Dr. Julia Hoffman was surprised to see Willie Loomis sitting in front of the Old House. He looked worried. “Willie, is everything all right with Barnabas?” she asked.
“Yeah,” said Willie, “I wouldn’ let anythin’ happen t’ Barnabas… But everythin’ isn’ all right with me.”
“Well, you’ve just been released from Windcliff…” said Julia, “…you have to account for a period of adjustment.”
“I’m startin’ t’ remember things, Doctor—things I don’ think I should remember. So– I thought I’d talk t’ you, an’ maybe you could help me… help me not remember so much…”
If he remembers that Barnabas kidnapped Maggie Evans and tried to make her into Barnabas’ long-lost love Josette… Julia thought, …I shudder to think what Barnabas might do… “Yes, that’s fine… we can talk…” she said to Willie…
“Yeah. Talkin’ is good. But… maybe you can do more than talk to me in order t’ help me… maybe…”
“I’ll do what I can to help you, Willie,” said Julia, “you know that…”
Willie nodded. Julia sat down on the steps next to him.
He began by saying: “…Have you ever been in jail, Doctor?” Willie tried to start out in a light-hearted way by forcing a little laugh into his words, but while he found the idea laughable, his tone lacked any real lightness or humor.
“…No, I’ve never had that experience,” said Julia.
Willie laughed, more nervously this time, “No, you probably haven’… Stupid question…”
“…Why did you ask about jail, Willie?” Julia asked.
“I’ve been in jail a few times,” said Willie. “Nothin’ serious… before the police thought I kidnapped Maggie, I mean… I was afraid I’d end up in jail for that, even though… you know I’d never hurt Maggie, right?”
Julia nodded. She had to stay calm, even though she didn’t feel calm inside…
“I haven’ served hard time ‘r anything,” Willie continued, “I’d jus’ get drunk an’ disorderly an’ end up sleepin’ it off in a holdin’ cell. I don’ want you t’ think I’m a hardened criminal or nothin’…”
“I don’t think that at all, Willie,” said Julia.
“See… in the holdin’ cells, I’d meet real hardened criminals, y’ know?”
Julia nodded. What is your point, Willie? she thought, but she didn’t say it. Whatever Willie had to say, he needed to say it in his own way.
“An’ those guys were really mean… an’ a little crazy, see?” Willie continued.
Julia nodded. “I can imagine…”
“Especially th’ guys who’d been in solitary. See, when you put a man in a small space with nothin’ but his thoughts, he goes a little stir crazy. An’ when that happens, he gets mean. He stops trustin’ people. An’ he takes his meanness out on anyone around him.”
“Yes, I can see how that can happen,” said Julia.
“So… Barnabas was chained up in a coffin…” said Willie, “an’ that’s like solitary confinement, y’ know?”
Julia nodded.
“So… I don’ really blame him for…” Willie frowned. “He wasn’ always nice t’ me when I first started… started…”
“Started working for Barnabas as his handyman,” said Julia.
Willie nodded. “Yeah. But I figured, ‘Willie, you were goin’ down a bad road. You were goin’ t’ become a hardened criminal.’ So… better t’ be with Barnabas an’ help him not be so mean than t’ get into real trouble. An’ I think I did help him. I’m sure I did. I was kind of… I hope you don’t laugh… like his Jiminy Cricket… he was like Pinocchio… wantin’ t’ be human, y’ know?”
Julia didn’t laugh at all. “You were his conscience,” she said. “And, Willie, I think that Barnabas started seeing you as his friend.”
Willie grinned.
“He needs friends,” said Julia, “true friends that understand about… his condition. It wasn’t his fault that—that he became a vampire.” There, I’ve thrown the word out there, she thought, now let’s see how Willie responds to it…
Willie just nodded. “Yeah, like criminals on parole,” he said. “They need friends, but they don’ trust anyone. I bet that Barnabas didn’ always treat you right, even though you’ve been good to him.”
Now Julia frowned. “Not in the beginning, no. But he and I are reaching… an understanding, let us say.”
“I guess you b’lieve that guys like Barnabas… an’ guys like me… deserve a second chance,” said Willie.
Julia nodded.
“…Yeah, that’s what I thought,” said Willie. “An’ I wanna give Barnabas that second chance. It’s just… I keep thinkin’ about Maggie.”
“What about her?” Julia asked.
“Maggie’s jus’ th’ nicest gal out there. She’s had a tough life, with havin’ no mother anymore an’ her father drinkin’ too much.”
“Indeed, she has,” Julia agreed.
“Now, I’ve seen gals an’ guys get bitter, sometimes, when they go through bad stuff,” Willie said.
“I’ve seen that, too,” said Julia.
“—But not Maggie. If anythin’, it’s made her kinder, an’ more understandin’… an’ more forgivin’…”
“I imagine that’s true,” said Julia.
“…Somethin’ real bad happened t’ Maggie, didn’ it?” Willie asked.
Julia took a deep breath: “…Yes. To say the least.”
“I don’ remember much of what happened,” said Willie. “I remember tryin’ t’ warn her about somethin’, an’ then I was shot by th’ police. I almost died.”
Julia nodded.
“Now, I know I didn’ hurt her…” said Willie… “so… sometimes, when a man is in solitary, he goes a little crazy… an’… he gets so lonely that when he finally gets out… sometimes he stalks a gal… an’… an’… Doctor, I don’ want t’ remember what happened…”
“I understand. It was a very traumatic time for all of us,” said Julia.
“So… I gotta ask you some things,” said Willie.
Julia took another deep breath. “…Such as?”
“Does Maggie remember any of it?” Willie asked.
Julia shook her head.
“Will she ever remember any of it?” he asked.
“No. She’s forgotten, and she’ll never remember any of it again,” said Julia.
“Good,” said Willie. “That’s good. I don’ want nothin’ t’ ever happen t’ Maggie… she doesn’ deserve t’ remember… stuff like that… y’ know?”
Julia nodded.
“…Doctor, did you do somethin’ t’ help Maggie forget? Please… be honest with me, now… ‘cause I need you t’ be honest. I won’ be mad or nothin’ —I just need t’ know.”
Julia took a huge breath, then: “…Yes. I helped her to forget.”
“Did what you did to her… did it hurt?” Willie asked.
“I can assure you that it did not.”
“Good… good… good t’ know,” said Willie.
Willie didn’t say anything more for many long seconds.
Julia broke the silence by saying: “…Willie, why did you want to know all of this?”
“Dr. Hoffman, I don’ want t’ hate Barnabas. He’s had a tough life an’ he needs us… he needs both of us, y’ know?”
“Yes, I believe he does,” said Julia.
“But if I remember what happened t’ Maggie, I’ll probably get real mad an’ I won’t like Barnabas anymore… maybe… so…”
“So…?” Julia prompted.
“Will you do for me what you did for Maggie? Will you help me t’ forget? See, I’d like t’ forget. I’d like t’ have it all go away… I don’t want Barnabas t’ know… he needs t’ trust me… so… if it could be between you an’ me… if you’d jus’ help me… please help me, Julia. I don’ want t’ hate Barnabas. So, please help me…”
“All right, I’ll help you. It won’t hurt,” said Julia.
“An’ you won’ tell Barnabas?”
“It will be our little secret,” said Julia.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” said Julia.
Then Julia took out her medallion. “Willie, I have this jewel that I’m quite fond of… it has so many facets… just like Barnabas does… Look at the jewel, Willie… look at the jewel, and tell me if you can find the center of the light…”