Spirit Talk: (Book One of The Fiona Series) Read online

  After coffee (and after I peed twice!) we went out to the barn. Jim has two horses, a palomino mare named “Goldie” and an Appaloosa stallion named “Rocky.” Both horses were magnificent. I think Jim must come from some serious money because Goldie and Rocky looked like expensive horses, much more than a carpenter could afford. Rick would understand what I mean – they weren’t old timers that Jim rescued from the Alpo factory. Jim’s barn is almost as nice as his house (I’m serious – a person could live in that barn.) I rode Goldie and Henry rode Rocky. It felt like heaven to be on a horse again, although my muscles were sore the next day! That’s how long it’s been since I rode Queenie.

  We rode all around Jim’s property and then went on a path in the woods nearby. It was simply magical. The trees were covered in a thin layer of ice (we had a warm spell recently and it actually rained instead of snowed, and then the rain froze on the trees when it got cold again.) I wish I owned a camera because it looked so spectacular. I pretended that I was in Narnia! We rode until we couldn’t stand the cold anymore, then we went back to the barn. Jim came out and we fed the horses (it reminded me so much of hanging out with Rick.) After that, we went back to Jim’s kitchen and Jim and Henry did a shot of whiskey (yuck.) I honestly didn’t want to leave. When you see firsthand a life like Jim leads in a beautiful house on an old farm, it makes you realize how good some people have it. It might get a little lonely out there, though, so I hope Jim has a nice girlfriend in town. Maybe he has a nice girlfriend who lives on the next farm or something.

  We had Thanksgiving at Ginny’s apartment next door. It was really nice. She likes to cook so she has nice china and silverware and sets an elegant table. You can just tell that she enjoys entertaining. She has a married daughter with two kids, a boy and a girl. The husband was nice (maybe a little weird but friendly.) Ginny also invited one of the Care Crochet ladies, a woman named Sue. She’s okay but not nearly as fun as Ginny and Grandma. She kept staring at Ginny’s son-in-law because he has a tattoo.

  Henry and Ryan were there, too. Ryan’s gotten to know me real well now because I babysit for him three times a week. Henry hired me when his Tuesday and Thursday babysitter quit on him, which worked out nicely because I was out of money. I also babysit on Saturday mornings so Henry can run errands without Ryan.

  Ryan sat in my lap and ran to me whenever he felt shy. I’m so crazy about him and I miss him so much on the days I don’t babysit. He calls me “Feef.” I’m getting to know Henry real well, too. I like him a lot more than I should. I try not to notice how attractive he is but it’s impossible. He’s so strong-looking and comfortable in his body, which is really sexy. He fills out his clothes like a guy in a catalog. He was too skinny when I first met him and his clothes were all loose-fitting, but he’s gained back the weight he lost after Carol died. Combined with his easy-going personality, he’s a painfully appealing package. Inside, though, he’s still a mess. He told me that most days it feels like he’s just going through the motions without Carol. He says he’s okay during the day when he’s busy but that at night and on weekends he thinks about what happened to her and it takes away any pleasure he can get out of life. Isn’t that incredibly sad? His heart is broken.

  I found a really pretty plum-colored dress in Mom’s closet and I wore it on Thanksgiving. It’s made out of a stretchy velvet material and it fits me perfectly. It’s long so I was able to wear it with my black boots and black tights. Grandma let me wear her pearl necklace and Ginny put my hair in a French braid. I did my makeup really carefully and even wore some eyeliner, which you know I never bother with on regular days. I think I looked okay and I noticed that Henry noticed. He did kind of a double-take when he first walked in and then I caught him staring at me a couple of times during the evening. When I babysit, I wear jeans and a plain shirt and barely any makeup, so I looked different to him on Thanksgiving.

  We were drinking wine with dinner and I think everyone was a little tipsy by dessert, even Grandma. She says some pretty funny stuff all the time, but she’s particularly salty when she’s had some wine. The topic of marriage came up and Grandma remarked that men want their wives to be “angels in the kitchen and whores in the bedroom.” I thought I was going to die! I sneaked a look at Henry and he was laughing really hard. Thank God all the kids were in the living room watching t.v. at that point.

