Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Listening to NPR the other day made me remember Once upon a time I was a young woman perched on the edge of the rest of my life. I was not a privileged child. My Mom made F1 tanks and my grandma cut meat at A&P.
None the less, I had a God given talent in vocal music which reached it's pinnacle in high school. My teacher, Paula Robinson, took me and trained me and more importantly believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. I was training in music performance and even contemplated being an opera singer.I threw it all away on a man.
DUMB!!!!!
Classical music became my life. I devoted a minimum of 3 hours per day to perfecting my craft. I went to solo and ensemble, I rehearsed before and after school. I found myself loving something that I had never been exposed to. My emotions would sway to the music. When performing and really doing it right, I could peer beyond the gilded veil and touch the face of God. That's really what it felt like. I had been allowed entrance to the Holy of Holies. Now my days are spent worrying about making money. I have to, but I still long for once last peek behind that veil.

Talkin' 'bout a resolution

I am looking forward to 2008. 2007 sucked and I am hoping an eventual change in administration and personal changes in my attitude are going to have a big impact.
I am returning to the diet program that allowed me to lose 35 pounds to shed the rest of the weight which will take the entire year to do.
One of the main changes in my life is going to be how I handle other people.
Because of a damaged self image, from years of emotional abuse, I often allow "friends" to treat me in a way that is very disrespectful. I have cast myself forever in the role of sad little girl just pleading for the other kids to play with her. After having several bad starts last year I am quite determined to rid myself of that thinking. I am a valuable person. I shouldn't be waiting breathlessly for the small scraps of love, attention and human kindness. I give lovingly to others. I care about people, I have tired of the one-sided relationships.I have decided I have enough self love to not allow others to talk down to me or ignore me. Are you my friend? Prove it! Act like one!
An old friend of mine said it best
"Don't get all in my Kool-Aid, when you don't even know what flavor it is"

Haunted Holiday

I wrote this last year and it still seems appropriate. I don't feel as sad as I was last year, and I have a new feisty attitude that holds promises of taking me far.
Here's to Christmas, whatever they may hold!




I am haunted by memories.
Memories of holidays spent with cousins I knew would always be my best friends.
Memories of Grandmothers that made crafts, cookies and always had one of us read the Book of Luke description of the birth of Jesus on Christmas Eve..
First Christmas's spent with new lovers, first trees together that were entirely too big and expensive, making love by the glow of the holiday lights.
First Christmas's with new babies; dressed up for holiday photos.
Singing with friends at school or in Madrigal tours.
But friends move away, so do cousins, lovers leave, babies grow up, and Grandmas die.
It's all different now. Holidays mean longer hours at work, nights alone by the tree, kids busy with their own friends. I don't sing anymore either.
I hope my Holiday's change soon.

Powerful

I've decided that I can either be powerful or pitiful.

I've been pitiful and that doesn't get me anywhere. So powerful it is. I'll journey ahead afraid of all of the situations I'll confront, but full steam ahead it is.

Working 2 jobs, dealing with teenagers, and ongoing poverty do tend to stress one.

I shall prevail however!

To quote Chumbawumba " I get knocked down, but I get up again".

God that band sucked, but I applaud the sentiment.

The Story

Alas, I feel uninspired to write further. My time is at a premium, my life is hectic and the endless cycle of poverty takes it's toll. My computer is dead. I have no phone line to dial out with anyway.

I will finish the story. Later.

My life really sucks right now. I feel paralyzed by poverty, and not having a relationship is finally wearing me down. I am confronting the fact that my life, as it stands right now, is unacceptable. What I can do to change it is my focus. College is a must this fall. Because the economy in Michigan is wretched, I may have to do so while working two jobs. How can I do that? Because I have to. I have no choice

Weird thing is; I'm not depressed. I am looking hard and clear at reality. My imaginitive side has gone into hibernation.

I often wonder if I will EVER find a realtionship that is mutually fullfilling. I wonder if I'll ever find the same in a career.

Bleh....... I just wonder if I'll survive the winter.

