Against The Odds (10 page)

“
No, I was across the table. What do you mean I must have
known? That is not logical.”

“
No, neither is my best friend becoming a lion or talking to
butterflies.”

“Clayton, you said you felt a connection with her father.
That is why
I ask if you knew about the glass. You see, just
before you arrived, the old man walked to the door and
waited
for you to ring the bell. He already knew
you were on your way. It was a small thing, but I noticed
it.”

“
What does this mean?”

“I
don’t know.
What else does he do that is...,u
r... different?”

“
He talks to his wife in his head. They had a huge fight,
right before my eyes. Not a word passed between them.”

“
How did you know they were fighting?”

“I
don’t know, maybe their facial expressions or something
. I
did not think about it.
”

“No, I
also noticed that. But I could never tell whether they were
fighting. I could tell they were talking, quickly, because their
eyes were slightly wider when they ‘spoke’. There were no facial
expressions, I am sure.”

“Clayton, don’t laugh. But do you know
what Rebecca is thinking?
”

He
laughed. “We would not be having this conversation if I did. I
would give anything to get into her head. But, you know, I can
sometimes tell what she is
feeling
, like when there is pain or
fear. She has never
told me that, but I have known. Also, the first time we met,
something was happening to her. She stared right into my eyes,
looking for something.
”

“Yes, and to you too.
I remember I told Jackie how odd it
was.”

There was a long silence
.

“
I think I am also going crazy. I think you are to Rebecca
what her father is to her mother.”

“
What are you talking about, what?”

“I
don’t know, but there is a pattern. Also, I still don’t understand
why you became a lion in his presence. I can’t fit that
piece of the puzzle.
”

“
I was not a lion. I was just frustrated. He was the first
person I saw.”

“
No. He was almost speaking to you, and then you calmed down.
I was there, remember?”

“
Jono, am I going crazy, my friend?”

“I
don’t know. But if you are, then
so are Jackie and I. If I
had not been at the house that day, I would have had you committed
by now. No Clayton. There is something that does not fit. You and
that family, there is a link. How do we begin to find
out?
”

“Rebecca. It has to be Rebecca. No-one
el
se.
”

“
The gods certainly have a twisted sense of humour. Think
about it. The moment you start dating a psychologist, you start
going crazy.”

“Yes, it
is twisted. But I am not laughing.”

“I
think for our entertainment, Jackie and I want to invite you
two
for dinner. We just don’t know what will
happen.
”

Jonathan
was laughing now, trying to ease his friend’s burden.

“
Yes, I might become a lion again.”

He
raised his hands and roared.

“But seriously, you two must come over, so we can check it
out. That way we will
all be committed to a padded room with
a psychologist.
”

They went back to the office and Clayton was looking and
feeling much better. He looked over to the
harbor
and enjoyed the quiet motion of
ships moving slowly. Rebecca had left a message on his cell
phone, thanking him for the plant. He smiled, hearing her voice, so
cheerful and pleased.

Jonathan, however, was not smiling.
Does my friend have special
powers?
He wondered
about the wine glass.
He had to have known. But how?

*****

Rebecca
had been so pleased with the plant that she kept it right on her
desk. She went home for lunch to meet with her parents. She wanted
to discuss her new idea with them.

“
Mum, Dad, I need your help. I want to fight The Darkness, my
way. I want to take it on, alone.”

“Rebecca, it is not done like that. It is the power of the
love of a man and a special skill he has that destroys it. You
cannot do it alone. Others have tried and it just comes back. It
will go away temporarily and then return. My grand
mother was
just like you, stubborn, wanting things her way. She removed it for
a year and then it came back after Nana was born. It ruined the two
of them, because they had a child and were so vulnerable. That is
why Nana was so strong. It had been in her family when she was
baby. Don’t you understand? It will wait until you cannot leave the
man.
”

“
Mum, I have to try. There has to be a way. You always said
all spells can be broken. Why not this one?”

They were silent for a while. Should they tell
her
about Clayton? That she was close to success?

No. Don’t take the risk with my Sweetpea. Leave it alone,
Rowena.

But she has the butterfly blues so bad now. She has been
upset before, but never like this. She might do something really
stupid. She is upset, George.

Comfort her. Hold her and give her strength. He is here now.
Things have to improve.

Rowena
went to her daughter and hugged her.

“Okay, look, let me make some calls. With the Internet
these days, maybe someone has found the unbinding spell for it.
Then we
can see what to do. Rebecca, it is very dangerous to
go it alone, you know.
”

“
I know, Mum, but I need to do it now. I am ready. Please,
help me.”

“
Yes, we will. Some of my sisters in the coven specialize in
unbinding. I will start today.”

That’s better
.

Shut up, you old fool, before I bind your
tongue.

Try me, you wicked witc
h.

“
Okay, before you have that conversation, I need to go back to
work. Tonight we are going to my favourite restaurant at the Craft
Centre. You will like it there, okay?”

