I Dream Of Johnny (novella) (6 page)

Failure to request a new wish will make the exchange void and your original wish will remain in your possession.

In my overwhelmed state I’d actually forgotten to decide on a new wish, and now I had only fifteen minutes to get it right or be forever in the company of Jonathan Fortran Schnecklymer.

I could try for a Greek God again and with laser focus ensure I spelled it one hundred percent correctly, but for some reason the idea didn’t seem that appealing any more. Did I really want a guy clinging to me at every moment, geeky or otherwise? Come to think of it, I was also kind of missing all my creative supplies and mobiles decorating the house, and the thrill of checking my email and PayPal account for new sales. I looked towards Jonathan who had a fearful expression on his face and my heart sank.

I noted the remaining time on the timer, placed the lamp back down, and walked over to Jonathan. “We need to talk.”

He held up his hand and a faint glimmer of moisture welled in his eyes. “Don’t. I know what’s happening. I just...didn’t think it would happen so fast.” He turned away and wiped his eyes underneath his glasses.

”Having you here has been...interesting, and you’re the best pancake maker in the history of the universe.” I offered a smile. “But our time has come to say goodbye.”

“No, no. Please, isn’t there any chance of making this permanent?”

“Jonathan, I’m sorry, but you don’t belong here. We don’t belong together, it’s not right.” And you’re not
really
real. You’re a manifestation of the World of Wishes. But I couldn’t say that out loud. Right now, he
was
real, and he was experiencing the same emotions I’d felt when Dan left me. My heart broke for him, but hopefully somehow there’d be a new journey ahead of him elsewhere, in some other place, or some other realm. It was time for me to get back to reality, to normality, and make the most of this life I’d been given.

I looked into his eyes, and never really noticed until now that they were quite beautiful —a deep shade of green that glistened with his threatening tears. I’d only seen his daggy clothes, bad comb-over and Mr Bean dance moves, but beneath all that was a pure heart. A heart who brought people together in the strangest of ways, who cleared the air with his honesty, and embraced his true self without fear or concern of what others thought.

“You know what has to happen, don’t you?” I asked, not looking away.

He nodded reluctantly. “I know. And it’s okay. Like I sang in that song last night...my heart will go on.” He placed his hand above his heart and squared his shoulders.

“Goodbye, Jonathan Fortran Schnecklymer,” I said, and without waiting for his reply I leaned towards him and gently pressed my lips to his in one brief but definite kiss.

His face glowed and he smiled, mouthing the words ‘thank you’ before turning his back towards me and facing the sink. “I’ll just make a start on the washing up.”

I almost told him not to bother as it would magically clean itself up, but realised he wanted to keep busy while I did what I had to do. I walked back to the hall table, out of sight of Jonathan, and picked up the lamp. A few minutes remained. My finger hovered over the on-screen keyboard and then I typed:

I wish for things to go back to the way they were before I made my three wishes.

I peered around the corner of the kitchen at Jonathan as he scrubbed the plates and cutlery, and was about to turn back when he turned his head and blew me a kiss. I pretended to catch it in my hand then placed my fist over my heart. He smiled and turned back to the dishes, and with a deep breath, I pressed the ENTER button.

Please wait while your wish is being processed.

A bright light flashed and I squinted, blinking repeatedly until my surroundings came into focus again. A gentle trill sounded and I glanced back at the screen, telling me my wish exchange had been granted. It also said the lamp could be passed onto another person, but could not be reused by myself.

I put the lamp on the table and walked around, surveying the results. Boxes littered the floor, mobiles hung from various places, and there was no extra studio out back. I checked my bank account which was back to a miniscule amount, with seven hundred and fifty three dollars owing on the credit card. Oh well, I’d manage. I’d figure it out. I walked towards the bedroom. “Jonathan?” I called, just to make sure. No response. I felt a little sad, but also relieved that my life could get back to relative normality. There was comfort in the familiar, even if it wasn’t the fabulous, perfect life I’d wanted yesterday. It was a life, my life, and I was damn lucky to have it.