The Sisterhood Part 5

Kari woke up refreshed as her alarm went off at 8:00 a.m. Rudy yawned from the bed and rested his head back down.
“Not used to getting up huh boy?” As if understanding, he yawned stretched and went back to his resting position. Kari took her shower, and having ironed the green dress last night, she put it on with some cute sandals. She looked at herself in the mirror and decided that leaving Rob certainly agreed with her. She looked rested and her red hair shone. It was a sunny and warm day. The forecast on the radio said a high of 74 was expected with low humidity. June was turning into a beautiful month. She filled Rudy’s dish with water and the other with food and took him outside. He was quick about his business and she took him upstairs and gave him a new rawhide bone to chew on.
“That’ll keep you busy” she said as she finished the last of her coffee. It wasn’t sitting on her stomach very well. She dumped the dregs into the sink and brushed her teeth. It was time to go to church. She grabbed her purse and started her journey. She enjoyed the warmth of the early day. Everything was so green and bright today. Within minutes she arrived at the little stone church. There were 4 cars in the parking lot. She made her way inside.
The ladies were all arranged around a small table in the church. There was a statue in the center of the table. Edith looked up, smiled brightly and said “Oh Kari, I’m so glad you decided to come. Let me introduce you.”
She went around the table and introduced a dozen ladies. Kari could remember the tiny lady with the bad wig and her name was Beulah. Another plump red haired lady was Maxine. They along with Edith did most of the talking.
“Well, isn’t your dress cute? Where did you get it? Did you make it?” said Maxine quickly.
“I actually found it in the apartment I just moved into” and she told them the story of finding the dress and the odd dream she had.
She noticed exchanged glances between a few of the ladies and wondered what that was about.
“Well dreams are often just a manifestation of whatever we ate before going to bed. I know if I have anything spicy or chocolate before bed, I have terrible dreams” said Maxine. She seemed the bossy know it all type, like a lot of older Aunts in Kari’s own family. She probably didn’t mean anything by it. She was probably used to running her life by herself and was set in her ways.
“Beulah, move a chair in for Kari so she can join us” said Maxine.
Beulah moved another chair over from the wall and set Kari right next to her.
Kari noticed the statue in the center of the table. It was a woman dressed in a red shawl. Sort of a variance of the Virgin Mary with different colored attire.
“Is that Mary? The Virgin?”
“No it’s not that Mary silly” said Beulah weakly with a smile.
“It is The Magdalene. That is the Mary we worship; a symbol of power in womanhood. Many refer to her as a prostitute. That was the way in ancient times as well as today. A strong woman is scorned, ridiculed and called names. I told you we were a different sort of church” said Edith with great pride.
Kari remembered stories in Sunday school about Mary Magdalene being a fallen woman.
“Yes we are a Sisterhood” said Maxine emphatically. “Women helping one another”
The service began with a prayer to The Magdalene and then a sort of chant began with the ladies. Kari felt out of place and more than a little lost. Soon they were talking about the service they’d done for others of the Sisterhood this week. Many of the ladies had taken hot meals and specially prepared teas to ladies in the community. Some had crocheted and knitted shawls and blankets for new moms and their babies. Kari’s heart had warmed to hear these wonderful deeds. They again said a prayer asking The Magdalene to give them strength and to bless Kari in her path. Kari felt touched.
When the meeting was over, tea and cupcakes were served.
“Tea Kari?” asked Beulah.
“Yes please” answered Kari and her cup was filled with a heady scent of cinnamon and orange. “Yummy tea” she said.
“Why thank you dear, I made it myself” said Edith
Kari nibbled her cupcake and found that it was orange flavored with cream cheese frosting. She was asked about her divorce and she told them about Rob’s cheating and abuse.
“All men are the same” said Maxine emphatically
“Were you ever married?” asked Kari
“We all have been, it what was expected in our day. None of us ever remarried after our husbands died and none of us ever had children. That’s probably how we found each other. We weren’t preoccupied with little ones. We have all been friends since we were young women” said Edith.
“It’s so nice that you had each other to rely on” said Kari.
“Where do you live Kari?”
“Right down the street on 1029”
“Ah, we know the house. We have all been here for many years”
“I really like it. It feels like home”
“Well, it is your home isn’t it dear?” said Edith.
“Yeah I guess it is. Well, I guess I’ll be going now”
“Please come back again Kari. We’ve enjoyed having you”
“Oh I will” she said as she left the church. She felt giddy. She stopped at the market and bought some canned soup. Her stomach felt really weird and she figured soup might help settle it.
Kari made the soup and ate it slowly. She felt very tired and out of sorts. If this continued, she’d have to make an appointment with the doctor. The soup felt okay on her stomach and she decided she’d take a little nap; although the prospects of another dream were unsettling. Fatigue won out however and soon she and Rudy were snuggled under the throw on the couch and resting peacefully.
It didn’t last.

