by Y G Maupin
“So, what do you think?” he asked.
T snapped out of her spell and startled, answered, “Huh?”
Jackson laughed. “So, do you want to go out and try that new Italian eatery that opened last month? The guys at work say that it’s really good, although they’re only familiar with the pizza part, not the inside dining area part of the restaurant. Want to check it out?” The look of earnestness on his face made her heart skip a beat. The blood at her wrists tingled with excitement as it coursed faster in her veins.
“Yes!”
The day preceding their planned evening out, T felt like her insides had been scooped out and replaced with gelatin. She seemed to catch her breath every time she thought of his dark, wavy hair and how tall and handsome he looked even though he was wearing jeans and an old t-shirt advertising his family’s lumber business. T was familiar with the logo of three staggered trees inside an outline of Texas. Their work trucks clogged the main highway driving south on the highway out of town. The mill was located even further out, but most of the employees lived within their small town limits. The business had been in the state for over one hundred and fifty years. It had evolved, morphed and merged several times over the decades as new ideas and booms came and went in the state. Its current iteration was in lumber, but that would soon change as she later found out during dinner.
That morning was the start of several obstacles that jumped out at her throughout the day, almost like something was trying to stop her from going forward with the anticipated date.
First, the rug at her bedside floor slid out from underneath her and she quickly caught herself at the edge of the bed, not before twisting her hips a little bit that caused her to stop and stretch for a moment. She poked her eye with an eye shadow brush and her contact lens was caught on the brush, which promptly ripped as she rinsed it with solution. So, she had to wear her glasses while she searched to see if her prescription was up to date. It was not. T could either be one eyed at her date or stick to her backup glasses. She decided her glasses were the better option than being a squinty pirate all night. As she drove to the high school she taught at she must have been day dreaming as she almost went through a red light. She coasted through as horns blared behind her. That really got her heart racing.
“I need to wake up or snap out of it, whatever it is,” she thought to herself, as she parked and made her way inside. In the confines of her classroom she should be safe. That was disproven before lunch time.
“So, what’s this I hear about the stinky gas clouds coming from the chemistry lab?” Jackson laughed, as he pushed in her chair for her.
T looked up in surprise that quickly turned into amusement.
“And how did you hear about that way out in the field?” she questioned, with a wry smile on her face. Jackson smiled conspiratorially as he opened the menu the waiter had placed in front of him.
“Umm, let’s just say I have informants embedded at the high school.” T hadn’t laughed that hard or that often in her life. They sat in the restaurant and somehow made it through the salad, main course and a delicious cannoli.
As they reminisced over coffee, Jackson cleared his throat and finally asked. “What took you so long to finally go out with me?
T looked aghast. “What took you so long to ask?” They both looked down at the tablecloth as the dishes were being cleared away. “In actuality, I had been meaning to ask you out but you were dating that one guy for so long, that I thought it was a lost cause.”
“Greg,” T answered wistfully. He had been her steady boyfriend throughout college. But as they finished their studies and found that along with gaining knowledge, they were gaining an understanding of what they wanted for their future and what kind of partnership suited them best, it was better for them both to go their separate ways.
“Yeah, that was nice for the time being. College sweetheart. Really nice guy…” to which Jackson feigned a punch to the gut. “Ooohh, not the nice guy label. Poor schmuck, what did he ever deserve to get saddled with “nice guy””
T smiled. “He was a nice guy. Nothing more, nothing less. He was kind.”
Jackson nodded. “Sucked in bed, I bet.”
T’s mouth drew into an o at the surprise of that statement. She threw her napkin at him and they both laughed. “How would you know, smarty pants, “she laughed. “ Have you been called a nice guy?”
Jackson grew serious, “No. But I do get called. Often”
Later that night, as they stood in the parking lot outside the restaurant, their laughter died down as they reminisced about old school friends. Those who had stayed, those that moved away as soon as they had graduated ,and the few through unfortunate circumstances had gotten caught up in the wrong lifestyle and lost their lives young.
