Part 1: Melinda MarvoloA Chapter by Margo Seuss When a funeral director sees the body of a suicide victim, he suddenly has flashbacks about a woman he cannot remember.
The funeral director stared into the contents of the body bag. An empty eyed girl stared back at him. Her legs were tangled in a broken heap. She had committed suicide: she had leapt from a balcony and died. Stitches ran from her right shoulder, down her navel, and then to her left shoulder in a Y formation. They were also embedded around the circumference of her head like a gruesome halo. “She’s beautiful,” Miss Fairweather said. “ Autopsies always are,” Terence responded. The young girl’s name was Ming. Terence and his intern Miss Fairweather had just returned from the Coroner’s Office, where they had picked up her body. The girl’s sewn corpse gave Terence a funny feeling. He almost felt as though he had known her. Noticing Terence’s furrowed brows, Miss Fairweather asked,“What’s wrong?” “Hmm?” His mind had blanked. “Nothing.” The sensation of deja vu was so unorthodox to Terence. How could he feel as though he had already experienced something when in fact he had not? Miss Fairweath tied her blonde hair back into a ponytail. She was halfway into a smock when Terence stopped her.“I would like you to sit in on the arrangement that Jaune will be doing with a family in an hour. I’ll prep on my own,” Terence said. His intern obeyed without hesitation; she was more into working with the living than the dead anyway. Terence rolled the plastic bag from under the girl’s leaking body, ensuring that her body fluids were contained in the bag. He raised the cold table as high as he could to compensate for his height. The girl’s lips were plump and slightly agape. Her left eye was a smudge of blue and purple bruising and the ends of her glossy black hair were damp with blood. The lights in the prep room were harsh; not a flaw could be hidden under their glare. Terence angled his head slightly. Something inexplicable happened just then. The woman’s face changed―morphed before his very eyes. Her face narrowed, her cheeks became pale and blotchy with freckles and her hair blazed a crimson red. Terence felt the blood drain from his face. His eyes stung and his mouth went dry. Terrified, he held onto the faucet of the sink for stability. He licked his lips and uttered a name he hadn’t remembered until that moment. “Melinda Marvolo.” Half-way through the embalming, Terence took a break to ponder the familiarity of Melinda Marvolvo. Perhaps she had been another suicide case. While he was in thought, Jaune walked by. She had to do a double take when she saw Terence slumped back in Ash Wilson’s pass-out chair. If anyone was to feel woozy from an offensive odor or slimy bedsore, it was Ash. “Boy what’s wrong with you?” Jaune asked. “The only time I ever saw you in this chair was when Shepard spilled an entire bottle of cavity fluid.” Jaune stretched her neck to look behind Terence into the prep room. “He didn’t do that again, did he?” Terence shook his head. Shepard was Jaune’s intern. “Did you arrange a funeral for a woman named Melinda Marvolo?” he asked. “Who?” “Mel―ugh, never mind.” Terence grunted as he stood and stretched his long arms over his head. He wondered if Jaune was pretending she didn't know who Melinda was to cover her own butt. What if Melinda's family had come in to arrange her funeral with Jaune, only to be turned away? Jaune found arranging funerals for suicide victims emotionally painful. Terence wouldn't put it past her to start a file, and then dismiss the family to protect her precious feelings. “I think I’m going to have sushi for dinner,” Terence proclaimed, randomly. He didn't want to make it look like he was on to Jaune. “Maybe you’ll finally finish up that soy sauce in the fridge,” Jaune stated. “You’re the only one crazy enough to use it. That stuff is old as hell!" Terence refrained from reminding Jaune that the soy sauce was approximately fifty years old, the same age her. She, too, was 'old as hell.' “Soy sauce doesn’t go bad, Jaune," he corrected her. "And I’m not crazy, I’m eccentric.” Terence then returned to the prep room to place Ming’s viscera, which had been soaking in a tub of cavity fluid, inside her body. Ash barged through the doors just as Terence was clamping Ming’s skull cap in place.He had with him a stretcher containing the lumps and bumps of a body beneath a zipped up cloth bag. “I’m back from a house call!” he declared, enthusiastically. He then winced when he saw Ming’s face turned inside out. “Good. Hold this.” Terence placed a calvarium clamp into Ash’s palm and began sawing indentations on either side of Ming’s skull. “When you get a moment I need you to find a file for a Melinda Marvolo,” Terence said. “I don't recall her name. Why do you want her file?” Ash questioned. “I believe Jaune is concealing information about it." "What? Are you sure you're not just being paranoid?" Ash unzipped the bag. Terence ignored his question and assisted him in transferring the body from the stretcher to a fresh table. "Pick up some sushi for dinner,” he commanded. Ash did a mocking salute and paraded out the prep room door, keeping it open for Shepard's entrance. "How can I assist you?" piped the boy. He could only have been just nineteen. He also looked to be of native descent, with his high cheekbones and tanned skin. "You can start suturing her naval closed," he commanded. "Be sure to use plenty of Dryene and incision sealing powder. And whatever you do, don't spill―"
