by Darla Baker
Thalia kisses Diane softly on the lips. “I’ll remember for both of us. Thank you.” Thalia and Diane share another embrace, and slowly Diane fades out of Thalia’s arms.
The Ghost of Thalia’s Present
THALIA SHAKES HER head, reaches up and turns the light off, and then sinks back down into the bed and quickly falls into a deep sleep. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes when she’s awakened by the sound of someone crying. Once again, she sits up in bed and turns on the light. Her eyes focus toward the source of the crying, and she sees Megan sitting in the recliner positioned in the corner of her loft bedroom.
Geez, what is this? A Dickens novel?
Thalia gets up out of bed and puts her robe and slippers on. She walks over to Megan and reaches out her hand. “Come on, darlin’. Let’s go downstairs and I’ll make us some herbal tea.”
Megan takes hold of Thalia’s outstretched hand and follows her downstairs and into the kitchen where she takes a seat at the breakfast bar. She watches as Thalia pulls down a couple of mugs and sets up the Keurig to make a pot of tea.
“Do you take lemon, milk, sugar?”
“Just a little bit of sugar. Thanks.”
Thalia fills each of the mugs with tea and places Megan’s mug in front of her along with a spoon and the sugar bowl. Thalia adds a spoonful of sugar to her cup and stirs it into her tea. “Let’s sit in the living room.”
Thalia sits on the love seat while Megan takes a seat in the middle of the sofa. Megan’s eyes are puffy and red. But she’s no longer crying.
“I’m sorry I hurt you, darlin’. I truly didn’t mean to.”
“Are you sure you didn’t mean to hurt me?”
“What do you mean? Of course, I’m sure. I’m not a cruel person. I just got carried away in the moment and missed a crucial piece of communication. It could happen to anyone.”
“You’ve been toying with the hearts of women now for five years.”
“How do you know how long I’ve been… playing the field?”
“I don’t know how I know. I just know. That’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“The point is I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that you just got carried away and conveniently forgot to lay out the ground rules. I think you screwed up intentionally.”
“What reason would I have for intentionally screwing up and hurting you in the process?”
“That’s a good question. Why don’t you tell me?”
Thalia drops her head back onto the back of the love seat and stares into the white pine covered vaulted ceiling in search of answers.
Is it possible? Could I have intentionally missed talking to Megan about the ground rules? And if so, why? I was going to sleep on it. So much for sleep.
“I gave up on relationships and developed my one-and-done rule after my partner of eight years left me for another woman. Over the past five years, since she left, I’ve perfected my pick up and my leaving technique to achieve maximum pleasure with minimum vulnerability. I can count on one hand the number of times in five years where a hook-up didn’t go quite as nicely as I had planned. But in all those five years, and more hook-ups that I can count, what happened with you tonight was a first. It has clearly upset me because I’m sitting here in my living room talking to you, and I’m fairly certain that I’m either crazy or dreaming, and you aren’t real.”
“I’ll spare you the worry. You’re dreaming. And you’re still avoiding the question.”
“Actually, I think I’m trying to answer the question. I’m just taking the long way.”
“Well, take a short cut. I’d like to get back to crying myself to sleep in my own bed if you don’t mind.”
“Sorry.”
“Spare me. Just get on with it.”
“Amara.”
“Excuse me? I’m Megan.”
“No, I mean Amara is the answer to the question.”
“I don’t get it.”
“During the recent raft-up, my eyes landed on a woman who, I don’t know, moved me, affected me in a way that both terrified and excited me. The Monday after the raft-up, she showed up at my office for her first therapy session. I’m a sex therapist.”
Megan nods as if that wasn’t new information.
“Anyway, she was there on behalf of a friend and we decided it made no sense for her to see a therapist. It was up to her friend to seek therapy. Being in her presence at my office was just as unsettling as it had been at the raft-up. I ran into her on the dock and then again at the fundraiser where you and I met. She kissed me at the fundraiser and it… affected me. I’m not sure how to put it into words, and I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this.”
Megan rolls her eyes. “You’re telling me because I’m here to help you answer the question. So keep going. I think we’re getting somewhere.”
Thalia shakes her head, feeling much too weary to continue. And yet she knew she was close to the answer, and if she didn’t finish, she wouldn’t get another moment’s peace tonight.
“I think I screwed up with you to force myself to re-evaluate my policy on relationships and give myself permission to pursue a relationship with Amara.”
“Ding, ding, ding, folks. We have a winner! Was that so hard?”
Thalia blows out a huge puff of air. “Thank you, Megan. I don’t know how I would have gotten here without you.”
“Sure thing. And let me let you in on a little secret. I knew about your reputation and your rules before I even asked you to dance. So cut yourself a break. You don’t owe me any amends.” And with that, Megan was gone.
Thalia gets up and carries her mug as well as Megan’s back to the kitchen and places them in the sink. She turns the lights out and goes back upstairs to climb back into bed, hoping there are no more mysterious visitors interrupting her sleep.
