by Rowena Dawn
Jay nodded but didn’t seem convinced that things will remain between them.
“Anyway,” he started to say with a sigh. “You see, besides my talent with a brush or a pencil, I have another gift. Unfortunately, it isn’t a refined gift, because of a damn curse,” he blurted with annoyance.
“Curse?” Ellen intervened. “Come on, Jay,” she scoffed. “Don’t sell me one of your stories.”
“It’s not a damn story,” he snapped. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me, but anyways, I said I would tell you so I will,” he continued in an upset tone of voice. “If you think that you can keep your mouth shut and won’t judge me right from the beginning, of course,” he fixed his thunderous black eyes on Ellen.
“I won’t say a peep. You will see. Just go on.” Ellen mimicked zipping her lips and then put her hands up.
“You’re a mean one,” Jay shook his head. “Anyways, I won’t bore you to tears with my entire family’s saga,” he waved his hand. “Suffice to say that I have some empathic skills and some ESP gifts. They’re mostly useless because of that dang curse, I told you about, but what I can do well, without any failure so far, it is to see the cards,” he said with pride in his voice, and that did stun Ellen.
“What do you mean?” the woman narrowed her eyes with suspicion.
“See, you can’t keep your mouth shut. Anyways, it’s simple,” Jay huffed. “I see the cards people hold in their hands. I don’t have to rely on luck or counting cards. I don’t play for the money. I make enough with my comics,” he shrugged.
“Then why are you doing it?” Ellen asked nonplussed. She still didn’t believe him, but at the same time, she wanted to understand what his purpose was to tell her such a weird story.
“It’s the only gift I can control, don’t you get it? And I need to have the proof that I’m not a total failure,” he admitted ruefully.
“Failure at what? You’re talking in circles, Jay,” Ellen frowned at him.
The man sighed deeply and brushed his fingers through his hair. It was harder to explain to her that he had expected.
‘Matt had it easy,’ he reflected, remembering that Nora had to accept everything as being true when she witnessed what his family could do.
“Let’s have some more whiskey,” Jay proposed, but then he glanced at Ellen. “All right, I’ll make more coffee,” he amended his words when he noticed that the woman’s eyebrows hiked up her forehead. “By the way, for your information, if someone drinks now and then, he won’t turn into an alcoholic,” he pointed out, guessing what crossed Ellen’s mind. “Even if he gets drunk like a pope.”
“I didn’t say anything,” Ellen blushed under his pointed look.
“But you thought,” he retorted and headed to the kitchen, turning his back to her.
Ellen remained on the sofa for a few more moments, and then she jumped up and followed him.
“I don’t need more coffee, Jay,” she said when she got near him.
“But I do,” he said curtly. “I need to drink something, and I can’t drink that damn whiskey because you’ll think that I’d lose my marbles,” he explained at length in a mean tone of voice. At the same time, he measured water and coffee and then turned the coffee maker on.
“That’s plain mean,” she observed in a defensive tone of voice.
“But true,” Jay retorted.
“I didn’t say anything of the kind. You can drink whiskey if you want. I know that people don’t become alcoholics if they drink now and then. I am not so retarded,” she shook her head furiously.
“Don’t put words into my mouth, Elle,” Jay groused. “I understand why you react this way, so don’t worry. I’m flexible. We can work together,” the man added, imploring her with his eyes.
“On what?” the woman looked at him with puzzlement.
“Come on, sweetie. What do you think I am talking about?” he raised his eyebrows. “Or you prefer that I showed you?” he inquired, and a mischievous grin appeared on his face.
“No need for that,” Ellen blushed and stepped back. ‘You’d better explain to me that failure thing,” she waved her hand and tried to change the subject.
“Not very subtle, Elle,” Jay chuckled.
“Nonetheless, explain,” she barked at him miffed.
“It’s not very difficult, from my point of view. Now, the difficult part is that you won’t believe me,” Jay shrugged.
“Just try,” Ellen said through her teeth, tired with Jay’s prevarication.
