Above the Clouds: A Tale of Three Unconventional Journeys

"I'm lost."

Brendan paused in his long, loud exhale and stared at her. "How did that happen?"

"I don't know," she admitted, resting against the high back of their outdoor table. "Life gets away from you sometimes but this feels different." She patted Phoebe's head. "I've been feeling so strange lately."

"Strange how?"

"Just off." She swirled her straw in the water left over from their drinks. "Like I'm not quite present." She turned to him. "And you know there are these women who keep showing up everywhere I go."

He shrugged. "You're a woman. That's bound to happen."

She shook her head and looked out across the street at the traffic and people walking by. "No, not like that." She tapped her chin with her finger, then took a sip of her water. "They have names like Mallory and Phoebe, they live in my building or work at my gym, or they start following me when I go to the dog park. They're always there when I turn around and I never see them come in or leave, they just seem to appear out of nowhere..."

Brendan stood up and finished his beer, then set the glass on the table behind him before pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. "What's your problem?" He flicked out a cigarette and lit it with his lighter. "You need help." He took a long drag off his smoke and blew it at her as he sat down again. "Don't you think you've got enough problems already? You're not even working right now." He leaned forward, waiting for her response but she didn't say anything so he continued. "You need to find something soon because we need money for rent this month." He pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it onto the table between them where she could see it was covered in scribbles of numbers that added up to less than $300 after rent was paid each month.