I noticed the television, DVR, and Wii laying about, yet to be set up, and my shoulders sunk. “Oh man, I forgot about this!” I laughed at how easy it had been for Jonathan and almost wished he was here again to help me. I selected my brother’s number from the contacts in my phone and waited. No response there either. He never answered the phone if he was in the middle of something important, like a video game, or his favourite TV show. “Let the machine get it,” he’d always say.

The machine. My machine. I still had to change the recording. I went to press the greeting message button then eyed the array of technology. “First, let’s get this mess sorted out.” I flipped open the Yellow Pages. What would one search for when looking for help with this sort of thing? Was there a job category for ‘setter-upperers of household entertainment appliances’? Hmm...a handyman, perhaps? I scanned the advertisements:
painting, carpentry, lawn mowing, odd jobs
...was this classed as an odd job? And then I saw it. The ad I was looking for:

Geeks R Us

Brilliant!

For all those tricky technology dilemmas, we are at your service, seven days a week. Affordable prices, hourly rate. Guaranteed same day service if you call before midday.

I checked my watch. Yes! I called and was told my geek would be arriving in around two hours. Not as fast as the magic lamp, but not bad! And I knew just how I would pass the time, but first: the answering machine. I played the existing half-done message with low level coarse language and pressed DELETE. Then I pressed RECORD.

“Hi, thanks for calling Mandy, from Mandy’s Magical Mobiles. I look forward to speaking to you soon. Please leave your name and number after the tone.”

Beep!

Done. Let my new life begin!

Ninety minutes later I was putting the finishing touches on the design and templates for my fruit mobile. I couldn’t find a supplier of wooden fruit shapes so I’d have to carve them myself. I’d make apples, bananas, strawberries, pineapples, oranges, and grapes, and paint them to look as realistic as possible. In fact, I’d decided to create a whole range of food-
themed mobiles and try to sell them to cafes and restaurants. Mobiles didn’t have to be solely in the children’s domain. And I had an idea I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of till now, till Jonathan made me the heart-shaped MANDY mobile — which sadly, didn’t survive the wish exchange —mobiles with children’s names on them. I found an online store that had some but they were cheap plastic; mine would be handcrafted and unique. I’d pre-make some with popular names and do custom designs for more unique names on demand. The first name I’d do would be ‘Jonathan’ and I’d use it as my example design on the website.
Ooh!
Bubbles of enthusiasm rose up inside and popped into spurts of bliss. I was in my element, and confident I could turn my money situation the right way round.

As for the love situation, well, I simply hadn’t met the right man yet. Jonathan, despite his...
shortcomings
, had shown me some of the qualities I wanted and deserved: helpfulness, authenticity, honesty —oh boy did he show me honesty! —and kindness. If there was a man out there for me, I’m sure we’d find each other eventually, but there was no point stressing about it or forcing things. I’d meet him when the time was right for both of us.

Ding, dong!

Please don’t tell me it’s those charity collectors again
...but then I remembered I was expecting the tech guru. I’d been so immersed in my creative world I’d forgotten. I put my pencil down and went to the door, pulling it open. A stream of afternoon sunlight welcomed itself inside and I instinctively shaded my eyes with my hand so I could focus on my visitor.

Deep green eyes focused back through thick glasses. Green eyes, just like Jonathan’s. For a moment I thought he’d returned, but there was no comb-over, no pimples, and no high-waisted shorts with suspenders. The man wore smart trousers, polished shoes, a crisp shirt that sat comfortably on broad shoulders, and his hair was short, brown, and neat. A radiant smile graced his face.

“Geeks R Us, at your service!” He offered his hand and I shook it, smiling back.

“Please, come in.” I stepped to the side and extended my arm in a welcoming gesture.

“Thank you.” He entered the hallway and removed his glasses. “I’ll just take these off now. The company makes us wear them, but they drive me nuts.” He placed them on the hall table, next to the lamp, and I instinctively noticed the absence of a wedding ring on his left hand. Not that I was looking for a husband in every guy I met, it was just habit. A habit I’d have to break if I was to move on with my life.

“Ah,” I smiled teasingly. “So you’re not a
true
geek?”

“Let’s just say I’m a regular guy —with geek elements.” He winked. “I like fixing things, making things work, but that’s about it. I don’t have the periodic table memorised or anything,” he added.

I stifled a giggle. “So you wouldn’t name your children after the elements, then?”

