by M. K. ROZE
“Hi, I’m Catalina. Please come in and sit.”
We followed her into the small candlelit room, which smelled strongly of incense, and the three of us sat down at a roundtable. A black candle flickered in front of us, and a pack of tarot cards was off to one side.
“What kind of reading would you like?” Catalina asked as her eyes looked at me, then Constin.
“It’s for her, not me,” Constin blurted out.
“Okay,” she replied, turning to me. “What would you like?”
I shrugged. “What are my options?”
“I can read both past and future. Which one would you prefer?”
“Give her a reading of her future,” Constin said and slumped in the chair.
I looked at him. “Really?”
He shrugged with a smug look.
“Is this what you want?” She asked me.
I faced her. “Sure, he’s paying, so why not.” I tried not to laugh.
“Hold my hands. I want to feel your energy,” she said.
I complied, but it felt awkward.
Constin cleared his throat, and Catalina looked at him.
When I turned in his direction, he was staring into her wide brown eyes. Without warning, she started to speak in a language I didn’t recognize, still staring at Constin while holding my hands tightly. For the life of me, I couldn’t fathom what was going on.
After what seemed like a lifetime, she tore her eyes away from Constin and looked at me. “Stop believing in your dreams before it’s too late.”
I gasped. “How do you know about that?”
Sweat poured down her face as she squeezed my hands tighter.
I turned to Constin. “Who told you about my dreams?”
He ignored me and kept his eyes on Catalina.
“Answer me,” I demanded.
“Release her,” Constin said in a low tone, almost as if he was enjoying it.
“Constin, help me!” I pleaded, but he wouldn’t look at me, so I forced myself to my feet, trying to get out of her strong grip. “That’s enough,” I shouted. “Let go of my hands immediately.”
“Release her now!” Constin repeated.
Catalina jumped up, screamed, and let go of my hands.
I quickly wiped the spit off my face, grabbed my wallet, and raced to the door. When I looked back, Constin was talking to her. She seemed to be in a trance, so I ran outside.
Out front, I paced back and forth, not sure of what to do.
Constin stepped casually out of the shop. “Wow!” he said, “Was that woman crazy or what?”
My face felt hotter than usual, and my mouth couldn’t hold back the expletive words I had for him, so I let him have it.
He turned away from me, smiling.
“Why did you and that woman set me up? Who told you about my damn dreams?”
“Who cares,” he mocked.
“Screw you,” I said and headed toward my car. When I saw Constin standing down the street, I stopped. What the heck. He was just behind me.
Someone grabbed my waste. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me.”
I whipped around, and it was Constin. “How did you just do that?”
“Do what?”
“I-I just saw you down the street.”
“Did you, now?” He grabbed my face and kissed me.
I pushed him back. “What are you doing?”
“What you wanted.”
“Oh please, you’re not all that,” I said and stormed off toward my car.
Constin followed me. “Forgive me for taking you into such a place. Please, please, please forgive me,” he mocked.
I turned to him and pushed him. “I should have listened to Kaylee when she told me to leave you the other day.”
“What’s stopping you?”
“You’re such a jerk.” I continued walking but much faster.
At my car, he blocked me from getting in. “Viata, let me come home with you tonight.”
I pushed him out of my way, got into my car and pressed the ignition button, but it wouldn’t start.
Constin slowly licked my window.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
He had no expression. He just stared into my eyes like he wanted to kill me.
I quickly locked my door and kept slamming on the start button until it started. The engine roared, and I backed out, almost running him over. I didn’t care. I wanted out of there.
Driving over the speed limit, I ran through a red light and glanced in the side mirror. “What was I thinking!” I yelled out as I pounded on the steering wheel.
At home, I rushed inside and locked the door behind me.
“Kaylee!”
She came out, barely awake. “What happened?”
“I can’t believe you told Constin about my dreams. Now he thinks I’m a nut and treated me like crap.”
“What? I never told him anything, ever.”
“No one else knows.”
“Liam and Maria know. And I can’t believe you’d think I would tell him your business.”
“They never met Constin before.”
“Well, I didn’t say anything. What happened tonight?” She asked.
I sat down and told her.
“I told you he was weird,” Kaylee said.
“You were right.” I sighed.
“Does he have a twin?”
“I’m sure he would’ve told me if he did.”
“Imagine he does, and they’re taking turns bringing you out.”
“I think you’ve been watching too many talk shows. I’m going to bed.” I hugged her. “I’m sorry for blaming you.”
“It’s okay…I’ll kick his ass if you want me to.”
“No, just let it go,” I said and walked to my room.
On the couch, I called Liam and asked him if he told anyone about my dreams. When he got upset and told me no, I said sorry and ended the call. Maria was the only other person who knew about my dreams, so I called her, but she didn’t answer.
I texted her.
I don’t know how you know Constin, but thanks for telling him my business.