"Oops!" A bog of white incision sealing powder erupted from Shepard's direction. "I'm so sorry!" Shepard cried. "There was a clog in the nozzle of the bottle. I guess I squeezed it too hard." Terence coughed as the powder diffused in his direction. "Get out of here!" he growled. Shepard scrambled out the door, ripping his gloves off as fast as he could. Come dinner time, Terence was still choking. He could hardly stop long enough to fit a piece of sushi in his mouth. Having noticed Terence's struggle, Ash remarked, "Use too much wasabi again?" Terence shook his head. A stream of white particulates tumbled from his hair with the motion. "Shepard tried to asphyxiate me for the second time," Terence explained. "The boy's a sadist. I think he gets a kick out of watching me suffer. It took me an extra half hour to clean up his mess." "Ah," Ash said before sticking another piece of salmon nigiri in his mouth. Terence couldn't help but notice the colour of Ash's hair. It was red. Normally, his hair was curly and the colour of sand. His eye-colour had also changed. Stunningly brown eyes peered at Terence over a set of chopsticks. Ash's eyes were green, not brown. The entirety of his appearance had grown more feminine. Graceful hands, blush cheeks, soft lips, and elongated eye lashes replaced Ash's usual masculine features. Sitting before Terence was no longer Ash Wilson, but Melinda Marvolo. "Do I have something on my face?" Ash took a napkin and began dabbing the corners of his mouth. Terence blinked, wiping away Melinda's image. Ash's brows knitted together. He appeared burdened by Terence's lack of responsiveness. "You tired or something? Your eyes are looking a little red." Terence licked his lips. Something in the sushi was making him feel funny. The sushi chef was likely cutting costs by using old fish. For all he knew, he had been poisoned. "I need you to find that file on Melinda Marvolo," Terence declared, before standing. "Alright. You're the boss, Terence. Just don't let this file keep you up tonight, okay?" Terence assured him it would not, though he knew it would.
- The view of the city was beautiful from where Terence was standing. The lights of the buildings were like stars in the dark. He felt as though he was standing in the middle of the solar system. A door slid open from behind him. A girl stepped out. She was dressed in a thin nightie. The girl was Ming. Her arms were bare and the night air was crisp, but she didn’t appear to be cold. She walked past Terence―who was invisible to her eyes―and toward the edge of the balcony. Her features were relaxed and her stride was steady. She was at peace with the decision she was about to make.She mounted the banister, her back facing Terence. Her arms came up as though she was a bird about to take flight. Ming hesitated before jumping. Had she just become aware of Terence’s presence? She turned gracefully to face him. Terence watched in awe as the body of Ming was swept away and replaced with the body of a strong red haired woman. “Melinda Marvolo.” Though his lips hadn’t moved, Terence heard his own voice utter her name. Eyes brown and fierce, the woman gazed deep into Terence, blew him a kiss and then fell backwards to her death. The dream ended abruptly. Terence sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. He felt like the woman’s gaze had fixed itself to the front of his skull. There was something so familiar about this Melinda Marvolo. Just then, Terence’s Sphinx cat, Anubis, leapt onto his bed and burrowed her head into the crook of Terence’s arm. “I don’t suppose you know who
this Melinda woman is,” Terence said to his cat. Anubis mewed."I thought
not." Terence groaned and trudged to the on suite bathroom. Face stale, he
ran a wet cloth over his forehead. He fingered the dent in his nose and
analyzed his bloodshot eyes in the mirror. His colourless gaze was frightening
enough without the red veins throbbing in his sclerae. "I'll never rest
until I find that file," he whispered intently to himself. Terence entered Amigone funeral home, his funeral home, at two in the morning. He labored through the night, rifling through every box of files he could find in storage. Not one of them was for Melinda Marvolo. It was early when Ash discovered his employer passed out at his desk. Mountains of file folders cluttered his office. “Terence?” Ash shook his boss lightly. Terence stirred and squinted sleepily at his co-worker. “When did you get here?” Ash asked. Terence pressed the heels of his hands to his temples and yawned. “Uh, like after midnight or something,” he replied groggily. “Can I ask why?” Ash probed. “Melinda.” Terence rested his head on his desk. “Who?” “Melinda freaking Marvolo!” Terence shouted. He pressed his forehead to the wood and clutched the back of his head. “I spent the whole night searching for her file and found nothing!” Terence stood and began pacing the room. Ash appeared concerned. “Oh yes her." Ash cleared his throat uneasily. "Terence, are you sure this woman actually exists?” he asked. “Maybe you should take a day or two off and relax.” Terence wasn’t listening.