Adi woke up to see all of the ladies surrounding her bed.
“The baby is coming Adi dear” said Erma
Adi remembered feeling unwell and drinking some tea and then nothing.
“What was in that tea?”
“Just some herbs to help you relax dear, don’t worry about anything”
Adi felt an intense pain and gasped.
“It’s almost time now”
A few minutes later Adi had a strong urge to push. The ladies encouraged her and soon the baby’s head was showing. Adi felt a burning sensation.
“Okay now, push really hard, with all your might”
Soon the baby was born. Adi was all at once excited and exhausted.
“How is my baby?” she asked
“Just a minute dear, we’re making sure your baby is well”
Erma came in with another cup of tea. This one had a sharp smell and a bitter taste.
“ Drink this dear. It’ll help with recovery.”
Adi drank it obediently shuddering at its horrible taste. Adi felt herself drifting away. She was now viewing herself from above the room. There she lay looking pale and tired.
Then she heard the ladies in the next room. She somehow managed to float over to them. There she saw her baby! It was a boy! She knew she’d name him Edward after his father.
“I can’t believe she had a boy” hissed Mary.
“Did she drink the tea; the castor tea?”
“Yes Mary As soon as I saw it was a boy, I knew which tea to give her” said Erma
“She’ll be dead soon enough then” said Mary as an evil smile crept over her face.
Adi didn’t understand. Who was dead? Why were they keeping her baby from her?
She watched as the ladies wrapped the baby up in a blanket and walked down the stairs.
Where were they going?
Somehow, Adi followed them out the door, down the street and to the church.
They went into the church leaving her baby on the altar. He was crying and kicking.
Adi wanted to rush to him and comfort him. He was so sweet with his blond hair and chubby face. The ladies came back out in long black robes that covered their faces.
“Let it begin” said Mary gravely.
The cupboard behind the altar was opened and long black and red candles were taken out and placed on the far ends of the altar. A piece of the wood insignia on the pulpit
Flipped down and there was an odd looking star shape within a circle. Chanting began and she saw them take out a small vial of what looked to be oil. They poured out the black liquid on the baby’s head. Adi thought for a moment they were going to bless her baby until she saw them remove a long curved blade from a black velvet lined case. When she looked at the ladies saw to her horror that their faces had changed. They all looked ancient. Like mummies she had seen in the newspapers.
All of them were bald and had dark ringed sunken eyes. How had she not noticed it before?
“We are weak and hungry. Bless our eternal life Goddess. Let this male sacrifice nourish us” spoke Mary.
She saw the blade of the knife come to the throat of her new baby and slice through it, taking his head completely off . Mary picked up the body of the child and drained the spurting blood into the altar chalice. The women lined up and greedily drained their share of his blood. Then Mary took the child and divided his body up into pieces and the women ate her child! They smacked their lips as though eating chicken at a picnic.
“Delicious! It always amazes me how something so loathsome could taste so good” chirped Erma.
Adi watched in amazement as their faces slowly returned to normal. They all took off their robes, stored them in the choir cupboard and put their wigs back on.
She was struck with such horror! What had happened? Then she heard Edward’s voice.
“Adi, come to us now. Into the light”
Adi saw a shaft of light appear outside of the church doors. In the light she saw her dear husband holding their newborn baby.
“It’s all over now Adi. Come with us into the light”
Adi floated over to them. She felt the warm embrace of Edward and felt the soft baby skin of her son. In an instant she was gone.

