Aris Returns (5 page)

She finished dressing with plenty of time for a cup of tea before the movie. The steam
rising from the cup carried the smell of apples and cinnamon to her nose as she curled
up on the sofa. Reaching for the paper, she opened it to the health section.

#

The line for the show trailed around the corner as Sarah stamped her feet to keep
warm. She was glad when it began to move slowly. Finally able to enter the building,
she stopped at the counter to buy a small box of popcorn and a bottle of water. She
was surrounded by a novel excitement emanating from all the young girls and women
standing in line with her. Surprised at the number of women past their youth waiting
along with all the high school girls, she couldn’t help but wonder what it was about
a teenage vampire movie that could interest such a broad spectrum of females.

After paying the young man behind the counter, she grabbed napkins. As she opened
the door to the darkened theatre, loud music from the advertising trailers blasted
her ears. She climbed the stairs, easing past a group of girls to a single empty seat
in the
center of the row.

Just as she settled down, took off her coat and popped the top off the water bottle,
she recognized Carlos taking a seat in the row two up from hers. He was alone looking
a bit uncomfortable being surrounded by nothing but young females. Smiling to herself,
she wondered what he was doing there on a Sunday afternoon. It didn’t seem to be the
type of film that would interest him. He appeared to her to be more of an action/adventure
type than a teen vampire falls for a teen human type. But, there he was, his handsome
face reflected in the flickering of the refreshment counter advertisement. Slowly
the dim overhead lights were extinguished and the theatre grew very dark. She found
a comfortable position in her seat letting Carlos slip from her mind as the movie
began.

#

The sky was dark. Ominous clouds covered the city signaling more snow on the way.
Sarah reflected on the plot of the movie as she bundled her blue muffler close around
her throat. As she hurried from the theatre, street lights came on.

“Miss Hagan? Sarah?”

She stopped suddenly, startled to hear someone call her name. She turned quickly and
there, right behind her stood Carlos. Her body stiffened, her heart raced. Forcing
herself to relax, she took a deep breath. The neighborhood was well lit and their
last meeting ended on a much more friendly note than when it began. Besides, Colleen
had assured her he wasn’t dangerous, just a very troubled young man who needed some
guidance.

“Hey, what’re you doin’ at this movie? It isn’t what I’d think a shrink would like?”

“I could say the same thing to you, Carlos?”

He laughed, “I guess you could, couldn’t you.” His teeth were white against his golden
skin; his eyes sparkled as he grasped her elbow to help her off the curb. His gesture
shocked her. She wasn’t
quite sure she appreciated his familiarity. But when he held her in a gentle hand
to guide her carefully across an icy patch of concrete, she realized she was seeing
another unexpected side of him. “You in a hurry? Want to grab a coffee?” He motioned
toward a diner just across the street.

She knew he was an ex-con but, for some strange reason, she wasn’t afraid of him.
She experienced a brief confusion at the warmth she felt having him by her side. “Sure,
I mean, I’m not in a hurry. Coffee sounds great.”

He held onto her arm as they crossed the street but as soon as they reached the opposite
curb, he released her. The spot where his fingers had been felt suddenly cold. “What
the hell is that,” she thought. He held the door for her and his eyes met hers. Feeling
embarrassed by her thoughts, she stared at the ground in front of her as she walked
into the restaurant.

They passed the counter moving toward the back of the diner. Only a few tables were
occupied. She was glad it was quiet so they could talk easily. Sarah took off her
coat, hanging it on a single hook coat rack attached to the bench seat of their booth.
He wore his jacket but unzipped it. He leaned back in the seat. Sarah was still stuffed
from the popcorn and he said he wasn’t hungry so when the waitress came, they only
ordered two coffees.

“I’m glad I ran into you Carlos. I’d like to get to know a little more about you before
our next meeting. You left rather suddenly after our last discussion.”

“Yeah, I needed some fresh air.”

“Do you remember the session?”

“Sure. The thing I liked was the calm way I felt when it was over. I stayed like that
for a few days and that’s cool. Everybody thinks I get off on my anger but I don’t.
It’s just something that takes me over and once it starts, I can’t control it. At
least, not until now. It’s been easier to stay mellow since I’ve been seeing you.”

“So Carlos, do you remember what happened in your regression?” The waitress brought
the cups. She filled them with steaming hot liquid.

“Sort of. You took me down some stairs and through a door. I remember a forest or
something like that. Then it gets kind of fuzzy. I think I was walking or riding through
the woods, but I’m not sure. It was kind of freaky but okay. At least I think it was
okay.”

“You said you like the calm way it makes you feel. What didn’t you like about it?”

“I felt kind of weird after I came back to, what’d you call it? Real time?” She nodded
her head yes. “Well, I can’t really explain it.” He looked puzzled and was silent
for a moment. “No, I can’t explain the feeling. Just weird.” His eyes met hers. Then
a broad, cocky smile spread across his face, his eyes narrowed as he laughed out loud.

Sarah had been staring at Carlos with an intent expression and when he laughed, she
looked down at her coffee cup. Blushing, she hoped her admiration for his dark, bad
boy good looks hadn’t shown on her face. She brushed her hair off her forehead as
she sipped her coffee.

“So what about you? You know all about me. I don’t know nothin’ about you.”

“Well, I’ve been doing therapy for ten years. Amazing. It doesn’t seem that long.
I graduated from . . . ”

“No, I don’t mean the business stuff. What about you? What do you like to do for fun?
Is there a real you or just the shrink?” He genuinely wanted to know and he wondered
what possessed him to have any interest in a woman so different from him.

