by Lotta Smith
She seemed to believe that the series of events were purely the result of sleep deprivation, but I didn’t think so. Considering that Marion kept duping me by mimicking other people’s voices, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to assume that the ghost of the ring imitated the little girl version of Allison.
As Rick and I exchanged glances, Mrs. Miller stroked the ring fondly. “Oh my goodness, I’m so glad to have it back. I always felt this ring was my lucky charm.”
“Excuse me? Lucky charm?” I blurted.
“Oh yes.” Mrs. Miller smiled blissfully. “Morris has been such a playboy, always flirting with other women. Actually, he used to have affairs going on with not just one woman, but sometimes several—all at once.”
“Oh.” It was my turn to widen my eyes.
“Belinda passed away and the ring came to me, and a week later, Morris had a car wreck. He’d recovered nicely, but about a month later, he had a stroke, and after that, he’d been bedridden.”
“Excuse me, Mrs. Miller. How could that be described as lucky?” Rick asked.
“That’s because finally, I was able to have Morris all to myself.” The elegant old lady giggled like a schoolgirl, but her words were cringeworthy. “When he has to stay in bed all the time, he can’t have an affair, can he? I might sound like a cruel woman, but that’s not the case. I’m genuinely happy that I can spend my time with my husband without the fear of having interruptions anymore. I feel almost euphoric about looking after him. You know, Allison says it’s just a coincidence, but I can’t help thinking that everything happened because of the ring working its magic.”
“Wow,” I muttered, because I couldn’t find another word.
“Mandy.” Rick touched my hand and looked into my eyes. “I’ll never have an affair with another woman. I swear. So, don’t hex me into a bedridden patient.”
His tone was casual, but his mesmerizing green eyes were serious.
Looking into his somber face, I snorted.
“What?” He raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing,” I said, still chuckling. “Don’t worry. I won’t hex you into sickness. I’d appreciate it more if you were well enough to help me around the house. Such as changing the lightbulbs, rather than you spending years and years in bed.”
“That’s good. I’m relieved.”
“Not to mention, I’m not keen on listening to your constant whining for years and years,” I added.
“Hey, why are you talking about the worst-case scenario with a fixed proposition that I’ll whine?” he protested.
“Because you’ll certainly whine when you have to stay in bed all the time,” I said.
“Right, Mandy has a point.” Jackie popped up by my side and nodded in agreement.
“For your information, I’m not a whiner. I’ve never whined.” He crossed his arms. “I didn’t whine when I was in bed with a broken leg, right?”
“You think so?” I said, attempting to wiggle my eyebrows. “When I talked to Jackie, she seemed to agree with me.” Even though Jackie was right there, I purposefully used the past tense because we were in front of someone who didn’t know the ghost of a drag queen.
“Come on. Seriously!” He let out an exasperated sigh.
Mrs. Miller cleared her throat. “Excuse me, but are you two going to tie the knot or something?” As she asked this, her hazel eyes twinkled with curiosity.
“Actually, yes.” Rick nodded. “We’re hoping to tie the knot very soon.”
“Assuming we’ll be able to agree on the size of the wedding.” As I muttered under my breath, Mrs. Miller stretched out her hand to me, offering the ring.
“Ms. Meyer, I think you’ll want to put the ring on,” she said earnestly. “Whenever I wear this, it gives me some fuzzy feelings, but I always end up feeling so happy.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, mostly because I thought we had a serious misunderstanding about the ring.
“Of course, I’m sure.” She nodded, placing the ring onto the palm of my hand. “Please try it on.”
“But….” I fumbled with my words. Thanks to the information provided by Marion, the case wrapped up almost on itself and I didn’t need to put the ring on in an attempt to read its residual memories. I knew Brian had exorcised the ring and it was completely free of the congregated grudges and hatred, but still….
“Sounds fun. You should try it on.” Rick nudged my elbow, flashing a devilish smile. “I have a hunch you’ll love it.”
“Still….”
“No worries. In case of an emergency, I can call Brian.” Rick winked.
“Please help yourself.” Mrs. Miller was all smiles. “I think the blue sapphire will compliment your hand. Look at your skin. So smooth and radiant.”
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Miller. Okay, so I’m trying it on,” I mumbled, making a mental note to remove the ring as soon as possible. Rick seemed to be getting back at me for previously pointing out his grumbling, so I was determined to brave my way with the ring.
When I put it on my finger, I gasped, a jolt of electricity going through my whole body.
It was totally, completely surreal.
My body existed in the Millers’ penthouse, but at the same time, I was reliving the lives of many women whose memories were stored in the ring. There was a memory of a woman giving birth to her first daughter—she was smiling and so were her folks, everyone celebrating the new life.
Then my mind was taken to the memory of another woman living in what seemed to be the 1980s. She was going on a picnic with her husband and three kids… and then I went back in her memory. I heard her talking to her fiancé; she was insisting on a small wedding—just like I did with Rick—but her fiancé and his family were keen on a big wedding. After much debating with her fiancé and some tears, she gave in and had a huge wedding, but on the day of the ceremony, she was truly happy and all her cares and worries seemed to have vanished. Indeed, she couldn’t recall why she had to obsess over a small wedding in the first place—
“Mandy… Mandy?”