“You know it’s been six years since we graduated and it feels like only yesterday that we were sitting across from each other in Political Science. “He drew closer to her and reached for her hand looking down at it. “I loved to watch you take notes. Your hands are so pretty. Delicate, but they move with purpose. I was distracted to the point that I wasn’t paying attention in class and also not taking notes. My grade suffered because of it.” He leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.
Kissing him back, T stepped forward. “I was working my spell on you,” she murmured, as she returned several kisses.
“Well then your spell sucks, because it took six years for me to hold your hand and to finally kiss you.”
T drew back with a smile. “No, you’re wrong. We actually kissed in first grade.”
Jackson returned the smile. “We did? I don’t remember that. To be honest, I don’t remember you!”
T laughed. “Yes. There was a time right around the start of school that you used to run around the playground with Brody, what's his name and chase the girls. Brody would tag us and run away but you would first kiss a girl, then tag her and run away.” T remembered how little they were and how small the playground was in comparison now.
“Wow, really? I don’t remember doing that?” Jackson laughed, as he crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Oh I promise it was you. We would all gather around while we were waiting in line to go back around whoever you kissed that day. You broke a lot of hearts, because for the most part, you never kissed the same girl twice.“ She nodded.
“It ended when Mrs. Carter caught you and called your mom.”
Jacksons face lit up with recognition. ”Oh yeah, right. Now I remember.” He looked down shyly. “ I was a crazy kid with a hero complex. Harrison Ford always seemed to get away with it in the movies, so I guess I thought I could too. Yeah, my mom and dad were pretty upset, but my Yaya laughed it off,” his voice trailed off, as he thought of her.
“Yaya?” T asked.
Jackson explained, “Yaya is my Greek grandmother on my mom’s side. It’s what we call them instead of granny, or nanny, or memaw, whatever you crazy country folk call your grandmothers out here,” he teased.
T reached out and playfully feigned punching his arm. “Hey, you’re country too, mister. You were born out here, right?”
“Nope.” Jackson shook his head. “My parents got stuck in New Orleans for a few weeks when he broke his arm on a plant site and he couldn’t drive back. They were there for about four weeks before I was due, and were looking at some locations before putting in a bid. He fell into a ravine and broke his arm pretty bad, actually dislocating his shoulder as well. So, he couldn’t drive back and my mom went into early labor about eight days after that.”
“Well, Mr. Jackson Paget, let me clarify that. You are now more southern than most men around these parts.“ T smiled as he put his arms around her and returned to quieting her with his kisses.
Later on Monday in the school parking lot, Sharon Webster ran to catch up with T as they were entering the high school. “What’s this I hear that you were making out in the parking lot with Jackson Paget?” she hissed, running out of breath.
&nbs
p; “Wow, that didn’t take long. A whole weekend,” T answered dryly, shifting her bag from one arm to the other.
“Well, no actually it only took a couple of hours, because Randall and Dave were driving through the town center Friday night, responding to an alarm going off in the pharmacy and they saw you guys when they drove in and still when they drove out. To Serve and Protect, missy,” Sharon corrected.
T snorted. Randall Webster and Dave Thompson patrolled the streets in their cars, busily directing traffic in their two lights town. There were maybe five officers on the police force and the weekend gave them partners on their shift, mostly to combat drag racing, public nuisances and the occasional driving while intoxicated.
“Awesome,” T responded. “I’m lucky they were there to keep us all safe.”
As they went their separate ways at the hallway juncture, T thought about her weekend, that she had ended up spending entirely with Jackson, almost all of it in bed. They snuggled and laughed under the covers all Saturday morning, after a night of passionate lovemaking, and only got up to eat breakfast and shower together. Despite coming from a well-heeled family that could have afforded Jackson to have spent his days cavorting like a stereotypical playboy, his body was lean and hard with sinewy muscle that he appeared carved from an oak tree. It contrasted with T’s soft, lightly tanned body whose womanly curves rose and sank in voluptuous waves of femininity. She watched him finish his shower as she dried off and the little quakes of nervous excitement fluttered in her stomach. He was funny. And smart. Not overly talkative, but a fantastic conversationalist that was passionate about the things that were important in his life at that moment. A new business venture with his family that he had touched on the night before during dinner. They were creating an electric transmission company that would be providing service in the rural counties in Northern Texas eventually making its way further up to Oklahoma. At the time, they had secured the right of way to replace power lines going west, eventually replacing them with underground cables. T was touched at how Jackson was concerned for the families that were living with inconsistent power sources and how emergency service response time would be improved.
