The image vanished from the table and he slumped in the chair trying to find something in the all white space to fix his attention on. He sat up and stared about again.

"Hey! Medi-whatever, what happens now?" There was nothing but silence but it didn't seem silent to Vincent. He couldn't fathom the sensation but while it was quiet it somehow 'felt' noisy—not loud, just—music! He could hear music and he glanced down at the table to see another slice of his life swirling into focus.

The car radio was blaring a rock tune into the starry night and the couple in the front seat was involved in a groping, passionate wrestle. Vincent leaned closer and uttered a small gasp of surprise. It was his best friend, Benny and Ginny! He watched, as they grew more and more frantic, seeking openings and fumbling with clothing parts.

The scene shifted to another car climbing a winding road through a stand of tall evergreens and emerging onto a bare plateau spotted with various cars parked randomly around the perimeter.

Behind the wheel Vincent saw himself looking eagerly for his friend's car. After his grandfather had intervened, Vincent was granted the use of the family car once again, and he was using it to keep a date he had long dreamt about. Ginny had made it clear she wanted to see him and Benny had offered to drive her to the plateau since he was going there with his own girlfriend anyway. It had saved Vincent a long run across town, which meant more time with Ginny.

His headlights picked out Benny's car and he could see the shadows inside as he pulled up alongside.

He climbed out, opened the passenger door on Benny's car, and looked down at Ginny looking up at him while Benny, grunting on top of her, had his head buried in her bare chest. Vincent was speechless he let go of the handle and stepped back unable to comprehend what he was looking at. Ginny pushed her fingers into Benny's head and rolled it side to side as she grinned wickedly up at Vincent.

He fled back to his car and tore dangerously from the parking area, tossing gravel and dirt into the air and prompting complaining honks from various cars. She had done it to him again only this time it was more than a tease; it was deliberately cruel. The car swayed dangerously down the winding road and at the bottom, instead of stopping, he swung right out onto the through road and clipped the rear fender of a passing car.

Vincent remembered the incident with a revived anger and regret. He had turned down a chance to see Maria at the local mall for his anticipated meeting with Ginny, and in the end not only learned a hard lesson but an expensive one. He sat back in the chair as the image dissolved and thought back to the following days.

His father had forbidden him to renew his license and was even forced to sell the car to help pay for the damages. Life with his grandparents became strained and life fell another notch on the misery scale. His friendship with Benny had ended abruptly the following week at school with Vincent breaking the smug face with a vicious closed fist smash.

The last thing he heard about Benny and Ginny was that she had publicly been blamed for everything and wound up being snubbed by her group. That pretty much left Benny as her only friend, a convenience he used to his advantage and her detriment. She became the go to screw for his buddies, leaving her wearing her accepted lifestyle like a billboard until her availability and desirability waned.

He got up again and tried finding a way out of the lounge but as before, he walked and walked without getting anywhere. Finally he cried out for the man he'd met to come and free him from his memories.

"Just a few more, Vincent. Be patient."

The voice echoed around him but he saw no one and frustrated, he sat back down and held his head in his hands. The next sound was an old favourite song of his and he remembered when it was last played and he looked into the table and saw himself with his new bride, Maria, dancing to the applause of family and friends. He leaned forward and relived a moment from his wedding day.

"You're beautiful, Maria." He whispered close to her ear.

"And you are my handsome prince, Vincent."

"Are you happy?"

"You'll never know." The music continued and they floated about the floor like Fred and Ginger, oblivious to the guests, lost in the rapture of each other's presence.

The moment ended and Vincent's hand went out to stop it from disappearing but it was gone. It had taken a long time and a lot of effort to gain Maria's family's trust and respect but Vincent had set his mind to winning her hand and his persistence had paid off.

She kept her position in her father's business even after the birth of the children and although less than thrilled, Vincent had persevered at his job. The magic of the romance and marriage lasted twenty-three years before the shine began to turn dull with no amount of polish able to restore it.

A young woman had joined Vincent's company and before long had insinuated her self into his department, his duties and eventually his arms. The affair was brief and strangely unsatisfying for Vincent. He hadn't meant to do it. He hadn't even wanted to do it.

There was just something about the woman that pricked his ego and it wasn't until Maria confronted him with her suspicions that he learned the woman was the daughter of Ginny McRae, the girl from his youth.

He couldn't believe the trap he'd walked into, never mind the vindictiveness of the girl he'd pined for in high school. Thinking that she had used her own daughter to satisfy her twisted revenge kept him from recognizing the crack that had opened in his own relationship.

His son and daughter stopped paying attention to him as much as possible, and Maria had turned more of her time and interest to her job. Her parents didn't know any details but they saw that something was wrong and circled the wagons around their daughter.

Vincent's life became that of a pariah, both at home and work, where Ginny's daughter spread every bit of lurid gossip she could about his behaviour. Once again Vincent saw his fatal slip in front of the bus and he sat back with a groan and although he could feel tears filling his eyes nothing flowed.

******

"I see most of your memories have been a little on the negative side." Meditatio sat across from him, a kindly smiling eyes contradicting an otherwise featureless face.

"My life sucked." Vincent said morosely.

"Oh I wouldn't go that far. My goodness, you had two beautiful children from a beautiful, loving wife. You provided a good home. You were fair and generous in your business world."

"Oh yeah, I was Mr. Wonderful. I cheated on my wife and ruined our marriage. I spent most of my years in a boring, dead end job at mediocre pay. Maria made more than I did."

"Life isn't a scorecard, Vincent. You don't get points for right and wrong."

"So what is it then? What is the point of the whole thing? You get born; you grow up doing almost the same things as everyone else. You work, you marry, have kids and then you die... or have an accident like me. What did Vincent Marcos accomplish in the grand scheme of things?"

"He accomplished his part of the grand scheme."

"What the—?" Vincent found he couldn't say the word he was thinking of and tried another. "What does that mean, my part?"

"We all play a part in a grand scheme, Vincent, no matter how big or small, long or short. It is all integral to the evolution of existence."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Life is random, how can it be a part we play?"

"It's not something you need to understand, Vincent, nor is it expected." The voice boomed softly making Vincent feel a relaxing comfort from its timbre. "Just know that all parts are essential even though they may be random and seemingly purposeless."

"But how can there be a plan if nobody knows what's gonna happen?"

"Each of us knows what will happen through the choices we make."

"That's not true! You decide to do something and wham, it goes to rat— to ruin." He couldn't understand not being able to curse.

"But you controlled the original decision, Vincent. You might have chosen a different path and things would have worked out fine."

"This is nuts. You showed me things from my life that were meaningless. I mean so what if I didn't get into Ginny's— if we didn't make out. Hey, why can't I say some things or swear?"

"It isn't necessary."

"Maybe not but it feels good so why can't I?"

"You choose not to."

"I do not!"

Meditatio smiled and just washed Vincent with his calm expression. "If you really want to you can, Vincent. The choice is really yours."

"Yeah? Maybe. But back to my question. How can those things I saw contribute to anything? I mean, there are billions of people down there all doing their own thing; how does that work?"

"Exactly as it's supposed to."

"Okay, that's bull— that's just plain nuts."

"I think it might be time to move on to the next stage, Vincent. You don't seem to be interested in reflecting on any more of your past life."

"You've got that right."