One Wish

“Oh, my God, Trent, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

Trent, completely oblivious, starts squealing as he closes the distance between us. “Oh, gawd! My friend Laney told me she thought she saw you two hiking on this trail, and I didn’t believe her. I simply had to come see for myself, and wow! You both look ten times better in the flesh! Can I get a selfie with you guys?”

Completely amused by his enthusiasm, I answer, “Sure,” as Audrey just stands still, mouth agape, speechless.

Trent comes in between us and places his free hand over Audrey’s shoulder, snapping the selfie with his phone. “Oh, God, I wish Audrey was here to see this,” he notes sadly.

Audrey is about to open her mouth to say something when Trent interrupts, frowning as he stares at Audrey. “Hold up… how do you know my name?”

Whoops.

I’m about to explain that maybe I had mentioned his name to her when Audrey steps forward, determination in her eyes.

“Do you remember the time when I had bleach on my apron? I know it was you.”

Startled, I grab Audrey’s arm. “Audrey, what are you...?”

“It’s okay,” she says, looking me in the eye. “I have to tell someone.”

“Wait… what in the hell’s going on?” Trent replies, his mouth agape, his big blue eyes staring like a deer in headlights. “How do you know about the bleach?” He then glances my way. “Why are you calling Kendra Banks ‘Audrey?’”

Audrey rushes forward, placing a hand on his arm in an effort to calm him. His breaths are coming away in pants like he’s hyperventilating.

“Trent, it’s okay. Calm down. I’m telling you this as I know you can handle it.”

“Looks like he’s handling it pretty well,” I joke. When she glares daggers at me, I softly reply, “Sorry.” Still can’t help smiling at the situation.

Audrey’s attention snaps back to Trent. “Listen, this is going to be hard to believe, but I swear I’m telling you the truth. The day of my… Audrey’s birthday, she made a wish to be Eli’s wife for a month. And guess what? It came true!”

Trent darts his head around like he’s looking for someone or something. When he turns his head back to Audrey, he has a goofy smile on his face. “Okay, where are the cameras?” he questions, his excitement heightening again. “This is a prank, right?” He flits his head from me to Audrey, his smile slowly fading when we don’t immediately answer.

“No, this isn’t a prank,” Audrey replies. “I only wish it were.”

Trent, gaining composure, a serious look upon his face, points at Audrey. “Okay, if you’re really Audrey, what color pants was I wearing at last Fourth of July fireworks?”

“Gold,” she immediately responds. “And you wore a pink feathered scarf around your neck that you played with all night. Very fetching it was.”

Suddenly, Trent doesn’t know where to look. “I… you…”

“Wow, I think this is the first time I have ever seen you speechless,” she muses, with a smile on her face. She then turns to me. “Sorry, I had to tell someone I knew.”

I place my hands up. “Hey, I’m not judging. I think it’s a good idea considering you’ll have someone here to keep in contact with.”

“Okaaaaayyyyy,” Trent drawls, his voice getting higher. “Let’s just completely ignore the elephant in the room.”

“We’re not in a room,” Audrey responds, causing me to burst into laughter.

“Oh, my God,” Trent gasps, fanning himself. “I think I’m going to faint.”

Grabbing a hold of his arm, Audrey leads him towards a park bench. “Come, let’s sit. I appreciate this is a lot to take in.”

Once he’s sat down with Audrey, he pivots towards her. “But, you’re… you’re in a coma. How could you be here?”

Audrey lets out a small breath. “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about it and the only explanation is that I’m in Kendra’s body, and Kendra’s… I don’t know… spirit… is inside my body. I have no idea how this works considering this has never happened to me before.”

Trent takes a good look into her eyes, his hands coming up to cup her face. “Oh my God, is it really you?”

Audrey places her hands on his and smiles. “Yes, it’s me. I’m confused, scared as hell, and wondering what my future holds right now, but it’s me.”