Lettica Meets Her match

 

 

Letticia asked, "Mom, isn't there anyone anywhere besides you, I mean, that I am not smarter than?"  Letticia had led an unremarkable life so far. That is exactly as she liked it, thank you very much. She made an effort to be that way, it took actual work to not be noticed. She had a formidable brain. 

 

At the age of eight she asked her mother, "Could I go somewhere to learn new things? She had read all the books in the library, even ones that contradicted each other, and was ready for more. She said that her teachers knew a lot less than her, and she would like someone smarter than her to teach her please."

 

Her mom said, "I can get you tested, and we can go on from there." At first it was interesting and nice. Then, It seemed that everyone in that building came in to look at her. It was bothersome to her, because none of them could hide their avarice. It seems she was not only probably the highest rated human they had ever seen, but she could always dream in color, she saw movies in her head when she read and never forgot anything ever. If she read, or watched, or heard something, she could pull it up for review.

 

She soon got the impression that everyone wanted her for their own gain. She was little more than an object to them. She turned to her mom and said, "I am getting a bad headache, we need to leave." 

 

"I agree with you Letty. In fact, I think we ought to take a vacation right now. We have to go into hiding. They will never let you go, and they have probably called the government, which means that we will have no life. I am sorry, this is my fault." 

 

"Don't worry Mom, I have ideas."

 

She had lots of ideas over the years. First, they lived pretty much off the grid. They had several aliases, lots of wigs, contacts, padded outfits, multitudes of makeup, all things used for a hidden life. Her mom was a lot like her. After all, she had to get it from somewhere, didn't she?

 

Her mom had a good memory but she could not remember everything like she could. The thing her mom did the best was read people. She always associated attitudes and emotions with smells.

 

In that testing building, first she got a freshly mown lawn smell, which meant the people so far were kind and wanted to help. But, as testing became more and more important to them, the smells were of 100 cats using one litter box, rotten meat, and diesel. Not good at all.

 

Her mom was also psychic. She said, " Phooey on that. I simply pick up on their emotions. I read their body language. I make educated guesses. Maybe a little help sometimes, but not, like I can dial up the universe and ask for the skinny on my current client." 

 

She does believe in ghosts. Her feeling was that they are whatever corporeal life is left behind when they go. Some folks have no idea that they are going. Maybe they have their first and last stroke, maybe they were in an accident, maybe they were shot. It was sudden and final. They were snatched up without any preparation. 

 

So, some of their being was left behind, with no clue how to find the rest of themselves. They are in pain. Some want revenge, she tells them no. She tells them to let go and let themselves have the peace and joy that the rest of their body has. With no judgments. This life is done for them. It is over. They are clean. No baggage. She has actually felt it once or twice when they left at that instant. Heady stuff I will tell you.

 

Her mom said, "As far as dark spirits from the other world coming back, that is all hooey. Nonsense. It is the worst kind of conning. I think from time to time that if I had the gift of shooting fire out of my finger, that I would fry every one of these con men and women I meet." 

 

"Wow Mom, violent much?" She asked.

 

Her mom can find patterns in things. If she had been born earlier she would have worked at Bletchley Circle. She had always been a good finder of things. She would ask one or two questions, then go get it, or tell them where to get it. She never did not find it. 

 

She had someone give her false information, and she determined that the ring his girlfriend "lost" was in his pocket. He had been fiddling with it the whole time. Her boyfriend had removed her very expensive ring from the soap dish where she left it. He had made some bad gambling debts, and was going to drive to the next town to pawn it. 

 

Why do an awful lot of people always expect others to make the sacrifice for them? And, they simply go back to behaving as they always had. No remorse and no change on their part? Even with her big brain she can't answer that.

 

Her mother and her went from city to city and town to town. They found a character which worked great no matter where they were. She was a ghost writer, and Letticia did research for her.

 

With the birth of the internet, each year the work got easier and easier. They no longer had to play that annoying tape of the typewriter tapping out its merry prose. Good Lord, that was annoying in the extreme. But, it had been an effective ruse. 

 

Nonetheless, they both always felt that they were being watched. And, of course they were, we all are. Everyday day, hour, minute, and every second, someone or something is watching you somewhere. Makes you feel really cozy and warm inside doesn't it?

 

They are outside San Francisco, so her mom suggested they study up on wicca, and go a little hippy-dippy. Her mom will tell fortunes and she will work in an occult shop or farmers market.

 

People around here, don't get too nosey. They had been here working in the same shop for three years when both of their feelers went into overdrive. In all her years on the run, never has she felt this cascade of nerve endings go on fire all over her. Letticia's brain was in chaos, too much information was trying to be processed. 

 

Her mother said, "Excuse me, my daughter is having an epileptic fit."

 

She hustled her into the back room,locked the door, and surrounded her with all the crystals, and all the healing stones she could find. Don't snigger! It did help.

 

Letticia calmed down, and her mom  went out and locked up the shop. Letticia asked her what happened. She said, "I have to ask you a question sweetie. Last month when you went out on your date with Wesley, did you have sex?" 

 

"Well yes, Miss Nosey I did, and it was pretty good too," Letticia replied.

 

Her mom said, "Glad to hear it Letty, you are pregnant. You will have a girl as smart or smarter than you. You will have little episodes, now and then as growth occurs. As soon as you get the first tingle, go lay down, it will pass. No more driving or going places by yourself. We will have to move. Wesley cannot be told, he is not suitable. And, we need to go North. I have seen pictures of our next place. It is an old hotel. I do not know yet, if we are to be caretakers, buy it and refurbish it, or turn it into a B&B. "

 

Letticia asked, "Do you have any guesses?"  "Colorado, outside Boulder, just occurred to me. And pictures of the "Overlook Hotel" flashed through my mind. We aren't going to be inside a Stephen King movie are we?"

 

When they got to Colorado they found a place a lot like the "Overlook" except it was a lot smaller, and no Stephen King-like activity. Those old places are built to last. Over the years they replaced the roof, and wallpapered and painted, resealed floors, etc. But it sure stood the test of time.

 

They called it " Right Here".  It's from an old joke. It's akin to the old saying, no matter where you go, there you are. 

 

Her mom had a lot to contend with during her pregnancy. Letticia  had bursts all the time. She yelled at my stomach to stop. Turns out she had two little buggers along for the ride. Those girls are a handful I can tell you.

Maybe, after they get older, I will write some more. Right now she is too busy to tell me stories.