by Rod Lee
She placed her finger on the pages and begin reading the words. Chase listened and couldn’t believe some of them she was pronouncing. “Do you know what all those words mean?” He asked.
“Kitty looked them up for me if she didn’t know what they meant.” Veronica explained.
“Thank you, Kitty that was very kind of you.” Chase commented.
“I wasn’t kidding I love Veronica, she is precious and I’m so very happy that you brought her up to meet me and continue to visit me. She makes me happy.” Kitty smiled at him.
“See daddy I told you she was a good one. That’s why mommy told me you should date her.”
Kitty looked up quickly at Chase with a questioning look. He shook his head, “Veronica said that Jen talked to her in her dream the other night. This was part of that dream, right?” He looked at Veronica and asked.
“Yeah and last night too. Mommy said that Kitty is a very nice person and her heart is pure.” Veronica commented.
“Wow, that’s very nice of her, since she’s never met me.” Kitty said.
“She’s with me everywhere I go, so when I met you she did too. She’s my own angel.” Veronica stated very proudly.
“I’m sure she watches down on you and smiles all the time.”
Thankfully Chase saw his mom walk into the room and was let off the hook of explaining anything else. He wasn’t sure how he could explain the whole story and make it seem like his daughter was normal. But perhaps she wasn’t, however, he didn’t think she was ill.
But he wasn’t sure if Kitty would see it the same way. He didn’t want her to look at Veronica in any odd way, he wouldn’t be able to be with her ever. It was a step he wasn’t ready to take, he was just getting to feel like he might have a happy future.
“Hello, I’m Sally, Chase’s mother and Veronica’s grandma. You’re Kitty, right? I’ve heard a ton about you from my granddaughter. Let me look at your hair.” Sally turned Kitty’s head and made a few noises.
“Nice to meet you as well Sally. You have a very amazing family here.” Kitty said.
“Yes, they are that. I’m very proud of them both.” Sally said. “I know the perfect cut for you, it will bring out your eyes more too.”
“Okay, do what you want, anything has to be better than what it looks like now.” Kitty laughed.
Sally got her tools out of her bag and pulled out something else, “Here Veronica this is for you.” She handed the girl plate of cookies.
“Oh goody, daddy forgot to remind you, I’m happy you remembered them.” Veronica smiled. “Here try on Kitty.” She pushed the plate of cookies towards her and Kitty took one and nibbled on it.
“I told you grandma she barely eats.” Veronica said.
“Child if you are part of this family you’ll be eating more soon. We love food.” Sally chuckled.
Chase watched as his mother worked on Kitty’s hair and her look transform. “I like it a lot.” He commented once she was done with the cut.
“Here look in the mirror and tell me what you think.” Sally handed Kitty the mirror.
“Wow, it is amazing, I’ve had long hair for so long, I forgot what I looked like with short hair. You are right it does make my eyes stand out, now if this burn was just not on her cheek it would be perfect.” Kitty sighed.
“My dear you are still a beautiful woman. Don’t let a mark on your skin make you feel ugly.” Sally said.
“I told you that you are pretty, see now you have three people who told you the same thing.” Veronica stated.
Kitty laughed, “Yes you are right.”
They stayed a bit later and walked out together. Veronica made them leave the rest of the cookies for Kitty, though there were only a couple of them left. “Eat these.” She looked at Kitty and said seriously.
“Yes, ma’am I will.” Kitty laughed at the child and kissed her goodbye. “Thank you, nurse Veronica.”
“Nope I’m going to be an astronomer but I don’t know if they have a title.” The girl told her and left smiling. “Daddy I really like her, she’s so sweet. When are you going to ask her out on a date?”
Chase was caught off guard, “Well honey, it’s kind of hard to go on a date when she’s in a hospital. But once we find out she’s getting out I’ll make sure I ask her out.”
“You can always have a date here. Just bring in the food, and set up something nice and romantic.” His mom said before she got into her car.
“Mom you’re not helping here.” Chase rolled his eyes as his mom laughed and got into her car.
“Yeah daddy, I can stay with grandma one night and you two can have a nice quiet dinner. What do you think?” Veronica asked.
“I’ll think about it sweetie. Now come on munchkin let’s get you home and to bed. Though with all those cookies you ate, you will probably be wound up for hours!”
“You ate more than me.” Veronica pushed her tongue out of her mouth at him. “I think Kitty even ate a couple of them.”
“That’s because you kept pushing the plate at her and making her take them.” He laughed.
“Just trying to fatten her up for you daddy.” Veronica laughed as Chase tried to tickle her.
Chapter 23
Chase thought about the idea his mom had and found that he liked it. He called her and asked if she would be willing to watch Veronica for him on Friday night. “Do you mind mom?” He asked.
“Of course, not I wouldn’t have suggested you have a date with her if I wasn’t willing to watch her.” She told him.
“Alright, what kind of food should I order, or should I make something? Hell, mom I haven’t dated in so long, I’m not even sure what to do.” Chase muttered.
