The Spirit Who Loved Me: Spirit Whispers Book One (9 page)

Chapter 12

“Hey, Mom! Guess
who I invited over for cake?” I asked as she walked through the door after a long day working as a bank teller in Pittsboro. I thumbed in Tammy’s direction. She was leaning up against counter watching me while I worked on the gravy for the country fried steaks we were having for dinner.

“Well, hey there, Tammy. How’s your folks doing?”

“Oh, they’re doing fine. They both stay so busy, especially my dad with work and all.” Tammy’s dad was a Doctor of Oncology at UNC. They had moved out here to the Settler’s Crossroads area when Tammy was little because they had wanted their daughter to grow up in the country.

“Well, it smells wonderful in here, girls. You started dinner?” She peeked over the yellowed counter that separated the living room from the kitchen.

“Oh, yeah, should be ready in 10 minutes.”

Mom spied the cornbread lying out on the counter. It was our Haggart family recipe, not that sweet stuff they try and pass off as real cornbread in those box mixes at the grocery. “Well, I’ll be, Krystal. You’re not supposed to make your own birthday dinner,” She laughed as she lifted the aluminum foil covering the steaks. “Impressive. They look great girls.”

When Bobby got
home from his job at the local auto parts, which miraculously, he’d been holding down for two months now, we all sat down to my special birthday dinner of chicken fried steak swimming in white gravy, whipped mashed potatoes, green beans laced with pork fat, and corn bread. The table was silent as we dug in, stuffing ourselves silly. I could almost feel my arteries clogging, but oh my gosh, was it good. Like any good southern girl, I cleaned my plate.

“Thank you so much for having me over, Mr. and Mrs. Mooney,” said Tammy.

Mooney was Bobby’s last name. I still cringed a little inside whenever I heard my mom referred to as “Mrs. Mooney.” I shoulda gotten used to it by now, but figured I never really would. She’d always be a Haggart to me.

“Oh no, thank you, for helping Krystal to cook this wonderful meal, sweetie.”

“Yep, you girls sure did a fine job,” Bobby said as he stood up from the table.

I looked over to Tammy and mouthed “Wow” to her. Bobby hardly ever had anything nice to say about me, much less my friends.

“Now how about I get everything cleaned up since you girls already did most of the work, hmmm?”

I checked to see if Bobby was out of ear shot before speaking. “Hey mom, I was wondering if I could go on over to Tammy’s tonight. You remember how she’s treating me to a day out tomorrow?”

“My mom already said it was okay,” Tammy chimed in.

“I don’t see why not. You still going to have cake?”

“Oh, yes, ma’am. Wouldn’t miss it for the world…” Okay, so I was laying it on thick, but whatever.

“Okay then,” she nodded.

“Let’s go get ya packed up then,” Tammy said pulling at my arm.

I grabbed my dusty blue duffle bag from the corner of my closet. While I grabbed the essentials like socks, Tammy riffled through my closet tossing clothing in my bag.

“Girl, we need to take you shopping.”

I groaned. I really didn’t like to clothes shop. Book shopping, different story. In fact, the main places I wanted to stop tomorrow were the book stores. Chapel Hill had some great book stores, some old ones too.

“I really have plenty of clothes.” It wasn’t really a bad wardrobe, I thought. Between what I’d been handed down, and what my mom picked up from time to time, I had enough to make due.

“Do you really want to walk around wearing any of Tara’s old clothes if you don’t have to?” she whispered.

That gave me pause, and I thought back to Tara’s nasty comment from the wake. “You do have a point.”

“There is this little thing called online shopping you know.”

“Oh, how you know me,” I said throwing myself backwards on my bed. “But my mom won’t let me get a debit card yet.”

“We’ll think of something. You’re too good to wear Tara’s old shit, and now you don’t have to.” She looked around my room. “So where’s that make-up?”

“Bathroom.”

“Time for cake, ya’ll,” mom hollered down the hall.

I took the two steps it took to get into my small excuse for a bathroom and just grabbed the whole Tupperware container of make-up and stuffed it into my duffel, and zipped it up.

“Happy Birthday to you…..Happy Birthday to you…”

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” I said hustling back into the kitchen. Everyone continued to sing, and I took my place at the table to blow out the candles.

“Make a wish, Krystal!” Mom exclaimed.

