Out Of This World

by Annette Mori

Celeste grinned and answered, “Celeste.”

  “Well, come on over here, gorgeous, and show everyone how you catch a fish,” the fish monger shouted out.

  I pushed her in his direction, encouraging her to get the full experience of the market. These guys were a hoot. Celeste seemed to embrace this new adventure with gusto as she followed the fish guy behind the counter, ready to catch the king salmon his partner was playfully swinging around for all to see. As soon as we entered the market, Celeste had safely secured her pack on her back leaving both hands free.

  “Okay, now you gotta reach your arms out. Don’t be afraid of the fish. You gotta grab it, you know, get a good grab on it cause we’re not gonna sell this one.”

  Celeste giggled. “I do not know if I can do this.”

  “Sure you can. Say ‘I’m gonna catch this fish.’ You can do it.”

  Celeste grinned. “I am going to catch this fish.”

  “Yeah, there you go. Okay, now lock your fingers and put that back hand a little higher,” he coached.

  Celeste imitated his stance.

  “There you go. Now grab it. How about Celeste!” he yelled out.

  “How about Celeste!” the crowd mimicked.

  “Hey, yeah,” he called out.

  “Hey, yeah,” the rest of the fish mongers repeated.

  The fish went flying in the air and Celeste reached out and, just like a skilled football receiver, she grabbed for that fish with everything she had, plucking it perfectly from the air. The crowd cheered as Celeste held her prize up.

  I burst out laughing as Celeste proudly displayed her fish.

  “Can we buy this please?” she asked.

  “Sure, why not. He said he wasn’t going to sell it, but I bet he’ll sell it to us,” I responded.

  “You betcha. Ten bucks and it’s yours,” the monger replied.

  “Deal,” I said. For a ten-pound salmon, ten dollars was a steal.

  He wrapped up our fish, added ice, handed us our trophy, and we giggled like schoolchildren all the way to the bathroom. I thought Celeste might want to wash her hands after her fish catching adventure.

  We strolled through the rest of the market and made a final stop at a bakery. I wanted to purchase some cinnamon pastries and a dozen cookies for the road or maybe for dessert later tonight.

  I didn’t have the foggiest idea what we would do after visiting the market, and decided I’d better broach the topic with Celeste. I knew we couldn’t hide out in Seattle forever, but I didn’t exactly have a plan in my back pocket.

  We walked along in the swarm of people, and I felt like a cow herded into an enclosed area before being sent off to slaughter. I shivered at that thought. Suddenly I was claustrophobic.

  “Celeste, I’m not really sure what to do now. I wish I could just skip work tomorrow and hide out in Seattle until things cool down.”

  “I do not wish to cause you distress,” she whispered.

  “The only friend I have is Sydney and she lives with Hollie...”

  “Hollie does not have good energy,” she responded.

  “That is an understatement. She’s a first class bitch.”

  Celeste cocked her head. “Bitch?”

  “Bad energy,” I replied. I didn’t want to explain the nuances of profanity. She was certainly good at remaining in character and true to her delusion.

  “We shall return to your residence. Now that I am aware of the danger, I will be able to defend myself by using my energy reserves and mind probes. I just need to avoid the chemical injections.”

  I cringed when she mentioned the chemical injections. They’d obviously felt the need to drug her and I wondered if she became combative. I wasn’t so sure that returning to Roslyn was the best strategy, but I didn’t have a better idea. I’d forgotten about my phone and decided it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to get more information about Greg from Sydney. It was a long shot, but maybe she could help us out.

  I pulled my phone from my bag and gasped as I saw twenty-seven texts—some from Sydney and some from my mom. I scrolled through quickly getting the general gist of my mom’s messages, which essentially communicated what the hell do you think you’re doing going off with some mental patient. The intensity of her tone increased as the messages went unanswered by me. Sydney’s were definitely less judgmental, but just as insistent. She wanted to know if everything was okay and if I needed any help.

  Celeste was watching me as I scrolled through my messages and she picked up that something was wrong.

