Brewing Boys

by Sara Bourgeois

  I noticed a door in the kitchen that was probably a basement or cellar door, but I didn’t ask. Going down there was most likely an eventuality, but I didn’t want to think about it yet.

  Every floorboard creaked in a way that made it sound as if someone was walking a step or two behind me. I swear that it took me five minutes just to walk down the upstairs hallway because every creak made me whirl around to see what was back there.

  Spoiler alert: there wasn’t anything back there. It was most likely just my imagination, but it sure had me freaked out. I guess that means that it might not have been nothing.

  I found my way to what I assumed was Sally’s bedroom. The room appeared to be an entirely normal bedroom, but for some reason, the air felt lighter in there. I looked around to see if I could find anything to explain the difference in the atmosphere.

  The only thing that could explain the positive vibes in this room was the stuffed elephant on the bed. It appeared to be old, and I swear I could feel the love of a thousand childhood hugs emanating from it. The toy must have been acting as a protective totem.

  “That’s Liza,” Sally said as she walked into the room.

  I didn’t even realize that I’d picked the elephant up and had been holding it in my hands stroking the worn plush. Sally reached out, and I handed it back to her. It was evident that the stuffed animal meant a lot to her.

  “I’m sorry. I just…” I trailed off not sure how to explain.

  “My dad got it for me on a business trip to India when I was young.” She said and gave it a squeeze. “I packed up or gave away every other toy I’ve ever owned, but Liza here had to stay.”

  “I don’t know why, but I think it’s protecting you. The elephant feels like a protection amulet, but I won’t put any of that in the story.”

  “Is there something you’re not telling me about yourself?” Sally asked me, and I could see that I’d piqued her curiosity.

  I was saved from having to answer by a loud thump at the end of the hallway. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up as the thwack repeated itself, but this time it was closer to the bedroom.

  “Close the door!” Sally called out hysterically.

  Instinctively, I dove across the room and slammed the door shut. My shaking hand turned the lock on the nob just as the thumping reached the threshold. The pounding on the door started, and I jumped backward almost knocking Sally off her feet.

  “We should go to the bathroom!” She shrieked and bolted for that door.

  “You go ahead. Give me a moment.”

  It took all of my strength to walk back across that room, but I closed my eyes and thought of my Papa. I imagined that Esme was with me too. She wouldn’t be afraid of this thing. She’d kick it’s…

  The entity on the other side of the door whacked it again as if it could sense my approach. Great, I thought, this thing can read my thoughts too.

  I put my hand on the door and filled my mind’s eye with white light. I heard a growling shriek on the other side of the door. It sounded to me like a wounded animal, and that was followed by the sound of something retreating quickly. I couldn’t be sure if that noise was truly audible, or if it was something only I could hear.

  I immediately noticed that the room was brighter and the air felt easier to breath. Even Sally must have noticed the shift because she cautiously came out of the bathroom.

  “How did you do that?” She asked with wide-eyed wonder. “You’re so much more than just a reporter.”

  “Something like that, but I’m not sure what I did.”

  There was no way for me to explain without revealing more about myself than I was comfortable with. Hopefully she’d accept that I was just as dumbfounded as she was. If Sally could accept that her house was now clear, I could write up my story, and we could both move on with our lives.

  I didn’t stay and chat with her for long because it was obvious that Sally was exhausted. Now that the entity was gone, she looked like she could sleep for days.

  My stomach growled as soon as I got outside of her house, and that overrode my curiosity about the plot of land next door. I figured I could go to the diner and get something to eat, if it was still open. Perhaps I’d come back and check out the old slave cemetery after dark.

  Nothing could go wrong with that, right?

  I was in luck, and the diner was still open. When I walked inside, the smell of cooking food made my stomach rumble audibly. It made me wonder if I was truly that hungry, or if there was some sort of magic at work.

  “Good afternoon.” A cheerful waitress in a yellow uniform dress with a white apron appeared from a back room. “Sit anywhere you like.”

