Forever

by Rachel Maldonado

  Alex picked up the box and read it over. “Are you sure she should be playing with that thing? I've heard awful stories about these types of games.”

  Meghan nodded as she was ironing Alex's uniform. “Yeah, I'm not so sure we should mess with that. What if we open doors we can't close?”

  Willie opened up the box and set the board and planchette on the coffee table. “Don't be silly. If it was dangerous, would they still be selling it at toy stores? That's where I bought it.”

  “Yeah, Moms.” She tried to reassure both Alex and Meghan. “I'm sure it's fine. Let's play.” She sat down on the carpet in front of the coffee table and crossed her legs.

  Alex and Meghan sat down on the sofa directly in front of her beside Willie who was eager to play. They all placed their fingers on the planchette, and didn't feel it move.

  “What do we do now?” asked Aleghany.

  “We're supposed to ask it questions to see if there are any spirits here. If there are, then they will answer.”

  “Spirits?” inquired Aleghany. “You mean ghosts?”

  Willie nodded. “Yes, but not all spirits are bad.”

  In Willie's own strange way, she was trying to bring Alex some closure. Maybe she thought if they could somehow contact Sheryl that Alex would know that she was okay and in a better place having to no longer endure pain and illness.

  “Are there any spirits here?” asked Aleghany.

  At first the planchette was still, but after a few seconds it began to slowly move to the word 'Yes.'

  “There's someone here!” shouted Aleghany excitedly.

  Meghan felt goose bumps go up and down her arms and down her back. She wondered why Aleghany wasn't afraid.

  “Who's here?” asked Aleghany.

  The planchette moved first to the letter J, then slowly to the letter O.

  Meghan felt the blood drain from her face.

  “What's J. O.? Do we know anyone with those initials?” asked Aleghany.

  “I don't think we should play anymore,” said Meghan worried.

  “Don't take your fingers off,” said Willie. “We're supposed to all keep our fingers on the board.”

  “Is there anyone else here?” asked Aleghany.

  The planchette went back to the word 'Yes.'

  “Who's here?” asked Aleghany.

  The planchette swirled around in circles over and over, but it didn't land on any letters.

  “Who's here?” asked Willie with a more demanding, forceful tone than Aleghany.

  The planchette first went to the letter C, then to the letter L. It swirled back toward the letter C to land on the A, then clear across the board again to land on the U.

  Willie's eyes were starting to open wider as she realized what was being spelled out. Meghan felt her heart sink as she recalled the story Alex had once told her many years ago about the woman that had lived in the house with her husband Joseph and her lover Harriet. The memory became as clear as the day the story was told to her. But she hadn't recalled the woman's name. Joseph, Harriet, and who was the wife?

  The planchette swirled quickly to the letter D, then the I, then finally to the letter A. C-L-A-U-D-I-A!

  Upon seeing the letters, Meghan realized who it was! The wife's name was Claudia! She had hung herself in the yard from a tree and her spirit remained in the home just like Alex had told her so many years before!

  “That's it,” said Meghan removing her hands from the planchette. “I don't want to play anymore.”

  “But mom!” shouted Aleghany. “Don't you want to see who these people are, and why they're here?”

  Meghan rose from where she was seated and excused herself to lie down in the bedroom. She wondered once more if she had done the right thing by allowing Willie back in her life. She'd always been the trouble maker, the one to do something hasty or foolish then live to regret it, and she hadn't changed. Her time in the service hadn't changed her. That's what she had initially thought when she got back from her time in the army, and now she still felt that it rang true. Willie was still as immature and irresponsible as ever, and she hated it when it involved situations that had to do with her daughter.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  When Willie went home that night, Meghan decided that she wanted to have a talk with Alex. She knocked on her door softly after she tucked Aleghany into bed for the night.

  “Come in,” said Alex. She had already changed into a T-shirt and shorts to sleep in. She was sitting on her bed reading a book.

  Meghan entered and sat at the edge of the bed.

