Red Dress

by Bridget Finklaire

  I urge you to have a full reading, asap, both of you.

  Loving kindness,

  Dinah xx

  PS - Given the charts, I’m assuming it’s a romance? Is he married? If so, I need his wife’s dob and full name.

  Sitting motionless, Katy could feel the enormity of Dinah’s words pressing against her. Reality had broad-sided her from nowhere and all she could do was blink at the screen. Oh, my God! What now? Her head was swimming.

  Scurrying to the mirror, she whispered “Hello?” Only the thumping of her heart could be heard. “Are you there?” Her eyes were transfixed as she waited. “Where are you?” She held her breath. A car drove by outside, and she returned to her emails. There was one from Tony. How on earth was she going to tell him? Her fingers trembled as she typed out her reply.

  Hello, Gorgeous!

  I love your little goodnight emails. You make me feel like a Goddess.

  I have something to tell you about the soul contract. We need to see Dinah asap. Let me know what works for you. She needs Lauren’s dob and full name. Don’t know why, but can you send it to her? Email dinah@Soulcontract.co.uk.

  I’ll tell you more on the phone!

  Can’t wait to see you, either! The only time I can eat is when I’m with you. Unless I’m holding your hand or standing within an inch of you, I feel like I’ve been cast adrift.

  Sweet dreams, my darling! Chat tomorrow.

  K xxxxxx

  Shanti would still be up, and she was bursting to tell someone. Checking the coast was clear, she shut the office door and dialed the number.

  “Wow! I told you! He’s been sent to you! Amazing news!”

  “I don’t want it getting back to Richard. It has to be hush, hush, okay?”

  “Of course. Mum’s the word.”

  “And I want to hear the full reading before I do anything.”

  “Absolutely!”

  “I’m going to be careful who I tell. Just my trusted inner circle for now.”

  “You going to tell Terry?”

  “Not yet, but I will.”

  Shanti changed the subject. “What about the MOSES meetings?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it, yeah.”

  “Your house is perfect. Easy to get to, fairly central and big enough for a small group.”

  “I could start in June, after our trip?”

  “To the conference? That’s not till the end of the month. Why not do a dummy run before we go?”

  “Could do. Need to check in with Richard. I’ll let you know.”

  “Okay. If you go ahead, I can help with invites.”

  “Thanks. Let’s chat again soon.”

  Katy had never felt so alive, riding this roller-coaster of a lifetime, with each twist more thrilling than the last.

  The laptop pinged. There was another mail from Tony.

  Hi, Gorgeous

  Sounds great. Could call you now if you’re free? Otherwise, chat tomorrow.

  Can do Thurs or Fri eve, or next Mon any time.

  Let me know.

  Have sent her Lauren’s details.

  Sweet dreams, Sexy.

  Love you. xxxxxx

  Thursday was already booked up with client work, so it would have to be Friday. Monday was too long to wait, and besides, it was Tilly’s birthday on Tuesday and she didn’t want a late night. Her heart was thumping as she rang Dinah. After running her through the reason for the reading, she confirmed Friday evening at 7 o’clock, then emailed Tony to let him know.

  Chapter 29

  Thursday 14th May, 2009 – a three day.

  Freddie had been complaining about the lack of food in the fridge and had left a shopping list. Richard had moaned that morning that his shirts hadn’t been ironed, and Tilly had left the kitchen looking like a team of chefs had been competing against the clock. Did they really own that many utensils?

  Having passed it by Richard, who had grunted, the inaugural MOSES meeting was scheduled for the following Friday, 22nd May, 2009: A two day (union), with the frequency of twenty-two, the Master Builder, and if you added two and two, it carried the vibration of four, grounded and practical. So far, ten people had been invited, and with Katy, that would make eleven, the first master number.

  Before leaving for town that morning, Katy checked her emails and noticed one from Dinah. She and Tony were to have two separate readings, for some reason. Dinah had scheduled one straight after the other.