“You order something from a nice restaurant, take some candles and light them. Talk to her and get to know her. Let her get to know you.” His mom explained. “Just be yourself, I can tell by watching her when she looks at you that she finds you very attractive. But hell she’d have to be blind to not find you that way!”
He laughed, “Thanks mom for the buildup!”
“Hey just telling the truth but I really think she’s enamored by both you and Veronica. You know Veronica showed me that scarf Kitty made for her, it’s really quite good for her first crocheting project. It looks like she really made sure it turned out good.”
“Yeah it was nice of her, and you know Veronica wore it to bed, even though it is still hot out.” He told her and laughed.
“She wouldn’t take it off at my place either.” She admitted.
“So, mom has Veronica said anything to you about Jen talking to her in her dreams?” He broached the other subject that had been eating at him.
“Yes, she told me that, I think it’s true too. She’s told me things that only you and Jen have said to me before. Things that unless you told her she would have no way of knowing.” His mom said.
“Like what mom?” He asked curious.
“That you spend many of your nights on a blanket in the park looking at the stars, and Jen would tell you all about them. Have you ever told her how many times you’ve done that?” She asked.
“No not really, I may have said it a few times but not how many we actually spent looking up at the stars. Do you think it might have just been a guess? Or do you really think that Jen talks to her at night?” He asked. To him it sounded a bit crazy but also comforting for his daughter that she got to talk to her mother who was watching over her.
“I think Jen visits her all the time. In dreams is the easiest time to make sure that Veronica will hear her though. I didn’t tell you this before but the night you saved Kitty, she told me something that I had forgotten until right now.” His mom began. “I thought it was really odd and to tell you the truth I was a bit offset by it.”
“What did she say?” He asked, his curiosity pushing him forward.
“She told me that tonight you met a woman, and that her mom thought this woman would be a good match for you. That she was a good person, and Veronica couldn�
�t wait to meet her.”
“What, you’re kidding me right mom?” He said scoffing at the story.
“No, I’m serious about it. But I didn’t really think about it when you came in. My first thought was you got injured during it, and everything else just kind of flew out of my mind. Speaking of which did you find out anything about moving from the department?” His mom questioned.
“Yeah I told the Captain that I want to go to The Fire Inspectors office if I get the chance.” Chase told her.
“Well what did he say?”
“He said that the guy who is working there now won’t retire for another 6 months. But once he does, he’ll put in a good word for me and I should get the position.”
“Oh, thank goodness, I’m so happy about that.” She sighed happily.
“Mom you aren’t messing with me about Veronica saying that are you?” He went back to the other subject.
“Dear why would I do that? That girl is special. She might have the gift to be able to talk to not only her mother but other people who’ve died.”
Chase scoffed, his mother, said, “Now just hear me out before you tell me I’m a crazy old lady.”
“Alright mom.” He said rolling his eyes on the other side of the phone. His mother had always been into the new Age things that were coming out and she believed a lot of things that Chase could never wrap his mind around.
“I know you don’t believe a lot of what I do Chase. But I know many people who have talked to their loved ones who have passed away. They often recall information that only the person they were with would know, so how can they be faking it? Their voice will sometimes even change, if their loved one wants to talk through them to another person who is near them. You should really watch that show I told you about, it will show you proof.” She commented.
Chase had tried to watch the show once but found that he could too easily see how they could fake the stuff that was going on, after all it was television, and special effects were used very often in shows.
“Yeah mom I watched it once, didn’t really get much from it.” Chase admitted.
“Well how about the one woman who saw Jen before you two were pregnant? You remember Jen made you go see the fortune teller? She told you that you would soon have an additional member to your family, and what a week later she found out she was pregnant.” His mom recalled an event from his pass.
“But a fortune teller is different, nothing compared to talking to your mother that has died.” He stated.
“However, there are some people who are just more open to the spirit world, and I think Veronica is one of them. Jen was very open to the spirit world too. I think that was why she wrote that letter and left it for Veronica. It was like she knew something was going to happen to her. Maybe the spirits told her when she was pregnant.” His mom commented.
Chase had such a hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that spirits were real and they could talk to some people but yet not everyone. “So, you think she knew she was going to die? Why wouldn’t she tell me that?” He asked.
“Honey what would you have been able to do? Tell her not to have the baby? The pregnancy would end sooner or later, why would she tell you such bad news? Why not instead live the life you had together and enjoy every moment until it was over?” His mom said.
“I don’t know to prepare me so that I wasn’t as upset when it happened.” Even as he said it he knew that wouldn’t have been true. Had he known ahead of time, he would still be devastated when the doctor had come to him and told him, “Mr. Daniels I’m sorry but we lost your wife. We tried everything we could but we couldn’t stop the hemorrhaging.”
He heard the words in his head as he had that very day, and felt the cold shiver pass over him.
“Come on son, now you don’t really believe that do you? You loved Jen with all your heart, and no matter if you knew ahead of time, you wouldn’t have even believed it to begin with.” His mom stated.
