“God!!! I remember!! I remember having a crush on that little girl – Marie, Emmie, she was such a little rascal – outspoken and clever! You can’t be? Are you?” Avery was besotted – confused, again, this woman with whom he was fascinated by, had brought yet another twist into his once, hum-drum life. How could she claim to be that significant figure from his early memories? She was his first crush, and he often reminisced about the happier times from his early childhood, and about the little characters with their larger than life personalities, that imprinted their presence in his mind, like footprints on wet concrete; they were forever etched in his personal autograph book.
“Laurie – you’re Marie? Huh, well of course – Laurie-Marie’s your full name – Jesus Christ…” Avery stood there for a while, speechless, as he stared at her, not sure of what to say. He reached for, her taking her in a tight embrace, she could almost feel his emotions and hear his thoughts; she was certain that they reassured her, he was never going to lose her again. She buried her face in his shoulder, and hugged his body, feeling elated, and gladdened by the fact that she actually knew someone who remembered her from her early beginnings – when no one, except for the nuns and a handful of students knew of her existence.
“How did you find out? I mean – when did you know – you are full of excitement woman, what’s next? Please – don’t answer that – I don’t really wanna know!” Avery jested.
“So, you are little Mark – unbelievable,” Laurie said as she dried the tears that moistened her eyelashes.
“I was going through your yearbook, and I saw your picture – my picture is in that book too – how come you never noticed? You never mentioned that you attended St., Aquinas when I invited you over for dinner either,” Laurie questioned, overcome with joy.
“I knew you as Marie, and everyone called you Emmie – I had no idea that your proper name was Laurie – goodness – I was only five, this is so hard to believe – we meet again after thirty years? I knew I’ve met you before – I knew it! There was just something about you that was terribly familiar – turned out that my judgment was right…damn!” he said, as his eyes softened.
“Yeah, I felt the same way too. But, my feelings for you, were due to your kindness and you being who you are. I always wondered where you went off to, I stopped seeing you at school…one day you just disappeared – what happened?” Laurie questioned.
“Well, I went to live with my father in, Texas after he split up with Anya. We spent a few years there, and then, I wanted to see my brothers; Justin and Jessie, so I spent some time in Russia. And, when we returned to Chestnut-Field, I enrolled in St. Gregory’s, and that was where I spent the rest of my time in high school until I graduated – yeah, that sounds about right,” he said, recalling the timeline of his early, tumultuous, tween and teenage years.
“You guys moved around a lot – must’ve been tough on you and your family, having to adapt to unfamiliar places so often huh?” she asked, being able to relate from her own experience of globe-trotting during her tenure on active duty.
“Um, yeah, looking back I’d say that those were tough times…especially with Justin and his mother. He wanted to live with his father because he didn’t care to be around my dad, Emery, so things got really intense – add to that, the stress of hopping on planes every couple of months,” he added.
“It’s understandable – he wanted to be with his dad. Talking about Justin, I never did get a chance to meet him – was he staying here?” she queried.
“Ah, that’s right you hadn’t met Justin. No, uh, he’s probably staying with Minka – or his grandfather, not sure where he is. You’ll meet him – and the others pretty soon my lady.” he said,
“Nice,” she said, smiling.
The buzzing cell phone from his left, jeans pocket interrupted, causing a momentary distraction. He reached for it, and surveyed the number – he silenced the buzzing phone that was vying for his attention and returned it to his pocket.
Laurie was fully aware that Avery led a different life than she did – he came from a loving family where generations before him, boasted of wealth and were soundly educated. Avery had all the luxuries and opportunities that she –an orphan, could only dream of having while growing up. They saw the world through different lenses, and this reality scared her because subconsciously, she believed she had stepped out of her league by seeking an intimate relationship with someone who couldn’t understand her struggles. She wondered if a girl like her, had a place in his life after all the nostalgia had faded.