I hesitated, never quite knowing what to wish for. New shoes? A boyfriend? World peace? With a great deep breath, I closed my eyes thinking love, I wish for love, and I whooshed those candles out, every single last one. Seventeen. Not as easy as it sounds either. I was still full from dinner, but I forced down a respective slice of cake. Usually Granny would make her famous chocolate cake, but I guess mom knew better than to try and copy that again. Instead she had baked my next favorite cake, a white, buttery pound cake with buttercream icing, which I’d been having way too much of lately. I sat at the table, in a near comatose state, patting my stomach.

“I feel like a tick about to pop. I swear, you’re gonna have to roll me outta here.”

“Guess your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” Tammy giggled. Her slice had been much more reasonable. “This cake is so good. Do you think your mom will let us take some with us for later?”
 

I cringed, the thought of eating anything else ever again making me feel nauseous.

“Oh, Tammy, why don’t cha’ll,” honest to God, that’s what it sounded it like, cha’ll, “take the rest with ya. God knows Bobby and I don’t need to eat the rest of the cake.”

“Oooh that would be awesome, Mrs. Mooney!” Tammy exclaimed, much more enthusiastic than was necessary.

Mom wrapped the cake up while I grabbed my duffle and purse.

“Bye, Mama, love you.” I gave her a kiss on her cheek and a hug. “Bye, Bobby,” I called, and he yelled something unintelligible back.

“Love you too, Krystal. Girls, be careful now.”

“We will Mom,” I called, finally shutting the front door behind us. “Taking your car?” I asked Tammy as we descended the wobbly steps, which were way over do for a coat of paint.

“You know it.”

We hopped in Tammy’s little blue Honda Civic. I remembered how tickled pink she had been with her sweet sixteen gift from her parents. It was originally her mother’s, and her mom had upgraded to a black Cadillac so Tammy could have the Honda. I had suspicions that had been the plan all along. What respectable doctor’s wife drives around in a Civic? But it was perfect for Tammy.

“Oh, man,” I
groaned. I glanced around me. Tammy was sprawled out on the other side of the couch, her blanket haphazardly lying across her, lightly snoring to boot. Ya’ll better not tell her either. Credits from
Twilight Breaking Dawn Part I
were rolling by on the big screen TV. Guess our
Twilight
Movie a Thon was a bust. I shut the television and Blu-ray player off. I rubbed uselessly at the back of my stiff neck. Tammy looked comfortable enough, so I decided not to wake her. I grabbed the blanket I’d been using and laid down on the love seat, but I tossed and turned trying to get comfortable, which was difficult since I couldn’t stretch my legs out. The throw pillows just weren’t doing it for me either.

I decided to give in and get my pillow from Tammy’s bedroom. I stumbled around in the near dark as I made my way over to the stairs. Her room was on the second floor, my fingertips glided along the smooth round logs of the cabin to help guide my way. I quickly retrieved my pillow from on top of my duffle and hugged it against me, and made back for the living room as quickly and quietly as possible. I didn’t want any awkward middle of the night conversations with her folks. Reaching the loveseat, I fluffed my pillow up really well and snuggled up in its softness. Just as I was beginning to finally nod off, I felt the loveseat shift. Wonderful.

Well, hello there.

I opened one eye. He was perched up on the opposite arm of the loveseat, a tiny smile on his face, and I couldn’t help but notice how the corners on the left side of his mouth seemed to turn up just a few fractions more than his right. Butterflies tickled at my insides, and I couldn’t help but smile at him in return.

“Don’t you know I need my beauty sleep,” I joked as I propped myself up on my elbow. His laughter was rich and full.

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?” I asked trying to be sarcastic, but it was hard since I was actually thrilled to see him.

Do you remember the book store on Franklin Street, the one that carries used and rare books?

“Um,” I furrowed my brow. “Yeah. I was going to go in there tomorrow. Why?”

I have an assignment for you. There are two books which would be most helpful for you right now. You need to find them.
His eyes searched my face, and my breath caught in my throat. I didn’t utter a word for a minute while I tried to gain my composure. All I knew was that wanted to grin up at him like some silly little fool.

“You’re not going to tell me the titles?”

No. This is also an exercise for you to build upon your natural intuitive power. Most importantly, you must learn to trust your instincts. Surprisingly, you seem to be adjusting remarkably well. He looked thoughtful. Must be your age.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Must be your age?” I mocked.

Your grandmother was older and at a more mature time in her life when she came into her power.

“How old was she?”

