Deity, Page 3

Billy ventures out into the city again, making his way across the road thinking- another day, another rush hour. Cars, horns, engines, stereos and chatter all fight for his attention. He can’t help thinking how funny it is that this is all so many know- the be all and end all. And while he tried not to be judgemental it was hard not to, possessing the knowledge of other realms that he shares with so few.

  ‘-HMMF’

  ‘Ahh… sorry!’

  He has bumped into a stranger in his daydream. Returning to the task at hand he turns the corner to the street where his girlfriend, Nikki, is just about to finish her shift waiting tables. He spots her in the distance, her raven black hair is pulled tightly into a bun from which wisps have gathered, forming notable strands that flow across her face, ears and neck. Billy notices the sparkle is gone from her brown eyes, now slightly squinted, giving them a dark appearance that seemingly dares the patrons to bother her. Her smile is forced and looks like it has been for sometime while the uniform she wears is dulled and stained from coffee spills, sweat and countless other trademarks of a rough day. But she still looks gorgeous to Billy and he can’t wait to hug her and put some shine back into her smile.

  However that will have to wait for she is presently gathering plates with her right hand onto a precarious looking pile held by her left while looking over her shoulder to listen to the demands of a customer. She blows a few strands of her fringe from her face, rolling her eyes and puffing her cheeks a deeper hue. Billy thought it was irresistibly cute but also knew it to be a danger sign that Nikki was just about to snap.

  ‘Just as well she’s nearly finished poor girl looks like she’s about to explode!’ he thinks with a sly grin. Then in an instant she is off with the burden of plates and the countless servile tasks in her head, rushing for the safety of the kitchen. He enters the café, making his way through the jam of patrons, plates, tables and staff he approaches the counter. Helping himself to a glass of water as he patiently waits in the queue. However shouldn’t have bothered, because before he reaches the counter, Nikki bursts out of the kitchen, minus her apron. She quickly scans the room until she finds Billy whom she grabs by the arm and leads out of the café with a relieved smile.

  ‘How was your day, honey?’ he inquires.

  ‘I’ve had better, first there weren’t enough cakes for the morning rush and then I had to show the new girl around as well as mind my tables, while the new manager sat around for a hour drinking coffee…’

  ‘Remind me never to get into the hospitality industry’ Billy thinks to himself as they cross the road into a nearby park. The world seems to tone down as they enter a dome of great trees, the hustle and bustle of the city and the stresses of waiting tables seem far away. They sit on the lush grass beneath the boughs of a snowgum where all they can hear is a few kids playing and the occasional chirp of a bird above. Billy notices Nikki finally seems to relax after telling him of her many ordeals at work. He reaches over and takes her hand.

  Nikki takes a deep breath. She’d finished for the day, she could relax now here with Billy. She can vividly see the calendar at home on her wall, she will cross another day off when she gets home. One day closer to the grant for her first feature. God how long has she been waiting! Playing go-for on movie sets, making adver-torials and info-tainment. She has since decided she’d prefer being queen slut in some XXX porno! Well maybe not. But there will soon be no more clearing another's table, nor smiling at another chastising customer.

  She thinks of the two of them here, now. It would make such a beautiful scene. While she didn’t want to make a trashy romance film that didn’t mean she’d ignore the genre entirely. Nearly all films, classics included, had elements of sentimental -borderline trite- love stories, she thinks as she gazes at Billy, smiling back at her. All dimples and white teeth she could sit here like this forever. Capturing moments like this was vital to the escapist appeal that made movies so engaging. But there was also something else, she couldn’t quite explain but she had noticed Billy like this before. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it or could she, time to delve a little deeper.

  ‘You’ve been to your special meditation class again haven’t you?’

  Billy couldn’t help but look surprised as she continues.

  ‘I can always tell when you’ve been. You have a strange, calm sort of confidence about you- almost, I guess… like an aura or a glow or I dunno?’ She theorizes half to herself.

  ‘What exactly do you do there?’

  Billy had agonized continually over the last few weeks about telling Nikki of his bizarre habit and as he looks at her now the truth flows out.

  ‘This is gonna seem heaps weird so just bear with me’ He says and her eyes light up in response.

  ‘These classes are only attended by 6 or 7 students who are hand-picked by Yachi. He shows us how to take our meditative states further.’ The words are now gushing out in excited rapid bursts. It has seemed unnatural keeping something from Nikki and he is relieved at finally releasing details of his other passion.

  ‘By concentrating our energy while maintaining a highly relaxed state we can leave the physical restraints of our body.’ Billy notices her face shows a mix of wonder and disbelief.

  ‘The process has been known by various cultures for centuries and has filtered through the generations to the present, where we know of it as astral planing. It is very difficult to describe it in terms of the real world. You must be in a semi-conscious dreamlike state for a successful transition where you float above and beyond your body able to travel unseen through the air. At first the process was very difficult and I rarely made the transformation, even then I couldn’t maintain it for long but now it only takes me a few minutes.’ He heaves a deep sigh with the last sentence while Nikki, still looking confused, stammers a reply.

  ‘I-It sounds…well, surreal’