After my meltdown, I took a long hot shower and climbed into bed. I tried to figure out why he had acted strangely and so cruelly. Maybe he thinks I’m a freak, and this is his way of breaking it off with me.
Christmas Eve came too quickly, but at least I felt less frightened than I had the night before. I glanced at my phone, hoping Constin had called or texted me. Sadly, there was nothing. I didn’t know what to make of it. There was something about him that made it hard for me to let go.
Still feeling sorry about our relationship, but deciding not to dwell on it, I called my mom. She picked up right away.
“Hey Mom, can I come over now instead of coming tomorrow?”
“Why? Is there something wrong?”
“Kaylee and her mom don’t have anywhere to go, so I said we’d have Christmas together here.”
“Invite them here. We have plenty of food.”
I placed the phone down to my side for a second, trying to think of another lie. “Mom, I already asked her, but she said they would feel out of place.”
“Viata, you’re not a good liar. What’s really going on?”
I gave in and told her about my date with Constin.
“You shouldn’t allow scum like him to destroy your life.”
“Mom, he’s not like that. Well, not before last night.”
She went silent for a few seconds. “So, does this mean you’re not coming here for Christmas?”
“No… I’ll come.”
“Good, I’ll tell your father,” she said. “Get some rest, honey.”
“Okay, I love you!”
“Love you more,” she said and ended the call.
I threw myself onto the bed and buried my face in the pillow, crying myself back to sleep. When I got up, I went to work and kept forgetting people’s orders. The manager told me to go home early.
Chr
istmas morning, I got up late afternoon and drove to my parents’ house. We exchanged gifts and ate dinner. Mom and Dad were happy that I didn’t let a man ruin my day. Well, that’s what I made them believe anyway. I put on a good act and stayed with them until the evening.
When I arrived home, Kaylee was waiting for me in the living room. “Hey, girlie, did you have a good Christmas?”
“Yes,” I said and plopped on the couch staring at our Charlie Brown Christmas tree. There was a bouquet of red roses and a small box next to it.
“Wow!” I said. “Those are beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend I don’t know about?”
“Nope, not mine. They were left on the front porch with your name on it.”
“Seriously?” I got up to take a closer look.
“Yup, and I’m sure we know who it’s from.”
I opened the card that was attached.
Merry Christmas. Please call me. Yours truly, Constin.
I tossed the card on the floor. “What a jerk. Did he forget about what happened?” I shouted.
“He’s crazier than I thought,” Kaylee said.
I took the roses out of the vase, ran to the front door and threw them out onto the sidewalk.
Kaylee laughed and clapped her hands. “You go, girl. Screw that selfish jerk.”
I felt powerful, and I wasn’t going to let him ruin my life.
“What about the box?” Kaylee asked.
I raced over and grabbed it, ready to do the same thing.
Kaylee got up and stopped me. “It might be of value. If anything, you can pawn it for cash.”
I smiled. “Good thinking.” I handed it to her. “You open it.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, just open it.”
As she lifted the top off, her mouth fell open.
“What?” I asked.
Kaylee handed me an antique silver hair barrette covered in diamonds.
“This can’t be real,” I said, looking at it sparkle.
“Take it to the pawn shop. They will tell you if it’s real.”
“No, I can’t. There’s something special about this.”
“Okay, keep those bad memories.” She grabbed my hand. “It’s time to open the presents I got you.”
“You first,” I said still staring at its beauty.
We sat there and exchanged gifts. I got Kaylee some new clothes and a necklace with matching earrings.
“Are they real?” she asked me.
“Of course, they are.”
“Thank you,” she said, and wouldn’t stop hugging me and kissing my cheek.
I opened hers and laughed. She got me a calendar with half-naked men on it. When I opened the big box, I was shocked. It was full of makeup.
I hugged her. “You’re the best. Thank you! You’re going to have to teach me how to use it.”
She smiled. “Sure thing.”
We sat there for hours having our very own makeup party. It was enjoyable, but I still couldn’t get my mind off Constin. I wondered why he would give me something so personal. I was confused and desperately wanted an answer.
A few days after Christmas, I was called in my job early because a waitress was sick. When I got home, Kaylee rushed up to me.
“Hey, do you want to go to the mall before they close?”
“No, you go ahead, I just got here,” I replied.
“If we don’t go now, we’ll never find our evening gowns for the wedding.”
“Oh crap, I forgot about that.”
“So, are you going to come or ignore me like you’ve been doing for the last few days?”
“Kaylee, that’s not fair. I’ve been depressed. Plus, it’s 9:00. The mall is closing soon.”
“We have plenty of time.”
“You win,” I said.
“Good. Meet you in my car,” she said and raced out the door.
I walked to my room like a zombie, took off my work clothes and changed into jogging pants. Not something I would typically wear out in public, but I didn’t care at that point. I was still upset about how Constin treated me then ignored me like I was nothing to him.
When I got into her car, Kaylee looked at me like I had two heads.
“Nice outfit,” she said and took off driving like a nut again.
