The bus stopped in front of the church where she always got off. She loved walking past that old building; it reminded her of the church her Nan used to attend. The next stop was closer to her place, but she did not mind walking the rest of the journey. This area was generally quiet, with mostly houses left and right the streets, and a convenience store every few blocks. Not much happened here during the day, just people going about their business. The nights, however, were a different matter. Groups of young boys would hang about, and even though most of the time they were just a nuisance, somehow the streets felt less safe.
Sam had only been living here for a couple of weeks now. The place was cheap and nobody bothered her. She didn’t fear the streets. She felt confident in the ability to defend herself, but that was not all. Dealing with her share of life, she was growing increasingly tired and reckless, and did not care too much what happened to her.
It was this that drove her to make the next decision that would change her life as she knew it.
Just outside the three-storey building where she now lived, two young men in hoodies were bothering an old beggar just for the heck of it. They kept pushing the poor guy towards each other as if he were a dodge ball, laughing hysterically while the old man tried in vain to run away. This was common enough in her area, and any other day Sam would have just walked by and done nothing, without giving it a second thought. Today, however, she was already pissed off and needed to let off some steam.
But, there was something more to it, something Sam would understand only later. For one split second, the strangely lively eyes of the old man met hers, and she felt something she could not explain. It was not a plea for help, no; more like a feeling that somehow they knew each other from a time long ago.
Already pumped up, she walked towards the boys with confidence.
‘Hey! Leave him alone.’
The two boys looked back, and when they saw who it was, ignored her. She knew them. They were about 15 and lived in that same building, just one storey below her. They knew her too.
‘Get lost, blondie.’
She moved closer. With hands in her pockets she spoke again, this time with a hint of threat in her voice.
‘You really need to let him go.’
She was now standing just behind one of them, the taller one, within arm’s reach. He turned very suddenly and without warning, hit her very hard with the back of his hand. The strength he put to his entire arm made Sam fall back on the pavement. The other guy, shorter and skinnier, pushed the old beggar down on the pavement as well, and in just two steps was next to his friend.
‘Woman, what’s wrong with you? I told you to get lost.’
Sam put her hand on her cheek, which was now burning hot from the blow, and looked at them with such fire in her clear blue eyes. A few people started gathering around them, while more were looking out of their windows and balconies.
She stood up and faced them, looking at them straight in the eye, barely controlling her anger now.
‘Listen, I suggest you take off now, if you don’t wanna make a name for yourselves for getting your asses kicked by a girl.’
The bullies broke into mocking laughter.
‘What?’
‘Oh, you think you can kick our asses, do you?’
Sam said nothing, nor did she move a muscle. In the back of her mind she began to recall all the instructions from her lessons and tried to calm herself down to have a clear head. Fighting angry would lead to her making mistakes that could cost either side dearly. But it wasn’t that easy. The boys were now advancing towards her with a bullish attitude, and her anger was already getting the best of her.
She tightened her hands into fists, as the tall one got one step closer. In her head she quickly studied her position and the surroundings, already forming a plan.
‘Go on, blondie. Kick my ass.’
Sam did not wait for him to finish. She launched a strong punch right at the guy’s stomach, so quickly that he was caught by surprise. As he bowed in pain, she took another hit up at his jaw, using her palm this time. She was careful to use just enough strength to bring him down, but not break his jaw and kill him. It was a classic move and it worked every time.
As the tall kid fell down, hands covering his face, his friend ran towards Sam with his right fist raised. She simply lifted her foot and aimed it hard at his groin. Shorty crouched in pain, and as he kneeled, Sam struck him upside down across the face with her elbow. She thought she heard a faint crack as their bones met and immediately felt guilty. The second guy fell down next to his buddy, with his hand also on his face, while everyone around them watched in silence, with the occasional applaud and cheer. Half in pain and half embarrassed, the boys just lay there without a sound.
Sam already regretted giving into her anger, but it was done now.
‘Damn you,’ she scoffed, rubbing her elbow.
She then turned around and fixed herself, starting with her curly blond hair. Without looking back at her victims, she walked towards the old beggar and kneeled next to him. The man looked bad enough to make you think he would stink like hell, but for some reason Sam didn’t smell anything. He had a dirty face, old and covered in long dark greasy hair. His eyes however, looked perfectly young and shiny, and there was such warmth in their gaze. Looking into them, she could not shake the feeling that she had seen them before.
‘Are you alright? Did they hurt you?’ She helped him up.
‘No, they didn’t,’ the old man said, looking down at the two boys on the pavement. ‘But looks like you hurt them. Where did you learn to do that?’
‘Yeah, well... You can learn a lot of things these days. Luckily some of them are actually useful.’
She looked towards the two guys who were now getting up and walking away stealing glances at her. Feeling bad, she tried to talk to them, ‘Hey...,’ but they disappeared behind the corner of the building. The spectators around them went back to their business, though some of them were still watching with smiles of approval on their faces.
Sam turned to the old man again.
‘Do you need anything? Anything I can do for you?’
