There is no denying the fact that Jim had been a lying, cheating husband for nearly ten years. But this new activity with Ekaterina (in Jim's mind) took him to new territory.
* * *
Feeling cheap, dirty and violated; Jim staggered through the woods back to his cable van on Mapleview Road in a near, drunken, vodka-induced stupor following his first encounter of sex magick with Ekaterina. It was the middle of January, Friday the 15th. His first of forty-nine days of sex with Ekaterina had been fulfilled, but already Jim was feeling guilty. For starters, while enjoying sex magick at Ekaterina's cottage, he missed a series of text messages from the office dispatcher that asked where he was. It was best to get back to the van before answering. At least that way he wouldn't be lying about disclosing his whereabouts on Mapleview Road.
What's more, this was the first time that Jim had sex outside his marriage. Kissing and cuddling with Amber wasn't considered cheating in his world. But screwing some old witch in the forest was definitely grounds for divorce (in his mind). It might even get Jim fired if not reaching the cable van fast enough.
And to any man who ever decides to engage in extramarital activity; don't ever be fooled into believing your taboo relationship to be a secret from the wife. She knows; she knows from the moment that you call or as you walk through the door. She also knows that a husband would never answer truthfully of where he's been. Accusing him simply out of that guilty look in his eyes or the vague tone of his voice would only provoke defensive behavior.
As is the case for Amber; things had gotten terribly out of control with her husband. For so long Amber maintained the patience of a saint while Jim lived with that other woman down the street, hoping that through time he would come back to his senses and move back home. At least he and Amber were talking throughout this difficult separation period. And at times Amber believed that his heart was nearly won back. But now there was some new and foreign element that suddenly distanced Amber's husband further away.
It was eight o'clock pm on Friday; the same Friday that Jim experienced his initial encounter of sex magick with Ekaterina. Amber had yet to hear from Jim for the day. She sent him a text message. “Hi! Haven't heard from you today. Everything ok? Can I see you?”
His reply was short and to the point. “Sorry. Busy day. Really tired and not feeling good. Not tonight.”
What was this? What if Amber hadn't texted Jim? Would she have heard from him at all? Amber answered back. “Okay… maybe see you tomorrow?”
“Yeah it depends on how I feel.”
Amber knew better. Jim wasn't sick! Instead, somehow that other woman had gotten into Jim's mind and convinced him that his heart should remain in her home with those other children! And this was causing Amber to run out of patience. What power did this other woman have over Amber's husband? With as gifted as Amber had been through her life in wishing for things to come true, Amber now felt so powerless.
Maybe it was time to play dirty. Maybe it was time to win her man the old-fashioned way with a game of jealousy. For so many months Amber presented herself as available and accessible to Jim, nearly begged for him to come home. But maybe the trick was to play the opposite game. It's when we are about to lose someone we love to another person that those overwhelming feelings of intense desire suddenly return. Perhaps pushing Jim away and causing him to feel jealous would be the motivation he needed to finally come home.
And this is why Amber suddenly had a change in heart towards that annoying and persistent customer who regularly visited her in the jewelry department, Daren. Actually, she hadn't seen Daren since that Tuesday morning shortly after the holidays.
But it was on a late, Monday evening; only three evenings after Amber decided to play the new game of jealousy with Jim that Daren resurfaced with perfect timing. On this particular evening, Amber stayed late for store inventory which means she didn't leave until 10:30 pm. Many of the employees had finally gone home for the evening which left her, the manager of electronics and two other employees to be the only remaining people in that store. The two employees were soon allowed to leave so that only Amber and fellow manager, Tim, remained.
The last person(s) out of the building must activate the alarm for the evening. As Tim did this, he asked Amber, “Are you going to be okay walking out to your car? I parked some distance away from yours.”
“No, I'll be fine. Maybe just watch me walk over to my car.”
“No problem.” answered Tim. “Good night.”
“Good night.” returned Amber.
The Mapleview Department Store leaves its parking lot lights on all evening for security purposes. With the parking lot nearly cleared of all vehicles, Amber quickly walked towards her black Grand Prix. It was a typical, cold January night in Mapleview with the season's accumulated snowfalls plowed into frozen piles at the centers of the parking lot.
While near her car, Amber noticed something vaguely unusual. The car sat there, alone, and looked exactly as she had parked it earlier that day. But something about it looked tampered with. Now close enough to open the door, Amber slowly circled her car to examine anything that stood out of the ordinary. Nothing physical could be seen. It was more of a residual energy, something in the surrounding air that warned Amber that her car had been tampered with. Maybe someone tried to break in but gave up.
Now shivering from the cold, Amber unlocked her door, quickly entered and then started the engine. She huddled her body for about a moment while allowing the engine to warm. Freezing and wishing so badly just to get home, Amber backed out of her lonely spot and took off for the main street in town.
Although a well established town with plenty of businesses and restaurants, most of Mapleview shuts down in the evening. Not only that, it was only January and the middle of winter. Because of this, the roads were nearly desolate—not a car in sight throughout downtown Mapleview.
