KIMMY'S LIST

CHAPTER 3

The lack of sleep from this morning’s nocturnal visitor started to show on Kimmy. She had already shut her eyes twice while sitting at the desk. So the timely morning coffee break stroll from the office to her favourite café reinvigorated her.

Her work mate, Naomi, entered first then held the door for Kimmy to enter behind her. The tantalising smell of fresh Barista brewed coffee welcomed them as they stepped inside.

‘I never get tired of that aroma…’ Kimmy said.

The queue was long, but it moved fast. Kimmy ordered for both of them, then moved over to stand off to the side with Naomi.

Naomi watched Kimmy approach. ‘You look so tired, Kim… Are you sleeping OK?’

‘This morning I didn’t no…’

‘Another Visitor…?’

‘Aha.’

Naomi shook a slow, sympathetic head. She was Kimmy’s closet work mate and the only person at their work who knew of Kimmy’s strange, early morning visitors.

It helped Kimmy to have someone at work to discuss these ‘Visitors’ with, someone who didn’t thinks she was a complete nut case. Someone who believed her for what she thought she saw. And that someone was Naomi, who loyally kept Kimmy’s secret.

Kimmy couldn’t afford her boss to find out about her dreams. She knew in her own mind that if it was anyone else who claimed to be visited by unknown people in their dreams, she would be cynically judgemental of them.

So, through fear her boss would question her mental stability, Kimmy kept her problems from her boss. She loved her job as the Accounts Manager in one of the country’s big four banks and could not afford to have her sanity questioned over these early morning visits.

While waiting, both girls casually monitored the coming and goings of the many office workers seeking their morning cuppa - of - choice from the popular café. People watching helped pass the time.

‘I was a little uncomfortable bringing this up…’ Naomi began.

‘But …seeing how tired you look…I figured, what the hell.’

‘Uncomfortable bringing what up…?’ Kimmy said.

She nudged Naomi, then discretely lifted her chin to the hot guy entering the café.

Both girls’ heads followed the suit-wearing man as he moved to join the back of the queue.

Naomi smiled knowingly to Kim as she lifted her phone and tapped on the screen. ‘Do you ever wonder why these people who visit you, picked you…?’

‘Only every day,’ Kim said, while she continued to leer at the cute guy.

‘What if these people were murdered and they were coming to you for help…’

‘Why me…? How can I help a ghost?’

Naomi turned her phone screen to Kim. ‘I saw this the other day and I thought of you.’

Kim took the phone and read the screen. She shook her head and handed the phone straight back to Naomi. ‘See, I don’t believe in that shit, Nomes,’ Kim said. Her tone was direct.

‘Hear me out, Kim…These people that come to you in your dreams are most likely dead. Stands to reason, doesn’t it?’

‘Order for Kimmy…’ a Barista called.

Kim pushed herself away from the wall and collected their order. She handed Naomi her coffee and they strolled to the exit.

Kimmy said, ‘I have no idea if they are dead, or just dreams. All I know is…I wish they would stop.’

Naomi lifted her phone screen to Kimmy. ‘Could this really hurt? What if it gave you some answers…? Would that be so bad?”

‘And what if it didn’t …? I’m not into all that witchcraft hoo haa.’

‘It’s not witchcraft … Look here…’ Naomi read from her phone. ‘A medium is a person who mediates communication between spirits of the dead and the living.’

‘Aha…Just like I said …Witchcraft.’

Naomi rolled frustrated eyes at Kimmy. ‘I’ll go with you, if you want company.

If you can talk to these experts, it may give you answers… reasons why you are visited in your sleep.’

Kimmy had to admit, Naomi made some sense. But the cynical part of her, the part that disbelieved in ghosts and the afterlife, prevented her from embracing Naomi’s suggestion.

Maybe it was time to step outside her comfort zone and explore some alternatives to why these visits kept happening.

She held out her hand to Naomi. ‘Give me look at that.’ Naomi smiled her satisfaction as she handed Kimmy the phone. Kimmy read from the screen.

‘A psychic medium’s skills and connection to the after - life support investigations and assist law enforcement agencies solve crimes.’ She lifted her eyes to Naomi. ‘Could this be what it’s all about, Nomes…? They just want my help?’

Naomi shrugged. ‘Could be.’

For the next twenty, or so meters, while reading the screen, Kimmy unwittingly became one of those people she observed on a daily basis, who annoyed her. Like those inconsiderate people, she now walked along the busy footpath with her eyes buried into a mobile phone. And yes, on more than one occasion, she did almost career into oncoming foot traffic.

Scroll all the way to the bottom, ‘Naomi said. Kimmy scrolled.

‘See there…’ Naomi began.

