Hopeful Encounters, Elephant Slippers and My Narrow Escape from the Jaws of Death for the Umpteenth Time…

“Stop here!” Narcisa yelled to the cabbie, putting her hand on his shoulder. We were in the middle of traffic, but she jumped out anyway while I waited for him to pull over so I could once again pay, this time with money I made Jonathan cough up.
The back neighborhoods of Copacabana were bustling with bikes and cars and skinny beggars, and Jonathan was sitting on a corner waiting for us on his motorcycle.
I smiled at him in good faith, relieved to know that Narcisa had once again not duped by either flipping the fuck out on me or taking me hostage up to the roving favelas where, in my head, she was at any given second about to lure me into the boca, take all my money and leave me for dead as Urubu buzzards and little boys with over-sized machine guns would poke and probe my dying body like cartoon characters.
Anyway, he was relieved to see us too I think.
“Oi, Cigano!” Narcisa shouted as cars honked and dodged her, missing her lanky frame by centimeters. “Let’s go into this store! We got some time, right?”
“Yeh, you’re appointment’s in fifteen minutes,” he said, looking at his watch.
We walked into the little thrift store and her eyes lit up as she picked up a pair of slippers that were shaped like elephants. “I must have these Cigano!” she whined.
I picked up a small white gown and thought of Jonathan’s ex, Amy Fields and her husband Noah Levine, who just had a baby girl.
He knew what I was thinking. “That’s perfect!” He said as he put it on the counter with the elephant slippers.
Narcisa grabbed a purple hat and sweater and added them to the pile, along with a motley assortment of Zoo Cards that featured photographs and descriptions of all the members of the reptile family.
“What the fuck do you need these for???” He asked her.
“Is for the e’speriments, Cigano, you’ll see…” she explained as she dragged a floor lamp and a coffee mug shaped like a palm tree over to the counter.
“Right… Hey Sailor, I got you a present,” he said as he handed me a little key chain with an anchor on it, an homage to my nickname, and my epic Pirate-themed back-piece . “Happy Birthday!”
“Yes, Happy Birthday! You almost as old as the Narcisa!” she added, tangled up in what appeared to be a telephone cord.
I laughed and thanked him for his on-the-fly thoughtful gesture and after packing up all of our new things, untangling Narcisa from whatever mess she’d gotten herself into and haggling with the sales clerk, we were back on the street.
“Okay, I’m ready to be healed!” Narcisa exclaimed. Jonathan and I nodded as we walked toward Ana Lucia’s office for the much-anticipated Reike healing session.
When we arrived, Ana Lucia greeted us. First, she gave Jonathan an understanding and compassionate embrace. I could see tears begin to well up in his eyes. Things were hopeful…
As she gave me a big long hug I could feel her energy and warmth passing gently through my body. Narcisa’s eyes immediately lit up upon contact with hers.
This woman was a powerful healing spirit manifested in the body of a four-foot-tall plump little thing with frizzy hair, that much was evident.
She led us up the stairs and into a tiny room with a small brown cot, and a wide array of stones and candles, ordering Narcisa to undress.
Narcisa stripped off her clothes and proceeded to lie on a table where Ana Lucia put purple gems on her naked body.
“Iss coooold!” Narcisa laughed.
She wrapped Narcisa in a blanket, and told her to relax. I could see Jonathan was crying, and I started crying too.
Narcisa was full of life and she emitted a sepia-toned aura as her muscles tensed and her clenched fists finally opened.
Ana Lucia smiled, put a finger to her ear as if to say listen.
Narcisa was snoring.

NOTIFICAÇÃO: Os eventos relatados neste site são contos de ficção registrados na Biblioteca Nacional com todos os direitos autorais revertidos ao autor Jonathan Shaw e Alessandra DeBenedetti. Os personagens mencionados são inteiramente fictícios. Certos eventos, personagens, lugares e relatos, foram baseados em fatos reais, porém qualquer semelhança a qualquer pessoa viva ou morta se trata de pura coincidência. As várias fotografias apresentadas se encontram com o rosto distorcido para preservar o anonimato das modelos que representam personagens fictícios.