On the other hand, Avery wasn’t a hopeless romantic, but the uncertainty of life taught him to have faith in the elements around him, and in turn, he believed that fate had played some significant role in reuniting him with Laurie. She was his first, innocent, crush and it was very unusual that they’d meet again. It was as though Matt made that phone call to him, on that fateful day, only to lead Laurie back into his life.
“So, now what?” he asked, in a low voice, stroking her hair as he soaked in the surrealness that surrounded him.
“Gosh, I dunno. I don’t know what to say. I’m lost for words – I’m feeling a little bit of everything right now. I feel as though I’m part of a fairytale – seriously – cliché sounding, but it’s the truth.” She admitted, giddily.
“You don’t have to say anything, I know how strange it feels, and I’m happy to have you here with me – period,” Avery said, entranced by the sound of her voice.
“What would everyone – your folks, think about, this? The entire situation is, well – interesting,” she said, laughing in astonishment.
“I’m sure they’ll be surprised too, but I’m not going to lose sleep over who approves, and who’s indifferent to us,” Avery admitted, frankly.
“Um…there is something I need to ask you. I should’ve asked this question much sooner, but, I didn’t. So– do you have a girlfriend, or, are you dating anyone?”
“What? No, why would you think that?” Avery asked, mildly offended by her questions.
“We really didn’t get to have that conversation before, you know – we slept together…I know that things took off very quickly between us. And… before I get too attached, I want to know if I’m falling for someone who’s unavailable.” She was sick of keeping her emotions bottled up, and needed to make Avery aware of her true intentions – even if it was terribly soon to admit how she truly felt. Even if it embarrassed her if he didn’t feel the same connection.
“Laurie. I would never lead you on if I were involved with someone else, I’d tell you – I thought I made myself clear the night you had me over for dinner? I’m not involved with anyone and hadn’t been for some time.” Avery explained.
“So, you’re saying that you’re not involved with that, blonde in the photograph? The photo that’s in a red, gold and green, frame – hanging on your library wall?” she asked, with a detectable trace of jealousy.
“What blonde?” he asked, then paused to recollect who she might’ve been referring to.
“Oh, the one you traveled to Africa with – you know – the pictures are proudly displayed on the wall in your library…” Laurie added, sarcastically.
“Oh…those photos…Minka – nooo, she’s Justin’s woman! She has been around the family for a few years, she’s like a…cousin; please you have nothing to be jealous of,” he said, flattered that she showed signs of possessiveness over him.
“Jealous – who’s jealous?” she questioned.
He squinted his eyes, chuckled, and looked at her as if to say – gotcha! “You know Laurie – Emmie – I’m beginning to really, really like you,” he summed up the courage to admit.
“You know what, Mark – I think I really, really like you too,” she said, with a genuineness that was tangible.
“Look. I know that you’re dealing with a lot right now; with this issue involving your house, and getting your company off the ground. But, I’ve been around you long enough to know that I want to be arou
nd you – a lot more – you make me happy – I love your energy, you’re smart, compassionate, and ambitious. And, I’m attracted to everything about you – even your uncanny ability to see ghosts!” he proclaimed.
“I’m speechless, but, uh, you makin’ fun of me – again, A?” she asked.
“Oh, no – I’d never do that again. I’ve learned my lesson, and will keep my lame jokes to myself!” Avery said, as he pinched her nose, endearingly.
“That’s fine, I’ll take it as a compliment!” she said, grinning.
“Laurie. I would love it if you would consider spending more time with me – kinda like…going steady? I understand if you think it’s too soon – but, you need to know that I’m not the kind of man to play games, I’m not good at the whole dating thing, and I’m awkward as heck when it comes to relationships. If I feel a certain way – then I’ll let you know up front…I’m no good at reading into what another person is thinking… so, will you consider my request?” he asked, as his palms moistened and heart fluttered in his chest.
