Stay Tuned

Book Excerpt: The Psychic in the Farmhouse

Denise took a couple of drags of her cigarette, and flipped over a few more cards.

"She's been with your sister a lot lately. Did your sister have an operation in the chest area recently?? She asked.

?Yes, she did,? my Dad said, surprised.

?She"s been spending a lot of time around her, helping her heal. Your sister?s heart is heavy with grief. She is trying to help her turn that around.?

Denise switched the cuff links into another hand, and kept shuffling them around. The clinking noise that they made was almost hypnotic.

?She?s also showing me an older man. Could this be your father? Is he still alive??

?Yes,? my Dad replied, rolling his eyes. While my Dad called his father every day like a diligent son, he never really forgave my grandfather for cheating on Virginia and breaking up the family. He now lived alone on a farm, where he had recently fallen off a horse and hurt his hip.

?He hurt himself from a fall?? she asked.

?Yes,? my Dad said, looking a little shaken now. Denise kept moving the cuff links from hand to hand. I didn?t get the feeling that she actually saw my Grandmother in the room, but picked up bits and pieces of information from the jewelry and her cards, and blurted them out as they came to her.

?She is helping him with his hip,? she said. ?She is with him a lot too.?

If this were true, it surprised me. I figured my Grandmother would have better things to do than make the man who ruined her life feel better after he took a spill. But my Granny was a very forgiving woman, so anything?s possible.

 ?She is showing me some rings. Did you bring rings today?? Denise asked.

?We wanted to, but we can?t seem to find them right now,? I said.

Denise took a huge drag from her cigarette and squinted at me. I was starting to wish the ?eau de animal? scent would return in place of the ?eau de Parliament? that had taken over the room.

?Look in a small drawer in your office,? she intoned. ?In a white box. I see them in the top drawer of a dresser that has lots of small drawers.?

I looked at Dad, knowing he had a piece of furniture just like that in his office.

?Didn?t you look there already?? I asked.

?I thought so,? he said. ?I guess I didn?t look hard enough.?

Denise took another drag on her cigarette and shifted her gaze over to my Dad.

?Is there anything in particular you?d like to know?? she asked with a smile.

My Dad was taken aback. He wasn?t expecting to be asked any questions, and for the first time, I saw him speechless. He stumbled for a minute as he composed his thoughts.

?Well, uh, sure!? he responded nervously. He then got a serious look on his face, and sat in silence for a moment. ?Well. Let?s see.? He folded his hands. ?I?d like to know...? he stopped, his voice cracking. ?I?d like to know if? if she?s proud of me?? His voice trailed off into a higher pitch at the end and he stopped himself before breaking into a sob. It was as if I weren?t even in the room. Dad had to know his answer, and if that meant crying in front of his daughter, so be it.