Author: V.S. Nelson
With each passing day Jessica’s consciousness grew stronger. For twenty years she was content to remain as she was—trapped inside another. The life she led came to an abrupt end the moment she laid eyes on Raphael. At first she suspected they were destined to be together--his gentle touch confirmed it. Although he didn’t know it, he ignited waves of a fiery passion that burned deep into her soul. It became brighter every day, giving her the strength she needed. Somehow she would find a way to free herself from her grandmother’s powerful magic.
Since her birth she learned vicariously from observing others of her kind and until now she was satisfied with the life she led. She had everything one would need to live a meaningful life without the stress the human world inflicts on its inhabitants. With each passing day her obsession to be more than she was, intensified. Jessica knew she was gifted with her race's abilities to communicate with others but until now she had never used them. They say practice makes perfect and she was at a point now where she could make her presence known—at least to him.
Chapter Forty Two
Jennifer
couldn’t help herself; she burst out laughing picturing her oversized, muscle
bound 5,000 year old immortal struggling with what normal folks did everyday.
“Jennifer,
that’s not fair. Give a man a break, will ya?”
Her
attempt to smother her laughter failed miserably.
“I
know, but it’s just so damn funny. I know you probably haven’t had to fix
yourself something to eat in what, a couple hundred years? … Oh God, I think I’m so tired, I’m getting
slap happy.”
More
laughter erupted over the phone line.
“Glad
I could bring a little sunshine into your life… and it’s been more like a
couple of thousand years… Thank you very much… Now you want to tell me where I
can find a couple of plates.”
“Try
the cabinet above where you found the knife.”
He
opened the cabinet she directed him to.
”Smart
ass! I’m feeling rather stupid here and you’re not helping matters.”
“I’m
sorry. So tell me something, why didn’t you call Harold and have him make you
something? Or go back over to the Bunkhouse to eat?”
“Because
I thought I could do it myself! Crap, I didn’t know I was going to need a God
damn road map to find where everything was in your kitchen. Do you know how
many damn drawers and cabinet are in this place?”
“You’re
the one who had the house built… remember?”
“Yeah,
don’t remind me. At this point I’m ready to blow up the damn thing… well at
least the kitchen.”
“Hey,
don’t you go doing anything to my kitchen. I like it just fine the way it is.”
“Too
late.”
“What
do you mean too late?”
Silence
“Gabriel,
answer me… What did you do?”
“You
know the center drawer on the china hutch--well it kind of had a little
accident.”
“What
do you mean it kind of had an accident, what happened?”
“Ah…
a… the handle came off in my hand.”
“Not
a big deal. When I get home, I’ll have the repair man come over and put it back
on.”
“Ah…
Honey… I don’t think it’s fixable.”
“Why
not, it’s just a knob… the repairman can put it back on.”
“No,
he can’t… Trust me on this one, ok?”
“Gabriel,
tell me the truth, what happened?”
“Well,
when the thing came off in my hand, the drawer fell onto the floor. I tried to
pick it up and put it back together but I was already frustrated trying to find
the damn knife and I guess the anger got the best of me…”
“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE… Did a bomb go
off?”
Raphael’s loud voice echoed over the phone
line. She heard her husband try and quiet Raphael by shushing him.
“Is
that Jennifer?” Raphael asked, “If it is, you better not tell her… better yet,
let me talk to her… Give me that phone.”
She
could hear the little tug a war going on between the two. Raphael finally managed
to get on the line.
“Hello,
Jen… ah… ah… you’re still at the main house, right? …Good… because I don’t
think you want to come home anytime soon… No, no, he’s ok… it’s your kitchen
that has met with the destructive force of a hurricane…yeah, no problem… Un-huh…
yeah, I’ll call a repairman… OK, here he is.”
Raphael
handed the phone to Gabriel. “Here, she wants to talk to you.”
“Honey,
as I was trying to explain, I just had a little accident with the china hutch…
well hold on… I’m getting to that part… I was holding the knob in my hand when
the drawer fell out then I guess I crushed it… and then I got mad because I
knew you would be upset and I kicked the drawer... It kind of exploded into a
hundred pieces… and the window broke… yes, I know… Yes, I should be more
careful… Un-huh… not much else… I couldn’t figure out how to open the
dishwasher… Yes, Dear… anyway… it kind of fell off its hinges too… not much
else… except your oven isn’t working right. I tried to make some pasta and the
door flew open and my pasta ended up… ok, here he is… I love you… Honey, I’m
really sorry… ok, here he is”
Gabriel
handed the phone back to Raphael who just stood looking at the disaster zone
that was once been a kitchen, shaking his head.
“Yes,
Jen, I’m here…Yeah, it’s pretty bad… No, it wasn’t the oven… It was the
microwave…. Yes… No… I think it can all be repaired… Yes, Jen, I’ll make sure…
Ok, I’ll talk to you later… Have a great day… Bye.”
Raphael
shook his head at Gabriel then burst out laughing at his friend’s pathetic
face. He knew he had taken a tongue
lashing from Jennifer and was definitely in the dog house.
“Didn’t
you even think about asking for help?”
“Not
until it was too late… It’s your fault anyway!”
“What
the hell is that suppose to mean? I wasn’t even here… I was asleep!”
“Exactly…
I came in here to fix us both something to eat… If you had been awake, you
could have helped.”
“Oh,
no, I’m not going there with you, buddy… This is your mess and your doing. I
know better than to cross a woman, especially Jennifer. She’d have both of us
skinned alive if I had been involved.”
“Well
shit! How about you help me finish fixing these sandwiches then we’ll call in a
repair man after we eat?”
“I’ve
got a better plan. You let me make the sandwiches and you call the entire
repair team over here. It’s going to take more than one man to put this kitchen
back in order.”
Raphael
waded through the debris to get to the counter that held the supplies to make
the sandwiches. Gabriel took out his cell and called the service department.
Gabriel
and Raphael waded their way back into the living room to eat the sandwiches
Raphael made. About half way through his second sandwich Gabriel looked over at
Raphael.
“You
know it really is Jennifer’s fault… If she had hired a cook, none of this would
have happened.”
“Gabe,
quit trying to put the blame on someone else and man up, will ya?”
Pouting,
he asked Raphael if he thought Jennifer was going to forgive him.
“Yeah,
I think so…she loves you even if you did destroy her kitchen… Look on the
bright side, with any luck at all, she’ll be stuck in that house for a couple
more days and the repairmen will have the kitchen remodeled by the time she
gets to come home.”
“I’d
rather she walk right through the door now and face her wrath than have to be
without her another night.”
Gabriel
hung his head and finished his sandwich.
