but, mercury's not in retrograde!

by McCarthy, G. L.

  Tossing and turning, Alex finally fell into a deep dream sleep after midnight. She found herself walking along a path amongst tall trees. The sounds of birds singing and gently running water filled the air. As she approached the little stream, she eyed a wolf with two small pups. The wolf was watching them play together, but then one of the pups took off running into the undergrowth leaving the little girl pup all alone. She paced back and forth looking for her friend. She tried to play with the large wolf, but he was too busy digging a new den, so she laid down and started to whimper. As Alex approached, the large wolf stopped his digging and watched her with great interest, but didn’t move towards her. The little girl pup ran towards her hoping to play. Alex found a little stick to throw, and the pup raced after it and returned it. Alex felt the need to move along, but the pup didn’t want her to go. The large wolf moved in front of Alex so she couldn’t leave, so she turned to go back the way she came. Again the wolf blocked her path; he was keeping her there so she would play with his little girl. Alex tried to explain that she needed to leave, but each time her path was blocked until the other pup came running back and the little girl pup ran off to play. Alex was then allowed to leave. As she turned, she saw a dark figure in the bushes ahead. She was being watched again, by someone or something. Her overall feeling changed. She hadn’t been afraid of the wolf, but now had the same unsettling feeling she had when Richard Greenway had been around. Walking towards the figure, she jumped back as a black raven came up at her and then flew away screeching the entire time. Alex woke up with her heart racing and realized she needed to remember this dream. Anna and Ramon were trying to tell her something but she would have to think about what it all meant. She would have preferred a nice simple conversation explaining everything to her. But sometimes spirits prefer to be cryptic in their explanations and make you work for the answer.

  Chapter 23

  Awakening to the sound of the phone, Alex didn’t realize how late it was. Looking at the clock, as she went to answer it, she realized it was after ten. Cyn was reporting in, as requested, with news of her scheduled date with TJ. They were meeting at eleven-thirty for coffee and possibly lunch, if Cyn didn’t freeze up too much. Alex was thrilled and wished her good luck as well as a request to have TJ come by. Cyn confirmed that was part of their plan for the day, regardless of whether they had lunch or not. She said she would give her a heads up when they were on their way to her place.

  Alex was feeling a bit uneasy. Her dream had two meanings. One a parent doing what he thought was best for his offspring and, although a little threatening, not any real danger was felt. The other meaning went off in another direction altogether and brought back that bad feeling she had when Richard Greenway was watching her and leaving gifts. Alex got dressed and made breakfast while talking to herself about what the dream meant. A rather simple explanation was, that the father wolf could be Roy Spicer, the little girl pup was TJ. The other pup could be her brother or her last girlfriend leaving her. Dad was trying to get his daughter another girlfriend or at least just a friend. Cyn did have a rainbow sticker on her car so if he knew his daughter was gay he must have realized Cyn was gay too. Okay, so he replaces the parts in his shop, knowing new parts would be easier to quickly loosen at school while he was making a delivery. Then, when Cyn couldn’t start her car, she would call her mechanic who would send his adorable and available daughter, TJ, to the rescue. Thinking back, this would have worked if Alex hadn’t fixed the problem herself the first time. And the second time, the tow truck had been called, one of the guys in maintenance corrected the problem and the tow had been cancelled. The last problem was the starter wire which had been loosened but it was not as obvious as the battery cable. If the guys hadn’t been so thorough in checking, they may not have found it and then Roy’s plan would have worked. But what did the raven mean and why did she get that creepy feeling back? If Alex could get TJ alone she wanted to run it all by her and talk candidly about Cyn. Maybe a coffee date of their own was in order to discuss the times of these events and to see if TJ had her schedule changed from her usual hours so she would be available to help Cyn. If that was the plan, Roy Spicer was a sweet guy, even if he didn’t realize what anxiety he put Cyn and Alex through.

  Alex spent what little time she had left of her morning unpacking, washing, and putting her stuff away. The kitchen had plenty of cupboard space and everything found a home, so nothing had to be stored in the garage. Looking at the time, Alex wondered what Cyn and TJ were talking about on their coffee date since it was after twelve. As she continued her work, she sent out good vibes to her friend and hoped she was having a good time.

  Cyn was wishing that Alex had been sitting next to her. TJ was so cute and those big blue eyes were a constant distraction which didn’t help her while she was trying to have an intelligent conversation. She kept losing her train of thought, which then made her sound like an idiot, as she tried to remember where she was going in the discussion. She figured TJ must be desperate for friends as well as a possible girlfriend since she continued to sit there and listen politely.

  TJ could tell Cyn was nervous and thought it was very cute how much she wanted to make a good impression. She had been much more confident when she had her friend Alex sitting next to her at dinner last night, but now she seemed somewhat distracted. Hopefully she could talk to Alex and see what she needed to do to get Cyn to relax around her. Watching this poor girl fumble through a conversation was painful, but endearing.

  Cyn picked up her cell phone and luckily was able to remember how it worked!.