  I noticed that the apron had and Egyptian eye in one corner. The Eye of Horus is what I believe it was called. When she stepped into the light, it became apparent that the mustard yellow dress was actually a shade of gold.

  After I sat down, the chipper waitress appeared next to my table almost instantly. “Here’s a menu. You look hungry. Let me tell you about the specials.”

  I felt a pull at me when she said this, and it became obvious that there was some sort of magic at work. She was using a spell to make me hungry. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and shut her out.

  “Sorry, Ma’am.” A look of recognition flashed in her eyes when I met them with mine. “Take all the time you need with the menu. Give me a wave when you’re ready.”

  “Thank you.”

  The menu was full of standard diner fair but with ancient Egyptian names. I decided on the Ramses burger that came with a red velvet shake, so I waved the waitress back over to my table.

  “Is the red velvet shake supposed to be like the river of blood?” I chuckled.

  “Yep.” Anna, the waitress, responded and started writing down my order before I gave it to her. “Don’t worry, I didn’t read your mind. That’s our most popular menu item.” She leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “It’s also the only decent thing you can get here, so I highly recommend it.”

  “Isn’t the river of blood thing more biblical than it is ancient Egyptian?”

  “Yeah, but it’s got the name Ramses in it. The tourists love it.”

  “Do you get a lot of tourists in here? Alexandria seems remote.”

  “You’d be surprised. It’s slow today, but usually we’re pretty busy. Partly because of the vibe this place puts off and partly because we’re the only restaurant off the highway for a long, long time.”

  “Is this Ramses burger going to do anything, you know, funny to me?”

  She took my menu with a hearty laugh. “No, Ma’am. You’ve got my word.”

  “Then, I’ll take it.”

  “One Ramses burger, hold the special sauce.” She called into the serving window to a cook standing on the other side, and then turned and gave me a wink.

  A couple of minutes later, Anna reappeared at my table with a large red milkshake. She told me that the milkshake also lacked any special sauce, and I thanked her.

  Despite it being free of magic, it was the most delicious shake I’d ever had. This diner could be famous for these things without the magic.

  “Order up.” The cook called from the kitchen.

  Anna brought my food to me and placed it on the table. The cook gave me a welcoming little wave from the kitchen. The staff here was friendly even if they were trying to use a bit of magic to entice customers in the door and then liberate them of a generous tip. I wondered which one of them had supernatural powers.

  One bite of the burger told me that the cook didn’t need magic to get people to eat his food. The cheeseburger was even better than the shake.

  “Amazing, isn’t it?” Anna said as she plopped down in the seat across from me. “You don’t mind, do you?” She asked the question to be polite, but I could tell she had no intention of going anywhere.

  “Not at all.” I answered in between bites. “In fact, I was hoping I’d get to talk to a local today.”

  “Oh yeah?”
She asked before stealing a French fry from my plate. “What brings you into town anyway? If I might be so bold as to ask.”

  “Well, you’re stealing my fries, so you might as well ask.” I said and winked at her.

  I thought for a moment she might get embarrassed or apologize, but instead, Anna took another fry. This didn’t upset me, though. It actually made me like her more. I was going to have to bring Esme into the diner sometime. She’d get a hoot out of this place.

  “I was actually in town investigating a paranormal occurrence at one of your residences.”

  “Oh, are you with one of those ghost hunter shows?” Anna asked as she leaned across the table.

  “No, but I am a journalist.” I said and she sat back. I could see the disappointment on her face. “And, you wouldn’t be too impressed by the paper I work for either.”

  “Still, tell me about what you were investigating.”

  “You sure you’ve got time?” I asked with a chuckle.

  “Look at this place today. Doesn’t it appear that I have plenty of time?”

  I hadn’t paid too much attention when I’d come in, but it was evident that I was the only customer in the diner. So, I settled in to finish my food, share my fries, and tell my new friend, Anna, about what I’d discovered in Alexandria.

