Destined

by Gail Cleare

  Gupta said that Wanda told him she had an appointment down the street, at a restaurant. She said a very nice man named Mr. Sun had offered her a full-time job working there. There was an apartment upstairs that might be available too. She said that one of the family’s children was apparently moving out.

  When I heard this, I immediately called Mei’s cell phone number, which was programmed into mine. I told her what Gupta had said. She confirmed that he had hired a new waitress, and that she had told her parents she was moving out of their building. What she hadn’t told them yet, was that she was planning to move in with Rocco across the street.

  “When are you going to tell them?” I asked.

  “I don’t know, it better be soon. I just can’t get up the nerve.”

  “What does Rocco say about it?”

  “He says, why not just elope and get it over with!” she said, and we both laughed.

  I wished her luck and said I would see her at Mindy’s Pilates class on Friday. When the exercise class was over and we women all gathered around the coffee bar, I told everyone what had happened with Gupta and Amy’s mother.

  Laurie looked at me knowingly and said, “See! I told you so! The Tarot works.” Silver crescent moon earrings glinted in her tousled hair, partially stuffed up on top of her head with a scrunchy, the rest of it falling down in reddish-brown tendrils.

  “Yes,” said Siri, frowning, “I had forgotten the reading we did about Amy’s mother!”

  “The woman sick in bed, with swords or bars around her, remember? And the final outcome card…wasn’t it The Sun?” Laurie reminded us.

  “Mr. Sun, Mei’s father! Of course! You said, they would find safety and happiness,” I recalled, impressed.

  “Yeah, and all the sushi they can eat, right?” said Bella, and we all laughed.

  “Perfect!” I said, “I’m sure it’s a very healthy diet, right Mei?”

  Mei said, “They say that fish oil makes you happy, but it doesn’t seem to be working on my father. He is very pissed off at me right now.” She shook her head sadly. She was dressed all in black today, and looked as tiny and trim as a teenaged girl.

  “Why is that, honey?” asked Alyssia, rubbing her back comfortingly. A fall of a dozen little silver bracelets decorated her arm, shining in contrast with her glowing dark brown skin. She wore a long purple sweater over her black leggings, and her hair was beautifully done in a million tiny braids.

  “Oh, my boyfriend and I told him we want to get married!” Mei told us. “My parents went crazy, you should have seen it. My mother was crying, and sobbing, and my father—he nearly went through the roof!”

  “But, why don’t they want you to get married?” asked Mindy quietly, her expressive face showing sympathy and concern.

  “Wait a minute,” said Bella, “I didn’t know you were even seeing anybody, you sneak!” She poked Mei in the ribs playfully. Mei smiled and gave us a sly look.

  “Who is it?” asked Laurel, guessing. She looked at me. “Emily knows! Don’t you?”

  I just shrugged my shoulders, smiling enigmatically, or so I hoped.

  “Yes, she caught us once, at the movies. OK, it’s Rocco Sorrentino,” Mei confessed.

  “Oooh!” or “Ahhh!” they all said, nodding their heads in unanimous approval.

  “That is one sexy man, you are a lucky girl!” Bella complimented her.

  “But, why do they object to him?” Alyssia asked. “He has a very good business, doesn’t he? And he’s not married, right?”

  “My parents are very old-fashioned,” said Mei sadly, “They don’t approve of mixed marriages.”

  Alyssia threw back her head and laughed, a hearty musical sound. “Honey,” she said, “This is the 21st century! They’d better get with the program!”

  “Yes,” said Siri, “My father had some concern when I wanted to marry Tom, but he got over it quickly. He knew that Tom is a good man, and would be a good husband.”

  “Well I wish he could convince my parents to lighten up,” sighed Mei. “I’m afraid they’ll kick me out of the partnership we formed to start the restaurant.”

  “What do your brothers and your sister think about it?” I asked.

