Twist of Fate

by Sheri L. Brown

  “Well, Claire, we do have a problem on our hands. But I think forcing her out of the situation is not the solution.”

  “What?!? We have to! She can’t miss Zia’s funeral!”

  “She might, Claire, I think you can’t think about that right now… we have bigger fish to fry. If your parents don’t give consent for her to be out of their home, they can report her as a runaway and we can have the authorities simply pick her up.”

  “Well, okay… so, I have to tell you this. Skylar didn’t answer her phone because she accidentally left it at Felicia’s parents. And Felicia left her mother a note saying she wouldn’t see her for a while because she was leaving town for some extended period of time.”

  “Yeah, and?”

  “Rachel, Skylar doesn’t just leave her phone randomly in places... no teenager would do that. And they were in New York partying and carrying on tonight, not getting ready to go out of town. I don’t trust her, that’s all I’m saying. Something’s not right.”

  “Well, what kind of a twenty-four year old wants to date a seventeen year old? I mean, really. Besides, she’s giving a minor alcohol. She could potentially wind up in a lot of trouble for harboring a runaway, among otha things.”

  “Hm,” Claire sighed.

  “Well, that’s the angle, honey. There you go. Your old grandmother still has it… we’ll tell Skylar how much trouble her lady friend will be in if she doesn’t comply with our original agreement. Your parents gave consent for Skylar to come live with me. If she’s in love, and I use that term very loosely, she’ll want to protect this clown of a girlfriend and do the right thing.”

  “How’d you know about that, Rachel?”

  “Know about what, honey?”

  “Oh, never mind,” Claire chuckled.

  “Let’s regroup in the morning, honey, and come up with a plan. And don’t you worry, everything is going to work out just fine.”

  “Okay, Rachel, good night.”

  Claire leaned in and kissed Rachel goodnight. She really wanted to enjoy the ambiance of Rachel’s penthouse, but her mind was reeling from the night. As Claire slipped her tired body in between the thousand-something-thread-count sheets in Rachel’s guest bedroom, she drifted away feeling surrounded in luxury and overwhelmed by sadness. The dichotomy not going unnoticed.

  Claire had no idea what time it was when she woke up. She looked at her phone on the nightstand three times and blinked her eyes in between to be sure it was actually noon. She flew out of bed and ran into the living room. The house was unusually quiet. Claire poked around the kitchen, found a pot and filled it with water for tea. Claire was fairly certain that Rachel didn’t cook despite the expensive gas range and glass-front double fridges. She was doubtful Rachel owned something as simple as tea bags. She decided to search for them before turning on the water and wondered how her mother turned out to be such a homebody. The elevator door opened and Rachel sauntered in with bags of food from Claire’s favorite Jewish deli in Tribeca.

  “Oh, Rachel, you didn’t!’ Claire exclaimed.

  “I did! You needed a treat and I know you’re so beside yourself about Skylar.”

  “I was just making myself some tea. Well….”

  “Did you find teabags?!?”

  Claire laughed, “No, I didn’t.”

  “Well, it’s a good thing I had Ben take me to the deli for fresh bagels, cream cheese, lox and coffee. I got you a latte, I hope that’s okay.”

  “A latte sounds awesome right now, thank you.”

  Everything in Claire’s life had been turned upside down. The thought of her not being close to Skylar again made her physically ill. She had to put it out of her mind, pray a lot and really have faith that everything would be fine. It was strange, Claire thought, that when things in life could be so grim that other circumstances seemed to open up. First, she met Candy, who helped Claire feel comfortable talking about things that other people would ridicule or dismiss as new-agey and now, she was sitting in Grandma Rachel’s house, getting lavishly spoiled while getting to know her in a completely different way than when she was a kid.

  “You know, bubbelah, I always loved you girls, I’m just not… a nurturer like your mother. She’s always been so good with babies and small children. I like them more when they’re more grown up, ya know?”