  When I was done telling her the story, Anna called the cook out to join us at the table. I learned his name was Bubba, and he had some stories to tell me about the Crenshaw house.

  Apparently, they kept female slaves in pens on the top floor. They had one male slave they used to breed with the females. The Crenshaws weren’t just kidnapping free people and returning runaways for reward money, they were forcing women to give birth to children and then selling those babies into slavery.

  It was enough to make me lose what was left of my appetite, but what Bubba told me gave me a great deal to think about too. I hoped that I’d rid Sally’s house of the entity, but there was no way to know that for sure.

  When I got home, I wrote up the story as fast as I could and sent it to Chuck for his approval. Normally, I would just print one of my investigations, but I wanted him to see this one first. I knew that the supernatural could ruffle some feathers.

  I’d changed the name and left out the address so that no one could go looking for Sally’s home because of the article. She’d been through enough, and the last thing I wanted was to cause her more strife.

  The travel had taken a lot out of me, and thankfully the food I had eaten was enough for me to skip dinner. I fed Jezebel and turned in early for the night.

  Abby wasn’t around, and that made me worry that Irene lurked outside. But, I was too tired. It was fortunate that I hadn’t stayed up fretting. The next day I was going to be glad that I’d gotten a good night’s sleep.

  My whole world was about to fall apart.

  Chapter Five

  The call came in that Nathan was awake just before dawn. Lincoln sounded a lot less happy than I expected, but I just assumed he was tired.

  “Be prepared, Sweetie.” He said over the phone in a whisper. “Things are going to be harder than we expected.”

  “But, he’s awake, right?”

  “Yes, Lenny. He’s awake. I’ll explain more when you get here.”

  I showered so fast that I’d swear the water barely got me wet. Thankfully, Abby was in the kitchen humming and sipping an empty coffee cup. I didn’t ask questions. It was good to see her again.

  Before I left, I gave Jezebel a mountain of cat food in her bowl. I figured I might be at the hospital late, and I didn’t want her to go hungry.

  “Hey, Lady. I’m here for you if you need me.” Jezebel said cryptically before I walked out the door.

  It should have worried me more that she was so sweet. Sassy was Jezebel's thing, and unconditional love and support were a huge red flag.

  I needed to see Nate awake, though, so instead of asking her why she was acting so loving, I scratched her under the chin and bounced out the door.

  They'd moved Nathan to a room on a general floor by the time I arrived at the hospital. Lincoln met me in the hallway when I found Nate's room on the third floor. His expression was grave.

  "Did something happen?" I blurted out when he looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

  "No, nothing like that. He's awake, and the doctor said that physically he's getting much better."

  "So, why do you look so sad?" I felt sick to my stomach with worry.

  "Lenny, I don't know any other way to say this. So, I'm just going to be blunt, and I need you to stay strong. Okay?"

  "Okay," I mumbled. "Please tell me what's going on."

  "Nathan is awake from the coma, but the stroke wiped out his memory. He's got amnesia, Lenny. He can't remember me." Lincoln choked back a sob.

  "He doesn't remember us?"

  "Well, I'm hoping he'll remember you. The doctor said it's possible that he'll regain his memory at any time. Something could trigger it. We have no idea what will do it."

  The decision was made right then that I'd go in the room and greet Nathan. The upset stomach had blossomed into lightheadedness as fear threatened to overtake me.

  "Are you one of my nurses?" Nathan asked me with a sweet smile.

  I had to bite my lips to keep from bursting into sobs. He didn't remember me. When I was told that Nathan and I would have to go through a trial, I didn't realize it was possible that he'd have forgotten me. I'm wasn't sure that there was any feeling in the world worse than having the man who was supposed to be your husband completely forget who you were.

  "No, Nathan. I'm, Lenny." I said in as steady of a voice as I could muster. "I'm your fiancée."

  He started to laugh. "That's hilarious. You, nurses, are such cards."

