Free A Brief Moment in TIme by Jeane Watier

what he was going to come up with, and more than once she’d had to allay him with the promise that she would get back to him with the answer to his question. Nevertheless, she thoroughly enjoyed their sessions together.
    She was discussing him one evening with Adele in the apartment they shared. “It’s a little unnerving sometimes,” she admitted. “I’m supposed to know all the answers, but I don’t. He really keeps me on my toes.”
    “Where do you think he’s gotten his information?” Adele asked and then answered her own question. “The Internet, maybe, or books. But from what you’ve said, it seems like he’s tapped into some higher knowing, too. He seems really connected. What’s his spiritual background?”
    “He is very connected,” Kathryn replied. “I think that’s what I sensed about him from the start. He was raised catholic; his parents attend church regularly. We’ve talked a little about his beliefs. He definitely believes in a higher power but doesn’t hold rigidly to the Catholic teachings. It’s the way he looks at me, though…” Kathryn added.
    “What do you mean?”
    “I don’t know for sure. It’s like…” she stopped, not sure how to describe the way he made her feel. “It’s almost like he knows me. The questions he asks, the comments he makes—I’d swear sometimes he’s peeked at my notes. He’ll answer questions that I’m just about to ask.”
    “That is strange.”
    “There’s something else.”
    Adele turned from the skirt she was pressing, giving Kathryn her attention. “That sounds serious. What is it?”
    “He calls me Kate,” she replied, “even though I introduced myself as Kathryn. He didn’t talk much at first. I thought he was shy or maybe a little uncomfortable with the one-on-one format, but now I think he was just reading me.”
    “But why…? Oh shit!” Adele pulled the iron away from the fabric too late. “I scorched it.” She began to laugh. “You know, every time I wear this skirt, I’m reminded how much I dislike it. I think, subconsciously, I was looking for a way to ruin it. I’m going to have to start paying closer attention to my guidance system,” she declared, tossing the garment aside.
    “So why do you think Gavin calls you Kate and not Kathryn?” she asked, now fully focused on the conversation.
    “I don’t know,” Kathryn shrugged. “I was tempted to correct him the first time, but I wanted him to feel comfortable with me so I let it go. It’s been several weeks now. I can’t very well tell him he’s been wrong this whole time.”
    “Is he wrong?”
    Kathryn recognized Adele’s tone. She knew what her friend was getting at, too. She had been christened Patricia Katherine, after her two grandmothers. She was called Kate for short, which wasn’t a bad name, just a little too easy to rhyme when the other kids teased a shy, chubby little girl. Her father liked to call her Patty-Kate, a name that might have been endearing had he not been intoxicated for most of her formative years.
    It wasn’t until after her twenty-first birthday that anyone called her by a different name. At that juncture in her life, she decided to make some changes. Having been raised in a dysfunctional home, she was determined to create a life for herself that was radically different from the one she’d known. A brand new career, a new city, and a new more sophisticated name—they all represented a clean start in life.
    A year later when she met a wonderful man and fell in love for the first time, he called her Kate while making love to her, and she couldn’t bear to correct him. Kate became his choice name for her, and she didn’t mind it. But now hearing it from Gavin left her with all kinds of confusing emotions.
    “You know, I think there’s a Kate inside you, and she’s trying to get out,” Adele said frankly.
    “Why do you say that?”
    “Think about it; the name Kate sounds young and fun loving, adventurous and carefree. I