"Yeah...I know." She picked up the paper and held it between them before tearing it into squares that fluttered away in the breeze toward an overflowing trashcan on the sidewalk near their table outside the coffee shop where Brendan worked most mornings during the summer months. She sighed and pushed some stray hairs behind her ear as she remembered where she'd seen Mallory's name before today as she stared at Brendan's dirty fingernails holding his cigarette as he slid it between his lips again, taking another long drag off it while blowing out more smoke at her face until she finally looked up at him again.    "They started showing up when I bought Phoebe," she said quietly as she watched the red embers glow between Brendan's fingers before his hand dropped down to rub hard against Phoebe's back while she rested on top of his shoe on the ground between them with her eyes closed and hind leg twitching nervously like always whenever he smoked around her which he knew but he still did anyway because that was Brendan all over. And just like always, Phoebe would put up with it because that was Phoebe too but Paige couldn't help but wonder why no one ever told Brendan how bad smoking was for dogs so that maybe he would stop doing it around Phoebe but she knew if anyone tried it would be a disaster because then Brendan would probably punch them in the nose or something just like every other time someone tried to tell him what to do when it came to anything involving Phoebe so best just leave well enough alone especially since things were already bad enough lately between them with neither one speaking much anymore except for arguing about money and rent payments and things being said that should never be said which made things worse than they already were even though neither one wanted that to happen which was why they both swallowed their words every time and kept quiet until finally either saying something else or walking away which only seemed to make things worse even more than they already were so better just leave well enough alone far better than anyone knew until finally today when suddenly everything changed forever because suddenly there was Mallory standing next to Paige with no warning sitting on one of those metal benches near the bakery with brown curly hair spilling down over both shoulders underneath a wide brimmed hat looking exactly like Paige herself except prettier which was impossible because no one looked prettier than Paige except maybe Mallory because whoever Mallory was there she certainly did look pretty which made Paige blink hard twice before staring harder at Mallory who was staring harder back at Paige herself just as hard until finally Paige blinked first looking away first toward Phoebe who had lifted her head from where she'd been sleeping peacefully on Brenda's shoe moments earlier when suddenly everything changed forever interrupted by this stranger sitting beside them now staring directly into Paige's eyes which made Paige wonder if perhaps this wasn't some kind of dream after all like something out of one of those sci-fi movies when suddenly reality is gone and replaced by something else entirely just like in The Matrix where suddenly everyone is connected mind-to-mind via some weird computer thingy which made Paige think again about Brendon smoking right here next to her which made her wonder what exactly was real anymore especially since somehow Brendon had disappeared along with everything else disappearing too leaving nothing behind but empty space filled only by silence amplifying by an endless echo bouncing off endless walls until finally dying away beyond hearing leaving only this moment here sitting quietly together watching life pass by outside while nothing moves or changes only remaining exactly same as always without any interruption until suddenly revealing itself all over again moments later out of nowhere followed by another life passing by outside without any interruption whatsoever except for all these odd strangers trying suddenly appearing everywhere constantly interrupting everything making life unfamiliar which made all kinds of questions pop into Paige's head about beginning versus end versus middle versus beginning again versus nothingness versus infinity versus everything else vs nothingness vs eternity etcetera etcetera etcetera which made her head hurt thinking about such things so instead she decided to stare more deeply into Mallory's eyes wondering how long this moment might last inside its own silent bubble if only for a minute or two or three or four or five maybe six minutes? Until finally Mallory smiled slightly opening two perfect lips moving silently forward toward Paige who smiled back opening two perfect lips moving silently forward toward Mallory their lips meeting briefly then separating slowly continuing silently smiling longer still until finally lips touching once more while infinitely extending infinitely into infinity without interruption until finally interrupted by a car horn blowing loudly somewhere nearby forcing them both apart startled interrupting life continuing normally once more causing both women to jump simultaneously standing upright alertly straightening clothes buttoning blouses zipping pants unzipping skirts sliding belt buckles tightening belts checking pockets searching for phones keys wallets purses hats sunglasses sunglasses missing sunglasses glasses glasses missing glasses glasses glasses lenses broken lenses ruined lenses altered lenses distorted lenses visionary lenses mysterious lenses altered visions distorted visions visionary visions mysterious visions altered perceptions distorted perceptions visionary perceptions mysterious perceptions altered realities distorted realities visionary realities mysterious realities altered minds distorted minds visionary minds mysterious minds altered memories distorted memories visionary memories mysterious memories altered dreams distorted dreams visionary dreams mysterious dreams altered relationships distorted relationships visionary relationships mysterious relationships altered feelings distorted feelings visionary feelings mysterious feelings altered lives distorted lives visionary lives mysterious lives altered lives ...until eventually disappearing altogether leaving nothing behind but empty space filled only by silence amplification bounced off endless walls tapering off beyond hearing leaving only one thought reverberating endlessly repeating endlessly echoing endlessly repeating ...until eventually vanishing altogether leaving nothing behind but ...tired dizzied breathless exhausted bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary bone weary ...until eventually vanishing altogether leaving nothing behind but ...tired dizzied breathless exhausted brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead brain dead mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive mind alive jumping startled startled startled startled startled startled momentarilytoverwhelmsmemorysdeathsadnessaloneboredomimpatiencelosspoverty stressstressstressstressstressstressstressstressstress stressstressstressstressstressstressstress stressstressstressstressstress stress stress stress stress stress stress stress ..."It started when I bought Phoebe," Paige repeated softly glancing down at Pheobe asleep on Brendan's foot before looking back toward Malory still seated motionless on the bench staring silently back at herself wondering how long this moment might last inside its own silent bubble if only for a minute or two or three or four or five maybe six minutes? Until finally Malory stood up smiling slightly opening two perfect lips moving silently forward toward herself who smiled back opening two perfect lips moving silently forward toward Malory their lips meeting briefly then separating slowly continuing silently smiling longer still until finally lips touching once more while infinitely extending infinitely into infinity without interruption until finally interrupted by a car horn blowing loudly somewhere nearby forcing them both apart startled interrupting life continuing normally once more causing both women to jump simultaneously standing upright alertly straightening clothes buttoning blouses zipping pants unzipping skirts sliding belt buckles tightening belts checking pockets searching for phones keys wallets purses hats sunglasses sunglasses missing sunglasses glasses glasses missing glasses glasses