Forecast (19 page)

“You look very nice,” said Drew.

Lilia smiled at him from under her endless eyelashes. “Thank you, Drew.”

“What a charmer,” chuckled Gwendolyn.

“I have a date,” Lilia explained. “For brunch.”

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

“That will be him. Bye.” Lilia patted her dress down and raced from the room.

“Poor wretch,” Gwendolyn sighed.

Drew looked at Gwendolyn in surprise. “She seemed excited.”

“I’m talking about him, not her. No one can live up to Rowie’s father. Just watch.”

They both stared at the door. Sure enough, a minute later, Lilia floated back in … alone. She was holding a bunch of flowers, which she immediately dumped in the trash.

“I had to cancel,” she announced. “Carnations.”

Gwendolyn nodded, understanding. “When will they ever learn?” She placed a plate of scrambled tofu in front of Drew. He looked less than enthusiastic, but smiled bravely.

“Excellent!”

“Would you like some salt.” Gwendolyn’s voice was almost challenging.

“No thanks.”
Just a bucket.
“Are you all vegetarians?”

“We don’t eat anything with a face,” said Gwendolyn.

“Or oysters,” Lilia added. “They may not have a face, but they still have feelings.”

“I’m kind of veggie,” Drew admitted. “I only eat fish.”

Gwendolyn looked at him in amazement. “Since when does fish grow in a garden?”

“Okay, so I’m more veg-aquarian than vegetarian,” Drew ginned sheepishly. He stared at the plate of tofu and bravely raised his fork. “Bon appétit.”

Rowie entered the kitchen just in time to see Drew gag. “What are you doing here? You’ll be late for work. Go!”

Drew jumped to his feet—too quickly—and waved goodbye to Lilia and Gwendolyn. “I’ve got to race. Sorry … I was really enjoying … Thanks anyway.”

“Next time,” said Gwendolyn with a wink.

“I look forward to it.” It’s right up there with my first prostate examination, thought Drew. “Thanks for rescuing me,” he whispered to Rowie once they were safely out of earshot.

“It’s okay. It’s an acquired taste. Even Gran hates it.”

“But she …”

Rowie patted his arm and tried not to laugh. “She was just testing you, Drew.”

“If I’d known that was a test, I would’ve studied for it.”

Rowie led Drew out onto the footpath in front of Second Site. He paused and stared at the display in the window. The front of the shop had been turned into a magical underwater scene.

“Mermaids?”

“Yes … my mother is working with mermaid energy at the moment.”

“What are they?” asked Drew.

“Sirens.”

“And that … thing … creature?”

“He’s a Selkie. Used to be quite common in Ireland and Scotland.”

“What do you mean
quite common?
They don’t … don’t really exist … do they?” Suddenly Drew wasn’t so sure of anything anymore. Perhaps some things defied explanation. Around Rowie, anything seemed possible.

Rowie paused for a moment. Now probably wasn’t the time to mention the family rumor about Kate Shakespeare and her Selkie lover. She settled for a simple, “Some people believe they exist.”

Drew decided to change the subject. “Will you go back to work?”

Rowie looked like she’d rather live on Lean Cuisines for the rest of her life. “I’m hoping something else will come up and I won’t have to,” she admitted.

Drew flagged a cab and then wrapped his arms around her. “I bet the offers start flooding in.” He kissed her. “I’ll see you later.”

Rowie stared into Drew’s eyes and smiled. “Most definitely.” She watched as the cab sped off and a patrol car pulled up in its place.

“I should have you arrested.”

Rowie laughed and walked over to the car. “Officer Washington, Officer O’Hare. How are you both?”

“We miss your weather reports round here.”

“Get real, Justice. You always lost money on my predictions.”

“True, but at least I always had an umbrella when I needed one. When will you be back?”

“I’m not sure,” said Rowie. “Hopefully soon.”

They both seemed happy enough with that and gave her a wave as they drove off.

“Rowie!”

Rowie spun around and saw Sunny racing towards her.

“She’s home … You were right, she came home,” he cried.

Rowie threw her arms around him. “Oh Sunny, that’s such a relief. Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. Rather … how do you say? Contrite? I don’t think she’ll cause us trouble any more.” Sunny beamed. “I’ve got to open the shop, but thank you.”

