Eternal sunshine of two spotless minds, Part II

He is not his usual self, she thought to herself. She knew something was definitely bothering him.

'A penny for your thoughts?' she enquired.

'Huh... no, it's nothing.'

She placed her hand over his. 'Something is bothering you. I can see it. You can trust me' she prodded gently.

He inhaled deeply, but remained quiet for a few moments. Then he removed a card from his wallet and placed it on the table.

'This card doesn't make any sense to me. Yet I feel I must contact the person at the given number and find out what it means.'

Her expression changed a little as she examined the card. He was too lost in his thoughts to notice it.

'Perhaps that is what you should do. I want to be with you when you meet this person.'

He smiled, relieved. 'I was hoping you would say something like that. I will call him tomorrow morning.'

The second evening after that day, they stood outside a door wondering whether they should knock or return. A board on the door described the occupant as a doctor specialising in hypno-therapy.

Did I visit a hypnotist before, he wondered. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply. A moment later, the door opened and they found themselves facing a man with greying hair. He appeared to be in his fifties. He looked down at them through a pair of spectacles perched on his nose.

A smile slowly formed on his face. He nodded slightly at the woman. It was apparent that he knew them. Does he know her too, the man thought.

'You called me two days ago, didn't you?' he asked. Without waiting for a reply, he continued speaking. 'I had a feeling I would be meeting you soon.'

He paused for a moment and added as an afterthought, 'I had seen you two walk away from the cafe at the corner of the street a few days ago.'

'You know us?' the woman asked, her eyebrows raised in surprise. The hypnotist raised his hand as if to stop her from saying anything further.

'Let's talk inside, shall we?' he suggested and ushered them in.

To be continued...