GHOST 👻 (A Paranormal Romance)

Julia

Julia's wearing a yellow bathrobe with small white flowers. Her auburn hair is neatly coiffed in a 1950's Jacquelyn Kennedy bouffant style. As she walks over and hands me a cup of coffee, I discreetly read her aura. I'm surprised when I feel a slightly maternal vibe emanating from her.

"I guess I was a little harsh with your friend, Dylan, yesterday." The cadence of her words are off slightly, her apology stilted by the morning vodka she's added to her orange juice. When I turn, I see her angular face has softened, exposing her vulnerable feminine side. This is the hidden side of her personality, the one she guards like a dragon, fiercely protecting it's soft underbelly.

"I wouldn't call him a friend, Julia." I try to downplay my interactions with Dylan, but she ignores my attempt to sidestep the issue.

"You know Lizzy, I'm not so old I don't remember what it's like to get caught up in the heat of the moment. Especially, when it comes to attractive men." Conspiratorially, she raises one of her over-plucked eyebrows, "I once had a slew of eligible beaus vying for my attention." I'm confused where her train of thought is leading her, until I realize she's trying to offer me some motherly advice. "In my day, I was considered quite a beauty."

My grandmother pauses, looking off into the distance, waiting for me to pay her emotional toll. With monumental effort, I oblige her narcissistic demand. "Julia, you're still beautiful." It's true, if she sobered up she could easily start dating again.

Pleased by my observation, she smiles. "Really Elizabeth? That's so sweet of you to say."

My God, are we bonding?

"I've never discussed men with you, but now I realize the time to warn you of a male's cunning nature has arrived." She clears her throat. "Lizzy, even with your weight you've always been pretty." She pauses then adds, "In your own way." Placing her hand on my shoulder, she levels her gaze on me. "I know you're a smart girl, Elizabeth, but I'm going to be blunt. Being intelligent isn't enough for men. They want a woman who's eternally beautiful. A magical unicorn who can validate their own low self worth. I want you to be careful with Dylan. He's too good looking. It would be a mistake for you to think he's interested in you." Sadly, she shakes her head. "Trust me, he's not. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but I felt it would be best to nip this romance in the bud before you get hurt.

Looking at Julia, I resist the urge to laugh. Biting my lower lip, I will myself to stay straight faced. My God, her Men are From Mars advice is so cockeyed. Doesn't she realize Dylan is the last person I would be would be interested in dating? I make a mental note to never drink alcohol, then quickly change the subject. "By the way, Julia, I've been meaning to ask you about the woman who was killed in Lakeview cemetery last year. Katherine Stanford? The one whose body was found up in the hills."

Sipping her coffee, my grandmother sobers a bit, recalling the brutal murder. "Why are you asking me about that vile Stanford woman?" Irritated the conversation's slipped out of her control, her voice grows shrill, breaking our fragile moment of intimacy. I notice she's gazing at the foot of the tree, unknowingly focused on the spot where my mother sat a few minutes ago. Does she ever sense how close my mother stays to this house from her perch in the afterlife?

"I was jogging at the cemetery, yesterday. I noticed the Stanford mausoleum never has any flowers in the memorial vase. Doesn't anyone visit her to pay their respects? Didn't she have a family?"

Julia looks at me in surprise, "Why were you jogging in the cemetery? That sounds dangerous." When she sees I'm not going to back down or be sidetracked, she sighs heavily before answering. "I knew Katherine Stanford in acting school. She was in the class ahead of mine. An extremely beautiful woman- at least outwardly. She dropped out of acting after she inherited her father's estate. Understand the woman was quite wealthy. As a socialite she had everything to be happy-except the blessing of a good marriage." Julia shakes her head, ruefully. "As she grew older, she started abusing drugs and partying with too many men." My grandmother grimaces in distaste. "A few years ago, she married some lothario fifteen years younger than herself. A bad mistake." She frowns as if the memory of Katherine's young husband disgusts her. "Of course he never visits her gravesite. It wasn't a marriage of love. It was an arrangement of convenience. He was her piece of eye candy. Someone who hit the jack pot after she died."

Thank you for reading!👻