“Where’s Jaune?” he demanded. Ash was silent. Terence was freaking him out. “Wilson?! There is a file somewhere in this building for Melinda Marvolo and if it’s not here, Jaune must have done something with it.” “She’s at a dentist’s appointment,” Ash said quietly. “Terence, are you okay?” Terence paused at the mentioning of Jaune’s appointment. He remembered a white sign with a smiling sun imprinted on it. Solar Smiles Dental Clinic. A series of images, smells and sounds surged through Terence’s mind. The space themed interior of the waiting room, the bright lights, the plastic chair beneath his fingertips, the grit of lemon flavored baking soda between his teeth, and the eyes of Miss Melinda Marvolo. “Terence? Terence, are you okay?” Ash waved his hands in front of his boss. “You brilliant man,” Terence said. “Pardon―” Terence grabbed Wilson roughly and kissed him on the forehead. “Melinda Marvolo was my dental hygienist,”he explained. Ash was speechless. “I have to go.” Terence grabbed his jacket and fled the office, leaving Ash confused and red in the face. Terence popped his collar on the way out. It was cold and the sky was an ominous smudge of charcoal. He was halfway across the parking lot when he ran into Jaune. “Where do you think you're going, mister?” she asked. She flashed her freshly cleaned teeth, which appeared especially white in contrast to her dark skin. “Solar Smiles Dental Clinic,” Terence replied. Jaune laughed. “What?! There's no such place. You're kidding, right?” Terence shook his head. Jaune’s expression hardened. She looped her arm through Terence’s. “Okay, dear, I think you might be a little bit overworked.” Terence told Jaune about the recurring memories of Melinda. He did so to justify his decision to visit the dental clinic. He, of course, also accused her of withholding Melinda's file. "I don't know why you're hiding that file, Jaune. But you better believe me when I say I'm going to find out." Jaune shushed him. There were tears welling in her eyes. She hugged him and rubbed his back, the way a mother does to her upset child. "Unhand me!" he demanded, pulling away from her. "I'm your employer, not a cute puppy dog!" “I'm sorry, Terence. It's just...you're scaring me,” she sniffed. Her glasses were beginning to fog up. "Feeling scared is normal for someone who has had her heinous act discovered," Terence stated, brushing off Jaune's embrace. "Dental hygienists have the highest suicide rate of any career. If you thought you couldn't handle the emotional implications associated with a suicide case such as Melinda's, you should have handed the arrangement file over to me. But instead you cast her family away. You were selfish and stupid! How the hell could you do that to her family?!" Terence's raving voice was so loud, he scared off a flock of tiny birds, perching on the hydro lines above. A drop of rain hit the end of his nose. Jaune took Terence forcibly by the arm, and led him back inside to the staff lounge. Terence chose not to resist. Sooner or later, he'd sneak off to the dental clinic and get his answers. "Sit tight, and I'll pour you a glass of cold water," Jaune ordered. Terence rolled his eyes. There was no use arguing with her. He sipped the water; it was so cold it made his teeth ache. “How vigorously do you brush your teeth?” Terence stood so fast, his chair flew out behind him. It was Melinda’s voice. That’s how he had met her. His teeth had become so sensitive to temperatures that he could only eat his food luke warm. “Oh, dearie, please sit down.” Jaune stood the chair upright and pressed her hands down on Terence’s shoulders. "I'm going to call you a doctor." Melinda’s voice continued without fail. “If you brush your teeth too hard, you start to wear away at your gum tissue and enamel. When this happens, the layer under your gums called dentin becomes exposed. Dentin contains many tubules which are connected to your nerve endings. When these dentin tubules become exposed, your teeth will be sensitive to hot and cold temperatures.” She was intelligent, very intelligent. Terence remembered that about her. “Drink your water, it will help you think straight,” Jaune said. “It’s too cold,” Terence replied. “I’ll make you some tea then.” Jaune took a mug from the dishwasher and filled it with steaming water from the hot water tap. “That’s how I met her,” Terence sighed. “Anything cold or hot made my teeth hurt, so I booked an appointment at the Solar Smiles Dental Clinic.” Jaune took a seat beside Terence. “You poor man,” she cooed. Clearly she was convinced that he was delusional. “Listen to me, Terry, you're sick. I just got off the phone with your psychiatrist and he’s agreed to meet with you right away. Never you mind about driving. I’ll give you a ride, okay?” Terence shot from his chair, in an outburst of annoyance. "For God's sake, Jaune! Give it up!" he shouted. "Admit you made a mistake, and I might just consider allowing you to resign!" Ash entered the lounge with his lunch in hand. His face Creased in confusion at the sight of Jaune stroking his boss’ shoulder. Terence was clearly irritated with her. “Uh, what’s going on here?” he pried. The two interns were behind him, peering in, nosily. “I’m batshit crazy, that’s what’s going on!” Terence declared, sharply. “ Bugger off before my unsound mind causes me to beat you all with a tea cup!”
