The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) (9 page)

“Uhm, I’m here to see Madame Fatima,” I told her.

“This way,” she motioned for me to enter. She shuffled along in a large pair of fuzzy pink slippers. I followed her past the dimly lit reception area, but instead of going down the hall to the mirrored room she led me through a door into a brightly lit kitchen.

“Can I get you a cup of coffee?” she asked.

“No thanks,” I replied, looking around the room. A cookie jar shaped like a pig smiled up at me from the counter, next to canisters marked “flour”, “sugar” and “tea”. The refrigerator was covered with children’s drawings, held up with magnets topped with plastic fruits and vegetables.

“Have a seat,” the little woman said, turning to stir a pot of tomato sauce bubbling on the stove. When she joined me at the table I got a good look at her.

I gasped, “Fatima?”

“You can call me Rosa,” she said. She didn’t roll her r’s at all.

It was her large black eyes that gave her away, for they were exactly the same, but her hair was down and loose, and without the elaborate costume and dim lighting she could pass as your average suburban housewife. In the bright light of day, without the incense and candles, she didn’t seem forbidding at all.

“So it’s all an act?”

“No.” She regarded me solemnly with her large familiar eyes, “I was born with a veil over my face. I have the gift.”

“What?”

“I come from a long line of Sicilian
women
, women born
with the
second sight. My mother had it, and my grandmother before her.”

“So why all the smoke and mirrors then?”

“Some people need the razzle dazzle,” she explained, twirling her wrist in the air
.
“But I think you know better than to judge a book by its cover. Things are not always what they appear to be.”

I nodded, “That’s for sure.”

“I didn’t call you here for a reading,” she explained, “It’s– it’s just too hard. The forces surrounding you are powerful… and dangerous. I was reading for Evie last week and I kept seeing you instead. I called you here to warn you”

“Warn me about what?”

“The evil eye is upon you.”

I raised my eyebrows, “Evil eye?”

“Il malo occhio– envy and greed. Someone wants something that you possess.” She drew a deep breath, “Two enemies are closing in on you. One man and one woman… They will both prey on the weakness of the ones you love. One is in your very own house… the other, even more dangerous, is under Evelyn’s protection.”

“Why didn’t you warn her?” I asked in alarm.

She frowned, “She is blinded by the faith she has in another.
So you see… I couldn’t very well have her deliver this message.”

“What should I do?” I asked her.

“That,” she sighed, “I cannot tell you.” She rose, signaling she had said all she had to say.

I stood, holding out my hand, “Thanks for the warning.”

She took it with a squeeze, “You be careful. Your aunt Evie worries about you more than you can imagine.”

“I know,” I forced a smile, “Thank you... Rosa.”

She nodded, escorting me back out the front door. I took a deep breath and stepped outside.

“Marina–”

I turned back, “Yes?”

“
You must learn to
have faith in
what you cannot see.”

“Uh… okay,” I replied, not sure what she meant by that.

When I slipped behind the wheel I found Evie powdering her nose with a jeweled compact, “Did she tell you anything new?”

“Oh, it was
very
enlightening,” I kept my face expressionless.

To
Evie’s
credit, she refrained from asking me
.
“Good,” she smiled, “Now let’s go get you some boots.”

The rest of the day sped by in a blur, a
nd
I
found myself
preoccupied with the fortune teller’s words. Yuri was under Evie’s protection, and Doctor Permala was under my own roof… But what were they after? I shuddered when I thought of Yuri’s dark eyes.

After trailing around behind Evie for the day I was tired, and when I finally got home Dad was asleep, his face more peaceful than I’d seen it in a long time. Doctor Permala was mixing up some kind of concoction at the kitchen counter, grinding something into a paste with a stone pestle. She looked up and gestured for me to be quiet, pointing to my father.

I approached her, peering across the counter. The air smelled of ginger and licorice, and I recognized some fresh spears of Aloe Vera on a plate. “What are you making?” I whispered.

She looked to my father nervously, “I’m making some healing tonics and salves.”

I frowned, “Did you learn that in medical school?”

“No
.
”
S
he
spoke softly, “I learnt it from my Grandmother.”

“Oh,” I raised my eyebrows at her, looking over her ingredients. Abby would certainly love this, I thought. I retreated to my room and reached for
the
phone.

“Ethan?”

“How’s your dad doing?” he asked.

I told him how Evie’s doctor had taken over the house, and how she had officiously denied him coffee. “Can you believe that?” I asked indignantly.

“What kind of monster is she?” he teased me
.
“I think you need to come home right away. I’ll make you all the coffee you can drink.”

“Tempting,” I smiled
.
“I miss you.”

“Then come home now,” his voice was husky, pleading.

“Can you come up tomorrow?”

“I can come up right this minute,” he said.

“To meet my dad,” I added.

He
paused
, “Do you think he’s up to it?”

“I think so.”

“What if he doesn’t like me?” he
asked
.

“You have nothing to worry about,” I said firmly. I meant it.

“I hope so,” his voice was faint.

“So we’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Absolutely. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

“No horses here… But isn’t that, drag me away?”

