“Someone’s coming,” Toni said. “We should keep walking.”
“As you wish.”
They continued walking as the shadows approached them. One was tall and lean while the one beside it was nebulous. Toni couldn’t figure out if the second person was tall or short, because the shadows fluctuated wildly in the fog and moonlight.
“Oh, it’s Natasha and Gus, that’s all,” Toni said as she and Sid neared them.
“Friends?” Sid asked.
“For a long time,” Toni said. “At least, Natasha has been. I’m new to Gus.”
“Ah.”
“Hi, Natasha,” Toni called out in the darkness.
Natasha raised her hand. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Toni.”
“Oh, I hear you more now,” Natasha said. “Hi, Toni.”
Natasha and Gus walked out of the shadows and stopped in front of Toni and Sid. Natasha wore a long, black cloak with a hood. Her hair hung out, blowing in the breeze. Gus was a tall, muscular guy with a strong jaw, wearing a black leather duster and a hat pulled down over his ears. His eyes glinted even in the dark.
Even though Gus looked apprehensive and uneasy, his face had a charismatic quality. Toni stared at him, wondering how he would feel inside her, his hot breath on her neck, his long, strong hands clawing her shoulders as he pumped into her in frenzy. What did his face look like when he came? His manliness, his strength beguiled her. Toni and her friends often discussed the hunky manliness of Natasha’s latest flame. His height and girth invited a startling contrast with the more delicate features of Sid.
“Natasha, I want you to meet Sid. We’re hanging out tonight.”
“Hello, Sid,” Natasha said, extending her hand. Toni watched as Natasha gripped Sid’s hand. She stared into his eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Natasha,” Sid said, breaking her intense, brown-eyed gaze. He held his hand out to Gus.
“This is my partner, Gus,” Natasha purred in her thick accent. “We are very close.”
Gus shook Sid’s hand enthusiastically. He towered over Sid, and Toni giggled as she studied the contrast. They were both air signs yet so totally different.
“Out for a stroll, I presume?” Toni asked Natasha.
“It’s so beautiful here. The ocean calls to me, always calling to me. I want to jump in sometimes, but of course it’s too cold,” Natasha lamented.
“I have no desire to jump in that ocean tonight, that’s for sure,” Toni said.
“You don’t hear the ocean in your bones, not like I do,” Natasha said.
“I guess not,” Toni said. “If there’s ocean in my bones, I don’t know it.”
“You would know it.” Natasha nodded.
“Maybe if I was a Pisces I’d want to always be in the water,” Toni said.
“Perhaps,” Natasha said. “But I’ve known many water signs who can’t swim in the ocean. They’re too frightened.”
“Seems kind of funny,” Sid said. “A water sign afraid of water.”
“We all have karmic debt,” Natasha said, “unless you don’t believe in karma. Then you can slap whatever label you want onto the idea. It’s all the same.”
“Yes, it is, Aldonza,” Toni sighed.
Gus shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, absentmindedly pulling at his jacket.
“Sand fleas getting to you so soon?” Natasha asked as Gus scratched at his neck.
“No… Well, yes. But no,” Gus said.
“You’re such a ... Gemini sometimes,” Natasha huffed. “Come on, let’s go.” She pulled at Gus’s arm. “I promised him a drink, so I’d better make good on it.”
“We’re going to the Dance Cave later,” Toni called after her.
“Okay,” Natasha called back. “We’re probably not going to be out late though.”
Toni chuckled to herself. Natasha not staying out late was funny, but she knew what her friend meant. She could just imagine hunky Gus with his arms wrapped around Natasha’s tall, lean body, pounding into her doggy style.
“What’s so funny?” Sid asked.
“Nothing,” Toni said. “It’s kind of funny to run into anyone at all out here, and then they turn out to be people I know.”
“Yeah, don’t you just love coincidences?” Sid asked.
They reached the end of the boardwalk.
