The Purgatorium

Chapter Three

That evening, after a quick shower, Daphne dried her hair and lounged in her towel, waiting for Cam to call. While she waited, she opened her journal to add more lines to her new poem:

Since your voice can never be heard again,

Nor your touch felt, nor your eyes seen,

I'll close my eyes, and with one long sigh,

Seek you in my final dream.

Not long after, Cam phoned to say he would meet Daphne in the dining room because he'd promised Hortense he'd help set up an exercise.

"What kind of exercise?"

"Now how much fun would it be if I ruined the surprise?"

"I don't like surprises."

"Well, you're no fun. Come on, have a positive attitude. It's going to be great."

She hung up the phone and then put on a soft cream blouse with a long lavender skirt and silver sandals, a new outfit her mother had bought her for the trip. Daphne looked at her reflection as she twisted her hair up into a clip. She hadn't worn makeup or jewelry in a long time, but tonight, she wished she had brought some along.

A few others entered the main building way ahead of her. Behind her, Stan called for her to wait up. She turned and gasped. In a button-down light blue shirt and khaki slacks, he looked every bit the male model.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey. You look nice."

"Thanks. So do you."

They followed the others into the main building.

"This place is so beautiful," Daphne said.

"Yeah. I've really enjoyed it here."

"How long are you staying?"

"Not sure. Kind of playing it by ear."

People stood in front of the elevator waiting. Daphne's palms felt sweaty. It had been awhile since she had last been in one.

"Do you mind if we take the stairs?" Daphne asked at the last second, just as the doors opened to welcome them inside.

"Not at all."

She followed Stan down the hall, but the door to the stairwell had a sign posted: "Wet paint. Do not enter."

"Is there another stairwell?" Daphne asked. Her heart was racing now.

"I would think so. Come on." He led her down another corridor. They passed the rec room, the spa, the bar and grill, and came to the shop. "Here we go." But on the door was the same message. "Oops. Looks like the elevator it is."

They returned to the lobby and found one waiting. Daphne stepped inside with wobbly legs. As the elevator doors closed, Stan pushed number three, and Daphne's heart pounded all the way up in her ears. She clutched the railing behind her and looked for her happy place, chastising herself for going so long without riding an elevator. Her doctor had warned her that the desensitizing therapy would wear off. Breathe in, two, three, four, and out, six, seven, eight.

The doors opened on the third floor.

He led her through a foyer into the dining room. Daphne took another deep breath and slowly exhaled.

About a dozen tables were occupied, and a dozen more were not. Daphne spotted Cam across the room standing near a round table where Hortense and a few others in their forties and fifties were seated.