‘An actual Medium is holding a seminar in Winchester next month. I reckon you should go.’

‘Aren’t these things just tricks… you know, scams…? Don’t they have people planted in the audience, or something?’

‘I don’t’ know, Erm…What have you got to lose?’

‘R250 for starters. They’re kidding themselves, aren’t they? Who’d pay that?’

Naomi scoffed. ‘You’d be surprised, Kim. Look, think of it as an investment into curing all this. What better way to get the answers you seek…I’ll come with, if you want.’

Kimmy lifted her phone to Naomi. ‘You’d spend R250 on this bullshit…just for me?’

‘I do anything for you if it will help you with these night time visitors.’

Kimmy hugged Naomi. She was warmed by her friend’s loyalty.

Naomi moved ahead and opened the door to their building. Kimmy moved through first, handing Naomi back her phone as she passed.

As they strolled to the elevator lobby Naomi asked, ‘Well…what do you think? Interested in going?’

‘I’ll have a think about it and chat with Boyd. See what he thinks.’

‘Good girl.’

Kimmy watched Boyd top up her red wine, then his own. She was keen to discuss Naomi’s suggestion about the Medium seminar with Boyd. However, she was a little nervous discussing something they both believed were scams, run to profit people who preyed on the vulnerable, or even the gullible.

She had it all planned out. While enjoying their pasta dinner tonight, she would causally raise Naomi’s suggestion, to seek her husband’s opinion, and gauge his response. Problem was, dinner was almost over.

Boyd caught Kimmy’s contemplative expression.

‘You OK…?’ he asked. ‘You seem a little quiet tonight. Did you have a bad day at work?’

Kimmy forced out a smile.

‘No, No. Work’s good. I’m just really tired from this morning’s episode. I didn’t sleep well after it.’

Boyd twirled his pasta around his fork. ‘You and me both…’ he said, then shovelled the sizable serving into his mouth.

‘There’s something I want to talk to you about…’

Kimmy said. She surprised herself. The words came out of her mouth before she had time to think about what to say.

Boyd reached for his wine. ‘What’s up? Everything OK…?’ He said. He regarded Kimmy as he sipped on his wine.

Kimmy’s long pause in responding must’ve worried Boyd. It wasn’t intended, she just searched for the right words. It was always going to be difficult to sell the seminar idea to Boyd, when in her own mind, just like Boyd, she was a disbeliever.

Boyd leaned on his elbows. He regarded Kimmy with a frowning brow as he waited for her to respond. ‘Kimm…? What’s up? Talk to me. Are we good…?’

Kimmy’s face lit up. ‘Yes. Of course we’re good.’ She placed a reassuring hand over Boyd’s hand.

‘It’s just that…well… I think I’m becoming desperate for answers as to why I keep getting these early morning dreams.’

‘That’s more than understandable, Hun. I wish I knew the answers. I wish I could help more.’

‘You know Naomi from work…?’ Boyd nodded as he shovelled some pasta into his mouth. ‘I was chatting with her today about my most recent visit. She showed me something she found on the internet that she thinks might help me understand what, and why things are happening to me.’

‘OK…’

‘Naomi thinks I might unknowingly have some sort of ability to communicate with the afterlife…’ Kimmy cringed slightly as the words left her mouth.

Boyd held Kimmy’s gaze for an extended, uncomfortable pause before he responded. ‘And what do you think about that?’

‘Honestly … I’m like you. I don’t believe in that after life stuff… But do you have any other alternatives as to why this keeps happening to me…?’

‘I wish I did. But I don’t.’

Kimmy slid her phone closer and brought up the website she visited earlier with Naomi. She slid the phone to Boyd. He read from the display.

Kimmy thought she saw his shoulders slump, ever so slightly. Boyd scrolled the screen as he continued to read.

He pushed the phone back to Kimmy. ‘OK,’ he said. ‘And you would like to go to that seminar…?’ He lifted his chin to the phone. His tone sounded disappointed.

‘I don’t know, Hun. It sounded like a good idea today, but how I’m not so sure. I’m just over all this.’

‘Hey,’ Boyd began. He placed a hand over Kimmy’s hand. ‘If you think this… this seminar thing will help….then why don’t you give it a try.’

Kimmy’s face lit up again, this time with excitement. ‘Really…? You don’t think I’m been gullible…?’

‘I didn’t say that…’ Boyd said. ‘But if you think it will help you cope with it all, then I think you should give it a try.’

‘It costs R250...’

‘I saw that. Look at it this way … It is an investment into your health. If we went for an MRI or a CT Scan over something wrong with our health, it would cost more than that and we would still do it, regardless of the cost.’

Kimmy smiled her relief. ‘Naomi said she would come with me….’

