#5 The Drawer (English Version)

(For the Spanish version see below)

Thomas came back home very tired: his job was exhausting. He had begun working again one week ago and it looked like it had been passed ages since last time he had worked. Although, in some way, it was true. After discussing with his old boss, he had been readmitted in his old company holding the same position he had when he disappeared. The vast majority of his old colleagues had been left or promoted instead. Now, he was 6 years older and he had the same experience as before. Sometimes he became frustrated for the situation, but at least he was happy to get back his old job in order to rebuild his life. He thought the job would keep his mind busy during a few hours.

He also continued living with his parents event though he did not discard the idea of moving alone again, but at the moment, he preferred to save some money. He had the titanic task of restarting his life from scratch. However, the question was: Would he be ready?

After talking to Mathieu he remained stunned the following days. During last weeks, things and revelations had been gone so fast, that he had not been able to realize what was going on with his life. He never thought about how Chloé felt after he went gone. It was something that tormented him every day. During the last month, he told himself she was a traitor that left him in the lurch. He believed that she cheated on him since the moment he saw her with another man. However, it was actually him who betrayed her. He knew it  now and he could not accept that fact, so instead of facing it, he tried to keep his mind busy to forget his own problems.

He dropped his bag on the floor and he realized that a recent photo was hanged on the wall. In the picture he and his friends appeared sharing a beer. Thomas imagined that his mother printed it in order to make him feel better. The picture was taken a few days ago when he met again his old friends: Adriano, Marc, Albert and Grégoire were his best pals alongside Mathieu. 

He remembered what they talked about: Marc was married to his long-term girlfriend. Albert was now living on the East Coast of the United States and was dating an American girl. Grégoire had left his old job and had created his own Start-up specialized on Internet trading and now he was starting to be an important businessman. And finally, Adriano, who had been the playboy of the group, he was living in Madrid with his girlfriend.

“You know guys? I have to tell you something great: Taylor is pregnant!” Albert was very happy and he wanted to share his joy with his old friends.

“Congratulations! We are going to have another dad on our group!” Mathieu wished him.

“I didn’t want to tell you until we were both sure but now I can. I’m glad I came to France from the States to tell you. I’m happy to see all my old friends gathered all together again.” He took a look to Thomas and smiled. “It looks that this month we are only having good news!”

“Do you have any ideas in mind about his or her future name?” Marc asked. Thomas noticed Marc’s wedding ring and a question came to his mind.

“Even either he or she is a boy or a girl, we have already decided the name. But we aren’t going to tell you until the baby’s born. It would be a surprise for everyone!”

“But, wait a moment Albert. Are you going to have a son and you are not even married?”

“Of course he’s married!” Adriano told them. “We made a great party last summer in the States. We even went to Las Vegas!”

“Sorry Thomas. I was so excited about sharing with you the news that I completely forgot to tell you that I married Taylor last year. But anyway, I’m happy you are back! You have to come to New York to visit us. You are invited!”

“Thanks Albert but I don’t really want to bother Taylor if she’s pregnant.” Thomas realized that he had no idea about who Taylor was. He had never seen her.

“Well guys, I think I have to go. I have an important meeting tomorrow morning with a new potential investor that wants to enter as a shareholder and I have to discuss with him the terms .” Grégoire took his coat and shake hand with Marc.

“Really? I’m happy for you. It looks like the company is taking off.”

Marc hugged Grégoire and the rest stood up to say him goodbye. All of them except Thomas, he remained sat near the table in silence. He felt as he was no longer part of the group. He was out of place, like a fish out of the water. He was only listening them whilst they were chatting and in the most of the cases he had no idea what they were talking about. He had missed Mathieu, Marc and Albert’s weddings; Grégoire had been running his own business for last two years and finally Adriano had moved to Spain and he was living with his new girlfriend. 

Thomas felt that people were no longer his old friends. They had evolved during the last 6 years and he was still the same. Some of them were already married and had children. It looked like that everyone had been chosen his own path while he was struggling to recover and repair the pieces of his own life. He asked himself how his life would have been if he had not disappeared: “Would he be married to Chloé? Would he have children with her?” Nobody could know.

His new cell phone vibrated and he came back to present. It would be probably his mother telling him she would be late for diner. Thomas grabbed his phone and checked the message. It was sent from an unknown number.

