“What are you going to do about him?” Bobby asked with genuine concern.
“Well, it’s not like I can get a restraining order,” Becky admitted with an ironic chuckle.
“Yeah, that won’t work,” Bobby agreed and then laughed with his sister. “Seriously, do you need any help? I mean, do you need me to help you handle him?” Bobby was concerned. She could hear it in his voice.
“No, I’ll take care of it. Don’t worry. His visit caught me unawares, but now that the shock is over and I know what to expect, I’m sure I can manage on my own.”
“If you say so, Sis… but, you might be too close to it to handle it on your own. Still, that’s a heck of a surprise for your birthday. Speaking of your birthday, what time is the big birthday bash anyway?” Bobby asked next.
“It’s not big, just the three of us. But we’ll get together this afternoon around five o’clock. Will you handle the grill for me?”
“You got it. What are we having? Barbeque, potato salad, baked beans, and the usual southern picnic fair?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Mmm. I can’t wait. I haven’t eaten anything except burgers and fries for the last week. And, I do love your potato salad. You are making it, aren’t you? I’m not coming if you aren’t,” Bobby threatened and then chuckled.
“You know I am, Bobby. I’m making the potato salad just for you.”
“See you around five.” He said and ended the call.
Chapter 3
Bobby was perceptive. In fact, all three of the Tibbs children had special talents and abilities. They just handled their gifts in different ways. While Bobby drank himself into a stupor so he wouldn’t have to deal with his abilities, Barbara, the oldest sibling, regularly went to a psychiatrist for medication to ensure her gifts stayed firmly locked away. Neither Bobby nor Barb was happy about their special talents. But, Becky… well, Becky made a living from hers. She’d taken something that her siblings despised and turned it into a profitable business.
She’d made lemonade out of lemons.
Still, the Tibbs children were a tangled-up mess, a disaster.
Amazingly, the three siblings were unaware of their special bequests until the night their parents died. Justin and Joyce Tibbs had been on a hunting trip to Alabama. In the antiques business, they had regularly scouted several nearby southern estate sales and auctions to pick up new-to-them merchandise for their successful store located in the River Arts District of Asheville, North Carolina.
A close-knit family, the two older Tibbs had joined Becky at the family residence for the weekend and to await the return of their parents. Justin and Joyce were always home by Sunday evenings in time for a family meeting and dinner.
At the time, Becky still lived at home with her parents. Bobby had his own place in West Asheville not far from the family home. Barbara, a perpetual student at North Carolina State University, had lived just off campus in Raleigh.
Justin and Joyce had returned all right, but certainly not the way they were expected. Their parents had arrived only moments before the North Carolina State Police had shown up at the family home to deliver the bad news. It was terrible news.
Everything that happened that night felt like pandemonium to their three children.
“Kids, it’s good to see you all here together. Boy-oh-boy!” Justin had vigorously exclaimed, “Am I glad to be home or what? It was a rough trip and the traffic was obscene, especially once we got back on I-40. The last twenty minutes were the worst. Traffic was like trying to crawl on your belly through quicksand.” He’d prattled on for several minutes, oblivious to his children’s shock.
“I don’t know how we got here, Justin,” Joyce had said. She looked around confused, noticing that her children seemed stunned to see them, but her husband was still unaware of that.
“What do you mean, Joyce? We’re home. We know where ‘home’ is, for goodness sakes!” Justin had snarkily remarked. “I tell you, Joyce, the older you get the less sense you make at times.”
“No, now hold on, Justin,” Joyce had shot back. “We were just on the highway… in that awful bottleneck on I-40, remember? We were watching all the craziness. Some poor fools were…,” her voice had trailed off, just as a fist loudly hammered on the front door.
In shock, Bobby went to answer the door; Becky and Barbara crowded close behind him all-the-while staring at their parents in disbelief and alarm. Something was terribly wrong and they knew it. They simply didn’t know what to say or do about it.
“Are you next of kin for Justin and Joyce Tibbs?” the tall uniformed officer had asked.
“Yes,” Bobby had replied, holding his breath. He looked at Barbara and Becky, shaking his head in sadness and then he pulled both of his sisters close, holding onto them securely in his strong arms.
In the meantime, although, she hadn’t known it was fatal, Joyce had excitedly tried to explain their traffic accident to her husband. She talked nonstop while the Trooper had given the death notification to their children. Becky was twenty-one at the time. Bobby was twenty-three, and Barbara was twenty-five.