  “Hey, Alex, I’m just calling to tell you we’re on our way.” Cyn was glad they were taking separate cars, so she didn’t have to talk on the drive over. She needed a break to regroup.

  “I’m ready. How’s it going? Can you talk or is she standing right next to you?” Alex could hear something in Cyn’s voice.

  “Yes, we’re coming in separate cars so TJ can hang out as long as she wants to.” Cyn figured Alex would get her point.

  “Okay, call me when you’re in your car, if you can.” Alex started to think about things to do when they arrived so she could do all the talking.

  During the half hour Alex had before her company showed up, she straightened up the house. It looked good. Putting her cell phone in her pocket, she headed for the garage, but if Cyn hadn’t called her by now she probably wasn’t going to. She started breaking down boxes so it would look nice and uncluttered, then moved on to the workroom. This was going to take some thought to organize and put all her tools away. It was only a few minutes before she heard cars coming up her gravel road.

  “Hey you two, did you eat?” Alex had some leftovers in the fridge. But she had a plan for getting TJ alone, if Cyn went along with it.

  “No. We sure didn’t. Are you inviting us to lunch?’ TJ spoke right up feeling very comfortable around Alex.

  “Yes, but Cyn will have to go get it because we’ll need her Hibachi. And if she’s going to go get her Hibachi then she might as well go to the store and get us something to grill like chicken, steak or salmon. What do you say, Cyn, are you up to the task?” Alex could tell by the look on Cyn’s face that she loved the idea.

  “Oh sure, no problem. I have charcoal. So what do you two want to eat?” Cyn figured this afternoon may not be a total disaster after all.

  “I’ll take a steak, and how about grabbing some potatoes and a couple of large onions we can grill too.” Alex could cook, but preferred to be cooked for.

  “I’ll take a steak and the rest sounds great too.” TJ spotted Alex’s truck in the garage and headed for it. “Alex, do you mind if I look under the hood?”

  “No problem. Help yourself.” Alex motioned to Cyn to follow her into the house. “Let me make you a list.”

  Inside, Cyn spilled her guts on how the coffee date was a total disaster. She had made a fool out of herself stumbling around the conversation because TJ had such gorgeous eyes. She had wished so much that Alex had
been there to carry the conversation like she did last night. Alex told her to calm down and think of TJ as a married woman, out of reach, so there was nothing to get worked up about. Making a list and handing Cyn some money, Alex told her to take her time as she wanted to talk to TJ and it would be easier for her to answer the questions if Cyn wasn’t around. Cyn agreed and said she would go to the store by way of Siberia. Alex winked at her and told her not to worry all would work out the way it was supposed to. Now Alex just hoped this was the way it was supposed to work out. After walking Cyn to her car and telling her to drive carefully, Alex headed for the garage. TJ had her head under the hood and didn’t hear Cyn leave.

  “So, what do you think?” Alex went to the opposite side of her truck so as not to crowd her. But couldn’t help but notice how nice TJ’s hands were. It was obvious she must wear gloves while she worked.

  “This is so cool. Look at it. It’s so simple and clean no wires and hoses running all over the place. No wonder my dad likes working on the old cars.” TJ would love to strip it down and paint every piece of it, not to mention adding chrome wherever possible.

  “I’m glad you like it. How did the coffee date go?” Alex wanted to know now if Cyn was heading for a fall.

  “I think Cyn is adorable, but if we have to take you along on all our dates, I’ll never get to first base.” Smiling, TJ knew Alex would understand her frustration.

  “Get in and let’s talk.” Alex lowered the hood and got in on the passenger’s side.

  “This is so cool. Simple, but cool.” TJ touched all the gauges as she got comfortable behind the wheel.

  “Okay, TJ, I’m going to be totally honest with you and I hope I can trust you, but if you tell Cyn I’ll have your head.” Alex wanted to test TJ and this was the only way she could think of and get immediate results.

  “I swear whatever you tell me will stay between the two of us.” TJ was ready for anything.

  “Cyn is one of the sweetest women I’ve ever met. She’s very intelligent and just as shy. She needs a girlfriend who can look out for her, but not smother her a buddy who can also be a lover when the time is right. She will do anything for you, but if you hurt her, she’ll be devastated and I will kill you. Do you understand?” Alex was smiling, but serious.

  “Yes, and I wish I had a friend like you looking out for me.” TJ could hear the love in Alex’s voice as she spoke of her friend. She hoped to someday win the same love and devotion from Alex.

  “You will, but earning it comes first. Just be patient with Cyn and joke around with her. She’s so afraid of blowing it with you, that she’s blowing it. But let me ask you this, does she have what you’re looking for in a girlfriend if she would just loosen up?” Alex thought that getting to the truth right off the bat would be a good idea and save time in the long run.

  “Sure. I can see all of Cyn’s qualities, but they only come out when she feels safe and she only feels safe when she’s with you. Did something happen between you two, were you lovers?” TJ needed to know if Cyn was still pining for Alex.