The Ghost of Thalia’s Future
THALIA IS FINALLY settled back into her bed and resting peacefully when she hears water running. Great, now I have to pee. She sits up in the bed and swings her legs over to the floor to head to the bathroom. When her feet touch the floor, she finds herself standing in water. She reaches over to turn on the light, and as she looks around, she sees that she’s no longer in her bedroom. “Where am I?”
“What honey? Hey, why did you step into the water?”
Thalia looks down to see fingers intertwined with hers and gently pulling her out of the water. Her gaze follows the hand up the arm and to the face that belongs to the hand. Amara.
“Where are we? What am I doing here?”
“Thalia, are you okay? We’re at Cumberland Falls checking out the site for our wedding.”
Thalia begins to choke and cough. “Our wedd— What are you talking about? We haven’t even dated yet.”
Amara pats Thalia on the back to try and help her stop choking. “Ahh, yes, my apologies for springing this on you. I’ve had some time to get used to the idea. I’ve been waiting for you to arrive while you were with Diane and Megan.”
“How do you know about Diane and Megan? We’ve not even spoken since I met Megan. And you and I haven’t had any serious conversations about anything, much less about Diane.”
“Come now, Thalia. This is your third dream tonight. A smart girl like you should have figured this out by now. It’s your dream. And in it, I know about Diane and Megan, and I’m here planning our wedding. I’m sure I wouldn’t be doing that if somewhere in your subconscious you weren’t considering the possibility of a life with me. And I must tell you… I find it quite exciting.”
“You do?”
“Of course, silly. Haven’t you noticed me throwing myself at you every chance I get?”
“Well, yes. But I thought that was just your style.”
Amara lets out a loud laugh that echoes in the cliffs that surround the falls. “Oh, my dear, you have a lot to learn about me. And since I’m here now, does this mean you’re going to give me, give us a chance?”
“I’m afraid.
”
“Sweetheart, we’re all afraid. Do you honestly think you’re the only person who’s had her heart broken?”
“Who broke your heart?”
“Nope. This dream isn’t about my story or me. You’ll have to date me before you get the privilege of hearing my story. So tell me your fears.”
“I might fall in love with you. And just when I’ve given you my whole heart, you might cheat on me and leave me for someone else.”
“That’s true, I might.”
“What?”
“Love doesn’t come with a guarantee. You of all people should know that. And not just because of your personal experience with heartbreak. You see it every day in your practice. Love is a gamble. Being vulnerable is terrifying. But the fear is also what makes it so much sweeter when love wins. Is that it? Is that the best you’ve got?”
“I’ve been having one-night-stands now for five years. What if I don’t know how to do a relationship any longer?”
“Pfft, please. You’re a therapist. If you didn’t know how to ‘do relationships,’ I doubt you would have a successful practice. It is successful, isn’t it? I don’t want to be dating some loser.” Amara chuckles.
“Yes, my practice is successful. There’s a big difference between helping other people with their relationships and experiencing it firsthand. You know the old saying ‘those who can’t do, teach,’ right?”
“You’ll never know if you don’t try. Is there a part of you that wants to try?”
Thalia closes her eyes for a moment to ponder the question thoughtfully before responding. In a quiet voice, she responds, “Yes.”
Amara pats Thalia on the back. “Excellent. Then it’s settled.”
“Not so fast. I have one more concern. You’re trying to get pregnant.”
“So? I’m not planning on keeping the baby. I’m a surrogate. My brother and his husband will be the parents. I will be the baby’s aunt. You aren’t afraid of being an aunt-in-law, are you?”
“No. But what if the experience stirs something inside of you, and you decide you want to have children. I categorically do not want to have children.”
“Neither do I, but you could just as easily change your mind. It’s a risk, Thalia. Relationships are filled with risk. I happen to think you have more to lose if you don’t try than if you do.”
“Perhaps. I need to sleep on it—if these dreams would ever stop so I can get a good night’s rest. At least, in what’s left of the night.”
Amara reaches out her hand, and Thalia takes it. “Come on. I’ll take you back to our room and tuck you in so you can get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THALIA WAKES UP completely exhausted and disoriented. The dreams were so vivid and real. She’s shocked to find herself in her bed instead of Cumberland Falls.
She heads down the stairs and puts Sassy and Grace outside. She takes a moment to start the coffee brewing before she heads to the bathroom. She’s anxious to get ready for her day on the lake with Amara and half expects they had the same dream. Wouldn’t that be wild?
Thalia decides to take the girls with her on this excursion. There’s no time like the present to introduce Amara to Sassy and Grace. If they don’t get along, there’s no point in taking this any further. “Might as well get the introductions out of the way, huh, girls?” Sassy and Grace are bouncing up and down on their front paws as soon as they see Thalia grab the leashes. She opens the door to the SUV. “Come on, girls. Let’s go meet Amara.”
They hadn’t set a specific time to meet. Thalia checks the time on her watch, and it’s just about nine thirty. She decides to head over to the Sugar Shack and pick up some donuts. She’s pretty sure Amara will have coffee on the boat.
Donuts in one hand and leashes in the other, she heads down the dock to where Amara’s houseboat is moored. She sees Amara is sitting on the front porch sipping her coffee and looking at her iPad. When she raises her head, Thalia catches the wide grin she gives her girls.
