A Happy Place

By Sabnam Khan

For heaven's sake! Why won't his phone just cease its ringing? He never set so many alarms in quick succession. Was he snoozing them instead of turning them off? He fumbled for the phone that was tangled up in the bedcovers and turned the alarm off.Na na na na na na na na na na na Batman!For all the love in the heaven! He pushed his head off the pillow and leaned to the side to squint at his phone screen, determined to end this incessant ringing of the opening title of Batman. But it wasn't an alarm this time but Evelyn blowing a kiss at him through the phone screen. He put the phone up to his ear and cleared his throat before speaking into the receiver, but he didn't get to."Why aren't you picking up the phone? I've been calling you for the past 10 minutes." Evelyn shouted into the phone.They weren’t his alarms then. "I'm sorry. I thought they were my alarms""Are you still sleeping?" disbelief laced her voice."Well I'm not sleeping now." he replied."Heath" she sounded shrill, on the verge of panic "We're supposed to board our plane in the next “ there was a pause, “45 minutes."Now he was the one who was confused," A plane? To where? "" HEATH, we're flying to my parents' home today. "Heath suddenly shot up in bed and cursed under his breath. To Evelyn, he said," Sorry, I'm very sorry. I forgot and I overslept. We have 45 minutes, you say.""It's 44 now." she replied.He rolled off the bed and winced as his knees hit the tiled floor. "Well sweetheart, I'll be there in 40."                                                                     _________Heath rushed to the Uber he had called as soon as he had gotten off the phone with Evelyn. He looked at the time on his phone. He still had 25 minutes to spare. Looking up at Karl, his Uber driver, as the app had helpfully informed him, he said," How fast can you get me to the airport?"" It's a thirty minute drive from here." Karl looked at him through the rear-view mirror. He sounded bored, not like the usual overly chipper and friendly Uber drivers."Well, that's extra 5 minutes that I don't have to spare." buckling his seat belt, he pulled out a hundred dollar bill from his wallet, he showed it to Karl."Will this with a bonus of 5 star review make you drive any faster?" he asked.Karl turned in his seat to look at him, the corners of his eyes crinkled, "But I can get you there in twenty." he said, like he wasn't done finishing his former statement."C'mon then, we better get moving."                                                             ____________Karl drove with a gratuitous disregard of the driving ethics but it was alright, as it was seven in the morning on a Sunday and not many people were outside roaming the streets. It was time for the holidays and with the snow piling up outside in the city of Alta, everyone was most probably cozied up in their homes in layers of blanket by the hearth. Not that he would've had the same luxury if he were in his bed and not rushing to the airport at 7:02 am in the morning. He was an art student in the University of Alta and lived in the campus dorms. His roommate, Dennis, had been a Social Science student, because of whom he had met Evelyn.Two years ago, Dennis had dragged him to a party at the campus frat house, meant to welcome the first years joining the Alta University. Heath had been reluctant to go, claiming he didn't know anyone and wouldn't know what to do at a party."Well you won't know anyone if you won't go out. And it's not like you don't know anyone, you know me.""Do I? I don't even know your last name." he retorted."It's Gatlin." Dennis had answered."Wha…""My name is Dennis Gatlin." his roommate interrupted "Now you know my last name. C'mon, we don't want to miss out on the party."He was glad for Dennis' insistence now. It was the party where he had met Evelyn Stone.His phone rang, drawing his attention back to the present. It was Evelyn. He picked it up and brought it to his ear." Eve, sweetheart, I'm on my way, I'm in an Uber right now." he rushed out into the phone before she could get a word in."How far are you?" she asked.He addressed Karl as he asked, "How far are we?""It's a ten minute drive from here." Karl answered."10 minutes more Eve. I promise, I won't miss this dinner with your parents." he said in the phone, "I'm dying to taste her sugar cookies again.""Hurry then, because if we miss this flight, she will give up those cookies to the kids next door." Eve replied."She wouldn't!" he gasped out."She most definitely would." she answered."We won't miss the flight, I promise, if only for those cookies." he said."I'm glad to know of your priorities.""What can I say, sugar cookies, they're the love of my life." he told her."I'm competing for my boyfriend's affection with sugar cookies" she quipped, "warn them darling, if they ever cross my way, I'll eat them alive."He laughed, "Smartass. I'll be with you soon. I love you. *" See you in a few. I love you more." she said and the call ended.He smiled, looking at his phone. God, I love her so much. He couldn't mess up this meeting with her parents. He wanted to marry her one day and he wanted his future in-laws to like him.He jerked out of his thoughts as he was suddenly pressed against the side of the car door."Sorry man! There was a bird." Karl said, catching his eyes in the rear-view mirror."Girlfriend?" Karl asked after few minutes."Yeah."Karl turned to him, "First time with her folks.“Yeah.” he smiled.