I don’t know exactly. Time does not exist here in the same way it does in the physical planes. If I had to say, early twenties? She was a mother already. That brings about a maturity above and beyond being a certain age. Society was different then. Young people grew up faster, went to work and began to have families. Today, the youth take their time in growing up.
He used air quotations to emphasize growing up.

“And that’s a bad thing?”

Not at all. Humans in their golden years have a much better quality of life now than in eras past. It is therefore a natural progression for youths of today, for example, to forgo child bearing in pursuit of say education until they are older.

“Did she have some helping her like you?”

Why, yes. She had her Spirit Guides.

“Do only,” I had no idea how to even refer to myself. “Um, people like me, have a Spirit Guide?”

He shook his head no, still seated on his perch at the other end of the loveseat.

Everyone has at least one or two spirit guides helping them. Sometimes more depending upon what’s going on in a person’s life and what that person’s path designates.

I tried to imagine all of the, for lack of a better word, ghostly figures following everyone about their daily activities. I felt a headache coming on as I struggled to wrap my head around it. The world was a crowed place.

It’s not quite like that. We stay tuned in to you from where we are. We have a general idea of what’s going on with you, and when we feel you need us, then there we are. We help you to remain on your life’s path. We help smooth things out if we can. We don’t follow you around every single place you go, however. We have our own pursuits too, you know.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” a giggle escaped me. “So what do Spirit Guides do for fun anyway?” I saw Tammy rustling around in my peripheral vision. I froze until she stilled and began to breathe deeply again. Whew. Abel looked like he was about to burst out laughing, but since I knew Tammy couldn’t hear him, figured he was trying to refrain for my sake. Or rather for the sake of not pissing me off.

Well, we do any number of things. Some of us pursue spiritual studies or meditation, others may focus on music or other artistic pursuits. Whatever we want is ours for the taking. We can go anywhere and be there like
, he snapped his fingers for emphasis,
that. Some Spirits work with the spirits of beloved pets and look after them until the owners cross over. Others may…

“What about other animal’s spirits, like wild animals?” I interrupted intrigued.

They return to the collective consciousness of Animal Spirit until they reincarnate.

“I don’t believe in reincarnation.”

I know you don’t. I understand this society does not accept reincarnation as a logical possibility, however that does not change the fact that incarnation and reincarnation are facts of spiritual life.

“I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree.”

Abel tapped his fingers on the back of the couch.

Think of it this way, with all of the lessons and possibilities out there
, he stretched his arms wide,
could a soul truly learn and experience all it needs to know in only one lifetime? If you only lived as a woman, never experiencing life as a male, you would miss out on those lessons of male polarity and your soul’s growth would not be whole. Souls reincarnate many times over. It is our way, our very nature as spiritual beings. It is how we grow. It is how we learn, and our souls desire this growth.

“EW, please, don’t tell me I’ve been a man before. God that’s gross,” Holding my hands out in front of me I shook my head back and forth. “Really, I don’t want to know. So, if this is just so wonderful then, why aren’t you, ya know, living?”

He sighed.
Because you asked me to help you, and I said yes.

I stared down at my hands. For some reason I couldn’t explain, I suddenly felt embarrassed.

“Why?” I whispered softly, my lips barely moving. Looking up, my eyes met his, and I was overwhelmed with the desire to reach out and touch him, to stroke his cheek, put my fingers through his sandy hair, touch my lips to his lips, any of them and all of them. His eyes seemed to glow from a light within.

And why does one do anything, Krystal Abigail Haggart?
 
Hmmmm?

My answer was silence, not knowing what to say.

All that we do is out of love. All that we are, truly is love.

I found myself unable to breathe, unable to think as I lost myself in the emerald flecks of his hazel eyes.

So, my dear darling, Krystal, you have your answer then. I agreed to help you out of love.
He stood above me and gently caressed my face before taking my chin in between his finger and thumb.
Don’t forget to find those books tomorrow.
He winked at me before glancing over his shoulder.
I think it’s time for you to have a talk with your friend.
With one last brush of my cheek, my skin tingling along the path his fingertips had touched, he disappeared from my sight.

The sound of Tammy clearing her throat echoed through the silence. “Krystal Abigail Haggart, please tell me you are not having a bona fide conversation in the middle of the night with yourself!”

 
“Aw, man, what’s with everyone using my full name lately?” I threw myself backwards onto my pillow. “OW,” escaped my lips as my head made contact with the arm rest of the love seat rather than my pillow. “I have a feeling this is going to be a long night.”