Hybrid Affairs

Mistaken identity

Amy’s POV

“Do I know you?” I asked the man who approached me in the hallway on our way to the Dean’s office.

“Sorry.” He hurriedly left without explaining or apologizing for what he just did.

And then it hit me. I guess it had been so long since I heard someone else say my sister’s name that it became too foreign even in my own ears. He knew my sister! I tried to catch up with the man but like the wisp of smoke, he vanished in thin air. I came back to my classmates panting for breath. They were still waiting for me in the hallway because I have the papers of the entire class with me.

“What was that?” Ericka, one of the most annoying land creatures to roam the Earth was impatiently tapping her boots on the marbled floor. It was a sign of temperament and I honestly do not give a bull’s a** for her snide complimentary today. I have been dealing with her for the past four years of my life. Today will be the end of it. I was out of breath and my mind was still trying to figure out if what I saw and heard was accurate.

“Did you hear what that guy just called me?” I asked them.

“Of course, that guy just called you Stacy. And you went amok and ran after him, leaving us here.”

“Good.” I handed them their papers.

“What is going on?” Ericka asked me again, this time she was sporting a very arched eyebrow.

“That means that you can go have your own papers signed by the Dean yourself.” I turn to leave, I am going to the Dean’s office later.

“Where do you think you are going?” Ericka do not know when to back down and was now more pissed than she was earlier.

“Nunna.”

“Who is Nunna?”

“Nunna your business.”

Knowing that I left them there bewildered, none matters right now. I gotta call Edward. He might be in basketball practice now but I have to try. I cannot call my parents and tell them that after ten years, something about Stacy came up. That is like opening up a healed wound and sprinkling rock salt on the injury. A can of worms opened and out came the worms heading to all sorts of direction.

Ten years after, technology had evolved and made people’s lives easier. With just one click, you can now connect to anyone, anytime and anywhere on the globe as long as you have good internet connection of course. Somehow I wish that we had these kind of technology when we sent Stacy here in Manhattan. We could have saved her from whatever that have happened to her.

Edward picked up on the fifth ring. He does this on purpose. He likes the number five so much that even his jersey number is five. I anticipated that he would answer on the fifth.

“Hey sis, what’s up?”

“Something came up.” I said hastily.

“Whoa, what is wrong? You usually roast me for answering on the fifth ring.”

I can no longer contain the excitement and desperation in my voice. I felt like I was burning inside and that I have to share this information with someone. For the longest time, we were left with a cold trail and then this man shows up.

“Someone called me Stacy, I mean, a man mistook me for her.”

The other end of the line went silent. I know that Edward was contemplating on this piece of information. Like me, he was left with nothing. One moment we had a loving sister,the next day we lost her just like that.And he was stuck with just one sister instead of two.

“Ed, are you still there? Did you hear me?”

“I-I-m here. Are you certain? I mean, what are the odds? There are many Stacy’s in Manhattan.”

“What are the odds that he approached the sister?”

After talking to Edward and letting him know what happened to me earlier, I tried to recall the features of the man who thought that I was Stacy. I scanned the Harvard ground for a silent spot, found a tree and a battered bench and closed my eyes.I wonder how many students have sat and composed their train of thoughts here. This helps me when I wanted to focus on something. Taking a deep breath and finding my calm. I started to visualize the features that I could recall vaguely.Thee guy does not look like he goes here, he was not familiar. I would know if he was with us in school or not. He looked like he was three or five years older than me and he had brown eyes...

“Amy.”

“Amy...”

“Amy! Wake up!”

Holy s**t. I know that voice from anywhere.

Stacy.

It had been ten f*cking long years but you do not forget the voice that wakes you up whenever those dreams come attacking your peaceful nights. It was Stacy’s voice I heard. As a Harvard lawyer, I know that hearing voices will not merit anything in court. I know that I am just so tired lately that I have been hearing voices but it could not be pure coincidence that a while ago someone calls me by my missing sisters name and now I hear her voice calling my name. Jesus, I need coffee.

With still many errands for the day, I decided to go out of the school campus and have fancy coffee. The study hall and school cafeteria at this time of the day will be peppered with fellow students and awful coffee did not sound so appealing right now. With the state that I am now, I know what I needed. StarBucks and cheesecake. Ah, the thought alone of it makes me feel better. Food had always been a part of my Harvard life. I am well aware of all the good places to eat around Harvard. The famous cafe was not a long way from the school campus. Roughly a hundred meters and I needed the walk, I want to shake the thoughts that were forming in my head.

When I got there, as if with a stroke of luck, some may call it ‘the universe is on my side’ today, there was one table for two that was available on the far end. I placed my backpack there to let anyone who would’ve have the interest in that table that it was occupied and got my order. I went back to my table and patiently waited for the Barista to call out my name ,while I waited, I took the novel I was reading lately to ease my mind, soon enough, I was lost in Harry Potter’s world.

It took only three minutes when I heard my name. “Amy! One venti Vanilla Frappe for Amy!”

I stood up and left my book open to get my order.When I returned with the goods, my book was neatly closed and there was a paper tucked in between the pages.My initial response to this horrendous gesture was rage. I scanned the cafe for anyone who could have placed it there.Clearly, someone wanted to play a joke on me by being rude and closing my book, that is straight up rude and whoever did that needed to be reprimanded.

Out of curiosity, I removed the piece of paper tucked in my book. Upon close inspection, I realized that it was a receipt paper. I was about to throw it away when I saw a note hastily written at the back with a black pen. Realizing that whoever wrote this note used my pen ,because it was not where I left it. Now, I am really pissed because he or she closed my book and meddled with my stuff. Whoever they were, they were cocky and I am mad.

However, something tells me to take another good look at that note.

I read the note and I felt that my intestines were being braided inside me. I felt sick.

Now, that was the last straw, I am going to call the cops for anyone who was trying to play mind games with me. My first thought was Ericka because that b*tch hates me since day one of law school, but now that I come to think of it, I have never mentioned Stacy to anyone for the last four years of my life in Harvard. No one knew that I was going to be here, all of them was busy getting their papers signed.

“ Meet me at the street park, near the fifth fountain.”

The message meant nothing to me. But the name below signed did. It was signed by Stacy.