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Terrified. Terrified. I am terrified.
I need to leave.
But she is very, very good. She is for real!
She is the only person in the world who can help.
I followed her right inside.
With a nimble click of her waxy pink fingers, she locked the front door. “We don’t want to be interrupted,” she said. She then took my hand. Even though it was completely out of my character, I let her. She led me to the back of her house and we sat down across from one another.
“Close your eyes, relax. Take some deep breaths,” she told me. I wasn’t sure about closing my eyes, but I did not want to be rude, so I did as I was told. I heard her stirring, and I opened one eye to see what was happening. She had placed a long marble tray before me, and with an eyedropper she was adding scented oils to it. Rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender.
“Close your eyes. Keep breathing. Relax.” When she seemed convinced that I was settled and comfortable she got up and went away for a bit. She came back with a hot cup of tea and set it before me.
“Drink this,” she said.
“I’m pregnant,” I told her.
“It’s no matter. It’s just tea.”
So I took a sip. “It’s very hot.”
“Take your time,” she said, smiling. She didn’t seem like a bad person.
I took another sip.
“This is not the path you were going to take today,” she said smiling, shaking her head.
“It’s not?”
“No. Not at all. You got brave, I guess. Unexpectedly?”
“I guess I did,” I said.
She had cats. At least three that I had counted so far. Her house smelled of them. I was a little afraid of their mysterious ways. They slink about and seem to know things only reserved for humans. I like cats best in a quantity of one or less.
I focused hard on Zemma, trying not to think about the cats. I focused on the tea.
“What you almost did,” she said, slowly, deliberately – I was unsure if she had an accent of just a strange way of speaking – “was go shopping. For your baby, and yourself, at a little shop. I can see it all right now. It’s almost happening, right now.”
“It is?” I asked. I felt very uncomfortable. Light, nervous. My gut was telling me to leave.
“If you weren’t here you would be there. And the chance of you being here is so slight, that I can easily see you there. That is what almost happened today.” She smiled. This all made perfect sense to her. I twisted in my chair. Had I not been here, I would have gone to the Lucky Duckling baby and maternity store. It had been on my original agenda, though I had not told anyone or really even formalized it in my own mind.
“They could have monogrammed the blankets for you. They are telling you this right now. If you were there. They would tell you to bring the blankets back after you know the baby’s initials.”
“I don’t know…”
“Two blankets. One is white. One is periwinkle.” She looked at me, smiling, raising her eyebrows. Clearly enjoying how this was going. I felt that there was nothing to say. She already knew everything.
“I think I need to leave,” I said. With a jittery clatter I set my teacup on its saucer. I searched in my handbag for my wallet, which is always buried when I need it most. “How much does this cost?”
She shook her head. “Don’t go. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“But you are,” I said.
She reached out and placed her hand on mine. “Relax.” Her eyes met mine. “I can help you.”