Avery’s ambivalence with relationships made him feel like the water boy, with a crush on the homecoming queen – he was asking her to be his, girlfriend – it seemed unlikely in his mind, but, well worth the risk of rejection. It felt like the right moment – the timing, and his gut feeling were giving him the green light to push things further with Laurie. There was every indication that it was the best time to put the question to her, even though he’d promised himself never to get ensnared in the whole love thing.
“Are you sure? I mean…I’m flattered – I don’t know what to say…if you are asking me to be your girlfriend, there are some things we need to talk about – I’m referring to – Matt,” she said, despondently.
“Uh – yeah. Matt. Let me cut right to the chase – do you still have feelings for him? Well…what I meant was…do you think that, you know, the two of you will get back together?” he asked, dreading her response.
“No,” she said, without hesitation. She was finally over Matt and didn’t care to look back on all the hurt, and everything that was lost during their time together. She wondered if Matt had disclosed any information about her medical discharge from the Coast Guard to Avery. Avery didn’t mention it, and she wasn’t going to bring it up, potentially risking the delightful friendship that was budding between them. She needed more time to tell him the truth about her discharge from the service.
“Good. Then you don’t need to mention him, ever again if it makes you uncomfortable – I’m not going to hold anything against you – you need to know that Laurie. We won’t mention a thing about him again, okay?” he said.
“Well, seeing that the two of you were so close…it was only a matter of time before his name came up – let’s not avoid the fact that I was married to him and practically lived with him for a decade! I know you have questions about it, and it makes me look sketchy not talking about it– don’t you think?” she touted.
“No, I don’t see you as sketchy. Look, Matt and I are not that close anymore – we’ve lost touch over the years. The only contact we’ve had was an occasional e-mail– you should know that; he didn’t invite me, or Anya, or any of the family to his – your, wedding. Sorry to rehash things, but I believe that’s a good indication of how much we’ve grown apart from Matt. He called me out of left field, asking me to help you…the phone call left me scratching my head. It was like he needed a quick favor for a friend.” Avery admitted.
“What else did he tell you…about, me?” Laurie asked. Her stomach tightened, and she felt like kicking herself for letting those words escape her lips.
Her words became tangled with anxiousness, and her flushed cheeks signaled that there was something more to her question.
“Is there something that you need to tell me…about you?” he asked, pressing his lips together.
“No – it’s nothing serious, just some stuff that caused, a lot of personal setbacks,” she said.
“Okay, and we all face personal setbacks that we don’t like talking about – totally understandable! It’s none of my business – or anyone else’s. Laurie, I’m on your side,” he said to her, with the strongest conviction.
“You have no idea, how much relief hearing those words bring to me,” she said, feeling a burden lifted from her chest.
“Well, you need to hear it – and I mean every word! So, where were we?” he asked, pushing her spiraled, mane, away from her face, slowly.
“Gosh…I missed you, Avery – Mark,” she announced, with a passionate longing in her voice. He held her closer, lowered his head, and softly kissed her dry, smooth lips.
“God – I haven’t been called, Mark in ages!” he blushed and scratched his head. “I missed you too…how the heck did this happen? Where did you come from?” he asked, still bemused at meeting Laurie for the second time in his life.
“Mmm, let’s see – I wanted to be in a familiar place; so, I bought an old house in this, magical place called, Chestnut-Field, and then – I built a fan base with ghosts and spirits, that can’t quit chasing me around. Damn, I always dreamt of having an enthusiastic following, but – not of this sort, by any means!” she added, highlighting the coincidence, and wicked humor surrounding their reunion.
“Too funny, but eloquently put, my lady! I don’t blame them one bit though – you’ve made a believer of me! You probably don’t wanna hear this but uh, I’m glad you bought that house – haunted or not – it’s the reason you’re here – standing in my arms.” He said, in a daze of stupor.
“Mmm, ya know – that’s a very, romantic way of looking at it!” she said, giggling.
“Romantic, eh?” he said, chuckling in a low tone. “Laurie. I now know, what I’ve been missing…It’s crazy because I don’t really know you – and you don’t know me. But then again, we do, but…” Avery rambled on, trying to make sense of the insane, fascination that was more than just physical attraction between them.
