Twist of Fate

by Sheri L. Brown

  “You look a little tired, Mom,” Claire said, “how’d it go with your visit this afternoon?”

  “I don’t know if it matters. I really can’t say anything because I don’t want to upset Skylar. If I can keep her close then I can at least be a part of her decision-making. I just want her to choose what’s best for her….”

  “Well, speaking of choosing what’s best for her, I have to say that Felicia is something else,” Rachel said, “I mean, I really have to bite my tongue when I’m around her… the things she says.”

  “Just try to cool it, Mom, the thought of her running away for whatever reason is more than I can bear.”

  “I know, I know, I’ll try and behave. And don’t you worry about her decision-making, as you put it. You and I will still be in the driver’s seat, honey, she just needs a little room and the perception of feeling free,” Rachel said.

  Rachel never ceased to amaze Sarah. She relaxed her shoulders and realized her mother was right.

  “So, what happened at Zia’s?”

  “Well,” Rachel said, “maybe I should let Claire fill you in with her version of the story.”

  “Mom,” Claire said, “there’s something you don’t know about and I wasn’t going to mention it in case it came to fruition.”

  “Jesus, I’m amazed at how much I’ve been in the dark about things lately. What is it?”

  Claire explained how she met Candy, a psychic woman, on her hunt to find Skylar and the woman told her to look for a key at Zia’s.

  “And… was there a key?”

  “There was. I found the key, but now I have to figure out what it’s supposed to unlock.”

  Rachel interjected, “There’s a lot going on… your daughter is indeed psychic. God as my witness… the voices, the key and then there’s the whole priceless crucifix thing… oy vey.”

  Rachel put the back of her hand on her forehead before pulling a cigarette out of her holder. She gently tapped it on the table before putting it into a holder. Both Sarah and Claire watched her before their eyes connected.

  Sarah hoped this day was coming and she couldn’t be happier for Claire. Sarah had always been interested in learning about metaphysics and other sort of New Age things, but she consciously chose to spend her time being a mother to her girls. It wasn’t that her study of the esoteric wouldn’t have helped her with them, on the contrary, it would have been beneficial to encourage her daughters to explore different realms of knowledge. But Claire decided to be Catholic when she was little and Skylar seemed to have her own sense of what she thought about and wanted in the world. And the practical and physical energy required of a stay-at-home mom was at the very least, a full-time job. She was grateful to be able to sit and read a magazine once in a while. Sarah decided she’d talk to Safire and Sadie about their beliefs and if they had a special interest in exploring something… just to be sure she was covering all the bases for her girls. She always knew Claire had these tendencies. And much to Sarah’s chagrin, Claire’s cute stories in childhood were perhaps not stories after all, but something from the other side. Sarah felt remiss in not paying closer attention to her mother’s intuition. She knew, but she also didn’t know how to explore Claire’s psychic potential.

  “Well, I’m not surprised, Claire, you’ve had tendencies your whole life and frankly, I didn’t encourage you.”

  “Well,” Claire said, “I’m not sure what you could have said or done.”

  “I could have read up on things and supported you. I don’t know why I didn’t, quite honestly.”

  “Mom, do you think you could have done everything right? I’m learning so much about myself right now, it’s amazing. I thought I knew where I was going in life, but these last couple of weeks have taught me so much. So, don’t sweat it, kay?.”

  Sarah looked at Claire and smiled. She really was a blessing. And a day didn’t go by that Sarah wasn’t grateful for her.

  “So,” Sarah said, “what did Zia say? Does she sound like Zia to you in your head?”

  Claire chuckled, “Kind of. It sounds like someone is talking. I can tell it’s her, I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”

  “If I can chime in… Claire thought I was talking to her at first.”

  “Yeah, Rachel, but I thought you were talking to me because no one else was there. Of course, I would think it was you before I would think Zia was communicating with me from the other side.”

  “Fair enough, I’m certainly not doubting your abilities. It was a little strange, though, to be there as it was happening.”

  Sarah watched her daughter and mother go back and forth with one another. She was thrilled watching their connection. The thought of Claire going to the city for a semester and spending time with Rachel settled her nerves.

  “Hey, you two,” Sarah finally interrupted the friendly banter, “what did Zia say?”

  “Where to go in the house to look for the crucifix… but she didn’t mention the key. I have no control over when, where or about what that she’ll talk to me.”

  “And the key?”

  “I don’t understand what they key is about, maybe she’ll talk to me again and help me figure it out.”

  “In the meantime,” Rachel chimed in, “I have my jeweler coming tomorrow morning to appraise this cross. Honey, if it’s real, it simply cannot go in the ground with Regina.”

  Claire pulled the two crosses out of her purse and gently unwrapped them before laying them on the table. Sarah picked up the emerald and diamond cross and held it up in the light.

  “Oh my God,” she said, “this has been around forever. I just assumed it wasn’t real.”

  “How could Zia not have known if it had any value, though?” Claire asked, “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “We should ask Candy to hold a séance or something,” Claire said.

  “It would have sounded crazy to me just a few days ago, but maybe Claire’s right,” Rachel said.

