The Woman from a Parallel Universe! Lerina Garcia Gordo
GORDO LERINA GARCIA SAID, “CALL ME LUCY”, IN JULY OF 2008, WHEN SHE POSTED A CRY FOR HELP, ON HER PERSONAL BLOG. THAT’S THE YEAR, WHEN, IN SPAIN, HER STORY WENT VIRAL. HER PAST, HER LIFE, EVERYTHING PRECIOUS TO HER, WAS GONE. LERINA GARCIA, WAS A DESPERATE WOMAN, LOST ON A STRANGE EARTH – OUR EARTH. LUCY, AS SHE WANTS TO BE CALLED, IS A PROFESSIONAL BUSINESSWOMAN. AT 41 YEARS OF AGE, SHE SAYS, SHE WAS TRANSPORTED FROM HER APARTMENT, ON AN ALTERNATE EARTH, TO HER APARTMENT, HERE. SHE CALLS THIS INCIDENT, “THE JUMP”. LUCY WOKE UP IN MARCH OF 2008, TO FIND THAT HER BEDSHEETS DIFFERENT, FROM THE ONES SHE WENT TO SLEEP ON. SHE NOTICED THAT, HER NIGHTSHIRT WAS DIFFERENT, TOO. BUT SHE IGNORED THIS. THE SHIRT, WAS PROBABLY ONE OF HER BOYFRIEND’S. BESIDES, SHE WAS LATE FOR WORK. FINALLY SHE FOUND HER CAR. SHE HAD NOT PARKED IN THAT ALLEY, FOR HALF A YEAR, EVER SINCE SHE LEFT HER EX-BOYFRIEND, MIGUEL. THAT WAS WHERE HE ALWAYS PARKED. SHE DROVE TO THE OFFICE BUILDING, WHERE SHE WORKED. A STRANGE MAN WAS SITTING IN HER OFFICE, IN HER CHAIR, AND APPARENTLY HE HAD ALSO PUT, HIS OWN NAME PLATE, ON HER OFFICE DOOR. HER OFFICE, OF 20 YEARS. SHE SAT DOWN, IN THE COMPANY LOBBY, AND OPENED HER LAPTOP. THE COMPANY WEB PAGE SAID, THAT SHE WORKS IN, ANOTHER DEPARTMENT, ON ANOTHER FLOOR. SHE DID NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THE NAME, OF THE DEPARTMENT HEAD. BUT NOW, SHE HAD TO SPEAK WITH HIM, FOR THE FIRST TIME. SHE CALLED IN SICK. SHE WALKED AROUND THE CORNER TO FIND THE LITTLE BISTRO SHE NORMALLY FREQUENTED FOR LUNCH. IT WAS STILL THERE. EVERYTHING ON THE INSIDE WAS EXACTLY AS SHE REMEMBERED IT, INCLUDING A DARK STAIN IN ONE CORNER, ON THE HARD WOOD FLOOR. SHE ASKED, FOR “THE USUAL”. AS USUAL, THEY GOT HER ORDER WRONG. AS SHE SIPPED HER ESPRESSO, WITH GROWING RELIEF, SHE EXAMINED THE CONTENTS OF HER PURSE. INCLUDING HER DRIVERS LICENSE, AND ALL HER CREDIT CARDS. THEY WERE ALL THERE, JUST LIKE SHE REMEMBERED. BUT, WHEN SHE PULLED OUT HER COMPANY I.D., IT REFLECTED HER “NEW” POSITION, AND HER COMPANY’S LOGO, WAS A DIFFERENT COLOR. ON THE SAME DAY, SHE WENT TO SEE A DOCTOR, ON A WALK-IN APPOINTMENT. AFTER HOURS OF WAITING, THE DOCTOR TOLD HER ONLY, THAT SHE TESTED COMPLETELY NEGATIVE FOR ALCOHOL, AND NEGATIVE FOR THE DRUG SCREENS. SOON, SHE WOULD SEEK A