The Emerald Talisman (8 page)

“You’re pretty sly, you know that?” he
said.

“What?”

He nodded his head and I looked over in the
direction he motioned. Morgan was sheepishly talking to Dena. I
smiled.

At least someone was following their
heart.

During Algebra, I decided dinner and a movie
would cater to my crippled condition the best. Sam thought so too.
Actually, she didn’t seem to care what we did, as long as it
cheered me up.

“Can we go right after school?” I whispered
in class.

She nodded.

That would be my solution for avoiding home
completely. The sooner my distraction started the better. I sent
Luke a text under my desk letting him know my plans. His
confirmation reply came a second later. I suddenly felt
excited.

. . .

6
– FOREWARNING

We took off down the freeway, the wind in our
hair, tunes blaring, without a care in the world. I finally felt
liberated, keeping thoughts about Nicholas in the far recesses of
my mind. He would stay locked away so I could enjoy our fun-filled
girls-only evening. I totally needed it.

“Where do you want to go for dinner?” Sam
asked while we waited at another long red light.

“I was hoping you’d want pizza,” I said, even
though we ate at Pleasure Pizza all the time.

“Ooh, that sounds good.”

They had the greatest pizza ever, amazing
homemade dough cooked to perfection in a stone oven. My mouth
watered as I imagined my favorite, the Greek combo with feta,
olives, tomatoes and artichokes.

“And then, I thought it would be fun to watch
the sunset at The Point.”

“Good idea.”

“And then, a movie?”

“That sounds perfect,” she said in a
purr.

I never grew tired of hanging out with Sam,
even though we mostly did the same things together. She always
acted as if my ideas were something completely new. I liked that
about her.

“Hey, pull in here,” I said as I pointed to a
little restaurant on the corner. “We need to get the movie
times.”

The restaurant had a kiosk that held the
News and Review
paper right by the front door. Sam zipped
in, parked and jumped out to snag a copy.

Sam sped down Main Street as I flipped to the
movie section. I couldn’t handle a romantic movie or a tear-jerking
drama and horror was completely out. Experiencing fear to the nth
degree once in my life was plenty for me. I scanned the remaining
short list of movies.

“Okay, we’ve got
Ghost Flight, Arial’s
Rampage, Ballad of Maria
and –” I spotted a familiar title.
“How about
The Bucci Brothers Revenge
?”

“Never heard of it, what’s it about?”

“It’s a comedy about two brothers who start a
business venture designing a line of purses, trying to compete with
Gucci. I saw a preview; it looked funny.”

I bit my lip. A comedy with two gay brothers
couldn’t possibly have any romance I could relate too, if any.

“If that’s the one you want, I’m game,” she
said, a chipper tone in her voice.

“Are you being agreeable just to make me
happy?”

“Jules, the goal tonight is to do what you
want. It’s your therapy, remember?”

I huffed. “Yes, but…”

“I promise, so far, everything’s been cool
with me,” she said with a grin.

I let it go. Maybe if I stopped making
suggestions, she’d come up with something she’d want to do. I
didn’t want the evening to be all about me.

My attention was diverted when I noticed the
temperature drop. The ocean view was just around the bend in the
road. I could visualize the majestic crystalline water. It was like
being reunited with a long lost friend. I took in a deep breath and
filled my lungs with the crisp, salty air. Something about the
beach always did that to me.

“Wanna go to the cliff?” Sam suggested.

She knew me too well. I nodded, smiling.

She accelerated and I sat back, eyes closed,
feeling the warm sun on my face, trying to sing along to the songs
blasting out of her speakers. Even though I sounded completely
stupid and grasped at the words, I felt my heart heal a little.

Within minutes, we pulled up to the familiar
dirt parking lot on top of the cliff overlooking the most pristine
beach, our beach.

“You seem to be feeling better,” she said as
she killed the engine.

“You know, I am actually. I think this is
exactly what I needed.”

I gave her a big reassuring smile.

“Good.”