  “They are more modern, they grew up here. And they like Rocco. But still, my oldest brother is very mad at me for making this trouble in the family. They prefer a nice smooth road! And I can’t blame them,” Mei said with a guilty expression on her delicate face.

  “So, what are you going to do?” asked Mindy.

  “I guess we are going ahead with it. He wants to tell his parents tonight! I hope they don’t react the same way!”

  “Somehow, I doubt it,” I said. “Especially if you tell Josie you want to make babies as soon as possible!”

  “Yes,” said Siri earnestly, “There is nothing like having a child on the way to pull people together.” She smoothed her oversized T-shirt down over her belly unconsciously, with a little smile. Laurie and I saw her do it, and exchanged glances.

  “Something you want to tell us, sweetie?” Laurie asked her, putting her arm around Siri’s shoulders and giving her a squeeze.

  Siri patted her belly and smiled again, nodding. We all cheered and danced. Siri laughed and joined hands with Bella, who swept her around in circles.

  “When are you due?” asked Alyssia, kissing her warmly on the cheek and giving her a hug.

  “In the spring, early April we think.”

  “Holy cow,” said Bella, “You people are gonna be crammed into that apartment like sardines!”

  “Yes, it is a concern,” Siri said, not looking concerned at all. “We are going to need to look for another place. I hope we don’t have to move too far away!”

  I had a brilliant brainstorm.

  “How about, right here?” I asked. They all turned to stare at me. “You can move in upstairs, and then we won’t have to worry about leaving Henry by himself any more!”

  It was obviously the perfect solution for everyone. The apartment on the third floor was nearly twice the size of the rooms the Rodgers family now occupied, and with the addition of a stove and refrigerator, it would be instantly habitable. And then, Tony and I could sleep where we wanted to! I loved this idea.

  “Oh, I don’t know Emily, do you think Henry would want us underfoot?” Siri asked hopefully. “The children can be very noisy! And the baby will cry.”

  “Yes, but think of the advantages. You can feed him, Tom could help with the upkeep on the building, and Gupta would be handy for a game of chess whenever Henry gets bored,” I said confidently.

  “Yeah,” said Bella with a wink, “And, you’d never have to worry about being late for work again, right? We can just get Henry some nice comfy ear plugs.”

  “Leave it to me, Siri. I’ll speak to him about it,” I said.

  And so I did, as soon as everyone packed up their things and went off to work or home. Henry was at the computer, but he came over and sat down with me when I asked for his attention. Tree was curled up in the reading chair, and let out a sleepy “Mmrrr?” when I picked him up. After Henry sat down, I put the cat on his lap. Tree immediately tucked his nose under his tail and went right back to sleep. I told Henry that Siri was expecting another baby in the spring.

  “Splendid!” he exclaimed enthusiastically. “I hope that doesn’t mean we’re going to lose her?”

  “Well, I was thinking the opposite, actually,” I stalled, trying to put this the right way. “She wants to keep working, but some things would have to change.”

  “Very good! Hours and such…?”

  “I suppose, but Bella and I can work around that. I was thinking about their apartment.”

  “Hm, yes? What about it? Never been there.”

  “It’s just a two bedroom, Henry.”

  “Oh. Ah ha. A bit on the small side, right? I see your line of thought,” he frowned, thinking swiftly. “Yes, well, don’t suppose they’d like to…hm…” He looked at me expectantly, and said, “You’re thi
nking of upstairs?”

  I nodded. He looked startled.

  “There are two small children and a baby on the way,” I said firmly. “It would not be quiet here anymore, you need to know that.”

  The old man stared into space for a few minutes, apparently thinking it over. Then his eyes softened.

  “Emily, do you know what this means to me?”

  “What, Henry?”

  “To have children living here, after all these years, all the years of hoping? It’s been quiet far too long, my dear!” the old man said, wiping away a tear. “And, a baby, Emily! Can you believe it? What luck!”

  “So, I take it you are OK with the idea? Can I tell Siri?” I asked, smiling a bit tearfully myself.

