Schizophrenia

A love story between a boy and a girl who crosses over between two parallel universes.

   It is my belief that the word schizophrenia is used too loosely by doctors who only believe in facts. That term is placed on millions of people who don’t fit into the realm of reality,but what about the unseen who is trying to reach out? This is a story about Patricia who’s trying to understand the normality of others.

                                                         Schizophrenia

   Patricia was just leaving the grocery store and walking to her car. She tries to open the door to the car but finds it difficult while holding a bag of groceries in her other arm. She tries to open her purse, all while fussing about not getting a shopping cart. 

   “ Hey, it looks like you need a helping hand. I’m Derrick. Let me hold that bag,” 

   “ Thanks Derrick, but I can manage alone.” 

   “ Oh come on. I promise you that I won’t bite.”

   “ Well. Ok. If you could just hold this bag while I get my keys out of my purse. I would appreciated it.” 

   “ No problem.”

   Patricia handed over her bag of groceries to Derrick while she dug into her purse to find her keys. 

   “ Got them,” she said. 

   She opened up her car door and walked around to the back of the car where the trunk was located. She opened up the trunk of the car.

   “ You can put them in here.” she said. 

   Derrick did as he was told. 

   “ Thanks for your help.”

   “ No problem. So what’s your name?” asked Derrick. 

   Patricia walked around to the side of her car and stepped inside. 

   “ Come on at least give me your name.” said Derrick.

   Patricia started up her car and began to drive off, but just before she took off she yelled out her name. Patricia.” 

   She drove off. 

   “ I hope I get to see you again.” yelled Derrick. 

   Patricia drove home. When she parked her car inside of the garage, she got her groceries out of the trunk and went inside of her house. 

   “ Mother, I’m back. I got the cold cream you wanted and a few other things.” 

   “ Good, Pat. I’ll start cooking in a few minutes. Did you see anything interesting at the store?” 

   “ Actually, I did. I met this cute boy. He helped me with my groceries.” 

   “ So, what’s his name?” 

   “ He said that his name was Derrick” 

   “ Do you think that you will see him again?” 

   “ I don’t think so. He just happened to be in the parking lot.” 

   “ Well, you better go upstairs and find something to wear for school tomorrow. This is your first day in college, you know.” 

   “ Oh mother. You still treat me as though I’m ten years old.” 

   “ I can’t help it. Ever since your father died over seas I grew so dependent on you.” 

   “ That’s alright mother. I missed dad too. I’ll go upstairs and get my clothes together.Ok?” 

   “ Ok,dear.”

   The next morning Patricia had kissed her mother goodbye. 

   “ Mother? I’ll see you when I get home from school.” 

   “ Have a good day, Sweetheart.” 

   “ I will, Mother.” 

   Patricia got inside of her car and drove off. When she parked her car in the school parking lot, she stepped out and walked towards the school. 

   “ Patricia? Is that you?” a voice had asked.

   She turned around. 

   “ Do I know you?” she asked. 

   “ Yea. It’s me Derrick. We met at the grocery store parking lot. I helped you with your bags, remember?” 

   “ Now I remember. Do you go to this school?” 

   “ Yes. I’m a junior. I’m on the football team here.” 

   “ Oh. So you’re a jock?” 

   “ Yea.I guess I am at that. Hey how about I walk with you. I can show you any place you want to go.” 

   “ Ok. I guess I will need the help, since I’m new here.”

   “ Good. Right now I bet you want to go to the admissions department.”    “ Yes, I do. How did you know?” 

   “ That’s the first place you would have to go if you want to know where your classes are.” 

   “ You’re right about that. So where is it?” 

   “ I’ll take you to it.”

   “Thanks Derrick. You're so helpful.” 

   “ Don’t mention it. Come on.”

   Derrick took Patricia to the admissions office. I’ll wait out here while you go inside.”

   “ Don’t you have a class to go to? ” 

   “ Not till later. I’m sort of killing time. Anyway, I would like to show you how to get to your other classes. You know. Like a tour.” 

   “ Well, if you’re sure it’s no bother,” 

   “ No bother at all. I’ll be right here.” 

   “ Ok.”

   Patricia went inside to get her assigned classes. When she left the admission office, Derrick was right where he said he would be. 

   “ Hey Patricia. There’s a game tonight. Will you come and see it? I would love to pick you up and take you there. It would be a great time to meet all the other kids. Plus, I’m the quarterback.” 

   “ You’re the quarterback?"

   “ Yes. So what will you say?” 

   “ Well.Ok.” 

   “ I’ll pick you up at, lets say 7:00 PM?” 

   “ That sounds fine to me.” 

   “ So what’s your address?”