  I looked at her and gave her a sheepish smile. “Um, I have a few text messages, so I need to let my mom and Sydney know that everything is okay.”

  I sent my mom a quick text, Everything ok. Promise I’ll explain later.

  Sydney’s text would be trickier. I needed information and help. My fingers flew over the keypad on the phone, Need ur help. Call me.

  The response from Sydney was instantaneous as my phone buzzed in my hand. “Hey, Sydney. Thanks for calling… No, I’m okay… Can you give me the scoop on Greg?… Shit, okay… I’m sorry, Sydney, I didn’t mean to drag you into this… Of course you can stay at my house… Yeah, the key’s under the big rock to the right of the welcome mat… No, we’ll be back in maybe two or three hours… Yeah, that would be great if you can throw him off for tonight… Thanks Sydney, I owe you.”

  I ended the call and then I realized that Sydney was going to have free reign to snoop around and there was no hope of remaining in that big ole closet I’d carefully erected around myself. Crap. I guess confirmation that I was a card-carrying lesbian was imminent. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. On the one hand, it was a relief because I’d been keeping this secret for my whole life and it was getting rather burdensome. However, I was sure to hurt Sydney’s feelings and she was the one person who’d always stuck up for me. How could I explain to her why I wasn’t honest? She would never understand. She was one of the beautiful people.

  Celeste touched my arm and my distress dissipated like early morning fog after the sun made its appearance known. She sure was handy to have around. I reveled in her touch. Maybe if she went on medication, we could make a go of it. Of course, if she did take her meds, she probably wouldn’t be interested in someone like me. It was a catch twenty-two. Either I could have the woman of my dreams whose elevator didn’t exactly make it to the top floor, or she’d be gone from my life like the dreams that wisp away when you wake each morning.

  I cleared my throat to explain my phone call. “Sydney and Hollie had a big fight and she asked if she could crash at my house. She told me she would help us. She doesn’t trust Greg any more than I do. The jig’s up for me now, because I didn’t exactly hide um…the books…or um…the movies.”

  “I still do not understand what appears to be forbidden about sharing energy or the human concept of love between two females,” she remarked.

  “Fortunately it is becoming less and less forbidden, but I just wasn’t quite ready to share this with anyone, even Sydney. Being teased and bullied all your life has a devastating effect on your confidence. The idea of Sydney knowing my secret is growing on me. I am surprised that she asked to stay with us. She’s never done that before and it’s not like she doesn’t have another place to crash. They break up every week it seems.”

  “Sydney and Hollie are not energy mates. You and Sydney could be energy mates. Although she was not compatible with my energy signature, her signature was positive and strong and I sensed the syncopation with yours. She looks upon you fondly.”

  I knew I was fortunate to have Sydney as a friend and I didn’t ever dig too deeply around the reasons she was always kind to me. I just accepted the blessed miracle, for that is what it was—a damned miracle.

  †

  “Come on, let’s head back to my Podunk town.” I grabbed her hand so we wouldn’t lose ourselves in the throng of people pushing and shoving inside the market. We walked hand in hand and eventually emerged to the less crowded street outside of the
bustling tourist attraction.

  I was surprised when it only took us ten minutes to navigate the streets of Seattle and make it back out to highway ninety. Although we slid over easily into the commuter express lane, it wasn’t necessary because the road was relatively clear. This was a true rarity, even on a Sunday afternoon. I wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad omen for us.

  I turned up the stereo in my car connected via Bluetooth to my iPhone and effectively stopped any conversation for the ride back. As an over-the-top introvert, I’d conversed more with Celeste than I normally did with anyone in an entire year. I was done, exhausted. I needed to re-charge my energy. When we got back I’d need to play host to not one, but two beautiful women. It was almost beyond the realm of my abilities, but I was sure this was a once in a lifetime chance for me.