Suddenly, Amber's engine began to stall and jerk.
“What? What's wrong?” It sounded as-if her car was running out of gas. Amber immediately looked over to the fuel gauge and discovered the tank was on empty. “That's impossible!” yelled out Amber. Earlier that day she had just over half a tank. With no choice, Amber pulled over to the shoulder before her car stalled in the middle of the road.
Just as the transmission was slipped into “park”, the sputtering engine of the Grand Prix finally died.
“No!” cried out Amber. “Come-on! I just want to get home!” Poor Amber! Who could she call for help? Jim would have been her first choice, but he was to be alienated in this new game of jealousy. And where was this sudden, new man who would play jealousy with Amber?
Frustrated, Amber stepped out of the vehicle. The cold January winds of Mapleview howled through the empty, main road in town. The gas station was about a block away. It was going to be a long walk in the cold! Maybe a police car would pass and spot Amber.
As Amber was no more than six feet away from the trunk of her car, a pair of spotlights seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, then pulled over to the shoulder about 20 feet behind Amber's Grand Prix. From what Amber could see through the flood of headlights, it was a red pickup truck. Apparently a good Samaritan was about to offer help.
The driver stuck his head out the window. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
Amber froze for a couple of seconds. She heard that voice before, and detected a bit of danger from it. Who was that in the red pickup truck?
The driver emerged and stepped out onto the highway. It was Daren; that annoying, married customer who tried so hard to have a coffee break with Amber and discuss his so-called “girlfriend problems”. And he looked so surprised, soon delighted to see Amber. “Oh, hi! You work in jewelry over at the Mapleview Department Store!”
Amber nodded her head and then sighed. Really she had no choice. Daren was the person who was going to help her. “It looks like I ran out of gas.” informed Amber.
“Ran out of gas? Yeah, that happens to everyone at least once or t
wice in their life. It's why I keep a couple containers of gas with me during the winter months. I see a lot of people like you stalled on the roads. Don't worry. I'll fill you up.”
Of course Amber still wasn't sure. But then what choice did she have? Would she actually be so stupid as to turn down Daren's help and then walk in the cold to the nearest gas station? “Okay…” answered Amber.”If you've got some gas, I'll take some."
“No problem…” Daren paused upon realizing he didn't know Amber's name. “What's your name?”
“Amber.”
“Amber; that's a pretty name! I'm Daren. Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand and shook Amber's. “Go ahead and sit in my nice, warm truck. This'll only take a couple of minutes. Then you can get going.”
Less than two weeks ago, Amber couldn't stand the man. Now she was accepting his offer for help and sitting in the passenger seat of his nice, warm pickup truck. Although she hated to admit it, the warmth felt so good.
Two gas containers that held five gallons each sat in the back of the truck, right next to a large box of extra-jumbo-sized mason jars that were about the same size and diameter of Mary Trivelli's jar back at the mausoleum. Daren seemed to be developing an obsession with jars of that size in recent days.
Amber watched from inside the pickup truck as Daren carried the two containers of gas over to her Grand Prix. He opened the tank and began to refill it with Amber's gas that had been siphoned out some hours earlier. It was then that it suddenly dawned upon Amber of what was happening. So that was Daren's little technique? The man was so persistent that he actually took the time to siphon out Amber's gas and then meet her on the highway to play hero?
All Amber could do in that moment was shake her head in disbelief. Too bad Jim wasn't here to see this and understand that another man tried so desperately to have Amber. That's when Amber reached another realization. Why was she playing so hard to get? Daren was the answer to her wish. Another man wanted her. Jim wasn't around and certainly in need of a good, hard lesson. Maybe it was time to lighten up a bit with the annoying, married customer and accept an invitation for coffee or even go out for dinner.
One five gallon container of gas was filled into Amber's tank, then another. As the minutes passed, Amber further convinced herself that Daren was the answer to all her wishes. And she felt so wanted, so sexy and flattered to have man desire her so badly that he took the time to siphon the gas from her tank.
Daren returned and placed the empty gas containers in the back of the truck. It was then that Amber emerged into the cold to greet Daren with a warm smile.
“All done?” Amber asked with plenty of ladled friendliness.
“Yup! That should give you plenty of gas to take you home or even to the nearest gas station.”
Amber and Daren stood facing one another for a brief moment. Amber broke the silence. “So…”
“Yeah, why don't you go see if you can get your car started.” suggested Daren.
“Sure!” Amber walked towards her car and then momentarily turned to face Daren. “So will I see you around, soon?”
“Excuse me?”
“I haven't seen you in while in the jewelry department. I trust everything is going well with your girlfriend?”
“Eh… we're kind of seeing each other right now. It's not that serious like it was before. How have sales been since the holidays?”
Amber shrugged her shoulders, “It's kind of slowed down a bit. We've got Valentine's Day coming up.”
“Right…”
Amber couldn't believe that she was now the one doing the chase. She suddenly wanted Daren so badly. Why wasn't he getting the hint? Was he going to make a move and ask her out for coffee? Maybe he needed a hint. “Gosh, it's so cold out here.”