‘Do for me? My dear girl, is there anything I can do for you? Looks like I owe you one.’
He didn’t even sound like a beggar, not that Sam ever had any conversations with them. Usually they were limited to a one-sided “Can you spare some change please, God bless!”
‘I’m good, thanks. And you don’t owe me anything, really.’
‘But of course I do; one good deed deserves another. It’s the way of the world.’
Sam looked down, guilt finally catching up with her.
‘I’m not sure this was such a good deed,’ she mumbled, then raised her volume. ‘Anyway, I don’t want anything, and what I do need, you cannot give me. So, thanks, but if you’re not hurt and are okay to go on, I will go home now.’
The man reached out and touched her hand.
‘Wait; don’t be in such a hurry. Give me your hand and two more minutes of your time, and I bet I can tell you exactly what you need.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘I’m a seer, a fortune-teller child. Just one look at your right hand, and I can tell you exactly what you need to know. I have never been wrong in my entire life.’
Sam took one step back in doubt.
‘I’m sorry, but I don’t believe in that stuff.’
The old man stood where he was.
‘You don’t need to, child, I believe. I have been seeing things all my life, though I almost always keep them to myself. But I have a very good feeling about you. Please, would you let me read you? It’ll be worth your while, I promise.’
He extended one hand towards Sam and just waited for her. She thought about walking away and leaving him where he stood, but something stopped her. Something in his voice, in his eyes felt sincere, pure, amicable. She felt this was for real, he was for real.
She could not believe what she was about to do.
‘This had better be good,’ she said, resting her right hand unto his, palm up.
The old man smiled, then shut his bright blue eyes and placed his other hand on hers, sliding his fingers slowly throughout her palm, searching every line, every crease on it. He did that for about a minute, without speaking, then opened his eyes and said in a low compassionate voice.
‘I see. I see you’ve been struggling with a serious problem for almost all your life, and it’s affecting everything you do. You’ve been looking for a solution for a long time, but have given up. And now you feel lost, like you don’t know which way to go, like you have no purpose.’
Sam was actually surprised. She was expecting something more along the lines of “There’s a dark shadow in your life, but some good news ahead, etc.” you know, the usual mumbo-jumbo. But this was more real, more personal than she thought it would be. This guy was good.
The old man continued.
‘There’s more. A broken promise seems to have broken your heart. It was someone you loved dearly, but they let you down. Oh, do not worry, child, things are about to change for you.’
He now looked straight in her glittering eyes, without letting go of her hand.
‘Would you like me to tell you how?’
Sam was still baffled and didn’t know what to think or say. Was he actually talking about her Nan? Was this guy the real deal?
‘There is an answer for all of your questions, child, but it won’t just come to you. You have to actually go and find it. You will need to go on a journey, no, not a spiritual one, a real one; and your first stop will be London.’
‘What? London? As in England, London?’
Sam drew her hand back and changed in the face as if waking up.
‘What do I wanna go to London for? If you know the answer, why can’t you give it to me?’
‘It is not that kind of answer, I’m afraid, and it is not my place to tell you. You must find out on your own.’
‘Well, that’s convenient. First there’s a problem I have and then a broken promise and a broken heart. Now, a journey? Couldn’t you have come up with something a bit more original and specific maybe? I think I’ve heard enough. Thank you very much for the séance. I’m gonna go now. Bye.’
She turned around frustrated and started to walk towards the entrance of the building, but the old man continued.
‘Something specific huh? How about this? In two weeks’ time you need to be in the London Sleep Center in England. There you will meet someone named Daniel. Stick with him and you will find the answers that you need. Happy Birthday, Sam!’
Sam stopped halfway to the doors and froze. That was specific alright.
‘How did you...?’
She turned around to face the beggar again, but he was no longer there. Where did he go? He was just there; he couldn’t have just disappeared. She looked around in all four directions, but the man was nowhere to be found.
Her frustration now reached a new high. Who was he and how did he know all that personal stuff about her? Was she really going to have to go to London? If so, what answers was she going to get?
Wait a minute, she thought to herself. He mentioned a Sleep Center. Maybe he meant that they might have a cure for me there. Maybe this Daniel is a doctor and he can treat me.
She hurried upstairs into her apartment and on to her computer. She Googled ‘London Sleep Center’ and found the website of a clinic with that same name. It was all standard stuff that she had already seen before, but there was no doctor named Daniel on their team. That still doesn’t mean anything, she thought. The website doesn’t say everything or maybe it’s just outdated.
Over the next couple of days Sam thought about everything, and considered all her options. She considered she must have hallucinated; that the two guys had beaten her up instead and she had dreamed the whole thing. She considered that the guy was maybe hired by her parents to help convince her to try some new experimental therapy. However, nothing could convince her that what she experienced had been entirely fake.
In the end, she decided she had nothing to lose, so she booked an open-ended ticket for London, departing on the 27th of September. She could smell the scent of a new adventure in the air, and for the first time in a very long time she felt ready for it.
I Have a Dream