  Just before 11 o’clock, Katy waltzed into the café in Little Venice. Tony was already waiting, and a broad grin stretched across his face as he saw her. She ran towards him, and he stood, scooping her up in his arms, and lifting her off her feet, before planting a kiss on her cheek. “Hello, Gorgeous! You smell divine, and you look hot!”

  “Had to run, train was a bit late.”

  He winked. “I didn’t mean that sort of hot!”

  They ordered a pot of Earl Grey and a flapjack.

  “Dinah’s confirmed tomorrow. We need two separate sessions.”

  “Why?”

  “I dunno, but I trust Dinah. We can ask her when we get there.”

  “I feel like I’m living in two worlds!” said Tony. “And I’m not sure which one’s real!”

  “I know what you mean. Nothing feels concrete right now! It’s driving me insane!”

  “A therapist going insane?” He laughed. “You’ll be hearing voices next!”

  Katy froze for a moment. “Actually, I’ve been hearing this Voice for a while!”

  “Oh, wow! Really? Tell me about it! What does it say?”

  Sighing with relief, she filled him in on the details, reassured by his nods and encouraging comments.

  “I feel like I’m in a film sometimes,” said Tony. “Except the director keeps changing the plot.”

  “And re-writing the ending! That’s how I feel too!”

  “I keep thinking I’m going to wake up!”

  “And realize it was all a dream!” They were both laughing. The tea and flapjack arrived, and Tony poured while Katy cut the snack in two.

  “I’m not sure how it’s all going to end,” she said.

  “Oh, I’m pretty certain I know! It’ll be with us, together, living out our lives in the most extraordinary way!” He leaned across and kissed her. “I was in the kitchen with Lauren last night. We were chopping vegetables, and I thought, if that was Katy, I’d walk across and stand behind her, put my arms around her, and kiss the nape of her neck.”

  Stroking his hand gently, she blushed. “Life is shifting gears in a way I didn’t expect. I’m not sure what to think. Everything was so mapped out and nailed down, and now it’s being ripped apart and tossed aside.”

  “Your eyes look stunning when you’re being dramatic, like that!”

  Looking up at him, she felt herself diving beneath the surface to a deeper world within.

  “Fancy going to Tate Modern? There’s an exhibition on – Russian Avant-Garde painting!”

  “Do we have time? I’d love to go!”

  Tony checked his watch. “Yeah, if we leave now, we should have a couple of hours!”

  Leaving the café, he opened the door for her, eyeing her bottom wobbling in the slim-fitting business skirt. “I had a dream about you this morning.”

  “Did you now?” She turned to give him a sultry look over her shoulder.

  “We were sitting at the kitchen table, reading the papers and drinking tea. You stood up, looked at me just like you did then, walked out of the kitchen towards the bedroom, and said ‘I’m wet’.” His grin widened.

  “I can just imagine where that dream went!”

  “Can’t we go to a hotel?”

  “No! I know it sounds old-fashioned, but I don’t want to cheat on Richard, I don’t want you cheating on Lauren either, and I don’t want sex in some crumby hotel.”

  “It doesn’t have to be crumby! I was thinking of somewhere romantic!”

  “I want to wait.”

  “I feel like I
’ve known you forever. We’ve only been seeing each other a short while, and it seems like months. It’s too long to wait!”

  “I know. Time’s elastic.”

  They worked out the best route to Bankside and boarded a train.

  “Let’s see what Dinah says tomorrow. I’ve confirmed 7 o’clock at hers. Still okay for you?”

  “Yep!”

  “I’ll meet you outside John Lewis at six.”

  Katy hadn’t been to a gallery in ages. Last time she’d visited Tate Modern, the kids had enjoyed it until Richard starting complaining about the pointlessness of modern art. It was so refreshing to be accompanied by someone who was genuinely open-minded. The morning flew by and neither wanted to tear themselves away.

  “Got to go. Clients!” she said, gently rubbing his lapels between her thumbs and forefingers.

