“Sorry.” The two walked down the wide hallway lined with windows on one side that overlooked the front lawn. Large movie posters lined the opposite wall. Some were Darla’s, and the rest were Pamela’s movies that she starred in over the years.
I knew she had a desire to continue acting, but this level of wealth, even for her, is a lot.
“You can wait here. I will go get Ms. Shaw.” The door she opened led to a large two-story library. A lit fireplace sat in the middle, perfectly lined up with the door. Jenkins thanked her as he entered and sat in one of the chairs near the fireplace.
The books along the wall all appeared to be decorative, and his interest was piqued enough that he walked over to the shelf closest to him. Every single book was a hardcover, the first one he grabbed was a first edition of a book he had never heard of. He carefully put the book back, and resumed his position in the cushy chair.
Hands in pockets, clean conscience.His sister’s voice echoed in his head.
The door opened a few minutes later and Pamela entered, she was wearing a long-sleeved flowing robe with ruffles on the sleeve cuffs and ruffles that gathered at the bottom.
“Jenkins, darling!” She glided across the room and embraced Jenkins like they were long lost friends. The housekeeper watched from the door. “That will be all Greta, I shall let you know if we are in need of additional assistance.”
Pamela waved her hand to dismiss Greta and the door closed tightly behind her. He knew Darla well enough to know how she moved and her preferred facial expressions.Whoever is in Pamela’s body is not Darla.
“Jenkins, darling, to what do I owe this surprise visit?” Jenkins raised his eyebrows at her, and he smiled at the amount of effort this person was going through to convince him she was the real Pamela.
“Well Pamela called me.” He sat back down, amused by her unnatural performance. He invited her to sit next to him in the open chair.
“Did I? Oh yes, of course I did!” She drew out each word, attempting to sound as classy and fancy as possible. “I called you by mistake.” She waved her hand dismissively.
“No, I’m sorry I should have been clearer. You didn’t call me, Pamela did, from wherever your body is physically located.” Their eyes locked, and she tried to hide the panic. After a minute of silence, Jenkins held her gaze, and her lip quivered.
“Drats! You know, don’t you?” The fancy accent dropped, and she rose to start pacing, talking without taking a breath. “I have no clue how this happened. I was lying in bed last night thinking about how nice it would be to switch with someone, anyone, to get away from my miserable life,” she paused to take a breath, her eyes wild with bewilderment.
“Then I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I found myself in this mansion surrounded by staff and workers asking me all kinds of questions and calling me Ms. Shaw. Then, when I looked in the mirror, I realized who I was. So I freaked out and spent the whole morning trying to pretend to be her while I figured out what’s going on.”
Jenkins laughed.
“You think this is funny?” She stopped pacing to glare at him.
“Kind of. This is a best-case scenario for me honestly.” The warmth of the laughter spread through him as he processed what Darla did.
“How so?” Pamela sat back down.
“Well the person who is now in your body has a ‘gift’ that allows her to switch places with people. She was lying in bed last night as well, thinking about switching with someone. Not sure why the gift randomly chose you, but here we are.”
He watched as Pamela bit her lip and avoided his eye contact.
“So … I just happened to be thinking about switching places with someone when she was wishing to switch places?”
Jenkins nodded, his amused smile still plastered on his face.
“What’s your name? I mean what was your name before the switch?”
“Callie, Callie Stone. I’m thirty years old and I live at 46 Westbrooke Road in Traverse City with my… husband. I work at a gas station down the street, and I walk there every day for my shift.”
“This isn’t a police interrogation. Take a breath.” Jenkins raised and lowered his hands, mimicking slow deep breaths. Pamela followed his lead and took a few deep breaths. They sat in silence for a few moments.
Jenkins watched her as she looked around the library. Her skin looked so much clearer than when he last saw her. There was a glow to her that just radiated a sense of deep joy.
“Why would anyone want to switch out of this life?” Pamela waved her arms in the air.
Jenkins considered her question.I need to answer these questions carefully so that she doesn’t think I’m a part of this.
“I don’t have an answer for you. I just know that she switched with a friend of mine, and I tried to stop her. When I couldn’t, I walked away. I told her I wanted nothing to do with any of this.”
“Why are you here now then?” Pamela crossed her arms and bore her eyes into his.
