The Air Singer (The Cantors) (2 page)

In the five minutes that Tally spent outside, Kate not only spoke to the mysterious gentleman, but also invited him to sit at their table. Tally put on her best smile and walked toward her seat, prepared to feel the ripple again.

“
All better?” Kate grinned at Tally, appearing quite proud of her ability to manipulate the current situation.

Tally sat
down, surprised that she felt nothing out of the ordinary. “Yeah, I just needed a little fresh air.”

Kate placed her hand on the stranger’s shoulder, “Tally, this is Roland.”

“Hi Roland.”

“
Hello Tally.” Roland’s voice was warm. Tally kept her eyes down and psychically tried to find what had caused the wave of energy that had disturbed her on stage.

“Will you be taking the stage again tonight?
” Roland asked. “You have a great sound.”

“Thanks.”
Tally whispered as she concentrated on shredding the edges of the napkin under her drink. She still didn’t know what to think about the handsome stranger.

Kate noticed that Tally was not going to make easy conversation and decided it was time for
an intervention.

“Tally your drink is almost gone.
Should I flag down a waitress?”

Ro
land seemed to pick up the hint, “Let me get a round for each of us. I’ll be right back.” He slid back from the table, grabbed the two empty glasses along with his bottle and walked away giving Kate a moment to speak to Tally alone.

“I’ve always counted on you to be the intelligent one in our relationship, but moments like this make me wonder.”
Kate pulled her chair away from the table so that she could fully face Tally.

Tally looked up for the first time since she had sat back down. “What are you talking about?”

“There is a handsome man sitting at our table who might be interested in you and you won’t say more than two words to him, much less look him in the eye.”

Tally c
rossed her arms in front of her. “You don’t know that he is interested in me and if he is, I’m not sure that I want him too close. Something happened while I was on stage.”

Leaning forward, Kate seemed a little less taunting, “Is that why you messed up your song?
I knew something was up! I figured you just had a bad night. So spill!”

“I don’t know how to describe it. My hands began to burn as they do when the energy changes too drastically.
Then he walked in. It was like being hit with a wave. Nothing like this ever happened before. It took everything I had to finish the song. I’m not sure if he caused it or not. I just know that whatever caused that kind of disturbance is powerful.”

Kate sat back and seemed to take everything in.
After a moment of thought, she took Tally’s hand in both of hers. “This might be difficult for you, but I need you to be honest with me.”

Tally looked down at her hand
held in the manicured grasp of her best friend. Kate seemed unnaturally concerned. “Okay.”

“Have you felt anything since you came back in?

“No.”

“Do you think that Roland caused the energy?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you think you would feel it now if he had?”

“Probably.”

“Can I have Roland if you don’t want him, ‘cause I didn’t feel anything from him earlier but would love to feel something later.” Kate’s eyebrows wiggled and Tally yanked her hand away.

“Kate, this is serious!”

“I know! There is a very attractive man who appears to be interested in you and you are giving him the silent treatment. It doesn’t get much more serious than this. If you don’t get your head right, you are going to end up old and alone with cats or something. Did I tell you that I’m allergic to cats? It will ruin our friendship.”

Tally
shook her head, amazed at Kate’s ability to make this about her.

“I’ll talk to
him, okay. Stop being so pushy.” Tally checked the bar to see Roland waiting as the bartender gathered a drink order. “How did he end up at our table anyways?”

“
He came up after you left and asked if you were going to sing again. I told him that I didn’t know and that you would be right back. He just sat down after that. We exchanged names and then you walked up.” Kate crossed her arms in front of her, “I am not being pushy, but let me remind you that it has been quite a long time since you met a man that wasn’t a client.”

“Are you a hair dresser?”
The smooth, low voice surprised both women and Tally turned to see Roland setting the drinks down.

“Nope, not a hair dresser.”
Color rushed to her cheeks while she hoped that he hadn’t heard too much.

Roland leaned forward on the table and
scrutinized Tally, “A therapist?”

“Not exactly.”
Tally wasn’t sure if she wanted to say too much about her profession to this gentleman just yet. Experience taught her that telling people too soon never ended well. Some would argue about the existence of psychics and most would want free readings. Neither option suited her.

“She works as a psychic at Cups and Cauldrons
,” Kate offered with a smile. “Have you heard of it? They have great lattes!”

“How long have you worked there?”
Roland kept his attention on Tally.

“About a year now.
It keeps a roof over my head and I am pretty much my own boss.” Tally stirred the ice cubes in her glass waiting for Roland’s unsolicited opinion on psychics.

“Who can ask for more than that?”
Roland leaned back in his chair. “So the music is just a hobby?”

“
Yeah, it’s a good way to blow off steam.” Surprised that the subject had changed, Tally began to enjoy having Roland’s attention. The energy in the room settled and she found his presence comforting. His blue eyes never left hers when he spoke. Maybe Kate was right about giving him a chance. “So what brings you here? Are you a musician?”