  “I wanted to talk to you about that game. I don't like that board. I don't think that Aleghany should be playing with it.”

  “I'm one step ahead of you,” said Alex sitting up. She knelt down on the floor and pulled the Ouija board out from beneath the bed. She held it out for Meghan to see. “I have it. I took it away from her and promised her I'd get her a game of chess or monopoly instead.”

  Meghan smiled. “Thank you. I didn't want to blow my top at Willie for having bought it, especially after I said she could be a part of our lives again.”

  “I know you miss her,” said Alex. “I remember how close you were when we first met. I'm glad she's back though. Aleghany really loves her.”

  “I know.”

  “I have an idea,” said Alex grinning. “How about a swim? For old times sake?”

  “What? Now? What if Aleghany wakes up?”

  “She won't. She's been sleeping through the night for years now.”

  Meghan knew Alex was right. The last time she had woken up for a drink of water or to use the bathroom in the middle of the night she was still potty training. She had been a good deep sleeper ever since she was about three years old.

  “Let me go change out of this nightgown,” said Meghan after some thought.

  It had only been a few months since Sheryl's passing and she thought it was an odd request to go swimming. They hadn't been swimming together in years. Meghan had already accepted the fact that she and Alex were just friends. She knew how much Alex had loved Sheryl, and for the most part, had put her own feelings for her aside. But here she was asking her to go swimming alone at night. Meghan wondered if it was an innocent request or if Alex had some ulterior motives. Nonetheless, she went to change into her swimsuit, then quietly crept out of the house to find that Alex was already standing there waiting for her.

  “Don't you look beautiful,” said Alex. She found herself looking over Meghan's body. She still looked curvaceous despite having given birth a decade ago. Her legs were muscular and her stomach was almost flat. She had gained a bit of weight, but she didn't have any cellulite and only had small love handles on the sides of her stomach where Alex knew there hadn't ever been before when they were young.

  “I really don't. I'm not beautiful at all. I wish you wouldn't look at me like that.”

  “Like what?” pressed Alex.

  “Like you still see the girl you met thirty years ago. I'm not the same. We're older and different. I'm old and gray and getting flab in places I never thought I would get.”

  “Stop. You haven't changed much at all.” Alex hopped down the porch steps and began walking toward the lake. “You coming or what?” she asked, beckoning Meghan with her hands.

  Meghan trotted down the steps after her.

  “To what do I owe this night under the stars?” asked Meghan as she entered the water feeling its coldness saturate her from her feet up as she walked in. She was too fearful to jump in like she used to when she was twenty.

  Alex was already swimming around. Her face and hair were soaked. The night was colder than she expected it to be so she swam close to Meghan to keep her warm. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “What about?” asked Meghan. She thought it was awkward being so close to Alex. She had lived with her and Sheryl for ten years and not so much as a hand holding or kiss was ever exchanged between them. Now here she was in the cold night air, holding her in the water.

>   “I never told you, but...” Alex paused for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. “Sheryl and I had a talk the day she died.”

  “Oh?”

  Alex nodded. “She wanted me to know that she had my blessing to move on. She thought there was something between us.”

  “What do you mean? Did you tell her about us?”

  Alex shook her head. “No. That's not how she meant it. She thought we had a connection. She said she could hear us at night sometimes when we would stay up late talking on the porch. She heard our laughter. She said she thought I sounded happy with you.”

  “Were you?”

  “You do know that I've always loved you, don't you?” asked Alex as she shivered.

  “You have?” Meghan began to cry. “I thought you didn't love me anymore.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  “Because you seemed so happy with Sheryl and because I've lived here with you for ten years and nothing between us has ever happened.”

  “I couldn't be with you, Meghan. I was married. I took sacred vows to love, honor, cherish, and to be with Sheryl in sickness and in health.”

  “See, so you loved her and not me.”

  “I loved you, too, Meghan. I always have. You have to know that it's true.”

  Meghan began to sob and Alex embraced her tighter in her arms, holding her close to her body. “What do you want me to say? I don't know what to say.”

