"Jaxton, may I say good bye in private, please?" she asked.
"Certainly." He turned and flew over the house.
"I'll be back around five. Don't worry, everything will be fine." She kissed my cheek and whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too." The love of my life waved and flew over the house in the same direction as Jaxton. I smiled at how lucky I was.
*****
I slept terribly, tossing and turning all night. I got up at six and went for a jog. I cleaned the entire house and even read a few of my manga. They weren't as good as I remembered them.
At noon, to my surprise and delight, a familiar twinkle entered my room and I jumped up; only it wasn't Tink.
"Hello, Jaxton."
"Hello, Mr. Pancerella."
"You can call me Pete."
He nodded. "I need to talk to you about Tinkle."
Panic hit me like a fist to the gut. "Did she change her mind?"
"Oh no, quite the contrary. She's in court right now. It looks like they'll be done by four-thirty, and that means she'll be here at five, just like you planned."
"We planned."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to imply you tried to influence her," he said politely. "Pete, did she tell you exactly what is going to happen?"
"You mean about the court and all?"
"No. With her." I shook my head, barely. This was not going to be good.
"Pete, a faery can only survive in human form for a limited time."
"How long?" I dropped against my bed.
"One year, tops. Tinkle is young, so I imagine she'll make it to the one year mark, but the longest anyone's survived is fourteen months."
I got up and paced over to the window, shoving a hand through my hair. "I don't understand. Why would she do this?"
"She'd rather have one year with you than a lifetime without you."
That sounded just like Tink. I could almost hear her say those exact words. "Is there any other way we can be together?"
"No. I'm very sorry, there's no way. If there were, I'd tell you," he said quietly.
"You would? Because I know for a fact that you're in love with her too. For that matter, how do I know you're not making this all up so you can have her for yourself?"
"Because, Pete, I love her enough to let her choose this. If it's what she wants, I will not stand in her way. And as her supervisor, I can stop this if I wanted."
I searched his small face, with his eyes that were too close together and a nose that was too big, hoping to see a lie. But no.
"You're hoping I love her enough to not let her choose this."
"Yes."
"So you win."
"I don't believe watching the woman I love struggle through a broken heart would be considered winning. No one wins, Pete. But she lives. I'll take that."
"How did this happen? What about that great computer program of yours that said there was only a point zero-zero-zero one chance of us falling in love?" I demanded, swallowing back the bitter taste in my mouth.
"My fault. I enter Peter M. Pancerella and your father came up first on the computer. Assuming he was the one, I enter his information, not yours," he admitted. "I've changed the policy. We use full names now so this won't happen again."
"Did you re-enter my information to see what our odds were?" I was curious to see just how accurate this little program was.
"Yes. Ninety-eight point seven percent chance that you two would fall in love." He said it quietly, so quietly I barely heard him. But I did.
I walked over to the dresser, the dresser where she stood so many times, teasing me or laughing at a joke we'd shared. I pinched my eyes shut, wanting to block out the pain. "If I tell her I won't let her do this, she'll do it anyway. She's very stubborn."
"I realize that. I'm hoping we can come up with a way to convince her. Maybe if we both talk to her. I need your help. I can't do this alone."
"You want the fickle teenage boy to help you?"
He nodded humbly.
I looked at the little imp in the yellow suit he wore today, remembering the harsh lecture he'd given me in the hall just yesterday. It seemed like a million years ago now.
"Wait. Fickle teenage boy. I have an idea," I said, pacing across the room. "But I'll only agree to help you on one condition?"
He took a deep breath and blew it out. "Okay. Whatever you want, it's yours."
I stepped back, surprised at the promise he offered without even knowing what I wanted. "You really do love her." He didn't say anything. I continued with my bargain. "It's more along the lines of something I don't want. I don't want my memories altered."
"I can't—"
"That's my condition. Take it or leave it." I hoped he wouldn't call my bluff. If he refused, I'd still do whatever it took to keep Tink from giving up her life.
"You'd rather remember the pain instead of having it erased as if it never happened." He looked at me, confused.
"Would you want Tink erased from your mind, no matter how painful?"
He nodded. "I understand. I also know that if I refuse your deal, you'll still do whatever it takes to save Tink. I had you wrong, Pete. I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "What do I need to do?"
"Have her here at five on the nose. I'll do the rest." I dropped, hard, onto my bed.
"Thank you, Pete."
"I'm not doing this for you." I shut my eyes. I was done talking to him. I just wanted him to go way.
*****
Five minutes to five, I shut off my cell phone and sat on the couch with a box of Spongy Crèmes at my side. I put the phone to my ear, just in case they came early. But they didn't. The twinkling lights were my cue. I bit into a Spongy—it took all I had not to vomit— and began the lie that would break both our hearts.
"Yes, Elise. I can hardly wait. I'm excited to see you too." I paused for effect. "Me neither. It doesn't seem like we've been talking for five hours, it feels like a few minutes. I have to go. Talk to you later, babe."
"Tink! Hi." I smiled broadly. "Hey, Jaxton." His name I said coldly.
