by Unknown
I hated feeling like the slow kid, but I asked anyway. “A whole decade down the drain? You are talking in circles again.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake. Seth has a soul mate, too. He hasn’t met her yet because he is convinced that he is in love with you. Until you kick him to the curb, he doesn’t have a chance to meet his soul mate. If Seth and Amanda don’t meet, then she will never feel the magnetic pull toward a true soul mate. If she doesn’t know the difference, her protector will propose marriage to her and she will say yes, since as far as she is concerned there is no one else out there. She will get married, and they’ll give it a go for a while, then in about eight years they’ll look at each other and realize they really aren’t in love with one another, they never were in love with one another. These always get messy.”
“So you’re saying this happens a lot?”
“Lauren, try to keep up, Dear. Every soul has a role relative to every other soul that is profound to them. If roles are misinterpreted, a delay to the natural order occurs. Why, I knew this one woman who was married five times, five times! At what point do you think it occurred to her that she was settling for the first man who showed her any attention? Each time she walked down the aisle, then a few years later, realized her mistake, only to repeat the same mistake four more times! If she would have just listened to her dreams, they would have told her how to meet her destiny.”
“So I’m not special? Everyone has a mate. Everyone’s mate comes to them in a dream?”
“No and yes. Not everyone chooses to have a mate in life; but for those who do, one will reach out to the other in a dream shortly before their paths may cross. A mate may have to cross paths five or six times before they are close enough to feel the magnetic pull, but once they feel it, they just know this is their soul mate. The travel through dreams is the only way two souls are able to speak. The conscious mind is too rational and discounts any contact as impossible. To answer your other question - Lauren, you are more special than you realize.”
“You mean because I can read people, right?”
“What do you mean, read people?”
“I’ve always been really ‘in-tune’ to others. Most of the time, I can tell what someone is feeling by just looking at them.”
“In-ter-est-ing. You can do this with everyone?”
“I think so. I’ve read a lot of books on body language, but I was really good at it before I did any real research. Some people are harder than others.”
“Does it feel like an extrasensory perception?”
“I don’t know what that would feel like, but I guess so. I mean I don’t get a vibe based on sight, sound, smell, touch or taste – I just know what people are feeling. Sometimes I even know what they’re thinking. Not the specifics, but if they’re mad about something that just happened, I can tell that it’s a short-term mood swing – or if they’re chronically crotchety, I can feel that, too.”
“Even me?”
“Well - you initiated the conversation, so I wasn’t exactly feeling you out. I can tell that you’re being truthful with me, or at least you think you are.”
“What about Max?”
“My emotions get in the way a little. I mean – I don’t normally, you know…get nervous around people. Max is just different. I have a tough time…”
“Your own nervousness doesn’t allow you to be objective and observe him the way you do others.”
“Right!”
“How does this feeling you get work?”
I had never given much thought to how it worked. “I guess most of the time, I look at a person…sometimes if I’m not that close I can’t sense anything. Sometimes if I shake their hand or bump into them, the feeling gets stronger. I don’t really know how it works.”
Rewsna nodded. “You chose a tough life, but so far you haven’t needed anyone’s help. You are just barely an adult and you have attained a tough pillar and you have found your soul mate. Some spend whole lifetimes trying to attain courage, but you got it at twenty-one. We will be watching you with interest.” She glanced at the window quickly and announced, “This is my stop.”
Rewsna stood up, stepped in front of me and waited by the door for the bus to come to a complete stop. When I stood up to follow her, she shook her head and her voice sounded stern in my mind, “Child, this is not your stop. Keep to your path.”
“But how do I find you if I need you?”
She looked at me perplexed, “If you really need me, I’ll be there, but from what I’ve seen, you won’t see me again.”
“Wait, Rewsna, I have so many questions!”
She smiled at me wryly and responded, “Unlock Max. He has all the answers.”
