Chapter 20 | The Black Lily
The sun beamed onto our faces as we walked to a nearby cafe in the middle of nowhere. I had never felt an odd heat before. Living in Los Angeles had me spoiled. I looked at Jason, who was taking his jacket off to go pee. He threw his jacket down to the ground and it was about to blow away. Without bothering him, I walked over to get it. When I lifted the jacket, as quickly as I could, I searched the pockets.
I smiled when I pulled out some paper; it was tissue—heavy tissue—it was wrapping something. I opened the tissue and a bunch of white powder fell to my lap and blew all around me. “Bingo!”
I held the baggy to my face and little particles blew around. I jumped when Jason’s phone began to ring. I put the baggy into my bra and walked over to him. “Who is that calling?”
“Just the media,” he lied.
“Oh, here’s your jacket.”
We began walking the opposite way we came running the night before. A small cafe surrounded by nothing was close by. It was Jason’s idea to go there in the first place.
“Hey, give me your phone,” I said.
“For what?” he snapped.
“I want to call Paul.”
“No way!”
“Why not?”
“Did you forget Paul turned himself in? He’s probably in prison already for murder.”
“Oh yeah, I guess I wanted to forget about that whole event.”
When we entered the cafe, it was empty. An old woman with a hunchback greeted us and gave us menus.
“Would you like pancakes?” the old woman said.
“Uh, yes—”
Jason cut me off, “Any type of fluids, first.”
“Smoothie?” she said.
“Perfect,” Jason said.
“But, I’m hungry!” I said.
“We will eat when we get home!” he snapped and threw his jacket on the table.
The old woman cleared her throat and walked over to our table. “We have a rule here…”
Jason frowned and began to shift in his seat. “What is it?”
“We have a jacket area. All jackets have to be hung up if not worn—”
“Why? It’s like one-hundred degrees outside,” Jason said. “The only idiot wearing a coat is her,” Jason pointed at me.
“It’s a rule or we won’t serve you,” she said.
“Fine.” Jason yanked his jacket off the table and handed it to the old woman.
“No need for attitude,” I said as I read the old woman’s tag—it said Lillie—like my name but spelled different. “Her name is Lillie like mine,” I whispered to Jason.
“I don’t care!” he slammed his fist on the table and looked out the window. “Just shut the hell up, okay?”
“What type of smoothies?” Lillie said.
“Watermelon and cherry watermelon,” Jason said. “Punch a hole in the cherry top.”
“Aright, it will be done in five minutes.”
I smiled at the old woman as she winked back at me. She seemed familiar as if I had seen her before. Her roots were gray as the tips of her hair were almost a dark brown. The wrinkles around her eyes were smooth and she seemed like she aged appropriately. She was small, but her hunchback made her even smaller.
“I guess we can go home after this,” I said.
“I won’t be able to go home now that I think about it,” he said. “I’m sure Paul told the police everything. I’m sure they’re after me.”
“Yeah, it’s kind of a waste that you didn’t finish your job,” I teased.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“You’ll be arrested for a crime you didn’t even finish. That sucks.”
He sighed, “What are you trying to say?”
“Oh nothing. It just sucks.”
“Fuck you,” he snapped.
No, fuck you.
He got up and walked over to the jacket stand. I watched him as he anxiously searched the pockets for his white magic. I felt a tingle in my belly as he began to sweat from guilt. He looked over at me and nodded. “I’m going to go to the bathroom.”
“Okay,” I said.
Lillie walked over to the table and sat the smoothies in front of me. She paused and winked at me again while she poked a hole in the top of the cherry watermelon. Her smile was big and her teeth were bright white. She did not speak; she just patted me on the back and walked back to the kitchen.
When she was out of sight, I pulled out the drugs from my bra. Without a conscious, I stirred it into his drink, making sure every white particle blended. Jason came back to the table with a bitter expression—I wonder why he is so mad?
“Those toilets are disgusting,” Jason said as he broke my thoughts. “So, what is the plan?”
“My plan?” I gasped in fear.
“Our plan to get back home…”
“I’m just going to go home.”
“Why are you just talking for you? I thought we were working together?” Jason said as he slurped his drink. “We have to work together if you don’t want me to go to prison.”
What's the change? Can't find the white magic so we have to stick together?
I shrugged and wiped off my mascara and dried up foundation from my face. I kept my eyes on Jason as he drank his entire smoothie in under two minutes. His pupils began to dilate, his lips began to dry, and then he began to breathe heavy.
He paused…
His lips formed into a pout…
His hazel eyes met mine…
I smiled and slurped down my smoothie. “What is wrong, Jason, boo?”
“Did you find something in my jacket earlier?” he said. “Something in a tissue?”
A wicked smiled took over my face and I nodded. “Maybe.”
Jason looked at me, as his lips turned white. I put my hand on his as he began to shake uncontrollably. I began to chuckle and realized that was what he felt like to watch me the past year.
“Jason, it was never over. You thought you could outsmart me. You thought I forgave you?”
Jason stood up. He froze in place as he shook from foot to foot. As if he were drunk, he tried to grip onto my shoulders for balance but he fell to the floor.
“Paul told me everything and when I said everything, I meant everything. I knew you would try to poison me here. You think I would take your word over a man I’ve known all my life? I knew since we were at the nightclub that you had poison in your pocket.”
“How’d...you...know?”
“I felt it on you when we hugged.”
His eyebrows turned downward and curved over his eyes as he climbed back into his seat. His mouth was wide open as he took in deep breaths. “Lilly, we need to call the damn emergency! That was a larger than normal amount! I could die any moment. It feels like my insides are burning. This is serious shit I made at home!”
“So?”
“Lily, I will do anything for you to get me help.”
Lillie walked over to our table, “Is he okay?”
“I’m not okay—”
“Yes, he’s fine. He just has stomach cramps from not eating. Can you make us some pancakes?” I said, cutting him off.
“Okay, I’ll be back,” Lillie said as she walked back to the kitchen.
I pulled out Jason’s cell phone and thought about not doing it—not calling 911. But, where would not calling 911 get me? I would not feel more powerful, I would not get tons of money, and I wouldn’t be a hero. I would just be Lily. So, I did—
“911, what’s your emergency?” said the phone operator.
“My husband ate poison that he made and he needs help,” I said.
“Miss, where are you?”
“I’m not sure.” I pulled the menu from under Jason’s arm and it said, “The White Lily Café.”
“We will be there shortly—”
I hung up the phone and realized I did not feel weird, hear voices, or was frightened of the future. There was no burden on my back and I felt weightless—li
ke a flower in a spring garden. I could run a mile on the beach with sand up to my knees and I would still have a smile on my face. Life felt too much like a dream as my heart raced with excitement. I looked around me and everything seemed normal—normal to my extent.
“What…what…is that?” Jason whimpered as he pointed at my head.
“What is what?” I touched my messy hair for what he was pointing out. I tugged on what felt like a hair bow on the side of my head.
I pulled it out and held it in front of my eyes—it was a beautiful fresh lily—a white lily.
I finally know who I am—but it was not worth it.
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