A Choice

Originally written July 14, 2019

            “What’s it going to be? Do you want the job or not?”

            Arryn blinked a couple of times. What should he do? Here he was, being offered a job that would severely limit his opportunities to advance further in his career. Sure, it was good money for a 26-year-old only three years removed from college, but did he really want to be stuck in this pay bracket for the rest of his life?

            Mrs. Adams, his boss, stared at him, impatiently waiting for his answer. After offering him the promotion on Friday, she had given him the weekend to think it over. Now it was Monday morning, and he still wasn’t sure what to do.

            Arryn looked around, hoping to spot something to buy him a little extra time. No luck. He sat down in his chair, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath to clear his head.

 #

            Arryn jolted awake and lurched up in bed. It was all a dream. He must have overslept. Mrs. Adams would be furious if he was late. He had to give her an answer today. He stood up and took two steps toward the bathroom before he stopped. Who else was in his bed? And why did his knees hurt so much when he walked?

            Arryn turned around to see a woman in her mid-30s lying on the other side of the bed. In between her and where he had just been sleeping, there was a little girl. Arryn shook his head and stretched his legs as he continued to the bathroom. That dream must’ve really thrown him off. Why wouldn’t he recognize his own wife and daughter?

            When he reached the bathroom and flipped on the light switch, he was greeted with his own reflection in the mirror. Before him stood a man with short hair that was just starting to turn grey around the edges, wrinkles around his eyes, and a round stomach that pushed out against his shirt.

            As Arryn stared into his own eyes, he grew more and more concerned. He tried to think back over the past ten years of his life. He remembered getting married to Carla and the day his daughter was born, but he couldn’t recall a whole lot else of what had happened. The big moments were there, but they were so blurry. He didn’t have any details.

            Arryn stumbled backwards, bracing himself against the doorway. This wasn’t right. He was supposed to give Mrs. Adams an answer today, not worry about who was going to pick Marley up from school. He walked back to the bed and grabbed his wallet from the nightstand before sliding to ground. He rifled through it, hoping to find something that would spark a memory. Eventually, he came upon one of his business cards. It read: “Arryn Dement: Assistant Regional Manager.”

            The card slipped out of Arryn’s hand and onto the floor. It started to come back to him. He had taken the job ten years ago. And he was still stuck in the exact same position. He lifted his legs up and leaned his head against the side of the bed. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for things to make sense.

 #

            Arryn jolted awake and sat up in bed. Whoa, that was weird, he thought. I’ve never had a dream within a dream before. Arryn looked over at his clock and saw that it was 5:59 a.m. His alarm would go off in one minute and he would have to go in and give Mrs. Adams an answer. He grabbed his shirt off of the floor and stood up to go get ready. He stopped after two steps. Who was in bed with him?

            Arryn turned around to see a very young woman, probably in her early-20s, lying on the other side of the bed. Even after shaking his head, as he had in his dream, he still barely recognized her. He definitely couldn’t think of her name. Arryn blew it off as being sleep-deprived and walked into the bathroom.

            When he reached the bathroom and flipped on the light switch, he was greeted with his own reflection in the mirror. Before him stood a man with tightly styled hair, faint signs of wrinkles beginning to form around his eyes, and muscular arms that pushed out against the sleeves of his shirt.

            As Arryn stared into his own eyes, he grew more and more concerned. He tried to think back over the past ten years of his life. He remembered turning down the job and leaving to start his own company, but he couldn’t recall a whole lot else of what had happened. The big moments were there, but they were so blurry. He didn’t have any details.

            He stumbled forward and braced himself against the sink. He took a couple of steps to the right and sat down with his back against the wall just outside of a very spacious shower. He looked down at his shirt and saw a familiar logo: the backwards “D” spelling out the word “demented.”

            Arryn pushed his head back against the wall as it started to come back to him. He had started the company Demented Clothing. It had taken a few years to get going, but now he was one of the wealthiest young designers in fashion. On top of that, he had been voted “America’s Most Eligible Bachelor” by a national magazine just last year. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for things to make sense.

 #

            “Arryn? Arryn?!” Mrs. Adams said loudly. “Open your eyes. This isn’t the time for meditation or whatever it is you’re doing.”

            Arryn opened his eyes and looked up at his boss. He was sitting in his familiar chair, in his familiar office, with a familiar face staring down at him. He felt tired, as if he had lived twenty years in a matter of moments. It was a familiar feeling. It had happened a handful of times before, like when he was choosing where to go to college and which city to move to after graduation. And, just like those times, the strange ability left him with a sense of clarity. He knew what he truly wanted for his life.

            Mrs. Adams tapped on the arm of his chair. “Well? I need an answer. What’s it going to be? Do you want the job or not?”

            End.