Chapter Thirteen
My encounter with Rewsna weighed heavily on me as I glanced at the area of town where she had just gotten off. It was downtown near the market. Even if I knew exactly where she was heading, I doubt I’d be able to find her in the flood of tourists, shopkeepers and locals.
Keep to my path? My hands started to sweat as I considered what she meant; maybe I was supposed to be on this specific bus right now for a reason. I looked at the other passengers and wondered if some epic event was going to take place. I paid attention to every stop, who got on and who got off.
My nerves were nearly frazzled when the bus came to a stop at the mall. I got off and half expected an earthquake, or tsunami, or something. The bus closed its doors and pulled away. I stood motionless for far longer than I should have.
An older gentleman with a cabbie hat on was approaching me, perhaps to see if I needed any help. There was something about him that didn’t feel right. It made the hair on my arms stand at attention. I didn’t know why, but I knew I needed to keep my distance. My eyes darted to the ground as I willed my feet to move before he got to me.
After making my way in through the entrance to the mall, I walked toward the food court. Rachael is normally “fashionably late” - her term, not mine, so waiting for her in the food court was a regular occurrence. I looked at my watch: 10:00 on the dot. As I rounded the corner past the cookie store, I saw her sitting at a table in the middle of the court. Staring in disbelief as I approached, “Hi, Rachael, I thought we said 10:00. What’re you doing here already?”
Rachael looked at her watch, “It is 10:00.”
“What planet are you from and where did you take my friend Rachael?”
“You’re hysterical. I’m willing to overlook your snottiness, so long as you have some juicy details. Tell me about this mystery man, Max.”
“You mean all this time we’ve been friends all I needed was juicy gossip for you to show up on time?”
Rachael slapped my arm and laughed, “Come on, out with it!”
I spent the next fifteen minutes giving her the condensed version of my day with Max. As I was nearing the part where we were on the carriage ride, I could see Rachael looking intently over my shoulder. I turned around to see what had her attention. My stomach knotted in an instant: it was a guy, probably our age, standing at an oriental fast food shop. As I looked at him - I got a really strange vibe, even though I couldn’t see his face because his back was to us. I felt an odd sensation, one I can’t even describe: not the pure danger I felt when the robber walked through the door, but similar. I knew he was trouble. It was the strangest feeling to know I didn’t like someone without knowing why, but my instincts had always been flawless. Without missing a beat I stated quietly, “Not him, Rachael.”
Rachael looked back at me quickly and almost stammered, “What’d you say?” She could tell that my three words had nothing to do with me telling her of my perfect afternoon with Max. My quick warning had caught her off-guard, “Lauren, what’d you just say?”
“Rachael, there is something I don’t like about him, a bad vibe.” Rachael had always heeded my advice without question. She had seen firsthand that I was intuitive for situations and people, but this time was different.
“Oh please! He’s gorgeous!! How shoul
d I start a conversation with him? What does he like? Come on, Lauren. Help me!”
I shook my head at her and repeated, “Not him.” It’s extremely difficult to tell your friend that the guy she thinks is amazing could, for all I knew, be Jack the Ripper.
“Lauren, come on, he’s got his food. Just tell me what to strike up a conversation with. Sports? Weather? Shopping? I know you know, come on!”
Still feeling a bad vibe, “He’s not someone you want to meet. Pick any other guy in this place and I promise I’ll help, but not him.” I am not clairvoyant, telepathic, or any number of other supernatural categories. I’m somehow sensitive to people. I don’t know how best to describe it other than I pay attention to what people wear, expressions on their faces, body language, the tones of their voices, and I don’t know how many other factors. Other than on my bus ride to the mall today, I’d never come right out and acknowledged it before, but my closest friends knew what I could do without me ever saying it.
A disappointed look took hold, and I could tell Rachael was irritated with me. She was not arguing with me, so at least she was thinking straight. I tried to ease her frustration, “Seriously, pick any other guy.”