  “I want to know if you still love me.”

  “Of course I still love you, Alex! You don't think I wondered if anything would ever happen between us. I waited for years to see if you would ever want to be alone with me, if you would ever kiss me, or try to hold me and you never did. I finally stopped hoping for it and figured that you weren't in love with me anymore.”

  “You don't think I had those same thoughts? You don't think I wanted to? I wanted to, Meghan. Of course I wanted to! You were under our roof, only a few feet away from my bedroom. You don't think I wanted to go into your bedroom at night to look for you!?”

  “Then why didn't you!? I wanted you! So many nights I wanted you to hold me. I wanted to feel your caress and your touch. I wanted you to make love to me the way you used to....I wanted...” Meghan's voice was cut short as Alex kissed her. It took Meghan by surprise, but she didn't want her to stop. She had waited more than half her life for this moment. She relaxed in Alex's arms and allowed her love and passion to envelop her.

  Alex pulled off Meghan's swimsuit in the water, and slid her fingers between her legs. She made love to her again and again reigniting a passionate fire between them that had never completely been extinguished.

  Chapter Thirty

  In the weeks to come, things between Alex and Meghan seemed to be going better than ever. They hadn't found a way to tell Aleghany that they were a couple. They sometimes sneaked into each other's rooms at night.

  Aleghany had never had any reason to think that her mother was gay. She just figured that her mom was a single mother and that her father had left long ago and never returned. Meghan never once spoke of Jo, and it had been traumatic for her to see the Ouija board spell out her name. It was even more troubling to see that there was more than one spirit in the home.

  Even though Alex was over the moon in love with Meghan and somehow it felt like the years hadn't passed, she still couldn't help but feel guilt about Sheryl. She should have told her about who Meghan was. Maybe she would've been understanding. After all, it had all been in the past and nothing physical had ever happened between her and Meghan in the ten long years that Meghan had lived in their home with Aleghany.

  Unbeknownst to Meghan, Alex began to try to contact Sheryl with the Ouija board at night.

  “Are you here, Sheryl?” asked Alex late into the night while Meghan slept in her own room.

  Alex was surprised to see that the planchette moved to the word 'Yes.'

  Alex sighed. “So you know that I'm seeing Meg?”

  Again the planchette moved to the word 'Yes.'

  Tears began to flow. She hadn't expected to receive a response.

  “I wanted to tell you the truth. You do know that nothing ever happened while we were married, don't you?”

  Once more the planchette went to the word 'Yes.'

  “The truth is that Meg is the woman from my past. The woman I loved and had sent so many flowers and gifts to so many years ago. I kept it a secret from you because I wanted to help her and her baby. Honest. I didn't do it to have anything with her. I wasn't looking to have an affair. Do you believe me?”

  The planchette swirled around in circles faster and faster. The spirit was angered. Faster and faster it went until it swooshed to the word 'No.'

  The trinkets on the dresser began to shake and a vase flew across the room and smashed against the wall shattering into a million pieces. It awoke Aleghany and Meghan who both came rushing into the room to see what was going on.

  “Are you okay? We heard a loud crash!” Meghan was panicked.

  “I'm fine.” Alex stood up from the floor and both Aleghany and Meghan saw the Ouija and planchette on the floor.

  “You were playing my game?” asked Aleghany. “I thought you threw it away.”

  Alex sighed. “Go back to bed. Both of you.”

  “Go back to bed, Peanut,” said Meghan to Aleghany who frowned, then left the room and went back to her bedroom.

  “What's going on?” asked Meghan.

  Alex sat on the bed. “I was trying to communicate with Sheryl. I wanted to tell her about us and that you were the woman from my past. I guess she got angry.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Alex took a deep breath, then pointed to the shattered glass on the carpet against the far wall. “She threw a vase.”

  “You mean you didn't throw that?”

  Alex shook her head. “Nope.”

  “How do you know it's Sheryl?”

