The Wishing Coin: A Modern Fairy Tale

by Antara Mann

  However, I had forgotten the crucial fact that absolute power absolutely corrupts you.

  I began with simple wishes related to the traffic or the weather, but then I moved on to changing the behavior and the fates of the people around me. How many of you have wanted to just get out of your car stuck among million others on the road, and get on the nearest bicycle? No one could blame me for that. Or how about my wish for a nice weather when it had been raining all day? Not long after I had begun to explore the new power and the new possibilities that the coin had given me, Lewis told me one afternoon while we were in his apartment that his mother was in New York. I shuddered when I heard. His mother was one of the meanest snobbish bitches I’d had the privilege to meet. She was one of the reasons why Lewis and I had broken up more than half a year before.

  “You mother? Jackie?” I repeated nervously hoping that I had misheard something.

  “Yes, that’s right. Mom came to visit her friend Elizabeth. You remember, that famous attorney? She suggested that we meet in a restaurant. I’ll be really happy if you join us. She’s been asking me lately about when we’re getting married.”

  “I think we’ve already discussed this.”

  “Julia, this November I’m turning thirty-seven, and would like to have a family already.”

  “Are you proposing to me?” I asked him ironically.

  He looked at me and replied. “Now, I only want you to join us. Mommy would be really happy if you do.”

  “Ha!” I laughed resentfully. “Now that’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told! Your mother has never, ever liked me. And it gives me the creeps when I hear you call her ‘mommy.’”

  “And what do you think I should call her?”

  Before I could answer anything, he fired his next question: “And what made you think that Mommy – sorry – that my mother doesn’t like you?”

  “I beg your pardon?! Do I need to remind you how she announced in front of everybody that I hadn’t achieved anything in my thirty years of life, just because I hadn’t become a grandmother?”

  Lewis laughed out loud.

  “Women. You always tend to exaggerate. My mother was just joking.”

  “All right, if you think that was a joke.”

  “Look, I don’t wanna argue with you. Are you coming?”

  I hesitated, looking at him. If I had refused, he would have spent a month plaguing me about not meeting his detestable mother who had traveled all the way from Seattle to New York to visit her favorite son. I didn’t know what was more annoying to bear – Jackie or her son’s reproaches.

  I sighed. “All right. I'm coming,”

  “Awesome! I’ll call Mommy to give her the good news.” He started for the balcony, dialing her number on the go, and I sat back on the couch. Why did that goddamned Jackie Decker have to meddle with our relationship all the time? I was sure that she was dying to see me just to make fun of me. Again.

  “Okay, I’ll let her know. Yes, she can’t wait to see you, too. Okay, bye, kissing you. Tomorrow, 5.30pm at Sushi Nakazawa,” Lewis announced when he hung up. “Oh, and she said we had to be there on time because she’s going to see an opera at Metropolitan at 8. She is seeing Madame Butterfly.”

  “Disgusting, pretentious bitch! I hate her!” I muttered under my breath.

  “Sorry? Did you say anything, baby?”

  “I said I love you, honey.” I smiled at him.

  ***

  I stormed out of AEC’s studio right after 5p.m. and waved at one of the taxis parked in front of the building.

  “Sushi Nakazawa,” I told the driver.

  “Oh, man, where was that damned restaurant? Is that in Lower Manhattan?”

  “23 Commerce St, East Village.”

  The driver started the car and after a while we ended up stuck in the severest traffic jam imaginable. It was Thursday and the standard 9-to-5 workday was over. I would usually remain in the office for another hour or two after work to prepare my future shows, but now I wanted to be on time for the rendezvous with Lewis’s mother. I could easily imagine her bitter remarks on my being even just a little bit late. I needed a miracle to make it, though.

  Suddenly the driver hit the brakes. There was a multitude of cars in front of us and its end was nowhere to be seen. We were still on 11th Avenue.

