Ripples Read online

complete it. She placed a lid back on the saucepan and walked into the living room to finish straightening up before Dori dropped by.

  As she walked down the hall, she heard a large thud from beneath her feet. It sounded like a car door, but he must be moving something around in the basement and knocked over a box.

  She grit her teeth and paused a moment. She considered going back into the kitchen, standing at the top of the basement stairs and demanding he come up. She was tired of him not speaking to her and the games he played with her.

  She ran a hand through her hair and leaned against the wall. She felt like crying again and cursed her weakness. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the wall. Life was so hard at times, so unforgiving and uncompromising. It took husbands and fathers away and left young boys to waste away their childhood in dark basements because their mothers were drunk in the middle of the afternoon. She should be there for him, to hold him and care for him. Some mothers needed to be held themselves and wallowed in their own misery unable to do little more than listen to their son wander the halls in the middle of the night and play in the basement during the day.

  Natalie knew that had it been the other way around and it had been her that died in the accident, David would’ve been able to overcome his grief and help their son. He’d been the rock she clung to and with him she'd felt confident and sure. Now, with him gone it was all she could do to keep the house clean.

  You should have been there.

  That was where the guilt came from more than anything. David had taken her place. She'd been spared.

  She pushed herself off the wall and decided that for now, she wouldn’t start an argument with Alex about coming upstairs. When he heard Dori, she hoped he would come up on his own. Maybe she should allow Dori to take him to his grandparents. It might do him good to stay with them while she tried to get her life back together.

  She walked into the living room and glanced around deciding it didn’t need to be straightened up after all. Alex rarely ever seemed to be in the living room anymore.

  The doorbell rang, startling her. One last glance around and she walked to the door. She looked through the glass to see Dori standing with an older, jovial looking woman Natalie guessed to be in her sixties and who looked vaguely familiar.

  She opened the door, trying to smile, “Hey you.”

  She stepped back into the foyer allowing the two women to enter. Dori stopped to squeeze Natalie’s arm as she stepped passed her into the living room.

  “Barbara,” replied the older woman as she stopped in front of Natalie. “Barbara Lakewood, we met at your wedding, call me Barb though please. I'm so sorry for your loss dear, David was very close to my husband and me. We were in Europe when he passed and only recently got back. I'm sorry we missed the service.”

  She extended her hand, which Natalie took in her own. Barbara looked like a school teacher, short hair and glasses on a cheap plastic bead chain, hung around her neck. Her dark green pants suit accentuated her girth, but her handshake was firm. She looked at Natalie with an intense but friendly smile.

  “How are you Nats,” Dori asked, pulling her attention away from Barbara. “We've been so worried about you.”

  Natalie closed the door behind her and stepped into the room releasing Barbara’s hand. Dori stepped forward to embrace her and Natalie hugged the thin woman close, the smell of lilac scented shampoo clung to her blonde hair.

  Natalie patted Dori’s back,” I’m fine Dori.”

  Dori stepped back, but held Natalie close, “You sure?”

  Natalie could see Dori’s nostrils flare as she sniffed for any tell-tale signs of alcohol and she began to get agitated. Barbara must obviously know some of her history by the way Dori spoke so openly in front of her.

  “Dori I’m fine,” Natalie said, pulling away from her. “Why don’t you both sit.”

  Natalie noticed a look pass between Dori and Barbara as they sat on the couch.

  “Barbara is an old friend of the family, she was at the wedding if you recall. We bumped into one another last week, she thought she might be able to help you.”

  “Oh?” Natalie said and turned to look at the other woman as she sat down in a chair facing her two guests. Natalie seemed to recall the woman now, her and a small mousy looking man who David had introduced to her. He told her later that they along with his mother were into some form of spiritualism that was a little out in left field.

  “Help me how?”

  “Well,” began Barbara, “I'm a medium, and can help people who've lost their loved ones.”

  Natalie’s eyebrows lifted as Barbara spoke, “A what?”

  “A medium, I can contact the spirit world.”

  Natalie shot a look at Dori who averted her eyes as Barbara continued speaking.

