First Encounter

How I met the first ex-Mrs. Frye...

I guess I never expected to see a psychic trance in the middle of a standing-room only biker bar.

Mind you, I had seen trance states before many times.  I have had the privilege of the friendships of healers, Wiccans, mediums for most of my life.  They had always said that my energy was strong; if I ever found a satisfactory way to channel it, I was told I could be strong medicine.  Must have come from my grandmother...she was shaman to a clan of the Akwesasne.

She sat at the bar, her eyes wide and unblinking, looking at infinity at the back of my skull.  Her date, Mike, was oblivious to this; he was drinking and laughing with a friend of his, had his back to her the whole time.  I say the whole time; it probably lasted all of 45 seconds to a minute.  She came out by the time I finished the song.  Mike had turned back to her and was saying, "See...I told you this guy was good!"  She gave him a cryptic smile, looked at me and did not change expression.

On my next break, Mike went to the head, so I had a minute or so alone with her.  I gave her a one-cornered smile, and asked, "What in hell did you see?"

"You have no idea, do you?" She shook her head in disbelief.

"I know you saw some vision that took you a couple of light-years from here for a full minute."

"I saw...everyone."

I cocked my head and squinted an eye. Visual question mark.

"You have...hundreds of guardians. Hundreds. I went into trance just trying to count them. Have you any idea how blessed you are?"

"I have a fair picture.  Many have told me, and I've experienced the blessings."

She started to speak, but Mike came up from behind her, clapped his hand to her shoulder, and bellowed, "Hey Frenchy...this is Mara. Mara...Frenchy.  Though it looks like you've met already.  French...ain't she everything I told you she was?"

I chuckled.  "All that and then some, Mike."

Mike guffawed. "You don't know the half of it, man.  She dances at the Alpine Club, five nights a week.  She does me the Dance of the Seven Veils at home...only I get the whole shebang.  And lemme tell ya, she's hotter than she looks when we're alone...y'get me?"

Mike was as graceful and subtle as a punch in the mouth, and he found out how graceful and subtle that is as she shot a right cross to the side of his face. "You...slimy...b*****d", she said in a quiet, cutting voice as the bar got silent.  Understand...Mike was an ex-sheriff, an inch or two taller than me with less gut and more muscle, and mean when you get on his bad side.  He was ready to backhand her when I stepped in between them.

"Mike...you're drunk, you're embarrassed, and you don't have a lot of friends in this crowd.  You really want to smack around a woman in front of a gang of bikers?  I'm not liking your odds of getting out of here in one piece right now.  Don't make it worse."

His eyes were bulging out of his head; his right hand was pumping at his side.  If he couldn't get to her, I'd do just fine as far as he could see.  I just looked him squarely in the eyes; saw that meathook of a fist at the bottom of my peripheral vision, waiting for him to make his move.

There was a trickle of blood coming from his lip.  For a little slip of a thing, she could throw a punch.  He reached up with his fist, and wiped the blood from his face.

His eyes retracted, and some of the redness left him as his rage subsided.  He said nothing to me; looked behind me to Mara and said, "Come on...let's get out of here."

"Like hell I'm going anywhere with you.  I still have the bruises from our last date.  God damn me for believing you when you said you'd behave."

His eyes bulged again, and veins twisted out of his neck. "You came here with me, and I'm f*****g well going to take you home."

Out of a slit of a mouth: "Maybe it's time I didn't go home."

Mike went to throw me out of his way and get to her; the bouncer and the gang leader had been waiting for his move, too.  Four beefy arms snatched him up with his feet off the ground and held him there.  It was actually hilarious, watching a 260-pound man with his feet kicking in mid-air with nowhere to go.  They carried him toward the door, and the gang leader told Mike, "Y'don't hit women, and y'don't mess up the guitar player.  Frenchy's got two more sets to play tonight."  They deposited him upright (quite gently I thought under the circumstances) in the middle of the street, and suggested that he take his business elsewhere.  His feet knew what to do once they had terra firma beneath them; he was two blocks away before they came back in the door.

The bar was back to its usual bustle; cranky customers got the bum's rush almost every week.  Nothing to see here; move along.

I turned to Mara. "Are you all right?"

She shrugged. "Sure.  He didn't get anywhere near me this time."

"I'm guessing you might need a ride home.  If you don't mind hanging around till I'm done, I'll get you there."

"I don't mind, but you can't take me home."

"Why?  Will Mike be there?  All the more reason I should."

"Mike?  Hell, no.  He hasn't lived with me in months.  It seemed like he was cleaning up his act...y'know...being nice to me and the kids, a couple of nice dates.  He was trying to get back in with me.  In a lot of ways, I'm glad this happened.  I should have known...."

"So...why can't I take you home?"

"Because I'm taking you to breakfast."

"Oh...okay.  I know this little place that makes the best..."

"Frittata?  Gotta be the Roundhouse."

"How in hell did you...."  The cryptic smile again.

"Your grandmother told my grandmother, who told me."

I looked at my feet, and shook my head.

"Not gonna get a lot by you, am I?"

She threw her head back and roared.

"Now who's seeing the future here?" 

Author's Note

How does the dialogue sound to you?

Reviews

[Lily Mae]

You know I love this Joel.. It made me smile.. Some things are just mean't to be.. :) x
This all makes so much sense to me..and I smiled when you said your Grandmother was a shaman to a clan of the Akwesasne. Things that make me go hmmm :) That makes sense to me now..and I smile..xx

[FJ Davis]

Excellent dialogue, Joel--and an intriguing story.
It's been my experience that a high percentage of writers have, at least, some psychic ability.
Your bar tale was spun so well that--for one of the few times since 1979--I was hankering for a cold beer.
I enjoyed "First Encounter" very much.

[Neva Flores Smith - Cha..]

Joel, this is beyond awesome!

[LA Lorena]

I'm liking the story! It seems like the deck was stacked in your favour and things were destined to be, at least for a time.

[ju]

the dialog's good, joel. a hard balance to strike between reporting, and creating. a conversation we can follow- that says just enough, and still sounds real. a very interesting read for sure. this would make a strong opening line "I guess I never expected to see a psychic trance in the middle of a standing-room only biker bar." it's the point from which i was hooked to the story- it contains a hell of a lot of info for one sentence. enjoyed, thank you :)

[Judy Ponceby]

Wow! Now there's a story :) Well done, Joel. :) And good lord the first ex-Mrs. lol Sounds like there's many a story there :)