"You've been talking to Elise for five hours?" Her little arms folded over her stomach, confusion held her face.
"I didn't sleep last night. I kept thinking about everything and realized I'm not ready for a serious relationship. Tink, with all our kissing, I let my hormones take over." I had the pleasure of watching Jaxton's face burn red at my words.
"Anyway, I got up around six and jogged downtown to clear my head and ran into Elise. She was grabbing some breakfast from McDonalds, so we decided to eat together. You know how much I love McDonald's. We sat and talked for over three hours. She had to run some errands, but she called me at noon, and I just got off the phone with her. Tink, she likes all the same things I do. She's at the master level on Laser Wars, she has an even bigger collection of manga than I do, and get this Tink, she loves Spongy Crèmes. Cool, huh?" I bit into the Spongy again and grinned.
Tink stood there stunned. She didn't speak, she just looked at me. It took everything inside me not to confess. The only way I could do it was to picture her dead in one of my dad's coffins. I almost threw-up at the thought.
"I know we made a lot of silly plans last night, but after spending the day with Elise, I realized just how dumb they were. You are the only girl I’ve ever kissed. I'm your first kiss. Do you agree? We jumped into this way too quickly." I then added the nail to the coffin. "Jaxton's right, I guess boys are fickle."
"Yes. I . . . ah . . . well . . . I'd better get going. I probably have another assignment waiting for me." The look on her devastated little face burned into my mind so deeply, I knew I'd never forget it. Even if Jaxton didn't keep his word and erased my memory, that face would still be there.
"Tink, wait," I said. Jaxton tensed.
"I want to thank you so much for all you did for me. I could never repay you. I do love you, as a friend, and I always will."
"Me too. Take care," she said quickly. And with that she left. I sank to
the floor, exhausted.
"Thank you," Jaxton said. I ignored him. "I'd better go and see if she's alright."
I shot to my feet. "If you hurt her, I'll hunt you down. She deserves the best, and you'd better make sure she gets it, understood?"
"Understood, and I agree with everything you said." He turned to go then stopped and looked back. "She deserves you." And with that he disappeared.
*****
12 Years Later
It took me a long time to ever date again—to ever want to date again—but eventually I moved on. In my last year of college I met a wonderful girl, Wendy Darlan, and we married. I now had three little girls who have stolen my heart along with their mother.
I don't regret what I did for Tink, I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but I still think about her. Not in a longing kind of way, but more like a dear friend. I wonder if she's happy. Did she marry and have children? Did she regret our time together?
It's late August again. I stand in my back yard looking at the stars like I do every year since that night ten years ago. Wishing, always wishing. And the wish is the same every year. Please let me know if Tink is happy. It's a small wish if you think about it, but it's never been granted. I thought for sure I'd found the wishing star last year. It seemed brighter and twinkled a bit more than the others, but my wish still remained unanswered.
I scanned the skies one last time, picking out a few more stars and repeated my plea. I almost gave up for another year, when I saw it. The familiar twinkling. I turned toward it as my heart stopped beating.
"Hello, Tink."
She appeared, looking lovelier than I remembered. "Hello, Pete. How are you?"
"Well, and you?"
"Great. I just had my second child, a girl this time. She's beautiful."
"Like her mother."
She laughed softly. "I don't know about that. I see the ring on your finger, do you have children?"
"Three. All girls. I'm going to have to get a house with more bathrooms." She agreed. "I have a degree in nutrition and now own a health club in town. All your hard work paid off, Tink."
"That's wonderful. How's the Laser Wars coming along? Did you ever beat Simon?" She flew a little closer.
"Yes, and the very next year they came out with a new archenemy. I lost interest after that." I tucked my hands into my pockets. "What about you? What’s going on in your life?"
"I stopped taking assignments three years ago when my son was born. I'm enjoying motherhood. Maybe when the kids are older I'll start up again."
"If you aren't taking assignments, then why did you answer my wish and not another faery?"
"Jaxton asked me if I wanted to do this. He asked me last year when he first received the request, but I wasn't ready yet and I asked if he could hold on to it for a while. When it came through again tonight, he asked me. And here I am."
"Here you are," I smiled.
"A few years ago Jaxton finally explained everything to me, though he waited until we'd been married for two years, the big chicken." We laughed quietly.
"I've been worried about you, hoping you were happy and safe," I said.
"I worried about you too. Well, after I found out what you did for me. Before then I hoped you were burning in the eternal fires of hell." She smiled the same sweet smile of so many years ago. “Are you happy, Pete?”
"I'm happy, very happy. I have a wonderful life, partly due to you. My wife Wendy is amazing. She's kind and generous, and of course, I have my beautiful daughters."
"I'm glad. Did you ever finish reading Crickets on the Hearth?”
I laughed. “Yes.” I didn’t tell her I’d read it at least fifteen times that first year, each time remembering her and our time together. And up until I’d met Wendy, it’d been part of my summer reading regimen.
"Are you happy?" I asked.
"Yes. Very much so."
"And I'm guessing now that my wish has been granted, I'll never see you again." It was a statement rather than a question. I knew the answer.