   Patricia gave Derrick her address and Derrick walked her to all of her classes. That night. Derrick came by Patricia’s house to pick her up and to take her to the game. They had a good time. Patricia got a chance to meet all of the other girls. They all envied her for going out with the school quarterback and captain of the football team. She didn’t know that Derrick was also a captain but she did feel the envies from the other girls. She loved it. They all wanted Patricia to attend their parties and she did.

   A few days later, Derrick asked her to wear his pin and to be his girl. She excepted it and Derrick had kissed her. They went on several dates together. Patricia was so happy.She decided to ask Derrick to come over to her house to meet her mother. 

   “ I’ll be happy to meet your mother, Patricia. What time do you want me to come over?”

   “ How about 4:00 PM. I would like for you to try out my cooking.” 

   “ I would love that.”

   “ Derrick? You’ve never told me where you lived.” 

   “ Really? I’ll write it down for you and you can keep it in your purse.”

Derrick wrote down his address and gave it to Patricia. Patricia kissed the paper and placed it inside of her purse. 

   "Well, I better go now, but I’ll be over your house this afternoon.” 

   “ I’ll be waiting.” 

    They both kissed and Derrick left.

   Derrick arrived at his home. He let himself in. 

   “ Is that you Derrick?” 

   “ Yes Dad. It’s me.” 

   “ So how did it go at your doctors appointment?” 

   “ It went fine, Dad. He gave me another prescription to be filled out.”      “ How many pills do you have left?” 

   “ I have two, Dad.” 

   “ Oh,that won’t do at all. You go and eat while I go to Walgreens to get that prescription filled. Your mother should be home any minute.” 

   “ Ok,Dad.”

   Derrick’s father left for Walgreens while Derrick went into the kitchen to take his medication. His mother walked in. She saw Derrick with his medicine bottle in his hand.

   “ Hi honey. What are you doing?” she asked. 

   “ I’m about to take my medicine, Mother.”

   “ Good ,Derrick. Where’s your father?” 

   “ He went out to get my prescription filled. I was going to take my medication with my meal. That’s what my doctor said for me to do.”

   “ Well you go ahead and take your medication. You know how important it is for you,”

   “ I know, Mother.”

   Derrick took his medication out of the bottle and placed it in his hand.      He sat down at the table. Took his medicine, and ate his food. 

   “ Did you take your medicine sweetheart?”

   “ Yes I did, Mother.” 

   “ What did the doctor do?” 

   “ He did what he always do. Run test on me and asked me questions.”    “ So how do you feel now?” 

   “ I feel like going to school.”

   “ Now, you know what your psychiatrist said. School is not an option for you yet. You would have to slowly get back into the groove of things, right?” 

   “ Right, Mother. Mother, what time is it?” 

   “ About 6 pm.Why?” 

   “ Oh,nothing. I’m going to lie down now.Ok?”

   “ That’s good, Derrick.Rest is what the doctor ordered.”

   Patricia was pacing her living room floor. She was angry. 

   “ Patricia, you’re going to wear out that carpet.” 

   “ Mom, he said that he was coming by. He should’ve called if he wasn’t coming. I hate him.” 

   “ Oh no you don’t. Why don’t you call him. Maybe something’s wrong. Maybe he had an accident.” 

   “ An accident? Mom? You don’t think that he’s hurt ,do you?” 

   “ I should hope not. Why don’t you give him a call.”

   “ I’ll do just that.”

   Patricia ran over to the phone to call Derrick. The phone kept on ringing. She hung up the phone. 

   “ Mom? I’m going over there. Derrick’s probably hurt and can’t get to the phone.” 

   “ Ok,dear,but be careful driving.” 

   “ I will.”

   Patricia jumped into her car and drove over to Derrick’s house. She parked and stepped out. She then ran up to Derrick’s house and ranged his doorbell. She kept on ringing but no one answered. She walked around the side of the house to peek through the window. She saw Derrick’s mother ironing clothes. She then tapped on the window but Derrick’s mother kept on ironing. 

   "Why can’t she hear me? Do I have to break the window to get her attention?”

   Derrick came out of his room. Well, I’m back on my meds, Mother.” 

   “ Good Derrick. Now don’t try to take yourself off of those meds?” 

   “ Ok,Mother.” 

   “ Derrick? Will you open up those blinds for me?” 

   “ Sure, Mother.” 

   “ Good. He’s walking over towards this window. He’s opening up the blinds.”

   Patricia tapped on the window. Derrick? Open the window. I want to talk to you.”

   Derrick turned around and walked away. 

   “ I dare him look at me and just walk away. That’s alright. Just wait until I see him at school tomorrow.” 

   Patricia left for home angry. She stormed inside. Went upstairs, and went straight to bed. The next morning, she arrived at school. She went to Derrick’s class and skipped her own. She peeked inside but there was no Derrick. She tapped on the window. The teacher walked over to the door and opened it. 

