His Dimension

Elio sat on the bench in the free weight area at the gym near his house. He rubbed his head then rubbed the back of his neck. He looked at his watch checking the time, it was 5:37pm. He remembered he told Tyran he would meet him and the rest of the crew for dinner tonight to watch the football game. None of their teams were playing but wanted to enjoy watching the game. They all set the time to be seven to meet up at the restaurant.  I have enough time to make it, he thought. He grabbed his gym bag, looked behind him and made sure he had all his belongings and headed to the door. Elio held the door for the older couple coming into the gym.

“Thank you young man.” The older gentleman said.

“No problem, sir. Ma’am, have a good workout.” As Elio waved his hand bye to the couple.

Elio was not feeling the hangout he agreed to with the guys. His days at work seem to be longer and longer. It’s been so long since he went on a date or even looked at a woman. The murder of his wife nearly killed everything in him. Elio gave her what she wanted, signed the papers, gave her evidence of his whereabouts as well. While making it very clear that she was welcome to come back home at any time. Just to bury her a week later. Who would want to silence her? He never slept with that woman even though the DNA test of the child was his. Elio closed his eyes and remembered how everything went down between him and his wife.

“What the hell you mean you didn’t sleep with her? How do you have a positive DNA test of the baby? Huh?”

“Fay baby please you have to believe me I didn’t sleep with her. I didn’t cheat on you. I never have baby please you gotta believe me please.”

“THE FUCKIN DNA TEST is 99.999 however many nines you want FUCKIN PERCENT ELIO! I can’t make this shit up. Where the hell were you? Who the fuck is she ELIO?”

He hung his head down lost for words trying to understand who would do this to him? What kind of joke was he going through.

“Answer me GODDAMN IT.” Fay yelled with tears rolling down her face. 

“I don’t know her, I never slept with her I promise baby. I’ll prove it. My job has cameras the day she said she conceived I was at the office with Tom and Bill finishing the presentation for a client.” Elio grabbed her but she pulled back and hit his arm.

“Don’t touch me mothafuckin bitch ass nigga. I know one thing mothafucka you better pull up every tap of evidence you got to prove to me this is not what it is.” She pointed.

“Baby I will. Give me some time.” He begged on his knees.

Fay pulls out a stack of papers with a pin. “Sign these goddamn papers.”

Elio heart sank, took the pin and signed. Left and went to work on finding out what was really going on. He remembers coming back home the following week to find his wife dead at the computer. Shot twice in the head. The last email she sent to him never left his mind.

Dear Elio, my love, forgive me for how I acted towards you. I went digging to try and find the answers I needed. I know you and this? Cheating? Is not you. I found that when you went to donate sperm the confidentiality was compromised. The woman is carrying your baby, but she has been arrested several times in other states for the same thing. She steals files of the baby she is carrying, collects gifts from the fathers, kills the baby and sells all the baby stuff. I’m so sorry for not believing you. We will press chargers; I know some people that is already on it. I love you baby.

“I gained my name but lost my life.” Elio put his head on the door and let out a sigh. Breathing in slowly with deep breathes. He pulled the first shirt that he touched. Grabbed his jeans paired with some white and lime green high tops. Took one more look in the mirror, nothing out of place he screamed ‘I’m decent,’ grabbed his keys and headed for the door. 

He reached the restaurant and as usual he is the last to show up. The time was 7:22pm the game had already started. 

“Man, what the hell was YOU doing?” Ty smile with his hand on his chin.

“Hopefully finally letting a woman take care of his build up tension.” Dantrell said while awaiting a response from Elio as if he won the battle.

“D, shut the fuck up. At least I don’t have to deal with bullshit of a wife sleeping with you and someone not accepting she is sleeping around on him.” Elio fire back with a bigger smile.

Dantrell sat back looking at him awkwardly but curiously. 

“Look if it was or was not a woman it’s good to see you man. Glad you came out.”

“Good to see you too Ox.”

“Let’s order!” Ty encouraged.

Elio sat down at the table looking at the tv screen in front of him. His friends were fighting over who could get the waitress number first. Shaking his head, a laugh followed. Elio still wasn’t mentally there to watch the football game, so he looked around the room and spotted a woman by the bathrooms on the phone. Elio stared at her smiling and wondered what was wrong with him. She looked at him and motioned for him to come to her. Without warning he got up moving towards where she was.

“Hello Ms.?” Extending his hand out.

“Zaynab. And what is your name?”

“I’m Elio, Zaynab is a very beautiful name.”

“That’s the meaning…beauty.”

Love at first sight had just begun. Over the next several months the two gotten close agreeing to meet at the bar they met at. Elio noticed that she would only want to meet him during the night hours. There was always something she had to do. He felt as though there needs to be a change.

“Z can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, you, ok?” She grabbed his hand wondering what was on his mind.

“Why do we only hang during the night hours?”

She closed her eyes and knew that the question was going to be asked sooner or later. Today was later. 

“I need to tell you something.” Zaynab put her drink on the table to grab his hands.

“What is it”

“You will understand better if I show you. Take tomorrow off.”

“Are you in trouble.” The concern in his voice was so haunting to her. She knew today was the day she told him everything.

“Come with me.”

She pulled him up and headed to her car. Elio finally was going to see where she lived. They pulled into the driveway of her home. He wondered what did she do for work? Where did she work? Who was her family. 

“We don’t have much time left so I’ll be quick. I’m a traveler of dimensions. Collecting information on everyday living to see if all the dimensions are connected and how. This is not my body, home, and so on. Just the consciousness. In the morning I will go back to my dimension until night or evening falls. The woman that technically owns this body won’t know you or remember where her body has been. Any questions?”