Someone was calling my name—no, I knew it wasn’t just someone, but Rick Rowling, my fiancé. I also noticed he was holding my shoulders and shaking me.
I moved my head to the direction where his voice was coming from. I opened my lips to say something but no voice came out. I was wide awake, but somehow, the connection between my body and brain didn’t seem to be working.
“Mandy, are you okay?” he said, cupping my face in his hands. His hands were large, but if you looked carefully, his fingers were nimble and deceptively delicate. “Mandy?” His concern was almost palpable.
“Oh my goodness! Are you all right?” came Mrs. Miller’s voice. “Did she faint? Should I call an ambulance?”
I realized I’d closed my eyes, so I opened them. “No. I don’t need an ambulance. Thank you so much.”
“Mandy!” Rick hugged me tightly.
“Hey, girlfriend, I was worried sick about you!” Jackie moved her arms like she was trying to hug me. “As soon as you put the ring on, you went limp and unresponsive, and then you started crying. Oh my God, I feared you were taken away!”
“I’m good. Don’t worry,” I said to both of them.
“Are you sure?” Mrs. Miller was looking into my face. “You’ve been crying.” She handed me some tissues.
“Oh, was I?” I touched my face and learned she was right. Wiping the tears off my face and still slightly sniffing, I said, “Mrs. Miller, you were so right. As soon as I put it on, my heart was flooded with so many happy memories. I was overwhelmed with so much bliss, to the point of crying without noticing.”
Concerns vanished from Mrs. Miller’s face and she perked up. “Really?”
“Yes. I felt as if I’d wandered into the ring’s previous owners’ memory, and everything was so vivid, happy, and joyful,” I said, removing the ring from my finger and handing it back to her. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Miller. I’m so glad I tried it on.”
“My pleasure.” She smiled. “I’m glad you liked it.”
I turned to Rick. “By the way, about the size of our wedding, let’s have a big one like you suggested.”
“But… are you sure? You said you’re not comfortable with walking in front of a large number of guests,” he said, clasping my hand.
“Well, I was slightly panicked about the possibility of becoming the center of attention to hundreds of people. Then again, it’s not like the people would be paying all their attention to me for hours and hours. After all, as long as there’s plenty of food and booze, people won’t be paying much attention to anything else.” I chuckled lightly. “On top of all that, I realized that all the guests you and I have in mind are important parts of our lives, so I don’t want to exclude anyone. Be it four hundred or five hundred, I’ll be a happy bride as long as I’m getting hitched with you.”
As I said that, Rick’s perfectly shaped lips parted into a grin. “I love you,” he said.
“I know.”
“Mandy, atta girl!” Jackie cheered.
“So, have you decided on the wedding venue?” Mrs. Miller chimed in.
“Actually, we have to start working on that.” Rick responded with a lopsided grin.
“And you’ll be having a wedding in Manhattan or in its neighborhood, right?” she pried.
“Hopefully.” I chuckled. “Still, considering we’ve just made an agreement about the size of the guest list, we’ve got to prepare ourselves for a long road, including booking the venue and everything else.”
“Right.” Rick nodded. “It’s the season when all the wedding venues and planners are busy. Still, they always have extra dates and spaces stashed somewhere. I’ll try tapping into those hidden treasures.”
“Actually, you have already taken the first step in that process. I happen to have a little brother named Joshua, and Jenna, one of his daughters, owns an event planning company called Pinnacle Events.” With the casualness of talking about grocery shopping, she mentioned the name of Manhattan’s hottest event organizing company. “They have two venues for big weddings in Tribeca, and two more estate-style venues in Long Island. Are you comfortable about using one of them as your wedding venue of choice? If I recall it right, all of them should be able to accommodate up to seven hundred guests. I can call Josh and have your dream wedding arranged any time.”
I felt like pumping my fists and screaming, “Yes, please!” but I looked at Rick before doing that. “I’ve heard so many nice things about all of the venues she’s just mentioned. According to the reviews at The Knot, their food is great.”
“Sounds nice.” A corner of Rick’s lips quirked up into a smile. “Mrs. Miller, could you please call your brother?”
“My pleasure!” Flashing a wide grin, Mrs. Miller called for her daughter. “Allison! Can you bring the phone to me, please?”
Rick glanced at the ring on Mrs. Miller’s finger. “It’s funny how that ring seems like it’s charmed rather than cursed,” he muttered.
“It’s enchanted and bewitched.” I smiled and rested my head on his shoulder.
EPILOGUE
A few days later, another Saturday came along and we were sitting at the table in Petit Salon at Baccarat Hotel. It was another meeting with Dan and Alice Wunderlande. Of course, we weren’t just meeting and having lunch. Just like the previous meeting and the ones before that, we were supposed to be discussing our wedding.
Under normal circumstances, Alice would have been chattering nonstop about her great plans for our wedding, and I’d be biting my lower lip. However, on this special day, things were different. Alice was uncharacteristically quiet. Also, she went so far as ordering the burger royale, and she was actually eating the beef patty.