Rowie gave Sunny a wave and raced inside. She had to get ready for the meeting at the network. It had barely crossed her mind all weekend (wonder why), but now she was excited. She was just at the foot of the stairs when Gwendolyn called out from the kitchen.

“Did you kiss him?”

Rowie grinned and reversed back into the kitchen. Gwendolyn and Lilia were both seated at the table, searching her for clues.

“Mom! Look at her aura,” Lilia exclaimed. “She did more than kiss him.”

“Obviously things move faster than in my day,” smirked Gwendolyn. “So what does the future hold for handsome Henderson?”

Rowie paused. This was it. Once she admitted it, there would be no going back. “I didn’t see anything.”

There was a beat filled with nothing but hope. “Blissful nothingness?” Gwendolyn asked quietly.

Rowie nodded.

“You’re sure?”

“Certain.”

All three women stared at each other for a moment, stunned. And then the joy kicked in and Lilia and Gwendolyn rushed to hug Rowie.

“I knew it,” squealed Gwendolyn. “And such excellent genes.”

Lilia clapped her hands over and over as tears coursed down her cheeks. “It’s finally happened. It’s fabulous, isn’t it?”

“Brilliant,” Rowie agreed. “Better than I ever imagined.”

“And what a gene pool.” Gwendolyn seemed fixated.

“Thanks for lighting the candles, Mom.”

“I had a feeling you’d need them.”

Rowie looked at her mother and grandmother. Their happiness was so genuine. “Do you like him?”

“He’s gorgeous,” said Gwendolyn. “Not at all thrown by us, which was good to see. And very inquisitive, which is another excellent quality. What did you think, Lilia?”

Lilia gazed into her daughter’s eyes. “He has a lovely energy. He’s a very good man.”

“Was it worth the wait?”

“Every frustrating minute, Gran,” sighed Rowie.

*

What a great day,” Gwendolyn declared. “You’ve met your OTL. You’ve experienced blissful nothingness.
And
you’ll be back at the shop today. Life is definitely back on track.”

Rowie’s heart dropped into her gut. Why did her grandmother always make her feel so guilty? “Yes … about that. I have a meeting at the network this morning. There might be some more work for me there.”

It took a moment for this to register on Gwendolyn’s face. “But Drew’s back. You promised!”

Suddenly Rowie felt defensive. She was a grown woman. She didn’t have to explain herself to anyone. “I might have to break that promise,” she snapped. “And you’ll have to live with that.”

“No, I won’t, because soon I won’t be living at all.” Gwendolyn raged from the room, stomped all the way up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut.

“You’re a manipulative old woman!” Rowie screamed in frustration.

“True,” said Lilia gently. “But what if she’s right?”

Rowie slumped onto a chair, defeated. “She’ll never understand, will she?”

“Probably not. But that doesn’t mean you should give into her.”

“I don’t know how much longer I can fight her like this,” Rowie admitted.

Lilia stroked her daughter’s head. “You open the shop, and I’ll deal with Mom.”

Rowie nodded. “Try and make her understand, Mom.”

Lilia gave a soft chuckle. “I’ll give it a shot … but I’m not a miracle worker, sweetie.”

An hour alone in Second Site was exactly what Rowie needed. She could feel her spirits—no pun intended—lifting. She dusted a bit, browsed through some of the new stock and served a handful of customers. But mostly she thought about the meeting at USBC, and wondered what they were going to offer her. Whatever it was, she fully intended to grab hold of it with both hands. As much as she loved the shop, she couldn’t come back permanently.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door jangled and Georgette, the client Rowie suspected had breast cancer, walked in.

Georgette looked pale and nervous. “Excuse me … do you remember me?”

“Of course,” said Rowie. “How are you?”

“Not good. You were right.”

“Oh … I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You may have saved me.” Georgette paused, but only for a moment. “I had a mastectomy.”

Rowie’s eyes immediately flickered to Georgette’s chest, and she hated herself for doing so. “Are you okay?”

“I’m getting there. It’s been a month, so … you know?”

Rowie didn’t know. How could she understand what this young woman was going through? Georgette seemed to appreciate her predicament, so got straight to the point.

“I came here to ask … is there life after death?”

It was not an uncommon question to hear asked at Second Site.

“What do you think?” asked Rowie.

“I don’t. I’ve never really thought about it. When my mother died I decided that if there was a God then he wasn’t a good God. My view of eternal life has always been colored by my anger. I’ve never envisioned my mother in some misty realm playing the harp.”

