"Jenny!" I shouted to my wife. "Where's my tie?" She was always "tidying up" and putting things where I couldn't find them. Today was going to be busy as well -- I had a lunchtime appointment with Dr. Rivera, so I really didn't want to be hanging around looking for stuff.

 

Jenny eventually showed me the rack where she had put the tie. I gave her a curt goodbye and headed out to work.

 

Work went OK, but Rivera never showed, so I headed out early to the lake house with Jenny. We spent the weekend there, and I was driving home with her when she turned to me.

 

"Honey?" she said. "Can we head back?"

 

"Why?"

 

"I just think I left the back door unlocked."

 

"You're sure?"

 

"No, but..."

 

"OK," I said. It was going to be a pain, but I didn't see an alternative. A turnout was coming up -- I braked sharply to make it and made the U-turn back down the narrow winding road.

 

The journey passed in silence. I didn't feel much like talking, and would just have snapped at her if I did. After about half an hour we were back at the house. I parked the car and we got out.

 

"OK," I said. "Let's take a look."

 

We walked up to the front door -- that at least was locked. We had left the lights off, and it was starting to get dark. I unlocked the door, and we went in. I flicked the switch to turn the lights on -- everything was as we had left it. Then Jenny touched my arm.

 

"Wait," she said. "I think I hear something."

 

I didn't hear anything. "It's fine," I said, and walked down the corridor that led to the back door. I was halfway there when it started to open from the outside. I saw a dim shape, felt a rush of adrenalin, and then...

 

I woke up to find myself lying on my back, with a bright light in my eyes. I squinted, and raised my hand to shield my eyes, and found electrodes stuck to my temples. I moved to pull them off, but a woman's hand stopped me.

 

"Wait a second," she said. "It can be like a Band-Aid when you take them off." I started to sit up, but felt a little dizzy, so I lay back down. "Easy," she said. "Take your time."

 

I was getting more accustomed to the light now, and looked around. I was on some sort of surgical bed. The woman was looking down at me. She was wearing a lab coat and carrying a notepad. I sat up a little, and she gently removed the electrodes.

 

"Where am I?" I asked. "I was just at the lake house."

 

The woman smiled. "You're in my office," she said. "I'm Dr. Rivera. You're just a little disoriented. Give it a minute."

 

"But how did I get here?"

 

"You were here all along."

 

"But I was at the lake house, with my wife."

 

"Oh?" she said. "Which lake?"

 

I opened my mouth to reply -- Tahoe? Champlain? Cham-something? but I couldn't remember. But wait, I realized, we didn't even have a second house, lake or not. Disconnected fragments of memories started to reappear -- our real house, my office, that I was on a lunch break.

 

"You came to see me about your relationship with your wife," the woman said. "Look," and she directed my attention to a TV screen across the room. There I was with Jenny, first driving in the car, then turning around, then parking, opening the door, walking back in and so on, all sped up in a loop. I guess I made a face as I looked at it -- who likes to see themselves on the big screen? The woman pressed a button on a remote, and the movie jumped to the end and paused -- the back door open, a shape dimly in view. Another button, and the picture moved to a closeup on my face.

 

"What do you see?" she asked. "Your expression -- what is that?"

 

"Fear, surprise," I said. "I don't know what's going on."

 

"And?"

 

"Annoyance, I guess."

 

"Yes -- annoyance, that's the thing. So much energy there being annoyed at your wife. Do you want to talk about that?"

 

"Hey," I said. "Just wait. How do I know this whole thing is real now? Should I pinch myself or something?"

 

"Go ahead," she said, with a smile and a shrug, "if it will make you feel better."

 

"No, but -- this technique of yours -- it's a dream that you can study, right? The dream felt real, but it was a fake. How do I know that this isn't a fake too?"

 

Dr. Rivera sighed. "Oh," she said. "This is a very common initial reaction to the technique."

 

"But that doesn't mean--"

 

"Look," she said, raising her hand and cutting me off. "I'm not a philosopher. If you really want to be convinced that the world is real, and that what you do matters, then I'm sorry, there's no way to do that. But just for the sake of argument, suppose you're right, and it is a dream. Then so what? You were in that dream for a good reason. I'd like you to consider that maybe you should try to learn from whatever situation you're in, and treat the people around you with kindness and respect." She paused, then smiled.

 

"Well, I think we should close it here for today," she said. "Have your memories come back now?"

 

I nodded, and got up. I picked up my laptop and took the elevator down to leave the building and walk back to work. My phone rang and I looked at the screen. The display flickered a little, and then I saw it was Jenny calling. Doesn't she know I'm busy? But I answered with a smile.