"Laura"

“There are so many times I’ve looked at Mother and wanted to kill her,” Laura said.  “I mean that literally.  And I can’t promise that I won’t do it one day.  People will think those are harsh words.  But put yourself in my position and you, too, will have those same urges. 

Mother was the worst mother any child could have.  I know what many of you are saying.  Try my mother.  She was the worst.  I doubt it.  Did your mother ever lock you in the trunk of a car because she had a secret errand to run?  Then you happened to hear noises while in that trunk, but didn’t understand what was going on.  Or, maybe she tied you up in the basement, in a stranger’s house, and left you hanging from a hook for hours.  Your little feet left dangling a few inches off the floor.  Your arms hurt like hell.  But you can hear your mother upstairs laughing and having a good time.  Did I mention you can’t cry out because she gagged you?  And when she came back for you, her excuse was that it was for your own good.  No.  I’ll bet you’ve never had the opportunity to experience that.  I did.  I was twelve for Pete’s sake!  How could that be good for a twelve year old girl?  You tell me.  Mother ruined my life! 

Sorry for the outburst.  I just need to take a few deep breaths.  And I’ll be fine.  In…Out…In…Out. 

Sorry again for that.  If you saw me you wouldn’t think I could be that way.  I’m very calm.  I’m a professional.  People pay me a lot of money for my professional opinion and work.  But some days it takes all that I have to keep it together.  One day I’m going to let it out.  And when I do, Mother will be the first to know.  I can promise you that.”

I have a new book coming out in May.  It is a novella made up of three stories.  Laura is a character in one of the stories.  You will get to know her and other characters before the book comes out.

I hope you enjoyed meeting Laura.

John Martin    

See You

Chapter 7

He rowed back, silently taunting Virginia.  Eighteen years of marriage and this is what you do to me.  Did you think I was an idiot?  That I did not know about what you were doing, what you were up to?  For six months you have been seeing psychics.  Psychic did not see that coming.  Did she?  What idiot visits a psychic?  Psychic told you to divorce me and take the money that I had done most of the work for?  Did she tell you to screw three different guys in the same year?  You could have easily divorced me and walked away.  You did not need my business.  I built that business without help from you or your family.  The only thing you brought to the table was a few connections.  Would I have been as rich as your family?  No.  But you could have tried to encourage me.  But that would not have been fair.  How could you support me and Josh?  Yes.  I knew you were screwing Josh.  Yes.  I knew you were leaving me in one month.  I saw some of your text messages to Josh.  He was a high school friend my ass.  You guys have been lovers forever.  I was supposed to be stupid.  Who’s stupid now?                        

He got out of the canoe and pulled it onto shore.  No one was on the beach.  He had checked what foot traffic would be on the beach at that time for the last few weeks and on different days.  There was never anyone on it.  Many of the houses were vacant.  The owners had closed them up for the fall and winter.  The beach was dead.

He pulled the canoe back to behind the house.  He hurried and removed the boxers and changed into the ones in his pants’ pocket.  He thought about the boxers when he planned everything else.  They would probably have chips of paint on them from the canoe.  And when he threw them away they could never be linked to him.  They would be too small for him to have ever worn them. 

He finished getting dress and went back to his car.  He slammed the door shut and started the engine.  Then he sat and stared out the windshield.  The satisfaction of killing her down the beach from her lover was indescribable.  The waves had picked up.  Maybe it was meant to be, he thought.  He smelled his hands.  Nothing.  No smell.  He exhaled and relaxed in the seat.  Then he put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking space. 

He drove the three minutes to Josh’s house and parked on the street.  It was down the beach from where he had just left Virginia’s body.  But a large bend in the beachfront made it impossible for anyone to see the house where he had taken Virginia.  And there were two vacant houses on either side of the house where he had taken Virginia.  Five houses, side by side, were vacant.  It was perfect.  What other sign could he have gotten to tell him that it was time to rid himself of unhappiness?  May be a voice?  He laughed.    