“So, now what?” he asked. “Do we keep going?” He looked over toward the huge expanse of sculptured gardens and bushes that led toward Lucy’s house. Just a tiny portion of the sunroom reflected in the moonlight. The rest of the house was shrouded in darkness.
There was more beach and also a patch of woods. Toni shook her head.
“Let’s go dancing. My head is cleared now.”
“Sounds good to me,” Sid said.
* * *
At the Dance Cave, they had several pints of beer as they strutted around the dance floor. By midnight, the place was nearly packed. Toni was surprised that so many people were out dancing on a holiday. The spring air must have been enticing them to go blow off steam.
It wasn’t hard to convince Sid to dance. He was as eager as she was to get moving. They danced to a mixture of tunes ranging from the 80’s to the latest in rap. Sid’s wiry, lithe body move to the beat, and Toni marvelled at his grace. She was used to dancing with self-conscious men, but there was nothing self-conscious about Sid.
“You should be a dancer,” she said.
He laughed. “My mom made me take hip-hop and jazz when I was a kid. I’m kind of glad now. I almost have rhythm.”
“Yes, you do at that,” Toni said. “I’m liking it.”
“Good.” Sid said. “Then all those torturous classes were worth it.”
“Oh come on. You know you enjoyed it.” Toni smiled as she spun around.
They danced for several more songs, the DJ keeping them hopping from Rihanna to Jay Z to the Stones and even ABBA.
While they were doing the “YMCA,” someone nudged Toni. She turned around to see Maggie and Weldon dancing alongside them.
“Hey!” She smiled. “Fancy seeing you guys out!”
“Why not? It’s Friday night. Time to par-tay.” Maggie held up a beer bottle while she shook her hips. Toni swung her hips against Maggie’s and they laughed. The men shook hands, and soon the four of them were dancing.
The beer flowed as they lost themselves in the primal beat of the music. Eventually, the crowd swelled and then thinned out, and Maggie and Weldon left Toni and Sid on the dance floor. Toni hadn’t had such a willing dancing partner in forever. Usually on dates, a man would dance a few songs with her out of courtesy but would eventually tire of the facade and leave her to dance with the other girls at the club. She even had gone out with guys who encouraged her to dance with other men just so they wouldn’t have to. But Sid not only kept dancing without complaint, but he was good at it too, and Toni mimicked more than one of his dance moves.
The night passed quickly, and too soon, the lights were snapped on. Toni held her hands over her eyes.
“Jesus Christ... I’m melting!” she howled in mock anguish.
Sid wrapped his arm around her. “There, there, witchypoo, you’ll be okay.”
“Good Lord,” Toni said, looking at her cell phone. “It’s three.”
“We should call it a night. I have to work tomorrow,” Sid said.
“Me too. Luckily it’s a night shift, so that will be me tomorrow,” she said, pointing at the bartender pulling the last dirty glasses from the bar.
“Lucky you,” Sid said as he took her hand. “Should we hit the bathrooms before the walk home?”
“Sounds good to me,” Toni said, realizing she was slurring her words.
The bathroom was bustling with women who’d all had the same idea. Maggie emerged from one of the stalls.
“Hey,” she said to Toni, who still had four women in front of her in line.
“I thought you guys left,” Toni said.
“We started to leave, then we r
an into some more people we knew and got yakking outside for the longest time. I can’t believe how late it is.” Maggie shook her head.
“Tell me about it. I have to work in about 12 hours,” Toni said.
“I have to work in five, if I go in when I should. But I can’t imagine people clamouring for tarot readings at eight in the morning on Easter weekend. I figure if I get there for noon, I’m good.”
“I know there’s nothing that would get my ass to a tarot reader at the crack of dawn,” Toni said. “Nothing.”
“I’m the same. And sure, maybe there’s some early-riser little old lady somewhere that craves a reading, but they never come when I’m sitting there waiting for them.”
“It’s always the case,” Toni said. “Preparing for things sometimes is just a pointless exercise in. I don’t know... something.”
“Yeah,” Maggie laughed. “Something.”
