Chapter 20
Avidya
Zachariah and Melio quietly slipped away towards the office as Toby bounced off the couch as soon as he saw me step down from the last step. The two men apparently had something to attend to since they made themselves scarce. It was probably a better alternative than dealing with a jealous husband anyhow.
“Vidie!” he gushed, his voice muffled from his face pressed into my side.
“Hey, Toby.” I smiled, wrapping an arm around him. I was truly glad to see him.
Pulling away from me, Toby took hold of my hand and practically dragged me to the couch, where he waited expectantly for me to sit. After I sat, he made himself comfortable attached to my side and began to watch the TV once more that was on low.
“How are you feeling?” Violet asked as she took a seat in one of the chairs that wasn’t all that far away.
“Better, I think,” I said after a moment of thought. “Tired, still.”
“That’s expected,” she said knowingly.
“I hate those dreams,” I mused after a few minutes of silence. “Writing has helped a bit, but doesn’t seem to be helping like I thought it might.” Not to mention, meditation was clearly out the window. There was no way I was going to try that again.
“I don’t like my dreams either,” Toby said, glancing up at me.
“I didn’t realize you had bad dreams, honey,” Violet said, her voice soft as she addressed Toby.
At her attention, he shrunk against me, trying to blend into me it seemed.
“You know she won’t hurt you,” I whispered to him.
“Not her,” he muttered, turning his attention back to the TV, acting as though he never said anything to begin with.
“He’s not a huge fan of any male,” Violet stated, her eyes filling with sadness. “And in turn, me, since I’m married to one. I can only imagine what he’s been through and there isn’t anything I can do.”
“Give him time,” I said. I knew that was what I needed myself many times. Time to come to terms with my new life. Time to overcome what the past was filled with. Just…time.
“Do you want to talk about your dream?” Violet asked, switching topics in a way.
“Not really,” I breathed out. “It’s always the same thing. I keep reliving the car accident more than anything else.”
“This time was different, wasn’t it?” Violet asked.
I had the thought that she would make a wonderful psychiatrist. She seemed patient, but that could just be the caring person she was underneath her doctor role.
“Yeah,” I grimaced. She could read me pretty well.
She looked at me, waiting for me to open up. She wanted me to open up to her. I had opened up to my husband about my fears, my worries, but it hadn’t helped.
Maybe telling Violet my worries would help. Maybe she could say something that would make things seem better.
I poured my soul out. I told Violet I’d dreamed about how I was taken and how I had felt as if I was drowning. It had felt so real as though I was there again. It all felt so real, even in dream form.
I could feel the touches of the two men that had tied me up, thrown me around. I told her how I was able to even feel their breath on my skin.
“I was there again,” I finished, fighting back tears. “I don’t want to go back. Ever.”
“They can’t get to you again,” Violet stated. “Both of those men have been shipped out to sea, so to speak.”
“You mean they are dead,” Toby stated, cutting his eyes to the woman that had taken him in.
“Yeah,” Violet said. Her eyes lit with amusement that Toby was able to read between the lines, even though he was only ten. “I’m hungry since I was called so early. Are you two?”