  “Oh yes, please do. I should probably meet with her, and her husband, don’t you think? To make them the offer? What do you think about rent? I’d just as soon make it a trade for housekeeping and building maintenance, you know,” he said thoughtfully. “I really could use the help. And now that we’re going to make our own power, we’ll have plenty of heat and hot water for the whole building!” He looked very excited and beamed at me happily. “Send Siri up to see me when you get a chance, would you? No time like the present!”

  “Carpe diem?”

  “Absolutely! Wouldn’t Margaret be pleased, Emily? A baby in the house, at last.” He looked starry-eyed, stroking the cat absentmindedly.

  I left him daydreaming and went down to tell Siri. She laughed and hugged me, very excited. Then she grabbed the store phone and called Tom at work.

  “He’ll be over at lunch time!” she said, hanging up the phone. “Let’s go up there for a minute before we have to open, I want to see it again.”

  We snuck up the back stairs and slipped into the doorway that led to the third floor. Upstairs, she walked slowly through the space, looking carefully and calculating where her furniture might fit. There would be a bedroom for Siri and Tom, another for her son, and another for the two younger children, plus a separate room for Gupta, who could have the study. There was a big livingroom with a fireplace, and a separate dining room. The kitchen was grubby, but could easily be painted and given a new floor. Only one bathroom for this number of people was a drawback, but we reminded ourselves that there were three other bathrooms in the building, one of which was right downstairs.

  We joined hands in the middle of the bare, hardwood, livingroom floor and spun around, laughing. “I love it!” Siri said, “Thank you so much Emily.”

  “I didn’t do anything.”

  “Yes, you did.”

  “Well, it will be good for all of us, don’t you think?”

  She nodded and asked me quietly, “Did you know all of this was coming, the first day we met, on the street?”

  “Huh?”

  “You offered me your friendship, then you offered me a job, and now, a home,” she said, somewhat shyly. “You have completely transformed my life, Emily.”

  “And you mine, Siri. You brought me to Bella, and the others. We have all transformed each other, haven’t we?”

  “Yes,” she said, “It’s true. And my father is like a new man. He takes such an interest in things now, now that he has his friend Henry to discuss it with.”

  “Friendship is just as important as sex, don’t you think?” I asked as we went back down the stairs to the second floor landing.

  “Absolutely!” she agreed.

  “Men are wonderful, but they’re only good at certain things,” I said as we stood in the hallway.

  “I heard that!” Henry’s voice rang out from the study.

  “Of course,” I said loudly, “They are essential for their wisdom and generosity!”

  “Send her in!” came the voice again. “And be warned, I brook no sycophants!”

  “Yes, Henry,” I said, winking at Siri, who swayed gracefully as she walked down the hall to beard our noble old lion in his cozy den.

  Tony approved heartily of the new arrangement when I told him about it that night. He had been over to the University for a second interview at the School of Management. They hadn’t offered him the job yet, but things looked promising. He had met several of the faculty members, and had observed a couple of classes. He was thinking about it. It would mean a big change in his lifestyle, after having been self-employed for over a decade.

  “I’m not used to reporting to anyone else,” he said, worried. “I’m not sure I could stand all the paperwork. It’s been a long time since I was part of the corporate world, working for a big organization.”

  “Well then, don’t do it,” I said. We were lying nested like spoons on the big brown leather couch in front of a sweet crackling apple-wood fire in the fireplace, thanks to a limb that had fallen in the little orchard at the back of the yard.

  “Is it that simple?” he said.

  “Yes, you don’t need to do it for some reason, do you?”

  “Only intellectually, not financially.”

  “You need it intellectually?” I asked, surprised.

  “I suppose so. I have always been very attracted to the ‘life of the mind,’” he mused.

  I remembered what Henry had said about Tony being a natural scholar.

  “Well then, maybe you should do it,” I said, spontaneously flipping my argument.

  “You don’t care?” he asked.

  “Me?”

  “Yes.”