“Huh?” His brows furrowed. “Why, do you know someone who did that? Geez, I feel for the poor kids!”

“I knew someone who wanted to, but I don’t think they’ll end up going ahead with it.” I wondered where Jonathan was now, and whether he would get any sort of chance at sharing his life with someone; someday, somewhere.

“I think when I have kids I’d prefer to stick to basic names —Matthew, Emma, names like that. Simple, easy to spell and pronounce, and the kids won’t end up hating me.” He smiled again and his eyes shone with the sort of genuine, authentic spark that makes anyone attractive. I warmed to his nature immediately, and found my gaze travelling over
his chest, along his muscular arms, and across his strong-looking hands. He was no body builder —just nicely built...in a regular sort of way.

“So, have you got a busy schedule today?” I asked.

“No, you’re my last job. Then I’m off to play footy with my nephews in the park, followed by dinner with friends at the Sushi Train. Gotta love Sundays.”

Hmm...family oriented, fit, smart...
Mandy, stop it!

“Oh, that place on Park Street? I love their sushi.”

“That’s the one.”

“Well, I better let you get to work so you can go enjoy the rest of your day.” I led him into the living room, embarrassed by the mess and clutter. I shoved a few things aside and pointed to the equipment that needed setting up. “Just the TV, DVR, and Wii...Sorry about all the mess, I haven’t had time to tidy up...Here, I’ll just —oof!” I tripped on a box of art materials and fell towards him, my palms planted on his chest as the momentum took his balance and we toppled to the floor. My hair covered his face and I lifted my head from his chest, meeting his gaze once again and breathing in a subtle hint of spicy cologne. “Um, er, sorry,” I said, my voice croaky.

He grinned. “Maybe you should come and play footy with us this arvo, you do a mean crash tackle.”

Warmth flushed my cheeks as I manoeuvred off him and stood, smoothing down my top with my hands and tucking wayward hair behind my ears. “I’m not normally that clumsy, sorry!”

“Don’t apologise, it was an accident. Besides, it’s the most excitement I’ve had all day.” He stood, still grinning, clearly amused by my klutziness.

My warm cheeks rose further in temperature, and I tried to look busy, arranging the equipment in a more orderly way to help him get started. “So, um, I’ll leave you to it?”

He knelt down next to the equipment. “Yep, shouldn’t take me too long.” He rubbed his hands together and started fiddling with cords and plugs and things, arranging the equipment on the display unit and testing out various buttons on the remotes. A short time later he stood. “All done!” he said. “Here, let me show you how everything works.” He leaned in close to me so I could see the buttons on the remote, and that same spicy scent stunned my nerves for a moment. He smelled so...nice. So masculine. So...attractive. Damn those hormones, turning me into a yearning lump of desire!

“Sorry, how do I set it to record again? I didn’t quite catch what to do after selecting the menu.”

He patiently repeated his instructions, and in a few minutes I was confident I would be able to record Downton Abbey that night while watching a movie on DVD.

“Here’s your invoice,” he said, writing on a pad. “It didn’t take me as long as I’d allowed so I’ve given you a bit of a discount.” He ripped the invoice from the pad and handed it to me.

“Thanks, that’s very kind. I’ll pay by direct deposit once you’ve gone.”
Worth every cent
, I almost added.

“No rush, we have a seven day account facility, so whenever you’re ready.” His eyes scanned the house and his gaze fixed on some mobiles in the far corner. “Did you make these?” he asked, approaching them with a gentle outstretched hand.

I nodded. “Yep, that’s my business. Mandy’s Magical Mobiles,” I said proudly.

“And these are your designs?” He eyed my sketches on the small table under the front window.

”I’ve been working on some new ideas. Food-themed mobiles and mobiles with children’s names.”

“You’ve got a talent,” he said. “Do you have a business card? I know someone who might be interested.”

“Yes!” I said, a little too eagerly. “I mean, I’ll just see where I put them.” I rummaged in a desk drawer and pulled out a few. “Here you go, and thanks. Word of mouth really helps.”

“My pleasure.” He stuffed them in his shirt pocket. “Well, I better get going. If you have any problems using the equipment, give me a call at the office and I’d be happy to help.”