  One of my favorite songs from a relatively unknown singer, Marie Digby, came on and I began to hum softly to the tune. The song, Miss Invisible, paralleled my high school experience. I looked over at Celeste and thought how odd that this fragile woman came into my life just like the boy in the song—out of the blue. The lyrics reverberated in the car, then one day, just the same as the last, just a day spent in counting the time, came a boy who sat under the bleachers, just a little bit further behind.

  Celeste just smiled at me and took my hand in hers. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t have to.

  I felt cared for. I felt good. Someone had finally noticed me.

  The time flew quickly, both of us humming to the music. My old car rolled up to my little cottage and I was oddly peaceful when I saw Sydney’s car in the driveway. Since traffic was clear on the way back, it had taken us less than ninety minutes to return home. We would have several hours of daylight left. I loved living in the Pacific Northwest in the late spring and summer because daylight stayed well into the evening.

  Sydney was a far better friend than I deserved. All through school whenever she saw someone picking on me, she stepped right in the middle of it. Most of the time she would dispel the confrontation without harm, but on a few occasions, she simply punched her way out of it, ending up with a black eye for her efforts. I always felt guilty when she got hurt on my behalf, but eventually the bullies learned to hassle me when she was nowhere in the vicinity. Hollie was the worst of them and I never had the heart to tell Sydney that her on-again off-again girlfriend was the leader of the pack. I never understood why Hollie would even bother with me. I was a nobody. It just never made sense to me.

  I thought back to when we were eleven years old and Tommy Harris pushed me into a puddle of mud. I sat there in the pool of sludge, crying and afraid to go home to explain about my soiled dress to my mom…

  “Mabel mudbutt, Mabel mudbutt,” Tommy laughed.

  Sydney barreled into Tommy, ramming him into a sister puddle much larger than the one he tossed me in.

  “Shut up, Tommy butthole, before I shove your face into that pile of horse shit over there." Sydney pointed to the Olson’s field where they rarely picked up after their horse.

  I blinked once.

  She extended her hand to me. “You okay, Mabs?”

  Tommy jumped up with his two fists clenched, pushed Sydney, and popped her in the nose.

  Blood poured from her nose, but that didn’t stop her from doing exactly what she threatened to do. She pummeled his back while she shoved his face into a fresh pile of manure. He was crying by the time I pulled her off of him.

  I put the sleeve of my dress up to her nose to try to stop the bleeding. “Aw, Sydney, look what he did to you. Why’d you do that? He hurt you.”

  Sydney shrugged, pulled my sleeve away, lifted her t-shirt to her nose to stop of the flow of blood, and put her arm around my shoulder. “You’re my friend aren’t you? Friends stand up for each other. I know you’d do the same for me.”

  That was the first black eye she received on my behalf. I never did come to her rescue. Mostly because she didn’t need me to, but a bigger part of it was my fear. I tried to fly under the radar. Sometimes it worked, a lot of times it didn’t. I tried to repay her kindness. I would offer homemade cookies and cakes that mom packed for me in my lunchbox. I saved all my desserts for Sydney. It was the least I could do. Most of the time she refused them, but on occasion the temptation was too great. Mom made the best desserts…

  I shook my head and came back to the present. I saw someone part the blinds and peek out. I was on the verge of bolting, when Sydney opened the front door and waved at us with a smile on her face. I trusted Sydney so I figured the coast was clear for now.

  †

  It’s amazing what a false sense of security one has when barricaded in your comfortable space. My home was that comfortable space, even with the two guests that I felt I needed to entertain.

  Celeste was carrying her prize possession from our daytime escapade—the ten dollar salmon she caught with her bare hands at the market. I pointed to the refrigerator and Celeste must have understood because she placed the fresh fish on the middle shelf where there was an empty space. I was looking forward to preparing a special dish that evening.

  I still had the lilies in my hand so I reached for an empty vase that I had stored in a cabinet next to the stove. I didn’t bother to cut the ends because, honestly, I didn’t think it really made all that much difference. I filled the vase with water, plunked the flowers inside, and placed it on the kitchen island. I could already detect the sweet smell as I envisioned the flowers enveloping all of the stale air molecules hovering in the kitchen. I pulled the kitchen shears out of the junk drawer and proceeded to clip off the pollen so that Celeste wouldn’t obtain another mark on her face. I giggled again when I realized she still had two yellow stains on her face from earlier.

