I wake up to Karl staring at me in the hammock. “Sorry,” she says, “I’m just trying to figure a few things out. How’d you sleep?”
“Like a baby.” I say, knowing it’s a lie. “How about you?” I ask.
“Same.” Karl replies flatly.
We both seem to be down in the dumps.
“V…can I talk openly to you?” Karl asks with a strangeness in her voice.
“Of course.” I respond wondering what’s coming next.
“When it comes to people relationships I like to be open and honest. I don’t mean that the way most people do when they say it.” she says and then hesitates.
“V, over these last few days I’ve developed strong feelings for you. I don’t even understand a lot of them myself. The funny thing is Finn warned me about this. He said there was I high likelihood it could happen.
The way he explained it was logical. I just didn’t believe him at the time. He said that first of all it takes a special type of person to be an Acquisitioner. If someone is a good fit for the job then you will tend to have some fundamental bonds in common.
When you use the stuffocator you connect with the universe in fundamental ways that enhance your ties to everything. You’ve probably noticed more intense feelings like the taste of food, or the deeply golden-orange sunsets that look like they’re painted by an Impressionist. All your senses become heightened. Finn calls it hyper-connection.
Of course saving my life doesn’t hurt either.” she says with a broad smile.
She stops for a minute, thinking what to say next.
“My problem is…I don’t know if this is an artificial feeling that is a result of our line of work or if it is real and I’m falling in love with you. Worse, I have no idea how to figure it out.” she says laughing, almost to herself, and then slowly crying.
I’m still catching up with the messages and their implications. I realize I’m not going crazy. My sense of things has intensified because of the stuffocator. I slowly get up from the hammock and walk the few steps to Karl.
Putting my arms around her I say, “Karl, I know exactly what you mean. Thank you for putting it in words. I’ve been trying to convince myself that it is a combination of strange place, too little sleep, and a new job, but it was never really an adequate explanation for my feelings.
I lean down and slowly kiss her deeply on the lips. To my surprise, the initial willingness is quickly interrupted.
“We can’t do this V.” she says almost desperately. “We have to know whether it’s real.”
I laugh softly and say, “I can see the headlines now. ‘Inventor of “Stuffocator” imprisoned for extreme OSHA violation. Famous “stuffocator” declared an unsafe work hazard because it can heighten people’s feelings for each other.’”
Karl tries to laugh and says, “We need to talk with Finn. We head back tomorrow so let’s keep things simple until then.”
I know she’s right about everything but the “simple” part. My experience is, the minute you try to keep things simple is the minute you should expect the world to explode into chaos. I was not looking forward to the plane ride back to LA.
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