“I’m sure you are,” I replied swiftly but didn’t get the rest out swiftly enough as he spoke again.
“Now you take care of yourself, honey, and would say take care of my boy but seems to me you got that down.”
He was so very wrong.
He was also so very much not done.
“And maybe Sue and me’ll get on a plane so I can give you a hug in person and she can size you up for whatever outfits she’s gonna buy you come Christmas. If they’re not your thing, just give ’em to charity but don’t say anything to her. Only way I’ll say it’s fortunate you live across the country, you won’t have to dress up in the stuff she buys and she won’t see you not doin’ it. She gave the boys all Christmas sweaters three years ago and pouts that they refuse to wear ’em. Won’t listen to a word I say on the subject that those sweaters are butt-ugly and laughable besides. Noc’s has got a reindeer stitched on it with a bell for a nose, for chrissakes. I mean, who in their right mind thinks a man is gonna wear a Christmas sweater with a reindeer on it with a bell for a nose? Love her to bits, she’s a damn fine woman, but that don’t mean she don’t got some crazy ideas.”
I had no earthly idea what he was talking about.
I also had no intention of asking. My anxiety was building and I needed to stop him from “hashing” anything out with Noc, and I needed to do that now.
To my grave misfortune, I didn’t get the chance to get into it for I heard him shout, not at me, “I’m ready, sweetheart, just on the phone with Noc’s Frannie!”
Gods.
“Yeah, Frannie!” he kept shouting. “Noc’s girl!”
Gods!
“No,” he said, again not to me, “I’m sayin’ goodbye. You get on the phone with her, you’ll talk for a year.”
“I will not.” I heard a woman say. Then I heard, this time to me, “Well hello! Nice to meet you.”
Oh…
Balls.
“I, um…well, right…hello to you too, Sue,” I pushed out.
“What a wonderful surprise, you calling,” she declared.
“Yes, well, erm…”
“I cannot tell you how delighted I was to hear Noc had finally found someone. But really mostly when we heard how very taken he is with you. Lud told me the way Noc speaks about you, we should be careful and not flip out when we watch you walk on water.”
This surprised me (as well as parts of it thrilling me) because I couldn’t imagine in this world where magic was hidden that Noc would share I had it for I doubted it would be difficult to do just that.
Though why I’d ever wish to walk on water, I couldn’t fathom.
“That’s lovely, but could I speak with—?” I attempted to ask.
“We can’t wait to meet you.”
“And I you,” I hurried out but had no opportunity to say more.
“Wonderful,” she declared. “Now, I must let you go because Lud is giving me the evil eye seeing as he doesn’t want to go to this lunch and I’m making him, so I best not chat with you for a year and prolong his torture. We’ll talk more later. Lud’s got your number in his phone now, I’ll call you.”
By the gods.
What had I done?
“I’ll look forward to that,” I (somewhat) lied.
“Lovely. And I can’t let you go without telling you that you have such a beautiful voice. I can’t wait to see pictures. Noc told his father you’re effin’ gorgeous, though he used the actual F-word, to my everlasting distress. If you’re as pretty as your voice, you must be something. Tell Noc to send some photos, quick as he can.”
I heard her pull in a deep breath but she did even that fast and I got out nary a sound before she carried on.
“Okay, must run. Again, so nice to meet you. Take care, Frannie.”
“You do the same,” I forced out, sounding strangled.
“Give that to me. No, give that to me. I wanna say ’bye too.” I heard in the background. Then in my ear came from Lud, “Take care of yourself, Frannie. And don’t worry about a thing, I got this. ’Bye, honey.”
When Noc said he “had” things, I’d learned he spoke truth.
I didn’t mean to cast aspersions on his father, but I had grave fears in this instance it was not the same.
Helpless to do anything but, I bid, “Goodbye, Lud.”
He disconnected.
I stared at my crystal ball and watched the digits fade away until there was nothing but a lazy billow of smoke.
“Perhaps I don’t adore you,” I snapped at it.
The lazy billow of smoke cleared and showed me a picture of Kristian and Brikitta sleeping, Frantz peacefully at rest in a cot by the side of their bed.
Blasted ball.
“All right, so I do adore you, I’m just annoyed at you.”
The vision of my family wafted away.
I drew in breath and knew exactly what I had to do.
This I did without delay so I wouldn’t lose my nerve.
I phoned Noc.
For the first time I’d done this, he did not take my call.
It went to his voicemail.
Surprised and disturbed by this, I simply said after the tone, “Could you call me at your soonest convenience, darling?” and disconnected.
But I feared his not picking up was another part of his warning.
Or, worse, that he was right then speaking to his father.
However, even if it happened through my magic and not my machinations, I’d set something in motion and I needed to alert him to that.
Thus I found the maintenance man and allowed some time to pass while observing him before I called Noc again.