"Yes, your wish has been granted. And no, you'll never see me again," she said. "I can't thank you enough for what you did for me, Pete. Every time I look into my children's sweet little faces, I think about what I almost gave up." She pinched her tiny little eyes shut. "I'll be eternally grateful to you for that."
"I'm grateful for all you did for me, Tink." I said.
"I really should be going. The baby will want her dinner any minute now. Good bye, Pete."
I nodded. "Good bye, Tink."
I never wished on another star after that night. Knowing Tink was safe and happy gave me incredible peace.
But I never forgot her. A very wise faery once told me that you never forget your first love.
She was right.
The End
About the Author of Pete & Tink
Sherry Gammon is the author of Unlovable, book one in the Port Fare series, and a soon to be released YA novel titled Soul In Peril. She lives in Upstate NY with her family and two spoiled pooches! Unlovable, her first novel, is being adapted into a movie.
Other Books by Sherry Gammon
Unlovable
And the upcoming Unbelievable
Find more about Sherry at:
http://www.wordpaintingsunlimited.blogspot.com/
[email protected] https://twitter.com/#%21/SherryGammon
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Author-Sherry-Gammon/12926010381153
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Temptation
Take This Job and Shove It. That was my mother’s ring tone for her boss, Mr. Stein, and it was ringing . . . again. Not the original version by Johnny Paycheck, but the remake by David Allen Cole. Once upon a time I actually enjoyed that song. Now it just meant mom was leaving . . . again. What I couldn’t understand was if she hated her job as an antiquities curator so much then why was she always leaving me for it, and why in God’s name had she dragged us halfway across the country just to keep it?
“Can you grab the last couple boxes, hon? I have to take this.”
Of course she did, she always did. I peered into the back of the moving truck and saw the last four boxes stacked against the back wall. It had only taken all day to get this far and the sun was already starting to set. To be honest, I was impressed Mr. Stein had managed to wait so long to call her in.
Hoisting a box labeled ‘bathroom,’ easily weighing a million tons into my arms, I stumbled haphazardly down the gang plank of the truck. Reaching the bottom of the ramp, I promptly tripped over my own feet and fell into the street where I was met with a blaring horn. The box went flying and all manner of embarrassing items spewed across the street. Naturally the car idling in the middle of the road less than five feet from me had to have the most gorgeous guy on earth behind the wheel. Dark wavy hair fell into his eyes as he leaned to roll down his window. Annoyance flew from his heart stoppingly blue eyes like laser beams as he shouted, “Watch it.”
Without another word—no ‘are you all right?’ or ‘do you need any help?’—he pulled away and drove past the plethora of items scattered around me. Jerk. Gathering up makeup items, toiletries, and oh, fun… my toothbrush, I kept one eye on the car as it slowed just past my house and pulled into the next driveway. Evidently the jerk lived next door, why not?
When I shoved open the front door, nearly losing my grip on the box from hell a second time, my mother was just getting off her call.
“What took you so long?”
“I met the neighbor,” I grumbled, dropping my burden on the kitchen counter. I’d worry about getting it down the hall and into the bathroom later . . . maybe.
“Oh, really? Are they nice?”
“I just met their son, I guess, actually.”
“Ohhh, a son. Is he your age? Is he good looking?”
“Mom!”
“What, can’t a single, middle aged woman live vicariously through her beautiful teenage daughter?”
“No, mom, she can??
?t.”
Mom put on her classic pouty face and I decided to throw her a bone.
“If you must know, he does look like he’s around my age.”
“And good looking?”
“Mom,” I snapped.
“Alright, alright. Listen, I have to go in to my new office for a few hours tonight. Do you think you can fend for yourself for dinner? I put a twenty on the counter for pizza.”
“Sure. Do you have the number?”
“You can just look it up later when you’re ready to order. Thanks, honey,” she called, grabbing her purse off the counter and heading for the door.
Only one problem, mom; no internet and no phone book. How, exactly, was I supposed to ‘look up’ the number? Too late to ask her, she was already in her small red Chevy, backing down the driveway. I finished hauling in the last three boxes and then returned to the dinner predicament. If she thought for one second that I was going to ask ‘hot neighbor boy’ she had another thing coming. The only good thing about moving here now was that it was June and school had just let out. With any luck I would be able to avoid him completely for the next two months. The house on the opposite side looked a lot more promising.
Well-tended gardens that looked like they'd been overrun by a gnome army made up most of the front yard, and a white porch with no less than a half dozen different wind chimes wrapped around the front of the house. It was highly unlikely that any teenaged jerks lived there—more likely some ninety-year-old women with a billion cats. Crazy cat ladies I could handle. I headed in that direction, cautiously picking my way around gnomes, or trolls . . . what’s the difference again?
An old white station wagon sat in the driveway, but when I knocked on the door several times no one answered. Perfect, grams was probably already asleep for the night. Well, I still wasn’t desperate enough to ask for the jerk’s help. If I couldn’t bring the pizza to me then I was just going to have to go to the pizza. I'd had my license for a few months now, but I'd never driven anything larger than mom’s small sedan. The moving truck was going to be a challenge.