The Girl

Chapter 9: Rae Manor - My First Ghost

He looked confused when we arrived at the place where we’re supposed to meet Carson. He gazed around to the place, thinking that this wasn’t a place you should meet people – let alone celebrating a birthday party.

“Are you sure this is where you should meet him?” Jason asked me. I nodded. Alex was already running around the place, he’s comfortable in this place – it’s not that strange.

“I come here every year Jazz.”

“You do realize that this is a cemetery right?” He asked, still looking so confused.

“I’m not blind,” I browsed the place with my eyes. “This is a cemetery.”

“I’m okay with this place,” Alex said after returning from his play around the tombs.

“You’re a ghost, I rest my case with you,” Jason said.

“Come on, I would like the two of you to meet for the first time.” I held his hand and led the way to Carson’s place.

We’re standing in front of a white marble grave, where the inscription said:

Carson Taylor

September 29st 2003 – June 30th, 2010

Our beloved son and friend

I put the flower bouquet on the ground, side by side with another fresh bouquet that Quinn might place here this morning.

“Hi Carson,” I said. “Happy birthday. You’re 17 now, a year older than me but I’ll catch you up pretty soon.”

Jason wrapped my shoulder; maybe he sensed how sad I’m right now - because I could feel the tears in my eyes.

“This is Jason and Alex, he’s a ghost,” I looked over to them. Alex said hi and waved his hand to the gravestone. “So Jason,” I looked at his gorgeously handsome face, “Meet Carson Taylor, my best friend from childhood.”

“Hi Carson, Rae’s best friend from childhood,” he smiled.

“I told you that he’s okay,” I elbowed. He’s grinning foolishly.

“Sorry, I’m jealous, that's normal,” he brushed my hair with his fingers. “I think we’re okay now, Carson and me.”

“He’s barely 7 years old when he died,” Alex said, reading the inscription. I nodded.

“He was kidnapped and murdered,” my body was trembling when I tried to remember it. It’s quite a shocking moment for my family and Quinn’s.

 “I’m sorry to hear that Rae,” Alex muttered, his milky brown eyes looking deep at me with sympathy.

“I was 6 too; we were playing in the park across the street of our house, riding our bike around the park, chasing each other,” my eyes were closed to get the picture in my mind. “We’re pretending that the bike was a horse and the park was a road to Camelot,” I chuckled. “I was Guinevere and he was Arthur.”

They both smiled at hearing from me. It’s not common for 6-year-olds to play such medieval figures but since my Dad was playing Arthur in a movie back then, we sort of enjoyed the role.

“We were pretending that I was – as Guinevere – captured by an ugly troll and kept locked in the tower when I was sitting on the slider. I was waiting for him to rescue me – as Arthur – but he didn’t show up. I’d been waiting there for almost an hour when Rose called me to get back to the house. I asked Rose whether she saw Carson but she said that Carson might already be home having his lunch as I should. So I went home, without Carson.

“That night, I heard Quinn and Marge – his wife – coming to our house in such panic. His hair was messed up and Marge won’t stop crying, they asked if Carson was in our house, sleeping over like some other nights. They got more frustrated when my father said that he wasn’t there. My Mom woke me up from my sleep and she’s asking me what we did in the park. I told her that we were just playing and I was waiting for him at the slider but he didn’t show up and that Rosie assured me that Carson might already be back at his house. My Dad dialed 911 and told them what happened, while my Mom tried to comfort me because I was shaking and crying – I didn’t know what happened.

“The police came to my house 5 minutes later – I’m sure if Carson wasn’t Quinn’s son they wouldn’t come that fast. They started searching the park - every inch of it – and only found his bike, lying on the ground. I kept asking them where Carson was, I asked Quinn and saw that his eyes were red with stress and tears but he smiled at me and told me that I will play with Carson again in the morning. He lied.