  I brought homemade pumpkin and pecan pies. The pumpkin I thought was just “okay,” even though I did all the things you said. I used freshly grated nutmeg and dark brown sugar. I brushed the edge of the crust with milk before baking. Oh, well, it wasn’t terrible or anything, just not as good as yours. I think I nailed the pecan pie, though - it was pretty damn good. Remember last year when the pecan pie I made turned out runny? Well, I somehow managed to get the right consistency this year. It was more like a custard consistency. I used cream cheese in the pastry dough for a better texture of crust. I added some dark rum and lemon zest to the filling, which I think helped. I made homemade whipped cream just like you taught me, and that was a big hit. I remembered to use really cold whipping cream and to chill the bowl and beaters first. Also, I didn’t over whip the cream like I used to. Henry asked for seconds!

  I also brought a dozen of my “triple chocolate chip” cookies in case someone didn’t want pie, so of course the kids ate the cookies instead of pie. I’ve been using corn starch lately because I think it improves the consistency of the cookies. Don’t you agree? Also, I always melt the butter first. I can’t believe they taught us just to use softened butter in home economics class and nobody told us to chill the dough first. Oh, well.

  Ginny made a turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and a green bean casserole. She put almond slivers on hers which I don’t like, but you couldn’t really taste the almonds. The turkey wasn’t dry at all. I suspect she doused it with chicken broth before serving it, but who knows? Maybe turkeys are moister in Minnesota. Her mashed potatoes were delicious. They were really buttery like dad made them. Ginny’s daughter Claire made pasta and homemade meatballs and they were excellent. I didn’t know people were allowed to eat pasta and meatballs on Thanksgiving, but I’m glad I know now! Ha ha ha. She also had pieces of Italian sausage and grilled peppers, too, just like at Villa Rosa. It was amazing.

  When we were leaving, everyone was hugging as we said our goodbyes. When it came time to hug Henry, I felt like our hug lasted longer than everyone else’s. I know I shouldn’t be assessing his hugs, but it was impossible not to enjoy it. It was also nice to see Henry away from his own house, which is filled with reminders of Carol. Don’t think I’m awful! I seriously don’t try to flirt with him and I’m very respectful of his situation. I just can’t help feeling attracted to him. Even though he’s fair-haired and has blue eyes, Henry has that same playfulness about him that Bruce Springsteen has. You know what I mean…he’s got that magnetic, sexy vibe going on. When he wears flannel shirts and jeans on Saturdays, I’m pretty much weak in my knees the entire time I’m with him. Once, when I was babysitting, I saw him coming out of the bathroom after a shower. He was wearing a towel and I saw his bare chest, which had just the right amount of hair. It was a little curly. I’ll stop now! But when you visit and meet him, you’ll understand. He’s scrumptious.

  Grandma closed the shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving and it snowed all day. The town was completely buried. I shoveled Grandma’s front steps five times in one day. Everything looked so pretty and it was cozy to look out at the snow but to be warm and indoors. Thank God I had a bunch of books to read because we were basically snowed in. We had tons of leftovers, though. Ginny came over and we had another mini-Thanksgiving dinner with her.

  I have one more funny story about Grandma. She told me that when Mom got her period the first time, Grandma knew she had to tell her about the birds and the bees. She said she was really having a hard time with it, though, so she finally demonstrated “the act” by taking a lamp and plugging it into the wall. She said she held up the lamp’s plug an
d said to Mom “This is the man” and then she pointed to the outlet in the wall and said “That is the woman.” Poor Mom! She must have been so confused. I’m trying to remember when Mom told me about the birds and the bees, but I don’t remember. I think Cathy was the one who explained things to me. I guess Mom was too lazy to even plug in a lamp to demonstrate things for me! Ha ha ha. Oh my God.

