Warily, Gabriel shuffles his feet and sighs. “That’s exactly what I’m saying. As puzzling as it is—pardon the pun—it makes sense. Let me ask you, Alex, have you ever tried flipping this piece over? I assume you still have her original sketches back home? Because now I’m wondering what you might find on the other side…behindthe rain.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake! That’s enough!” Elijah grips my elbow and drags me down the hallway.
“Trust me on this!” Gabriel yells. “I’m the only one familiar with her artwork.”
“And I’m familiar withher!”I scream, spinning back around.
“You knewMeera, Alex. I knewMimi,” Gabriel quips. “The only common thread they share is art. And maybe a brain. Think about it. It’s like we knew two different people.¡Carajo!” His hands whip through his floppy hair. “Would you open your goddamn mind? She’s trying to tell you something. Somethingelse.Rain.Tears. A goddamn monsoon. I don’t fucking know! But I can assure you there’s more than a stray puzzle piece here.”
I take a step forward, pinning him with serious eyes. He flinches like he expects me to hit him again, and trust me, I almost do. “Youmay be intrigued by her. But I, for one, am not. She’s fucking out of her mind! Do you hear me?! She put me and my daughter throughhelltrying to assemble this puzzle. And now that I have, I’m not about to climb back into that fucked-up mind of hers—or minds, as you’re suggesting—and weave my way through the chaos that you callart! I’m DONE!”
I slam the door to Elijah’s office and begin counting to eleven.
39
ELIJAH
Well,that was… interesting. I plop down into my desk chair, mentally exhausted, and listen to short, raspy breaths slip past Alex’s lips as he ticks through a series of numbers. I pull open a drawer, grab the bottle of acetaminophen, shake out two gelcaps, and toss them back.
As much as I hate to admit it, Gabriel did give us some food for thought. I’m not saying he’s right about Meera having multiple personalities, but I do think he might be on to something—however outlandish that may be.
A hand drops to my shoulder, and I startle, having not even heard Alex come up beside me. I place my hand over his and look up at his tired eyes, feeling a slight tremble in his hand.
“God, baby. I’m sorry about that. Gabriel can be overbearing at times. But I can assure you that he was only trying to help. It’s just that, when it comes to art, he’s very passionate, and sometimes?—”
“Stop, Elijah.”
“He owes you an apology, and I’ll speak to him about?—”
“I said stop.”
“But he basically accused Meera of having a mental illness. That’s some heavy shit.”
“I know.” He exhales. “And he may be right. Not about the multiple personality thing; that’s just outrageous. But maybe a mental illness of another kind might ring true. Like PTSD or something. Regardless, I knew her best, and I definitely did not see any signs of a personality disorder.”
“I hear you, Alex, but you have to keep an open mind.”
“So now you’re on his side?”
“I didn’t say that. But you have to consider that she had a child without you knowing. And I remember you mentioning that she also had a younger brother. But have you ever met him? Seen pictures of him? Know his name? Fuck… do you even know anything about her life prior to her showing up in yours?”
He leans against the wall and folds his arms protectively across his chest. “Meera was a private person. The clear definition of an introvert. You wouldn’t understand because you didn’t know her.”
I hold up my hand. “But Gabriel did. She approached him, Alex. Befriended him.Trustedhim with her child. Yet later, returned to blackmail him. Doesn’t sound too introverted to me. And certainly doesn’t sound like the same person he met at eighteen. For God’s sake, she introduced herself as Mimi when her fucking name was Meera. She had a daughter you knew nothing about, and another that you did.”
“Right,” he replies, sounding defeated. “But a personality disorder, Elijah? I know Meera better than anyone—better than him—and she may have lied, but she wasn’t deranged.”
“Having a mental disorder doesn’t make one crazy, sweetheart. If anything, it makes them human. If you think about it, we all suffer from something—jealousy, insecurity, asthma, depression, bipolar disorder—the list goes on. It doesn’tmean we have a bunch of unhinged people out there roaming this world. It just means we’re human, and whether it be a physical disorder or a mental one, it’s all a part of life and we deal with it as best we know how.”
“Wow. Do you realize how much you sound just like your daughter?” he says, shifting the conversation.
“What?” I swivel my chair around.
“Well, take Emilee, for instance. She’s a lot like me.”
“Serious and sweet?” I grin, realizing he’s reversed course and steering us away from the subject of Meera. But that’s alright. I’ll entertain him and see where this goes.
“Exactly,” he smiles. “And then there’s Ana, who just so happens to be mine, but has absolutely none of my qualities. Not one.”