“The media was already swarming in front of our house, waiting for the police to make the official report to the press about Quinn Taylor’s son missing. I remembered how angry I was at the press, they weren’t helping but kept asking a lot of questions, I shouted ‘give him a break!’.”

“Always feisty even as a child,” Jason said, smiling at me. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and I could feel his warm body in my back, soothing me up.

“When did you know that he was kidnapped?” Alex asked.

“They didn’t sleep at all that night, we already gathered in Quinn’s house, when the phone rang and it was the kidnappers, they told them that they got Carson and demanded 5 million for his return. Quinn almost said yes when the police told him to tell the kidnappers to give proof that they had him – they were afraid because of the press that some people took advantage of the situation.”

Alex’s fist hardened, I saw anger in his eyes. “Taking advantage of desperate parents who would do anything to have their son back, almost anything.” I nodded – he’s right.

 “They sent his jacket in an envelope and told Quinn where he could pick up the package. It’s a strong proof, undeniable fact that they had Carson and Marge was crying hard when she held the jacket in her hand. My Mom hugged her like she was hugging me before, whispering in her ear, soothing words to calm her down. My Dad and Quinn gathered the ransom money, it’s not that hard because they made a hit on their last movie – The King Arthur legend that Carson and I played in the park. The kidnappers told them to deliver the money to the address that they would tell them the next morning. The police already involved in the case, Detective More – my Mom's partner now – was the head of the case.

“When I slept at night, I heard Carson's voice calling me and I woke up to see him standing by my side.”

“He escaped?” Jason asked.

“No, it’s not Carson – he was Carson – but it’s his ghost. My first ghost. But I didn’t know that he was a ghost, I just thought that the kidnappers let him go.”

“A ghost, like me,” Alex muttered, looking away.

I could feel that Jason hugged me even harder than before. Emotional like I was now.

“He was wet all over his body and his shoes were full of mud. I asked him where he had been, he told me that he’s in the dark and crying, calling for his mom and dad. He was afraid of the dark – afraid of the monster living in the dark,” I chuckled. “Then he said that he saw a light, and he followed the light, and there he was in my room. He said he was tired and cold so I led him to my bed, he was lying beside me, smiling like he used to.

“We played together in the morning with Reinn, when I heard that everybody in the living room started arguing. I asked my Mom what happened, she said that the kidnappers didn’t show up to get the money, they lost track of Carson. I told my Mom that Carson was okay, my Mom only sadly smiled at me. I convinced her, saying ‘Mom he’s okay, he’s playing with Reinn in the kitchen’. I could see her eyes widened with fear, she ran to the kitchen, and started screaming frantically – I almost thought that my Mom had gone mad.

“My Dad came to her, he was confused – I could tell by his look. My Mom told my Dad that Carson was dead and that’s why the kidnappers didn’t show up. My Dad knew about my Mom family’s ability, he was as shocked as Quinn who’s standing behind him – Quinn also knew about her ability. He dropped weightless to the floor and started crying like crazy, hitting the floor with his fist and Marge was running toward me and she grabbed me in my hand, gripping me so hard that it’s hurting me, asking if I was lying or not. I just said Carson was there at my table – playing tea party with me and Reinn. She screamed and passed out, I was crying too, why didn’t they believe me, Carson was there, with me.

“On that day the police learned about our family secret, Detective More – being such a logical person that he is – believed every word that came from my Mom. He said that this was not the first the police cooperated with a gifted person. He came to me and asked to ask Carson where he was. I looked at Carson, he was sitting beside Quinn – who’s still sitting on my kitchen floor, crying, calling his name again and again. Carson was crying with him and asking me why his Dad was crying and why he couldn’t see him. I asked Quinn to hold Carson because he’s afraid now and that he desperately wanted Quinn to see him.

“My Dad picked me up and told me that not everybody in this room could see Carson just like my Mom and I was. He also told me to do what Detective More wanted me to do because it would help Carson and Quinn. He asked me if I love Carson and Quinn, I told my Dad that I do and I’ll ask Carson.