Sarah glanced up to see him staring at her, his head to one side. The sincerity in
his voice made her uncomfortable again.

“Carlos, I think you’re reversing the roles here just a bit.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“Well,” she stammered as she felt her face color pink. “I don’t think it’s appropriate
for the client to interrogate the therapist.” She smiled tentatively. “Do you?”

“Sarah,” he leaned forward, locking his black eyes to hers, “have you ever noticed
that if you separate the word ‘therapist’ into two words, they are ‘the rapist’?”

She gasped and he laughed.

#

As she settled in her bed, she thought about her quiet afternoon at the movies. It
certainly had taken an unexpected turn. Instead of figuring out if he had been messing
with her mind, she had found herself even more immersed in his case.

As she pulled the down comforter over her and turned out the light, she could see
his intense dark eyes, hear his laughter in her mind.

“What the hell is this?” was her last thought as she drifted off to sleep.

“C
an’t you find out any more information about him?” Sarah spoke loudly so her friend
could hear her over the sounds of traffic.

“I sent you everything we have from here.” Colleen cursed at the driver ahead of her.
“Listen, I’m late to a meeting. If I can find anything else on him, I’ll let you know.”
Sarah heard the car horn blow several times. “Why don’t you just ask him?”

“He’s evasive with me.” Sarah leaned back in her desk chair. “I can’t seem to get
a straight answer from him other than he likes his sessions. And he’s due here in
half an hour. Is there anywhere else I can go for information on him?”

“Nope, you got it all. Listen, got to go. I’m at the court house and I have to park.
Later.” And the sounds of the street coming through the receiver suddenly came to
a halt.

“Hey Maggie,” Sarah called to her assistant, “will you call Steve and find out if
there’s any way I can get more information on a parolee than what the parole officer
has to offer?”

“Sure.” Her plump face peeked around the door. “It isn’t about Gorgeous Havarro is
it?”

“Maggie, you can be replaced, you know.” Sarah waved Maggie out of the room.

“Never happen. Nobody has my sense of humor or my robust
good looks.” She laughed as she left the room, closing Sarah’s door behind her.

Sarah pulled his file from her drawer. She had a half an hour to think about him before
the session. She planned to regress him to England once again. She wasn’t sure what
was going on in his subconscious mind but it was certainly interesting. She wondered
at herself. She spent a great deal of her time thinking about his case without really
understanding why. So far, it had been nothing too much out of the ordinary except
for his comment about the undead. That could have meant anything. She needed to control
her thoughts to help him to heal. That was her purpose, nothing more. Strange she
felt the need to keep telling herself he was nothing more than a client.

A soft knock on the door made her look up. It couldn’t be Maggie. She never knocked;
she just barged in whenever she wanted as long as Sarah wasn’t in a session.

“Come on in.”

“Hey.” He came into the room. He hung his jacket on the coat tree then sat in the
chair across from her. “So, did you get home okay the other night?”

“I did. How about you?”

“Yeah. It was kind of cool running into you. I still can’t figure out why you were
at a flick like that.”

“I feel the same about you.” She smiled as she opened the file resting on her desk.
“I’d like to ask you a few questions if that’s alright.”

He coughed, stretching out his legs. “Not today, why don’t we just get going with
the sleep stuff. I’m ready to be calmed down.” He rose and crossed to the recliner.
He sat, turning to look at her. “Are you coming?” His voice held a touch of insolence.

She hesitated. Deciding not to provoke him, she stood, crossing to the chair facing
him. “All right, close your eyes. Now, begin to
concentrate on your breath.”

She used the same induction she had used the previous sessions and soon they were
in the English forest once again.

“I am nearing the castle.”
He paused.
“I hear a rider approaching.”

“Can you tell me who the rider is?” She leaned closer to him to be sure the recorder
picked up all his words.

“It is a woman. Wait, I see the King’s mistress and she rides alone.”

#

CARLOS HAVARRO, transcript, session 3, February 26

I jumped from my horse and bowed a courtier’s bow as she approached. “My lady.”

“Rise, she commanded. “She was small and her gloved hands were tiny. She wore an emerald
green riding costume with a golden plume in her green hat. A gold letter B was suspended
from a strand of lustrous pearls strung around her neck. “Aris, you have been the
champion in the last three jousts at the palace, have you not?”

“I have.” My eyes searched her face, surprised at what I saw. She was not as beautiful
as I thought now that I stood close enough to truly see her. She had small, hard eyes
and a thin mouth. “How can I serve you, my lady?”

“First you may assist me from this horse and we shall walk.” I held the horse steady
as she dismounted. When she stood next to me, I saw she was even smaller than she
appeared at court. And when she spoke, it was a demand, not a question. “What kind
of a name is yours? From where do you travel?”

“I came to England many years ago. I brought the name with me. I am now the subject
of the King, however my name remains the same.”

“And how did you come to be a champion?” We walked slowly down the path, our horses
trailing behind in our tracks.

“I am a warrior. Being a champion was my reward for excellence in all that I do, my
lady.” I tipped my head in deference to her, delighted to have responded without answering
any of her questions.

“I see.” Silence fell between us and all that could be heard was the sound of the
horses’ hooves on the soft earth. “And so, you are loyal to your King?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And are you loyal to me and to my personal court as well?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“I have a very private,” she paused, “a very important matter to be solved. It entails
my family and the honor of the Boleyn name. Are you a man who can be trusted?”

“I am loyal to the King and so to you without rewards or penalties. What is the task?”

“It is my brother, George.”

“Yes, my lady.” Rumors of George Boleyn and his escapades abounded throughout the
palace. He was a rowdy and raucous young man with a disposition to much drink and
a violent temper.