“What in the hell was that?” thought Kari as she woke up. She felt vomit rise in her throat, and barely made it to the bathroom. She threw up all of the soup she had just eaten. That was it. First thing tomorrow, she was calling the doctor.
That horror of a dream had to be whatever illness she was coming down with, and all of the new life events. What else could it be? She decided to call Nick. She told him about he most recent dream.
“God Kari, that’s gross. Are you okay?”
‘I guess so. I just don’t feel good”
“Go to the doctor tomorrow. Hopefully, it’s just a virus or maybe nerves from all of the changes in your life right now. When you’re feeling better, let’s call Marc and see if there’s anything he can do to make you feel more at ease”
“Okay Nick. I’m going to go now. Love you”
Adi turned on the TV in an attempt to lose herself. No matter how sick she felt, she was sure she didn’t want to go back to sleep.

The Sisterhood, chapter 3 & 4

Kari left a note for Rob:
Rob,
Since you can't control yourself, I have left. I'll be filing for divorce. I have moved to another town. I don't want much. I helped myself to the bank account. Don't contact me or my family. I have pictures of my black eye and statements from friends on file with my attorney and I will file an order of protection or worse if you bother me.

Kari
She left it on the refrigerator, the first place he always looked when returning home from band rehearsal.

Nick and Kari arrived at the flat and set up her things. Nick brought his futon for Kari to use until her bedroom set arrived.
"I'm going to stay here with you tonight Kari." Nick said.
"I'd actually feel better if you did, thanks Nick."
Around 9:00, they began to feel hungry so they called for Chinese food. While waiting for delivery, Nick set up the TV with rabbit ears. They could see exactly 3 stations. Son the doorbell rang and the food arrived. They ate right from the cartons and drank the cold beer that they had put in the fridge earlier. After some horrible sitcoms, and several more beers, they were both ready for bed. They made up the futon and quickly went to sleep.
Nick's cell phone alarm went off at 6:00. He showered, brushed his teeth, and took off.
"I'll pick up some breakfast on the way. Have a great day Kari,"
"Thanks Nick, love you,"
"Love you too."
Kari lolled around her flat enjoying the quiet. She showered, dressed and took Rudy out to do his business. When he finished, she took him for a walk. They walked down to the little town center at the end of the street. There was a movie rental place, a coffee shop, a market, a drycleaner, and antique shop. Everything looked like it did from the early part of the 20th century. As she turned the corner, Kari saw an adorable little stone church. She had recently yearned for a relationship with God.
A tiny woman with red hair called out to her from the doorway.
"Hello there. Say, he's a big boy isn't he? Is he friendly?" She said as she spoke from the doorway.
"He's actually a big baby."
"I'm Edith by the way" said the petite senior.
"I'm Kari. Nice to meet you"
"do you already have a church?"
"No, not yet, I just moved here"
"Please feel welcome to visit this Sunday dear" said Edith with a sweet smile
"I haven't had the greatest experience with religion"
"We're a different sort of church. Non-judgmental and down to Earth."
"Well, that sounds good. I'm going through a divorce right now."
"Oh men, they don't make 'em like they used to, they're useless now. All of us ladies here are widows. All of our members are seniors and widows now. Only 13 of us left. Our church used to be over 300. That was a long time ago though."
"Well, I'll try to make it on Sunday"
"We'd love to see you here dear. I'd come out but I'm very allergic to dogs."
Kari reached in to shake Edith's hand and heard a deep growl from Rudy.
"Rudy, be nice. He's not usually grumpy"
"Well, I'm a stranger. He's just doing his job dear. See you Sunday at 10:00"
"by now, I'll see you Sunday."
Kari nearly skipped back home. She absolutely loved her little village. It was so quaint and friendly. The church of little old ladies sounded so cute. Kari returned home to let the cable guy in for his appointment at 2:00. They hooked up her cable, inter, and phone. Rudy watched from the porch, wagging his nubby tail at the cable guy.
"He's a real killer there, huh?" laughed the cable guy.
"Apparently he's got it in for little old ladies." snickered Kari.
When he left, Kari made herself a sandwich and had some cookies for dinner while she listened to the XM radio that came free with her plan. There was a channel that was Mototwn and Stax. Rudy ate his food and then curled up next to Kari on the futon. Tomorrow the furniture would arrive. She needed some groceries too. Stuff other than the pre-packaged crap she'd bought at Wal-Mart. Kari watched a little TV and read Vanity Fair until 11:00. She took Rudy out once more and then they both curled up on the futon and went to sleep.