  “Is there a way we can make it by 5:30? I’m really in a hurry…”

  “What can I do? Run over them? It’s all the same across Manhattan after five in the afternoon. If you want to get there quicker, just walk.”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do, thanks for the advice.” I paid the driver and got out of the taxi. I started walking down the street and took a nervous glance at my watch – it was almost 5:20. Damn it! I looked around for somebody on a bike. I needed a miracle. “Wait, why don’t you just ask for this miracle?” I asked myself, took the coin out, and fired out loud: “I want to be at Sushi Nakawaza restaurant.” I had hardly said this when I found myself sitting on a chair at the restaurant.

  “Can I take your order?” the waitress asked me tersely. She was standing by me with the menu in her hands.

  “Um, not yet, I’m expecting company.”

  She left a menu for me and I turned away and looked at the door. The restaurant hadn’t filled yet; it had just opened, but people were already rushing in. Soon there wouldn’t be any free tables.

  “Hey, hello, honey.” Lewis hugged me and sat on a chair beside me. “What are you having?” He opened the menu and started to read intently.

  “A bottle of whiskey. I’ll need some courage, considering what I’m expecting.”

  “C’mon! Mommy has only good feelings toward you.”

  “No doubt she has…” I had hardly said this when the door of the restaurant opened and in came an elderly lady of refined manners. I immediately recognized her – Jackie Decker. The waiter who was fussing around asked her something. She pointed at our table and the attendant accompanied her in a ceremonial manner.

  “Thank you. It’s so nice to see young people with such good manners, isn’t it, Lewis?”

  They kissed and Lewis helped her take off her coat.

  “How are you, mommy?”

  “Well, how could I be? I’m not complaining; I thank God I’m still alive and kicking and I can watch my children grow and fill my heart with warmth.” She threw a scrutinizing look at me. “Julia, congratulations on The Screw. I’ve been watching the show regularly since you became a host. I really enjoyed your interview with Billy Crystal. But I don’t agree with what you said about Chris Christie and the minimum wage.”

  “Here it goes,” I muttered and took a big sip of whiskey. Lewis was staring at me apprehensively.

  “What exactly in my statement about the minimum wage don’t you agree with?” I left the empty glass on the table.

  “It’s very simple: it mustn’t be raised! In fact, there should be no minimum wage. That’s basic economics.”

  “Is that so? Easily said by a person whose annual pension exceeds fifty grand. How about asking the people who work for some eight or nine dollars per hour about how they manage to pay their bills and make ends meet?”

  “Julia, do I need to explain this to you? Those are either uneducated people or illegal immigrants.”

  “Bullshit! Over fifty two percent of American graduates or qualified legal immigrants are doing unqualified work. Besides, do you think that being immigrants makes them inferior to us?”

  “Your father and I have been warning you ever since you were young not to date Democrat girls. Listen to what she’s preaching!” She looked at her son.

  “That’s right, Lewis! Date some stuck-up Republican bitch from the Tea Party who fights for making half of the Americans live below the poverty line. In return for it, our money will go on being spent on the next war in the Middle East. Don’t date girls who stand up for liberty, peace, and equality. These don’t seem to be American values anymore.”

  “Wow! This conversation is
too heated, how about changing the subject?” Lewis attempted to make peace between us but his mother interrupted him fiercely.

  “I’ve always thought women aren’t good political advisors and your words only prove it. Stand up for whatever you want, but don’t impose it on others.”

  “Really? And what if I tell you that’s exactly why I’m a host? I want my voice to be heard.”

  “A woman over thirty who hasn’t given birth yet wants her voice to be heard? Or to be taken seriously? Please, Julia, grow up!”

  I threw out my arms helplessly.

  “Jackie, it’s just so you to bring up the fact I haven’t given birth. Let me tell you something that will knock you out – I don’t want to give birth. Ever!”

  “Never?” I could see real disappointment and regret in Lewis’s eyes.

  For a moment, I hesitated, wondering how to escape from the situation.

