Carpe Diem (25 page)

After changing, we are soon on our way to her home to have the reading. Flynn does a good job of lightening the mood with jokes about how it is all a load of bull. Telling me that all the chick does is pick up on signals from you when all they have done is start off with a generic topic making you think they are tuned into you.

“’Cause it’s real hard to tell someone that they can feel a deep pain in them when they come in with a scowl on their face, or that they see great joy when someone comes in all bubbly?” he jokes.

“I never said I believe this was real, I just always thought it would be fun and entertaining.”

“I just hope you don’t buy anything she is selling.”

“Don’t worry, I will keep an open mind.”

We pull up to a house painted purple and a neon sign with a triangle and an eye in the middle of it.

“I think it is the neon light that gives them their power,” I joke.

Flynn puts the car in park and we make our way to the front door. A woman fully dressed in stereotypical gypsy garb answers the door.

“Flynn, Piper, how nice of you to join me today,” she greets.

“Don’t read anything into that, I made an appointment,” Flynn whispers.

“How did you know my name?” I ask, playing along.

“Madam Kallista knows everything, my dear. Please come in.”

Madam Kallista brings us to her reading room and asks me to take a seat at the small table and offers Flynn a chair off to the side.

“Now my dear, let me have your hands,” she instructs me.

Madam Kallista takes a hold of my hands, holding them palm up. She closes her eyes and concentrates on my aura. After a few moments, she opens her eyes and starts to examine my palms.

“Oh, yes you are a strong one. You have overcome many obstacles in your life.”

I hear Flynn let out a small chuckle behind me.

“Haven’t we all?” I ask.

“Yes, but yours are of the heart,” she answers.

“I see.”

“You have lost a great love. You feel this loss still today. But I see soon you will love again, she continues.

“But am I ready to love again?” I ask, playing along.

“Oh yes my dear, you already feel the weight of your loss lifting, releasing you of the guilt of taking a new lover. That release will usher in a new sense of freedom, it will allow you to love again, this is near in your future,” she tells me.

“I see. Does it tell me with who?” I ask ,holding back my smile.

“The fates do not give details, they only allow me to guide you on your path,” she answers.

“Hmm, I do see one more obstacle in your path to love.”

Before she tells me any more, she re-examines the lines on my palm.

“You are harboring a secret, a secret that has power over you. One that only you can release.”

My heart skips a beat. That has to be a standard thing to say. I mean everyone has secrets right? There is no way she could know. There is no way the lines on my palm can tell her something like that, right?

“You must let go of this power. It is darkening your heart. If you do not release this power it will grow. I see that the love awaiting you will not be able to withstand the darkness that will consume you.”

What the hell. Is she for real? Is she really sitting here telling me something negative? I thought they didn’t do that and only told you about the puppies and rainbows in your life.

Madam Kallista goes on to tell me some more about how I will have a long life and that it is up to me if it is lived in darkness or the light as she sees both paths, but until I make the choice my future is unclear.

“So basically, I’m at a crossroads?” I ask.

“The future is unwritten. I am here to point out the paths in front of you,” she tells me.

Flynn and I thank her for her time and make our exit gracefully.

“Wow, I can’t imagine why you didn’t want to have your palms read,” I joke as we walk back to the car.

“I told you it was all bullshit.” He laughs.

Flynn once again pulls the spade shovel from his coat pocket. We walk over to a large bush in front of the house and Flynn begins to dig a hole.

While he digs, I can’t help but think about this secret that has power over me. Could she really have seen that on my palms?

I
call out a, “Thank you, Nancy” as I leave the hospital room.

It’s been nearly a month since Flynn and I saw Madam Kallista and although I told myself I wouldn’t make my visit to the hospital again after that night, I find I am still drawn to the dark, or so Madam Kallista called it. I know this is not good for me and I know I am only making it harder on myself, especially after meeting Kyle. After hearing his story and seeing the pain he has been holding on to, it was hard to leave this time.

As I open the door to my car, I tell myself this is the last time. No more. Enough is enough. I sit down in the driver’s seat, staring at the large white building in front of me knowing I will be back. I’m about to turn the key to start my car when I get a text.

ABBY: Carpe Diem, your place tonight. GIRLS NIGHT

ME: Does it have to be tonight? I’m kind of tired

ABBY: Carpe Diem does NOT mean I will do it later.

ME: Fine, what time?

ABBY: Casey and I will be there at seven, movies, pizza, and pj’s in tow

ME: See you then

I toss my phone on the passenger seat and head for home. Why does it have to be tonight, and why a girls night? I didn’t put girls’ night on my list. Is she using Carpe Diem to get me to hang out on a whim? I would not put it past her.

