When she paused for a breath, Kevin slipped in with the words, “Neither had I.”
“What?”
Kevin shrugged. “I’ve never been clubbing. The guys said they heard from Joyce in Accounting you were a real party girl. They were afraid I’d flop if all I did was treat you to dinner and a movie.”
A shocked look crossed her face. “I’ll get Joyce for that.”
“Yeah, imagine my surprise when you didn’t seem to be enjoying yourself. I figured it was just me. I thought it was your way of trying to get rid of me. I’m still baffled by how much we actually have in common.”
“Yeah, me too,” Angela added, shyness overtaking her boldness from moments before.
“I want to get to know you better.”
“I detect a ‘but’ coming.”
“Yeah, for now there is a but. I want to get to know you. I really do. You have no idea how much, but something weird is going on with me right now and I just can’t.”
“Are you asking me to wait?”
Kevin wasn’t sure. He wanted to say yes, one hundred percent yes, but was it fair to Angela? She deserved better. And truth be told, would he ever be free enough to pursue her if his situation didn’t change? And how could his situation change? Maybe he could be struck by a bolt of lightning. And maybe an earthquake would swallow him whole. There was nothing he could do. He was doomed.
With his silence, Angela perceived he’d found an answer. “Well, I guess I have my answer.” She started to turn and walk away, tears brimming in her chocolate-colored eyes.
“No, wait Angela.”
“Yes?” she asked, swiping away her tears.
“I’m sorry.”
“Yes, so am I.”
Kevin watched her walk away. He was angry. She could have been the best thing that had ever happened to him if people would have just butted out! Joyce, the men at work. If the two of them had been allowed to get to know each other by talking or dating, picking their own places to go, this would never have happened.
Kevin picked up the first two paint cans he saw, walked to the counter, slapped the money in the palm of the cashier’s hand and left. Carrying his burdens to his vehicle, he dropped them in the trunk. Looking up and around, he noticed the parking lot was quiet now. The only thing that could be heard was the squawking of crows as they dove onto a dead animal nearby. Where was the man from before? He wondered. It didn’t matter. Kevin shrugged and climbed behind the wheel of his car.
He drove like a madman all the way home, breaking every speeding law. As he drove, he couldn’t help but think. Wouldn’t it be nice if the man from the hardware store, who screamed into the microphone, was correct? All he had to do was repent. Repent of what Kevin wasn’t exactly sure. He was a good person. He went to church when he had time. He gave to the needy when they asked. Admittedly, he avoided most of their calls, but if they caught him, he said yes, most of the time. He helped his parents and his family. He was friendly and kind to most people. He was a good man, a good person. Everybody he knew said so. What could he possibly have to repent for?
That guy was clearly just some nut, and there Kevin was actually giving credence to what the guy had said. Why, if he saw an angel or a demon, he would know it right off. Angels had those nice, big, fluffy white wings, and demons they were all red and black and most of them had some kind of horns. And no way was he like Job or any other character from the Bible. He was Kevin Smith. A good man.
Kevin continued on home. If repenting wasn’t the solution to his problem, what was? As he glanced at the speedometer, he thought, Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll get a ticket, or I’ll get arrested. There has to be less madness in jail, right?
Chapter Thirty-Four
When Kevin reached the house, he flew through the door. A couple of deep breaths calmed him before he ran into Martha. The van was still missing from the driveway. So he wasn’t expecting to see anyone but Martha or perhaps her children. Therefore, he was shocked when Candace strolled through the dining room door in coveralls covered in paint.
“Oh, hi, dear. Where have you been?” she asked, taking a bite from a big red apple.
“Where have I been?”
“Yeah. Where have you been? I finished painting like thirty minutes ago.”
“I can’t believe this!”
“Hey, there’s no reason to be angry.”
“There’s no reason to be angry? There’s no reason to be angry? I just went to town to buy paint, and I come home, and you tell me you’re finished? What am I supposed to do with these? Hmm?” he asked, holding up the paint cans.
“Well since they’re the wrong color, I guess you can take them back to the store and get our money back. I don’t know why you didn’t just use what we had instead of running out and wasting time and money on something we didn’t need.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kevin felt like Herman Munster from the old TV show, for surely smoke was blowing out his ears right about now. “There was no more paint. And the paint I had was ruined by Emma and her red juice.”
“Oh honey, the paint you were using wasn’t even the right bucket! Martha was coming to give you the right one but you’d already split.”
Kevin was beginning to see red. Not even the right one? He scratched his head as a thought came to him. “Where did you come from? I thought you ran away with the others because you were upset with Martha.”
“You know, as we were leaving, I started thinking about what Martha said. And you know what? She was right. I’ve spent so long worrying about keeping my kids’ love I’ve let them get into trouble. Rick is no help. So it is up to me to be the parent they need. After I decided she was right, I had the girls drive around the block and drop me off. When I got here, Martha was wringing her hands because she didn’t know where you were. And then she called your cell phone, and it rang in the living room. So I pitched in and started helping.”
