Page 29 of Clear Your Mind

Before that happens, I hear the bell above the door, indicating a customer. I take a fortifying gulp of Dr Pepper and head to the front.

I recognize the purple-streaked blond hair almost immediately. “Hey, Maxi. What’re you doing here?” I hear the stilt in my words. My real question is, how did you find me? My shop is a haven. I keep it separate from all other aspects of my life. Faith is my only author friend who knows, and it’s not like I told Maxi, who I just met, about it. It’s not shame, it’s more like I don’t want to share it with people when I don’t know how they’ll react.

“Oh shit, it’s you. I didn’t know you worked here. I just noticed it here a month or so ago, and I got a good vibe from it, so I wanted to check it out.”

A small sigh of relief leaves me as I hear the faint beep from the back. I turn just a moment, longing to eat something, even a microwave burrito that has more chemicals than food. “Actually,” I say with pride. “I own the place.”

“Get out! Really? So, you know about all this stuff?” She waves a hand around the tables displayed artfully with crystals, incense, plants, and all the things that make me happy.

“A little,” I answer modestly. “Learning more each day. Are you looking for anything specific? If you know what, I could help you. If not, what I like to suggest is you move through the space and see if anything grabs your attention or calls to you. Then we can go from there.”

I watch as she wanders this way and that but returns to the same table three times. I bite my tongue as she fingers the top of a malachite tower once more and lingers. Her eyes stray, but her finger stays.

It calls to her.

“Do you ever feel like a glitchy piece of electronics or something? Like you’ve taken in so much emotional information from everyone you encounter and you’re just full. Like you downloaded too much data on your phone?”

“Oh my god, girl, yes.” Her shoulders slump with what I hope is relief that I understand her and not withthis bitch is crazy.

“That could be why you’re drawn to malachite.” I nod at the tower she’s still touching. “The great resetter. It has cleansing properties. Kinda like defragging an old desktop.” I grab a smaller malachite stone from next to the towers and motion for her to follow me over to my small worktable by the window.

We sit as I grab my jewelry pliers and go to work. Wrapping some wire around it, bending it in the pattern I want.

“Did you just call me old in the weirdest yet nicest way possible?” she jokes.

I roll my eyes.

“Of course not. If you’re old, I’m decrepit, and I’m not ready to move to Florida and take up golf just yet.”

I continue my work and Maxi watches on. “Put your finger there, please.” I’ve exchanged my wire for cording. I finish the last knot with Maxi’s help. I always like the person to touch it before the last knot I make. There’s no evidence for it, I just feel it helps connect them to the stone. “There,” I declare with a touch of pride.

“May I?” I ask while indicating her neck.

“Hell yes.” Her enthusiasm is contagious. I stand and adjust the cord so the stone lies as close to her heart as possible.

Maxi holds it in her fingers, checking out the details. She is absolutely beaming, staring down at the stone, examining it and feeling it.

“It’s anM.”

I smile when she realizes I twisted her initial on the front, leaving the back side as open as I dared.

“Keep it against your skin. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, especially in a crowd, tuck it into your bra next to your heart, that’s what I do when I want to feel connected.”

“I love it, thank you.” Her sincerity soothes me. I always feel a little worried when I talk about what a lot of people consider mumbo jumbo with someone I barely know. Especially someone close to Buddy. Just thinking his name makes me go all gooey-eyed.

“What do I owe you?”

“Well, let’s see.” I motion for her to follow me to the counter. I flip through my book, tap out some numbers on my calculator, and give her a price. She pays and I write out her receipt. Yeah, I do things old school at my shop. Most folks don’t look at the receipt if the price seems right, but I already figure Maxi will. I noticed the other night she’s perceptive. She’ll not miss that I technically charged for the cord, wire, and service but added the crystal as a gift. I just feel like crystals that are given and not bought are better. No reason other than it’s what I feel.

Don’t ignore your feelings. That’s a lesson Jeff taught me. If something feels right or wrong, listen.

So why am I ignoring how right it feels with Buddy? Because it’s too soon or because I’m scared? I frown. I wonder if I’m the only person on the planet that pisses myself off in my head.

A huge smile graces Maxi’s pixie-like face as she folds the receipt and tucks it in her pocket. Her happiness is contagious and pulls me from my head.

She nods as if she knows why I do it and sniffs the air. “Is that microwave Mexican food I smell?”

“What gave it away? The incessant beeping or the universal smell of the mystical frozen burrito?”

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