“Eventually, I’d like for us to get into cell towers,” he said. “We have opportunities to purchase land access and the growth we’re seeing going west would benefit from the coverage.”
Sunday had them driving out to his old farmhouse that he had saved up to buy, asking for a little help from his family other than using his wages from the job he had with them. It was a two story brick house with green shingles and white shuttered windows. There were live oaks, persimmon and pecan trees.
In the back, T was surprised to see the field of lavender. “What?!” she gasped, as she gazed upon row after row of purple and white flower flecked bushes.
Jackson chuckled and led her down from the slight incline for an up close view of the flowering blooms. “Yeah, this was one of many reasons I really went after this property,” he sighed. “It's peacefully quiet and the view is amazing.”
T looked over the property, which was close to forty-acres encompassed by the live oak ridge line.
“What’s on the other side of the oaks?” she asked, pointing to a green line of trees bordering the western edge of the property.
“A creek, too small to have a real name, although I’ve decided to call it Jackson’s Spit, since that’s about as much water you’ll see in there during the year. When it rains it does get flowing because of all the runoff. Last May, it overflowed its tiny banks due to the rain that poured day and night for 4 days, remember that?” he asked, as he stopped to look at her.
T shaded her eyes with her palm and nodded her head in agreement. That day was one of many where she had been doing elemental work and was feeling discouraged with the slow response.
“Would you like to walk over there?” he asked.
T was slow to respond, so he took that as a no and walked further north along the top of the slope where the lavender bushes grew. T followed slowly behind feeling the intense energy emanating from the ground, the tree and the strong animal presence surrounding her.
“You must get a lot of coyotes out here, maybe wild hogs?” she asked, as she walked along behind him.
“I do,” he replied. “Can’t seem to keep a barn cat. Their life expectancy seems to be about five months out here. I quit adopting after I lost the second one. I just might have to get a dog. Seems like a good excuse to get me a hunting hound,” he drawled, as he turned around to smile.
T had stopped in her tracks at the site of another marvelous discovery, a circular garden.
Jackson blushed. “Now I had nothing to do with this, it was already here too but it was in a really bad state. Overgrown with weeds, there was some weird statue and a sundial thing that was cracked...” he started, but stopped when he saw the look on T’s face. Complete love and fascination enveloped her as she walked among the concentric circles, bands of herbs and flowers that true to his statement, probably had seen better days. T yearned to plant here. The energy flow was strong in this location as well.
She smiled as the sun warmed her face. “Your place is beautiful. I would never want to leave if I lived here.” She stopped quickly. That was embarrassing. “Oh I shouldn’t have said that,” she quickly said, feeling her face grow hot, and not from the sun this time.
Jackson reached out and softly said,” I know what you meant. It’s ok. This place makes me feel things too.” He hugged her tightly.
T breathed in his cotton t-shirt, and he smelled wonderfully of man, a clean man. He was a good man and she was glad, because she felt something good was going to happen between them. It was exciting and nerve wracking all rolled into one.
Birdie was the first to arrive at T’s farmhouse. The sun wasn’t due to set for another two hours, but she was nervous, excited and felt tension in the pit of her stomach. But that might have been the tacos from earlier with Trevor, her new boyfriend. There was a light tinkling of bells as she scurried through the threshold and promptly removed her slippers. She was exuding a Middle Eastern vibe with her flowing saffron colored skirt and hennaed hands and feet. Bracelets and bangles clinked lightly as she piled her blonde hair on top of her head and collapsed onto the sofa. “Watching kids is no joke,” she sighed, bemoaning her job at a kinder care, the longest running job she’d had for some time.