Kari started her usual morning routine. After taking Rudy out she grabbed her reusable grocery bag and went tot he market. She picked up some fresh fruit, salad stuff, pita bread, and 2 steaks for her new grill. She grabbed some artichoke and spinach dip from the cooler and a bottle of wine. She called Nick on her way home and invited him over for steak tomorrow. He said he would but it would be early because he was meeting a friend for a date. As Kari passed the church, she saw Edith and a couple of other ladies. They came out and greeted her.
"No dog today Kari?" said Edith.
"No, he's at home today. I needed to go to the market"

The other ladies were smiling at her. One was plump and silver haired, the other very thin and frail looking with an awful brown wig.
"See you Sunday"
"See you"
Kari watched as they turned the corner back into the sanctuary then bowed their heads together before looking back her way. Probably gossiping like old ladies do, Kari thought. Kari arrived back home at 9:30 and decided to go down to the basement to organize some things and wash the new sheets.
"Come on Rudy, let's check out the basement"
He galloped behind her always interested in going somewhere. The basement was typical; dark and a bit musty smelling. It was divided into 2 sides one for each flat and the other flat was unoccupied. Kari made her way to her side. She took the sheets from the laundry chute and placed them in the washer with detergent and softener. She moved some of the boxes over into the far corner. She noticed that the wall on the right didn't go back as far as the left side, which had an alcove that contained the water meters. Using the mini flashlight on her keychain she peered around the corner to find a hidden room! It was lined with shelves that once contained canning jars and there were still a couple of them there. They looked like they had cinnamon sticks and yarn in one, and herbs of some sort in another. Another small jar had a white substance that looked like rock salt in it. On the bottom of the shelves was a box. Kari had always had a curious nature so she couldn't resist looking inside. It was full of old fashioned dresses! They were all cotton and in different colors. They looked like they were about her size. She took a green one and held it up to herself, switched the washer to delicate cycle put them in the washer. Hopefully they wouldn't disintegrate. They looked old perhaps from the 1930's. This was so exciting! She ran back upstairs to set up things for the delivery of her furniture. She folded the futon and put it in the spare room. Nick wasn't using it right now and then he'd have his own room to stay in when visiting. She put her green lava lamp in there too, and added an old comforter from college. Everything was ready for the furniture. She yawned. She had gotten up so early this morning. The delivery would be anytime between 9 and 3 p.m.. It was now 11:00 and Kari felt sleepy. She called Rudy and they cuddled on the futon. Soon she was asleep.