A woman exited a stall ad shoved past them. Toni scowled at the rudeness but then continued to chat to Maggie.
“I bet the bar will be dead too during the day. Tomorrow night might be fun though. There’s a band.”
“Yeah, Weldon and I might come by. We’ll see.” Maggie leaned closer. “How’s it going with Sid?”
“So far, no complaints.”
“He’s a good dancer,” Maggie said. “Who knew? I’ve only seen him at darts a few times.”
It was Toni’s turn for a stall.
“See you later.” Toni waved as she hurried into the cubicle.
* * *
The walk home was peaceful, punctuated by sporadic laughter from other people on the streets. The full moon had shifted in the sky and sunk low, bright and powerful. The damp cobblestones glistened in its milky hue. Sid took Toni’s hand and squeezed it as they walked.
Toni’s heart pounded as she studied the whirling patches of fog hovering in the alleyways between buildings. Sid was lost in thought or perhaps drunk as he studied the sidewalk.
At last, they reached Toni’s building. She stood nervously at the stairs, wondering if she should invite him in, but knowing there was no point. He had already said he had an early day the next morning, so as horny and curious as she was, Toni knew nothing was going to come of the date at that time.
Sid sighed and stared at her, shifting from one foot to the other apprehensively.
“Good night,” he said as he cupped her face and tilted it up to his. He pressed his lips against hers, and she sank into his touch, wishing he would grab her firmly, throw her to the ground and fuck the shit out of her. But that wasn’t going to happen.
“Good night,” she whispered and turned from him. He was still watching as she let herself into the lobby. After she had slipped through the door, she turned to wave at him. He waved back and then walked away.
Toni grinned as she watched him fade into the fog.
Chapter Four
Direct your enthusiastic energy toward useful endeavors.
Toni woke to the sound of the buzzer.
“Good Lord, who the hell is that?” she muttered as she made her way to the phone.
“Hey, Toni? You up?” Ellie’s voice asked on the other end.
“Oh my Lord, it’s that time already? You’re not already here, are you?” Toni asked, squinting at the kitchen clock. “Shit.”
She put down the phone and buzzed Ellie into the building. She had forgotten ‘Ellie was coming to visit that day. Her head throbbed with the beginning of a headache. She’d worked Saturday night, and then a bunch of the staffers had gone out to a booze can afterward for a nightcap. She had returned home mere hours earlier.
Toni stared around the apartment. Ellie was going to have a fit seeing all this clutter everywhere. She’d done no preparation for Ellie’s visit whatsoever. She didn’t even know if she had any cleaning supplies or garbage bags.
A soft knock at the door indicated Ellie had arrived. Toni opened it and let her in.
“Should I put on some coffee?” Toni asked.
Ellie laughed as she surveyed the sleepy woman. “I guess ten is a bit early for you, huh?”
“Well, it is when I worked until three and then partied ’til dawn,” Toni yawned. “I don’t know why I agreed to a Sunday morning feng shui session.”
“You didn’t. I made you do it this morning because our schedules didn’t click until after next week. And by then, you’re out of your auspicious time. We’ve got to get moving on this energy stuff.”
“Sure thing, you’re the expert,” Toni said as she went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee for them.
“I got the astrology charts from Gwen yesterday. She got called out of town for today, so she can’t meet you tomorrow.”
“Oh, well, that’s our Gwen. Always flying off somewhere. Sometimes I wish I was a stewardess instead of a bartender. They’re practically the same thing. But I’d go nuts being in different places all the time. As much as I like to travel, I also am rather attached to my personal stuff.”
“Well, you know me, I’ never stray far from home if I can help it,” Ellie laughed. “Why don’t I get things set up in here while you go get dressed?”
Toni looked sheepishly down at herself.
“I guess if I’m spending my time getting the room cleaned up, I’d better clean up myself first.”
“It’s about releasing clutter and creating auspicious energy more than beautifying,” Ellie said. “Go on.”