  “No, I meant –”

  “See? I told you a long time ago – she’s not for you. All she cares about is her career. She’ll never have your child, she’ll only use you. Didn’t I tell you this?”

  “I’m leaving. Why did I even come here?” I stood up but Lewis stopped me with his strong hands.

  “Please, Julia, I’m sure there’s a way to fix this…”

  “Yes, there would be if Jackie wasn’t your mother! I gotta go now. Excuse me.” I wrenched myself away from him and after a while I was outside. The cool autumn air felt relaxing to me.

  “Julia, wait!” Lewis ran to me. “I’m begging you; I don’t want us to break up again because of Mom.”

  “Me, too, but I have no choice. I can’t stand your mother and she can’t stand me.” I tried to go but he held me back.

  “What you said about giving birth – is it true?”

  “Of course not. I just wanted to tease her,” I partly lied. I would have adopted a child, but I didn’t want to give birth to my own.

  “That’s what I thought. Look, I love you and I wanna be with you. Let’s forget about my mother.”

  “Forget about her? OK. Let’s go home and pretend tonight didn’t happen!”

  “No, no, we can’t do it; what about Mom?”

  “Oh, come on, Lewis, make a choice: me or your mother!”

  “What can I do? She’ll always be my mother, I can’t change her. You should learn how to get on well with each other.”

  “You can’t change her?” I suddenly remembered the coin. “Who says you can’t?”

  “What?”

  “Let’s say your mother can change…”

  “It’s simply impossible. You know it.”

  “Listen to me. If you had the opportunity, would you have Jackie transformed into another, completely different person?”

  “What are you up to?” Lewis asked me with a tinge of doubt in his voice.

  “Just answer me: would you like your mother to change or not?”

  He drew a little back from me and looked at me as if it was the first time he’d seen me.

  I sighed, annoyed – this time I was really determined to go. I didn’t want to spend the whole evening quarreling with Jackie, and I didn’t find the conversation with Lewis very nice any longer, either. Enough drama!

  “All right, I would like Mom to change. Are you happy now?” he shouted in the street. I stopped and turned back.

  “And now let’s go back inside. Mom must be wondering where we are.”

  I kissed him happily and we entered the restaurant holding hands.

  “I need to go to the bathroom.”

  He nodded. When I was in the bathroom, I looked around and when I was sure I was alone, I took the magic coin out. I made my wish aloud:

  “I want Jaclyn to turn into a completely different person.” While I was speaking those words, in came a woman. She threw a puzzled look at me when she saw me talk to the coin. I put the coin back and walked out hastily. I would have made my wish more specific but I had no time. I was left with the nagging feeling that something had been left unsaid.

  “I told you Julia was here and was not mad at you, didn’t I?” Lewis spoke to his mother consolingly when I joined them back on the table.

  “Yes, honey, all right,” Jackie gave me a generous look.

  Suddenly she grabbed her head with both hands. Lewis became worried.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I don’t know what happened. I just suddenly felt weird, very weird. As if my mind flew away somewhere…”

  Lewis looked at me, scared. I was also worried; I had never seen my wishes have such an effect. Had I done something wrong? I suddenly felt something wasn’t right, but what could it have been?

  “A really weird feeling. I have never felt like that,” Jackie repeated, still holding her head with both hands.

  “I’ll take you to a hospital,” Lewis started but I stopped him.

  “No need to hurry. Just drive her to the hotel. I’m sure that tomorrow she’ll feel like a new person.” I smiled.

  “Wouldn’t it be better if I took her to a doctor?”

  “Why press the panic button for nothing? She needs some nice rest in a homey place and tomorrow she’ll feel great.”

  “My opera, Madame, Madame…” Jackie murmured and then her head hit the table right by the half-full sushi plate.

  A bunch of people from the adjacent tables turned their heads toward us. The waiter, who had been fussing around taking orders, ran to us to offer his help.

  “Can I help you, sir?”

  “Yes, we must get her outside.”