“Okay,” he said, before getting out and going inside Josh’s house.  “She’s taking a walk along the beach.  We had a few words.  It’s my fault.  She’ll be in soon.”  He looked in the rearview mirror at his hair and stroked it.  “That’s why I’m in PR.”  He winked at himself and got out of the car and walked up the driveway and around to the front of the house—despising each step he was forced to take.  The only positive about the party was that it was his alibi. 

The large sliding glass front doors to Josh’s house were open.  He could see most of the regulars milling about.  A few women in particular caught this attention.  Virginia’s best friend Bethany was one of them.  He had wanted to screw her the first day he met her.  She was probably one of the people who encouraged Virginia to do what she did.  He thought how great it would be to get her drunk and take her home with him.  When he was finished with her he would take her to join Virginia.  He laughed to himself and stepped inside the house.

Chapter 8

Paul did not like the reception he received when he walked inside Josh’s house.  Stares were his greetings.  No one asked how he was doing.  No one said hello.  Just stares. 

“Where’s Virginia?” Bethany asked with a plastic smile on her face for him. 

He hated her.  And he knew she felt the same way about him.  All five feet ten inches of her kept her distance from him.  She was smart to keep her distance.  Standing beside Bethany was Lisa.  Stiletto heels did not help her catch up to Bethany’s height.  What moron would wear stilettos to a beach party anyway?  And Lisa’s dress made her look more like a whore than the desired look she was trying to portray.  The dress made her breasts look larger than they were.  And they were already large enough.  Her lips were as red as usual.  He tried not to stare at them.  But when she ran her tongue across her teeth he could not help but to stare.  She thought the color made her look sexy.  It reminded him of a prostitute.  She probably gave good head for the right price, he thought.   

Bethany watched him watching Lisa and was no more disgusted with him than usual.  She was glad Virginia was divorcing that sleaze.  Why had she married him anyway?  And why had it taken her so long to realize that she had made a mistake?  Everyone else had known it the first month.  “Where is she?” Bethany asked and turned her head slightly downward to look down at him.  She liked making him feel small.  He repeated what he had practiced in the car.  Bethany squinted at him.  “What?  It’s too dark out there to be walking?  She wouldn’t do that?  Where is she?”

“Well, she did,” he said, abruptly.  “You don’t know everything she does.”  He walked away from her and Lisa.  Other people who were not Virginia’s best friends began talking to him.  He always felt he was in hostile territory when he went to any of Virginia’s friends’ houses or functions.  He could see Virginia’s friends glance his way.  He was sure the word was already spreading.  Virginia’s sorry ass husband has made her mad.   

“He’s such a liar,” Lisa said to Bethany.  “She’s probably sitting in the car.  Crying over something he has done again.”  Bethany told her she was probably right and that they should go check.  Paul caught the two looking at him.  He watched them leave out the sliding doorway. 

Josh came out of the bedroom in a pair of Speedos.  Everyone clapped and laughed.  Paul thought he was a show off.  What an asshole, Paul thought.  Kissing my wife and sending those filthy text messages.  Paul enjoyed knowing that Josh did not know that he had seen the messages.  That is what happens when people let their phones out of their sight, he thought.  Husbands may take a glance at who is texting their wives.  Paul thought about the pain Josh was going to feel.  No more sticking his filthy dick in his wife.  Hopefully it would be thousands of times more painful than what he felt when he found out he had been betrayed.

Paul took a drink from the waiter’s tray.  He sipped it and walked around and mingled with the friendly people.  Josh spotted Paul and walked up to him with his hand out.  “Glad you could come,” Josh said.  Paul lied and said he was too.  “Where’s that gorgeous redhead of yours?”  Paul wanted to ask him why.  Did he want to bang her some more?  But he got satisfaction from knowing that Josh had screwed her for the last time and did not even know it.  Paul told him she was out walking and that she would be in soon.  He watched the expression on Josh’s face.  Was he concerned?  Was he nervous?  Was he just anxious to see her?  “Good night to walk.”  Then Josh stood up in a chair.  “Everyone outside in fifteen minutes.  Around the corner is the largest whirlpool in the world.”  The guests laughed.  “So get undressed and change into your swimsuits.  Or just get undressed and get into the whirlpool.  Whatever makes you comfortable.”

