Rick realizes his potential as a warlock, finds a solution to the Aunts' problem, reunites with Sharon and raises a family. I hope you have enjoyed my small tale. jb7
*
For the next several weeks, Rick was engaged in a crash course on how to consciously tap into the magic which the sisters were sure he had. As he practiced with them, he became aware that what everyone had attributed to his skill as a salesman was in reality the unconscious use of that ability. Like the old trader, his ancestor, he had used his power to peddle his wares. Once he made that connection, he progressed fairly rapidly.
With a pair of sisters in tow, he made several trips into the city to practice on the unsuspecting citizens. At a fancy dinner club, he got them seated at a center table by a snooty head waiter even though they were in beach wear. Another time, he talked a patrolman out of writing a ticket for parking by a fire hydrant.
In early October, he took two of the sisters shopping for lingerie in the Mall. Waiting for them outside the store as they conferred with a clerk, he bedeviled the clerk by unfastening her bra as she talked with the sisters. She excused herself three times to take care of the problem. The last time, when she returned, it was plain she had left the bra off. He briefly considered trying to remove her thong, but decided it might lead to problems he wasn't capable of handling yet.
When he returned to the lake from that trip there was a message from Sharon, asking if he would meet her at the apartment. He returned the call, and, when she answered, made arrangements to meet her there at lunch time, the next day. He offered to bring lunch, and was slightly surprised when she requested lo mein, a dish she normally did not eat.
As he rang the bell to the apartment, having left his key when he moved to the lake, Rick wondered why Sharon would be calling. The door buzzed and he heard the lock click, releasing the door. He quickly climbed the three flights of stairs to their floor. The door was already open for him. He walked in and headed for the kitchen, closing the door behind him.
Sharon was waiting, leaning with her back against the sink. He almost dropped their lunch. "Omigawd!" He exclaimed, gawking at his one time fiancé, apparently five months pregnant .
"Hi to you, too, Rick," Sharon laughed. "I guess that's better than some of the responses I was anticipating." She walked to him and managed an A-frame hug, along with a kiss to his cheek. "Which sister was it that warned us about multiple births? Micki? I don't remember, but I think she put a curse on me. At first, the doctor thought I was having twins, but my last visit, a couple of weeks ago, they confirmed at least three, and maybe four heartbeats."
"When are you due?"
"Late March, early April." He rapidly counted backward.
"So, it's pretty certain it was the night at the lake. What's what's his name, Josh, think?"
"I don't know, and at this point, I don't really care. After we left you that day, I saw him once more, when he told me he had to return to Venezuela for treatment. He's been gone since Labor Day."
"You should have called me."
"I wanted to, and I should have, but I listened to my parents. I wasn't showing too much yet, and they didn't know. They were upset because you left without giving us a chance to explain."
As Rick listened to her, he had a series of 'witchly' insights. The sudden reappearance of one thought to be dead, who by all logic, given his physical condition, should have been dead. The absence of Sharon's name on the deed. His ancestry and the needs of the sisters. How his relationship with Sharon would interfere with what he now considered his mission. Her voice intruded on his thoughts.
"I tried calling your work, but they said you had resigned. What are you doing now?"
"It's sort of a private schooling, or apprenticeship. I guess you could say I'm learning to be a magician of sorts." he paused a moment, looking at her baby belly. " Would you like to come out to the lake for dinner this Saturday?" he asked. "I know the sisters would be delighted to see you again. They were very upset when I told them I didn't know when or if you'd be joining me."
"I guess we still have to answer those questions." she replied. "What do you think?"
"I think the answer to the second question is yes, and the second answer is as soon as I can get the house straightened out."
She beamed, throwing her arms around him. "Thank you. That's what I was hoping to hear. We will probably have to wait for a bit longer than it will take you to clean your house though. The doctor wants me to stop working by Thanksgiving, so I have to get stuff wrapped up and transferred. But I'll be able to join you before Christmas. And dinner would be nice. I'll enjoy seeing the sisters."
"Can you stay the night?"
She laughed. "Are you sure that's a good idea. Look what happened the last time."
"Well," he said, in a mock serious tone, gazing at her abdomen,"it sure can't get much worse."
Back at the lake, he called all the sisters together. "Ladies, either you are totally unaware of the scope of your powers, which I absolutely do not believe, or you have lied to me." When they started to object, he raised his hand and quieted them. "I saw my fiancé this afternoon, and while talking with her about her experiences since that night, I had a number of insights.
