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Deanne stands and gives a lighter hug. “You’ve had a haircut.”
Deanne shakes her head, and her brown tresses jiggle with the movement. “I wanted short and manageable since I’m thinking of traveling to Peru with Yasmine until she meets up with Michael. Then I’ll do my thing. When she’s ready to come home, I’ll accompany her back.”
We clink our drinks. “She’ll appreciate that.”
It’s reassuring to know Yasmine will have a friend if she needs one.
“How’s your week been?” I ask Amy.
The girls tell me about their week, and then finally Samuel emerges from the bedroom with Yasmine.
“Good evening, ladies.” He sits down and looks west toward the ocean.
From Yasmine’s apartment, we can see a sliver of ocean between the tall buildings, a perfect slice of heaven at sunset. Splashes of orange and pink line the horizon on a cloudless night.
“What are your plans for the evening? I assume you’re not dressed like this for Eden’s and my sake.”
Amy points a finger and makes a clicking sound. “Very observant of you. We’re heading to The Shores.” She shrugs. “A standard Saturday night.”
He turns to me. His brow pinches. “Did you do this every weekend?”
“Not always, but at least once a month.”
He nods slowly as understanding crosses his face.
“Why?”
“Do you want to go out?”
“No. Why?”
He shakes his head. “Because I don’t want to stop you from having fun with your friends.”
“You’re not.”
“Samuel,” Amy says, demanding his attention. She runs her hands along her long blonde ponytail to sit it over her shoulder. “If we had a man like you, then we wouldn’t be heading out either.”
“That’s not completely true,” Yasmine murmurs. “We’d be more selective on where we’d hang out.”
Amy points to Yasmine. “Right, girlfriend.” She turns back to Samuel. “Guys hang out at The Shores. Most we know and…” she rolls her eyes, “… we won’t go there, but we hope to meet someonenice.”
“Nice?” Samuel tightens his brow. “You mean perfect for you.”
“Exactly.”
“Never settle for anything less, Amy.”
Amy sighs. “Eden, can we please take Samuel out with us? I need him to say,not that guy.”
I laugh. “One day, Ames.” I rub his leg and tilt my head toward my friends. “Deanne is heading to Peru with Yasmine. I told you she lived in Brazil for a year, right?”
Samuel asks Deanne some questions, and before long, Yasmine joins the conversation as it swings to Ayahuasca and its purpose. I overhear a few pointers and let out a long breath when he tells my friends it’s not a ‘fix-all tonic,’ and you need to prepare. He explains how everyone reacts differently, and then he asks why they want to take it.
“Need a refill?” I ask Amy. She stands, and we head inside.
“I feel excluded, not wanting to drink the tea,” she whispers once we’re out of earshot. “You and Samuel… after seeing what Yasmine went through, it scared me. I don’t understand her fascination with it?”
I hand Amy her glass of bubbles, and we sit on the couch to give the others some privacy. “She’s heard stories. It’s why I wanted Samuel to speak to her. He had a terrible experience and wants Yasmine to be aware because, like he said, it doesn’t fix everything, especially only once. I was lucky.” I shrug. “Although I was also in a different headspace. I don’t want to do it again, but…” I shrug because after what Samuel told me about connecting with the spiritual world, I understand our world is more dimensional than what most of us believe. “I never say never to anything now.”