   “ Can I help you miss?” asked the teacher.

   “ I’m looking for Derrick.” 

   “ Derrick didn’t show up for class today. I hope he isn’t sick.”

   Patricia left.

   “ Maybe he just skipped class and is somewhere inside of this

building. Wait,I’ll asked the girls over there.” 

   Patricia ran over to where the girls were talking at. 

   “ Hey? Have anyone seen Derrick?” 

   “ No, we haven’t seen Derrick at all,” they said. 

   Patricia decided to go back over to Derrick’s house. She parked her car. That’s when she saw Derrick and his mother leaving the house. She parked in front of his house so he would notice her. She heard his mother talking to him. 

   “ Now Derrick. I’m going to drive you to the doctor. You’re not driving while you are on medication. You hear?” 

   “ I hear you, Mother.”

   “ So Derrick is sick. He didn’t even notice me at all. I know what I’ll do. I’ll follow them to the doctor. I want to know what’s wrong with my boyfriend. I must be with him in his time of need or what kind of girlfriend am I ?”

   Patricia followed them to his doctor’s clinic. She jumped out of her car but she stayed behind so they wouldn’t think that she was spying on them. She watched them enter through the door. When they were out of sight she ran up to the door and waited until someone came out. When the next person came out she walked into the clinic. 

   She saw Derrick and his mother sitting down. When their names were called, they got up to follow the nurse inside. 

   “ This is my chance. I’ll walk slowly behind them so they won’t get suspicious.”

   Patricia saw them go inside of the doctor’s office. She ran towards the door to have a peek. When the nurse had walked them into the other room she let herself inside. The nurse didn’t see her. She crept behind a wall divider while the doctor,Derrick, and his mother’s back were turned. The nurse left the room. Now she could hear the whole conversation.

   The doctor started talking to Derrick. 

   “ So Derrick. How are we feeling today?" 

   “ I feel fine Doc.” 

   “ I was told by your mother that you tried to take yourself off of your medication.” 

   “ It makes me feel funny, Doctor.” 

   “ Now we’ve talked about this before, Derrick. You know what happens if you stop taking your medicine. Right?” 

   “ Yes, Doctor.” 

   “ What happened since the last time I saw you?” 

   “ Nothing, Doctor.”

   “ Do you still feel like you’re the captain of the college football team?”    “ No, Doctor.”

   “ Is there something else you’re not telling me? The only way this is going to help you is if you come out with it.” 

   “ There’s this girl. Her name’s Patricia. I love her very much.”

   “ Is there really a Patricia or is she in your mind?” 

   “ I know now that she was all in my mind.” 

   “ So now what are you going to do about it?” 

   “ I’ll just keep taking my medication.” 

   “ Good Derrick. As long as you know that she is just a figment of your imagination you will be fine. Even if you should see her again what will you do?”

   “ I will ignore her.” 

   “ That did it. My boyfriend needs my help. He needs proof that I am not his imagination.”

   Patricia jumped out from behind the wall divider. 

   “ Hey! Here I am. I’m proof that my boyfriend did not imagine me.” 

   “ Ok, Derrick.You can go home now. That will be all for today.” 

   “ Thank you ,Doctor.” said Derrick’s mother. 

   “ Thank you, and I’ll see you again next week. Right Derrick?” 

   “ Right Doctor.” 

   Derrick and his mother left the doctor’s office. 

   “ Ok,Doc.What gives?”asked Patricia.

   Patricia stood in the path of the doctor and the doctor had walked right through her.

   “ Ohhh!" she said surprised. 

   “ Oh Doctor. I have Derrick’s file for you.” 

   “ Just lay it on my desk.” 

   The nurse did and she left. Patricia decided to read Derrick’s file. As she read it she cried. This is what it said.

   "Derrick Crankshaw is a patient who had an accident playing football with his dad when he was ten years old. He fell and hit his head on a rock while trying to catch a pass.

   He’s been seeing imaginary people since his accident. They all existed inside of his head. He believes that there is a parallel world outside of his own and he is the only one who knows it. Sometimes he gets both worlds confused with each other. He believes that he can co-exist in both worlds. 

   Right now he’s in love with a girl name Patricia who is in this parallel world and the only way he can make this other world disappear is to take the medicine that I have prescribed for him. His diagnosis is schizophrenia. He will be on long term care. After all.Who ever heard of a parallel universe?"

   Patricia cried as she walked through the door and walked through the people who didn’t notice her. She realized that she was walking through Derrick’s parallel universe. A universe that she did not belong and as long as Derrick continues to take those pills, there universe will never cross over again. She cried as she entered into her own universe.

                                                                                                      The End

                                                                                          

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