Elio sat for a moment in disbelief. This can’t be real. He was certain that he fell for a magician, and this was a trick. He pondered on it and started laughing. 

“Yup, saw that coming. I’ll see you at the bar tonight. You might want to leave now.”

Zaynab leaves the dining room and heads for the bedroom. Elio pulled himself together then noticed she had not come back. 

“Zay?”

No answer. He called again still no answer. Man, now she mad at me he thought. 

“Zay, bae please just answer me. I didn’t mean to laugh. It does sound ridiculous though. Hello?”

Elio heard a gun cock back. With a few seconds in between he heard the gun go off and an anger woman.

“Oh shit!”

“Get the fuck out of my house before I kill yo ass.”

“This bitch for real.”

Elio runs out the house and in the car. Thank God for automatic start. Fearing for his life he drove home.

“She wasn’t kidding. That shit real! Goddamn I know how to pick ‘em.”

Elio reached home and texted his boss he wasn’t coming in for the day. His heart pounding, mind racing and head hurt from trying to wrap his head around what happened. He put on one of his favorite records and drifted off to sleep.

“Call from…Ox. Answer?” The system asked.

“Yes.”

“Ok.”

“E! Where the hell you go last night? Man, you good? You just left with no word.”

“O…I’m good, not coming I don’t feel well.”

“E I got you. I’m coming over.”

Elio briskly sat up, “NO!”

“Why?”

“I’m naked.”

“Man, please we played baseball together. Aye man did you forget we had to shower together?”

“We naked.”

“Holy shit E. Hell yea let’s get back in the game. So, I got this shorty that been waiting for you. I’ll call her tonight. Then I got this flight attendant…”

“Ox Man! Shut the hell up. You hoe ass dude.”

“That’s what you need to be Elio.”

“Get off my phone I’m good.”

“Alright cool. I’ll get you a list of fine ass girls we can call.”

“Fuck you O.”

“I’m working on Xy to do that.”

“Siri, hang up.”

“Hanging up call.”

Elio looked at the time. It was a quarter pass two. He remembered her saying I’ll see you at the bar. He went on the computer researching traveling dimensions. It was possible but how, to where, for what? How can one go back to the same person, same body? How did she know the exact routine the woman followed? Who could he talk to that would comprehend all of this? Why didn’t she use a phone? His mind was discombobulated and cloudy he felt crazy.

“I got to meet her at the bar. It’s time I tell her how I feel.”

The question he knew the answer was did he love her? With all his heart. Elio got dressed early to stop by the flower shop.

At the bar their usual drinks were poured and there she was. His beauty.

“I see you made it out alive.”

“These are for you to say I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. But we need to talk. I have a lot of questions.”

“I know you do, let’s go.”

Both down their drinks and made their way back to her place. When entering the dining room there was a device that looked very similar to a tablet.

“What is this?” He curiously asked her.

“This is a device you can look at but know nothing about. The less you know, the safer you are.”

“Can anyone do what you do?”

In theory yes, in reality, just jump and go? I do not know. That’s one reason I’m doing what I am doing.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

“Knowledge. It’s different in every dimension.”

“There’s more than one?”

“Yea there is 14…there is a lot that I need to tell you so now it’s your turn to just listen.”

Zaynab makes them a plate and began to explain everything he needed to know.

The next morning Elio went into the office looking for some kind of clues or information that would help him understand. Walking straight to his desk the whispers got a little louder, smiles ear to ear and stares lasting a lifetime. Who awaits him at his desk? Oxford Pulls, his too long of a friend.

“O get the hell away from my desk.”

“Not till you tell yo boy thank you.”

“O…I don’t have time for you. Move.”

“E, was the sex good? You can tell me. Neverminded tell me later. I got this for you.”

Ox hands him a pocket size black notebook.

“O…”

“Wait before you ask the answer is yes. This beauty is your very own black book.

“Oxford!”

“Look man this will save us.”

He couldn’t help but to think of how much he missed Zaynab. “I’m going home.” Grabbing some files off his desk Elio followed his mind out the door. 

Back home he went to researching everything he could on time travel. Supporting evidence with interviews, videos, pictures, anything. The determination he had to be with her was inconceivable. 

After hours of searching, he felt extremely exhausted and just let his eyes close. Eyes closed finally, body comfortable he relaxed his mind and allowed it to roam free. With his ringlet mind free he wondered where it would take him. Elio noticed looking around everything looked the same. Scan his surroundings he took everything in. Taste, smell, colors, how everything was arranged. Across the way was a woman sitting on the bench. She looked just like Zaynab. Opening his mouth to form words was a failure, no sound. People were running past him waving their arms. Looking closer there was a car coming with no intension to stop. It hits another car causing it to change directions and head towards the bench.

Realizing no sound is coming out Elio was trying his best to run towards her and get her attention. She finally looks up at him. It’s her…his beauty. She looked surprised and mouthed ‘go home E. it’s too dangerous, you can’t be here.’ Trying to move his body faster was only causing him to go slower. She looked at him and mouthed ‘I love you,’ seconds before the car came crashing down on her body.

Elio wakes up yelling. Tears running down his face, breathing gets harder and harder, letting anger grow bigger. Over and over, he yells her name.

“Take me back. Please take me back.” He slides down on the floor releasing every emotion that he felt. Trying to find comfort in each tear that fell. Embracing the painful image, he couldn’t erase. The more he screamed the more the memory grows strong. What to do? Is she ok? My beauty…why can’t I go back? There was no one who would understand how to help. There was a numb blanket that covered his whole body. It laid so thick Elio didn’t feel how wet his clothes were. Urine mixed with the salty sweat awaken his awareness back to his reality.

“My beauty.”

By, Zakiya Lockett