“Shhh, kiss me.” She silenced and pulled him towards her. She kissed his lips, softly, and ran her fingers through his messy, locks, indulging in each, passionate kiss they exchanged.
“So, I reckon that your answer is yes?” he whispered, sedately.
“Umm…I reckon it is…I reckon it is, Mark…” she replied, wondering if she didn’t imagine the entire chain of events that led to the present moment. Their storybook reunion; their passion for similar causes; his charisma, and presumably genuine interest in her. It was all she ever wanted. She wished that the wildly exciting, ephemeral, infatuation was the beginning of a solid companionship, lasting for – the rest of her life. She wanted to trap the seconds, relishing in the rapture each kiss brought to her senses, not worrying about the events that shaped yesterday, nor, about what will become of tomorrow.
The pair was transfixed, in a moment of their own, a moment that nothing or, no one could take away. They flirted and teased each other– one thing led to another. This time, every move, every touch, and every intention seemed to have blossomed from a sacred place within the nucleus of their souls
With the subsiding of quickening, heavy, breaths into soft, seductive whispers and cooling of ardent bodies, the two retreated into each other’s arms drifting away to a place of serenity. Terence Trent D’Arby and Des’ree, serenaded the pair with the 1993 hit, “Delicate”, on the radio.
The reunion of Emmie and Mark, marked the beginning of something exciting and life changing for the pair; something unexpected and magical in every, conceivable, way.
The Lagahoo
Darkness stretched on for miles around her. The air was muggy, and the wind ran amok, as Laurie came to the realization that she was standing alone, in an open plane. There was nothing else on the flat land save for one tree, off in the distance; it was bare and motionless – much like a skeleton.
The terrifying bays of restless, roving wolves and clanking chains rang out simultaneously, and sounded like she had taken a trip to the underworld; it created a chaotic, contamin
ated, and stifling feeling that emanated dreadfulness. This, dreadfulness was accompanied by a repetitive agonizing moan, coming from a mature, male entity.
Surrounded by darkness, she crouched to the ground in terror, shielding herself from what could only be perceived as a volatile, and dangerous situation. Laurie was encircled by wet, marshlands that went on for miles. The mud beneath her wreaked of a pungent, swampy smell, that made her nauseated. The sharp, stubbly grass beneath her jabbed at the palms of her hands and knees as if they were protesting the weight of her one hundred and thirty-six-pound frame, bearing down on them.
The nothingness of what surrounded her was terrifying, there was only that one tree, the silhouette of the distant skeleton of a tree that the moon’s telling beams revealed. There was nowhere to seek cover from whatever was coming her way. Memories of what brought her to that place were gone – she tried hard to recall prior events, but couldn’t; her mind went blank as fright set in. The clanking and moaning grew closer, each time the gut-wrenching dissonance erupted. Then, a figure in the distance that was so unnatural and bizarre materialized. All Laurie could do, was stare at the horror playing out before her.
Out of nowhere, a masculine frame of over seven feet tall, balancing what seemed to be a coffin on its head was visible under the moon’s light. Heavy, chain-like contraptions were draped around its neck and limbs, and its clothing was in a deplorable condition; tattered and torn, as it hung loosely from the beast’s strapping carcass. The creature moved slowly towards the tree, which Laurie recognized as the strange tree in her backyard, because of its massiveness, and distinct umbrella-like shape.
The thing moved with a calculated trudge, then stopped taking a knee whereby setting the coffin down under the tree. It rested there for a few minutes, as though contemplating its next move. It sat there, motionless, frozen in the same position as if obediently awaiting a command from its invisible commander. Laurie observed in fear, but alas, her eyes would not do her the disservice of revealing the horror of what her teeming mind was too curious to see; the creature was still unrecognizable, she couldn’t decipher what, or who it was. It stood there, with no rhyme or reason under the faint moonlight.
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