“Yeah I know. So, mom how do I open my mind to the spirits and learn about what is going on in Veronica’s world?” He asked.
“I have a couple of books I can give you to read. They are about mediation and opening up your third eye. You can try those if you want.” She offered.
“Sure mom, I’d like that.” Chase hung up with her, with the promise he would pick up the books in the morning on his way to work. If it was another slow day at work, at least he’d have something to keep him busy.
He fell asleep feeling unsure about what he was doing but knowing he wanted to learn more. If his daughter was truly gifted in this manner, he would be smart to understand her more.
Chapter 24
Kitty sat looking in the hand mirror that Sally had left. Her haircut was really amazing. She had thanked Sally and even offered to pay her something for the cut.
“Oh, come on girl, I wouldn’t take money for something I enjoyed doing! I’m glad you like the cut thought, I knew it would look great on you!” Sally had said.
“Wow that looks really good.” Chase had commented, bringing a blush to her skin at his kind words.
Veronica had hugged her and told her she looked like a princess. Kitty really loved all these new people in her life, they had treated her with more kindness than her own parents had ever done.
She thought back to her mom’s words early in the day, “I was too far along to have an abortion, or I would have done it.”
It had hurt her deeply to know her mother hadn’t even loved her enough after 23 years to change her mind. Something nice like, “I’m so glad I didn’t have an abortion you’ve been a blessing to me,” would have been nice to hear.
She let the whole conversation soak in and really thought about it. She would like to know who her real father was, and wondered if he even knew he had a daughter. It also made sense to her now why she didn’t look much like who she thought was her father. Kitty hadn’t even really looked much like her mother, though she had gotten her fiery red hair from her, or so she had been told.
She had been serious when she had informed them she didn’t want to ever see them again. Though she might eventually reach out herself to find out who her father was. But she wouldn’t make it a long conversation, and she planned on waiting a bit to do it. Her wounds were far too fresh right now to have to deal with either of them again so soon.
Kitty was sure that Ms. Simmons would eventually ask her about the visit, and she would tell the old lady most of it. But she would leave out the worst parts of it, no use in repeating the mean words she’d heard today out loud herself.
To say that her own mother didn’t want her would hurt just a bit too much. But even though she wouldn’t say it out loud to anyone else, it didn’t mean she didn’t remember it. No, it was burned into her memory for good.
She was sure that until the day she died she would always remember it too. Now her childhood made a lot more sense to her though, that was the only good thing that had come from today.
How could they have loved her? Especially the man who she had thought was her father all these years. She could understand how he would feel looking at her all the time, knowing she was the product of her mother sleeping around on him.
For some reason, her thoughts turned towards Veronica. Even though she wasn’t the child’s mother she loved her more than anything. She had come to enjoy the visits and having the little girl read to her.
She was amazed at how smart she was too. She had a good head on her shoulders, and would remember almost everything that Kitty told her when reading. Once Kitty had told her how to pronounce a new word, the girl would always say it right from that point forward.
There were other things about Veronica she was amazed by too. Though Chase didn’t know it, Veronica had told her more about how her mother talked to her during her dreams.
He hadn’t been paying much attention and had gone out of the room to make another call. She had turned to Veronica and asked her, “Does you mom really talk to you at night?”
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br /> “Yeah, grandma told me it was because my third eye was open. But if I’m not careful as I get older it may be harder to talk to my mom. So, I have to make sure I take care of this skill and practice talking to my mom as much as I can, even trying when I’m awake.” Veronica had stated. “That’s what my grandma tells me all the time.
Then she had added, “My mom says you are a really sweet lady, and she appreciates that you are being so kind to me.”
“When did she say this?” Kitty had asked.
“Just now, she’s sitting over in that chair watching us and smiling.” Veronica had said.
Kitty shivered at the comment, and swore for a second she saw a glimmer of something in the chair. When she had been younger she had been into all the new Age stuff and tried to learn how to open her third eye.
She had a few friends in school who been into it and some of the stories they had told her were fantastic. To know someone again who had this skill was something that she took as a sign that she should once again try and learn more about this.
Maybe she could ask Veronica how she did it but she doubted that the little girl would know any good ideas to help out Kitty. But the girl had told her that Sally, her grandmother, watched all these shows about talking to spirits and all that.
Kitty could always talk to Sally more about it. She considered Chase’s reaction when Veronica had first told Kitty about talking to her mother. She could tell he wasn’t really a firm believer that there were spirits all around them. She also could feel a hesitation on his part to talk more about it.
As far as Kitty was concerned it made Veronica more of a treasure than anything. Though she knew many people who would see the child as odd and maybe even mentally ill, she wasn’t one of them.
Maybe Chase was though, could he think his own daughter was mentally ill? If so he would have her put on medicines and they would surely shut down this skill she enjoyed. And in the long run it would also cut her off from her mother, leaving her without her special angel, as Veronica liked to call her mother. She wanted to make sure that Chase never did this to her, his daughter was a special person and she should always be encouraged to practice these skills.