“I was born with some skills, like everyone in my family,” he tried to explain her patiently once more. “Not everyone has the same skills,” he pointed out. “For instance, Matt can read your mind,” Jay said.
Ellen arched her eyebrows, and Jay grimaced.
“I know what you think, but he can if he wants to, of course. Because he reached the point where he can control this gift,” the man said. “I was supposed to read people’s emotions and to sense their actions, among other things,” he shrugged. “Honestly, until now, with you, I didn’t succeed to read emotions very well. Anyway, I can also see cards or what’s written on the back of a paper or piece of carton. This is the only thing I can control,” he pointed out.
“Why?” Ellen asked in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. “Not that I believe this story,” she warned him. “It’s too phantasmagoric for my taste,” she rolled her eyes.
“Yep, I knew that you’ll react like this,” Jay shook his head. “Anyway, all of us are under a curse,” he said with a grimace.
“That’s what I want to hear about,” Ellen said with irony and propped her hip on the counter.
Jay tweaked the woman’s nose and said, “You can laugh at me if you want to, but it is not so easy for any of us. I’m talking about my cousins and me,” he specified. “Becka and Matt have already broken the curse.”
“Out with that curse,” Ellen nudged him with a finger in his ribs.
“Easy, love,” Jay drew back. “I’m not a hundred percent well,” he warned her.
“Oh, sorry, I forgot. Did it hurt?” the woman asked solicitously and placed her small hand on the spot she had pocked.
“Nah, you didn’t push too hard,” Jay brushed his fingers through her hair.
“So, the curse then?” Ellen insisted, and the man laughed.
“I’ll tell you, just be patient. So, my great-grandmother put a curse on all of us,” Jay said.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Why the heck?” Ellen’s eyes widened. “Doesn’t she like you?”
“She does, in her own special way,” Jay grimaced. “By the way, when you meet her, don’t pay attention to anything she says or does,” he took care to caution her.
“I doubt that I will meet her, so the point is moot,” Ellen shrugged.
“Not so moot, Elle,” Jay shook his head.
The man slid his arm around her waist and brought the woman closer to his body.
“If I have my way, you’ll meet everybody,” Jay whispered. “Oh, gosh, you’ll have not to pay attention to what the others are saying either,” the man grimaced, remembering of his stunt with Camilla. He expected that everyone would pull his leg again and would tell everything to Ellen.
“Interesting,” Ellen lifted her eyes at his face. “That means that I shouldn’t pay attention to anyone in your family.”
“Yep, pretty much that’s what it means,” Jay nodded.
“I wonder why,” she narrowed her eyes and watched him speculatively.
“That’s a story for another day,” he shook his head and drew her closer.
Now, their bodies touched, and with a wolfish smile, Jay leaned down to steal another kiss from her. That very moment, the hiss of the coffee maker filled the kitchen, and the man let go of Ellen, swearing.
“Dang coffee maker,” he mumbled and rushed to turn it off.
Ellen laughed, and Jay turned his head toward her. “You’re having fun on my expenses,” he growled, but the lights in his eyes told Ellen that
he just joked with her.
“Yep, big guy, I am,” she replied mischievously.
“You know that I’ll have to punish you for that,” Jay replied playfully, taking care of the coffee maker at the same time.
“You can dream on,” the woman retorted.
“You should know that I always dream, Elle,” he advised her. “And I always find a way to fulfill my dreams,” he bobbed his eyebrows to her.
“Yeah, sure,” she waved her hand negligently.
“You’ll see,” he warned her. “Surely, don’t you want some coffee?”
Ellen shook her head. “Only if you want to take me to the emergency room afterward.”
“I’d rather take you somewhere else,” the man replied with double-entendre and looked at her expectantly.
“Aha, keep dreaming,” she lifted her chin with obstinacy, waving her fingers, and Jay chuckled.
“All right, let’s go back to the living room,” he stretched his arm to her, and she took his hand, although she found it foolish to hold hands inside the house.
“The curse?” she reminded him.
“Keep your curiosity in check. We’ll get to that darn curse in a minute,” Jay said, helping Ellen sit on the sofa.