  “Time really is relative! It feels like five minutes since we were in Little Venice!”

  “I know. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “It’ll seem like days till then.”

  Lingering a moment longer, he held her close, cradling her head against his shoulder. “I hate it when you go. Unless I’m actually touching you, I’m all at sea.”

  Client sessions went well that afternoon, with Katy managing to focus on something other than her current drama. As she left the building, her phone lit up. Three romantic text messages from Tony and a poetic voice mail. He called her at 9.30 pm, and they chatted until she reached Victoria. The walk had become a regular habit, and with the loss of appetite, she was only a few pounds off her target weight. A regimen of Harley Street, walking to Victoria, meditation in the evenings, and yoga in the mornings, was keeping her from cracking as the pressure mounted.

  Her phone buzzed.

  Went out for drink with work. Heading home. R x

  Oh no, the kids would have been on their own! Ringing the landline, it was Freddie who answered.

  “It’s alright, Mum. Tilly cooked. We had pasta.”

  “You’re okay on your own?”

  “Yeah! We’re not kids, you know! We’ve done our homework and eaten. I cleared up. The kitchen was a bit of a mess.”

  “Aww. Thanks, Freddie! What are you doing now?”

  “Just finished revising English. About to watch telly.”

  “Exam tomorrow? You in good shape?”

  “I think so.”

  “What about Tilly?”

  “She’s in her room.”

  “She okay?”

  “Yeah! She’s listening to music and painting her toenails black. She’s got an art exam, I think.”

  “Remember I’m out tomorrow evening?”

  “Yeah, I know. Your friend who does the contract thingies.”

  “Dinah, yes. I’m almost home. See you in ten. Love you.”

  Chapter 30

  Friday 15th May, 2009 – a twenty-two day (also carrying the frequency of four)

  Tony was waiting outside John Lewis in a pair of expensive chinos, a designer polo shirt, and a beautifully cut suit jacket. Katy wondered why she hadn’t noticed how gorgeous he was from the start. Hurrying towards him, he caught sight of her, a broad smile softening his face as he rushed to her side. They enveloped each other, clinging together, holding tight as if they were long-lost twins. He kissed her firmly on the lips, and a warm shiver ran through her.

  “Come on! We’ll get the tube. It’ll be quicker than the bus in this traffic,” she said, taking his arm. “How was your day?”

  Crammed onto a train, they stood, pressed against each other, canoodling without a care for the other commuters wedged around them. At Seven Sisters, they changed onto the over-ground and headed towards Stoke Newington. Between kissing, caressing each other, and giggling, they almost missed their stop.

  Walking out of the station, Tony looked curiously at the dirty, urban landscape. “Not exactly how I thought it would be!”

  “There are some lovely Victorian and Edwardian houses on these side streets. Dinah lives in one, well the top floor flat. It’s been converted.”

  Tony followed her as they crossed the busy main road and headed towards Dinah’s. Ten minutes later they were standing outside a bay-windowed, three-story, terraced house. Katy rang the doorbell, and a woman’s voice scratched through the intercom. The door buzzed and they mounted the steep staircase.

  After greeting Katy with a hug, Dinah turned to Tony. “You must be Anthony!” she said, holding out her hand. “How lovely to meet you!” Ushering them into the stark lounge, she offered them herbal tea.

  “I’ve had a look at both your charts, and I’ve got interesting news, but I want to talk to you separately,” Dinah said.

  “It’s okay, we don’t have anything to hide! Go ahead!” Tony took a sip of his ginger tea, as Katy nodded in approval. “Just carry on, Dinah!”

  “It’s not protocol. I’ve done a full personal reading for Tony, and I’ve also looked at his wife’s chart. I want Tony to be fully aware of the situation so he can make an informed choice. If you’re here, it could influence him unduly.”

  Katy’s heart sank. “Who should go first?”

  “It doesn’t matter, really.”

