Part Two -- Fictional Getdown

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Date Posted: 12:12:36 04/01/03 Tue
Author: Tiff
Subject: Part Two
In reply to: Tiffany 's message, "Angelia: Chapter 11....So Shall It Be" on 12:06:44 04/01/03 Tue

* * * *

It was an unusually cold afternoon. The sun was nowhere to be seen and jackets that had been supposedly long abandoned, were now cloaking the inhabitants of Millington. Nonetheless, children were still riding their bikes and playing baseball at the town diamond, content that there was still no school. The old men that drank stale gin and spat tobacco sat on their stoops and porches, talking of old times passed, the good old days. Young women were on the prowl, looking for their summer loves in the latest and greatest fashions that the nearby Target�s had to offer. Men, naturally were fawning over the fact that the girls were wearing low rise short shorts, fulfilling the Daisy Duke fantasies of their Duke�s of Hazard�s childhood�s.

This drew Samantha in like a magnet. She walked lazily about the school yards, snapping pictures when the fancy struck her to. So far, she�d gotten great shots of kids in dirty jeans playing make-shift baseball and older boys playing basketball. All of whom, whooped and hollered at her as she strutted by khaki shorts and tank top. Samantha would smile and ask for a quick picture. The guys would huddle together manly, flipping off her lens as if it made them look tough. Offering them a teasing wink and a brisk thanks, she�d walk away leaving the adolescent boys to watch her saunter.

Walking towards downtown Millington to see what she could spend some money on at the local stores, Samantha passed an interesting looking mystic shop that looked as deserted as the schools she�d walked past. Curiously, she wandered in, listening to the haunting melodies accompanied by harps and guitars. Along a glass counter in front of bamboo curtains were tarot cards for sale, with designs of mythical creatures. Samantha, not being terribly superstitious, ran her hand along the smooth textures, taking an occasional photo or two.

�You should not take photographs of tarot cards. Is bad luck� a husky Romanian voice came from behind the bamboo curtains

�I�m sorry, I didn�t know there was anyone in here� Samantha said letting her camera hang around her neck

�You want candles� the voice stated �I do not have multi-
purpose candles here�

�I�m not looking for anything in particular, I�m just looking�

�You do not come to �just look�. No one does. Everyone has purpose�

�Sure� Samantha said noncommittal

Finally, a woman who appeared to be in her late forties, with a wrinkled smile but large expressive gypsy eyes, came from behind the bamboo curtain, smoking a fragrant tobacco from a pipe decorated elaborately. She was dressed in a long black broomstick dress with purple and red beads, hand sewn into every inch of it and it jingled when she walked. Her hair was as black as her fierce eyes as it lay under the scarf she had tied around her hair.

�I am Louisa and you do not belong here�

�I�� Samantha stuttered �I�m just looking around�

�Everybody has purpose, Autumn. If you want to be here�you must buy�or let me read your palm�

�I don�t believe in palm reading� Louisa took a long drag on her pipe

�Just because you do not believe does not make unreal. Come in back with me. I read your palm�

Her instinct told her to leave the store. She didn�t know if it was because the woman would give her truth in the reading or that the woman was a fake. However, Samantha still went in the back room with the woman and sat down at her round marble table where there was a crystal ball in the middle. Looking around as the woman prepared to read her palm, Samantha�s eyes wondered around. In the darkest corner of the room, there was an alter with a silver bowl and flowers strewn on it. Above it was a drawing, a very good drawing, of the goddess Aphrodite, looking powerfully beautiful with her arms outstretched to the sky.

�Are you a witch, Louisa?�

�I have eyes, Autumn. I see the soul�s of people. I can see good and I see evil, just like Aphrodite. You are looking at my alter, yes?� Samantha nodded �You are very afraid of reading. You should not be afraid of people seeing you. You are a person with nothing shameful to hide�

�But�you don�t even know me�

�That does not mean that I do not see you, Autumn� Louisa said sitting across from her and moving the crystal ball aside �Lend me your hands, please�

As if on instinct, Samantha gave Louisa her hands. The instant her hands touched the older woman�s, she felt subdued, as if there was someone else in her body. She started to snatch them away, but Louisa held firmly, as if she were waiting for this to happen.

Looking over Samantha�s hands through glasses, Louisa hummed an unfamiliar tune. Her painted fingernails ran over the lines of Samantha�s hand before stopping at one of them. She groaned a little but continued humming as she assessed the line that she saw. After a few minutes, she looked up at Samantha with her dark eyes.

