from Adam, but there was none. He then added. “They can pick things up, and we interpret their symbolic messages and collect data, and so far, all arrows are pointing in the same damned direction–millions of people, dead!”
As they drove home, Adam couldn’t stop thinking about Tom. Somehow this old man struck a chord deep within in him. Although his story was far-fetched, Adam still felt that there may be some truth in what the old man was saying. He also couldn’t help thinking that perhaps Tom was crying out for something else. Was he pulling at Adam’s counselling strings? Meanwhile, Joey sat quietly in the passenger seat as they drove home. In fact, he was very quiet. Adam pulled up at a set of lights and looked over at his young friend. “Everything okay?” he asked quietly. Joey forced a half-smile and nodded, gesturing that the lights had changed. He was indeed very quiet and seemed to have something on his mind.
They arrived back at their place, and Joey walked ahead and grabbed a drink out of the fridge. He fell into the lounge chair. “Well, what you reckon about old Tommy?” he asked while sipping on his drink.
“Strange old man,” Adam responded. “I think he’s just lonely and wants someone to talk to. Did you see that picture of the lady on the table? He kept looking at her all the time. It must be a picture of his wife in her younger days or someone else. He seems so sad and lost”
“Yeah, but what do you reckon?” Joey insisted.
“Reckon about what?” Adam answered, as he sat down. “Do you think he is on to something?”
“I think he is on to something, but I don’t think it has anything to do with my investigations. I think he heard about my research and he wants to be involved. You get people like that.”
Adam got up and walked over to the kitchen and poured some water. Joey followed him.
Adam continued: “He seems to be grieving or he is depressed. He probably needs to get some counselling.” Adam turned to Joey, who was rubbing his drink can between his hands and asked him if he had picked up on anything from Tom.
“Not much. I couldn’t really read or scan him. I did pick up that the lady in the picture is dead, his daughter or wife– some relation. Also, that there are meetings held there. The people that go there are like me… I felt them.”
Joey seemed different since their meeting with Tom. He seemed to feel that there was more to Tom’s story than what he told them. Joey also felt a strong urge to be involved with Tom, as he had sensed similar people to himself, and he secretly wondered what they would be like. Like Adam, Joey was mesmerised by the strange old man that lived in a mansion and talked about people with magical insights.
Young Joey was always a loner, since he was a child. He became very different from other boys as he grew older, and many of his friends had moved on from him, and he from them, because of their differences in terms of interests and activities. Now that he was growing older and becoming a young man, Joey wanted to know more about himself and others like him. It was Joey who persuaded Adam to continue with their meetings with Tom, as the old man appeared to be harbouring many secrets.
The week’s break from work came and went, and Adam’s focus was now on getting back to work and figuring out what his next step was going to be. He also hoped that the media would stop harassing them. Carol greeted Adam happily as he arrived at work on Monday morning. The break seemed to work wonders, as she looked young again and refreshed.
“Glad to be back at work,” she said excitedly.
“Me or you,” Adam asked in a sarcastic voice, giving a half- smile.
“Me!” she smiled in return. “How’s your break been? Do anything special?”
“My time off work was well worth it,” Adam replied, grabbing his mail and some paperwork. “Just relaxed and did nothing.”
Adam had just gone into his office and looked over his work when he heard some commotion out in reception. He heard Joey’s voice stirring Carol. The two always argued in a friendly way. Joey was teasing Carol as usual; in fact, Joey liked teasing everybody. The door swung open and Joey walked in smiling, looking like the proverbial cat that swallowed the canary.
“What are you doing here?” Adam asked, looking suspicious.
“Can’t I visit you without asking all these questions,” he said, jumping on the counselling sofa. He closed his eyes as if he was going to sleep. Adam watched him for a few seconds and knew he was up to his old tricks. Joey still thought that he could pull the wool over Adam’s eyes, but Adam would allow him to think that only on occasions.
“Okay, Joey, you win, I give up, what’s this all about?” Adam said in a playful voice. Joey pretended that he was sleeping and started snoring in an exaggerated way.
Adam then pretended that one of his clients had arrived and said, “Hello Mrs. Burger, is that the time already…”
Joey jumped up looking at the doorway. Adam laughed out loud and Joey, in turn, gave him the evil eye.
“What do you want Joey,” Adam asked again, getting a little impatient.
“I was thinking that we need to see old Uncle Tom,” he said. “Why?”
“There’s something not right. I want to go over again and maybe I will pick up more,” Joey said. “I think I believe him; I think our Uncle Tom is on to something.”
Adam received an email from Carol advising that his client has finally arrived.
Joey stood up as Evelyn, an ex-client of Adam’s walked in. Evelyn also knew Joey very well and didn’t have the patience to tolerate his irritating behaviours at times, and was quick to dismiss him. Joey smiled at her and immediately began carrying on with his body language by bowing and trying to distress her, knowing very well that he was irritating her. But Evelyn stood her ground, moving towards Adam and ignoring Joey completely. She then muttered for Joey to leave the room.
Evelyn, as they came to know, had a tendency to involve herself with silly things, such as ordering something by mail and then not knowing what to do with the item once it was delivered. She would then offer it to either Adam or Carol, as they were her only friends. On this occasion, she wanted to use Adams office address for her mail to be delivered. She was using a post office box before, but fell out with the postal manager over the annual cost and promptly cancelled her dealings with them. Adam was reluctant to allow this, but ended up agreeing that it could be a temporary measure, and that she should use her own address or find another post box.
Evelyn is an Image Carrier. She can see things others can’t. Adam believes she is very unique and rates in the middle to high numbers of the Image Carriers’ rating scale. Unfortunately, or fortunately for Evelyn, she shuns her gift and wants nothing to do with it. She told Adam that it scares her and all she wants to do is live a normal life. It is ironic, as Evelyn lives far from a normal life. Her life is a total secret, and nobody knows what she gets up to during the day. She doesn’t work or socialise much. She is a loner. Not long ago, Evelyn got quite upset with Carol when Carol offered to give her some money to get her hair cut, however, Evelyn told Carol to keep her charity to herself as she has her own money.
Today’s visit with Adam was a long time coming. Evelyn wanted to talk to Adam about feeling overwhelmed again. Periodically, Evelyn becomes distressed and panic builds. Paranoia has also crept into Evelyn’s life. She told Adam that she thinks someone is following her or is trying to find out where she lives. Adam had to reassure her