“All Carson remembered was that he’s riding his bike in the park. He saw me sitting on the top of the slider, he was heading to me when suddenly 2 men jumped out from the bushes and pulled him into the darker side of the park. He was kicking and yelling but no one could hear him because almost nobody went through that part of the park. One of the guys took off his jacket and pressed it into his face. He could smell the scent of cigarettes from the jacket but he kept screaming, the more he screamed the more that guy pressed the jacket to his face. He couldn’t breathe as there’s no air to breathe into and then he said everything went dark, he was alone.”

“When I told them what Carson had told me, I saw Quinn bumping his head against the wall and his eyes were so empty, lifeless. Carson didn’t know what happened next after the dark. My Mom asked for Carson’s jacket so she could see the past, you see Jazz, each of Sameera's family will have another special ability not only we could see ghosts and each ability is different for each person. My Mom's ability is that she can tell the past by touching a thing, that’s how she helps the police.

“My Mom touched his jacket and slowly began to see the past, to the day he was in the park. She described everything the same as Carson described to me and when she reached the part when they killed Carson, I saw tears rolling down from her eyes. She loved this child like her own, saw him grow up together with me, it broke her heart deep to see what they did to him. She told the police that they drowned his body in the lake at the park, which sort of explained why Carson was all wet and felt so cold.

“The police were searching in the lake, some team was assigned to dive to find his body. My Dad told me to stay at home but I sneaked out and watched them behind the tree – with Carson. I saw one diver coming out from the lake holding a small body, I knew by then that the boy who’s standing beside me all this time wasn’t my Carson. I screamed so loud, so frustrated over reality. My Dad heard me and pulled me out but I was fighting him to get a better view of my friend’s body. I was crying and confused. I told him how could there’s two Carson at the same time – one was dead and one was alive. My Mom took me back to the house and that night I learned about the ability, Sameera's gift.

“A few days after - with my Mom's help - the police captured the kidnappers. When they searched their house, they found it was full of my pictures and Carson’s. They wanted to kidnap us both.”

Jason shivered to hear it - I could feel that he was trembling and held me even tight. “I don’t know if this is right but I’m glad it’s only Carson and not you too.”

I touched his hand. Sometimes I think that way too, not just me but my Dad too. My Dad said to Quinn about it and he told my Dad that he was glad too - he didn’t want my Dad to suffer like he was.

“Where are they now – the kidnappers?” Jason asked.

“They already planned the kidnap plot carefully and weighted how they killed Carson, they were convicted with 1st-degree murder and that’s enough to send them a lifetime in prison.”

“How did Carson's ghost disappear?” Alex asked, carefully. I knew that he wanted to know and if it helped him to move on, out from this world – to a place where he belongs.

“In the funeral, I saw him sitting next to his mom. He led me to see himself in the coffin. He said that he saw a bright light but he was afraid to go, he got nobody there as if he knew that he would leave us to somewhere far, and he was sad to see his mom kept crying like that. He asked me to tell her to let him go, and that he always loved his mom and dad. When I told Quinn and Marge what he said, they both smiled in their cry, Quinn even said to Carson – although he couldn’t see him: ‘Go, kid! Just wait for us there, we’ll see you again and don’t go to the park alone again now’ – he tried to smile but it’s hard so he cried. Carson went to the light, but before he went, he turned his face to see me and smiled, waving his hand and said ‘see you later Rae’. And then he’s gone.”

Jason moved in front of me, he looked deep into my eyes and framed my face with his hands.

“You’re a very special girl Rae, not just to me but to this world too. When everybody gets more selfish every day, you show them sincerity and kindness. You don’t know how grateful we are – human – having an angel to walk among us and reminding us that good comes from the heart,” he kissed my forehead. “And I’m grateful that God gave me time to meet you and know you. And I know God now thinks that He couldn’t choose a better person to have His gift more than your mom, Reinn, and especially you because He knows that all of you will do good with it.”

