1114 (43) NO! NO! NOT AGAIN! REVISITED 59

43

2002

“Annie, do you remember any of that night?”

“No, Mom.  I only remember whatever you’ve told me over the years.  Had the commotion wakened me, all memory of that traumatic night with Lauren must have burrowed deeply into my subconscious, enmeshing with every terrifying memory concerning Janet’s life and death.  When I write about strange encounters with Luck, Fate, and Nick, the incredibility of that coincidence will serve as a poignant example of two situations, which, at a glance, look and feel the same but definitely are not.”

“Wait—you’re going to write about fate, luck and—Nick?  Who’s Nick?”

Smiling mischievously to quell the anxiety, which for some mysterious reason has quickened the beat of my heart, I answer, “Mom, you know Nick ...