“
No, I just enjoy the entertainment, but I’m really here to people-watch.” A mischievous grin found its way to his face. “Ever tried it?”

“I thought people-
watching was better in airports or malls.”

Roland leaned forward as if he were to share a coveted secret.
Kate and Tally both followed suit.

“Those are great places too, but a bar is the perfect venue.
A congregation of individuals each with a goal to fulfill before the evening ends. It could be a need to release the stress of the day, to gather with friends or something as simple as the need to be validated.”

Kate
feigned shock, “To think, all this time I thought people went to the bar to get drunk.”

Tally watched as a smile
crept onto Roland’s face. He nodded his head toward the bar. “See the girl sitting at the bar?”

Sh
e was about thirty with brown hair pulled into a stylish ponytail. A few strands escaped framing her face with ringlets. The cowl neck of her blue sleeveless top hung just below the beginning of her cleavage. She sipped white wine and appeared to be enthralled with the gentleman on stage performing a Jason Mraz tune.

“How long do you think she spent getting ready to go out tonight?”
Roland glanced sideways toward Tally.

“An hour maybe?”

Roland silently scoffed at Tally’s first guess. “She spent an hour just picking out what shirt to wear, another hour perfecting the hair and applying the makeup. All that time so that it looks like she spent no time at all.”

“Hey Sherlock,” Kate whispered, “every woman does that whether she is going to a bar or not.
Until the grunge look comes back, that’s the nature of the beast.”

Suddenly the table
began to vibrate and Kate’s phone buzzed toward her glass. Kate glanced at the display and audibly sighed. “Got to take this. I’ll be right back.”

Kate got up from the table and sped to the door leaving Tally an
d Roland alone.

“So why is she here?”
Roland looked back at the woman sitting at the bar. “Why would she spend all that time getting ready to sit alone at a Thursday night open mic night with nothing more to comfort her than the glass of wine?”

Tally
wiped the condensation off her glass, “The wine isn’t what comforts her. It’s the bartender making small talk, checking if she needs anything. It’s the guy singing on stage occasionally making eye contact and for that moment is only singing to her.” Tally looked toward Roland, “If you are interested, now would be the time to go talk to her.”

Tally knew better than to think she would meet a decent man at a bar especially after he found out she worked as a psychic.
Kate wanted her to talk to this guy and the conversation focused on another woman. He was probably trying to find a way to make a graceful exit away from the freak and the people watching line was a great way to move to the next girl.

“Not interested tonight.”

“Maybe another night then?” Tally asked sarcastically.

The corners of his mouth turned
up, “You know for a psychic, you are not very good at reading minds.”

“You are the second person to tell me that tonight.”
Tally took a sip of her soda. “It’s not like I go through life listening to everyone’s thoughts or trying to pick the lottery numbers. If I didn’t shield myself, I would be committed and on medication.”

“Touchy!” Roland laughed, “I’m teasing you.”

He looked at his phone as if checking the time, and the smile left his face. “Looks like I’m gonna have to head out.”

He placed his hand over Tally’s and
electricity shot through her. Her fingers tingled and her face flushed. She looked up to meet his eyes and couldn’t remember why she was so irritated at him only moments ago.

“Well it was nice meeting you Roland.” She tried to sound cheerful even though a part of her pouted at the thought of him leaving.

“The pleasure was mine, Tally.” He gently squeezed her hand before letting it go and stood up to leave the table. “Tell Kate I said bye. Maybe I’ll see you two again next week.”

And
with that, he was gone.

“Are you sure this will make him fall in love with me?” The young woman set her basket down on the counter in front of Tally. Rose quartz, pink candles, a bottle of jasmine oil and a sack of dried rose petals completed her purchase. Tally began to scan the items into the register and carefully bag them for her.

“You can’t make him fall in love with you.
That is manipulation. This will help to bring love into your life.” Tally tried to keep a comforting expression on her face as this woman was determined to be her own personal lesson in patience today.

“Yes, I want to bring him into my life.
I want him to love me.”

Tally took a deep breath and smiled kindly at her customer. “
It doesn’t work that way. All I can do is help you to become open to receiving love. I can’t force anyone to love you. If I could, wouldn’t you always wonder if he really loved you or was just under a spell?”

The woman waved her hand in the air in irritation.
“Fine. So how long until I’m ready to receive love?”

Unless your soul mate needs a lesson in patience and
the evils of codependency, it’s not looking too good right now.

“Bath
e in the rose petals once a week and remember the affirmation I gave you. Work on yourself and trust that everything is exactly as it should be.” Tally took the woman’s cash and handed over her purchase. “Come see me in a couple months and enjoy the rest of your day!”