  “It’s funny, Rachel, ever since I arrived you’ve been nurturing me one way or another. Your version happens to include a limo driver, amazing accommodations and a bagel run. I didn’t realize you went shopping, let alone brought things home to eat. I’m impressed.”

  “Well, honey, I don’t shop or bring things home. But you’re here and you’re going through a rough time. I was an only child and I know you think I may not have paid attention to you girls when you were young, but I know you and Skylar have something very special going on and I know how much this is hurting you… and I know about Ryan, your mother filled me in. And Zia, on top of everything else. I’m so sorry, sweetie, I want you to know whatever you need… I’ll be here for you. I feel just terrible. It’s a lot for someone your age to experience.”

  Claire smiled and took a deep breath. She felt good when she focused on each moment.

  “Did you talk to my mom and fill her in on last night?”

  “I did. She’s really at her wits end and very concerned about this Felicia girl’s influence over Skylar.”

  The plan was going to look something like this—Claire would go to Felicia’s and ask to speak with Skylar alone. If they gave her any trouble, Rachel would have one of her connections at the police station send over an officer to take Skylar away.

  “I hope this works,” Claire said.

  “Well, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t, right? I’ll wait in the car with Ben and we’ll just take her away.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Claire’s phone rang the second she knocked on Felicia’s apartment door. It was Ryan. She walked back down the hallway trying to decide if she had time to let him know she hadn’t disappeared from the planet or his life. She heard the apartment door open and ran back before the door shut. Her stomach turned when her window closed and she couldn’t pick up.

  “Wait!” Claire shouted.

  “Hey, I saw you disappear through the peephole… keep it down, Felicia’s still sleeping,” Skylar whispered while opening the door to let Claire in.

  Claire looked around and inspected the small apartment. She could see a separate bedroom off the living room, a bathroom and kitchen. It looked like Candy’s apartment and Claire was relieved it wasn’t skanky. There was nothing to write home about, but it was livable.

  “Okay, get your things, we’re leaving,” Claire whispered back.

  “Uh, I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Skye, you need to listen to me and reconnect with who you are. Everything you’re doing isn’t you… it’s like you’ve become a miniature Felicia. It’s really weird.”

  “Maybe this is the real me.”

  “Yes, the real you would ditch me, ditch your parents, a family funeral… uh huh, sure this is the real you. I don’t get it. We love you and support you in whoever you want to be and now you’re a runaway… because things are so bad?”

  “What?!? What the hell are you talking about?” Skylar said as she raised her voice.

  “You’re about to be reported as one. Mom feels like she has no choice. You are her responsibility. You don’t get to leave when you’re seventeen and pretend to be a grown-up.”

  Felicia came out of the bedroom, “What’s going on? Didn’t you get the message last night? She doesn’t want to go.”

  Claire always thought of herself as being a pacifist. She didn’t like fighting, violent movies or confrontation of any sort. So it was surprising to her that she had thoughts of wanting to bash Felicia in the face or throw something at her like actors did in the movies. Anything she could get her hands on quickly would do the trick, she thought. She wasn’t sure what it was about Felicia that brought out
the absolute worst in her.

  Claire had been trying to convince herself that she needed to take it down a notch just to be sure she wasn’t feeling jealous about being replaced. But it wasn’t that. Felicia was taking over. She was breaking up a family. Claire quickly surveyed the space around her to see if she could grab something and throw it at Felicia. Maybe something soft or lightweight. She didn’t want to do damage or hurt Felicia. She wanted to let her know she wasn’t afraid and she wasn’t backing down. The room was creepily uncluttered and undecorated. There was nothing to throw.

  “My grandmother is a very important attorney and judge in this city, with a lot of connections, Felicia,” Claire said staunchly, “you are harboring a runaway and that could be trouble for you. If you ever want to see Skylar again, you better take your boxing gloves off and kiss my mother’s ass.”

  Claire couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t afraid. She wasn’t faltering. Felicia might have been an official grown-up at twenty-four, but Claire wasn’t leaving there without her sister. She held her ground, like the strong, young woman she wanted to become. Claire’s confidence, paired with a small dose of Obi-Wan Kenobi force, was exactly what the situation needed. It was a great lesson for Claire.

