Deep in the Forest (Wattpad Editor's Pick, June '22)

12

Headlights pierced the night sky and kept the gravel road from hiding in the dense forest. The car stereo hadn't worked in years and Zoe didn't have the money to replace it, so the ride was quiet except the hum of the Jetta's engine and the wind whistling through the crack of the open window.

Zoe bit the inside of her lip to keep from asking Takota about this latest turn of events. She felt bad, guilty even. What kind of friend was she if she didn't have any idea that his grandfather was still alive?

She pulled into the parking lot of Tom's dinner as rain began to dot the broken pavement with wet spots.

Takota didn't say anything as he exited the car. The diner was slow tonight, with only a handful of people filling the red upholstered seats at rectangle metal tables. Takota plopped onto the bench at their usual corner booth and stared out the window.

A waitress in a pink dress with a white apron tied around her small waist came to the table and smiled at Takota. "Welcome to Tom's. What will you have to eat tonight?"

"Barbecue bacon burger with extra grilled onions and a side of fries," Takota said. He smiled at her, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Anything to drink?"

"Large Coke."

She barely glanced in Zoe's direction and asked, "And for you?"

"Small strawberry milkshake and an order of onion rings, please."

"You got it. Your food should be out in a few minutes." She walked away leaving the sweet, floral smell of plumeria behind.

Takota went back to staring out the window.

The drinks arrived and Zoe savored the strawberry chunks in her shake. Instead of pressuring Takota for answers, she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her news feed without reading anything. Her mind whirled about the things the Shaman said and the ritual that she was positive Takota would want to perform.

A woman came in and shook her umbrella. "It's raining cats and dogs out there, Velma. You're lucky I made it here before it gets worse like the news mam says it will." She pulled her coat off and pushed her way through the kitchen door with an oval window taking up the middle of it.

Thick plates covered in food clicked against the table as the waitress set them down.

Zoe took a small ring off the top and ate it. The golden treat was oil soaked but the crunch and flavor were just the way she liked them.

Takota dipped his fries in a mix of ketchup, mustard, mayo and salt. "I suppose you want to know why I never told you about my grandfather."

"Yes." She was relieved he finally spoke.

He ate a few more fries. "As you're aware, I don't want anything to do with my dad. He can't hold down a steady job or stop drinking, so he lives up there--mooching off my grandfather."

"That's your dad?" Zoe recalled the angry drunk's face. The only resemblance between the two was the eyes, they were the same shade of chocolate brown. Beyond that, they looked as different as two men could. Takota was tall, thin and had a kindness radiating off him like the warmth of the sun. John Sohappy was the exact opposite; short, fat and mean.

Takota nodded. "He's a real charmer, isn't he?"

Zoe's skin crawled. No wonder Dyani Sohappy never said nice things about him. "I'm sorry, I thought he... I don't know, ran far away with his tail tucked between his legs."

"I wish." Takota unwrapped his utensils from the white napkin holding them and wiped his face.

Zoe wondered how someone became a shaman. She was sure her mom must have told her, but she couldn't remember, nor had she ever cared before. "Because your grandfather is a shaman, does that mean you are too?"

Takota chuckled. "No, to be a shaman takes many years of training from an elder, and you never stop learning new ways of doing things. I don't want to spend my life talking to spirits and listening to people complain about their aches and pains. As a lawyer, I can defend good people and put creeps like my dad in jail for all the rotten things they've done."

"I can't believe he's your father. You are nothing like him."

"Thanks, Z."

"I'm sorry, I wasn't much of a friend for not knowing more about your family."

"Don't think that way. Just like Jiminy Cricket kept telling Pinocchio how the world worked; your logical mind kept me sane when the spirits became unbearable."

She knew his words were meant to make her feel better, but Jiminy wasn't a good conscience. He possessed Pinocchio's brain, causing him to go crazy and act like a maniac. She decided not to mention that detail to him, not today anyway. "Can you really talk to ghosts?"

"Yeah."

"What is it like?"

"Crappy and cool at the same time."

He frowned. "Why?"

"When other people learn I can do what I do, they'll ask me dumb things like where they lost their keys, if their significant other is cheating on them or if they will find their soulmate. I hate it."

"You know those things?"

"No, not unless a spirit tells me the answers and I prefer not to interact with them very much."

"Are they not nice to you or something?"

"I have headaches when there are a lot of them around or I don't acknowledge them, so they yell to get my attention. But speaking to them makes them think I want to talk all the time. I don't, unless it's my grandmother."

As long as she could remember, Takota had headaches on a daily basis. At lease now it made more sense why it happened, and why he didn't go to the doctor to get medication for it. Zoe couldn't help but glance on both sides of Takota. "Is she here now?"

He nodded. "Yeah, and has been almost every day, since she passed away. I like when she visits me, but sometimes she forgets that I need privacy for certain things."

"Oh." Zoe thought about her dad and wondered if Takota knew more about his well-being than he let on. She didn't want to ask, but she found the words coming out before she could stop them. "Does that mean she can tell you--"

"Mister T is in good hands, Z."

She leaned back against the padded bench and studied his eyes. "You aren't just saying that to keep me from worrying, are you?"

Takota smiled. "Would you believe me if I said no, my grandmother told me that?"

"Maybe."

He chuckled. "No, you wouldn't."

"I find it hard to believe that you talk to spirits or ghosts or whatever, but there's a lot I never believed in before that I'm taking another look at now."

He popped another sauce coated fry into his mouth. "That's something I never expected to hear from you."

She ate a few onion rings and washed them down with the sweet berry shake. Digesting the idea that he is a sensitive. "I'm surprised."

Takota cocked an eyebrow. "About?"

"I find it odd that no one asked you what the winning lottery numbers were going to be."

His face broke into a grin and their laughter filled the diner. The heavy feeling that had followed them down the mountain dissipated.