Then, he remained standing, his eyes going from the armchair to the spot next to Ellen.
“Just decide, for God’s sake,” she exploded when she couldn’t take his indecision anymore.
“I’d love to sit next to you, but that won’t help with my telling about the curse. You’re too tempting,” the man confessed.
“Then sit in the armchair,” she huffed. But then she felt a strange satisfaction bubbling in her chest because of Jay’s words.
“All right,” Jay said and sat down in the armchair closer to her. “What I’m going to tell you will make your eyes definitely cross,” he said afterward.
“Try me. I’m not so weak,” Ellen shrugged.
A grimace appeared in the corners of Jay’s mouth. He knew better what he was talking about.
“Anyways, here it goes,” he breathed deeply. “My grand-grandmother is a witch.”
“Huh!” Ellen exclaimed and looked at him with wide eyes. “Are you all right? Have you checked your concussions?”
“Yeah, I am all right,” he waved his hand. “But you do need to keep an open mind for what I have to tell you. I imagine that it sounds outlandish for regular people,” he shrugged. “I grew up with that, and I don’t find anything out of the ordinary.”
“But a witch, Jay? Like in that one with a magic wand?” Ellen asked, and her eyes rounded in disbelief.
“Nah, that’s for kids. Grandma doesn’t need a magic wand. She just needs focus.”
“What the heck are you talking about?” Ellen lost her patience.
“I could show you. Or at least, I could try to show you,” Jay said with a shrug. “I’ve never been too good at the magic stuff. I prefer other things,” he explained. “Not that I’m good at them either,” the man mentioned with bitterness.
“How would you show me?” Ellen asked with suspicion in her voice.
“For instance, tell me what you’d want me to create for you from thin air. Not a horse, please. The spell might succeed, although I doubt it. But then, I’ll have a hard time to explain a horse in the apartment. I won’t be able to make it disappear for sure. As I’ve already said, I’m not very good at this stuff,” Jay chuckled, but Ellen observed that he wasn’t at ease.
“So I could ask for something, and you will try to produce it from thin air,” she looked for clarification, leaning forward, her curiosity pricked.
“Yep. Oh, I forgot to tell you. No jewelry or anything similar. That’s a sacred rule that I can’t break. We can’t obtain material gain with our spells.”
“Interesting,” the woman murmured. “All right, something that won’t cause you any trouble. Let me think,” she put up her hand. After a couple of seconds, she said, “I know what. I’d like a bowl with pistachio ice-cream, topped with whip cream and chocolate topping,” she decided, smiling like a cat.
“I knew you were a kitten, Elle,” Jay shook his head and then closed his eyes. “You couldn’t have chosen a small ball or an apple,” he grumbled with annoyance.
Ellen watched him a minute attentively, and her eyebrows shot up on her forehead. Drops of sweat appeared on the man’s temples, and his lips tightened in a thin line. Suddenly, he waved his fingers toward the coffee table, and a bowl of ice-cream appeared. Ellen cried out, and her hand flew at her chest.
“Oh, my God,” she murmured. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it,” Jay opened his eyes and said in a tired tone of voice. “It wasn’t easy, mind you,” he added.
“And you didn’t get the flavor either,” Ellen burst into laughter after she had leaned over the bowl to check it. Three large cherries topped the whip cream and ice-cream.
“Oh, damn,” Jay leaned over the table too so that he could have a better view. “I told you that I am not good at that,” he waved his hand with derision. “Thank God you didn’t order a dog. We might have gotten a tiger or something,” he shook his head and chuckled. “You know, that happened to Maggie once. She asked for a tiny kitten, and we found ourselves sharing the house with a huge panther. We were about ten at the time,” he remembered with a smile on his lips. “Mother wasn’t at home to take care of the problem. We couldn’t call the animal services, imagine. Father managed to lock us all in his study until mom returned. She made the panther disappear. The housekeeper was on the verge of hysteria,” he chuckled at the memory.
“Your mother? Why didn’t your father take care of the panther?” Ellen looked at him askance.