Karl opened his mouth, probably to give him some kind of advice, but he didn’t get the chance to say anything. There was a dog, suddenly in front of the car, being chased by a girl in blond pig tails and pink stockings.

Karl turned the steering sideways, trying to save the girl and her dog, but he couldn’t save them, as they collided with the side of a red-bricked building. Heath jerked forward, his forehead hitting the back of the headrest of the seat in front of him. Pain shot across his skull and he knew no more.

                                                           _______________Heath woke up to an unfamiliar voice and a splitting headache. He groaned and that unfamiliar voice halted mid-sentence."Heath?" it was Evelyn's voice, "Are you awake?"He opened his eyes and squinted up at Evelyn where she was standing by the side of the bed."Yeah, I'm awake.” his voice was hoarse, “How long was I out?"It was the unfamiliar voice that answered, "For a couple hours."Heath looked toward the owner of the voice. The man standing at the foot of the bed was middle aged, with graying hair and a kind smile. He had a white coat on and a stethoscope around his neck. He must be the doctor then."Do you remember what happened Heath? " the doctor asked.He tried to focus, and it came back to him."I was in an accident." he replied.The doctor nodded, "How are you feeling now?""My head hurts a bit but other than that I feel alright." he said."You hit your head during the accident but you don't seem to have a concussion." the doctor said, "We will keep you here under observation for today, just to be sure, and then we'll let you go in the morning.""Thank you doctor." Evelyn replied. Heath was too busy thinking to say anything."I will leave the two of you alone." The doctor turned, he was almost at the door when Heath called out to him. "What happened to Karl, the driver?" he asked.The doctor halted and turned to him. "He is fine. He only left with only a few scratches here and there." he answered, "He was the one to call for an ambulance."Heath breathed a sigh of relief, "Thanks doctor, for telling me.""It's no bother." the doctor said and then he turned to the door, leaving the two of them alone.Evelyn didn't waste any time, she stepped closer to him and cupped his face in her hands, inspected him. She smoothed his hair back."Are you alright?" she asked.He sat up in bed. "I'm fine. I promise."He leaned closer, wrapping his arms around her waist, he buried his face in her belly and breathed her in. She smelled like jasmine and oranges and he already felt better. She ran her fingers through his hair."I was so worried Heath. When I got the call from the hospital, I thought I was going to lose you." her voice trembled as she said it.He leaned away and tilted his head to look up at her. He flashed her a grin and said, "I wasn't going to leave without having those sugar cookies."She gave a watery laugh and swatted at his shoulders, "I'm being serious Heath.""So was I." he retorted. His smile faded as he gazed up at her. "I'm sorry."Her brows furrowed, "For what?""For missing our flight." he answered.Her hand moved to his cheek as she leaned down closer to him. "No honey, you're alright and that's all that matters. My mom will understand." He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off with a fierce look. "No. You're not going to blame yourself over something you didn't have any control over. You can meet my parents some other time. We can take another flight. It's not the end of the world."Sometimes he just couldn't fathom how he got so lucky. How could a woman like Evelyn could ever love someone like him. He knew he had gotten lucky. He knew in that moment that there will be no one else for him. He knew what he wanted and he wasn't going to waste any more time."Let's do that then." he said."Do what?" Evelyn asked."Take another flight to your parents'. Tomorrow. Let's do it. ""Heath, baby, you don't have to, you're hurt." she said."I want to. And you heard the doctor, I'm fine. They're keeping me here because it's customary, not necessary." he argued."Are you sure?" she asked him, softly, gently, as she stroked his cheek."Yes, I am." he smirked, "I really want those sugar cookies, you know."That earned him laughter, with her eyes shut tight and the dimple showing on her left cheek. She was still smiling as she said, "Let's do it then, if you're so desperate for those cookies."