  “Yes,” Barbara said smiling. “I get that reaction quite a bit, I have been doing this for years and am quite well respected in my field.”

  Natalie returned her gaze to the older woman, “Yes, I’m sure you are but I don’t really know why you or Dori think I might need a medium. I realize David passed and while I miss him greatly, I don’t think that it would be in anyone’s best interest if I could talk to him from the -

  She waved her hand in the air, making a dismissive gesture to finish the sentence. She was an atheist and didn’t know what to call it. The beyond? The grave?

  She placed her hand back in her lap and smiled uncomfortably at her two guests, who she began to notice, returned her smile in a way she couldn’t place. When neither spoke, she went on, “I appreciate you coming out here Barbara, however I don’t want to contact David, or even know if we could if we tried. I just don’t believe in such things.”

  Dori sighed and raised her hand to move a strand of hair from her forehead, placing it back with the rest. She looked towards the kitchen.

  “You said you made dinner.”

  “Yeah, I told you that on the phone.”

  Barbara, placed her hand on Dori’s knee, then turned to Natalie.

  “Sometimes when people pass, for reasons we don’t always understand, they lack the ability to move on.” The older woman leaned forward on the couch and rested an elbow on one knee.

  “Other times, it isn’t the deceased at all. It’s those left behind who cling to the thought of their loved ones and think they see them and believe they are still here when in fact they are not. If that’s the case then I am obviously not needed,” she paused looking closely at Natalie, “However I can discern between the two easily.”

  Barbara smiled, and although it was obvious she was trying to be delicate, it was the fact she was trying so hard to be delicate that upset Natalie. They were both treating her as if she were a child. It was one thing to try and lend a hand as a friend, and quite another to bring in some charlatan palm-reader. Dori must think her nuts if she were entertaining the notion that David was visiting her as a ghost.

  “Mrs. Lakewood I’m sure you mean well and I can tell you are quite sincere about what you’re saying, but you must understand, I don’t think I see David. I never thought I saw him after he died and I don’t want to try and contact him, or whatever it is you do.” Natalie stood.

  “I know Dori means well and probably thought you could help me but you can’t.” Dori tried to interject something but Natalie held out her hand to stop her.

  “I want to thank you both for coming.” She moved towards the living room door, holding out her hand to her guests as an invitation to stand and move with her. When they didn’t she looked to Dori, then to Barbara who was sniffing the air, a puzzled look on her face.

  “Nats, please sit down a moment.”

  Natalie was about to raise her voice when Dori repeated, in a softer, almost resigned tone.

  “Please Nats, there is something I want to talk to you about.”

  Natalie still held her hand out, her brows knit in frustration but the tone of voice Dori used was one she hadn’t heard before. Natalie lowered h
er hand and crossed the room to sit back down. She looked to Dori then to Barbara again, but the older woman had her head turned looking at one of the chocolate bars she'd picked up off the table.

  “Nats,” Dori began and pointed towards the kitchen, “You said you were making dinner.”

  “Yes, we’ve been through that already. Dori, I think you need to explain what you’re doing here and why you brought...”

  Natalie waved her hand in the direction of Dori's friend. “Barbara here, to do what? Talk to David? Is that it? You think we can all gather around a table and light a few candles and we can summon David here and I can sit and have some type of chat with his ghost? My God Dori, David told me your parents bought into this crap but I didn't think you did as well.”

  Natalie stopped and was looking intently at Dori, waiting for an answer. If she missed her brother so desperately she wanted to conduct a seance then perhaps it was she who should go see Dr. Hendrickson.

  “Natalie,” began Dori again, “who are you cooking dinner for?”

  Natalie looked at Dori and then at Barbara who had put the candy back down, but had looked towards the window obviously uncomfortable. She noticed the older woman still seemed to be sniffing the air. Natalie wondered for a moment if she hadn’t left the oven door open enough and burned the entree. Natalie decided she didn’t like this heavyset woman much.

  Not at all.

  Natalie sighed deeply, “I’m making dinner for Alex and me Dori, why don’t you