Talisman (31 page)

“Sure,” I replied nonchalantly.

Eyes blazing, Chloe looked over at me and then at Mike,
repeatedly
.  It was like watching an irate spectator during a tennis match.  The next thing I knew, my dramatic little sister had thrown her arms around Mike and locked him in a tight embrace.  She then forcefully planted an over-the-top kiss on his lips, which left the strapping quarterback wide-eyed and desperate for air.  I’d honestly seen him less blindsided and winded from a daggone “sack”!  I bit down on my bottom lip to hold back a laugh. 
SERIOUSLY!
  He was going to a dance with her sister, at
“her request”
— not off to war!

Katie sprang from her
seat.  “
Wait!
You need a clutch,” she insisted.  “For your lipstick and stuff…
Like mints
.”  Chloe’s head whipped around and glared at Katie on the spot.  Even
I
thought that last crack was
WAY
out of line, but Katie simply stood there with an innocent, doe-eyed look on her face.

“I don’t have one.
”  I turned to Chloe.  “Do you have one that would match?”

“I sure
don’t
,” my little sister snapped.  I figured my request was a long shot, but at least her silence broke.

Charlotte had just finished gulping down
her drink.  “Call your father. See if
HE
has one for you,” she cracked.

Katie intervened.  “Mrs. Wallace, don’t
you have a cute, sparkly black-beaded clutch?” she inquired.

Charlotte’s eyes said “yes”, but the word that crossed her lips was “no”.

Katie waved her hand and continued, “Oh,
sure you do
.  Remember last December?”  Charlotte’s eyes began to glaze as she shook her head.

“The Beckley Country Club?”
Katie posed confidently.

Charlotte was drunk, but she
appeared to be in deep thought.

“I
was over there with my parents attending a Christmas party in one of their banquet rooms.  I went into the restaurant and saw you and Carter Allen walking out…
together
.  You had it then,” Katie claimed with a smile.  “Is this
ringin’ any bells
, Mrs. Wallace?”

My mother’s eyes shot open on the spot.  No one uttered a single word while w
e all stared at Charlotte, waiting for her reply.  I felt another surge of anger trying its best to consume me as I added one more name to my growing mental list of man-whores.  Charlotte surveyed the various expressions in the room.  Samuel threw her a repugnant look as he crossed his arms, Chloe appeared clueless to Katie’s shrewd insinuation, and poor Mike just looked confused.  Mine was simply one of disgust and anger.   I’d already hinted my suspicions to Charlotte earlier.  She knew exactly what
I
was thinking.

Charlotte
looked like she was trying to construct her words carefully.  “Oh, yes.  I remember
now
.  I’d just run into Mr. Allen and was chatting with him.  You know, he’s a real talker and always so polite.  That’s all.”  She scanned the room for a reaction.  “You must be mistaken though, I
don’t
remember carrying a purse like that.  I
barely
even remember the incident.”

“You don’t remember the one you dropped when Mr. Allen was
helping you put on your coat? 
When you two were leaving?
  He picked it up and handed it back to you.  You know you’re right.  Mr. Allen is polite…
A real gentleman
,” Katie added with a deliberately arrogant nod as she crossed her arms, proving to be a very challenging adversary in this little cat & mouse game.  I was actually surprised she didn’t yell out a victorious, “checkmate”.  Just as Katie started to open her mouth again, Charlotte quickly cut her off.

“It’s in my closet.  Just hurry up and
get it
,” Charlotte ordered peevishly.

Since my mother
always kept her bedroom door locked, she was forced to pull the key out from her “secret” hiding place (the inside of her bra).  Katie strutted over and snatched the tiny gold key right out of her hand.

“Thanks, Ms. Wallace,”
Katie beamed.  Not a second later, my best friend grabbed my arm and tugged me towards the back of the house.  As we turned the corner, Charlotte rushed over to console Chloe, who still looked fit to be tied.

Katie inserted the key and turned the tarnished brass knob.  The room was a
total mess
.  The bed hadn’t been made, dirty clothes lay scattered everywhere, and the room was littered with empty wine glasses.

“I see why she keeps it
locked
,” Katie cracked.

“She’s not one for cleaning,” I confirmed.  “She doesn’t like anyone in here, so let’s just get the purse and go.”  I was ill at the thought of lingering around her sacred domain for too long.

Katie and I headed for the closet door.  She stopped abruptly in front of Charlotte’s long, mahogany dresser.

“
Hold on a sec…
We forgot perfume,” Katie remarked as she pointed down to the countless number of bottles lying on a crystal tray before our eyes.

“She would
be
so pissed
if I used her perfume,” I replied, as if she didn’t realize how crazy her idea sounded.

Katie shot me a lax look. “Do you
REALLY
care?”

I didn’t give it another
thought.  “
Not really
,” I giggled, giving her antsy little hands the go-ahead.  Katie started rummaging through all the various aromatic fragrances, trying to decide which one would be the “perfect” scent.

Suddenly, I felt
the abrupt nip of a cool breeze and followed its chilly trail over to an open window. To my surprise, perched on the windowsill was my feathery little friend, the falcon.  I bent down and carefully moved my finger towards it.  The falcon didn’t seem as placid as it had been earlier and flew off straightaway.

I smiled and joked to myself,
Maybe it has a dance to get ready for too?

After
a little more shifting, Katie gasped and grabbed a teensy-weensy bottle hidden amongst the clutter of fragrances. 
“
I can’t believe she’s got…
THIS!”
she exclaimed.