We relaxed in her car and watched the waves
roll in, crashing one by one onto the barnacle laden rocks. Sam
filled me in on the most recent gossip she just heard at school.
Apparently Katie asked Tyler for help with her Chemistry. He agreed
to meet her in the library after school, but when she got there,
Mandy came instead. He forgot he had practice and figured since
Mandy was acing Chemistry, she could help Katie. Katie was furious
and became the fastest pupil Mandy ever tutored.

“Wow, I wonder how she remained civil,” I
said with a chuckle.

“Well…” I sensed Sam’s compassion and felt
guilty for being so mean. “I’ve been trying to tell her to move on,
find someone else, like Erik or Logan McKay. They are both cute and
single at the moment.”

I imagined her with another football player
and sighed. She wouldn’t have any trouble nabbing either of them
but I felt sorry for the poor guy. She’d only use him to try to
make Tyler jealous and then dump him when it didn’t work. She was
totally stuck on Tyler – like I was stuck on Nicholas.

I cringed at the realization that I had let
thoughts of Nicholas seep from under the wall I put up. Worse yet,
the memories that flashed through my mind were so real I could
almost smell his earthy scent.

“Oh, yeah, she should do that,” I said,
trying to sound perfectly normal as I stuffed the feelings back
down.

I had to face it. Our relationship was over,
plain and simple though it never really begun and I had no need to
reminisce any longer. Maybe another guy would help me as well.

I re-centered myself and remembered back to
when Sam and I found this place. It was shortly after Sam got her
car. Ever since, I dreamt of exploring the beach below, but the
sheer cliff edge made it impossible to traverse, even with a
working ankle. I never saw a living soul down there, ever.

So, I imaged I was a bird, swooping and
flying in the wind. With wings I could get to the beach no problem.
I envied their easy life as I watched them soar, wishing I could be
one for just one day, only worrying about where to find my next
meal.

Suddenly, our stomachs started to make
horrible music together.

“Was that you or me?” I asked.

“Me, but I think I heard yours too,” she said
with a giggle. “You still want pizza?”

I nodded.

“Good. Me too.”

I knew we needed to eat soon, because if we
didn’t, Sam would turn into the Incredible Hulk and that wouldn’t
be a pretty sight.

The parking lot at Pleasure was full, but we
luckily snagged an empty spot right in front. I hobbled to the
patio and found us a table at once and Sam headed for the
doors.

“Wait –” I said, as I turned and shoved a $20
into her hand. “— my treat.”

She tilted her head and gave me the
mom
look.

“Take it, or I’ll make a scene,” I
whispered.

She opened her mouth as if to say something
but my insistent glare stopped her. She knew I would do it too and
I felt her resolve waiver.

“Okay; you win. Greek?” she asked.

“You know it,” I said with a smug smile.

I tried to wait patiently as Sam disappeared
to order, perusing the movies again, reading each preview making
sure I’d made a good choice.

When I couldn’t wait another second, Sam
magically appeared and plopped the hugest piece of pizza on the
planet in front of me. The smell alone launched me into the
stratosphere.

“This is heaven,” I said with a mouthful.

Sam just nodded.

We felt no shame as we stuffed our faces in
silence.

“I hope this movie is good,” I said while I
sucked on my soda, patting my full tummy.

“It sounds funny.”

That was the whole idea. I needed an hour or
so where I could escape and experience synonymous joy from the
other movie goers around me.

The Point was right down the street from the
pizza place and we parked with Sam’s windshield positioned at the
horizon. It would be our personal IMAX Theater when the sunset fire
show began.

“This is so ro-tic,” Sam said with a surly
grin.

“Ro-tic?”

“Yup, romantic without the man.”

I chuckled and faked a smile as Nicholas came
to mind.

Argh.

Frustrated with myself, I pushed his face
away again and tried to find a distraction. The glassy surf was
peppered with surfers and I zoned out staring at one of them
getting ready to catch an incoming wave. I cheered in my head as he
paddled and popped up, riding it in gracefully. He made it look
effortless.