�You get in the way for your own happiness. Even when there is no problem. There is a young man very much wanting to know more of you and you are afraid of him because he is perceptive. You cannot lie to him because he will know immediately� Samantha didn�t say anything�she could hardly even breathe �You hide from your family. They miss you very much. They are cold and distant people, but they do love you. You struggle very much with love because you do not feel as if you have ever had it. Is not true?�

�You tell me� Samantha said coldly

�You want a lot from life. You want happiness but you have image of happiness that is not realistic. Is why you take pictures. You think that you can freeze moment in time where love is visible. Is not so. Love is not seen, it is felt and feeling frightens you much. Is not true?�

�Yes�� Samantha said sighing

�You will love one man in your life but he will hurt you very much, indeed. If you let this hurt make you run from him, you will never love anyone that way again�

�Who?�

�You will be forced� Louisa continued without paying heed to Samantha�s question �To make decision in near future, about man you want to be with. If you take wrong turn, you will not feel love as you wish to. You will not have it the way you want it. It will be forced and you will never be the woman that you want to be. If you take right turn, you will struggle with acceptance but you will always feel love and you will be happy. Not in way you think�but in way that is right for true love to last�

And with that said, Louisa dropped Samantha�s hand leaving Samantha feeling empty and barren inside, as if a reserve had just closed. No longer could the wise woman warn her of her future. And no longer could she protect Samantha, even though her protection had only lasted a few minutes. With unbridled eyes, Samantha looked at Louisa�s inordinately wise eyes. Her hazel eyes brimming with tears. Yes, it was so. Samantha was truly as transparent as she thought she was. But then again, maybe she wasn�t. After all, Louisa was of a mystical background.

Louisa�s revelation startled her to the core. The fact that Samantha had been with men that she could have fallen in love with but hadn�t allowed herself to be taken aback by their charm. There had been Allen the lawyer who had been ten years Samantha�s senior. He had been handsome, charming, patient and very perceptive but too aggressive. They lasted three months and it had been a very non sexual relationship. There had also been Gavin the mechanic who she had a blast with but alas, he was immature and too docile in his pursuit of her. Although their relationship had been sexual on a few occasions, they only lasted five months. There was also Giovanni the Italian waiter whose relationship with Samantha had been purely sexual, the only thing they knew about each other outside of the bedroom was their last name and ambitions, she had been seeing him while she dated Allen.

Her largest prize out of those three men had been Raul. The Puerto Rican Salesmen of Dolce and Gabana. �God� Samantha thought �I could have fallen in love with him�. His dark eyes were as wise as they were exotic and his skin was nearly as dark as hers. His hair was a heap of softly curled black on top of his head which he kept neatly. His hands large and fleshy. There hadn�t been one time in their year long courtship that she hadn�t been content with being with him. But he was a charmer. Raul charmed many women besides Samantha and she eventually ended the relationship because the respect that she demanded had been lost when he bought a woman back to the house she and Nichole shared.

And now, there was Justin. Sweet and extremely patient Justin who hadn�t turned her away when he found out her secret. Still, there were many secrets to be told, but the most important was out and he�d barely even flinched. She smiled as she thought about him. Despite herself, Samantha missed him. She missed talking to him, hanging out with him. Samantha missed his presence and how she felt immediately happy when she saw him.

�He lives very strange life� Louisa said handing Samantha a goblet �But he is good man, yes? Better than others?� Samantha nodded

�He is a very good person� she looked into the cup suspiciously �What is this?�

�Very special tea. You will enjoy. Will calm anxious nerves� Louisa watched as Samantha sipped the tea and smiled

�It�s very good, Louisa, what�s in it?�

�Special ingredient. It stays within family� Louisa said giving Samantha a bright smile and looking for an instant like a very beautiful young girl �In my country when I was little girl, conditions very harsh for Gypsy�

�Yes� Samantha agreed drowsily nodding her head �I read about it in college. European History�

�Is worse than say in books. People very unkind to Gypsy. They think us dirty people because we do not stay in one place for too long. But�we have better family structure than most races. We are happy with each other. We do not keep secret and we do not judge. We all love each other and we show it� Louisa looked perceptively at Samantha �You miss your family, yes?�

�Yes�

�Your mother was kind woman sometimes. Your father was happy man but very much influenced by his position�

�Yes�

�You were unhappy many time as child, yes?�

�Yes� Samantha�s eyes were now filling with tears once again. She missed her family a lot

