The river was dry, I finally admitted to myself after digging down two feet into the sandy bed and not finding a hint of moisture beneath. I looked about me: Gorgeous trees of silver and gold sprouting gemstone blooms and crystal leaves grew in straight even rows, allowing me a good view of the horizon. Everything was perfect everywhere I looked. Even the sand sparkled like stars on a clear night and the sky was so blue I could drown in its depths. Yet there was no water. I walked towards the shade of a tree, sat under it and pondered.
#
Carol sat at the dressing table and scrutinized her own reflection. It was still perfect and flawless. She looked at her nails and marveled at how pristine and soft they were. She had looked and looked these past two years and could not find anything wrong with herself. The other woman, however, looked like someone who scrubbed her face with a dish cloth.
Her pink cell phone rang. On seeing the number she bit her lip a little nervously then flipped it open. “Hello.”
A man’s voice said, “I have the herbs ready for you.”
She held her breath as she said, “I…I will be at your shop in twenty minutes.” She folded back the phone and placed it inside her tiny handbag. After checking her reflection one last time in the mirror, she left the house.
#
It had grown dark. I looked up and saw that the sky had turned a ruby red, and from the horizon came a spreading darkness. Rain, I thought, elated. I am going to have water soon.
#
A small bell tinkled as Carol pushed open the door of the dim tiny shop. Kamal, the witchdoctor, came out from the back room and took his place behind the counter with a smile. When she reached him, he said, “Good afternoon, madam. I have collected the herbs you need.” He leaned down and took out a fist-sized black bag from under the counter. “Pinch a little of this every morning and brew it together with his coffee.”
“Is that all I have to do?” Carol asked.
“Yes. Just make sure not to drink the coffee yourself. He will be listless and tired on the first day, so this will be a good opportunity for you to fuss over him. After that he will be able to function normally. He will be a little confused every now and then as his memories of the other woman returns, but as long as you keep a close eye on him, he will stay yours.”
Carol smiled. She brought the bag to her nose. Kamal stopped her. “Don’t do that. The spell is very potent. We don’t want you to fall under it.”
She put the bag down immediately. “Thank you,” she said, and fished out two thousand dollars from her purse.
After the witchdoctor had counted it, he put the black bag into a plastic bag and tied it tight before passing it to her.
#
Richard did not come home that night and as Carol cried herself to sleep, she told herself over and over that he was going to be all hers soon.
Early the next morning, she got up and brewed coffee. As the water boiled in the coffee maker, she heard her husband’s car crunched its way up the driveway. He always returned in the morning to change into a fresh set of clothes. She walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where she picked up a magazine and pretended to read.
She heard him come down, and smiled when she heard coffee being poured into a mug. She knew that as long as she stayed out of his way, he would go into the kitchen, and knowing him, he wouldn’t have been able to resist the coffee.
She waited: Ten, fifteen, twenty minutes passed. He was still in the house. His cell phone rang, but he didn’t pick it up. She rose and went into the kitchen where she found him staring down dumbly at the empty coffee mug in front of him, between hands that had been placed face down on the table.
“Darling,” she said.
He looked up at her then around the room, unsure, disoriented. “I… I have to go.”
“Where, darling? It’s Sunday.”
“I don’t know. But I have to go.”
She kissed his forehead. “You have a fever,” she said. “Come back upstairs and I will take care of you,” and she did.
#
The rain began to pour. I opened my mouth wide, drinking down the droplets in gulps. It was wonderful to be alive. It was wonderful to be here in this perfect place. Now I can stay here for the rest of my life.
#
On the passenger seat, Richard stared at the new cell phone. “What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s my present to you, baby. When it rings, answer it okay?”
“Okay,” he said and stepped out of the car. On his way to the front entrance of the five-storey office building, he jumped each time one of his employees greeted him. Once inside, he stood bewildered in the foyer until his younger brother Andrew tapped him on the shoulder. “Morning. How are you feeling today?”
“Ummm, fine,” then a little less hesitantly he said, “I’m fine.”
Andrew smile. “Let’s go up to your office together.”
“Okay.”
Andrew stayed with him for hours, getting him to sign contracts and checks almost constantly. At the end of the day, he walked Richard out of the building and into Carol’s waiting car. He smiled and waved as she drove off.
His assistant Ruby came to stand beside him and said, “I thought you hate your sister-in-law.”
“Oh, I have that gold-digger to thank for this wonderful day. I even got him to sign over half of his shares to me. So that makes me the biggest shareholder now. Thank you for suggesting that witchdoctor to her.”
Ruby smiled. “I didn’t do it out of the goodness of my heart, boss.”
“I know you didn’t,” he said and handed her a formal letter from HR informing her of her promotion and pay raise.
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