At the mall, I looked at the dresses, but they looked all the same to me. I couldn’t decide. We went to another store, and I received a text from Constin.
Hey, gorgeous! How are you?
My heart leaped into my throat, and I dropped my phone on the rug. I quickly picked it up, walked over to Kaylee, and showed her the text.
She frowned at me, shaking her head. “Don’t text him back.”
I grabbed a teal satin knee-length dress with silver sequins off the rack. “I’m going to go try this on.”
Kaylee held out her hand. “Gimme,” she commanded.
“I’m a big girl. Don’t worry about me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine.”
I continued into the changing room and sat on the bench that was inside.
I looked at his text again and leaned my head back against the wall. I missed him and couldn’t help but want to talk to him. I had mixed emotions, and I needed an answer as to why he had acted that way the other night.
With shaky hands, I texted him back.
What?
He replied immediately.
Can we talk?
I tossed my phone onto the rug in front of me, then I took the dress from the bench and screamed into it, hoping the shop’s music would help muffle my cry. I sat there for a minute, taking a lot of deep breaths. Wanting to know why he acted like an ass that night, I retrieved my phone and responded.
Fine, meet me at my job tonight at 10:30.
He texted back: Okay.
About to walk out, I stopped myself and erased the messages I wrote to him so Kaylee wouldn’t see them. She was the type to have her hand out as I opened the dressing room door. I was right. Kaylee was waiting for me with her hand out.
She looked at me, tilting her head. “You erased it. I can see it all over your face.”
“Erased what?” I said following her to the checkout counter.
She turned to me. “Just stop. I can tell when you lie.”
I shrugged and paid for the dress. It was my size, and it was pretty. I was confident I wouldn’t have a problem wearing it.
Kaylee and I ate at the food court and shared some laughs and went home.
As soon as she pulled in, I jumped into my car and took off to meet Constin at my job.
He was standing in the parking spot I parked in.
“Hello,” he said. He looked upset.
I pulled in and pushed open the door, hitting him. “What was wrong with you the other night, taking me to see a crazy psychic. And how dare you bring me gifts after that.”
“Viata.” He grabbed my hands and stood there staring into my eyes. He didn’t even blink.
I yanked them away. “Who told you about my dreams?”
He stumbled backward, leaned against my car and lowered his head. “Maria did.”
“Maria? Kaylee was right. How do you know her?”
“You need to stay away from her. She’s dangerous.”
A loud thump came from above the restaurant. We both looked up at the same time.
I turned back to Constin, but he was still looking up from where the noise came from. “Maria won’t hurt a fly. Now, tell me how you know her?”
His jaw tightened. “Trust no one. Not even me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Is this your way of breaking up with me? Or is it because of my vision I had the other night with Mihnea—a stupid man from my dreams?”
Constin turned to me abruptly and froze.
“Hello!” I yelled waving my hands in his face.
“Viata, I have to—” He said and wiped the sweat off his face.
“You have to what?”
He looked away. “I can’t.”
I walked in front of him. “You can’t what?”
He sighed and looked at the ground.
“I’m done with your childish games.” I ran to my car, got in, and slammed my hands on the steering wheel until they went numb. “What the hell is wrong with him?” I cried.
When I looked to see what he was doing, he was gone. I backed out, almost hitting the building and took off down the road. At a red light, I tried to call Kaylee, but she didn’t answer. I tossed my phone on the passenger floor, unable to believe a man I was dating was acting like he belonged in a mental hospital.
When I arrived home, Kaylee was passed out on the couch. I wanted to wake her, but it was late, so I let her sleep. In the kitchen, I poured a glass of leftover eggnog and drank it, wondering why he was so mad, and why he ignored me. He was hiding something, and I wanted to find out what it was. I continued to my room and fell on the bed thinking about why he looked at me so weird.
Oh, my God. I can’t believe I slipped up and told him I had a vision about a man from my dreams.
I slammed my hands on the bed. Stupid, stupid, stupid. A few minutes later, I heard the animals fighting again. I placed the pillow over my head and cried myself to sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SURPRISE
New Year’s Eve arrived. I woke up late, still depressed about Constin and why he hadn’t called or texted me all week, but it didn’t diminish my excitement at the prospect of officially turning eighteen at midnight.
I walked out to the kitchen and saw a card from Kaylee. I took it out, and a bear was sitting on top of a birthday cake on the front that read: Happy Birthday.
I couldn’t stop smiling.
Inside had pink roses scattered everywhere. I know your birthday isn’t until tomorrow but, Happy Birthday anyway. One of my surprises for you is later. I love you, Sis. Love Kaylee.
I had asked for the day off work for my birthday and was shocked when they said yes. Early afternoon, I met my parents at the Olive Garden. They were celebrating my birthday early because they knew I would be out late with Kaylee. During dinner, Mom passed me a small purple gift box, in which I found a stainless-steel watch with a black dial.