In a very dramatic way, “Never mind, tell me about Mr. Wonderful and your perfect day together.” She propped her head on her knuckles with her elbows on the table. She was still looking toward the guy I had just warned her about, but it looked as though she was going to drop it.
After another couple minutes of me relaying my day with Max, I could see Rachael’s eyes light up. She sat up straighter, still looking at me, but somehow, not really listening. I knew what was about to happen.
“Excuse me, ladies,” came the smooth voice from the guy I had just asked her to stay away from. “I’m waiting for a friend who’s running late. Would you mind if I sat with you two?”
“No, we wouldn’t mind!” Rachael answered quickly, I’m sure in an effort to keep me from telling him to take a hike. “Pull up a chair. We’re just hanging out.”
He kept his eyes on Rachael the whole time, reminding me of a jaguar on the prowl, paying the same attention to me that he would a bush or a tree. “I’m Paul.” He spoke very proper English, and sounded so nervous that his words came out stiff.
Rachael quickly introduced us both, “I’m Rachael, and this is my friend, Lauren.” He glanced in my direction briefly then refocused all of his attention on Rachael.
“I am very pleased to meet you both. Are you waiting for your boyfriends?”
Rachael too eagerly replied, “Oh, I don’t have a boyfriend, and Lauren’s meeting hers later. We’re just here hanging out and shopping today.”
“I can’t believe that a girl as pretty as you does not have a boyfriend? You are teasing me.”
Paul was making my skin crawl. He was very polite - and I have to admit - devastatingly handsome, but something was off. I glared at him hoping he would take the hint and find a way to politely excuse himself. I knew he could feel my stare, but paid no attention to it.
Rachael giggled at his line, buying it hook, line, and sinker. “No, I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Paul rubbed his eyes with both fists, over exaggerating the movement, “There must be something wrong with my eyes. I am looking at the most beautiful girl in the place, and you tell me you do not have a boyfriend? This is my lucky day! Where would you like to go? What would you like to do?”
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stood up, my stomach physically hurt, and I knew without a doubt if I allowed this to go any further, I’d get physically ill. Rather than take the chance that my staring daggers in his direction wouldn’t dissuade his advances on Rachael, I bitterly responded, “Actually Paul, this is a girl’s day out, so you may have to celebrate by yourself. I hear the arcade has a special token bonus offer going on.” My voice was cold and my tone undeniably hateful.
Rachael was still under this loser’s spell, “Oh, come on, Lauren, I’m sure Paul and his friend would be a great help shopping.”
Fury engulfed me, as I could see for the very first time that Rachael was really not taking me seriously. “Rachael, I need to go to the restroom. Come with me.”
She rolled her eyes in my direction, “All right.” She turned her attention back to Paul, “You’ll be here when we come back, right?”
“Absolutely, I will anxiously await your return.”
Rachael and I went down the long hallway and made our way into the restroom. As soon as we were two steps inside, she fiercely expressed her frustration, “Lauren, stop it. I know you get these weird feelings sometimes, but drop it! I don’t care what you say, I like him. Do you mind taking the bus home? I’d really like to hang out with Paul, and you obviously don’t care for him, so it might be better if you just left.”
Taken aback by her conclusion that I was just being difficult, and it would be better if I left them alone, I asked, “Are you nuts? Name one time that I’ve ever been wrong. This Paul is a snake. I wouldn’t leave you alone with him for a million dollars. Friends don’t leave friends with creeps. I’m sure that’s a rule in some friendship handbook or something.” Trying to lighten the mood did no good, and I could tell she really wanted me to leave. “Not a chance, Rachael. I’m staying.”
“Fine, stay, but not one more word about him. I have a real feeling about him. Everyone is entitled to one mistake, and this is obviously yours. He is gorgeous, and he likes me. Don’t ruin this for me.”
“Rachael, I’ve never been wrong. I’ll humor you on this, but I won’t leave you alone with him, deal?”
