The Incubus

Chapter 10, Scene 9

'So, Justin's gone again, huh?' Tanya asked rhetorically as she chopped the onions. She invited Rebecca over for dinner at her place so that they could—among other things—chat about the next door neighbour's nephew, Dominic.

Rebecca nodded. 'It's not so bad this time,' she said. 'The weird happenings around the house aren't happening as frequently as they used to.'

'But they're still happening?'

'Yes,' Rebecca admitted. 'But this time, when they do occur, it's more intense.'

'Like what?'

'Oh, nothing really,' Rebecca said. 'It's all quite silly.'

'Tell me,' Tanya said.

'Well, in the past, the things I saw didn't affect me physically.'

Tanya looked up. 'They do now?'

Rebecca nodded.

'How?'

'I'm not sure if I want to talk about this,' Rebecca said, but deep inside she realized that she actually wanted someone to talk to about it.

'What happens?' Tanya insisted. 'You can tell me.'

Rebecca hesitated. 'A few days ago something invisible pushed me into the wall unit.'

'What?' Tanya exploded. 'Are you all right?'

'I'm fine,' Rebecca said. 'But I was a bit rattled when it happened.'

'And the baby?'

'The latest scan showed that everything's still fine.'

Tanya sighed relieved. 'Could you feel whatever pushed you?'

'Yes,' Rebecca said. 'It felt like a normal person shoving me real hard, but I couldn't see anyone.'

'That's freaky,' Tanya said.

'It happened again yesterday.'

'Again?'

'Well...I wasn't pushed like the previous time, but that same invisible thing pushed my head under water while I was taking a bath.'

'Are you serious?'

'I thought I was going to drown.'

'Did you tell Justin?'

Rebecca almost laughed out loud. 'What do you think?'

Tanya frowned. 'Good point.'

'But I'm okay,' Rebecca said. 'When someone's around, nothing ever really happens.'

'But now with Justin being away...'

'Dominic is there to keep the ghosts at bay,' Rebecca finished Tanya's sentence.

Tanya giggled. 'Speaking of which,' she said. 'Tell me more about this mystery man.'

Rebecca's face lit up. 'He's handsome,' she said. 'Really handsome. And he has the most charming smile.'

'Is this something you would say in front of Justin?'

Rebecca shook her head. 'Of course not, but it's not like he'd care anyway.'

'Why? What do you mean?'

'Can you remember when you said that he was having an affair?'

'I implied that he might be having one, given the evidence. I never actually said that he was having one.'

'Well, I'm starting to believe that he is.'

Tanya scooped the chopped vegetables into a bowl and looked up. She wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist and then wiped her hands with a damp cloth. 'Really? What makes you think so?'

'For one,' Rebecca said. 'His inability to say "no" when sent to a site. How sure can I be sure that he really does go to a site? Where does he live when he's there? Who does he have to keep him company?'

'My sentiments exactly,' Tanya said.

'Last week he came home from one of these so-called sites without his wedding ring. He claims that it disappeared into fresh air while he was sleeping or something.'

'And you haven't considered that he might actually be telling you the truth?'

Rebecca laughed. 'Are you running a fever?' she asked. 'You of all people, defending Justin?'

'I'm not defending him,' Tanya said. 'But this is a serious accusation. It's good to have all the facts before taking something like this to court. Don't get me wrong, Becks, I'm behind you one hundred percent on this. What does he have to say to his defense?'

'I haven't spoken to him about it yet,' Rebecca said. 'I'm waiting for the right moment. We don't talk as much as we used to since the...'

'The miscarriage?'

'Yes.'

'Well, I think that you should confront the man.'

'It's not that simple.'

'Of course it is. How hard could it be to grab the cheating scum by the collar and insist on decent conversation?'

Rebecca giggled at the thought. 'Well, maybe you can help me,' she said.

Tanya raised an eyebrow. 'Oh? How?'

'Next Friday evening, when we're having dinner, you could bring up topics that Justin and I could discuss afterward in private.'

'Like the ring thing?'

'Exactly.'

'I don't know...'

'Come on,' Rebecca pleaded. 'You're the only one I have that can help.'

Tanya mixed the vegetables with the stew and turned down the heat to let it simmer. 'Okay,' she finally agreed. 'I'll do it.'