  “Cyn helped save my life when Sally Jennings stuck me with the injection she meant for herself. Cyn and Frederick kept me from falling down the ravine when the hillside collapsed.” Alex had to think quick on how to avoid telling the real story.

  “Who’s Frederick?” TJ thought she should keep up on current events more.

  “Frederick is a dear friend and the janitor at Taylorwood. I don’t know what I would have done without his help at school.” Thinking about Frederick stealing the evidence from Richard Greenway’s desk and his knowledge of Richard’s past, she knew she couldn’t have confronted his mother without him.

  “Wow, so you and Cyn are really tight. No wonder she looks to you so much.” TJ wanted to hear the whole story about the attempted suicide, but figured they would tell her someday.

  “I would have trusted Cyn with my life before and now there’s no question of it. You can have the same devotion if you just treat her like the most precious thing in your life. That should do it.” Smiling, Alex didn’t want to scare TJ off.

  “I understand and I will try my best to prove to her I’m worthy.” TJ realized she needed to go slow if she wanted positive results and she definitely wanted positive results.

  “Now that I can trust you I need to tell you something else that’s been happening to Cyn. It’s not life threatening, but it’s been disturbing only because of something else that had been happening at school to me and now to Cyn’s car.” Alex took a deep breath and hoped TJ could absorb all that she was going to tell her.

  Starting with the first day of school, Alex filled her in on the gifts she’d been given, the tampering with Cyn’s car and then confronting Mrs. Greenway with her son’s activities. She thought everything was fine when she left for New Mexico, but she got a call from Cyn one day while she was waiting on a tow truck because her car wouldn’t start. That was on Tuesday, the twenty-ninth of October. It happened again on Thursday the seventh of this month. The first time was a simple fix, but something that would take a mechanic or someone who knew cars to fix. But the last two times Richard Greenway was supposed to be long gone. Plus, she had spotted the white F-150 watching the house. Then Alex told TJ about her dream and wondered if it was possible it could be her father, Roy, trying to get her and Cyn together. Waiting for TJ to explode at her far out accusation, Alex sat quietly as the young woman thought about what had just been said to her.

  “That old fool. I could kill him. I can say for a fact that he had me work over at the garage on both days you mentioned. But those were the only times, and he does drive a white F-150 just like mine only a year older. We actually live in this same area, but when did it happen the first time?” TJ loved her father very much, but sometimes his meddling in her life made her want to scream.

  “Well it was about a month after school started, so the middle of October.” Alex was beginning to understand the dream now. Could the first event have nothing to do with these currents ones?

  “The middle of October I was gone on vacation for three weeks. It doesn’t seem to fit your theory. I’m not saying it wasn’t him, but why would he do it if I wasn’t around?” TJ didn’t see the sense in it.

  “You’re right, and my dream was about two different topics. Somehow the first tampering isn’t linked to your father. But then what was Richard Greenway thinking by messing with Cyn’s car?” Alex wanted to think all of this was over.

  “Well, not to freak you out, but could it have been someone else? Did any of the other gay teachers at school run into this kind of trouble during the same time?” TJ had run into a few homophobes in her life here in Hastings.

  “No, we never even asked the other teachers. No one said anything so we just assumed they hadn’t, but then we didn’t tell anyone about our troubles either.” Alex felt horrible that maybe someone else had gone through this alone, as she had Cyn and Frederick to talk to about it all. Cyn had this same question. Why didn’t she think of it, too?

  “Well, maybe tomorrow you should ask around and if someone else had troubles then maybe you all could put your heads together and figure out who it could be. As for my father, I need to have a little chat with him about meddling in my life.” TJ was furious with him, but also wanted to give him a big hug and thank him for trying.

  “Now don’t go off on your father. He was just trying to get you a girlfriend in a very sneaky, unthinking way. Try to ease into the conversation, like tell him of your date with Cyn and how someone has been messing with her car and does he have any idea who that person could be. Kind of question him, but with a smile on your face.” Alex could see how pissed off TJ was and hoped she was right about Roy’s part in all this.

  “I want to apologize for my father’s actions. I guess I have been in such a foul mood these last two months he figured he needed to do something. I just didn’t think he would do something so drastic.” TJ realized her moods had to be affecting her father too.


  “Why have you been in a foul mood? Just asking, you don’t need to tell me.” Alex could only imagine being single for a long time would put anyone in a bad mood.

  “Feeling sorry for myself. Wondering why God would put a lesbian in an area where there aren’t any lesbians for miles and miles. Blaming everyone in my life for my problems. If my last girlfriend hadn’t run off with another woman, I wouldn’t be single now. You know, nothing is my fault kind of thinking.” TJ didn’t want to look at Alex at that moment, as she figured she would agree with her.

  “Did it ever occur to you that you weren’t meant to be with your ex? She was someone you were to learn from about relationships and what can go wrong. You are still looking for your soul mate who could be just around the corner or down the road a bit more. If you believe in fate, then believe that she is out there looking for you, too.” Alex was telling TJ all this, but it was for her benefit too.