“It is!” agreed Daren. “Now go see if your car starts! I want to get home.”
What was this? Daren was pushing Amber away and rejecting her? Dumbfounded, Amber returned to her driver's seat and started the Grand Prix right up. She looked out towards the direction of Daren's pickup truck and gave him the thumb up.
But Daren was already climbing into his truck. He merely nodded and smiled. Then he closed the door and drove off, leaving Amber all alone on the highway! With nothing left to do, she simply slipped the transmission into “drive” and made her way home.
Men were always so confusing for Amber!
Chapter 38
Amber woke up the following morning; a Tuesday when she had to report to work for store opening. It was during awkward scheduling like this that Amber truly hated the Mapleview Department Store. She worked from store opening, yesterday, until late in the evening past store closing. And now Amber had to be there bright and early this morning? Was there no end to this never-ending cycle of work, work, work?
Still not fully awake and not quite motivated to start her day, Amber sat down on the sofa and opened up the laptop. Maybe she would check out the social world of Facebook before stepping into the shower. The notifications ticker showed that her small group of friends and coworkers had recently posted pictures of their own private family gatherings, or functions at their kids' schools. A couple people posted some You Tube videos of some head-banging hair bands of the 1980s.
Oh, and Amber loved when people shared their personal problems for the whole world to read in an update status. “Sometimes life can be so hard for a mother. You try and try so hard to show your love, but then your son breaks your heart. Some days I don't think I can go on. Lord, give me the strength! Maybe someone else out there can take my son. I think I'm done being a mother.”
The best part: nine people actually “liked” this status update!
Then Amber glanced back over to the notifications ticker and noticed that someone had sent her a private message. She clicked the notification which opened up a direct message from Daren! Yes, it was actually the annoying, married customer who had been trying to ask Amber out, and even siphoned gas out of her tank to come along and play hero!
Needless to say, the message took Amber by surprise. So dumbfounded by last night's episode, she truly thought that Daren was a lost cause.
“Amber,
I'm sorry for writing you out of the clear blue like this, but last night left me feeling like there was supposed to be more. I felt like maybe I was supposed to ask you to join me for coffee or something. I know that maybe you and I got off on a bad start. It was the holidays and I was sort of clumsy in the way that I approached you in the jewelry department. But you know, deep down inside, I think that there is something between us. Do you feel it? Is this mutual?
I guess I'm just continuing where I left off from last night. Maybe we can have coffee some time and get better acquainted.
Daren"
Amber shook her head in disbelief. “What the hell is this? How did he even get my last name?” She read the message a second time and then a third. This Daren was truly out of his mind! Amber clicked Daren's profile page which contained his general information. The man worked at a biomedical equipment company with headquarters out in Arizona. Daren's hometown was in Arizona. He now lived in Mapleview and was certainly married, as evidenced by the freely-shared photos of him and his wife. As for Mary, she was quite a beautiful wife. She was so young and beautiful, in fact, that Amber had a split-second of envy. And if Amber didn't know any better, there was something in the photos of Daren and Mary that suggested a beautiful daughter was maybe a year away from being born.
For some unknown reason, Amber suddenly felt an urge to hurt Daren and Mary. She hated them for nothing more than being a happy, young couple and wished to destroy them.
Just then, Trista scuffed past the family room and on her way into the kitchen to make coffee.
“Trista, come here.” Amber nearly ordered. “Look at this.” Amber really had no one else to share this new phenomenon with. At times like this, Trista was Amber's best friend.
Trista overlooked her mother's shoulder and struggled to understand what was being shared
. Apparently, some stranger messaged Mother.
“This guy has been visiting me in the jewelry department and wants to take me out on a date.”
“He's not bad looking…” commented Trista.
“I know; he's actually a really, good-looking guy. But he's married. And get this. Last night he actually siphoned the gas from my tank to come rescue me on the highway when my car stalled.”
“Whoa! That's creepy, Mom!”
“I guess he's trying to ask me out over Facebook?”
Trista sighed. Mother was an older, single woman who apparently hadn't been on the dating scene since, perhaps, before Trista was born. She needed to be brought up to speed. “Okay, Mom, you need to know this. When a guy tries to hit on you or ask you out on Facebook, you're supposed to ignore him. Pretend that you never got the message.”
Amber returned a queer look to her daughter.
“I'm serious, Mom. Trust me; this is what losers do. This Daren guy is pretty much saying, 'Okay, I really like you but I'm afraid to ask you out in person. So I'm doing it on Facebook in hopes to maybe break the ice a little.' You can't let that happen, Mom. If you're really interested, you need him to work a little. Let him approach you in person like a real man. You deserve it, right?”
Amber nodded in agreement. She was truly blessed to have a teenage daughter who was up on things. Not only was Trista knowledgeable on fashion and the right music to listen to, but she was also the best source of dating advice.
“Besides, Mom, the guy sounds creepy. He siphoned the gas out of your tank?”
Amber shrugged her shoulders, “I guess…”
Trista made her way back into the kitchen to make coffee.
Sex Magick Page 24