  Skylar grabbed her things and whispered something to Felicia. Claire was a little taken aback by the scene. She really didn’t understand what their relationship was about and she was trying desperately to not judge what was going on, but something continued to rub her the wrong way. They hugged and Skylar walked away. Claire thought Felicia appeared devoid of expression.

  “I’ll call you when I get to Rachel’s, kay? I love you.”

  “Love you, too, Skylar,” Felicia said as she shut the door.

  Claire couldn’t imagine what the intimate conversation entailed and why the tables had turned so quickly. Maybe Felicia got the message about harboring a runaway. It didn’t matter, Claire thought, she got Skylar out of her apartment.

  Claire bent down and slid something under Candy’s door.

  “What was that?” Skylar asked.

  “I made a new friend while I was waiting for you last night,” Claire smiled.

  “Now that’s not too weird,” Skylar said.

  Claire ignored her sister, “Let’s get in the car and go hang with Rachel. We might as well enjoy the city for a while. Although, I might be coming back here, so who knows? Maybe this will all become old hat to me sooner than I think.”

  “Claire, what are you talking about?”

  Ben smiled as he opened the door for Claire. She slid in to move over for Skylar. Claire was feeling good about her successful rescue mission, especially after losing most of her hope last night. She pulled her phone out to text Ryan and decided to let Skylar stew for a minute or two. She wasn’t being manipulative, but she felt like she deserved a break after the last couple of mildly harrowing days. She had earned the time it would take to text Ryan.

  Saw that you called, was in the middle of rescuing Skylar—long story. Can we talk later? I miss you!

  Claire slipped her phone into her purse and breathed out a sigh of relief. She looked at Skylar and was amazed by the look of sheer exhaustion on her face.

  “You look tired, Skye,” Claire finally said.

  Skylar smiled and nodded her head in agreement. She lay down on the seat and shut her eyes. Claire sat and stared at her phone, willing it to chime or ring, while she periodically checked on Skylar. It occurred to Claire she would always rescue Skylar, no matter the circumstances. Loving her and being loyal was a part of the package.

  She desperately wanted to hear from Ryan. She felt if they continued to lose touch as quickly as they had in the last few days that whatever they shared would simply float away into the ethers. She didn’t want him to become an illusion to her so subito. The thought of the word subito temporarily took her thoughts away from Ryan to instead remind her of Zia. It was Latin-derived Italian, meaning quickly or precipitously, and Zia used it most often to talk about how fast she’d return from the kitchen to the living room with fresh-baked cookies and tea. Claire could hear Zia saying arrivo subito in her mind and the thought of never hearing it again was too much to bear in the moment.

  A wave of sadness flooded her heart. She was supposed to have visited Zia today. Her sadness morphed into something deeper creating a hollow feeling in the center of her gut. She sat with it and breathed in deeply trying to visualize her face, her smell, her smile and the lovely way her English speaking was riddled with her Italian words and accent. Her feelings of emptiness were slowly replaced with lovely memories of her favorite Aunt and the time they shared.

  Claire’s phoned chimed.

  Hey, there, Clairebear! Sounds like life and Skye have you busy. When can we talk? Miss you too. Can’t wait to catch up. Xo

  Claire couldn’t believe Ryan ‘xo’d’ her. Maybe he’s not an illusion after all, she thought. Maybe what they had together meant something. Maybe they could have a long-distance relationship.

  How about tonight? Claire hit the send button on her phone.

  She felt the car pull to the curb and come to a stop. She touched Skylar gently to wake her up.

  “Hey, Skye, we’re here,” Claire whispered.

  Claire’s phone chimed again as they got off the elevator into Rachel’s apartment.

  I have a baseball meeting tonight. I’ll let you know later what my schedule is like this week.

  She needed to be a grown-up and face the fact that she and Ryan were both busy and going in two different directions. Claire texted Ryan back to let him know it was fine. And it was fine, after all, there was nothing she could do. Besides, she had to get ready for Zia’s funeral and that took precedence over everything.

