Page 34 of Professor and the Seer
“As if she wants to wear fuddy-duddy sweaters,” his mother teased.
“They’re comfortable and warm.”
“If you’re seventy.” She rolled her eyes but smiled. “Be sure to show Frieda where to find extra towels and linens.”
The bond between them made me slightly sad. I didn’t have that with my mom. I was close to my sisters, but at the same time, we drove each other nuts. What would it be like to have this kind of peaceful dinner and existence every day?
As if hearing my thoughts, Grams murmured, “You can have it if you choose the right path.”
How could I choose when I only ever saw the one option that would break my heart? I didn’t know if I could be as brave as Bev and choose grief for a brief moment of happiness.
John offered Grams his arm as we left the cottage, me strolling on her cane side, taking in the evening air. The cobbled path would last decades before being torn up and replaced. The tree would topple in an ice storm. The bird would be eaten by the cat. I quickly gathered myself and concentrated on building a wall, the three layers going up and providing relief.
I caught Grams side-eyeing me with approval.
I’d done it. Now I just had to learn to hold it. I lost it when I stumbled over an uneven stone, but I’m proud to say it went up faster each time it fell, and it even began to feel familiar. It really was similar to how I used to barricade my thoughts from my sisters, the wall just being a more visual version of it.
We escorted Grams to her cottage door. She paused on the threshold. “You should bring the umbrella when you leave the house tomorrow.”
“Where am I going?” John asked.
“Somewhere you’ll need it,” Grams mumbled before she added, “Good night. Nice meeting you, girl. Practice what I told you.”
“Yes, Grams.” I almost said “ma’am.”
The door closed, and I stared for a bemused moment.
“You okay?” John softly asked.
“She’s an interesting lady. Do you know I can’t see a thing about her?” Just a blank space. I’d never had that happen before. While I never saw anything for John beyond his death, I caught glimpses here and there of things that would happen before that. Even for myself, I sometimes got hints. His mother didn’t give off much, but I did see her holding a baby and smiling.
“She’s always been unique. As I was growing up, she would know things but never tell me, citing it as a life lesson. Like how climbing a dead tree with brittle branches would end up with me falling and breaking my arm.” He grimaced.
“I’ve done that with my sisters. I tried to only advise them if I saw something really bad about to happen. Even then, they didn’t always listen.”
He had his hands stuffed in his pockets as we strolled back through the garden. “How was your talk with Grams?”
“Enlightening,” I admitted, struggling to hold my wall while conversing.
“In a helpful way, I hope?”
“Yes. She told me I needed to partition off my mind to avoid being bombarded.”
He abruptly stopped. “Do you mean to say you’ve never done that?”
His surprise had me asking, “Do you?”
“Well, yeah, depending on the place and situation. It’s part of basic arcane training. It’s also the number one defense against mind-control spells.”
“I never learned magic. Dina did because she was the witch, but I don’t know that she ever learned to shield herself.”
“She does.”
“How do you know?” I glanced sideways at him.
He shrugged. “Because she’s always got an aura of power hovering over her.”
“Can you see mine?” I asked, holding my wall tight.