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Page 10 of 10
JEFF slowly emerged from his slumber. Evelyn was sitting next to him, gently running her fingers through his hair. He could smell her sweet aroma but as soon as he tried to raise his head nausea stormed in.
“Evelyn, I’m so sorry. I think I must have dozed off. I’m afraid I don’t feel too well. My head’s a bit hazy.”
Evelyn poured another glass of lemonade. “Don’t worry, it’s been a very hot day. One of the hottest of the year. Drink some more lemonade, that might help you.”
Jeff took hold of the glass and took a sip. “I think I’m feeling a bit sick.” He saw the photograph on the table and took another sip.
“Have you managed to identify it?” he asked.
“Yes, I think so, thanks to your kind help. But you know don’t you? “
He couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying. “Know what? What do you mean?”
Evelyn smiled but this time the effect wasn’t as soothing. “It’s The Tennis Club silly.”
“What?” said Jeff.
“That’s what we called ourselves, remember. Of course we did enjoy the odd game but our group had a much more interesting programme of events, didn’t we?”
Jeff replied that he hadn’t the foggiest idea what she was talking about. “Oh my head hurts, have you got any aspirins?”
“Don’t fret my darling, it will all come back to you very soon. It did with the others.”
Jeff felt his anxiety mounting by the second. “What will? What others?” He tried to get up but realised to his horror that he couldn’t move his legs.
Evelyn held his face in her hands. “We were all like-minded souls, we liked to stretch the boundaries of our imaginations, to explore new meanings, tastes and sensations. We explored each other’s bodies, each other’s minds, far beyond what any ordinary mortal could conceive. We were very special, we still are.”
Jeff removed her hands and tried to push himself away from her. “Evelyn, you’re scaring me. Please this is crazy. I really must go. Oh my head, what’s happening?”
Evelyn kissed him on the lips. It was a sensation he had dreamt about so much but one he now found abhorrent.
“We were such wonderful free spirits in those days, all of us. Then that silly girl tried to spoil everything. But The Tennis Club rallied round and sorted everything out.”
Jeff tried to summon up as much strength as possible. “Look, we’ve never met before today, you know that.”
More nausea and now he realised his vision was wavering. “What have you done to me Evelyn? Please ring an ambu…..”
“And after we buried her,” said Evelyn.
“Buried who?”
“We made a special pact Clive.”
Jeff could hardly get the words out: “Who’s Clive?”
“We made a pact that when the signs were right we would reunite in new bodies and reform The Tennis Club.”
Jeff said: “Evelyn, you’re quite mad. What signs?”
“All the signs appeared quite quickly. It was like a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces fitting together so clearly. First of all the builders find the photograph in my attic, then I see your picture and your column in the paper. I recognised you straight away you know, I knew it was you, I knew.”
A deep, painful, moan came from Jeff.
“And then the report in the newspaper about the skeleton being found by your students. I knew then it was time.”
“You’re crazy, absolutely crazy. I have no idea at all what you are rambling on about,” said Jeff who felt as if he was going to pass out at any moment.
He was also beginning to experience excruciating stomach cramps. “Please call an ambulance, I feel dreadful and I can’t get out of this chair.”
“And you did what I asked and published the photograph. It was then only a matter of time before they recognised themselves and came forward to meet up again,” she said.
“That’s ridiculous, no-one would come forward, no-one recognised themselves. They just wanted to talk about the photograph. This is madness, sheer madness,” he shouted at her.
“The photograph had only been in the paper a short time before Benjamin, Tristan, Lucinda and Naomi contacted me,” said Evelyn.
Clutching his stomach Jeff again made another unsuccessful attempt to move but quickly sank back into the chair.
“They were just people who thought they had information about the photograph. They weren’t alive in the 1920s., you bloody crazy bitch!”
“Oh Clive, this is the moment I have been waiting for, for a long, long time.”
“What did you do to them Evelyn? The others. Where are they?” gasped Jeff.
She smiled. “I think you’ve drunk enough lemonade now. The others enjoyed their lemonade as well you know. It won’t be long now. And then I will have a glass or two myself.”
Jeff screamed: “Stop talking about this bloody tennis club! I don’t want to know about your stupid friends or Mary”.
Her eyes widened. “What did you say?”
“What?” said Jeff.
“You said her name, Mary. My sweet, sweet Clive, my darling boy, you’ve remembered.”
Horror filled Jeff’s entire being. “No I didn’t, I don’t, no, I……”
His scream echoed throughout the room. It seemed to go on and on…..
© Patrick O’Connor 2008
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