The sun started to touch the horizon behind
him and instantly turned everything a vibrant orange. The waves
danced and reflected the fiery hues creating a warm glow across the
water. And slowly the sun fell behind the low lying clouds and
golden purplish rays of light pierced like knives into the sky. We
both watched in silence, the light getting dimmer and dimmer until
in one tiny flash, everything turned to dusk. The beauty was
breathtaking and sharing it with Sam’s awe and wonder made it even
better.

“Wow,” I said, feeling like I should break
out in applause.

“Pretty amazing.”

“No wonder the real estate around here is so
expensive.”

“No kidding.”

We sat for another minute, before Sam started
up her car.

“Ready, Madam?”

She gave me a mischievous look and revved her
engine. I knew what she wanted to do. I smiled and I nodded my head
to give her the signal. She romped on the gas, pushing me back into
my seat and I squealed lifting my arms out of the convertible’s top
as she jetted down the road.

We raced through town and parked on a side
road nearby the theater. Sam had offered to drop me off at the
front, but I didn’t want the extra attention. I could hobble down
the street if it wasn’t far.

“Hey, I have an idea,” she said with a
twinkle in her eye.

Before I could object, she ushered me towards
a tiny house with “Fortune Teller” glowing in the window.

“No.” I dug my heels in.

“Why? How come? It’ll be fun. Don’t you wanna
know if Nicholas is ever going to come back?”

Oh nice. Bring Nicholas into it, why don’t
you.

“No, actually I don’t. Besides, they just lie
anyway.”

I would know. They couldn’t deceive me. Not
with my gift.

“I really want to, please?” she begged,
flashing me puppy dog eyes.

It was against my better judgment to go, but
since she really wanted to, I conceded. We walked to the porch and
spotted a sign in the window that said “come in”. Sam, now
conveniently afraid, looked to me for support, so I turned the
rusty knob and opened the door. Bells rang out to alert the owner
of our presence.

“If she really could see the future, she
wouldn’t need those,” I whispered.

Sam wrinkled up her nose and smirked.

The dimly lit room stunk of animal dander,
patchouli oil and incense. Dusty plum colored scarves with gold
fringes hung over the lampshades and tabletops. They matched the
ugly gold and purple metallic paper on the walls. The only light in
the room came from a few candles, which didn’t brighten the dismal
appearance. I wondered if the décor scared off potential repeat
customers.

A black cat, with icy blue eyes, hissed at me
from its perch on top of an armoire in the corner.

“Shhh Enigma,” a voice said from the other
room.

A plump old woman full of distrust and
pessimism entered the room through a doorway framed by a thick
curtain held back with a beaded sash. She picked up the cat and
shooed it into another room.

“Come in, come in,” she said, while loosening
the sash, letting the curtain fall.

Her high pitched voice sounded out of breath,
like she was going to croak at any minute.

We looked at each other and stepped inside.
The sound of the door slamming shut behind us felt final. I
shivered, reminded of the children in
Hansel and Gretel
.

“What can I do for you girls?” she said, her
red lipstick not quite exactly on her lips.

“We’d like our fortunes read,” Sam said
sheepishly.

The old woman smiled revealing crooked teeth
aged from time. “Fine dears, lovely, come…sit down… sit down.”

She motioned for us to sit in two chairs by a
table adorned with more dark tapestries. Sam patiently waited as I
hobbled over and leaned my crutches against the wall. I sat down,
but kept a watchful eye as the woman waited for us to get
comfortable. Her black taffeta dress swished as she moved to sit
directly across from us.

“That’ll be $10 each,” she said.

“What a rip off,” I murmured.

Sam jabbed me in the ribs, before she plunked
down the money. The old woman pocketed it and snatched Sam’s hand,
flipping it over. She paused; I’m sure for effect, before giving
her answer. She told us Sam would have two children, marry the man
of her dreams and live a long and prosperous life but to avoid
making big decisions if the date happened to be the 16th and a
Tuesday.

Sam asked few specific questions about her
family and Todd. The woman wanted to know their birth dates and
then made up some niceties about how Todd could be the one because
their birth signs were compatible.

I rolled my eyes.
What a crock!

But before I could stop her, Sam put down
another $10 and plunged my hand into the old woman’s.