I was almost compelled to ask her the reason for the drastic change of her dietary preference—though I had a hunch that it had something to do with Marion taking over her body and feeding it animal proteins and saturated fat.
I stole a glance from Rick, who was sitting right next to me. He was supposed to bring up the topic of the wedding venue, but he kept his silence. Dan was also quiet, cutting a sautéed scallop in two halves.
I was having a Maine lobster salad, which should have tasted delicious, but obviously my nerves were interfering with my taste buds. I tried to focus on my food. Considering you’d have to pay ten bucks for an egg for breakfast, you surely wanted to savor everything at this place, from the vaulted ceilings to three Baccarat chandeliers, but the tension between the four of us was palpable and overwhelming.
When I leaned toward Rick to ask him what was causing the strain, Jackie popped up from out of nowhere.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone so quiet? Did I mistakenly crash a funeral? If so, where’s the body in a casket?” She peppered me with questions, prompting me to gasp and drop my fork onto the floor.
“Ooh-la-la,” the ghost of a drag queen said in a mock French accent.
“Um… I’m so sorry. I was distracted.” Suppressing my urge to slap the ghost floating in midair, I mumbled an apology as all eyes in the salon focused on me.
“Don’t worry, Mandy.” Dan smiled warmly. “Sometimes cutlery develops its own mind.”
The waiter attending the small salon was a living human being, but without a sound, he appeared from out of nowhere. Moving stealthily, he brought me a new fork, picking up the dropped one off the floor.
“Thank you so much,” I said.
“Avec plaisir.” With an elegant smile, he bowed and left the salon with the same stealth as when he appeared.
Rick looked at my fork and mouthed, “What happened?”.
“Jackie happened,” I mouthed in return, prompting him to break into a grin.
“Hey, how was Alice’s reaction to the wedding venue? You’ve already told her about the plan, haven’t you?” I whispered into his ear.
“I haven’t delivered the news… yet,” he whispered back to me.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out as he covered it with his hand before I blurted out anything.
On the same day Mrs. Miller made a phone call to Jenna Hannigan, her niece, we visited Pinnacle Events’ office in Tribeca. Jenna gave us tours of two venues located in the same building as the company’s office. And we practically fell in love with them—especially the one coming with three hundred and sixty degrees of uninterrupted, breathtaking views of Manhattan. Their food prepared by an in-house culinary team was both beautiful and delectable, to the point that it was almost unbelievable that the sample menu was prepared at the last minute. And on top of all that, they could squeeze our wedding in their busy schedule!
In the spur of moment, and with the perfect opportunity right in front of us, Rick and I signed a contract with them. The deal included a team of wedding coordinators, and I liked that part so much. After booking, Rick and I were toasting with a glass of champagne when we realized that we’d totally forgotten to notify, much less include, Alice, who had been extra-enthusiastic about choosing the venue and planning the whole event.
We’d already told Dan about the venue and the wedding day, and he said he’d be communicating with Alice about the matter. I didn’t know how or if Dan had delivered the news to her; however, from her demeanor, I assumed she didn’t take the news very amicably.
Rick put his cutlery down on both sides of the dish. When he opened his mouth to start a conversation, Alice straightened abruptly.
“Rick, Amanda, I have to tell you something,” she said.
She looked as tense as ever, and her eyes were shining. When I noticed that she was teary, I felt a sharp twinge of guilt for not including her when deciding on the wedding venue. Okay, so Alice had been more distracting than helpful in the wedding planning, suggesting a llama as the ring bearer and tattoo exchanging instead of ring exchanging; still, she was the woman who gave birth to Rick.
“Alice….” I was almost compelled to say I was sorry, but Rick held my hand tightly, as if he was trying to prevent me fr
om saying anything improper.
Fluttering her long lashes a few times, Alice said, “It’s about your wedding planning. As you know, I’d volunteered to be your chief wedding planner. I was so excited and was totally looking forward to it, but something came up, and I’m afraid I won’t be fit for the role anymore.”
“Oh my God!” Jackie gasped by my side. “Is she sick or something? I so hope she’s okay.”
“What’s going on—if I may ask?” Rick said calmly.
“Last night, I got a call from a film producer in L.A. He’s working on a new project, and he asked me to star in the main role,” Alice confided. She delivered those words kind of shyly, but at the same time, I sensed a hint of a brag in her voice. “I told him that I was extremely busy with my son’s wedding and everything, but Kevin, the producer, said he can’t think of having anyone but me as Cee Cee, the star of the show. Also, he’s on a tight schedule and can’t wait until I’ve beautifully wrapped up your wedding.”
“I can understand,” Dan said. “Artists tend to be passionate and compulsive when it comes to their calling. I can imagine how much he wants you to play the big role. And I’m sure the movie will be a big break for your career. Don’t you think so, Rick?”
“Yeah, right.” He nodded. “I can already picture the movie winning big in the box office.”
“Still, I don’t want to be that kind of a mother who puts more emphasis on her career than her only child,” Alice said, pushing around a piece of carrot stick with her fork.
She didn’t need to worry about that because she was already that kind of mother, and we all knew it, but I kept my mouth shut.