Bartholomew entered the coffee shop worried and confused. Xavier was out to hurt him, maybe even kill him, and he didn’t understand why. Surely, The Nanny would have some idea how to handle this. She had raised Xavier for many years. It was only a week ago that Claire advised Bartholomew to stop dating The Nanny, but now she was the only friend he had.
The Nanny waved at
Bartholomew from a table near the back of the shop. Normally, The
Nanny’s smile and beauty put Bartholomew in a good mood, but today
she didn’t smile but had an earnest expression. This made
Bartholomew even more worried and confused.
“Hi,” said The
Nanny.
“Hi,” replied
Bartholomew.
“It’s nice to
see you,” said The Nanny.
“It’s nice to
see you, too,” replied Bartholomew.
“Would you like
something to eat?” asked The Nanny.
“Xavier’s
trying to kill me,” replied Bartholomew.
“Why don’t you
go get a muffin, and when you come back we can talk about it,”
suggested The Nanny.
Bartholomew got up
from his chair and went to the counter. The barista offered several
options of muffins. They all looked tasty to Bartholomew, and being
a little confused, he bought five muffins. Bartholomew had a habit,
after his parents died, of buying more things than he needed. That’s
why he has twelve phones, eight toasters and three televisions. As
he walked back to the table with five muffins, four of which he knew
he wouldn’t eat, he realized that when he’s confused he has a
hard time making decisions. He was so confused and in a daze after
his parents died that he couldn’t decide what to buy when offered
several options. Thus, he ended up with twelve phones, eight
toasters and three televisions. Bartholomew also realized that he
hadn’t had this problem since Charlotte and Topping’s New Years
Eve party where he made several friends and decided to start a
garden.
“By golly,” he
thought as he placed the muffins on the table where The Nanny was
waiting, what he wanted had come true: he wanted friends who could
help him make better decisions. He figured this would happen by
discussing decisions with his friends but, in fact, they seldom
talked about making decisions. His friends helped him make better
decisions simply because he knew they were there. They were
an anchor, and their support made him more confident and more able in
his own life. And now they were all scattered and mad at each other
– all except this beautiful woman sitting across the table from
him.
“Bartholomew, I
have to leave you,” blurted out The Nanny as soon as he sat down.
“I have to leave you, but someone else is coming who will make you
happy, even happier than you are now.”
It wouldn’t be
hard to make Bartholomew happier than he was at that moment.
“Why?” he asked
like a lump.
“Situations are
almost where they need to be. You are going to have to make it the
rest of the way on your own. I’ve done all I can to prepare you.”
“Prepare me for
what?”
“Hard times.”
“Do you know
about Xavier wanting to kill me?” asked Bartholomew.
“Yes, but he
won’t. But he will destroy something you love and he will hurt the
ones you love the most.”
“How can you
possibly know this?” Bartholomew asked raising his voice. “How
can you possible expect me to sit here and listen to this when
someone wants to kill me? I come to you with my concerns and you
pretend you can see into the future, like you’re some seer or
something. What I need is for you to help me!”
Without saying a
word, The Nanny stood up and walked behind Bartholomew. She wrapped
her arms around him and placed her chin on his shoulder. Bartholomew
instantly felt a warmth and peace move through his body.
“Bartholomew,”
The Nanny said crying, “I love you. Do not falter. Your friends
will return, and your true love will return. And… some day, I will
return. I am so sorry.” The Nanny squeezed him tight and sobbed
into his neck.
“What are you
sorry about?”
The Nanny
struggled for her voice amidst her sobs, “The next time you see me
I will not have a message of hope and love for you. I will be a
messenger of death.” The Nanny squeezed Bartholomew even harder,
kissed him on the neck and she was gone. Bartholomew looked behind
him; The Nanny was nowhere to be seen.
Bartholomew stared
at the muffins in front of him. “What the hell is going on?” he
muttered. When he left the shop he wandered for hours retracing in
his mind the strange events that had brought him to this point in
time. The more he walked, the more his stomach began to bother him.
He wasn't sure if this was because of the stress he was feeling or if
it was from having eaten all five muffins.
_______________________________________
Written by Mark Granlund
Illustrated by Liz Carlson
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