Rowie smiled. “That’s because no such realm exists. No God, not even your harsh one, would ever subject us to eternal boredom.”

Georgette’s lips twitched slightly, as though she was about to smile. She didn’t, but her voice seemed calmer. “You’ve seen proof of eternal life, haven’t you?”

“Every day,” said Rowie simply.

“How can you be sure?”

“Well, either it exists, or I’m completely stark raving mad. And if that were the case, then I would rather live in my world of madness than a world where such possibilities don’t exist. When we die we go home. It’s as simple as that, Georgette.”

“Are you afraid of death?” Georgette obviously was.

Rowie nodded. “Sure I am. I’m only human. I’m not afraid of dying, just the manner in which I die, leaving loved ones behind, stuff like that. But being dead? That’s just a word for being truly alive again, returning to our normal state.”

“My father isn’t dealing with this at all. I need to know, so I can prepare him … Am I going to die?”

Rowie looked at Georgette, her pale face so full of fear. “We’re all going to die. I do believe you have incredible strength … enough to fight this.”

Georgette stared deep into Rowie’s eyes. “You think I’ll live?”

“I …” I don’t want to answer these questions, thought Rowie. “I …”

The door signaled another customer. Saved by the bell.

“Wow, Rowie, look what I just found floating outside the shop.” Petey came bounding into the shop holding a red helium balloon. “It must be a sign of some sort … Oh … Sorry to interrupt …”

There was an uncomfortable pause. Georgette stared at Petey for what seemed like an eternity. She glanced at the balloon, then at Rowie, a look of confusion in her eyes as she tried to recall something. Rowie froze as a sense of impending doom clutched her gut. She remembered her prediction for Georgette. Judging by the look on her face, so did Georgette.

“A red balloon,” Georgette whispered. And then a smile spread across her face, large, welcoming and bright. It was the first time Rowie had seen her smile.

Rowie realized what was about to take place. Every instinct she had told her to push Georgette out the door. Instead, she politely introduced her to Petey, and watched as their eyes locked, and held.

She witnessed the click.

Petey was immediately smitten and offered Georgette the balloon.

“I haven’t had a balloon in years,” Georgette giggled. “Can you tie it to my wrist for me?”

Petey did as she asked, occasionally glancing up at her. Then they stared at each other again and smiled, as two friends do when they meet again after spending a long time apart.

Rowie placed the palm of her hand against her forehead and tried to stop the visions. She silently willed Petey to leave before it was too late. Normally she reveled in uniting destined lovers, but right now her heart was in her throat, and she wanted to scream at them to stop. But her voice failed her and she watched her friend choose the fork in the road that would lead him to complete devastation.

“Where did you two meet?” asked Petey, oblivious to his fate.

“I came to see Rowie for a reading a couple of months ago,” Georgette explained.

“And what did Ms Shakespeare predict for you?” asked Petey, throwing Rowie a wink.

Don’t wink at me, you naive fool, thought Rowie. Run!

“Breast cancer,” Georgette said simply. “Turns out she was right.”

Petey looked like he’d been kicked in the gut, aware on some level what it meant for him.

Rowie threw him a line. “Lots of women survive breast cancer, Georgette.”

“Most of the time I believe I’ll beat it. But then, occasionally, I can feel it inside me and I know it’s not only the breast.”

“That’s just your fears,” Rowie assured her.

“No … I can’t explain it. It’s like lava from a volcano. Very slow, very hot, seeping through me. It’s there. Or at least, it will be.”

Rowie glanced sideways at Petey who looked crestfallen, and tried to sound positive. “Then you’ll beat that too.”

Georgette nodded. “I’ll certainly try.”

Rowie tried to be upbeat. “For every illness there’s always a percentage of people who do very well, who beat it. You just have to choose to be part of that group.”

Georgette thought about that for a moment. “Yes, that’s true.”

Petey disappeared behind one of the shelves and Rowie prayed she’d hear the door jangle soon after. Instead, he returned with a copy of a book called
101 Things To Do Before You Die.

“I don’t believe you’ll die. But, just in case you do, there are a couple of things you should experience first.” Petey opened the book at a random page and read. “Number 47: watch the sun set from the Empire State Building.” Petey looked thrilled at the prospect of being able to help. “There’s one you can do straight away. Tonight. I’ll come with you. What do you think?”