Well, it looks like Amara passed half the test. Now let’s see how the girls feel about her.
Before Thalia reaches the boat, the dogs start pulling on the leashes trying to reach Amara more quickly than Thalia can manage to travel. Finally exasperated, she lets go of the leashes and the dogs rush over to sniff, circle, and lick Amara. Final test passed.
“Who are these adorable creatures?”
“The tan one is Sassy, and the black one is Grace. They’re five years old, and I adopted them from a pit bull rescue kennel shortly after I moved here. They’re sisters and are thick as thieves.”
Amara squats down to their eye level to pet them and begins speaking to them in the most adorable baby voice. “You are such sweet girls. I’ll bet your mommy spoils you rotten, huh? Your Auntie Amara is going to spoil you, too. I’ll get you a bowl of water and see what I have in the way of treats. Do they like carrots?”
“You will be their best friend forever if you feed them carrots.”
“Here, let me take that box from you. What’s in here?” Amara opens the box, and her eyes widen as she takes in the sweet contents. “Jelly filled? My favorite.”
Thalia follows Amara into the houseboat and removes the leashes from the dogs. Amara sets a bowl of water on the floor in the kitchen and pulls some baby carrots out of the refrigerator. “Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, please. I take it black. And I’ll take a couple of those jelly donuts, too.”
Amara pours two mugs of black coffee and carries them over to the breakfast bar where Thalia is sitting. She opens a drawer and pulls out two patriotic blue cloth napkins and hands one to Thalia. She grabs two small red ceramic plates from a cabinet underneath the breakfast bar and sets one in front of Thalia and then places two jelly donuts on the plate. She reaches into the bag of carrots and pulls six baby carrots out and then closes the bag and returns it to the refrigerator. Thalia is watching her every move. So are Sassy and Grace.
“Let’s see how well your mommy has trained you.” Amara takes a carrot in each hand and leans down toward the dogs. “Sit.” Sassy and Grace eagerly comply, and Amara awards them each with a carrot. “Good, girls.” They wag their tails. “Now let’s make this a little harder.” She takes another carrot into each hand. “Shake.” Sassy and Grace each raise a paw to her, and she shakes each paw and delivers another carrot. “Very good, girls. Okay, let’s make this last one even harder. Lay down.” Sassy and Grace willingly comply, having quickly made the connection that there’s a carrot in their future. Amara gives each of them a carrot and a pat on the head. “Such sweet and well-trained girls.” Amara raises her hands up for the dogs to inspect. “All gone.”
Sassy and Grace take the hint, and they pick a sunny spot on the floor to curl up into each other. Amara grabs two jelly donuts out of the box for herself and places them on her plate. She takes a seat next to Thalia and takes a bite out of one of the jelly donuts. A dollop of jelly lands on the side of her mouth and Thalia reaches up with her thumb to capture it. Balancing the little taste of jelly on the end of her thumb, she offers it to Amara who takes the cue and pulls Thalia’s thumb into her mouth. Thalia can feel Amara’s tongue circling her thumb, and the butterflies take off in her tummy. She removes her thumb and wipes it on the cloth napkin while she still has some of her wits about her.
“The girls have certainly taken to you. And you seem to enjoy them as well.”
“I’ve spent most of my life around horses, cows, dogs, cats. Surely you must know I’m an animal lover?”
“It hadn’t occurred to me. Stupid, I know. I have a confession to make. I brought them with me today as a test.”
“Interesting. What sort of test?”
“I won’t entertain a future with someone who doesn’t connect with my dogs.”
“So are you telling me we have a future?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. You only passed one test.” Thalia gives Amara a teasing smile.
“There are more?”
“I didn’t say that. I mean… no, there aren’t any more tests. Just the one. Let’s change the subject. How would you like to spend the day you paid ten thousand dollars to enjoy?”
Amara gives Thalia a smoldering look that sends a fiery blush up her body. “What do you have in mind?”
“Not what you think, I can assure you,” Thalia lies.
Amara gives Thalia an adorable pout. “How do you know what I’m thinking?”
Thalia contemplates her response for a moment. She could ramp up the flirtation or throw some water on the flames. “Good point. I don’t know what you’re thinking.”
“How do you feel about taking the Achilles Heal out?”
“Let’s do it. What do you need me to do?” Thalia asks.
“I have a full tank of gas and the boat is ready to go. I’ll start the engines, and you can walk us out of here.”
“You’ve got it.”
They all transfer up to the fly bridge for the journey. It’s another beautiful day, warmer than yesterday. A few clouds are dotting the sky providing intermittent shade. The easy pace of the houseboat traveling down the lake provides a nice warm breeze on Thalia’s skin. They enjoy the quiet presence of each other as they glide down the lake and take in the beautiful scenery. Thalia instinctively stretches her arm out behind Amara and runs her fingers through her hair. The silky, soft feel of Amara’s hair sends tingles throughout Thalia’s body.
“Ahh, that feels nice. Where would you like to go?”
“What do you think about Needle Point?”