-
The psychiatrist’s office appeared larger on the inside. The doorway was tall and narrow and the inside was stark and spacious. Terence’s psychiatrist was a man named Bancock O’reilly. He reminded Terence of a vulture, what with his long skinny neck and wrinkled bald forehead. “I spoke with Jaune over the phone. She told me you were experiencing more of your paranoid delusions,” said Bancock. His voice sounded like a muffled radio. “They’re not delusions. They’re flashbacks,” Terence corrected him. “I see.” Bancock raised his eyebrows in disbelief and stared down through his glasses at a bunch of papers. The bald patch on the top of his forehead was fully exposed. Terence had an urge to pick up a sharpie and scrawl a smiley face on the shining surface. “Well, we better test you for drug use. Are you aware that tetrahydrocannabinol can cause false memories?” droned Bancock. “You mean the green stuff? I don’t do marijuana. Just give me the bottle and I’ll pee in it.” Terence took the bottle and stuck his tongue out at Bancock. He hated psychiatrists. Terence left his appointment with no answers. He wasn’t anywhere near close to discovering who Miss Marvolo was. Bancock had told Terence that there was a possibility the memories of Miss Marvolo were real. “If you did once know a woman named Melinda, it is possible that you have been suffering from dissociative amnesia,” Bancock informed him. Terence had heard of this condition. After experiencing a traumatic event, a person would lose fragments of his or her long term memory. One of the treatments for this condition was called clinical hypnosis.Terence was cynical. In his opinion, hypnosis was a complete load of crap. For this reason, Bancock’s attempt at hypnotising Terence―allowing him to explore memories he had hidden from his unconscious mind―failed. While listening to Bancock’s monotone voice, Terence fell asleep, experiencing no new memories. The rain came down in sheets, but Terence chose to walk back to Amigone funeral home instead of calling Jaune for a ride. The woman needed to learn that she was not his mother. For the rest of the week, Terence experienced no new flashbacks of Melinda Marvolo. He, nonetheless, stood by his accusation against Jaune. He tried locating the Solar Smiles Dental Clinic, but could not seem to find it. His GPS didn't recognize the name, nor could he find anything on the internet about it. Terence concluded that the clinic must have changed names. And so, Terence began visiting every dental clinic in the town of St. Louis du HA! HA! where he resided.
Terence had just arrived back to the funeral home after a disappointing lunchtime journey to another dental clinic. So far nobody at any of the clinics had heard of a Melinda Marvolo. He sighed, hypo-injecting one of the faces of Miss Fairweather's poorly embalmed bodies. He knew he shouldn't have trusted her to embalm while he was pursuing answers. Terence inserted the tip of the needle into the corner of a cancer victim's nose and began slowly injecting the cheeks with embalming chemical. Terence rolled his eyes, but continued injecting when he heard the increasingly loud clack-clacking of Jaune's footsteps. He would not acknowledge her presence unless she spoke. “Terence,” Jaune whispered. Her curvy form emerged at the entrance of the holding room. She sounded angry, but also appeared worried. “What?” “I just got off the phone with Mr.O’reilly. You tested positive for marijuana in your system.”
To be continued… © 2014 Margo SeussAuthor's Note
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Margo SeussOntario, CanadaAboutWhat can I say? I like to write and I want to share my fictional creations with the world! Other than writing, I'm an amateur artist. Check out my photos to see some of my artwork. You can also se.. more..Writing
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