Chapter 9

Four of Virginia’s friends came back inside and found Paul talking to two other guests.  “Paul,” Jamie said.  Paul looked around and smiled.  Bethany, Lisa and Deidre stood in the background a few feet way from Jamie.  Jamie was one of the few friends of Virginia’s that he liked.  Maybe it was because she and her husband had built their success.  Unlike Virginia and her friends who had either married it or inherited it.  And Jamie did not wear so much make up that she looked like a clown.  Nor was every inch of her body either pulled or tucked or injected with something.  “Which direction did Virginia walk in?  We’ve been up and down the beach.  But we haven’t seen her yet.”  He turned down the corners of his mouth and shook his head.  “We’re a little concerned.  Aren’t you?”

“I value your concern,” he said.  “But you know Virginia.  She gets mad.  She walks out.  She cools off.  She comes back.”  Jamie told him how dark it was out there.  Paul smiled and shook his head.  “She’s not afraid of the dark.  She’s done this before.  And I couldn’t stop her then.”

Bethany was watching and listening and hating Paul’s answers.  She walked closer and dropped all pretense of this being a peaceful friendly question and answer visit from them.  “What’d you argue about that could’ve made her so mad that she would walk out in the dark?  That’s dangerous.  What you’re saying makes no sense.”

Paul brow furrowed.  “As close as you are to Virginia, that doesn’t mean you can interfere with our marriage,” he said.  “What we argue about is our personal business.  I’m not being difficult.  But I think you’re crossing over the line.”

“One more walk down the beach and I’m crossing over another line,” Bethany said, leaning toward his face.  “I’m calling the police.  Then you can answer their questions.  What you’re saying…”

“I think I see her,” Jennie said, standing in the doorway.  She was another of Virginia’s friends.  The four headed toward Jennie.  Paul followed them.  His heart in his throat and pounding so hard he could barely breathe.  He moved quickly through the crowd to outside.  He ran onto the beach—past Virginia’s friends.  Bethany asked where he was running to.  She asked if he was afraid that Virginia would tell them what he said to her.  He did not respond to her.  He stopped running and stood still. 

Seventy to eighty yards ahead of him was a woman walking on the beach in a white dress.  She walked liked Virginia.  She was medium height and lean like Virginia.  Her hair may have been red like Virginia’s.  But it could not be Virginia.  Or could it?  He ran down the beach after her—calling her name.  But she would not stop walking.  She seemed to be walking faster.  He tried to run faster.  He was not getting any closer to her.  Then she vanished.  He stopped and stared down the beach.  His eyes had to be playing tricks on him.  He was feeling some guilt after all, he thought.  He stared down the beach for another minute.  He reminded himself she was dead.  Then he told himself to pull it together before he got himself arrested.

He walked back to Josh’s house—occasionally looking over his shoulder.  Some guests had stepped outside to see what was happening on the beach.  Most of the guests, however, were inside and oblivious to Paul’s war of words with Virginia’s friends.  He walked back through the doorway, a little shaken inside.  But he tried not to show it.  Then he saw two police officers standing at the back of the room and looking at him.  

Chapter 10

They did call the police.  Paul said to himself.  Why was the older man standing by the police officers and pointing to him?  He had never seen that man before.  Paul looked around and wondered if the man had not been pointing at someone else.  He considered running.  But he quickly dismissed the idea from his mind.  “That may have been him,” the old man said.  Paul vaguely heard him.  But that is what he thought the man had said.  The officers and the older man began to approach Paul.  Paul had to keep his feet from retreating.  The guests were paying attention to this. 

Josh came from outside and stood next to Paul.  “Were we too loud?” Josh asked.  “We’ll turn it down.  We’re good neighbors.  Sorry about that Mr. Hall.” 

The old man’s name was Carter Hall.  He told Josh his party was fine.  It was not disturbing him.  He told Josh he had followed the police car to get it to come to his house.  He had called the police to his house.  And thought they were going to the wrong house or could not find his house.  So he had driven after them.  He had caught up to them when they turned into Josh’s driveway.   