                                                               _______________Three Years Later

Evelyn's mother had loved him and promised to bake him as much sugar cookies as he wanted. He had asked Evelyn's parents if he could marry their daughter. Her mother had simply kissed him on the cheek and nodded with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.Her father, on the other hand, had looked him in the eyes and said, "I used to be in the military back in the day, and I still have my M4 Carbine in perfect order. I'd prefer not to use it on you.""I'd do my very best to make you not want to." Heath had replied, he thought, with admirably less fear than he actually felt.And 3 years later, here he was, standing at the end of the aisle, gazing at the woman he loved. She was radiant as she walked down the aisle, arm in arm with her father, towards him.Looking at her, he couldn't help the tears in his eyes. She looked at up and their eyes met. She smiled and he couldn't describe the joy he felt in his heart. They finally reached him at the end of the aisle, he put his hand forward, palm up, and her father put her hands in his."Take care of her." her father said to him.He nodded without looking at him, he couldn't take his eyes off of Evelyn. They stepped up onto the dais together, hand in hand, and turned to face each other. They both were smiling."Let us now begin the ceremony." the pastor announced.                                                                _______________One Year Later

It was a baby girl. Heath and Evelyn had a daughter. He sat perched on the side of the bed beside his wife. Gazing at the little bundle of joy cradled in her arms.He had thought that he couldn't be any happier in his life, that he had everything he ever wanted. But looking at his daughter, he felt like his heart could burst with joy.His wife looked at him, smiling. She was sweaty all over, strands of hair sticking to her forehead and neck, face red with the effort of bringing their daughter into this world. She had never looked more beautiful.He pressed a kiss to her hair and looked down at their daughter again."What will we call her?" he asked softly."I was thinking Isla, after your mother." she answered.His mother had passed away from Lung cancer. She didn't smoke, she was just unlucky. Evelyn never got to meet her, but he told her all about the woman who had raised him all on her own.Emotion welled up in his eyes and he pressed a kiss to her temple, "She would have loved her. She would have loved you both."  He gazed back down at his daughter and stroked her cheek with one finger, "I'm going to love you so very much Isla Rose." he promised her, "I will be the best father that I can be for you."                                                               ________________One Year Later

