Perception

Author : Samuel Hymas

They were in love. That much was obvious to even the most unperceptive.

I’ve seen salesmen work a room before. They leave everyone feeling like they made a new friend and need to take a shower. But these two were different. Maybe because they had nothing to sell. But I know it was more than that. Especially now.

I’ve always been able to see. For years I thought everyone could see like I could. It wasn’t until after my second walkabout that I realized I was different. That I could see what others could not. That, even though we were looking at the same things, I was able to perceive so much more. I thought it was partly intuition and partly reading what others are feeling through their facial expressions and body language. And that’s some of it. But mostly it is being able to hear other’s souls with my own. It’s more complicated than that, but you wouldn’t understand.

And even then I could do that. And they knew I could do that before they even said hello.

I’ve met a few other people like me in my life. Usually I didn’t recognize that they were like me for at least a little while. But I’ve gotten better at it. They burned. Both of them.

The man caught my eye from across the room and SAW me. Saw me seeing him and his love. The faintest smile crossed his lips as he looked in my eyes and I knew that he saw more than I ever have. He turned to her and whispered in her ear without breaking eye contact with me. I learned later what he said: “I found one.”

She followed his gaze and found me at the end of it. The people they were with didn’t want them to leave but they deftly extricated themselves and made their way over to me.

The man just gazed into my eyes. But she introduced herself as Annabel and asked me my name. “Grace,” I said, looking back and forth between them.

“She’s not uncomfortable,” Annabel said to Edgar, for that was his name. “You’re losing your touch.”
“It’s not me, it’s her,” he responded without ever looking away from me.

“I know,” she said as she poked him in the ribs.
Then he looked away from me. And at her. It was a combination of pure love and “prepare to be judo chopped.” Which he did. Judo chop.

I’m not sure if that’s the real term for it. But he attacked her. Not like a banzai hack or flailing arms. It was fluid, graceful and quick. I didn’t even understand what was happening. She did. She countered it by twisting away and swinging her arm out like in the vids.

“You’re so predictable,” she said to him in a tone that would make any man I’d ever known up to that point angry.

He put his right fist against his open left hand and bowed to her while smiling. It wasn’t even an “I’ve been beaten but I’m going to get revenge” type of smile. It was genuine amusement and love.

Their quick movements didn’t create a ruckus, but the people close to us noticed and had backed off a little. It’s like it was their plan all along. We were surrounded, but no one was within earshot.

“We’ve been looking for you Grace,” said Annabel.