One of the officers told Carter Hall to tell Paul what he had told them.  The other officer moved closer to Paul.  Carter seemed embarrassed by what he had to say.  “As I told the police, I called them because the houses near mine had been vandalized by kids.  So our row of houses set up a security system.  They’re all connected.  One homeowner can see what’s going on inside and outside of the other houses.  There are cameras that people can’t see that are facing out all of our backdoors.  And even though it’s somewhat against the law…we had them facing the beach.  They’re those infrared cameras.  They catch everything.”

Paul was having trouble catching his breath.  The only thought on his mind was what Virginia had told him the psychic had said to her.  “Someone will always be watching out for you.”  He remembered waving the words off as nonsense. 

Thank you for joining me for the final chapters of “See you.”  I hope you enjoyed this short story.  I will be in touch soon.            

John Martin               

See You

Chapter 5

Paul led Virginia to the back of the beach house.  Virginia pleaded inside.  Please do not let the surprise be the house.  Please.  Please.  Please.  Please do not be the surprise.  Although she appeared calm, she was panicking inside.  Tell me you did not put a down payment on it without telling me.  We cannot afford it.  And the timing could not have been worse.  She told herself he would not go that far.  She hoped he had not gone that far.  He walked her near a canoe. 

“Turn around,” Paul said.  She looked at him and wanted to ask him what he was about to do.  She did not feel like being blindfolded and led inside the house like a clown.  “You have to turn around and cover your eyes.”  Please do not be the house, she thought and stared at him.  “You have to turn around.”  She exhaled and turned around and put her hands over her eyes.  “Don’t look.”  She told him she was not looking.  He took black gloves from his pocket and put them on.  Then he leaned over and reached into the canoe.  “Don’t peek.”  He touched a bottle and grabbed it.  Then he reached into his pocket and took out a cloth.  She wondered how long his surprise would take and prayed for the surprise not to be the house.  He screwed the top from off the bottle.  Then he covered the mouth of the bottle with the cloth and turned the bottle upside down and shook it.

“What are you doing?” she asked.  He told her to be patient.  He screwed the top back onto the bottle.  The top made a grinding noise.  “What is that?”  He reached around her and pressed the chloroform soaked cloth over her nose and mouth.  Her eyes opened wide.  Her hands grabbed his arm and pulled downward.  He pressed the cloth hard against her nose and mouth.  She struggled longer and harder than he had thought she would.  She even kicked him in the shins before her body went limp.  He kept the cloth over her nose and mouth as he lowered her body to the ground.  Once she was lying in the sand he removed his hand.

He put the bottle of chloroform and the cloth inside a plastic bag that had also been inside the canoe.  He removed his gloves and dropped those in the bag too.  He then took off his clothes and put them in a waterproof bag.  That, too, had come from inside the canoe. 

Standing in only a pair of boxers that were two sizes too small, he looked around.  He jumped when he saw his reflection in the back door’s window.  Then he laughed.  He hurried and loaded Virginia into the canoe.  Then he grabbed the rope tied to the canoe and pulled it with his back facing forward.  Virginia was one hundred twenty-five pounds.  He was glad she had lost twenty pounds in the last six months.  It made the canoe easier to pull.  He had practiced, a month earlier, pulling a similar canoe with one hundred and forty pounds in it.  Those twenty extra pounds made a big difference. 

Chapter 6

He looked both ways down the beach before pulling the canoe into the open beachfront in front of the houses.  Once out there he would be completely exposed.  He knew he had to hurry when crossing that area.  And if it were not for that damn moonlight the beach would be much darker.  He had checked the area for visibility months ago.  Who knew a full moon would be out that night. 

He pulled the canoe as fast as he could across the sand and open beachfront.  Then he quickly shoved it into the water and got in.  The canoe tilted the same way it had when he had practiced.  He picked up the paddle and began paddling as fast as he could.  He glanced down to check on her.  Virginia was lying in the middle of the canoe.  She was in the perfect position.  Their weight was distributed equally.