  “Oh, good, the girls are here, happy and safe! Ben does such a good job retrieving the contumacious,” Rachel exclaimed as she meandered into the living room.

  “Leave me out of this, Rachel,” Claire said, “I think that bit of sarcasm was directed at you, Skye.”

  “I know, very funny,” Skylar said unenthused.

  “Okay, well, no lectures from me, I got my dig in. Besides, you really aren’t looking too good, honey. What the hell have you been doing over there with that…? Oh, never mind, I’m glad you’re back. It’s good to see you.”

  “Can I shower?” Skylar asked.

  “Yes, dear,” Rachel replied, “you know where everything is... oh, wait, you haven’t been here since the remodel, you’ve been staying at your girlfriend’s place. Your bedroom and bathroom are upstairs.”

  “Hey, Rachel, I’m going out for a little while, kay?”

  “Where to? I thought we’d stay and have some tea or something.”

  “Well, I met this woman yesterday….”

  “What, I thought you were dating a baseball player?”

  “No, Rachel, not like that... she lives across the hall from Felicia and we really hit it off. So, it thought it would be nice to have a friend in the city.”

  “What’s her name, honey?”

  Claire wondered what Rachel was up to, but frankly she didn’t mind. It felt good to think Rachel was watching out for her.

  “Well, her first name is Olga, but she calls herself Candy….”

  “Candy, huh?” Rachel said with a dubious look in her face, “That’s a stripper’s name….”

  Fair enough, Claire thought. Candy was a name usually reserved for strippers or runaways, but after spending time with her, Claire knew she was neither one of those.

  “I know it sounds crazy, but we really connected.”

  “Well, I trust your judgment, but it would be nice to hang out with your sister, you know, the three of us. I talked to your mother this morning, by the way, and we decided it might be nice to get back upstate sooner rather than later… you know, not wait until Tuesday.”

  “It’s all fine with me, Rachel,” Claire said, “I thought we needed that extra time between now and the funeral to rescue Skye. And I didn’t know what your work sche
dule was like, so… whatever you and Mom want to do.”

  Claire’s phone chimed. She looked down at an unrecognizable number.

  Hey, Claire, got your note. Hopefully we can hang out soon. Namaste—Candy.

  Claire couldn’t help it, she thought Candy was cool. Her new admiration for her eccentric, psychic and outspoken friend made it easier for Claire to empathize with Skylar. Of course meeting someone new and different and hip is always a cause for admiration, but putting it into perspective definitely mattered. Claire searched for the meaning of Namaste before responding to Candy’s text.

  “Oh, that’s cool,” She said aloud.

  “What’s cool, Claire?” Rachel asked.

  “Oh, my new friend, Candy, just said Namaste in her text. I heard it before, but never really knew what it meant.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Rachel said, “you know, one of my girlfriends who I play mahjong with convinced me to take yoga with her to help me with my arthritis. And you know, the instructor said Namaste at the beginning and end of class, so of course I had to look it up. It’s simple and beautiful. I like it. Especially as I get older, it’s nice to think about all of us being connected through some divine source.”

  Claire couldn’t believe Rachel had taken yoga, let alone looked up the meaning of Namaste. She felt like there were so many things she missed out on getting to know her grandmother. Sarah was good at making sure she and her girls had always stayed connected with Rachel, but when they visited her in the city it was always about seeing or doing something, not sitting and spending quality time simply connecting. Claire realized that’s all she did with Zia.

  “Rachel, I would love to go to yoga with you.”

  “Really? Let me grab my tablet and see if there’s a class this afternoon. Maybe we can put off going upstate until tomorrow... let’s see. Yes, there’s a class today at three.”

  “The only thing is… I didn’t pack yoga clothes or anything work-out wise other than these sweats.”

  Rachel inspected Claire’s clothes and made a face, “Well, no, you can’t wear those old things. First we’ll go to Macy’s and then we’ll go to yoga. That’s not a problem.”