  Sydney sat on the soft, moss green, ultra suede recliner in the living room and patiently waited for us to put away our bounty from the trip to Seattle. Celeste and I joined her on the matching sofa. Celeste grabbed my hand and I didn’t pull away. Sydney seemed to focus on our joined hands. Celeste had already dumped her ever present backpack next to the couch.

  “Okay Sydney, what’s the full story? I don’t mean to be rude or anything, but you’ve never asked to stay here before when you and Hollie were fighting, so there must be something more you didn’t tell me over the phone.”

  Sydney’s eyes never shifted their focus from our joined hands as she ignored my question and asked one of her own. “So, are you two an item now?”

  “Bella has compatible energy to my own,” Celeste offered.

  Okay that was not very helpful.

  I knew I was directing my frustration at the wrong person, but I couldn’t help myself because I felt protective of Celeste. “Sydney, try not to judge please. Celeste is not doing anything harmful, so why can’t everyone leave her alone. I don’t care if she checked herself out of the hospital. She doesn’t want to go back and I want to help her, so either you help us or you can just get the hell out.”

  Direct hit. Sydney blanched at my words and whispered, “I’m not judging. Sorry.”

  I felt bad. She definitely never deserved my angry words. “No. I’m sorry, Sydney. That was uncalled for. Look, I don’t really know what our relationship is. I simply care for her and want to help.”

  “Mabs, I’m on your side. I just don’t want you to get hurt. Hollie is being Hollie and she’s enamored with Greg. I’m fed up with her. This time I’m done. She didn’t even try to hide her flirtations. She is hell bent on helping Greg track you down.” Sydney offhandedly waved her hand at Celeste. “I don’t really need to stay at your place, I just wanted to be here to take you to my cabin. We can all crash there while we figure out what to do next. I suspect Greg will be here any moment to try to drag Celeste back to the hospital. Hollie has been very helpful with information about where you live and where you work.”

  “Won’t he just come to the cabin when he doesn’t find us here?” I asked.

  Sydney looked down. “Hollie doesn’t know about the cabin. I
bought it on the sly six months ago when we started fighting again. I needed a place to go where she wouldn’t follow me and wear me down again. I’ve been fixing it up during the day when Hollie’s at work.”

  “She is not your energy mate. Her energy is very negative. She will destroy your positive energy if you continue to try to be compatible,” Celeste offered.

  “Celeste, you’re not helping.” I sighed.

  “I don’t really know what you’re talking about, but we need to get to the cabin fast before they realize you’re back. I stalked off after I caught Hollie hanging all over Greg. She probably thought I was just taking one of my long hikes in the mountains, but when I headed back to the house, I saw a strange car in our driveway. I didn’t want to catch them in bed so I took off again. After ruminating over what I suspected was happening between them, I called Hollie. She and I had a screaming match over the phone. I told her I wasn’t coming home tonight. She had the nerve to say, ‘fine, I’ll just entertain our guest by myself then.’ You called about thirty minutes later while I was at the grocery store. Hollie can be entertaining for several hours, but I get the impression that after Greg gets his rocks off he’ll be heading straight here. Throw a travel bag together and we can head out. We can take my jeep. The roads are a bit rough up in the mountains and we’ll need the four-wheel drive.”

  “What about work? I can’t ask you to drive me to work and pick me up every day. Besides, won’t Greg just follow me after work or something?” I shook my head. Our situation was hopeless. Greg was able to track Celeste all the way to Roslyn. Surely he would be able to find the location of Sydney’s cabin.

  “Can’t you call in sick for a few days until we figure this out?” Sydney asked.

  I’d never called in sick a day in my life. I came from healthy German stock and I had strict morals around work and reliability, but I’d never cared for anyone like I cared for Celeste. It was a dilemma, but I justified my deception because I was helping someone out.