When I get home, I pull my list off the hutch and scan the items remaining… Then I see it.

Fun with Girlfriends

Dang it. All I want to do is order some food, then curl up with a Lifetime movie, maybe take a hot bath before bed, that is it.

Before long Abby and Casey are pounding at my door.

“Let the fun begin,” Abby shouts as she makes her entrance.

“Oh goody, it’s going to be tons of fun! I can just feel it,” I tell her sarcastically.

“Come on, liven up. How often do we get to do this?” Casey asks.

“Um, like once a week for a while there, this is not our first ever girls night,” I tell them.

“Yes we know that, but Jack didn’t actually have anything planned for March. I can’t blame him. It’s kind of a hard month to plan for given the items left on your list… so here we are,” Abby tells me.

“I see. Well, we could have just skipped this month then.” I laugh.

“Nope, skipping a month was not part of the plan,” Abby blurts.

“So this is the best you guys and Flynn could come up with? You could have created a new item,” I tell her.

“Don’t get her started, she wanted us to go to one of those pole dancing classes,” Casey tells me.

I look to Abby and see the grin on her face indicating that if it were up to Abby alone, I would probably be swinging from a pole right now.

“Movies it is,” I agree.

Three slices of pizza, two bottles of wine, and a chick flick later, we are on to the gossip portion of the evening.

Abby is busy ranting on about this new receptionist at Dave’s office, and how she is always dressed in short, inappropriate skirts with tiny tops. She is pissed at how no one seems to care.

“Hello, dress codes are there for a reason people, they need to be enforced.”

“I hear ya,” I agree.

“So did Flynn tell you about the girl he has been seeing?”

She
just
had to wait until I was taking a sip of wine to drop that bomb. I spray my wine all over the coffee table when I hear the news.

“Huh? No, he didn’t.”

“I guess he has only seen her a few times. Her name is Keriann,” she tells me.

“So he told you about her?” I ask, trying to keep my cool.

“No, actually Dave and I ran into them the other night at the movie theater.”

“I see. Is she nice?” I ask.

I don’t pay attention to the answer, my mind is fluttering. Why didn’t he tell me? I’ve talked or texted with him almost every day for the last two years? Why wouldn’t he tell me something like this? Is he keeping her a secret? Is she a bitch? I bet she is a bitch or psycho. I bet she is psycho. I know I am reaching for a reason to hate her before I meet her, deep down I know that she is probably perfect. Flynn does not waste time with women he doesn’t see a possible future with. If he picks up on any signs that they are drama queens, high maintenance, or self-centeredness in any of them, he drops them faster than a hot potato.

“Are you listening?” Casey asks.

“Yeah, sure, she’s ugly?” I say without thinking.

“She didn’t say she was ugly?” Casey tells me.

“No, I didn’t mean ugly. I… um… no, I wasn’t listening,” I confess.

“Are you jealous?” Abby asks with a smile.

How do I answer that? My mind reminds me I have no reason to be jealous. However, my body has other ideas, my heart is beating like a drum, my armpits are starting to sweat, and my palms are getting clammy. All the signs point to yes. on the other hand, I have absolutely no right to be jealous.

“No, why would I be jealous?” I ask.

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

“No, I think I’m surprised he hadn’t said anything to me. I talked to him yesterday and we texted this morning,” I tell her.

“Uh-huh, that must be it.”

I quickly change the subject. My body starts to calm, but my brain did not get the memo. I can’t stop thinking about Flynn. I know I convinced myself that the feelings I had after the ski hill were fake, but now I’m starting to wondering again if that is true. However, even if my feelings are true, it is obvious whatever I saw in his eyes that day was all part of my imagination. If he felt anything for me he wouldn’t be out dating.

“So how was the physic, you never told me,” Casey asks, bringing my thoughts back.

“Oh you know, the same old crap you hear about from anyone who has a reading,” I tell her.

“So what did she say,” she asks again.

“That I would love again soon but my path to love is unclear or some crap,” I tell her.

“What the heck does that mean,” she asks.

“I don’t know.”

“She say anything else?”

I pause before I answer. This could be my chance to expose my secret. If I tell them, they can help me fight the urge. They can be a louder voice of reason. What will they think? Will they have me committed? Will they embrace the crazy? Screw it.

“She did say something about a secret and that it has too much power over me,” I tell them.

“Ha, secret. Now you know she is full of it, you tell us everything.” Abby laughs.

“Well… not everything.” I hesitate.

Abby and Casey look at each other in shock. I’m sure it hurt to hear that I have a secret with that much power that I haven’t told them about. Up until now, we had told each other everything, everything big anyway. There were no secrets between us. Especially not one some quack psychic could make me think twice about.