Page 150 of Toxic Wishes

“That’s not a question I can answer. I know you put him through rehab, which is more than my parents ever did.”

“That was his mom. She used to complain about him being a troubled kid. I used to think she only did that for attention or to make me feel guilty, but when she died, I had to take him in full-time. I knew exactly what she meant. Blake,” he hesitates, was emotional.”

“He was a Scorpio. We’re pretty intense people. Cancers have us beat in that area, though.”

“You really believe in that stuff, huh?”

“Yeah, why not? It’s not hurting anyone to think that astrology is an accurate type of divination that involves the forecasting of earthly and human events through the observation and interpretation of the fixed stars, the Sun, the Moon, and the planets.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a little weird.”

“None taken at all,” I tell him as I take a bite of chicken and chew it slowly, feeling a slight curl to my lips.

“Maybe that’s been my problem. I’ve been hooking up with the wrong zodiac signs,” he chuckles as he takes a bite of his creamy pasta that looks like chicken alfredo.

“Do you remember the birthdates of the women you dated?”

He looks up at the ceiling as he chews slowly. “Let’s see. Blake's mom was on January 1st. I remember that because we always partied it up on New Year's Eve. That girl could drink,” he says, chewing slowly. He squints his eyes as if he’s trying to concentrate.

“Colt’s mom was born on September 1st. And Josh’s mom is May 11th.” He looks at me. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s the first time I realized they all had birthdays with a one in it.” He shakes his head slightly as he takes another bite of food.

“My point exactly, what’s the odds of that happening?” I tell him.

“Eh, I’m sure it’s a coincidence.”

“Believe what you want, but I would steer clear of those months. That, I can tell you for sure.”

“Why? The bad signs or something?”

I snort to myself. “No, but I can see why it never worked out with any of them.”

“Why?”

“You aren’t compatible with any of them.”

“How do you know? You don’t even know my birthday.”

“I may not know that, but I know it’s between July 23rd and August 22nd.”

Cliff stops chewing at that, narrowing his eyes at me. “Did you look that up or something?”

“No,” I say through a laugh.

“Okay, miss psychic or zodiac expert, whatever you call yourself, what’s the deal with my kid's moms? Well, the ones I remember anyways.”

“Blake’s mom was a Capricorn. You’re a party animal by nature, but Capricorns aren't, so I’m guessing she tried to keep up with you and failed. Since you both didn’t realize how little you had in common until after Blake was born.”

Cliff zoned in on what I was saying a little closer now.

“Colt’s mom is a Virgo, and boy, you both approach life so differently, which puts you at odds quite a bit, especially at first. I’m sure you both didn’t understand each other or why you did the things you did. And over time, you both may have discovered you have more in common than you both realized, and that’s maybe why you and Colt’s mom are somewhat cordial to each other to this day.” I shrug my shoulders. “Just a guess.”

Cliff’s mouth is hanging open, and I try not to laugh.

“And Josh’s mom is a Taurus, which shocks me because you both are fixed signs, but you butt heads a lot. The bull and the lion have difficulty finding a way to compromise. In part because neither of you wants to compromise. Both of you have the mentality that it’s my way or the highway, making it hard for you to build a relationship.” I pop a broccoli in my mouth, smiling as Cliff looks dumbfounded.

“I’ll be damned.” He murmurs again to himself.

“Is that why I couldn’t get along with my son?”

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