Good, he thought, he did manage to get some sleep. He stayed in bed for thirty more minutes, listening to the distant sounds of the slowly waking up city. A radio was turned on in the neighbour’s apartment.
He thought about having to get up. The neighbour’s radio usually turns on when he’s on his last sip of coffee. He had this strange double feeling of already getting up but still lying in bed. He was in bed with the sensation of getting up and being in the bathroom. He had an undefined feeling of time being blurred. The thing he was really doing and what he thought he should be doing were melting into one. All of a sudden, he no longer had control of his own thoughts and he felt like he was outside of his own body.
He heard muffled pounding of drums and strange whistling, just like those in his dream. But something was different. He wasn’t sleeping. Slowly, he was coming back to reality. It felt as if he was going through water that was getting thicker and pressing onto him. A glare was in front of his eyes, just like in those stupid sci-fi movies when someone’s going through a cathode ray tube. Finally, the pressure eased and he managed to take a deep breath and sat up in bed. It felt like he had fallen. His body was hurting. Someone was ringing the door bell and hitting on the door. He could barely open his eyes. Nothing was making any sense. He tried to get up, but he got dizzy and fell to the floor next to the bed. Finally, more with the power of will than the capability of body, he got up and stumbled to the front door. He opened the door. Standing in front of it was Bea.
‘Hey,’ she greeted him cheerfully. At that moment, a breeze blew through the door, as if there was a big draft somewhere. But it was only for a moment and it stopped immediately. ‘Wow, what was that?’ asked Bea with surprise. ‘No wonder you caught a cold, leaving a window open in this weather.’ She went past him and into his kitchen leaving shopping bags on the counter. David was just standing there. She came back into living room and took a good look at him. ‘Dude, you look like a mummy on sedatives.’ She came up to him, took his hand off the door handle and closed the door. She dragged him into the apartment. In a daze, he followed her. ‘I thought this would come back to haunt you. You don’t eat or sleep regularly, you don’t do any exercise.’ She went back into the kitchen and unpacked bags. ‘I called your mobile phone, nothing. I called you at work. They said you didn’t show up and weren’t answering your phone. I waited until half an hour ago and decided to pay you a visit and see what’s going on with you.’
She came out of the kitchen and passed him a glass of water and a pill. ‘For a start, take a few vitamins. I’ll make some tea. I also brought ingredients for a nice meal. You look like you could use a good meal.’ She smiled and pinched his cheek, while he was still trying to figure out what was going on.
‘Um...,’ was all that came out of his mouth. It was as if there was a block in his head.
‘Dude, are you alright?’ She asked and looked carefully into his dumbfounded face.
‘Mmm… what time is it?’ He looked towards the red alarm clock on the table. It was showing ten past six. That was the time when he usually got up for work. Nothing was making any sense. He remembered waking up and getting ready for work, or maybe not? He also had a vague recollection of lying in bed and seeing himself as he got up. He looked at Bea.
‘David, what is going on with you?’ She asked seriously. ‘Did you sleep through the whole day? It’s now 6.10 pm, and you’re still in your pyjamas.’
He slid down into the armchair opposite to Bea and said nothing. He felt as if something had hit him on the head. He was totally fucked up, because of Anya, because of everything. It might have been the beginning of his complete insanity.
He thought about having to get up. The neighbour’s radio usually turns on when he’s on his last sip of coffee. He had this strange double feeling of already getting up but still lying in bed. He was in bed with the sensation of getting up and being in the bathroom. He had an undefined feeling of time being blurred. The thing he was really doing and what he thought he should be doing were melting into one. All of a sudden, he no longer had control of his own thoughts and he felt like he was outside of his own body.
He heard muffled pounding of drums and strange whistling, just like those in his dream. But something was different. He wasn’t sleeping. Slowly, he was coming back to reality. It felt as if he was going through water that was getting thicker and pressing onto him. A glare was in front of his eyes, just like in those stupid sci-fi movies when someone’s going through a cathode ray tube. Finally, the pressure eased and he managed to take a deep breath and sat up in bed. It felt like he had fallen. His body was hurting. Someone was ringing the door bell and hitting on the door. He could barely open his eyes. Nothing was making any sense. He tried to get up, but he got dizzy and fell to the floor next to the bed. Finally, more with the power of will than the capability of body, he got up and stumbled to the front door. He opened the door. Standing in front of it was Bea.
‘Hey,’ she greeted him cheerfully. At that moment, a breeze blew through the door, as if there was a big draft somewhere. But it was only for a moment and it stopped immediately. ‘Wow, what was that?’ asked Bea with surprise. ‘No wonder you caught a cold, leaving a window open in this weather.’ She went past him and into his kitchen leaving shopping bags on the counter. David was just standing there. She came back into living room and took a good look at him. ‘Dude, you look like a mummy on sedatives.’ She came up to him, took his hand off the door handle and closed the door. She dragged him into the apartment. In a daze, he followed her. ‘I thought this would come back to haunt you. You don’t eat or sleep regularly, you don’t do any exercise.’ She went back into the kitchen and unpacked bags. ‘I called your mobile phone, nothing. I called you at work. They said you didn’t show up and weren’t answering your phone. I waited until half an hour ago and decided to pay you a visit and see what’s going on with you.’
She came out of the kitchen and passed him a glass of water and a pill. ‘For a start, take a few vitamins. I’ll make some tea. I also brought ingredients for a nice meal. You look like you could use a good meal.’ She smiled and pinched his cheek, while he was still trying to figure out what was going on.
‘Um...,’ was all that came out of his mouth. It was as if there was a block in his head.
‘Dude, are you alright?’ She asked and looked carefully into his dumbfounded face.
‘Mmm… what time is it?’ He looked towards the red alarm clock on the table. It was showing ten past six. That was the time when he usually got up for work. Nothing was making any sense. He remembered waking up and getting ready for work, or maybe not? He also had a vague recollection of lying in bed and seeing himself as he got up. He looked at Bea.
‘David, what is going on with you?’ She asked seriously. ‘Did you sleep through the whole day? It’s now 6.10 pm, and you’re still in your pyjamas.’
He slid down into the armchair opposite to Bea and said nothing. He felt as if something had hit him on the head. He was totally fucked up, because of Anya, because of everything. It might have been the beginning of his complete insanity.