Visiting Past Lives

By Doug Simpson

After an unusual accident, Duke meets Duchess. She has suffered a concussion and since she's just arrived to the city, she has no relatives or friends to stay with during her recovery.

Duke feels responsible for her condition and insists to be be her caregiver for a week. Soon, they begin to develop feelings for each other. Months later, Duke surprises Duchess when he asks if she believes in the reincarnation of our souls. Duchess had never thought of the subject but she's interested in learning more.

After listening to the recordings where he discovered some interesting past lifetimes, Duchess is so intrigued by the information recorded on Duke’s four CDs that she is eager to discover more about her own past lives. What unfolds will change both of their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Next Chapter
• Release date: May 27, 2024

Doug Simpson

Doug Simpson is a retired Certified Public Accountant. He lives near Lake Whitney, Texas, where he writes and tends to his community-based market garden operation.

Book preview

1

DUCHESS

Iwas in a hurry to get back to work after looking for some new, more comfortable shoes at a nearby store on my lunch break. I did not find anything I liked before running short of time. I pushed open the exit door with my right forearm and searched in my handbag for my sunglasses, then bang. Not looking, I stepped in front of a man striding along the sidewalk, who apparently had no opportunity to avoid our massive collision. He knocked me sideways, and my head slammed into the edge of the open door. I was massively dazed but did not topple over as the gentleman quickly grabbed me when he noticed my semi-conscious condition. Unfortunately, I dropped my handbag, causing its contents to splash all over the sidewalk at our feet.

My savior commandeered a couple of ladies passing by to collect the scattered contents of my purse as he valiantly managed to keep me upright even though I was thoroughly weak-kneed.

Oh crap, I heard him whisper, obviously attempting not to upset me even more, and then mysteriously whisking a handkerchief out of his pocket. You are bleeding where you banged your head, I heard him mumble. He applied pressure to the opened cut and pressed me against the still-open door, attempting to keep me standing with only one hand to achieve this miracle.

Another man stopped by and asked if he could help. My savior asked him if he had a handkerchief he could donate to the cause. Fortunately, he did. My savior asked him to keep me standing while he attempted to stop the blood flow before it dripped on my favorite summer dress.

We need to whisk you off to an emergency room and get this cut attended to, he said as calmly as possible so as not to panic me even more. My car is parked just down the street. I can drive you to the closest hospital much faster and cheaper than waiting for an ambulance to arrive. He asked the second man to pick up my purse and then hold the now two handkerchiefs to my head, then he scooped me up into his arms, and we paraded down the street, garnering widespread interest, I’m sure.

He set me down gently at the passenger door to a nifty white SUV. Knowing basically nothing about cars, I cannot tell you anything concerning the make or model of the vehicle. What I do know is that it was sharp-looking. He asked me to take over the dual handkerchiefs from the second guy, which I did, then asked the second guy to place my handbag on the floor of the passenger seat. He then thanked the second guy profusely for all his contributions to mitigating our difficult circumstances, and the second guy went on his way down the street.

My savior then assisted me to climb into the passenger seat, buckled my seatbelt for me, and closed my door. With me secured, he maneuvered his snazzy car into traffic, and within a few minutes, he pulled into the emergency entrance of a hospital I never knew existed. A doorman/security guard popped out the door, and my savior asked him in a loud voice to please fetch a wheelchair quickly, as his passenger needed emergency attention. Within a minute, the two of them had me settled into the wheelchair with my handbag on my lap and on the way to the entrance. I’ll park my car and join you inside in a few minutes, he hollered as I was wheeled away.

2

DUKE

Iparked my car in the visitor parking lot, obtained my parking ticket, placed it on the dashboard on the driver’s side as instructed, and sprinted to the emergency room door. Inside, I looked for the young lady in the wheelchair, but she was nowhere in sight. Fast or what! I told the nurse/clerk at the admissions window I was the driver for the lady who just arrived minutes earlier in the wheelchair. She asked me if I was her husband or a relative, and I said no, I was just her driver, helping by driving her there for quick medical attention. She instructed me to have a seat, telling me that the patient was already being attended to and the doctor or a nurse would eventually come out here and give me an update on her condition.

I sat down as instructed and tried to read a magazine, but there was too much hectic activity going on around me, with new arrivals regularly and doctors and nurses coming and going. It was impossible to concentrate on reading, so I ditched the magazine and settled in, observing the activities unfolding around me. I suddenly remembered that I had two afternoon appointments at my office and went outside to call my personal assistant to bring her up to date on my lunch hour distractions and ask her to call my two clients and ask them to reschedule as I had a bit of a personal emergency and could not meet with them today. With that taken care of, I went back inside to wait. And wait. And wait.

I am sure it was at least an hour, but it felt like many hours to someone who was supposed to be elsewhere but had his day drastically altered in one second. I had oodles of opportunities to relive those few seconds that caused me to be seated here waiting for a young lady that unfortunately I caused to suffer unmercifully and whose name I did not even know. Holy crap, I thought suddenly, as I had an epiphany. Fortunately, I did not blurt the words out in front of a couple dozen neighbors. I closed my eyes and tried to relax,