Far enough out, he thought.  He carefully positioned himself and maneuvered his hands under Virginia’s body.  He lifted her carefully and pushed her over the side of the canoe into the water.  He reached out and grabbed her arm to stop her body from floating away.  He then grabbed her hair and pulled her head up out of the water.  He stared into her face.  He wished she would wake up right then.  He wanted to smack her until she regained consciousness.  It would have given him great pleasure for her to have known what had happened to her and who did it.  

He pushed her head underwater.  If he had just let her lay in the water face down she would have drowned anyway.  But he did not want to take any chances.  He had to be sure.  And he was right for making sure.  She began to move her head.  Her hands began to swing at his hand.  Unlike before, her effort did not last long.  Nor was it that strong. 

Her body went limp again.  He held her head underwater a while longer.  There was no struggle.  That was when he was certain.  She was dead.  He dumped the contents from the bag into the water.  He then filled the bag with water and left it bobbing in the water.

If he had known he would have felt that good about killing her he would have done it a year ago, he thought.  It was nothing like he had thought it would be.  He was not nervous.  He did not feel sick.  He felt relieved.  He felt free.  He watched her body lying face down and drifting away from him.  A smile spread across his face.

Thank you for joining us for Chapters 5 & 6.  Chapter 7 will be available later this week.           

John Martin               

See You

Chapter 3

Paul parked the car and glanced over at Virginia.  Straight in front of them was a white picket fence.  On the other side of the fence were steps that led down to a row of large and different designs of beach houses.  In front of the beach houses was a white sand beach that stretched as far as they could see.  The moonlight seemed to have purposely lit the beach just for them.  Waves rolled in and back out.  The moonlight bouncing off the waves and the darkness behind made an eerie scene.  Paul thought it looked romantic. 

Paul seemed mesmerized by the show the water was putting on.  Virginia pursed her lips and tried to remain calm.  She silently exhaled.  This was not what she wanted.  Paul had to have known that.  They had been married for fifteen years.  He knew everything she liked and disliked.  Why would he plan an outing like this?  Once again his plans were not about her or for her.  They were about what he thought was right or good or exciting.  He really did not care about what she wanted, she thought. 

She had asked him before he parked why they were parking away from Josh’s house.  Paul had told her he had a surprise for her.  She was not in the mood for his surprise.  Because she felt his surprise was a deliberate attempt to make them miss the party.  They were already an hour late for Josh’s party.  He knew Josh always had a theme for his parties.  But he would only tell his guests what the theme was at the start of the party.  Those who were late were left out of the first round of the party’s theme.  The themes could be anything—murder mystery, scavenger hunt, twister, beach runs away from and back to the house while tied to someone other than your spouse or partner.  Paul, of course, thought things got too silly.  But he went to Josh’s annual parties because Virginia wanted to go.  And, many of their friends would be there.  Knowing that Paul was fully aware of this Virginia fumed at why he would make them even later to the party.

If he would just look at her.  Really look at her.  He would probably think outside of what he wanted and see the obvious.  She had not dressed for an outdoor surprise.  She thought about reminding him of that.  Wedge sandals with a white lightweight sleeveless dress that was above her knees was not ideal for walking on a beach at night with a temperature in the low sixties.  But she decided not to spoil his surprise.  She could tolerate whatever he had cooked up for her.  If it made him happy she would go along with it.

Paul got out of the car and went to her door and opened it.  He offered his hand to help her from the car.  This is unusual, she thought.  Normally he was not that much of a gentleman.  But she accepted it and he assisted her out of the car onto her feet.  A light breeze blew through her dress.  Goose bumps covered her legs and arms.  Her body shivered.  She told herself not to complain.  This will not last forever.  Just a little longer. 

Paul took her by the hand and pushed the fence’s gate open with his other hand to let her walk through.  He then led her down the steps. 

Chapter 4

“Where are we going?” Virginia asked.

“It’s a surprise,” Paul said. 

She wondered what crazy thing he had concocted.  For a brief moment she felt as if they had reached back in time.  They were a young married couple again.  He surprised her a lot back then.  But five years into their marriage and all the crazy things stopped.  Life got serious.  Suddenly she felt an overwhelming sadness about where they were now in their relationship. 