Toni left Ellie in the living room as she went into the bathroom. Her head was fuzzy, and she wanted to roll back into bed. She entertained the notion of excusing herself and making Ellie come back another time, but that wasn’t fair either. Ellie liked to sleep in on a Sunday as much as anyone, and she was only trying to fulfill her end of the birthday-wish ritual.
Toni looked around the bathroom and sighed. Ellie wouldn’t be impressed with the dusty corners and the cobwebs strung across the door that she seldom closed. She considered searching for some sort of cleaning devices and removing some of the grit but realized there was no point.
She turned on the shower and wondered if Ellie would comment on her soap-scum-coated fixtures. Toni considered how fast time flew and how seldom she looked at the environment around her. Her routines had become so commonplace that she imagined she knew what she was looking at when, in fact, the reality was completely different. For a fleeting instant, she saw herself at fifty years old, still going through the same old routines and never realizing that the best part of life had already passed her by.
At 25, was she on the right track?
She soaped herself down and wet her hair, trying to push her worries aside. What would be, would be. Ellie was here to help her, not belittle her.
When she returned fresh-faced and smiling, Ellie was sitting on the couch, sipping coffee and eating one of the donut holes she had brought with her.
“I’m sorry, Ellie,” Toni said. “I didn’t mean to forget our meeting. I worked last night…”
Ellie sipped her coffee. She swallowed and put down her cup. “There’s something that’s going to happen to you,” she said. “I was reading Gwen’s charts and suddenly, a blackness came over me. When it cleared, you were in great despair. There was a man with you too. He was trying to help you but didn’t know how.” Ellie shuddered.
“When?” Toni asked, going into the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee.
“It’s going to be soon,” Ellie sighed. “I don’t know what it is, so be careful, huh?”
Toni sat on the couch beside her. “When?”
“I don’t know. That’s what I hate about these feelings I get. I can feel things but I don’t know what they mean. It makes me crazy sometimes,” Ellie said.
“Must be like intuition.” “More than intuition when that happens. I know it’s going to happen and that’s a fact.”
“Who is the man?” Toni asked.
“A man you know,” Ellie said.
“I had a date the other day. But nothing happened. I don’t even
know…”
“Probably that guy. I don’t know. Maybe you fall in love with some new guy.”
“I’m in love?”
“Maybe. There was an electrical energy between you two. Like you knew each other without words. Like people do when they’re in love.”
“I know what that’s like,” Toni said. “It’s been a long time since I’ve felt it.”
“Me too,” Ellie said. “Flings are one thing, but then there’s that yearning for something more.”
“Yup,” Toni said. “So, what are you going to do?”
Ellie looked around the room. “I was thinking we should first concentrate on organizing some of the clutter around here. Throw as much stuff away as we can. Or give things to charity. Whichever you want, but we have to get rid of a lot of this if you want the spell to work.”
Toni sighed and looked around the room. She lived with a lot of clutter. Her day loomed before her like a black tunnel leading toward death.
“Okay, let’s get started,” she said, standing up.
* * *
Many hours later, Toni looked around her apartment. They had rearranged the couch and bookcases and moved her desk across the room. They’d placed crystals and gemstones along the bookcases and hung up pictures instead of letting them stay lost in piles. They’d also boxed unnecessary items and sorted them into piles for trash, charity, and storage.
“You did very well,” Ellie said. “I know it can be hard to let stuff go.”
“It’s time for a clean start,” Toni said. “Twenty-five is a milestone.”
“It certainly is,” Ellie said. “And now, you have a fresh start.”
She went into one of her bags and pulled out a cloth, then went over to the kitchen table and unrolled it. She pulled out a sage stick and held it up.
“One last thing before we go,” Ellie said.
“Oh, yes,” Toni said. “We have to cleanse the air. Get rid of those last bad vibes.”
“That’s right. Can you get the bowl of sand we put on your altar?”
Toni went over to the newly organized altar and retrieved the clay bowl filled with fresh sand. She held it out to Ellie.
Aries: Swinging into Spring Page 5