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

~

C
hapter
S
ix

CHINATOWN

~

“No. Absolutely not.” Doctor Permala was adamant.

“If he feels up to it, I don’t see the problem. We’ll be careful
.
” I
waved my hand
dismissively. She was micro-managing every little detail about my father, and it was really starting to get on my nerves

The doctor had walked in and gasped with horror to see me helping my father as he struggled to get up from his hospital bed. Ethan was on the way over for dinner, and dad proudly insisted that he be seated at the table, not lying down like an invalid.

Amrita Permala
pulled herself up to her full height, and addressed my father with fiery eyes
,
“Professor Vanderpool, if I’m going to be working with you, I insist that you follow my instructions to the letter!”

He looked startled, but then nodded a bit sheepishly. He lay back down with a sigh of relief.

“I don’t really see how sitting in a chair is going to interfere with his recovery!” I protested.

“Marina,” my father stopped me with his hand on my arm, “She’s right… It’s just my foolish vanity.”

Doctor Permala looked relieved, rushing to his side to reposition his arm. She met my eyes, “His diet has been arranged in advance. Evelyn’s chef is preparing him special Ayvedric meals that will cleanse his body of toxins and facilitate the healing process.”

Great, I thought. If it involved some kind of non-western medical theory it figured that Evie had a hand in it. She never met an alternative therapy she didn’t like.

“I was going to order Thai from our favorite place.”

Dad looked thoughtful, “I’ve always wanted to know more about traditional Indian medicine. Might as well give it a chance.”

I rolled my eyes and snorted with frustration. I had been waiting a whole year for my father to meet Ethan, and now this officious doctor was dictating what we could have for dinner! There was a knock on the door and I opened it to find Paul, blocking the path of an aggravated looking Ethan.

“Were you expecting him?” he asked, pointing his thumb backwards.

“Yes! Didn’t Boris tell you?” I squeezed past him to throw my arms around Ethan. He hugged me back and I clung to him with relief. When I looked up Paul was gone.

“Come on,” I took his hand and led him inside. I could feel how nervous he was as we approached my father. Dad had raised his bed to its highest position, and sat as far up as he could.

“Dad, this is Ethan,” I said with a smile.

Ethan offered his hand, and my dad struggled to lift his right arm to no avail. Realizing his mistake, Ethan switched to his left, looking mortified.

My father shook Ethan’s hand with grave dignity, “I understand I owe you a debt of gratitude. Marina tells me you’ve been a great help to her through all of the… over the past year.”

“I did what I could,” he said earnestly, adding, “I’d do anything for her.”

My father regarded him for a moment, and then smiled wryly, “So, your father is my new brother in law? And your sister is my new baby niece?”

Ethan actually blushed, stammering, “Ye-yes. I
was there
yesterday, and they’re looking forward to visiting when you’re feeling up to it.”

Dad laughed, running his good hand through his hair, “A whole lot can change in one year.”

Ethan and I exchanged a glance.

“Dad,” I said, “We have some news.”

Ethan squeezed my hand, turning towards me, “Can you give us a minute alone?” I was a little surprised he didn’t want me there, and I looked back and forth between the two of them. They seemed to be waiting for me to go.

“I’ll be in my old studio,” I said.

I walked into the
rehab
room, looking over all of the fancy new equipment
again
.
The two most important men in my life
had finally met
, and
I was
nervous
about leaving them alone together
.
Ethan knew much more about what had been going on over the past year than
Dad
did
, and while
I was sure he’d never
intentionally
say anything to upset my father, not being in the room with them made me uneasy.

Doctor Permala bustled in, and seeing me pacing by the window she turned on her heel sharply and left the room. I didn’t trust her. I sighed, looking out the picture window at the sun slowly sinking towards the sea.
I suppose I was most afraid that my father would still see me as a little girl, and refuse to accept my engagement to Ethan.

Staring out into the infinite sea reminded me of my sisters, and I squeezed my eyes shut in a vain attempt to put my worries about them out of my mind.
The mermaids were probably ready for a refresher course; I needed to check on them, and I decided to find a surf-shop in the ci
ty first thing in the morning. When I opened my eyes t
he whitecaps seemed to wink at me, and I suddenly missed surfing with a savage rush of longing.
I felt like I was floating away, lost in a saltwater daydream so powerful I could taste it. 

Ethan came up behind me, slipping his arms around my waist. He dropped his chin to my shoulder and kissed my ear, “I like your dad.”

I turned around, and he studied me with concern, “Marina?”

I blinked a few times, and looked into his eyes, lunging for his lips. We kissed, and I inhaled in his scent, back on shore again. He pulled me close to him and burrowed his face into my hair, breathing in.

“Did you tell him?”
I asked.

“Yes.”

I kissed him again with even more intensity, and he pulled back a little,
taking me by the shoulders.
“
Hey…
Don’t get me started.”

He looked around at the room, impressed at the transformation, finally taking my hand and lea
ding me back out to my father
’s bedside. Dad looked pale and tired, and I was all at once ashamed at myself for getting so caught up in my own drama.

“Are you feeling alright?” I asked.

“I’m
fine – I’m just
surprised
…
So you want to get married.”