  "Nathan, I'm not joking," I said as patiently as I could.

  "Neither am I," he responded with a wink. "Look, Lenny, you're a gorgeous woman. And, if I weren't already engaged, I'd probably ask you out."

  "Already engaged?" I seriously felt like I was going to puke on him. "Who are you engaged to?"

  "Her name is Irene. We've been together for a long time." He said with that same sweet smile. "I tried to call her this morning, but her phone number didn't work anymore. It's okay, though. I had one of the nurses track her down for me. She's been staying at my place while I got better."

  "Oh, okay. Well, I'm going to go talk to your Dad. Do you need anything?"

  “Nope, not right now. Thanks, Lenny.”

  Lincoln was in the hallway rubbing his temples with his knuckles. He looked like he’d aged ten years overnight. I didn’t see Nate’s stepmom anywhere, and I wondered where she’d gone.

  “Where’s Helen?”

  “She’s gone to try and hire a lawyer.” He responded gravely. “Nathan’s an adult, but he’s not of sound mind right now. We’ve got to find a way to protect him from that Irene character. I was listening, and I’d hoped that when he saw you, he’d remember his life. But, it’s worse than I could’ve expected. I can’t believe he still thinks he’s engaged to that pit viper. She did this to him, and I just know it. And now, he’s going to go home to her.”

  “Do you think there’s anything a lawyer can do if she’d not arrested for hurting him?”

  “I don’t know, Lenora. I hope so. He’s an adult, and it appears that he’s doing this by choice, but we both know that something is wrong. He remembers her wrong. Hopefully, the attorney Helen is meeting with will be willing to help.”

  I left the hospital feeling lost. The dismay crept in as I pictured the rest of my life without Nathan by my side. I’d gotten over men in the past, but this was different. When my relationships had ended before, it was for the best. Nate not being a part of my life anymore was wrong. It made me feel out of place in the universe, and yet, I had no idea what I could possibly do to make things right again.

  My first stop would be at Esme’s house. She would know what to do, and even if she didn’t, Esme would come up with something. A
ction was her thing. Without her, I would sit and mope for entirely too long. We’d have to tell Brad too.

  It felt like making funeral arrangements. If we didn’t figure out how to help Nate remember his life, he would slip away from all of us. I had to pull myself together. That wasn’t the way things could be.

  The trip to Esme’s house felt like it took a thousand years. I had to fight the urge to drive back to the hospital and see Nate again. I wanted to believe that I could make him know me. I needed to yell at him and fight for our relationship, but that wasn’t the way to fix our situation.

  Just before I got to Esme’s house, my cell phone rang. It was Lincoln, so I pulled over to the side of the road and answered.

  “Lenny, you have to come back.”

  “What’s going on? I’m not sure if I can help. He doesn’t know me, Lincoln.”

  “She’s here. Irene is here, and she’s convinced him to sign out against medical advice. They’re leaving as soon as the paperwork is done. You have to come back, please. Maybe if he sees you again, he’ll remember. Can you call his friends too? Please.” Lincoln sounded desperate, and it broke my heart.

  I turned my Jeep around and headed back to the hospital. Brad answered his phone, and he agreed to meet me there.

  His car was parked close to the main entrance, so I pulled up next to him. Brad got out of his vehicle as I hopped out of mine, and we walked into the lobby.

  “Lenny wait. Tell me what’s going on before we go up there.” Brad said after stopping me just past the information desk.

  I told him everything as fast as I could. I watched his face go from normal to bright red, and then all of the color drained from Brad’s face as he realized what we were dealing with.

  “I don’t think there’s anything we can do.” The hopelessness in his voice made my heart hurt.

  “We can go up there and try.”

  So, that’s what we did. The sight of Irene hovering over Nate and pretending to dote on him turned my stomach. I had to swallow my pride and my anger and put on a happy face. I knew that if I went into that hospital room with a bad attitude, Nathan could just tell me to get lost. Then, I might never see him again.