The woman smiled and held the bag to her chest as she walked out the door.
Tally prayed for the protection of the woman’s most recent obsession and closed the register drawer.

The smell of
fresh brewed coffee wafted through the shop and Tally headed toward what would be her third cup today. She craved a full night’s sleep. Images of Roland haunted her dreams and barred her from any true rest this past week.

They only spoke for m
oments yet the memory tormented her. She would lie down and try not think of him but would hear his voice and see the light from the depths of his eyes as she drifted in and out of slumber. During her waking hours, he consumed her thoughts. Her skin still tingled when she remembered him taking her hand right before he walked out of the Taproom a week ago.

“Another large coffee please.”

The door chime announced someone coming into the shop. As Tally turned to welcome the new customer, Kate stormed through the door.

“Are you
drinking coffee in the middle of the day?”

“I’m not sleeping well.”
Tally finished pouring skim milk in her coffee and watched the shades of brown swirl in her mug. “How was your day?”

Kate managed an office a block away and always stopped by on her way home.
“The only reason today is better than yesterday is that I’m one day closer to the weekend.” Kate followed Tally to the back of the store and took a seat at her reading table. A purple velvet cloth hung over the edges and a gathering of quartz, amethyst, and onyx sat at the inside edge next to a stack of tarot cards that had yellowed at the edges due to years of shuffling by different people looking for answers. Tally cupped her mug in both hands and inhaled the aroma.

“
Do I dare ask how your day has been?” Kate grabbed a piece of quartz and began to hold it up to the light.

“Let’s see. One client is cheating on her husband and wants to ra
tionalize that he was cheating first. Another is convinced that she has met her soul mate but he just happens to be engaged to her sister. I had three want to know when they will meet the
one
and you just missed an obsessive woman with control issues that is this close to making a voodoo doll so that her upstairs neighbor falls madly in love with her.” Tally paused to take a sip of her coffee, “And you wonder why I’m not dating anyone.”

“No, I know why you’re not dating anyone.” Kate placed the crystal back down on the table.
“You think you have love all figured out because you listen to sob stories all day at this table. People don’t get tarot card readings, because their lives are perfect.”

“I know that
!” Tally placed her coffee down preparing to defend her relationship status when the door chimed again.

She
recognized the energy before she even looked toward the door. Hesitant, insecure, and lopsided, Sean’s aura was as apparent as the glasses on his face. A brown button up shirt hung half tucked over his jeans. A baseball cap covered mousy brown hair that peeked out above his ears. He spent most days at the gaming center a few stores down and enjoyed computer role playing games more than real life. If ever there was an example of being uncomfortable in one’s own skin, Sean would be it. He had stopped into the shop one day to get coffee when Tally was working and after seeing how intimidated he was by life in general, Tally bought him his coffee and gave him a small tumbled tiger eye stone for confidence. Sean had come to the shop to see Tally every day she worked since.

“Right on time, the only guy you encourage.” Kate was not a fan of Sean’s.
She often called him a stalker and thought his ‘friendship’ with Tally was bordering on obsession.

“Be nice!” Tally whispered to her friend before leaving her at the table to greet Sean.

“How are you Sean?”

“Good, good.”
Sean avoided eye contact with everyone he met and Tally was no different. “I made it to level five on the new Culture of Swords yesterday.”

“That is awesome
. Did you meet anyone on the chat?” Tally tried encouraging Sean to meet real people rather than just the characters on the video.

“
No, just the regular crowd was online yesterday.” Sean took a sip of his coffee and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “How are you doing Tally?”

“I’m fine.
Just a few readings today.”

Sean looked past Tally to see
Kate sitting at her table. “Well it looks like I’m interrupting, so I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah, I don’t have all day here!”
Kate yelled from the back.

Tally turned around and began to walk ba
ck toward her table. “Shut up Kate!”

“Humph!” Kate just crossed her arms and dropped her shoulders.

Tally returned her attention to Sean as he walked out the door. She knew he wasn’t stable, but he appeared harmless. His energy always seemed lopsided. It was strange to Tally, but she assumed that it was because of an emotional trauma that never healed buried somewhere in his memory.

Tally walked back to her table to try
to enjoy her coffee before it got cold.

“I don’t know why you encourage him.
He’s weird.”

“
He’s eccentric and shy. He just doesn’t know how to act in front of people. I won’t ostracize him more just because he’s different.” Tally leaned back in her chair. “It can be lonely when people think you’re strange.”

Tally knew too well how mean people can be when they are scared or don’
t understand you. Memories from her childhood were littered with the taunting and teasing of people who didn’t like the quiet girl who always seemed to stare into their souls. As a young child, she could hear a person’s thoughts as if they were speaking to her. Often, she would stare at the person and watch the hues of his aura flow from one color to another as his thoughts changed from one topic to the next. Until she grew older, she never understood how unnerving that could be. She learned to shield herself not only from people’s thoughts, but from their words. It took many nights crying herself to sleep to find the strength, but when she did, she promised herself to never treat someone the way she had been treated.

