”
I sat straighter to make myself sound more authoritative. “Yes. My name is Brent Andrews, and I teach basic computing and business technology at Harris Cove High.”
“How can we help you?”
I swallowed. “I was hoping to talk to you about somebody coming in for a presentation day or two this upcoming school year. I’d like my students to hear more about how things are used in business.”
“Oh!” He chuckled. “That sounds like something we might be able to help with. How about we set up an appointment so you can come in and we can discuss details and figure out who might be a good fit.”
“Really?”
“I can’t guarantee anything, but it’s at least something we can talk about. We’re pretty busy the next few days, but I have a bit of time on Friday after lunch. Does Friday at one work for you?”
“Friday at one’s great!”
“Perfect.” There was a moment of typing in the background. “Ok. I’ve got you scheduled. Just let Amelia at the desk know you’re here for a meeting.”
“Will do.”
“Great. See you on Friday.”
“Friday.”
The line went dead, but even as I set the phone down, a strange sort of satisfaction settled over me.
I could still work, even if I felt like crap.