Joel slept like a baby that night. For the first time after the accident he had a good night's sleep. He lay on his bed thinking of Vanessa and their wonderful evening together. His thoughts drifted to his own actions that morning and he still couldn't believe that he just went out and quit his job. The thought still terrified him a little, but after talking to Doctor Madison and to Vanessa, he knew that there were bigger horizons waiting for him. He was seriously considering going on the trip with Vanessa and it would be a wonderful experience and perhaps open his eyes to a new world again, and there was absolutely nothing holding him back.
He felt free for the first time in a long time, and after switching off his alarm, he fell asleep dreaming of Vanessa, and somewhere in his dream there was a Chinese guy standing on a corner laughing at him.
Joel woke up the next morning after nine o clock. It was the latest he had slept in a long time and he felt totally relaxed. He switched on his phone and saw that there was a message from Vanessa. She asked if he could meet her for lunch and phoned back immediately to confirm the time. They agreed to meet at twelve o clock at the Cafe Rochelle.
There was another message from Jessica and she was nagging him about not phoning her. He had to break it off with her, but he couldn't do it over the phone. He had to see her in person and asked if he could come over that evening to talk. She agreed and sounded quite happy about the whole setup, even though she did not suspect anything. He felt a bit guilty but he now knew for sure that Jessica was not the right girl for him. All he could think of was Vanessa.
Who would have thought that he would end up with his next door neighbor? Joel took his time to get ready for his lunch date, and this time, he shaved properly and put on a proper pair of pants with a nice shirt. He wanted to do everything to impress Vanessa, although he didn't think he needed to make much of an impression at all.
Like always he was there early, but Vanessa sent a message that she was running a bit late and he sat drinking a cold beer while he waited. She looked awesome when she entered the restaurant and he lifted his arm to show her where he was sitting. She told him to order for them, and they had a long discussion about her planned trip to Paris.
He was ninety percent sure that he wanted to go with her, but she was able to convince him in the next few minutes. She had the whole trip planned already, and the only thing he had to pay for was his plane ticket. The art dealer that she worked for usually booked her in a double room, and if he did not mind sleeping on the couch, then he could stay with her.
They would be leaving in two weeks and that would give him enough time to finalize everything on this side. When it was time for them to leave, and Joel asked for the bill, she refused to let him pay, but he insisted and finally she gave in. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and they went their separate ways.
They had such a long lunch that it was nearly time for him to go and meet Jessica. He was really not looking forward to this evening but he knew he had to tell her face to face. He did some window shopping before going back to his car to drive to Jessica's house. She was outside waiting for him already and he felt miserable knowing what he was about to do. She invited him in and poured him a drink.
"How was your day at work Joel. You must be exhausted. I spent the whole afternoon cooking, so I hope that you are hungry?" she babbled on uncontrollably before throwing her arms around his neck to kiss him.
He realized that he hasn't spoken to her since yesterday but decided not to tell her about him quitting his job.
"Well actually I didn't expect you to cook for me. I had a big lunch this afternoon."
She looked up angrily and then smiled.
"Oh no, you're not going to get out of this so easily mister!" and sounded like a strict school teacher for a second.
"I didn't go through all this effort to have this food wasted. Come on in, I'll pour you a drink."
He reluctantly followed her inside and sat down on the couch.
"I really need to talk to you Jessica, slow down for a second..." he said when she gave him his drink.
She took a seat opposite him and he downed the drink she gave him.
"I'm sorry Jessica I can't do this anymore. It was not my intention to hurt you, but this is going too ....."
He suddenly felt very drowsy, and then he couldn't talk any further. Something was seriously wrong, and he was unable to speak or move his arms. He tried to get up but couldn't move his legs. Everything in front of him moved in slow motion, and all that he could see was Jessica smiling, and standing up to walk towards him.
-To be continued-