T smiled. “I’ll take your word for it”
“It’s not that I don’t like them. They’re cute and all, but geez they ask so many questions and it’s always about them. And if the questions aren’t about them it’s about me and they’re usually embarrassing. It’s like they’ve got no filter. You know what I mean?” she asked, cocking her head slightly looking at T.
T just smiled and nodded her head. “Not much changes when they hit high school. Embarrassing others seems to be their main goal as well.”
Birdie jumped up and sauntered into the kitchen. “I hope you don’t mind that I came early. I just needed to get myself focused and in a better place before we opened our circle tonight. Do you think it’s going to rain?” she asked, as she absentmindedly opened the refrigerator.
“It’s not in the forecast,” T answered, handing her half of her turkey sandwich.
Birdie bit into it with ferociousness and reacted with dramatic borderline orgasmic moans at the taste of the sandwich. “Oh my gods, this is so good,” she murmured, biting into the sandwich again. “Oh it’s been so long since I’ve eaten bread.”
“Well, don’t eat too much,’ warned T. “It can make you sick tonight. It’s better to have a few bites, drink some water, and then refocus on your intentions,” she added, as she pulled the remainder from Birdie's hands and tossed it out to the waiting dog at the porch door.
“Meanie,” Birdie pouted and crossed her arms, looking very much like her charges from the kinder care.
T walked around the counter to look out the picture window in her breakfast nook. Beryl had just arrived and sh
e was quite the sight in flowing organza robes, peach and purple, along with a long branch that she had pulled out of her backseat. T smiled. The gruff and prickly nature that Beryl wore as a mantle of protection slipped at times and exposed a very sad, hurt woman who just wanted to belong. Beryl had revealed herself to be kindhearted for most of the time, and gentle with her words and touch only in the rarest of times. There was a mountain of bitterness and anxiety that encompassed her, but she had a tenacity to learn and a willingness to slowly open herself to her sisters in the coven. It was slow work, but it was their task to overcome to help her find completion.
Over the next half hour, the remaining three women arrived and prepared themselves either paired off like Anesta and Birdie, chanting in the pantry where they said they felt abundance or alone as T had chosen to do in an alcove off from the stairs. Alice and Sarah gathered candles and placed them on the table waiting outside. There was a buzz of excitement as they began to gather their tools and treasures. As they passed each other in the doorway, going in and out to the yard, they gave each other knowing glances and smiles. Birdie was giddy with excitement and T felt the excitement as well. One last trip inside as she went to the hall closet. Inside, in a brown paper bag on the floor was the dress she was wearing when she created her spell that she thought would bring her happiness that instead, brought her the most painful grief and solitude that she hadn’t felt since she had lost her parents as a teen. She pulled out the cream colored dress with the intricate green embroidery on the sleeves and bodice. Clenched tightly in her fists, she brought up to her nose and smelled the fabric. It still smelled like his aftershave.
She sighed as Sarah walked up to her and softly spoke. “We’re almost ready. Are you ok?” T nodded and followed the woman outside.
The sun had tucked itself behind the horizon and only the pink of the sky was left behind chilly clouds. Four candles placed North, South, East, and West with a white pillar candle standing solely in the middle and another waited on the table nearby. Alice called them all into the circle and picked up the staff she had brought with her from Leeds in 1979. She nodded at Beryl, stepping back and placing it in her hands. Beryl smiled and turned. In a loud voice, she called to the elements and slowly dragged the knife tied to the end of the staff with plaited straw in a large circle outside of the lit candles, being careful not to knock any down or to extinguish the flame. Anesta tapped the bell as Beryl passed each candle, all of them replying to the tall woman’s invocation. T was mesmerized by the flames of the candle directly across from her, and felt her sisters reach out as they all held hands and turned to walk counter clockwise as the chanting began. Sarah walked in front of T as Anesta was holding her hand behind her. Across from her outlined in the flames of the candle was Birdie, glowing and vibrant as she chanted with a smile on her face, Alice directly behind her, followed by Sharon. The circle stopped and Anesta rang the bell once more. Alice stepped forward and received the staff back from Beryl, who returned to the circle.