�I think is time you see them again. Is time to end silence� Louisa said firmly �I leave family when I was young girl like you. I run away with beautiful and kind French man and left family in Romania alone. After he break my heart into many pieces, I try to come back� her eyes turned distant and her wrinkled lip trembled �All dead in wars. My mama, papa, sister, brother and grandmama. I look for cousin and extended family but I never did find them. I left and never talk to them again because I thought that world could give me something they could not. Your papa, he is old, yes?�

�Not very old. In his late fifties� Louisa nodded

�You must talk to him and make peace. Your mama will be angry for long time at you for leaving. You make family very embarrassed and very worried. But in time, they will all forgive. But you must talk to family and soon. You never know when Gods take them away.�

�But�I�they�� Samantha stuttered drowsy from the tea �They were so mean�

�They only did what they thought best for your wellness, Autumn. Just like you kept secret from young man because you thought would hurt him�

�I�� Samantha started with a frown, very aware that Louisa�s words earlier �Everybody has purpose� was now ringing true. �How much do I owe you for the palm reading?�

�Nothing for palm reading. Tea is ten dollars�

�What?� Samantha asked humorously appalled �I didn�t ask for the tea, Louisa�

�Is taboo to people in town to read palms. Very Christian people live here. So�I read palms of only open-minded people. Then, I charge them for tea.� Louisa laughed �That way, I cannot be shut down if persons think me a fraud like your Miss Cleo.�

�Touch� Samantha said taking out her wallet and handing the older woman a twenty dollar bill �Thank you�

�You will come back and see Louisa by and by, yes? Is nice to talk to person not telling Louisa she is heathen�

�I�ll come back to see you very often� Samantha got up from her seat �The tea was very good and very expensive�

�Must make living somehow, Autumn� Louisa said lighting her pipe once more

�Why do you call me Autumn?� taking a long drag from her pipe, the woman smiled.

�Your hair is like oak tree in Autumn months with many colors. Is wise time of year when nature is very calm and serene without agitation. You are a very serene young girl Autumn� Samantha smiled and started out of the store.

Walking back to Nichole�s house, Samantha thought about her reading trying to decide if she�d toss the notion that Louisa had been right out the window or pay heed to her words and call her family. It had been, after all, four years since she�d last seen them. Maybe, just maybe, something might have changed within her or them. The wounds and transgressions didn�t seem so great now that she�d lived the life that she lived. She was her own woman and had seen much of the worlds workings. Had she been disappointed? A little. But she gained life experience that she could never have learned in New Hampshire. Out of the well protected cloak of her snooty parents and their friends, she could freely and without guilt, see everything she needed to see.

But she decided, as she walked up the stairs of Nichole�s house that she would not come home even if they asked. Maybe a short visit during Christmas which she had spent with Nichole�s family or with Heidi. Samantha was in a livid state as she numbly prepared herself to call her family. She didn�t know what they would say or if her father, notorious for his temper, would lay across her conscience when he realized that his not so favorite daughter had voluntarily put the Mitchell�s in the sight of ridicule in Lancaster, New Hampshire.

�Hey there Chica� Nichole called from the kitchen as Samantha entered �Long day?�

�You have no idea� she said sitting at the kitchen island �What about you?�

�Well�I met one of my new colleagues. She�s coming over for dinner with her boyfriend�

�Yeah? That�s good. Do you need some privacy?� Nichole looked at Samantha as if she�d grown a second head.

�What are you talking about? Are you nuts?�

�Probably� Samantha said with a shrug �Wouldn�t be the first time I lost my mind�

Nichole surveyed Samantha as she chopped tomato�s for the salad. Samantha�s eyes looked haggard. The way they did whenever she was thinking about something important. In some instances, she looked at peace with herself, but even peace comes with a price. Nichole knew that fact very intimately.

�Spill it� Nichole commanded, knowing her friend well enough to know when she was going through turmoil �What�s going on?�

�I�m going to call my parents tonight� Samantha said simply �In a few minutes actually� Nichole dropped her knife along with her jaw.