I rarely wore perfume, and mine was limited to whatever I could pick up at the local drug store, so I didn’t have a clue
as to why Katie was making such a fuss.

“What’s so special about
that one?
” I inquired as I inspected the tiny fluted crystal bottle that boasted a red-jeweled cap and featured a small golden “R” secured by a fancy red and gold tassel.

“
Oh, it’s
just
about a thousand dollars…
an ounce!”
Katie explained, still blown away by its presence.

I
puckered my lips and belted out a sharp whistle.

“It smells different on everyone.  I think it’s supposed to have pheromones in it that drives men crazy, and it’s blended with
real
rubies.”  Katie held the delicate crystal bottle up to my eyes and pointed out the tiny ruby chips floating around the bottom.  “See them in there.”  Katie shook her head, still looking dumbfounded.  “
My
mom
doesn’t even have a bottle of
THIS
,” she scoffed.

I watched the delicate
ruby fragments swim gracefully within in the bottle.  Before I knew it, Katie had removed the tiny red crystal stopper and swept it across both of my wrists.  She guided one of them up to my nose.

“Smells good, huh?”
Katie posed.

I had to admit the
fragrance smelled heavenly.  It possessed a delicate and sweet florally bouquet with an undertone of some exotic-scented spice.  But what I found even more intriguing was that each time I took another whiff, I detected a slightly different aroma coming from the blend, followed by an overwhelming surge of energy that pulsated through my body.

Weird
.  “What’s it called?” I asked.

“It doesn’t have a
n
actual
name,” Katie answered.  “It’s imported from India and just goes by its signature initial ‘R’ that’s attached to the bottle.” Katie pushed back my hair.  “Here…Let me dab some on you.”  She gently lifted up my necklace and proceeded to apply the intoxicating fragrance around my neck, all along my skin where the chain would lay.  She then swept the applicator’s crystal tip downward, trailing a path towards the center of my chest.  I halted her hand, just shy of my cleavage.

“What are you
doing?
” I asked cluelessly.

Katie tried to contain her giggles.  “
Well
…You don’t know what that hound-dog waitin’ for you out there is bound to
sniff out
tonight,” she teased.  Impulsively, I smacked her shoulder.

“
Easy now
… I don’t want to spill it on your dress,” Katie chuckled and quickly capped the cologne with its ornate topper.  “Let me go see if I can find that clutch.”  She handed me the delicate crystal bottle and then disappeared into Charlotte’s long cedar-lined closet.

After giving the ruby chips one more swirl, I placed the bottle back down on the tray and joined her.  I stood back and watched
her root around in the closet, shifting Charlotte’s things around like she was on a sandy beach in search of buried treasure.  From out of nowhere, I felt a slight twinge of heat radiating around my neck and down my chest.  Oddly, the warm sensation seemed to be intensifying.

Katie stood up on a few stacked containers and located the clutch
, lying on an upper shelf.  “Found it!” she called out.

I wasn’t paying much attention to her discovery. 
My focus was directed towards the peculiar burning sensation now singeing my skin.

It couldn’t be the cologne, could it?  My wrists aren’t burning
.

Katie noticed my discomfort.  “Shi, What’s wrong?”

I started to tell her when I spotted a very familiar envelope that had slid forward and was now dangling on the edge of the shelf.

A
re my eyes deceiving me?

“
Move
, Katie.  Let me up there!” I snapped, ignoring the pain.

Katie hopped off the makeshift stool.  I balanced myself carefully on the toes of my new stilettos and climbed onto the containers.  I grabbed the yellow envelope
off the shelf.  My worst fears were confirmed, and my rage overcame any physical pain I was feeling.  It was addressed:

University of Tennessee

One of my college applications
. 
The same one I filled out and placed in the box at the end of our drive to be mailed two months ago.
   Not only was I crushed, but extremely livid!  My eyes began to well with tears, so I took a deep breath in an attempt to dissolve every last one of them before they could escape.  It was painfully evident.  There was no surprise birthday dinner planned and most assuredly, no trip to tour any colleges — not after this discovery.

“What is it, Shi?” Katie asked.

I flipped the envelope around for her to see.  “One of my
COLLEGE APPLICATIONS!”
I fumed.

Katie’s mouth flew open.

I looked towards the rear of the shelf where I spied another manila envelope sticking out from behind some bags.  I pushed everything off in one guided swoop.  There, securely tucked away, were more 9 x 12 mustard-colored envelopes — in fact,
every damn one of them!

“What a heartless
bitch
,” Katie mumbled, her voice shaky and solemn.  “I’m
so
sorry, Shi.”

I
stood there in a surreal trance and slammed my clenched fists on the shelf.  I couldn’t have been more furious if I tried.  I stared at the envelopes and thought about all the time I’d spent filling them out, as well as all the hard work I’d done my entire life to keep a 4.0 GPA — just to have my mother try to destroy my dreams with one calculated, callous act!

Katie helped me down
and pleaded, “Please don’t cry.  She’s not worth it.  You’ll mess up your makeup.”

I
shot her a blank stare.  I knew she was just trying to comfort me in her own way, but I was
inconsolable
.  This was a new low for Charlotte, even in light of her recent suspected indiscretions.  Rest assured, I wasn’t about to let one tear smudge an ounce of her work.  I wouldn’t give Charlotte the satisfaction of crying over this.  I was more concerned about who could get bloodstains out of an evening dress.