Heath was splattered in paint. It was all over him. He didn't know how he had managed to get it behind his ear and in his hair, but it was there too. Streaks of blue and red and silver in his dark hair, but it was alright, he was happy with the results of what he was trying to do and the mess was worth it.The project he was working on was not meant for an art gallery, but was supposed to be an anniversary present for his Evelyn. His phone rang, the caller ID read Wifey. He grinned, wiped his paint splattered hands on his pants and answered the call."Hey sweetheart, I was ju...""Heath, you need to come to the hospital now." she cut him off before he could finish his sentence.His grin melted and his brows furrowed, "Evelyn, what's wrong.""It's Isla. Her face suddenly turned blue and she fainted." her voice shook and she sounded like she was trying not to cry."Which hospital?" he asked."St. Clark." she answered."Okay, I'll be right behind you." he told her, "It's going to be alright."The call ended and he rushed out of his studio to his car, not caring that he was still covered in paint all over. He got into the driver's seat and sped out of the parking like a convoy of police were on his tail.He hoped to God that Isla was fine. Let her be okay. Let her be okay. He drove past the speed limit to get to the hospital as fast as he could. He would probably get a ticket. It's fine, he would deal with it later.He was almost there. Straight ahead and then a turn and he will be there. But before he could make it that far, there was a crashing sound and he was thrown sideways in his car. He lost his grip on the steering from the impact. He tried to keep himself in place, but it was impossible as the car kept turning end on end. He hit his head somewhere, the spinning finally ceased.He saw red, blood, he realized. He had blood in his eyes.Please take me to St. Clark Hospital, so I can go visit Isla when I wake up. That was the last thought in his head before he couldn't see anymore.                                                               ________________When Heath opened his eyes, he was in a hospital bed. He was in a hospital gown and he could hear the beep-beep of a heart monitor, telling him that he was alive. There was a clatter, and he looked to the side, a nurse was putting away some things he could not identify. He looked out the window to gauge the time. It looked to be mid-day, so it couldn't have been more than an hour but he didn't feel any stitches or bandages on his head either, so it could have been days too. He hoped it hadn't been days.He must have made some kind of noise because the nurse finally noticed him. She gasped and froze and just stared at him, like she didn't know what to do. He opened his mouth to ask her the date and time or just ask her about Isla, but all he could manage was a hoarse croak.The nurse finally moved. She rushed to his side with a glass of water, putting a hand behind his head, lifting it, to help him drink. He felt so weak. His muscles felt like he hadn't used them in ages. When he could finally speak, he told the nurse the same."When you haven't used your body for such long periods of time, it's bound to make them weak." she said."How long have I been out? It couldn't have been more than a week." he said, "That shouldn't make you feel this weak."The nurse had frozen, staring at him with something like horror and alarm on her face, but before he could question this reaction, she quickly masked it with a reassuring smile."I'll go get the doctor and he will explain everything to you." she said and rushed out the room, leaving him alone.He was there, on the bed, staring at the ceiling, hooked to IVs and heart monitors, wondering if Isla was okay or where Evelyn was, when he heard the rushing footsteps.Three people rushed through the door, the first one was the nurse who had gone to call the doctor, the second was a middle aged man with graying hair, who must be the doctor and the third... Evelyn?She looked so different, her hair was shorter, just past her shoulders and she looked weary, like she hadn't been truly happy in a long time. But a couple of days couldn't possibly do that to her, could they? Unless… Oh god, no. Isla. It can't be."Evelyn?" he asked, tentative, "Is Isla okay?"Her brows furrowed, "Isla?""Yeah, is she alright?" he asked. He was panicking now and he couldn't tell if his wife was confused or devastated."I..." Evelyn started but the doctor interrupted whatever she was about to say. "Heath. May I call you Heath?""Ye.. Yeah." he stammered."I would like to ask you a couple of customary questions before we answer any of yours, if you wouldn't mind." the doctor said.He didn't know if he wanted to know about Isla anymore or not. He was afraid of the answers he would get, so he nodded his yes to the doctor." Excellent." the doctor began, his pen poised at the clipboard in his hand," What is your name?”" Heath Sombers." the doctor wrote something." How old are you?""Twenty-five." the doctor paused at this, his pen stilling. " What is the last thing you remember?""I was in a car accident." Heath answered.The doctor cocked his head, "Could you tell us the circumstances of it, if you don’t mind.""I was on my way here and when I was about to reach, I was hit by... a car, a truck, I'm not sure. But I was hit and now I'm here." he said.The doctor nodded, he didn't seem satisfied but he said anyway, "Now, what would you like to know?"He turned to Evelyn and asked her, "Where's Isla sweetheart? Is she alright?"Evelyn's brows furrowed and she turned to the doctor, as if asking him what to say."Isla is dead Heath." she replied haltingly.His heart stopped dead and tears sprung to his eyes. He turned his head away, trying to hide his tears. He had been too late, again. He didn’t even get to say goodbye, again."Who is Isla, Heath?" the doctor asked him."She was my daughter, dammit." he screamed, "She's dead now and I wasn't even there when she died." His voice broke in the end and he buried his face in his palms."How old was your daughter?" it was the doctor again."She was one. She was only one and now she's dead." he sobbed out."I was talking about your mother Heath." it was Evelyn's voice, "I was talking about your mother when I said Isla was dead."Heath looked up at Evelyn and wiped at his tears. He was furious now, “I know my mother is dead, Evelyn. I was talking about our daughter.""So you and Evelyn are married?" it was the doctor again.Heath was now confused, annoyed, furious and some other emotions he couldn't quite decipher yet, and this little back and forth and just sitting upright in the bed was taking a toll on him. He just wanted to lie down."Yes, of course." he shouted at the doctor."When did you get married?" the doctor was relentless, Heath just felt like grabbing him by the collar and shaking him."Three years ago." he turned to Evelyn, trying to calm down. "Darling, what's going on."Evelyn looked on the verge of tears herself when she answered him, her voice shaky. "You were in an accident five years ago, Heath. You hit your head. The driver died." her voice broke but she continued anyway, "This is the first time you opened your eyes in the past five years."

By Sabnam Khan