  “Lady’s first, my darling. I’ll go and find a café back on the High Street.” Tony got to his feet. “How long will you be?”

  “Should be done in an hour.”

  After kissing each other goodbye, he disappeared down the stairs.

  Dinah opened her folder of papers.

  “I want to go over your personal reading, just the salient points, then look again at your contract with Richard. Just so you’re refreshed and know where you stand.”

  Dinah reminded her of the reading she’d had just over six months ago, then pulled out another document. “Okay. This is the chart for you and Anthony. I’ve looked at his nickname, Tony, as well as ‘Katy’. We call them ‘overlay’ names.”

  As she was explaining the squiggles and numbers on the chart, Katy’s jaw dropped.

  “You and Richard had a pretty good contract, but your relationship with Tony is dynamite! It’s an incredible match. The sort of thing you don’t see very often, in fact, I’ve never seen it, and I’ve been doing these charts for years.”

  Katy almost choked on her tea. Dinah fetched a glass of water from the small kitchen.

  “Katy, this man is going to be holding the space for you, literally holding you while you step into the next phase of life,” said Dinah, pausing to let it sink in. “He’ll be helping you in a very practical way to ground yourself, to get out of your head and into your body. He’s going to support your transition into the life you were meant to live. Oh, my goodness, Katy!” The gravitas of what she was saying needed to be hit home. Her voice was calm, measured, precise. “He’s going to help you step into your power and sovereignty, so you can do what you came here to do.”

  The information was too much for Katy. Her breathing was shallow, and she felt giddy, as if she might faint. “Be careful what you ask for,” she said in a monotone. “I’ve been asking to know my true purpose, and how to fulfil it.” She could feel a migraine coming on and massaged her forehead with her fingertips. “And I’ve been asking for a loving, passionate relationship with my husband, but I didn’t specify Richard.”

  Dinah gave her time. “I can’t tell you what to do or advise you either way. If you want a loving and passionate relationship with Richard, it’s still in your power to create it.”

  “Sounds like you were going to say ‘but’!”

  “But you may not be able to fulfil your purpose, and I’m not sure you’d be able to break free of Tony! There’s a karmic lock in the physical. It means you can’t get out of it easily.”

  “Get out of what?”

  “I don’t know. Something’s binding you together.”

  “Could it be to do with our work?”

  “I don’t know! It could be, I suppose, or maybe it’s designed to make you stay together? But I honestly can’t tell.”

&
nbsp; “Tell me truthfully, Dinah, is my contract with Tony better than the one with Richard?”

  “Better isn’t really the word. You’ve got to see the contract as a potential. And yes, the potential is greater, but that’s at soul level. Only you can decide what’s better for you in your life, at this level!”

  “Anything else I need to know?”

  “It’s a contract. You have to play your part too. You’re here to introduce him to a higher spiritual path, a wider understanding, and lead him to his true destiny. He’s not on the right path for his soul right now.”

  Katy was frowning as she tried to pull it all together and weigh it up. “What about Lauren?”

  “I’ll talk to Tony about her. It’s his wife, and it’s not for me to divulge, but he can tell you if he wants to.”

  Katy sighed.

  “What you do with the information is entirely up to you,” said Dinah. “All I can tell you is the likelihood of two people having similar, mirroring numerology like this, is about a billion to one! This couldn’t have happened by chance. You changed your name and it shifted something. The Forces that Be are maneuvering you into position.”

  “What should I do?”

  “Go away and think about it. Talk to someone you trust. Only you can decide.”

  “It all seems too incredible!”

  “It is! It’s unbelievable!”

  “But it is true?”

  “I’m just as baffled as you, but the reading is true. I’ve double-checked, and so has Tree.”

  After going over the finer details, the reading was complete. The doorbell rang, and Dinah buzzed Tony in. They could hear his footsteps climbing the stairs before he entered the lounge. “How did it go?”

  “Brilliant! I’ll leave you to it,” she said, giving him a hug and peck on the cheek. “About an hour?”