  Don’t say anything to Mom, but Grandma Mary seems like she’s pretty sick. She doesn’t eat much, she has no energy, and she coughs a lot. I try to get her to go to the doctor, but she refuses. She says she’s afraid they’ll send her to the hospital and she says that “people who go to the hospital never come out.” Oh my God! Apparently, that’s what happened to old people she knew in the Bronx when she was growing up. I guess if she gets any sicker, she’ll have no choice? I really don’t know. It’s a troubling situation.

  Other than that, things here are good. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I cook dinner at Henry’s and then Grandma Mary comes over after she closes the shop and eats with us (or, I should say, barely eats.)

  Ryan is such a cutie! I seriously wish we were in the same town because Nula and Ryan would have so much fun playing together. They seem to be doing all the same stuff, developmentally-speaking.

  I’m taking over a lot more of Grandma’s readings because she’s so tired at night. When the clients call to schedule, she asks if they’d be willing to see me instead. Some say yes. For the ones who insist on seeing Grandma, she tries to get them to come during the day instead of at night. Some clients, however, ask for me now. It’s pretty cool.

  I’m starting to get the hang of palm readings. I thought I would never learn because there are so many variations, but it’s getting easier. If I relax and don’t worry about getting things “right,” the reading starts to flow. If I can get the general gist of the hand, then add details about the lines, I kind of go into “the zone” and start to see and feel things about the client. It’s hard to explain, but I’ll suddenly just know that the client hates her job and needs to get away from working with the public, or I’ll just know that she’s unhappily married to a guy who doesn’t love her. It’s crazy, but I love doing it.

  Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! Guess whose palm I read? Kevin Moran’s! I ran into him at the used book store and he saw I had a stack of palmistry books, so he asked me to practice on him. He has nice, friendly, creative hands. He’s a nice man. He has kind of fluffy reddish gray hair and sparkly blue eyes. If he’s still mad at Mom, he doesn’t act like it.

  I’ve got to go because I’m falling asleep as I write this. Write back soon! Miss you! Love you!

  -Fee Fi Fo Fum

  One week later, Fiona received a reply:

  Dear Fee Fi Fo Fum-

  Wow! Your letter, once again, blew me away. Grandma Mary sounds like such a funny lady! I’m so mad we’ve been deprived of her. There’s so much family history that’s been previously unavailable to us. I can’t wait to come and visit at Christmas. I have so many questions for Grandma. If you have time, will you write down her stories so we don’t forget them? It’s scary that she’s sick and won’t go to the doctor. Maybe Mom can convince her when we visit, although hopefully she’ll be better by then.

  Thanksgiving here was okay but Nula was sick (speaking of sickness!) She had an ear infection and she was miserable with a high fever and everything, so she and I actually stayed home on Thanksgiving. We had to take her to the emergency room to get meds because the pediatrician’s office was closed. It was a crazy day. Rick and I took turns – he went to his parents’ house for dinner, then came back and I went there for some dinner, then I came right back! Ha ha ha.

  Poor Mom had to stay for the whole meal with Rick’s family. She was a good sport, though, and was charming. Everyone feels sorry for her after losing Dad and then the house, but they don’t know that she actually seems happier to me than she ever was before. Weird! The nice part of the whole ridiculous day was that I didn’t have to spend it cooking with Julie. Mom did make her sweet potato casserole and it was delicious, as usual.

  One freaky thing….Jay went to Karen’s parents’ for Thanksgiving! I think Julie was pissed but, apparently, Karen and Jay are hot and heavy. They’ve been seeing each other every day and I wouldn’t be surprised if they got engaged over Christmas. Jay is a new man; he’s actually coming out of his shell a little. It’s been good for him to spend time at Karen’s apartment and away from Julie. I’m so psyched because I like Karen a lot and maybe she’ll be my sister-in-law someday. Now, I just have to find a friend to fix up with Stuart, although if Julie loses all her sons she might lose her mind. Oh, wait…she’s already out of her mind! Ha ha ha.