  “What have I got to do with it?” I demanded.

  “Quite a lot, actually. If you wanted to.”

  “Oh! Well, I think you should do whatever makes you happy, Tony.”

  “You don’t care if your husband has a nice, steady job with good benefits?”

  “My what?”

  He was silent for a beat.

  “Your husband?” he said.

  I was silent for a beat.

  “My husband,” I said, stressing the word, “Had better know that I want him to do something he is passionate about, not just something with good benefits.”

  I twisted around on the couch to discuss this interesting topic face to face. He was smiling at me fondly.

  “I suppose there are good benefits to being passionate, as well?” he said, kissing me.

  “Absolutely,” I said, kissing him back.

  “Emily?”

  “Yes?”

  “I think we ought to get rid of your apartment,” he said. “It’s very wasteful for two people and a cat to take up so much space, don’t you think?”

  “You have a point.”

  “Are you ready to sacrifice your independence?”

  “Yes, I think so. Are you?” I asked.

  “Sweetheart,” he said, “I gave that up the day I saw you sitting on the bench in the park with your eyes closed, basking in the sun like a beautiful lioness.”

  “You did? And all this time, I’ve been trying to entrap you!”

  “No, that’s just what you thought. In fact, it was I who was trapping you.”

  We smiled at each other, both of us caught at last, all defenses defeated and finally safe together in blissful mutual captivity. I felt liberated and empowered in a way I had never felt before. I could totally be myself. So this was what it felt like to surrender to trust, to give up fear of betrayal! It was like walking out into the sunlight after living in the shadows for as long as I could remember. I basked in it, like the beautiful lioness I had somehow become, thanks to his vision and its power to manifest in me.

  Judgment

  SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

  Description: Men, women and children rise from their graves, awakened by the horn of the angel Gabriel, who calls them home to Paradise.

  Meaning: Spiritual awakening. Answering the call to a higher level of wisdom. Release from prison or the bonds of materialistic thinking.

  In the course of living happily ever after, which is exactly what Tony and I proceeded to do next, my fresh new positive attitude and a constant feeling of exhilaration led me to a host of interesting realizations. I was fearle
ss and balanced inside, so I was looking at the world with more confidence, and I think I was even less distracted, paying more attention. It was an awakening. The lioness was alive and well, poised to pounce, and I threw myself enthusiastically into various soul-enriching projects.

  Siri and I both moved, late that fall, and we were all settling into our new homes and getting comfortable with the space. Siri’s belly was starting to pop out, and she happily indulged her nesting instinct as she painted and decorated the rooms on the third floor. Tom and the kids left their shoes at the bottom of the back stairs, and tried not to stomp on the floor, but there were lots of cute little giggles everywhere. Gupta was upstairs and down, offering help wherever it was needed. He liked to polish the brass and silver, and the store never looked better. He protested that he was doing Siri’s lamps anyhow, so it was no trouble, but I knew that wasn’t entirely true and I was grateful to him. He was extremely helpful, and we all told him so.

  When I was moving the last of my things over to the house by the park, I stood in my empty apartment and looked up through the skylight, remembering all the nights, all the moons and all the dreams. Just as I was about to unplug it, the phone rang. It was Mom.

  “Hi honey, how is the move going?”

  “Pretty well, I’m almost done. How are you?”

  “Great! I got in nine holes of golf this morning, it’s gorgeous down here!”

  “That’s good, Mom.”

  “So, you’re still sure about this, Emily?”

  “Yes, very sure.”

  “OK, honey, I trust your judgment.”

  “Thank you for saying so, I appreciate that.”

  “I can’t wait to meet him,” she said confidingly, “The girls at the club were all swooning over his picture, he’s a real Dream Boat!”

  I grinned at that, and made a mental note to tell Tony what she’d said.

  “Mom, I was just about to turn off this phone, so you should call me at the new number or on my cell from now on, OK?”

  “Sure thing, honey. Just checking in. I’ll let you go now, love you!”