I was moved by his words. When sometimes I hated this ability - I wanted it all out from me - he could help me to see the other view from his eyes how I affect the balance of good and bad in this world. I’m grateful to God in my heart, for giving me a chance to meet him and be with him when loving him makes me a better person.

I closed my eyes, gently kissed his lips, and he was kissing me back – slowly and sweet. When I opened my eyes, I saw him smiling at me.

“I’m impressed, no groping this time,” I teased.

His eyes squinted. “Are you implying that I could do that now?”

I punched his biceps and he frowned – pretending that it hurts. Then I heard somebody clear his throat, I almost forgot that Alex was here with us.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just a ghost,” he said, waving his hands. Jason and I were laughing; we’re so carried away with the mood and the moment.

“Don’t be cranky,” Jason said. “Do you want me to kiss your lips too?” He teased him.

“Not in a million years,” he replied and went – waiting for us in the car.

“I’m starving, how about you?”

I felt my stomach growling inside, it demanded to be fed. “Let’s grab a bite,” I said. We said goodbye to Carson and headed off to the car – where Alex had waited for us.

We’re going to find good food around Chinatown, Jason said he knew a place where they served killer ‘dim sum’ – that means very tasty one. We took the Rio St. and made a turn toward the Amphitheater, when Alex said, “If you go straight you’ll reach the crossroad between Columbus Ave, Theater St., and Montgomery St.?”

I saw Jason was looking in his rearview mirror to the empty back seat where Alex was sitting and looking outside – his forehead wrinkled, thinking.

“If you took Columbus Ave. you might end in the Bay St. area, where there is a lot of cafés there, right?” Alex was looking at me.

I was looking at him – puzzled away. “Yes, that’s right,” still completely lost in his question.

“Jazz, will you take Columbus Ave and then make a turn to the left through Francisco St., and at the first block you take a turn to the right to Bay St.”

“Where are we heading to?” Jason asked, looking at me like I might know something. I shrugged, I couldn’t read the ghost's mind for sure.

“I don’t know exactly, but I just have this vivid memory in my head.” Alex turned his face back to the window; he’s muttering something that I couldn’t catch - something about the café.

Jason drove just as Alex requested, when we reached the end of the block – entering the Bay St. – Alex asked him to stop. I got off from the car - we’re now in front of a small café just around the corner. I blinked my eyes when I read the café's name, ‘Alrend’s’. 

“Have you been here Alex? How did you know about this place?” I turned around to get a clear view of him. His mouth silently said ‘I don’t know’ which sort of not answering my questions.

“Why? You know this place?” Jason asked me, he’s looking over the café.

I looked back to see the place. How can I don’t know the place? We always eat here – not only do they serve my favorite lasagna but…I glance at the chairs and tables that were placed outside the café, filled with people who were sitting there to eat or just to have an occasional drink.

“I’ve been here…” I said, “My uncle owned this place.”

Alex was looking at me now, confused just like me. “No,” he said – to my surprise. “Your uncle is not the owner.”

How come I didn’t know that? As far as I remembered my Uncle Hugo is the owner. I tried to picture his face in my head, a very good looking guy – even in his late forties - with tanned skin, sleek black hair, strong narrow jaw, and mysterious misty grey eyes.

Then I saw somebody coming from the café, someone just like my uncle but younger. He was holding a tray, handing over plates of delicious food to the customer who was sitting over the table near the window and as if he knew that he’s being observed with my eyes, he turned his face over to me. His eyes were widened with surprise, and then he gave this wide smile – showing his perfect white teeth.

“Hello, there cousin!” He walked towards me, giving me a big warm hug. “Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come to pay a visit.” He kissed both of my cheeks and still wrapped his arms around me.

I sort of felt so weird since Jason was folding his hands over his chest. I could easily read his body language now when he’s confused his eyes squinted and one of his brows rose a little bit when he’s thinking his fingers will brush his chin, and when he didn’t like what he’s seeing his hands will be folded over the chest and glaring – like what he did now.