�Are you kidding me? Seriously?�

�Yeah� Nichole nodded knowingly. �I had a palm reading today�

�So you�ve discovered the mystic, Louisa. She�s very persuasive isn�t she?� Samantha�s eyes widened at her friend �At the height of my NSYNC obsession and since I was so close�I came to visit Millington. After I found it utterly boring, I went exploring just like you did and I found the shop. I told her I wasn�t looking for anything in particular and she said�wait�let me see if I can do it�� Nichole said clearing her throat ��Everybody has purpose� she say that to you too?�

�What did she tell you?�

�Well�� Nichole said resuming her chopping �She told me that there was nothing left for me in my dead end job in Memphis and that new experiences awaited me here. She said�� her voice became meek �That a friend needed me to be here for her. And that I could lead her to a very special person if only I changed my life a little� Nichole laughed wistfully �It wasn�t as if Broadway had come knocking anyway� Samantha smiled gently �She told me that my life would be ill spent if I stayed with Memphis theatre and that I would be happier in Millington�

�And you made your move based on what she said?�

�Of course not� Nichole said laughing as she put the tomato�s in the salad bowl above the lettuce and began slicing mushrooms �But I did put in a resume to Monster dot com and left it open. I have a master�s degree in Theatre with a minor in music and education. I got an offer a few weeks later at Millington Prep. So, I accepted�

�And now here we are� Samantha said nodding �Do you regret your move?�

Nichole smiled �I served my purpose and I�m watching my friend meet that special person� she said looking at Samantha, showing wisdom beyond her years �I think it�s one of the most important things that I�ve ever done. I�m glad to see you happy and know that all it took was a phone call�

Samantha finally let the tears that had been threatening to spill all day, fall down her cheeks. Had God been listening to her prayers for a different path? Was he still listening? Was she no longer in control of her fate? Taking her leave of the kitchen after giving Nichole a much-needed hug, she went up to her room and stared at her phone for several minutes.

It made so much sense but was so�so�weird. The turn of events that had made Samantha make the three hour drive to Millington. Was this planned as soon as she dared to leave the security of the life she lived up north? Had higher beings made the decision that she was to be happy as soon as she started working at Intimate Performances? What had led to this episode of oddity? What path had led her to this place, this man and this opening of her heart where she was content enough to bridge the gap between she and her parents.

She sighed. It was too soon to feel as strongly about Justin as she did. It was not love. She knew that for sure. But it was a need to be close to him. She was starting to ache in his absence and as she placed her hand on her cheek, she could still feel the heat of his simple kiss. Was she losing her senses? Was she losing the wisdom that kept her at bay from eager men thus far? Or had the planets aligned and bought them together. She was surely going crazy.

Samantha had never been a religious person. Catholic Church had been a burden as well as an obligation. She studied Jewish faith in Florida for a time and tried Buddhism as well. None grabbed her and pulled her in with a sudden flood of peace. Maybe she was like Justin, spiritual but not religious or without faith that there was life above her. He seemed very content with his lazy Sunday mornings reflecting with his guitar in hand. But music was his link to God or whatever lay above the clouds. Just like photography was her solace and her sense.

As she picked up her phone, shaking and more nervous than she had been in a very long time�scared as she had been of getting caught running away. She was even more scared now then she had been that first year in Florida, looking over her shoulder, frightened that her family would find her. But in the recesses of her mind�only when no one was with her, in the privacy of her bed, she wanted them to find her. She wanted some hint that they cared enough to find her. For four years she waited for them�waited to be found. She missed them so much. Why had she run away in the first place? Why couldn�t she have stayed and fought for her freedom? She hadn�t been as strong as she was now. She had had no reserve of strength to guide her along the tumultuous waters of her parent�s wrath. Of her blatant disobedience. Now she did.

She dialed the number quickly, as if fate had taken control of her fingers. There was no turning back now. She heard the phone ring many times before her father�s strong voice boomed through the receiver.

�Mitchell residence�

Samantha froze. Tears falling from her eyes, shaking, feeling suddenly weak and sick under the scrutiny of her father. Memories of arguments and fights coming back to her in a wave of nostalgia. Her hatred for her life, for what she had become, for where she had come from. She swallowed hard, unable to breathe.

�Hello?� her father�s voice said becoming irritated �Who is this?�

�Daddy?� Samantha squeaked feebly �Daddy�

There was a silence on the end of the line, before the voice cleared itself �Who is this?�

�It�s your daughter�Samantha� she said pushing her voice to the limit, her Canadian/northern accent shining brightly now. There was a silence on the other line of the phone and then a harsh breathing that jogged her brain to remember times when her father was furious at her, usually during arguments, and he had just finished smoking one of his cigars. His breathing became labored and harsh. �Daddy�I��

�The only Samantha I know died the moment she left her family. Please don�t call here again� the line went dead.

And in many ways, although she wasn�t willing to admit it, so did Samantha.

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DAMN!!!!!!!! You MUST post more asap! (NT) -- Reagan, 23:47:23 04/04/03 Fri