Castaway
Copyright© 2015 by Colin Barrett
Chapter 10
Jesus, what a hell of a dream, I thought as I woke up. I'd actually done surgery! And it was so damn detailed, every step still clear in my head. I wondered if I had some subconscious desire to be a doctor, if that was where it all came from.
Kitty wasn't in the bed any more; he seemed to have gone downstairs. I wasn't surprised when I glanced at the clock, I'd slept in really late, it was nearly noon.
Then memories of last night's dinner with Camilla abruptly came back to me, and my heart did an extra few beats. Playing surgeon had been a dream, but this was real! I was going to sing Scarpia, one of the greatest roles in the repertoire! Everything I'd quit electronics for was going to come true!
And Camilla had kissed me, and she was going to rehearse with me and help me learn the part. Suddenly I was ecstatic, and fairly bounced out of bed and waltzed into the john. "I'm up now, kitty, and coming down!" I called out. "Breakfast soon!" There was no response, but I didn't think anything of it.
Usually I didn't dress before breakfast, just threw on a robe, but today seemed a good one for changing that around. In fact, let's make it a full change; I got in the shower and took a quick one. Marullo could slouch around the house in a bathrobe, but Scarpia needed to look neat and clean. I looked around for a fresh razor blade to complete the transformation but couldn't find one and made do with the old one. I'd have to put blades on my shopping list, apparently I'd run out without noticing.
While I was dressing I experimentally ran a quick scale. And did it again just for the sheer joy of it; there was my brand new voice still, as bright and clear and strong as last night, echoing through the cabin. I'd be a Scarpia people wouldn't soon forget, I'd be magnificent, I'd make the world sit up and take notice.
With all those happy thoughts cascading through my head I was finally ready. I fumbled through my closet and picked out a pair of dress shoes I'd bought recently and completed my ensemble with them. Even if it was just me at home—well, me and the cat—I needed to start looking the part of the successful world-class baritone I was becoming. Going to become, I shouldn't get ahead of myself.
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