Okay, Kevin thought. It’s okay. No big deal, right? So, he wasted a few hours of his time and about forty dollars of his money. He’d ruined his future happiness by meeting up with Angela and then letting her go. The madman outside the storefront made him question everything he thought was true. But it would all be okay. Everything was just peachy.
Kevin’s gaze traced the living room, his arms getting heavy from the load he carried. Placing the paint cans on the floor, Kevin rose up. Something wasn’t right. Something appeared different—out of place. What was it? Something was missing. That was it.
Then it dawned on him. The CDs! They’d disappeared. Okay, calm down. Just breathe. There had to be a logical explanation. Maybe the shelf needed repair. Maybe someone had taken them down to dust. Maybe they were being organized by year of release.
The more Kevin thought about their disappearance, the more worried he became. So, when he spoke, he knew the tone was extreme, but it couldn’t be helped. Speaking on the level of a shout, “Where are my CDs?”
Candace cringed visibly at the tone. The level of his voice brought Martha hurrying into the room. Shock registered on her face as Martha said, “Kevin! What in heaven’s name is wrong with you? I’ve never heard you raise your voice in such a way. What’s wrong?”
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong! My CD collection is missing. Where is it?”
Now Kevin could have handled it if she had said “we were cleaning them” or even just “placing them in another spot” but Martha’s answer was the final straw. “I threw them away.”
Kevin knew his jaw hit the floor. He could feel it. Years spent building the collection. Feet tired from going to antique stores to find old records. Money paid to have them converted to CDs. The muddy fingerprints painstakingly wiped away until his flesh felt raw from the cleaner. And now she tells him she threw them away!
If ever he’d come close to being a stroke victim, it was now. His face flushed with sudden rage. No words came. Walking into the hallway, he punched the wall, leaving an indentation.
Kevin burst out the back door,
slamming it shut. The frame vibrated as it closed. He didn’t care if the whole house caved in, no man should be asked to endure this torture. He’d done everything they’d asked. He’d watched children, taken them to school, fed them, cleaned up after them; if they’d asked it of him, he’d done it.
Even though Kevin hadn’t remembered marrying any of these women, they were his wives, and he wanted to make them happy. Somehow, no matter what he did, it was never good enough.
Kevin paced the backyard, kicking the lawn decorations to the ground. He used his feet to roll the kids’ toys violently into the bubbling fountain.
He could feel eyes peering at him. “What are you looking at?” he snapped, sending Roxie and the twins scurrying inside. Where had they come from? Who cares? he thought.
Looking down at himself, he realized his clothing was still speckled with paint. And his hair still contained little white dots. Not caring about his appearance, Kevin walked through the wooden fence and headed to the front yard. He was getting out of here. That was the answer. He would just leave.
But sometime during his temper flare-up, the ladies had come home with the van. It was now parked behind his car, pinning him in. He didn’t have his own van key. So in order to leave, he would have to go back inside the house and face the women. Forget it! He might kill someone if he did that.
The sun was setting. His belly rumbled with hunger, but he ignored it. Kevin stomped back behind the house and opened the small storage shed, digging around inside. There it was.
Kevin pulled out a small, blue sack. He knew they were watching because he could feel prickles running down his spine. But he didn’t care. Let them wonder what he was doing. It served them right.
Kevin opened the sack and unrolled the hammock. He’d purchased it years ago when he and a few of his buddies from work had gone on a backpacking trip. It had served him well then, and he was sure it would serve him well now.
Kevin grabbed some big, thick, yellow rope from the shed and unfurled it. A lot of things had changed when the women arrived. One of the things that had changed was the height of the trees. Who knew why? The house got bigger, the trees got larger, but his wallet stayed the same. Perhaps he wasn’t specific enough when the story of the women was floating through his head. Perhaps in this alternate universe, trees grew faster. He didn’t care. Right now the change worked to his advantage. At least something was working for him rather than against him.
Kevin placed the hammock between two trees and stretched it out. He climbed inside and folded his arms across his chest in agitation. He resembled a kid stubbed up after losing his favorite toy. How could Martha have done such a thing? He just didn’t understand women!
Kevin lay there all afternoon. As night approached, the stars winked into the sky. Local streetlights covered their beauty. Sleep seemed a distant pleasure as his mind searched for answers. After a week of this mess, he finally realized he wasn’t going to wake up from this dream. Even Angela’s idea of wishing on a shooting star hadn’t worked.
Placing his hands behind his head, Kevin realized he was more comfortable now than he’d been all week. His eyes drifted closed, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Chapter Thirty-Five
He was back in the park, running. He saw the masked man heading for the old woman, only he hadn’t reached her yet.
The stranger spoke to Kevin. “Don’t help her!”
“What?”