Adi needed to protect herself. She went into the basement. Their magic was very strong and she was fearful. When first moving to the city from Kentucky she was amazed to find that folks didn't know anything about herbs, magic or spells. They told her it was superstition. She knew the power that could be used. Adi's mother had been a magic woman in the community and had taught her daughter to do the same. Adi had grown up knowing there is such a thing as evil and there were things to do to protect yourself; Her husband Henry had been promised to another girl when they were both 6. He had grown up in the same town. Hazel, his betrothed was a magic woman just like her mother. She had knowledge in herbs and spells. But Henry discovered that she used her power to control others. She was cruel and spiteful. He knew he could never marry a woman like her. One night at a dance held in the next town, Henry was introduced to Adelaide. He was instantly smitten. She was sweet, kind, and loving. He knew that she was from another "magic" family. They met several other times and soon it was obvious they were in love. Henry tried to do the right thing. He contacted Hazel's family to ask for permission to break their engagement. After all they were only children when this happened. Hazel's mother was inclined to agree but Hazel was enraged. She had set her sights on Henry and would accept no changes. She told him that she would curse him if he broke it off. Henry told her this exactly why he was breaking it off and left. Immediately, Henry asked for Adi's hand in marriage. Her parents gave their permission but with hesitation because of Hazel's anger. Henry contacted his cousin in Detroit. He asked if there was a job working for Ford available. He was told that something could be arranged and to start packing. There were a lot of nice apartments to stay in too. It was all set. They had the wedding and Adi's mother had placed a great number of protection spells on the couple. They had their satchels of herbs around their necks. They took off for Detroit on the train the next day. They arrived and Henry's cousin William showed them a place to rent. They spoke to the landlady and put down the deposit. The flat was furnished and very near a church and park. Then Henry went to Ford's to apply for a position. Being that he was highly recommended by William they hired him right away. Everything was set! Adi bought some fabric and made a dress and new shirt for Henry. She looked for work as a seamstress and was hired a few days later by a French family that owned a store in town. She would assist in sewing and do repair work a few days a week, so that the owner’s wife could have some time off with their 4 children. They seemed to be very nice hardworking folks. Adi and Henry settled into a comfortable new life together. Then Henry began to get sick. He was plagued by headache; blindingly painful that made him nauseous. Adi tried to soothe him with cool compresses and darkened rooms, but the pain never abated. She sent word to her mother and a week later received a reply that Hazel was up to no good and telling everyone that would listen that Henry would pay for breaking their engagement. Her mother continued her job as a seamstress and Monsieur LeBeau increased her hours so that she could have enough money to live on. She had found herself with child as well. No one else knew about this yet. They had only lived in their new village for 6 months and she was 3 months along now. She confided in the ladies at church. They were thrilled for her and began to help out by knitting and sewing things for the baby. They planned on helping with the care of her, as they were certain she would have a girl, so that Adi could work. The months passed and it was Christmas. She had sent word to her mother about the arrival of her baby, but she’d had no reply. Her baby was due in 4 weeks. A cradle was placed near her bed and one of the ladies had donated a rocking chair as well. She began to feel very frightened now for the first time since the death of Henry. How could she care for this little baby all by herself? She had sent word to her mother but hadn’t heard anything back in 4 months. She had begun to have fitful dreams all of them were of her looking for her baby. She couldn’t find her baby anywhere. As she drifted off to sleep she heard Henry call out her “Get away from them Adi. They mean to kill our baby.” This jarred her awake suddenly. She had never had such a strong message before. She cautiously went downstairs to the cellar. She went to the storage room and got the salt. She put the salt in all of the doorways and in a circle around her bed. She climbed into the bed and began to cry. She heard a scratching noise at the doorway. She held her bag of herbs close and trembled. The doll of herself and the doll of her baby were hidden beneath the floorboards covered in salt and the pouch from the ladies. She had cut a square of fabric from her old dress and a bit from one of the baby blankets for the baby. Since the baby wasn’t here yet she didn’t have a bit of hair or fingernail. Adi heard the door opening downstairs and heard Mary call up.
“I thought I’d drop in to see how you’re doing. Are you okay my dear?”
“Oh Mary, I’m so frightened. I had a dream that Henry told me someone meant to kill our baby, and heard scratching.”
It sounds like something is trying to scare you. We’ll pray my dear.
“Mighty Spirit, please protect our dear Adi and her little one. As you are in control of all of the sisterhood, we ask a blessing on this sister. Let no man take power from her and strengthen her for the task before her.”
Mary made some tea for Adi and soon she had drifted off to a deep sleep.

