Page 8 of From the Shadows
“You have questions, so feel free to ask them.”
“Is this for real?”
“You know it is. Right now you’re worried that people will find out about your writing, but I promise it won’t be from me. Though I will admit, in my research of you, I have read several of your stories and….” She fanned herself. “You have a very… active and gymnastic imagination.”
A flush of heat ran through Shay’s body. Fine, he had a vivid imagination. Porn was boring, especially when compared to writing his own scenes. And while he wrote threesomes and moresomes, Shay wasn’t interested in a relationship with more than one person. One man he could give his attention to, love, and take care of was what he wanted. Like his mom took care of his father every day in their twelve years of marriage that was cut tragically short.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Ms. Donnelly said, reaching out and placing her hand atop his. “Losing one’s parents, especially at so early an age, is devastating.”
“My grandma loved me,” Shay insisted, even though it never seemed like it.
“She did, in her own way. It was hard for her to express love, because her own parents had been so distant.”
This woman knew things she couldn’t possibly. “How can you know that?”
“My abilities are limited, but strong. I can read the residual energies from an item. In my research of you, I’ve located a few letters your grandmother wrote. They told me the truth of her feelings for you. She loved you as much as she could. She missed her daughter—your mother—and thought you looked like her. It was hard to see sometimes, but she did care.” She glanced down. “May I see your watch?”
Shay pulled his hand away and slapped it over his wrist. This had been the graduation gift his parents had scrimped and saved for. They’d put it aside for him, but didn’t live long enough to give it to him. Shay’d seen it in a magazine and fell in love. When his gran had given it to him, Shay cried himself to sleep over the next several nights, missing his parents terribly.
“I promise you, no harm will come to your possession. Please, trust me.”
The jewel in her necklace—sapphire maybe?—glittered in the bright sunlight, and she gave a soft smile. Shay wasn’t sure which was more brilliant. He slid the watch off his wrist and handed it to her. She clasped it in her hands and her lids drifted shut. Severalmoments passed, and then her eyes went wide. They were no longer the deep blue, but now a stark white.
“Do you think he’ll like it?”
That voice. It was his father! Shay’s heart cracked at memories of his father, sitting in a chair by the fireplace, an empty pipe lying beside him that he’d pick up on occasion. He’d given up smoking, but couldn’t break the habit of having it nearby. “Dad?”
“Oh, he’s going to love it. He’s been looking at it in the magazine for the last six months.”
“And you’re sure we can afford it?”
Now the voice was his mother’s. She’d been so beautiful, with her long, blond hair and deep brown eyes. When he was a child, Shay could have stared at her for hours, because she was that mesmerizing. Shay’s hands trembled, so he clenched them into fists to try to still them as the memories assaulted his mind.
“We’ll have to cut back on some things, but yeah, I think we can swing it. Besides, we’ve never been able to give Shay anything extravagant. At least this once, we need to splurge on him.”
“I can’t wait to see him open it. He’s going to be so surprised.”’
Then Ms. Donnelly closed her eyes again, and when she opened them, they were her normal color.
“How’d you do that?” She handed him back the watch, and Shay held it to his heart, which he could feel beating wildly. “You sounded like my mom and dad.”
“Their energies are strong on the watch, and that allowed me to access the memories. There is so much love there, and it’s pure and sweet. The love of parents for their child. They were beyond proud of you.”
“They were?” Shay asked desperately. For the longest time he thought they’d be disappointed if they found out he was gay. His grandmother had loved him, but she was a cold, stern woman who couldn’t express her own feelings. Once he came out to her, that became harder to talk about.
“They knew. Your mother told your father, and he said, ‘So what, he’s still my son, and something like that won’t change adamned thing. Plus, I look forward to meeting my future son in law. I’m sure that anyone who loves Shay will be a special man indeed.’”
Tears slid down Shay’s cheeks. “They knew?”
“They did. They were looking forward to you telling them, so they could assure you they didn’t care while they showered you with love.”
They knew. They didn’t hate him.
“No, they could never have hated you. Your taste in music? Yes, that they weren’t fond of, but you? Never.”
Shay scrubbed a hand over his eyes. “Thank you.”
A man appeared beside Shay, holding out a box of tissues. “Would you like something stronger to drink, sir?”
