She wouldn’t be able to tell him her secret.Or maybe I could. Maybe he would understand. They could laugh about it. Move from a mother and son relationship and be actual friends.Darla shook the thought away.No, he would never understand.It didn’t stop her heart from aching. She was going to have to switch and leave Jenkins behind.If I have to leave Jenkins behind, so does Pamela.
“You’re a beautiful girl, who clearly has plenty of talent. You will make new friends.” Darla leaned forward and placed the glass of water on the table, Pamela withdrew her hand and leaned back. Her shoulders slouched and her lip pouted.
Even throwing a childish tantrum and she still looks stunning.Darla looked down at her soft frail body. When she had first started as Darla, she had been a young, vibrant woman. Now, age has caught up with her. Deep in her heart, an ache thumped hard as she compared herself to Pamela.
Maybe I should just switch with her.Darla huffed. Pamela crossed her arms in response. The tether came alive at once and began hovering above Pamela, the fingers of the hand seemed to blend together as the blue haze now looked whiter. It pulsated and Darla could feel the desire to switch grow stronger with each passing moment.
I should switch with Pamela. I could continue being in Jenkins’s life, even from a small distance. It would prevent him from marrying her. Her family has double the money I currently have. With my acting talent and her youth, I would be back in the acting world in no time at all.
“Pamela, I want to help you.”
“You’re going to convince him to come home?” Pamela sat forward and grabbed Darla’s hands in hers, her eyes bright with renewed hope.
“No, Jenkins made it clear he will only be home to visit during the holidays. We need to respect what he wants.” Darla paused, she watched the young woman carefully as she considered her next sentence carefully. “Why don’t you move in with me?” Darla took a deep breath and let it out slowly as she continued. “I will mentor you and help get you started in show business—get you connected with the right people—help put in a good word for you for some upcoming projects.”
“That would be splendid!” Pamela erupted from her seat and threw her slender arms around Darla’s neck. “My parents will be so thrilled to get me out of the house and for me to start taking my career seriously. You know them; they wanted me to go to college first, but I’m not getting any younger.” She stood back up and smoothed down her dress. “I’m going to go home and start packing right away, and then I will be back tomorrow, and we can get to work. Did Jenkins say when he would be back?”
Darla raised her eyebrows, watching her train of thought jump across multiple mental tracks. “He said he would call me tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll let me know then.”
“Okay, great! Thank you so much. I knew you would come around as my mentor. Have a good night, and I will see you tomorrow.”
Pamela breezed out of the room, her silk dress cascading behind her as she left. Darla was left alone with her thoughts.
I need to make a new plan quickly. I need to tell Jenkins about this. I want him to be a part of this side of me, and he needs to know that it is me who will take over his best friend’s body.
Darla rang the small bell and Betty appeared. She had her hair tied up in a silk sleeping bonnet and was wearing her signature green and red plaid pajamas.
“I know it’s late, but I’m ready. I’m ready to make my switch with someone.” Betty nodded in silent understanding. “Pamela is the perfect person for this. She is a great beauty, but her personality is wretched. We are doing everyone around her a favor.”
“I trust you. I know you have been looking for a while for the right person to switch with.” Betty crossed over and sat in the vacant chair next to Darla. “What do you need from me?”
“Remember what we talked about when I first told you about my gift?” Darla bit her bottom lip. Her hands were damp with sweat. She swallowed hard as she tried to clear the dry mouth feeling. Betty shifted uncomfortably in her seat and fidgeted with the lower hemline of her shirt.
“Yes, I remember when you told me.”
I hope so considering, I had to offer you a small fortune to get you on board.
“Well, now I need to tell Jenkins.”
“You can’t be serious! He would never go along with this.” Betty stood and paced in front of the fireplace, her darkened silhouette casting shadows across the dimly lit floor.
“I am serious. I believe that he’ll understand, especially when I tell him I have cancer.”
Betty stopped pacing. “You haven’t told him yet?”
Darla hung her head and shook it.
“Darla, I have known you for many years and have excused much of your behavior, but this I cannot understand. Were youjust going to let him go to college, find someone to switch with, and then never see him again?”
“I don’t know what my plan was, but I know what my plan is now. So will you help me?”
Betty remained still. After a few moments, she sighed. “Yes, I’ll help you. Just tell me exactly what you need from me.”
Darla smiled at her in the dark. She was thankful that she would have assistance this time around for the switch, and if the conversation with Jenkins went as well as it did with Betty, then she would have two people in her corner.
Finally, I don’t have to complete a switch all by myself. I have a good feeling that everything is about to work out for everyone. Everyone except Pamela, that is.Darla talked to Betty late into the night as they finalized the plan.
As Darla fell asleep, she thought about how hard she had worked to get where she was and that it was all about to pay off so that she could continue to build the life she desired. With Jenkins in her life, it would make everything all that much better.