“Whatever, he gives me the creeps.”
Kate began spinning an amethyst marble. “So are we going back to the Taproom tonight?”

“Has it been a week already?”
Tally knew what night it was. She hadn’t enjoyed a full night’s sleep since meeting Roland and it bothered her how much she wanted to see him again. She decided not to go back. Wanting someone that bad after only speaking with him for minutes could only mean trouble for her.

“Yes ma’am and I need a night out. Are you in?”

“Not tonight. I need to get some sleep.”

“Well I’m not going by myself.” Kate faked a pout, “
Want to have a girls’ night? You, me, bad reality shows and a pound of chocolate?”

Tally laughed at the thought of her and Kate gorg
ing themselves on chocolate but she needed to get some rest. “I’m exhausted, but I promise to have a girl’s night with you tomorrow night. Deal?”

“Fine, I guess I’ll settle for
microwave pizza and a good book.” Kate grabbed her purse from the table. “I’ll be over tomorrow night at eight.”

“Sounds good.”

Tally walked her friend to the door. When she returned to her table and checked the clock, she decided to call it an early day. After six, not many people showed up at the shop. She gathered her stones and cards, grabbed her purse, and locked the gate between the coffee bar and the metaphysical shop, bidding the barista a good night.

When she arrived home, she drew herself a warm bath.
The steam from the hot water cleared her head and the heat relaxed her muscles. Tiny bubbles popped and released the scent of lavender into the air. She sank deeper into the water letting the suds touch her chin. Listening to the soothing sounds of a Native American flute on her mp3 player, she tried to loose herself in her thoughts.

Was Roland
at the Taproom tonight? Was he looking for her? Was he talking to another girl, giving her the same people-watching story he gave her the week before?

Tally opened her eyes and sighed
aloud. Why was she so obsessed with this guy? She knew why. He was gorgeous and seemed intelligent. He looked her in the eye when he spoke to her and his touch was electric. His aura was warm with colors of green and gold. She had never seen a combination of those colors in a man his age before. The wave of energy that preceded him was overwhelming, but when he sat at her table that night, there was no sign of anything with that kind of power. He was comfortable to be around, save for his touch.

She got out
of the tub, dried herself and dressed in cotton lounge pants with an oversized tee. She heated the pasta from the night before and was in bed before nine o’clock. Tossing and turning, she couldn’t deny that a part of her wanted to get out of bed, get dressed and head to the Taproom just to see him again. She snuggled tighter into her blankets and forced her eyes closed making a deal with herself to go to the Taproom the following week if she was still being affected like this. After an hour, she drifted to sleep.

When she awoke the next morning, Tally was less than refreshed.
She had dreams of Roland as every night, but these were different. It was as if he was talking with her, but she couldn’t make out the words. After eating breakfast and getting dressed, she headed back to the shop. It was Friday, so it would be slow. Most people spent the day working or getting ready for the weekend so the shop was quiet. By the afternoon, she had dusted all of the displays and counted the inventory for a second time. As she rearranged the stones on her table again, the door chime alerted her to a customer coming in. She turned around, ready to help another love lost soul when she nearly lost her breath. Walking toward her, wearing a black graphic tee and well-fitting jeans, was Roland.

“Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” Roland’s voice was as smooth as she remembered. “I hear they make great lattes here.”

Tally stood stunned. How did he remember where she worked? Why was he here? Her heart flipped in her chest while she tried to maintain a calm appearance. “I take mine with cream and sugar.”

Roland brought her a warm cup of coffee and she led him to her table.

“So the coffee brings you here?” Tally offered the seat across from her.

“I’m going to let you answer that question yourself, seeing as how you are supposed to be the psychic.”
He sat down and leaned back comfortably as if this was a common occurrence. Tally was almost offended by his casual demeanor. How could he act as if this was an everyday event when she had been dreaming of him every night for the past week and almost forgot to breathe when he walked in?

“So you are here for a reading?”
Tally grabbed her cards and began shuffling. Roland reached over, placed his hand over hers and the cards fell flat on the table splayed out in front of her. The warmth of his skin radiated through her hand and she could feel the subtle callouses on his fingertips as they rested on her wrist.

“I came here to find out where you were last night.”
Roland removed his hand and returned to his relaxed position across the table. “Do you have any idea how many awe inspiring performances you missed?”

“I will have to say no.”
Tally leaned back in her chair trying to remember the talent from a week ago.

“None.
I would hear more talent at a karaoke night in a retirement community.”

Tally
snickered. “I am so sorry you had to suffer, but I’m sure there were plenty of subjects for your people watching hobby.” Tally remembered the object of his analysis last week, “So was the woman with the pony tail at the bar again?”