  Other than that, nothing is new here, although I’ve been crocheting more dresses. I’m going to give them to my friends who have baby girls. It’s so much fun to make them. Every night after Nula goes to bed I sit with Rick and watch t.v. and crochet. I’ve gotten to where I can do both at the same time. Rick thinks it’s freaky but impressive.

  I have a favor to ask…can you jot down the meanings of the cards and send them to me? I want to be a witch, too! I was telling my friend Sara about the cards and she wants me to give her a reading.

  I have to run…I have to start dinner. I’m making stuffed pork chops for dinner because Rick announced at Thanksgiving that stuffing is his favorite food in the whole world. Who knew? I thought his favorite food was salami.

  Love Love LOVE-

  Anny Fanny With a Bananny

  Fiona quickly wrote back:

  Dear Anny Fanny With a Bananny-

  That’s so cool about Jay and Karen. Good job, matchmaker! I can’t imagine that there’s a woman out there for Stuart, but they say there’s someone for everyone – ha ha ha. I’m sorry Nula was sick…how scary. Ryan was throwing up one day last week and it was awful to witness. He was so miserable. I can’t believe I didn’t get sick, too, but I managed not to catch whatever he had. It would have been bad for Grandma Mary to get it because she hardly eats anything in the first place.

  Please excuse my handwriting. I’m writing from bed on a tea tray propped on my lap. I’m going to give you a brief description of each card but I’ll show you more when you visit. Grandma taught me to look at each card one at a time and write down whatever you feel or whatever pops into your head. It’s good to have private, personal associations with each card. You can just add it to what I give you. It’s so cool and fun!

  Remember that the Spades suit is about difficulties and challenges and should be considered only as warnings about possible outcomes. A bad outcome doesn’t necessarily have to happen. The Clubs are about work, school, and everyday life. The Hearts are about love, both romantic and family love. The Diamonds are about power and finances. The Hearts are South, the Clubs are East, the Diamonds are West and the Spades are North if you ever get a question about direction. The Hearts are summer, the Clubs are Spring, the Diamonds are Fall and the Spades are Winter if you ever get a question about what season something is going to happen in. The Hearts are Yes and the Spades are No if you ever get a Yes/No question. That’s is a fast, easy way to get an answer. Just take all the Clubs and Diamonds out of the deck and put them aside.

  Ace of Hearts- home and/or houseguests, a crush, hope, an invitation, a child, a baby, a burst of emotion, craft projects, a ray of sunshine, the beginning of an emotional situation

  Ace of Clubs- positive energy, a seed, a new passion or interest, a good situation, channeling energy into work or school, new projects at work or school or your social life, an answer comes to you in a dream

  Ace of Diamonds- money, a helping hand, a ring or jewelry, something brand new, something makes you change your mind, good news in a letter, turning one’s desire for money into actual money, anything sharp

  Ace of Spades- a warning, secrets and painful truths, bad news, anxiety, upheaval, conflict, deception, a mystery

  Two of Hearts- new attraction to someone or from someone, excitement at seein
g someone, looking forward to seeing someone, lovers, kisses, pillow talk, Venus/Mars, choose between two lovers

  Two of Clubs- you will have to make a choice soon, two heads are better than one, give and take, ebb and flow, people cooperate, you make a new friend at work or school, soulmates and old souls, news via telephone

  Two of Diamonds- you have to balance work and family or school and work, you have two jobs, you have two majors, haggling over money, a small loan, burning the candle at both ends, competition, a tricky money transaction

  Two of Spades- anxiety over a decision, the “see-saw” card – you go back and forth, bickering, imbalance, two sides to a story, he said/she said

  Three of Hearts- friendship, parties, the arts, sex, temptation, beware of partying too hard, maiden/mother/crone, a love triangle, religion (father, son and Holy Ghost)

  Three of Clubs- the “Good Luck” card, an invitation, okay to feel confident, your abilities grow and expand, the universe is on your side

  Three of Diamonds- advice with this card is “do one thing and be the best at It” rather than being good at many different things, craftmanship at a high level, also the “Key Card” (anything to with keys, keys to a house, keys to a heart), positive feedback, word of mouth, high society