‘With us…’ Boyd began. ‘I’ll request a day shift, or a day off. So if she wants to go to this seminar, she can come with us. I’m not letting you go on your own…’

Kimmy cupped her hands to her mouth. Her eyes welled with tears. She was so happy her husband had chosen to support her. ‘Thank you so much, Hunny,’ she said.

‘Go ahead and make the bookings,’ Boyd said.

‘Who knows, it might be entertaining.’

Kimmy looped her arm through Boyd’s arm as they made their way into the Elangeni Hotel in Winchester’s CBD. The large number of people attending tonight’s psychic medium seminar surprised Kimmy.

Banners and posters promoting their host, ‘Molly Williamson Internationally Renowned Psychic Medium’, were positioned throughout the foyer. Each banner displayed the smiling head shot of an attractive blonde woman in her early thirties.

Kimmy and Boyd made their way into the conference room. She presented her phone to the smiling male usher standing at the door. The usher scanned the barcode from Kimmy’s electronic ticket.

‘You’re seated in row four, seats eleven and twelve. You can access them off to your left.’ The usher gestured into the room.

‘Have a good evening.’

Below the drop - in, elevated stage, the conference room had been divided into three sections of seating, similar to most movie cinemas, with an aisle separating each group of seats.

As they made their way along the left hand aisle towards row four, Kimmy was taken aback by the number of seats in the room, all of which were filling fast. Who would’ve thought this many people believed in this stuff….

Boyd checked the seat numbers on the rows. He counted along. ‘Eleven and Twelve. That’s us there near the middle,’ he said.

Kimmy and Boyd edged their way along to their allocated seats. Kimmy exchanged a smile to those who contorted their legs to the side so Kimmy and Boyd could pass.

They didn’t have to wait long before the room lights dimmed. A male voice - over introduced the evening’s special guest, Molly Williamson. The elevated stage burst into light.

The medium trotted onto the stage to a reception worthy of a Rock Star. Most people in the room stood and applauded.

Kimmy glanced at Boyd.

‘Should we stand…?’

Boyd shook his head.

‘Nuh. We don’t even know who she is.

‘Yes we do…’ Kim pointed to the blurb written on the programme booklet. ‘It say here, she is a word - renowned medium and clairvoyant with an amazing ability to communicate with those who have passed on to the other side,’ Kim read with a cynical tone.

Boyd rolled his eyes at Kimmy.

The medium moved around the stage like a seasoned performer as she addressed the audience. She was bubbly and upbeat. Her headset microphone projected her voice across the crowded room.

After she explained the evening’s expectations, she began interacting with the audience.

‘WHO in this room has psychic skills….?’ She moved to the other side of the stage. ‘Come on….who amongst you is a practicing medium…? Stand up if you have medium experience.’

Kimmy glanced around the room. About fifty people, mostly women, stood up.

‘Fantastic,’ Molly said. She shielded her eyes as she scanned the audience.

‘Wow, there are a lot of you. Isn’t that great?’ She moved to the left side of the stage. ‘Let’s start over here. Who in this area is currently working as a medium?’

Several hands were raised from those standing.

‘That’s great.’ She gestured to an elderly lady standing around row six. ‘What’s your name, please?’

An usher rushed to the standing woman and handed her a microphone.

‘Um, My name is Agnes….’

‘Hi Agnes…Thank you for coming along tonight.’

‘Thanks for your 250 bucks, she means,’ Boyd whispered out the side of his mouth. Kimmy smiled at his cynical humour.

‘And you are currently working as a medium, is that correct?’

‘I am. I help people communicate with loved ones who passed on…’

‘How long have you been doing that?’

‘Over thirty years.’

‘That is great. Let’s give Agnes a hand everybody,’ Molly said as she trotted to the other side of the stage. The room erupted into applause.

‘What about over this side…? Who over here has done some work, other than what Agnes does…?’

A number of hands went up. Molly pointed to another elderly woman.

‘OK….We have another lovely lady standing over here. What is your name…?’

An usher ran to the woman and handed her a microphone.

‘Hi. My name is Betty.’

‘Hi Betty. Thank you for coming along tonight. Please tell us what work you use your special mediumship skills in.

‘I assist Law enforcement, mostly with investigations into missing people….’

‘Wow…’ Molly said as she moved back to center stage. ‘And how long have you been doing that, Betty?’

Around twenty-five years …’

‘How may successful outcomes have you assisted with over that time?’

‘I’ve assisted law enforcement with many successful cases,’ Betty said.

Boyd leaned closer to Kimmy. ‘That’s not what she asked…Way to avoid answering the question, Betty,’ he said. ‘She must’ve been a politician.’

Kimmy grinned as she gently nudged Boyd.