Have you ever had a relative who made your life miserable? No matter what you did, this bothersome individual always seemed to get the best of you.

But then one day, you try to turn the tables on this person, only to discover the outcome may not be what you wanted, as you will find out in . . .

Imaginary Friends?

     As usual, a cloud-covered sky obscured my view of Tacoma, Washington on this chilly December 28 morning. I had awakened late and sat alone at the kitchen table in my brother-in-law’s and sister-in-law’s home eating my breakfast, a scone leftover from dinner and a glass of orange juice. I stared at the Seattle Times lying beside me on the table. The headline on the front page intrigued me. It read, “The Ghosts of Christmas Past Appear.”

     I began to read the article. It piqued my curiosity. I became engrossed in it. Then, my sister-in-law, Janet, entered the room. Looking down at me with my head buried in the paper, she said, “I feel bad, Lee, that you have to eat breakfast by yourself.”

     Something strange came over me. I looked up at her and muttered, “But I’m not eating alone.”

     She glared at me in utter amazement, as she saw no one occupying the other three seats around the table. Flustered she moaned, “But there’s nobody else here.” The puzzled expression on my face confounded her.

     “You don’t see my three good friends?” I exclaimed, while trying to keep a straight face. “Let me introduce you to them.”

     “To them? You’ve gone mad. I don’t want to meet your imaginary friends. Ghosts of your past, I suppose,” she groaned. “I tried to be nice and you give me this silliness. I’m not up to your crap this morning.”

     “My past,” I quipped. “No, not the past. These are friends in my future.”

     She appeared to be at her wit’s end with me, but I continued my tirade to her dismay and disgust. “It is my pleasure to introduce you to Frederick, Hans, and Dominic,” I announced with enthusiasm.

     “You have got be kidding. You are, aren’t you?”

     She seemed worried about my state of mind. Guess she wondered if I did believe what I said. I think she felt certain I’d become delusional. However, I’d gone this far, so why not continue my ruse.

     “Well,” I sputtered. “Let me tell you about these extraordinary fellows you see before you.” I went on as if I knew what I was talking about. “These gentlemen live in our future and possess knowledge most of us would find interesting and necessary to be successful in life.”

     I watched Janet’s face as I rambled on. She became more and more annoyed with me. If I wasn’t a lunatic, she was certain I had taken this joke a bit too far. However, I couldn’t control my ranting about the “three illustrious souls” sitting around the table.

     Transfixed, she looked me straight in the eye and screamed at the top of her lungs, “So enlighten me, my ‘crazy’ relative.”

     I stood up, waving my right arm in an upward, sweeping gesture and blurted, “To my right is Dominic, an eminent teacher of young people, a man who will help our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren fulfill their dreams.”

     Now, Janet had an even stranger expression on her face. I had trouble interpreting what it meant, but I still decided to continue.

     “And sitting in the center chair is the spectacular Hans, a dramatic artist of note, who will nurture our heirs in the fine points of expression. Because of his teachings, our future offspring will be able to sweep their audiences off their feet.”

     Janet started to interrupt, when I exclaimed, “You haven’t met the last of my three future friends.”

     She gasped in horror at my arrogance. “You’re exasperating. Go ahead, get it over with,” she shouted in dismay.

     I hesitated a moment before continuing. I thought about stopping my farce, but was having too much fun at Janet’s expense. In a loud voice, I proclaimed, “And last, but not least, I give you Frederick, ‘Mr. Fred,’ as he is known in the fashion industry—a fashion designer’s designer. In our future, he is the one who will turn the industry on its ear. He will clothe the world in a rainbow of exquisite creations.”

     My eyes focused on Janet who had a menacing grimace on her face. It appeared as if she might attack me, if not physically, at least with a verbal barrage of words that could not be repeated in mixed, or for that matter, any company.

     For my part, the game had ended. I had accomplished my mission of frustrating her, something I had never been able to do before. It always had been the other way around.

     The rest of the day Janet and I avoided each other. When we had to be together at dinner, we didn’t exchange more than a few words. During the evening, I spoke to my brother-in-law, Russell, and Janet spoke to my wife, Kathy. Janet and I did our best to freeze each other out, even while sitting in the same room while watching TV.

     The next day, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law drove Kathy and me to the airport to catch our flight back home to Sacramento, California. Janet seemed to have recovered from my craziness. We said our goodbyes and wished each other well.

     Kathy and I had a routine flight home and landed at 8:10 p.m. Our baggage came down the chute faster than expected. And the tram to the long-term parking lot seemed to be waiting for us. When we arrived at our Honda SUV, I opened the hatch and shoved our baggage in. Then I slipped in behind the wheel and, with Kathy tucked into the passenger seat, drove to the exit and paid the parking fee. Our drive home from the airport was uneventful. When we arrived, we unpacked and prepared for bed.

     Still a bit restless from the trip, I decided to read The Sacramento Bee before turning in. My neighbor, Harry, had been putting it on our kitchen counter while we were away. I grabbed today’s paper from the top of the stack. As I unfolded it, the headline in the middle of the front page caught my eye, “Future Leaders Identified.” I scanned the article. Feeling a little uncomfortable with what I saw, I backtracked to the beginning and read it aloud, focusing on each detail.

     “Six young people, ages fifteen through eighteen, have been projected to have wonderful and prosperous futures.” I took a deep breath and then continued. “A recent nationwide competition selected young men and women who will be our nation’s future leaders in the fields of science and mathematics, education, the fine and performing arts, business and industry, the social sciences, and fashion and merchandizing.”

     As I further perused the article, I began to get a strange feeling, as if I already knew this information. The first youngster recognized was a young woman who had designed a scientific process that could change the field of genetics. While this fascinated me, the second portrait, which focused on a young man, sent chills through my body.

     It read, “Dominic Dimateo, a seventeen-year-old junior at Harris High School has been selected as a future teacher who will change the lives of our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.” My body began to quiver and I almost stopped reading.

     Kathy called from the bedroom, bringing me back to reality. “Are you coming to bed?” she asked.

     “I’m in the middle of reading a story in the paper. I’ll be in as soon as I’m finished,” I replied. 

     Proceeding with caution, my eyes moved back to the article on future leaders. I almost fainted at what jumped out at me next. “Hans Freidkin, eighteen, from Washington High School, wowed the audience with his dramatic portrayal of ‘King Lear.’ His prowess in public speaking and the dramatic arts will make him a role model for young people now and in the future.” I felt cold and clammy.

     My eyes flew over the rest of the article, looking for what I didn’t want to find. Then, I felt as if I’d hit a brick wall head on. There on the page, the last category recognized, “Fashion and Merchandizing,” pushed me over the edge. I felt a pounding in my head. My heart skipped a beat as I read, “Frederick Berkenmeyer, a sixteen-year-old entrepreneur from Dudley High School of Fashion, designs clothing, which will change the future of the fashion industry.”

     I gulped and almost choked on my own saliva. This can’t be happening. Somehow my joke on Janet had come back to haunt me. It appeared once again she had gotten the upper hand and was paying me back for what I put her through with my imaginary friends. But how this could happen was a mystery to me. The only other explanation was crazier than the first. I had seen the future.

Copyright © 2012 Alan Lowe. All rights reserved.