  Claire was not about to keep that cross out of Zia’s casket. It was one of her dying wishes. If the cross turned out to be valuable, Claire thought, and they didn’t bury it with her, what kind of repercussions could come of it. The last thing Claire wanted was to do was disappoint or disrespect her Aunt Regina.

  “Hey, Mom, is it okay if I skip dinner tonight? I’m really exhausted.”

  “No, honey,” Sarah said, distracted by Skylar and Felicia’s footsteps coming down the stairs, “tomorrow’s a big day for you. For all of us.”

  “Yeah, and I need to text Ryan. I’ve been blowing him off since he left because of everything that’s been going on. Besides, I want to be here when the jeweler gets here in the morning.”

  Claire passed Skylar and Felicia on her way up to bed. She smiled at Felicia and gave Skylar a big hug.

  “What’s that for, Claire?”

  “I love you and I’m glad you’re here, that’s all.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Claire woke up just as the sun was filtering through the blinds. She was missing her remote-controlled blackout blinds in Rachel’s spare bedroom. And she had to admit, too, she was missing the really nice sheets from her room in New York. Claire tried to sort through her thoughts about living a simple life while at the same time having really nice things… she looked forward to living with Rachel. For more reasons than she first considered. She knew she had a lot to learn… about everything.

  Claire checked her phone. The last thing she did before her head hit the pillow was to text Ryan and check in with him. Nothing yet. She knew that he knew today was Zia’s funeral and it was a matter of time before she heard from him. Claire tiptoed into the bathroom trying not to disturb Skylar. She knew today was a solemn day, but she was content to see her sister sound asleep back in her own bed and was also happy to be surrounded by her family. Peacefulness filled the Sinclair home. Claire thanked God. It had been a rough last few days.

  She squeezed some shower gel onto her poof and rubbed her hands together until she was sat
isfied with the amount of lather she made. As she ran through her mental playlist of shower songs she couldn’t help but notice a ringing in her ears that started off in a subtle way, but became increasingly louder as she stood under the water.

  “Claire.”

  She heard her name in a barely audible whisper. Claire shook her head.

  “Claire.”

  “Skye?” Claire called for her sister.

  “Claire, I’m here.”

  Claire shut her eyes.

  “You’re here with me in the shower? Zia?”

  “Keep the cross.”

  “Which one?”

  “Find the box.”

  “Zia, I know your connection is from far away, but I don’t understand….”

  “Claire?”

  “Skye?”

  “Who are you talking to?”

  Claire jumped out of the shower before washing her hair.

  “Can I come in?” Skylar asked.

  Claire stood sopping wet with a towel wrapped around her. She pulled the door open and smiled, “Oh, Skye, Zia is talking to me.”

  “Awww…. That’s so sweet.”

  “No, like she’s telling me things… I hear her voice in my head.”

  “Oh, that’s unreal. What is she saying?”

  Claire looked down at her phone and turned it on to check the time. She blew past Skylar and made a beeline for the closet to get sweats and a T-shirt. She didn’t want to miss the jeweler coming over.

  “Claire, what is she saying?”

  “I’ll tell you later. I need to be downstairs like five minutes ago.”

  Claire flew down the stairs and charged into the kitchen. Sarah, Rachel and the jeweler were sitting at the table having coffee. Various tools and loops were sitting on the table in front of the woman along with a ton of official-looking paperwork. It looked like she had just finished the appraisal.

  “Claire, honey, I’m so glad you’re here,” Rachel said, “get yourself a cup of cawfee. This is Abigail MacMillan, she’s the jeweler who was kind enough to help us out today on such short notice.”

  Claire was rendered speechless for a moment. She was still trying to process what just happened in the shower. She grabbed a mug, poured herself some coffee with a splash of half-and-half and held her hand out to Abigail. Sarah noticed the distressful look on her daughter’s face as soon as she turned around from the kitchen counter. She chalked it up to the funeral being just a few hours away.

  “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Claire.”

  The jewelry lady smiled at Claire, but seemed uneasy as though she was particularly socially awkward. Claire thought she was cute in an odd way. She looked like someone who would steal away hours in a roomful of gemstones, bright metal lamps and magnifying glasses; coming out to be in the world only when it was absolutely necessary. Her hair was wavy and messy in a ponytail, her glasses were thick and black and her clothing, besides being out of season, looked so retro 1960’s plaid it was almost hip. Claire then thought maybe she was an unadulterated hipster after all and went home every night to a ménage-a-trois with her guitar-strumming boyfriend and his groovy, pot-smoking friend. She imagined Abigail letting her hair down and taking her glasses off and looking really hot. When they all finished fooling around, Claire thought, they probably ate ramen noodles with curry, did yoga or meditated together. She wondered what it would be like to experience that kind of existence.

  “Claire?” Sarah asked, “Abigail was talking to you… are you okay, honey? You don’t have to be here for this.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom, I’m fine. I just have a lot on my mind.”

  Abigail turned to Claire, “Well, your Aunt must have been someone very special or important because this is one significant piece of jewelry.”