“We’re almost there,” he said.  They stepped off the step into the sand.  Her wedges sunk deep into the sand.  That surprised her.  She thought the sand should have been harder that time of year.  Sand covered her feet.  It was between her toes and under her arches.  Each grain seemed to dig into her feet.  Her feet were just more sensitive tonight.  That is what she tried to convince herself of.  Not that she was just mad about missing the party.  Anything that should have been a minor irritation would now be a major one.  “It’s just a little further.” 

He was leading her behind a beach house.  She knew of this house.  The last talk she heard was that the house was vacant.  No, she thought.  Not this.  She bit her lip to keep from saying what she was thinking.  He did not have to surprise her.  Nor could they afford it.  Surely he was smart enough not to have done anything stupid.  He was already complaining about the pressure on him.  Why add more?  He was not that stupid.  And the pressure that he felt to do bigger and bigger things was pressure he created for himself.  Why did he have the need to keep up with, or live up to, her family and friends?  That was part of what had caused their problems. 

He had tried too damn hard to impress her and the others.  They did not need all those things.  If she was only about buying more and more stuff she would have never left home.  Her family could have fulfilled that need.  She did not need a husband for that.  But she had never wanted that.  She wanted to make her own way in the world.  That is why she walked away from her family’s money.  It was their money.  Not hers.  And besides, the problems they were having had nothing to do with money.  Their relationship needed work.  Their marriage needed repairing—if it was repairable.

She was getting colder.  What an inconsiderate bastard, she thought.  Then she briefly felt guilty that the thought had pushed its way into her mind.  But then she allowed herself to feel that way.  He was wearing slacks and a long sleeve button down shirt.  She was in a lightweight dress.  Why make your wife endure the cold when you can see she is not dressed for it.  But you are.  He did not give a shit, she thought.  His actions were definitely making her see more clearly.  No matter how much he disguised them as caring and loving.  They spoke loudly on their own.

Thank you for joining us for Chapters 3 & 4.  Chapter 5 will be available next week.           

John Martin               

See You

See You is a short story in the drama and mystery genres. 

Virginia and Paul’s marriage had become stale.  Both knew it and had come up with their own solution to put some life back into their marriage.  The problem was each solution was decided in secret and they were polar opposites.  What they did have in common, however, was that their solutions were both drastic in nature.  And each decided not tell the other their plan. 

Prologue

Virginia sat up in bed breathing hard.  Her sinuses were wide open from fear.  Her nose and mouth were taking so much air in she thought she was hyperventilating.  She then realized she had been dreaming again.  She just needed to give herself a few minutes to calm down.  She looked around the room to make sure no one was hiding in the corners.  Darting her eyes back and forth she was reasonably sure there was no one there.  Then she looked at the clock.  It was three a.m.  Then she looked down at her husband.  He had not moved.  She pulled the covers back and slid her legs around to the floor.  Damn anxiety, she thought and stood up.  “Get some guts,” she whispered to herself.  She put on her robe and walked out of the bedroom and closed the door.  It was another early morning downstairs to read her book.   

Chapter 1

Virginia held her hand still even though it tickled.  Everything that touched her tickled her.  A light touch especially tickled her.  But she calmed herself by breathing evenly.  She allowed Madame Barb to follow the lines in her palm with her finger.  Every few seconds Madame Barb would stop her finger and describe what this line meant and what that line meant.  Virginia forgot about feeling ticklish and focused on the reading. 

One line represented living a good life and being prosperous.  Virginia welcomed that reading.  Not just prosperous monetarily.  Madame Barb said she would prosper with an abundant amount of happiness too.  Of all the readings this one would be the single most important to Virginia.  It would help her make up her mind on a troubling situation. 

Her indecision had plagued her far too long.  It was affecting her health—mentally and physically.  It was affecting her sleep.  Three hours of uninterrupted sleep were all she could expect from her nights.  The rest of the night was spent tossing and turning until she got out of bed.  That normally came around three-thirty in the morning.  And that was after she had fallen asleep around midnight.