  “She said it was.”

  Meghan began to tremble in fear. “The only two spirits that said they were here were Jo and Claudia. We both know who they were. Wouldn't they be angry spirits? Claudia hung herself and if Jo's here, do you think she's happy we're together? She's probably rolling over in her grave.”

  “I hadn't thought about that.”

  “I don't think you should play that thing anymore.” Meghan grabbed the Ouija board and tore it in two, then took it out to the trash can. She came back into Alex's room just as she was getting back in bed. “Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?”

  “What if Aleghany gets up and finds you in here?”

  “She wont.”

  “Okay, come on.” Alex flipped down the corner of the blanket as to let Meghan into her cozy haven of warmth.

  Meghan slipped under the covers and fell fast asleep. She woke moments later to the sound of another crash. Both she and Alex heard it and sat up in bed. Alex jumped out of bed and turned on the lights. A jewelry box with a glass lid had flown across the room and all of Sheryl's jewelry had falling onto the floor where the broken glass still lay on the carpet.

  “You still want to tell me that it's not Sheryl?” asked Alex.

  “This isn't Sheryl,” said Meghan. “She gave you her blessing. She liked me and Aleghany. She was okay with us being together. She wouldn't do this. She wanted you to be happy.”

  Meghan, expecting Aleghany to come running into the room at any moment, jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen to get the broom. When she returned, Aleghany was in Alex's room being told to go back to bed.

  “What's going on in here? I keep hearing things breaking.” Aleghany rubbed her eyes sleepily.

  “It's okay, love. Alex was trying to clean her room, and she dropped some things. I'm going to help her clean up. Go back to bed.”

  “Do you want to help me clean my room?” asked Alex knowing full well that her answer would be no.

  “Are you kidding me?” she asked. “I don't even want to clean my room.” She turned around and walked out and padded down
the hallway back to her room.

  Alex and Meghan laughed at her comment while they were putting on their shoes.

  Alex took the broom away that Meghan had set leaning on the bed beside her. “She turned out just like you, alright. She's a chip off the old block.”

  “I'm not at all insulted by that. I was worried two years ago when she went through her GI Jane phase. I thought she was going to turn out butch.”

  Alex laughed. “And what's wrong with being butch?”

  Meghan took the broom back and kissed her. “Nothing.”

  Meghan began to sweep what she could, then took out the vacuum to pick up the smaller pieces.

  “I thought you threw this thing away,” said Alex as she noticed that the Ouija board was back on top of the dresser.

  “What did you say?” asked Meghan, turning off the vacuum so she could hear.

  “I said that I thought you threw this damn game away?” Alex picked up the board to show it to Meghan.

  Meghan's face turned white as a sheet. “I did. I tore it in two and tossed it outside in the garbage can.”

  Meghan saw the board and it was not in any way shape or form torn or taped back together. It was one complete piece just like it had been before.

  “We're not waiting around until our house becomes the next Amityville or one of us has our heads spinning around in circles and spitting out pea soup. We're calling a medium and a demonologist.”

  “A demonologist?” inquired Alex. “I hardly think that what's here is a demon.”

  “You don't know that. Haven't you ever seen or heard about stories about possession and haunted houses? I thought you were a ghost enthusiast?”

  “Well, yeah, but I never figured there was anything here. We've lived here for years and nothing happened.”

  “Maybe the spirits were at peace and you woke them up or let them into this world with that damn game.”

  Alex was too tired to argue. “Fine. I'll call the school and get someone out here as soon as possible. Can we go to bed now?” She lay back down and pulled the covers over her head.

  Meghan got up to turn off the lights. The rest of the night was uneventful, but Meghan found that she couldn't sleep much. She was paranoid that something else was going to happen. She knew whatever spirit was there wasn't Sheryl. Sheryl was a good person. She would never try to harm them or frighten them especially if she knew Aleghany was in the house. She had a bad feeling that the spirit that was there was Jo and she'd stop at nothing to keep her and Alex apart.