Hi Thomas. I’m glad to know you are OK. I’m sorry if I am a bit straightforward but I’d like to meet you again. I think it would be good for both of us if we talked again face to face. There are some things I would like to know and I’m sure you have your own questions too. Write me back if you want to see me. I hope you are doing well. 

Chloé.

Thomas raised his eyes and he looked into the mirror of his room. For the first time in one month he was smiling. Maybe, he would be able to recover all the pieces and rebuilt his old life.

***

“Olivier, can you tell me what that object exactly is? You are always wearing it and I’d like to know what it is. I’m just curious.”

Olivier turned back and he kissed her on the lips. They were both completely naked and a small breeze was coming in through the window. He started to think that they spent a lot of time together at his place and in most of cases they finished undressing each other.

However, he did not care. In fact, he liked it.

Claire was staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes whilst he was lying on the bed. Her blond hair covered his face as she approached to kiss him. He felt as he was in heaven.

“You say that silver thing with some buttons?”

“Yes, the same one. It’s strange because it isn’t the first time I catch you looking to it, but I cannot understand what it exactly is!”

“It was a gift of an old friend. It’s a clock that tells you a day and the hour.”

“Really? Its shape is weird…”

“Well that’s actually what makes it so special.”

“Oh, I’m sorry the screen is broken then…”

“Don’t you worry. I will repair it one day!”

She jumped on him and she started kissing him. He let her to kiss his ear and then his neck.  With Claire near his side, everything looked like easier. He loved the way she kissed him, her blond hair, her blue eyes, her smell… He was already in love but he did not care. He knew that she was the right girl he had been looking for.

They made love two more times and finished completely exhausted. Claire was sleeping whilst Olivier was caressing her hair. A few minutes later, he stand up, grabbed that silver objet and went to the window. His apartment was on the 7^th floor of a building near the Buttes Chaumont park and despite of being small, he had some perfect views of the whole city of Paris. Sun was going down and the Eiffel tower was starting to shine. Montmatre was also illuminated at his right. He took a cigarette and he lighted it. He liked smoking whilst he was looking the sunset on the horizon.

He extracted the silver object form his pocket and he contemplated it. He knew perfectly that it was not a portable clock and how he had to run it. Olivier closed his eyes and remembered the first time he saw it inside that wooden box. At that moment, he would have never imagined what he would be able to accomplish…

“Olivier, come here and take a look. There is something on the bottom of the wall. It’s like a drawer encrusted on the wall. We can open it!”

“Paul, we have just arrived to our new room in that residence for students. This is our last year and you are already breaking the wall. Sometimes I don’t get you…”

Paul extracted the drawer from the wall. Powder was covering him and he immediately started to cough. They found inside the drawer a small silver object with 4 buttons and 2 screens.

“Olivier, it looks like someone had left his old MP3 player inside this drawer. I bet it happened 10 years ago because nowadays nobody would utilize that thing. Hold it, I give it to you. I don’t care about it. I’m going to buy some food. Do you want me to buy something?"

“No, thanks. I have to continue cleaning. You’d better do it the same."

“Ok, as you wish…”

Paul left the room and Olivier continued arranging his books on the shelf. Al flashlight coming from that drawer caught up his attention and he took it. Without even knowing why, he grabbed that objet and held it into his hands. It was a bit weird to be an old-fashioned MP3. There was no hole to plug the headphones and it does not look like he had a battery or something similar. He decided to leave it as they found it but whilst he was trying to put the drawer in his place it fell down. A paper appear from the nothing: the drawer aparently had a double bottom. Olivier took a look to the paper. Something was written on it and he cleaned the powder that was on it.

To you, the one that has found my biggest secret, I deliver that infinity objet that will let you discover times and situations that no one would ever understand. 

To you, I bequeath one part of me, of my soul, of all the things I lived. But I must warn you: this is a cursed machine, no matter what you do; the past will catch you to take back its debts as it did to me. That is why I have to get rid of it: it is time to start my on life without being tied to my own fate. 

To you, I will give you a last advice in order to avoid the curse that is killing me: don’t try to know your past; don’t try to get answer from it: built your own life. Don’t repeat my mistakes, don’t let the past catches you…

I’m sure you will be able to find how the machine works by yourself and, if sometimes you will have to face a problem, just follow the lights. They will guide you until the final answer.

The prisoner