“Father’s not a witch. He’s just a regular person like you,” Jay informed her.
“Oh, I see,” she murmured, and absently started eating the ice-cream. “Not bad,” she nodded toward Jay.
“You’ve got guts to eat that,” he shook his head as he if couldn’t have believed it. “I wouldn’t dare to eat something I created so that you know.”
Ellen just waved the man’s words away. “It’s great. It’s not pistachio, that’s true,” she didn’t forget to poke at him.
Jay just shrugged. “I told you I’m no good at that. Now, do you believe me?” he asked, and expectation glimmered in his eyes.
“In a way,” the woman admitted. “In an abstract way. I don’t actually want to process this side of yours. Anyway, you still have to tell me about the curse,” she pointed her spoon at him.
“I forgot,” Jay shrugged. “Anyways, great-grandma is a witch. She was married to a witch, and the man left her for another woman. The worst, he threw a spell on that woman to fall in love with him, which is something that we shouldn’t do,” the man pointed out.
Ellen just listened to him captivated. She even forgot to eat her ice-cream.
“Then, a couple of years down the road, Evelyne, my great-aunt, and grandmother's daughter committed suicide,” Jay continued. “She was left standing at the altar. Another woman, always a witch, had thrown a spell over the groom. That made grandma curse all generations to come,” he grimaced. “Like in a bad soap opera,” he shook his head. “Anyways, we can’t reach our full powers if we don’t accomplish something specific. I’m sorry, I can’t tell you about that,” he shook his head. “I can only assure you that it doesn’t include killing someone or taking a princess prisoner in the dungeon,” he hurried to say when Ellen frowned. “It’s something related to our emotional development if you want,” he waved his hand to her.
Ellen tilted her head and observed him through narrowed eyes. “I want you to prove to me that you can read cards,” she said, and Jay’s eyes widened.
He looked at her nonplussed for a few seconds and then nodded. “All right,” he said. “I always keep a pack or two in the house. Sealed, I mean,” the man rushed to say so that she didn’t get any wrong idea.
Jay bent and opened one of the drawers of the coffee table and
took out a few packs of cards. He discarded two of them. “They’re already open,” the man explained. “Choose one of the ones that are sealed,” he invited her with a gesture.
Ellen chose a pack of cards and lifted her eyes at him. “What now?” she asked.
“Well, let’s make it ironclad,” Jay replied. “I will turn around. You open the pack and choose five cards. Put them face-down on the table, but not in a pile. It’s more difficult that way,” he shrugged. “I’ll still be able to tell what cards are on the table, but it will take me a little longer than a few seconds. Anyways, hide the others after you lay the cards. Then, you’ll tell me to turn around, and I will guess what cards are on the table,” he explained at length.
“All right, turn around,” Ellen waved her finger to make him move.
Jay stood and strode to the kitchen, keeping his back at her. When the woman called him back, he found her leaning back on the sofa, and five cards were scattered in front of her on the coffee table.
The man grinned, and his eyes swept over the cards for a few seconds. “So, the first one,” he pointed to the card in question. “That’s the Queen of clubs. The second is the ten of diamonds,” he moved his finger toward the next one in the row. “The third is the four of spades. The fourth is the King of clubs, and the fifth is the Ace of diamonds,” he finished and lifted his eyes to Ellen.
The woman watched him stunned. “Unbelievable,” she whispered. “You really can read them.”
“That’s what I’ve been telling you for a while,” Jay replied dryly.
“Once more,” Ellen insisted. She still couldn’t believe that the man was able to tell what cards she had laid on the table.
“If you wish,” Jay shrugged and returned to the kitchen.
Ellen replaced three of the cards and took out three new cards from the pack she had hidden behind her. The woman played with their position and changed their places in the row a few times. She sighed and called Jay afterward.
“You can come back.”
Jay returned with his hands in his pockets. His eyes perused the cards, and a wolfish grin flourished on his lips. He shook his head and said, “Did you really think you would confuse me if you changed their spot on the table?”