“She offers you a wish, a dream, your greatest desire. But it’s not that at all. It’s a curse. I need her to make it go away. I thought I would be happier, but I’m miserable. I just want it to all go away…”
As the man drifted away, covered in a thin veil of mist, Kevin thought he heard the distinct flutter of wings…
****
Sunday…
Kevin was shivering. Why was he so cold? Then he remembered. He’d slept outside. Dew settled on him, making him wet and miserable. As he huddled down deeper into the hammock folds, he mulled over the dream.
What if the masked man in the park had returned to ask the old lady to take back a wish? That would explain a few things. Like why the man fled so quickly with nothing more than Kevin’s stern voice.
And what about the flutter of wings? He didn’t remember that sound from the actual encounter, but could the woman have been an angel? That would explain why she didn’t appear harmed after the man assaulted her.
Maybe the man had wished for something outlandish, just as Kevin had. And when it came to pass, he’d regretted it. Kevin could sympathize. As he lay still, more ideas came to his mind, like what if the man had succeeded? What if, by accosting the mysterious woman in the park, the wish had been reversed?
Never mind the fact he could have been a murderer, or a thief, or a vandal. Kevin couldn’t stop thinking perhaps the man was just like him. What if, like in Kevin’s dream, he hadn’t interfered and the masked man had been given a chance to ask the old woman for the curse to be lifted? Would it have worked? What if it had worked anyway, even with Kevin’s interference?
Kevin worried at his lips. Could he go back and speak to the old woman? Could he accuse her of ruining his life by answering his wish? Could he get rough with her if she refused to help him?
What was he thinking? He was losing it. She was just an old bag lady. She was probably delusional. She probably spent her time sitting on the park bench, feeding birds and talking to them like they were her only friends. How could he accuse her of doing something no one could do? Wish granting! How ridiculous!
But honestly, what else could have done this? As far as Kevin was aware, he hadn’t had an accident that might have caused amnesia. He didn’t remember the masked man hitting him and causing brain damage. He didn’t remember any sirens that day or any day from the recent past. Most normal people didn’t forget getting married, especially if they’d done it seven times!
No, it had to be the old woman. She was the key to the whole thing. Nothing else made any sense.
Before Kevin could change his mind, he jumped from the hammock and walked into the house. Everyone was in the kitchen, eating breakfast. He left their stares behind and strode to the closet in his old room.
He showered and dressed like a runner. The same stuff he’d worn just a week before, only now cleaner. He grabbed the house key, the MP3 player, and headed for the back door. He ignored the curious looks as he walked out the door and locked it behind him. Everything had to be as close as it could to the week before.
Kevin walked to the park, stopping at the trailhead. Angela wouldn’t be there, and it wasn’t the same day of the week or the same time of day, but he was hoping those few details wouldn’t matter.
He set out at a slow jog. It was an unusually warm fall day. The leaves were full of vibrant colors. They fell to the ground as the wind whipped around him. The sky held a gray cast like a storm was coming his way. Maybe he should have checked the weather, but it was too late now.
As Kevin approached the bend where the old woman had been, he increased his speed. Before he’d earned a wish for saving her, what would she require of him in order to get rid of the wish? Probably his firstborn child. He snickered under his breath at the thought.
When he rounded the bend, the bench was empty. He thought about scouring the rest of the park for the woman, but if he did that then he might miss her, if and when, she returned to the bench.
Kevin sat down and waited. It was the most agonizing time of his life. Wringing his hands with worry, he thought about what awaited him if she didn’t return. She couldn’t deny him. She just couldn’t.
The more he thought about taking away his wish, the more questions ran through his mind. Like what would happen to the women and kids if he wished them away? Were they a traveling band who worked for the old lady? Perhaps she paid them to convince people to be careful what they wished for. If so, they were good at their jobs.
So absorbed was he in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the old woman sitting down next t
o him.
Her English accent broke through his revere. “Back so soon, child?”
“Yes, ma’am,” was all he could force out. Here was his opportunity. He couldn’t blow it.
“I sense you’ve come to ask me for something.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Your manner of asking is much preferable to the others. I believe you may have retained a portion of your sanity.”
“I hope so. Although right now, I’m not so sure.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Not exactly.”
“How have you fared?”
Kevin laughed under his breath. “Not as well as I’d imagined.”
“Alas, they never do.”
Kevin studied her, seeking her eyes. “Could you take it away?”
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, can you void the wish?”
“You mean like a warranty,” she said, face wrinkling up into a grin.
Kevin couldn’t help but return the expression. “No. I mean, can I have my old life back?”
“Is this truly what you want?”
“Yes,” he breathed in relief. She was going to fix everything. He just knew it. Excitement welled up inside him.
“I’m sorry.”
“Wh—what?”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you.”
“But, I don’t understand. Last Saturday when I rescued you from the thug, you offered me a wish. You said some crazy rhyme, ‘Your greatest desire shall be fulfilled, one wish you may build,’ or something like that. And I admit I thought you were probably just some kooky old woman who lived in a dream world, but something happened to me. When I left you, I was fantasizing about something the guys had talked about at work.”
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