Kari woke up with a start. That had been some dream. It was so lifelike, almost like watching a movie. She washed her face in cold water and made some coffee. She seemed to be mixing up the book she was reading with the church ladies and she wondered what she had eaten to give her such weird dreams. Kari looked at the clock and was surprised to find only 45 minutes had passed.
She and Rudy went down to the basement to check on the clothes. The dresses were intact! She took them out to the back balcony and hung them on the drying rack. They had survived the washer but since they looked like cotton she didn’t dare try the dryer. She had a quick lunch of chicken and rice soup and made some coffee. The furniture arrived at 2:30 and she had the delivery men put the furniture in the rooms. She tipped them handsomely and they thanked her. She went into whirlwind mode. She made the bed with the new sheets, put up the last of the decorating items in the living room, set up her dresser with her clothes and before she knew it, it was time to start dinner. She started the grill and cut the pita into quarters. She fired up the oven and mixed olive oil and minced garlic and brushed it on the pita on both sides. She put them on a cookie sheet and baked them for 20 minutes.
After they were done she cooled them on a rack and made the salad. Then she seasoned the steaks and put them on the grill. Nick would be there in 10 minutes as he was very prompt. She set the table and placed the pita chips around a bowl filled with the artichoke dip. Soon Nick let himself in with his key.
“HI Kari! I’m starving”
“Help yourself to the pitas and dip”
“Yum”
Kari pulled the steaks off the grill and they were medium rare and perfectly seasoned with cracked pepper, sea salt and garlic.
“So tell me about this guy” Kari said as she rounded the dining room corner with the steaks steaming on the platter.
“His name is Marc. I met him at the gym. He’s a reporter for the Free Press and a part time psychic”
Nick was a personal trainer at a local gym. He also taught karate.
“Really? That is so interesting! Is he cute?”
“Well I think so. He has dark hair and green eyes. I’m meeting him at the coffee shop at the end of your street. He’s from this neighborhood originally. When I told him where you lived he knew right where it was. I’d like you to come down and meet him”
“On your first date? Are you kidding?”
”It’s casual. I’m kind of just getting to know him.”
“Oh I almost forgot! I have to show you what I found!”
Kari took Nick back to the balcony after they finished their dinner.
“Aren’t these cool?”
“Wow, those are vintage huh?”
“They were in the basement. I’m going to wear one to church tomorrow”
“Church Kari, are you kidding me”
“It’s not like Mom and Dad’s church. It’s run by little old ladies and apparently they’re very casual. I’m going with a open mind, just to check it out”
“Okay” said Nick, as he looked over the pink dress. “but you’d better not wear this one, there’s a hole in it. It looks like it was cut out”
Kari stared in disbelief. “Oh my God, It’s just like my dream!”
Kari told Nick all about her dream. His mouth dropped in surprise.
“You should tell Marc about this. Maybe it means something”
Kari loaded the dishwasher while Nick took Rudy out for his bathroom break.
Kari then filled his water and food dishes.
“We need to go now Kari” said Nick and they began the walk down into town.
“This kind of has me spooked, y’know?”
“Yeah, but I’m sure it’s nothing” They rounded the corner and there sat a gorgeous man. 6’ tall, well built, dark short cropped hair and green eyes that sparkled.
“HI there” called Marc
“Are we late? said Nick
“No, I’m compulsively early for everything” chuckled Marc as he sipped his coffee.
“Marc, this is Kari, my sister”
“Nice to meet you” smiled Kari
The waiter arrived and took their orders. The both had cappuccino.
Nick filled Marc in on Kari’s dream and the dresses.
“It sounds to me like you may be sensitive yourself, a little psychic perhaps?
“I’ve never had anything like this happen before”
“You’ve never come across old dresses in your basement before have you? Some people leave a very strong energy in their belongings and those of us tat are at all sensitive can often pick up on it. Since you don’t consciously realize it, your unconscious mind helped you to see it while you were asleep.” Marc calmly stated.
“Should I be worried about ghosts or anything?”
“Not necessarily. Have strange things been going on?”
“Nothing other then the dream, but I’ve only been there a few days.
“Ill come by next week and take a look around. Maybe I can pick up something that will give you some insight”
“That would be great Marc”
“No problem”
“Is there anything I can do to keep from feeling scared”
“Do you have any religious beliefs?”
“Nothing major”
“Just rely on your belief in yourself and your higher power. Pray or seek guidance from someone in the religious realm if you feel scared”
“Thanks so much Marc. Bye Nick.” Kari said as she kissed Nick on the cheek. She took her coffee and made her way down the street, back to her apartment. She got in her car and drove to a catholic store she had seen in the village. She bought a Jesus and Virgin Mary candle, as well as a Bible. They might giver her some comfort she thought.