Madame Barb suddenly stopped her finger again.  But this time she did not look up at Virginia.  She kept looking down at Virginia’s palm.  Virginia wanted to ask her what was wrong.  But she did not want to break Madame Barb’s concentration and rhythm.  Madame Barb had told her when she sat down to try not to talk until the reading was finished.  If she did she may break her concentration.  Then the readings would be fuzzy or incomplete. 

Virginia quietly waited and wondered.  What was she seeing?  Why not tell her what it was?  She had said everything else.  Besides, everyone with common sense knows that psychic readings are merely someone saying what the person getting the reading is thinking.  Many psychics are just people who are better able to tune into other people’s feelings.  Madame Barb was just one of those people.  “You can tell me,” Virginia said.

Madame Barb closed her eyes and shook her head.  Then she looked up at Virginia and smiled.  Virginia waited for her to speak.  “You are a special person,” Madame Barb said.  “You’ll know love that many others will only dream about.  You’ll experience happiness that most can’t imagine.  You are special.  Someone will always be watching out for you.”

Virginia needed what she had heard.  She wanted to prosper and be happy.  The question was could she be happy in her present state?  She was tempted to ask Madame Barb for more answers.  But, if Paul saw her in Madame Barb’s shop he would ridicule her for being silly and putting her trust in a stranger’s advice.  And he would be irritated because they had come to the small shops in the strip mall to walk around and window shop.  Not for her to sneak away for a psychic reading.  But she was glad she had.  She loved what Madame Barb had said.                  

Chapter 2

Virginia was giddy.  But chose not to show it.  Paul was somewhere nearby.  If she was too outwardly giddy he would want to know why.  And she was a poor liar.  He would see through her.  He would see what she did not want him to see.  And now was not the time to show that side of herself.  She waited for Madame Barb to slowly let go of her hand.  “Thank you,” she said and handed Madame Barb a fifty dollar bill.  Madame Barb reached into her jar to make change.  The reading was twenty dollars.  “No.  You keep it.  You were wonderful.  You don’t know what you’ve done for me.”  Madame Barb protested a few times for Virginia to take her change.  “No.  You’re worth that and more.  I just don’t have anymore on me.”  Madame Barb slowly glanced out the window.  A man was just stepping into view.  Her eyes followed him.  “Is something wrong?” 

Madame Barb did not answer immediately.  There was something wrong.  What was wrong, though, was not apparent to her.  Not now.  Not at that moment.  Not unlike other times she had that feeling—that dark feeling that entered her body and hung inside her like dark clouds hang in the sky before a storm.  And no matter what she did, she could not shake the feeling or rid herself of the sadness that had taken over her until it was too late.

“Are you alright?” Virginia asked.  Madame Barb continued to look out the window at the man.  Virginia felt uncomfortable with Madame Barb’s trance like stare.  She turned to see what had captured Madame Barb’s attention. 

Virginia saw the same man that Madame Barb was watching.  He was just passing by the window.  “That’s my husband,” Virginia said.  “That’s Paul.  How’d you know that?”  Madame Barb gave her a half smile.  “You really are a psychic.  Not to question if you were one before.  You’re just a great one.  Thank you.”  Virginia stood and shook her hand.  “I better go.  He’s probably looking for me.  Can I have one of your cards?  I want to get a more extensive reading in the next two weeks.” 

Madame Barb handed her a card and told her to call her soon.  She took Virginia’s hand and squeezed it between her hands.  “You are full of spirit,” she said.  “Some try to suppress a spirit like yours.  But your spirit can’t be suppressed.  It is like a bird with wings.  It rises above and lives.  You call me soon.  And we will talk more.”

When Virginia left Madame Barb’s shop the dark feeling left her.  For once the feeling did not stay until it was too late to know why it was there.  Virginia was special, Madame Barb thought and smiled.  Paul looked through the window at Madame Barb.  Madame Barb held her gaze on him until Virginia came into view.  Paul reached for her hand as they walked away.

Thank you,

John Martin               

Thank you for joining us for the Prologue and Chapters 1 & 2.  Chapter 3 will be available later this week.