PSYCHIATRIST, BUT TODAY, SHE GAVE UP, AND WENT BACK TO THE APARTMENT SHE HAD RENTED FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS. SHE WANTED TO CHECK HER EMAIL, AND DID SO ON HER CELL PHONE, AT THE KITCHEN TABLE. SUDDENLY SHE WAS AFRAID. IF SHE WAS ABLE TO ACCESS EMAIL, THAT MEANT, HER PASSWORD HERE – WAS THE SAME. EXACTLY THE SAME, AS ON THAT OTHER WORLD. HER REAL HOME. SHE LOOKED AROUND HER APARTMENT. SOME CLOTHES IN HER CLOSET, WHICH LOOKED REALLY NICE, SHE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO MEMORY OF BUYING. SHE FOUND HER JEWELRY BOX OUT OF ITS NORMAL STORAGE PLACE, AND THE LAMP SHE BOUGHT LAST WEEK WAS MISSING. THEN SHE REALIZED, THAT HER BOYFRIEND AUGUSTINE, SHOULD BE HOME. AND HE LIVED ONLY DOWN THE STREET. BUT, AUGUSTINE DID NOT LIVE THERE ANY MORE, AND THERE WAS NO SIGN OF HIS SON, EITHER. THIS IS WHERE LUCY’S LIFE TURNED UPSIDE-DOWN, BECAUSE WHEN SHE GOT BACK TO THE APARTMENT, SHE OPENED MIGUEL’S CLOSET. ALL HIS CLOTHES WERE STILL THERE. SHE RAN TO THE BATHROOM, ONLY TO FIND MIGUEL’S DRAWER FULL OF HIS SHAVING KIT, AND HIS FAVORITE SOAPS, AND HIS SHAMPOO. THOSE WERE THE FIRST THINGS HE TOOK WITH HIM, THE NIGHT SHE THREW HIM OUT. THEN SHE REALIZED, THAT ON THIS EARTH, SHE HAD NEVER BROKEN UP WITH HER EX-BOYFRIEND. BEFORE THE JUMP, SHE HAD LEFT MIGUEL, SIX MONTHS AGO, AFTER A RELATIONSHIP OF SEVEN LONG YEARS. AND THAT STILL HURT. SHE HAD BEEN WITH MIGUEL SINCE THE DAY SHE MOVED INTO HER APARTMENT. BUT LUCY WORKED HARD, TO FIND HER BOYFRIEND, AUGUSTINE, WITH WHOM SHE KNEW SHE HAD A FOUR MONTH RELATIONSHIP. SHE PAID MONEY, TO HIRE A DETECTIVE, AND SHE TOLD HIM, HER WHOLE STORY. HE TURNED UP NOTHING. BUT THE DETECTIVE HELPED HER IN OTHER WAYS. HE KEPT A STACK OF OLD NEWSPAPERS, AND THEY WENT THROUGH THEM TOGETHER, TO DISCOVER A SLIGHTLY ALTERNATE VERSION OF RECENT HISTORY. LATER, SHE TRIED TO LOCATE THE WOMAN, WHO CAME BETWEEN HERSELF, AND HER EX-BOYFRIEND, BEFORE THE JUMP. BUT THAT WOMAN, LIKE AUGUSTINE, DID NOT EXIST IN THIS REALM. SO, MIGUEL MUST NEVER HAVE CHEATED ON HER. PERHAPS, SHE CAME TO BELIEVE, HE NEVER REALLY CHEATED ON HER, IN THE FIRST PLACE. SHE WENT BACK TO WORK. WHENEVER A COWORKER, REMARKED THAT, SHE SOMEHOW SEEMED DIFFERENT, SHE WOULD SAY, SHE WAS GETTING OVER AN ILLNESS, BUT WOULD SURELY REGAIN HER FOOTING SOON. THE NEXT PROFESSIONAL LUCY SOUGHT OUT, WAS A PSYCHIATRIST.