  “She was special… wait… are you saying it’s real?” Claire asked.

  “Oh yes, it most certainly is real. The stones are authentic and the setting is actually twenty-four karat gold, which isn’t entirely unusual coming from Italy at that time.”

  “Can you tell by looking at it if there’s more significance to the piece? I mean, my Aunt, my Zia, used to let me play with it. She asked to be buried with it… well, sort of.”

  Rachel stood up and sighed, “I need anotha cuppa.”

  “Claire,” Sarah asked, “what do you mean, ‘well, sort of’?”

  “Let’s talk about it later, Mom, Okay?”

  Claire didn’t mean to bring up her clairvoyant experience in the shower in front of the jeweler lady.

  “I don’t see anything remarkable in a historic sense, if that’s what you mean by significance. It’s significant in its value and craftsmanship. You need to get this insured as soon as possible,” Abigail said.

  “All right, then,” Rachel said, “I’ll take care of that. What are your thoughts about its value, Abigail?”

  “Well, I’m simply amazed that your Aunt, and your sister-in-law, Rachel, would toss this around while the kids were playing dress-up—no offense, Claire….”

  Claire wasn’t offended. She was in shock. And she still had to try and figure out what Zia meant while she was in the shower. Surely, she couldn’t have conjured up Zia’s requests in her head. The voices were coming through loud and clear. Zia told her to keep the cross and look for the box.

  Claire came back to reality the second she heard Rachel yell, “It’s worth what?!?”

  “Get a second opinion, by all means. Bring it to New York and have Saul look at it. Based on the quality of the stones, the setting… I’m guessing its value is somewhere around two hundred fifty thousand. The pure gold is very soft and it looks a little worn, but the stones are exquisite.”

  “Dollars?” Claire asked. She could feel her heart beating fast.

  “Yes, Claire, that’s what I would value the cross at… around a quarter of a million dollars.”

  Abigail stood up from the table as Rachel wrote her a check.

  “Well, Abigail, thank you for your time today. I hope this covers it.”

  “Thank you. I’ll get you the paperwork to get to your insurer. Talk to Saul and get his opinion for insurance purposes. And lock that cross up. Seriously. No more tossing it around.”

  Abigail looked at the check and smiled. Saul told her Rachel would be generous. Abigail thanked everyone and went out the door.

  Sarah sat down. Claire and Rachel remained seated. The three women sat in silence for several minutes.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Sarah finally spoke.

  “I know what to say, honey. We need to get this thing insured and we need to decide where we’ll store it,” Rachel said.

  “Claire, you understand we can’t bury this cross with Zia, right?” Sarah asked.

  “Zia is speaking to me again. She told me while I was showering to keep the cross….”

  Sarah and Rachel stared at Claire only briefly before looking at one another. Neither woman could dispute what Claire had told them. Rachel had experienced it with her own eyes just yesterday at Zia’s. And Sarah, who had always had her suspicions about Claire’s inclinations, knew her daughter wasn’t capable of creating such a story to keep the cross from going in the ground with Zia. Even if it were valuable. Sarah silently thanked Zia for coming through and clearing things up. It would have been stupid to intentionally bury something with that kind of value.

  “I’m… I’m not making it up. She didn’t say which cross… but maybe it’s okay to assume it’s this one... I just want to do the right thing.”

  “We don’t think you’re making it up,” they said in unison.

  Claire thought her newfound level of clairvoyance paled in comparison to the weirdness of Zia tossing that cross around for as long as she could remember. Zia had to know the stones were real, but if she did… Claire got lost in a sea of her own speculative thoughts. None of it made sense. In the end, she was relieved Zia gave her permission to keep the cross. Claire hoped it was the really valuable one she was talking about. She turned
when she heard a tap at the back door. It was Abigail.

  “Sorry to interrupt, but something dawned on me as I started to pull away from the house… can I look at the piece again?”

  “Sure,” Rachel said, handing it back over.

  “We got so caught up in the authenticity and the value of this cross....”

  “And?” Rachel asked.

  “There are thirty-one diamonds and thirteen emeralds in the setting…. So Claire, when you were asking me about the significance of the piece I was so caught up in getting you an appraisal that it didn’t hit me.”

  “What is it?” Claire asked.

  “Well,” Abigail said, “thirteen is a very special number in a religious sense, but also in a more esoteric sense. And I’m suspecting the thirty-one diamonds, or thirteen flipped around, was also intentional. Was your Aunt religious?”

  Sarah, Rachel and Claire all chuckled at the question. But Claire knew just how frequently the number thirteen was incorporated into bible verses in both the Old and New Testament. She wondered what the number meant outside of the Bible.

  “She was very religious. I mean, I’m sure if she were here, she’d start spouting out Biblical verses containing thirteen or references to it.”

  “Well, I’m sorry, ladies, but I’m not a historian, theologian or a numerologist, for that matter. I’m thinking your best bet is to talk to Saul… he knows everyone.”

  Abigail smiled and left once again. Claire got up and followed her outside.

  “Hey, Abigail, thanks for coming over and giving us this information, it’s really helpful,” Claire said.