Dominoes 111a: Jervis

“Hey!” Caleb said, “Ralph, come up here, will you?”

Ralph, looking totally confused and not a little intimidated, followed Caleb up the stairs. Jenny looked as confused as I did, and we looked at each other, and raced after them.

“Ah, girls,” Caleb said. He was in the process of closing the door, but, after a moment’s hesitation, waved us in and we joined a very confused and nervous Ralph on the bed; with Jenny sitting rather close to Ralph.

“I suppose you all are wondering why I have asked you all…” his voice broke off as a knock came at the door. He spun around and stared at the door, and then, sort of slowly, opened it.

“Dad?”

“Am I invited to this meeting?” Dad asked.

“I… ummm… sure…” he said, and Dad came and sat next to me.

Caleb just stared at Dad, who finally said, “Oh, don’t be so freaked out. You were looking all serious and worried and all, and then you invite Ralph up here, and the girls rush up… come on, Son, speak up.”

“I was just. Look, Ralph, I have a question for you. This is going to sound odd, but what do you know about a guy named Jervis?”

“Jervis? Suzy’s brother?”

“Yeah.”

Ralph shook his head, slowly. “Not a good subject. You didn’t hear?”

“No. That is, I never really heard anything solid.”

“Well, I don’t know how much of what I heard is real, but I heard some nasty stuff. There was this little girl…” he looked nervously at Jenny, “Anyway, I’ve heard some nasty stuff. Why?”

Caleb looked at me. “Bobbi had this really bad dream and he was involved.”

“He? This Jervis guy?”

“Yeah.”

Dad looked at me. “Roberta, do we need to talk?”

I knew what he was asking. Had this Jervis guy abused me in some way. I thought back, but I really couldn’t remember him, although now that I wasn’t dreaming and able to really think I was able to remember some rumors about Suzy’s brother and some girl. The girl’s family had actually left town afterwards, too.

“No, no Dad. We’ve never met. Not outside of my dream, anyway.”

We all sat and chewed on that for a minute and then the phone rang. Caleb happened to be standing next to it and he absentmindedly answered it, “Jones residence. Who? Oh, yes, she’s here. Can I ask who’s calling? Who? Grace?! Umm, would you mind if I asked you a question? This is Caleb… Ow!” he said, looking back at us. “She screamed, and is getting all hysterical with some other girl. Here, Bobby, you had better handle it.”

I picked up the phone, all eyes on me. “Hello? Hello?” I said and then paled, as I heard a voice in the background. A voice I knew. A voice I knew, although I had never heard it. “Grace?” I whispered.

“Bobbi?” she said, and I knew the voice from my dream. But had I heard it, perhaps, on campus sometime. Was this really….?

“Yes,” I said, finally.

“This is going to sound really weird,” she said, “but I just have to ask. Did you have a dream last night…?”