“Rae,” he called me with his deep bass voice.

I let go of the hands that wrapped tight over me and moved away from the boy, who’s 17 just like Jason – a boy that I gave new Nike shoes on his last birthday.

“Hi Raph,” I said – a little bit confused about how to react. “Sorry for not calling.” He smiled again – I think I was forgiven. Jason was still glaring, no to me but the boy, I saw Alex secretly smile over Jason’s reaction.

“This is Jason,” I introduced. “Jason, this is Raphael Alrend, my distant cousin from my Mom's side,” he’s still glaring. “He’s part of Roma like me,” I was babbling, trying to calm him down – not that’s working anyway.

Raphael moved his hand towards Jason in a friendly gesture. I was afraid that Jason refused the hand but he did anyway, shaking back Raphael’s.

“Hi Jason,” Raphael said, smiling. “Firm grip. Football?”

“Yes,” Jason took his hand away and folded it again over his chest. “Strong hand. Basketball?”

Was it just me thinking or the athletes had some sort of way of identifying other athletes? Even to which sport they were into.

“Yes,” Raphael put his hand inside the pocket of his white apron. His gaze fell over Alex and looked back at me, “A ghost?” He asked.

“Yes, that’s Alex, our friend.”

Raphael gave a little chuckle. “An athlete and a ghost,” he said.

Jason pulled his body straight, defensive. “What is so funny about it?” His tone was a little threatening rather than questioning.

Raphael waved his hand, and tried not to smile again – he knew that Jason was being a little bit aggressive. “No…don’t get me wrong. I was just thinking that quite a comic for me.”

“Why is it a comic? Aren’t you an athlete who can see ghosts?”

Raphael’s smile faded away, he was strongly looking back to Jason. They both exchanged glances for quite a while, not saying anything.

I could sense bad chemistry developed between them and I was caught in the middle of this invisible testosterone battle – It made me uneasy. Alex's mouth was forming ‘Uh oh’ when he looked at me, he sensed it too - being a boy himself. I must do something, to avoid Jock’s war.

“Jason,” I called, slowly and carefully – still not getting his attention. “Baby,” I called again – he turned his face to me. “I’m hungry, can we eat now? I mean, my aunt makes killer lasagna or you still want that dim sum?” I was anticipating him to say ‘I want dim sum’ and we drove away from here – that would’ve seemed weird – instead he wrapped his arm around my waist, smiling – which brought some sort of relief.

“Let’s try the lasagna,” he said – his gaze back to warm and normal like it used to.

I just remembered something. “Uncle Hugo is the owner of this café right?” I asked Raphael.

“Yes, as far as I remember, my Dad inherited this café from my Grandfather. Why?”

“Was there ever a woman who owned this café? An old woman – around fifty years old?” Alex asked.

“Are you talking about my Great Grandmother? Anne Sameera Alrend?”

“Maybe? I’m not sure…” Alex looked down to the street. “Do you have her picture, maybe I could see if that’s her.”

“We have it alright, a big one inside the café.” Raphael signaled with his hand for us to follow him.

We saw a picture of black and white, a soft old picture from the golden era. She was a Roma, of course, told by her dark hair and exotic looking face – just like my Grandmother.

“Yes, that’s her,” Alex mumbled.

“How did you know her?” I asked.

“You said that you knew her when she was around fifty, then it’s somewhere in the ‘70s then,” Raphael was looking at Alex.

“Where is she now?” Alex asked.

“If she was still alive then she would be more than 100 years old,” Raphael was chuckling. “She died over 30 years ago, that’s what I know.”

I kept losing inside his memory mystery – he said he remembered none but then suddenly he remembered something. Something had triggered his memory, something that linked to an old Sameera woman. A string that connected him to my family.

Was it just coincidence that led my family to San Rafael? Or did Alex unconsciously call for help that pulled us to him? Or there’s something else? Some mysteries in the past.