When she h
ad gone, George
hugged his wife.

“
Yes that was clever, my dear. That buys us some time. I asked
Nana to speed things up with the boy. But he is as stubborn as
Rebecca. They seem to be taking their own time.”

They went into the garden and chatted to the
butterflies
, whispering to them their wish that Clayton
should realize who he was. Rowena went to the phone and began her
calls. It was not very successful. Some of them had never heard of
the spell or said it was unbreakable.
No matter, I will try
again tomorrow.
They were leaving on Wednesday, so she could
talk properly to her friends when she got home.

Dinner
at the Craft Centre was great. They met a strange assortment of
Rebecca’s friends and they liked to see her so relaxed and happy.
When Brad came over and gave her a huge hug, George cringed in
fear. He was tall, good looking and clearly had strong feelings for
his daughter.

Rowena just smiled.
Calm down dear, he is just a friend. He likes her,
that’s all.

I hope so, because I am sure he is that super rich kid, you
know, the one who owns the huge construction company.

Yes, but I know he has his own love problems coming, and they
have nothing to do with Rebecca.

When
they got home, Clayton had left three messages for her, so they
went to bed.

When she
called, he had been working.

“
Hi, working hard?”

“
Hmm. Something I need to do by tomorrow.”

“
Thank you for the plant. It was a lovely gesture.”

“It was
my pleasure. How was your day?”

He
wanted to ask her where she had been, but knew better.

“It was
okay, not too bad. I went out to dinner with my parents tonight at
the Craft Centre. It was very nice. I ate too much,
though.”

“Hmm, I
went to eat at Jackie’s fridge. I was too lazy to cook.”

“
Ouch, that sounds terrible. How was your day at
work?”

“Tolerable. I didn’t get much
done though. I could
not seem to concentrate. I wish you could shock me now
.”

His
voice was seductive.

She
laughed.

“
Be careful what you ask for, you might just get
it.”

“
I ask, I ask. How about lunch tomorrow? Only one hour though
because I have to work.”

“Okay,
12.30? Where?”

“I will
pick you up. We can do something different.”

“Sounds
interesting.”

“
I hope so. I promise to behave, okay?”

“Okay, but do
I
have
to behave?”

“
Very brave, aren’t we?”

“Yes,
remember my parents are here, especially my father.”

“Yes, I
guess that should make you feel brave.
Rebecca, I was watching them. They have a special bond between
them. How do they do it?
”

“I
think because they trust each other so much. They have shared
everything
. They are partners in life. She was crossing the
street and their eyes met and they knew.
”

“
Knew what?”

“That they were tied together, that they would be together.
He followed her home, just like that. I would have called him a
pervert
and called the police!
”

“
Yes, I’m pretty sure about that. You don’t trust easily, do
you?”

“
No, I don’t. I have no reason to. I feel a dark blue coming
up.”

He
laughed. “Yes, it was. But, okay, not now. Tell me about you,
Rebecca.”

“Well, I am this sexy, young
thing who shocks men.
How’s that?
”

He did
not laugh

“
That was a joke, you know.”

“
I know. It’s not funny.”

“Okay,
no sense of humour. This is not good.”

“If you keep teasing me, I will definitely not behave
tomorrow. Go to bed, Princess, before
I come over there,
father or not.
”

“
Alright, will see you tomorrow. Please do not forget your
sense of humour. Pack it neatly in your briefcase. You are being
too serious. Goodnight, Clayton, sweet dreams.”

~ ~ ~
~

But
Clayton did not have sweet dreams. Nana was determined to give the
boy the message and she appeared that night, a sharper image this
time, Rebecca’s screaming louder. She did, however, wait until it
was 5 o’ clock in the morning. After all, the boy needed all his
strength.

~ ~ ~
~

Clayton took Rebecca out for
a lunchtime picnic. Lorraine had been completely
horrified when asked to organize the basket.
Who on earth was getting a
picnic out of him?
He
never bothered with women in any serious fashion.
Who was she,
anyway?
But neither
Clayton nor Jonathan gave anything away.

It
was delightful to sit on the grass and eat their prim sandwiches.
Clayton had been prepared. He was not wearing a suit, but casual
pants. He looked even better and Rebecca wished he was her lunch.
He touched her once on her
back and of, course, he was
shocked. He was beginning to like it.

She laughed and said, “I warned
you
”, as if it was the most
natural occurrence.

She did not know what it meant, neither did he. But Clayton
knew he liked the feel of it. He put his hand on her leg
while talking to her and nothing happened.
Okay, it’s her back
, he thought. But it was not so. When he
put his left hand casually on her arm, she jumped away from the
shock.

“
Shit, that hurt.”

“Sorry, I don’t know about this. I think we need to
s
it down and explore each other’s bodies to find out how
this works. I can’t figure it out.
”

She
thought he was joking and laughed.

“
That is the most original line I have ever heard. Come,
honey, let me find out where I shock you.”

But his eyes were dark
blue
.