When Justin and Joyce had heard the officer’s bad news they began to realize they were no longer among the living, but Justin didn’t take the news very well. He stood toe-to-toe with the man in uniform arguing that they were very much alive. The officer was unaware that a six foot man was shouting in his face and continued to give his rehearsed speech. It was the only way he could do it without crying too. It always broke him up to have to give the death notification.
Joyce finally pulled Justin away and they sat at the dining room table for a while as they accepted the truth of their situation. They were dead. They considered their fate and the future of their children. They were rattled and confused, but nonetheless very dead, and the acceptance of that was difficult and shocking. Their biggest surprise, however, was that their children could see them even though the police officer could not.
“What the hell is going on?” Justin had demanded. “How come the kids can see us but no one else can?”
“Wait just a minute,” Joyce had interjected, talking loudly over everyone else. “It skips a generation. My mother had the gift just like her grandmother before her. It missed me, but I suppose it’s genetic.”
“What?” Justin had argued. “What the heck are you talking about, Joyce?”
“I’m talking about the gift of sight. Our children, all three of them have the gift now. It was passed down to them from my side of the family,” Joyce said.
“You’re talking crazy, Joyce. Absolute craziness! Something like this isn’t inherited… it can’t be. It has to be learned. What are these kids going to do without someone to teach them?”
“Oh shut it, Justin. They’ll manage. We reared good, strong children. And, they’ll handle it. They always do,” Joyce had retorted. Her voice softened as she looked at her children, “Bobby darling, the will is in your father’s desk, bottom drawer on the left. You three take care of each other and never forget how much we love you,” she’d said as a final remark before escaping the insanity of the moment.
Shouting a goodbye to his three children, Justin had quickly followed his wife’s example.
The State Trooper had hemmed and hawed for a few more minutes and then he left as soon as he could. He’d felt awful. Notifications were the hardest part of the job. He hated telling folks their loved ones were dead.
You can find the completed book at this link:
A Medium’s Birthday Surprise, Book 1
About the Author
Award-winning author, Chariss K. Walker, M.Msc., Reiki Master/Teacher writes both fiction and nonfiction books with a metaphysical and spiritual component. Her fiction expresses a visionary/metaphysical message that illustrates growth in a character's consciousness while utilizing a paranormal aspect. Her nonfiction books share insight, hope, and inspiration. Even though Chariss writes dark-fiction about insanely dark topics, such as sexual abuse, incest, pedophilia,
sexual assault, and other inappropriate dinner conversation, there is always an essential question of the abstract nature that gives a reader increasing awareness and perception. All of her books are sold worldwide in eBook, paperback, and many are in large print.
You can learn more about Chariss at www.chariss.com.
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Other books by Chariss K. Walker
Nonfiction Books:
A Beginner’s Guide to Visualization
Chakra Basics
The Spiritual Gifts
Abundance
Many Paths to Healing
Keep the Faith
Make a Joyful Noise
Make a Joyful Noise Study Guide
Finding Serenity 3-Book Boxed-Set
Going Deeper 6-Book Series:
A Beginner’s Guide to Releasing Trapped Emotions, #1
Release Chakra Trapped Emotions, #2
Release Common Disease Trapped Emotions, #3
Release Hindrances to Success, #4
Release Body Systems Trapped Emotions, #5
Release Mental Blocks, #6
Letting go of Pain
Fiction Books:
The Vision Chronicles – Paranormal Metaphysical Thrillers
Kaleidoscope, Book 1
Spyglass, Book 2
Window’s Pane, Book 3
Windows All Around, Book 4
Open Spaces, Book 5
Stream of Light, Book 6
Lamp’s Light, Book 7
Clear Glass, Book 8
The Retreat
The Journey
Becky Tibbs: A North Carolina Medium’s Mystery Series:
A Medium’s Birthday Surprise, Book 1
A Medium’s Thanksgiving Table, Book 2
Dark Fiction Books:
An Alec Winters Series – Dark Supernatural Suspense/Urban Fantasy:
Prelude, Book 1
Crescent City, Book 2
Port City, Book 3
Harbor City, Book 4
Serena McKay Novels - Dystopian Crime Female P.I. Thrillers
Purple Kitty, Book 1
Blue Cadillac, Book 2
my name is tookie
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