“Okay, deal! Let’s go!” Rachael all but sprinted out of the bathroom. She was back to the table in no time, enthusiastically asking Paul, “So, when’s your friend supposed to be here?”
Paul smiled an awkward smile, “I hope you won’t hold it against me, but I just said that so you wouldn’t think badly of me for wanting to join you two.”
Perfect…a self-confessed liar. Warning bells were ringing in my head, as if I needed any more reminders of how bad an idea it was for Rachael even to be talking to this guy. The banter between them took off while I concentrated on a strategy to get Rachael away from him.
“See, she doesn’t mind. We’ll be right back.” The malevolence in his face was unmistakable, and it felt as though I had just been punched in the gut. Unsure of the exchange between the two of them, I quickly asked, “I’m sorry, what?”
“Paul was just telling me about his car. It’s a Porsche. I want to go take a look. We’ll be right back.”
Before I could file a protest, they were both up and out of their seats headed for the door. I was fuming at Rachael for ignoring our agreement. She shot me a cross look indicating that I was to stay behind.
I have never been wrong. What’s the worst thing that could happen if I stayed here? I didn’t even want to think about it. I jumped up from my seat and ran to the door. My eyes scanned the parking lot from left to right. At first I didn’t see them, but then I saw them walking in between cars two rows away. I gave chase, shortening the gap between us to just ten feet.
They were talking quietly, so I couldn’t hear them, but as long as I could see Rachael, I was sure she’d be fine. I replayed the conversation with Rewsna and her explanation of a temptation. That must be what Paul is to Rachael. I’ve never felt more protective of her in my entire life. The conversation I had on the bus less than an hour before immediately became crystal clear. It was my responsibility to keep him away from Rachael.
Without a word, I walked to the back of the car, keeping my distance so Rachael wouldn’t be any more furious with me. I was confident that no matter the danger she could potentially be in with this guy, he would not try anything with me watching. At least, that’s what I hoped. As my mind started running through all the worst case scenarios - I did the only thing that came to mind.
What guy our age drives a Porsche, anyway? Without any hesitation, I called the police and confessed, “I saw a suspicious man near a
white hard-top Porsche, and I was worried it might be stolen. He’s at the mall hitting on my friend. Would it be possible for me to give you the license plate number and you can tell me if I’m overreacting?”
The dispatcher asked if this was some sort of prank. I assured her it wasn’t. I gave her my name, phone number and location. After she was confident that this wasn’t some stunt, she answered, “Read me the plate.” I did and she stated, “Hold on, please, the system’s pretty slow today.”
It felt like I was on hold forever as I watched Paul and Rachael standing less than twenty feet from me. The dispatcher came back on the line, “Lauren, where are you right now?”
“Outside Northwoods Mall, in parking area 117A, about half way down the row.”
“Lauren, you need to stay away from him.”
“He’s talking to my friend Rachael by the car.”
“Get her away from him. The police are on their way. Get her away now.”
In my most booming voice, I yelled, “Rachael, your mom’s on the phone. You were supposed to pick up your little brother from soccer practice. She wants to talk to you, now.” I waved my phone in the air knowing that this was the fastest way to get her over here.
She rolled her eyes and raised her index finger to him in a gesture saying, “Just a minute,” then she walked over to where I stood. I handed her the phone.
In a theatrical tone she protested into the phone, “Mom, you didn’t say you wanted me to pick Zack up today. I’m at the mall with Lauren. Why can’t you or dad get him?”
I endured a long silence as the dispatcher was talking directly to Rachael. I kept my eyes on Paul the entire time, making sure that he made no sudden movements. He really seemed not to sense anything was out of the ordinary. Within minutes three police cars were pulling into the parking lot. Without so much as a word or a glance in his direction, Rachael tugged on my shirt sleeve and began walking farther away from her handsome friend. I heard her say, “Yes, they’re here now, thanks.” Rachael disconnected with the dispatcher and handed me the phone.