  They both caught Jackie under her arms and took her out of the restaurant. As we ceremonially passed the place, I heard a woman tell her friend, “They must put an age limit on alcohol consumption. It’s scandalous to see elderly people getting drunk.”

  We went out to the street. Lewis waved at the first taxi and shoved Jackie into the car.

  “Butterfly, Madame Butterfly,” Jackie was groaning while her son was seating her.

  “What? What kind of an address is that, guys?” The driver sharply turned round to Lewis.

  “No, no, that wasn’t for you; we should have been going to an opera but our plans changed.”

  Inside, I was smiling at the thought of Jackie showing up in Metropolitan opera in this condition.

  “So where should I drive you to, then?”

  “Central Park Hotel,” Lewis instructed and the taxi started.

  I watched them leave and then I walked down the street. Despite the unexpected issue, the evening had turned out to be successful. I was proud of myself for making Jackie a different person. What would I have done without the coin? While I was walking, I saw an illuminated advertisement placed on a building. “Be careful what you wish for” was written on it. Below, there was the name of a real estate agency. I walked on determinedly toward Lewis’s apartment when suddenly it hit me – I had touched the coin with my right hand! That vendor had explicitly warned me to touch it only with my left hand. In the bathroom, I had been hurrying because of the woman who entered, and by mistake I put it back with my right hand. What would happen? What if Jackie had or faced unpleasant consequences? I remembered the numerous times the vendor had told me to touch the coin only with my left hand – that meant there must have been some kind of consequence. I shook my head; it all seemed impossible to me. For Christ’s sake, it was just a coin! “A coin that fulfills all your wishes, no matter what they are,” I added aloud. Where did this coin come from and, if it was really that powerful, why had it been given to me? I had already reached the front door of the apartment. I entered it gloomily. He hadn’t arrived yet so I was alone. I took the coin out and stared at it. What if I made a new wish to erase the previous? I discarded this idea; I had been counting on the piece of crap too long already. I had to take responsibility for my actions and decisions. If Jackie felt really bad the next day, I would wish for her to get better. I had to wait and see what would happen.

  Chapter 7

  I was sitting in my
office, rereading the lines for the following episode of my show, when the door sharply opened and Lewis stormed in.

  “Something’s going on here. There must be some supernatural intervention. It’s just not right! My mother has gone completely crazy!”

  “Oh, what has she done again?”

  A week had passed since that unfortunate evening at the sushi restaurant and luckily for me, Jackie did change. She wasn’t pestering us all the time and it appeared that she’d started to like me. Or at least she didn’t hate me. A few days ago she had gone back to Seattle and we hadn’t had a single argument. That was all I’d wanted from that damned snobbish woman – a little respect.

  “You just won’t believe it! First she went to the Chairman of the Social Democrats and offered her financial support if they made her a party member.”

  “What?”

  “Incredible, right? She told them she’d changed her political views and she was begging them to let her join the party. She promised to help them with money, connections –with everything she could.”

  “Your mother, a Democrat?” I was dumbfounded.

  I remembered how fiercely she had spoken against Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Even my wildest imagination couldn’t create this picture. “So what will happen to the meetings at that club?”

  “The Republican Mothers’ club?”

  “Yes, she was a Chairwoman, wasn’t she?”

  “I have no idea. I guess they don’t know yet. When they find out, they’ll be shocked. You know what else she’s done? This is the most bizarre thing of all. She’s donated ten thousand dollars to Ballard Food Bank. Can you believe it? Ten thousand bucks for the poor and the beggars!”

  This time, I was left open-mouthed, too. Jackie, who had thought that nobody should donate anything, not even food vouchers, unless the recipients were working; that immigrants were like weeds for the American economy and that the minimal hourly payment had to be discarded because it was against the basic market economy principle of demand and supply… Jackie had donated money to feed the poor in Seattle? That was inexplicable, and all the more so if we were talking about ten thousand dollars!