A girl named Laura walked up the steps to Jane's house. She was fourteen. The front door was open, but a note had been attached to the screen with a bobby pin that said “I'm in the backyard.”.
Laura went back down the steps with the chimes ringing and walked around to the back of the house. Laura heard Jane before she saw her.
She was yelling “Aaahhhhhh! Stop staring at me! Go away!”
Jane was in the garden brandishing a trowel at the cats jumping over the fence. She was wearing a big, floppy hat and streaks of sunscreen were visible on her arms. She looked up as Laura came into the yard.
“Hey Laura. How're you doing?” Jane had met Laura a number of times. Her mother was a regular at Jane's, wanting to have the cards read about one man or another.
“I'm okay.” Laura sat on the grass next to the garden, her knees pulled up to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees.
“You want to just hang out? I could use some help weeding.” Jane pulled up another clump of bermuda grass.
“I'll help.” Laura knelt down and began to yank out the unwanted grasses.
Jane was used to being patient, waiting for people to tell her what they wanted or just needed to say. She moved one of the gnomes from one clump of plants to another.
“Why do you move them around?” Laura wiped her forehead with her sleeve.
“Oh, I think they like a change of scene. These guys were out on the lawn for a while before I swapped them with the ones that were in the garden. I know when it's time to move them around when I find them a little out of place. They're letting me know they're bored where they are. A couple of them have just left. I guess they don't like the cats either.” Jane lifted a female gnome from a patch of chives and resettled her with the tomatoes.
Laura giggled and wiped her hands on her pants. “'Maybe I could take one to my house. I think a gnome in the front yard would be funny.”
“'I like garden gnomes. They're cheerful.” Jane wiped dirt off the face of another little statue after she'd shifted it over to the zucchini plant.
“'Hey, Jane?'”
“Yeah?” Jane put down her trowel and looked at Laura.
“Do you make love potions?”
“'Not for anyone under 25. Which is you.”
“No, no not for me. For my mom.”
“You want one for your mom? What's going on?” Jane was frowning a little.
“Well, she's been dating this guy for a while now. I like him a lot. He talks to me and wants me to come with them places. He won't spend the night at our place, he says he won't do that until I tell him it's okay with me. And I haven't said that yet. He's not creepy like Alex was. And he's not weird, like he doesn't know how to talk to me like James was. He's just, nice. He has a job and all that. I want my mom to marry him. But...... you know how she is.”
“Does he want to marry your mom?” Jane sat in the dirt crosslegged, resting her chin on her folded hands.
Laura nodded. “He asked for my permission. I said yes, but I asked him not to propose for a little while. I just don't want to happen what happened last time. “
Jane nodded. She'd seen Larua mother about a year ago. She was asking for a card reading about her current engagement, which she was desperate to break. Jane had told her the truth, the cards said to stay with the man as he was stable and good for her and her daughter. But she'd broken off the engagement anyway, claiming she felt no passion for him.
“Okay. I'm going to give you a mixture to give your mom. You can dip it in her coffee, she won't taste it. Dip it in three times and stir it clockwise three times. Then make your fingers and thumb into a heart, like this.” Jane touched the tips of her thumbs together and curved her first fingers into the curved heart shape. “Hold your fingers over the cup. While you're holding your hands over the cup say Passion fire love so deep make a bond that never sleeps three times.
While she's drinking it, tell her how much you like her boyfriend. Don't over-do it though. Just say something like you had a really good time the last time you guys want and did something or something like that. That should do it. Are you sure about this? Because you can't turn it back.”
Larua nodded. “I'm sure. There've been so many guys, I know I'm sure. I want him to be my dad. And he'll be my dad. Don't tell my friends okay?”
“Of course not. Come on. Help me pick the herbs we need. “
After they'd gathered the necessary plant stuffs, Jane invited Laura into the kitchen. She put her to work mashing the leaves with a mortar and pestle. After she'd made them into a paste, Jane added rose petals, working the mixture with her hands until the petals were rolled into small balls coated with the paste. She tied the results into a cheesecloth bag, securing it with a pink ribbon.
Jane handed it to Laura. “Now, remember. Only if you're sure. Please promise me you'll wait until at least day after tomorrow okay? If you decide not to use it you can just empty the bag into the yard, but don't keep it. It goes rancid after a while.”
Laura put the little bundle into her purse. She looked up at Jane with her eyebrows raised.
“'Whatever you think it's worth.” Laura pulled a necklace out of her bag, a locket on a fine chain. “'Here.”
Jane's eyes widened in surprise. “”Where did you get that? Did someone give it to you? I don't want to take it if it's your grandma's or something.”
“Alex shoplifted it. It was expensive and I didn't have enough money. He thought I'd start to like him if he gave it to me. I don't want it.” Laura grinned. “I thought one of the gnomes would like it.”
Jane laughed. “You know what? I think I know who wants it too.”
After the windchimes bid Laura goodbye Jane went and hung the necklace on a nail that stuck out from the fence about six inches off the ground. The next morning one of the frogs was wearing it. She told him he looked very handsome.
Laura went back down the steps with the chimes ringing and walked around to the back of the house. Laura heard Jane before she saw her.
She was yelling “Aaahhhhhh! Stop staring at me! Go away!”
Jane was in the garden brandishing a trowel at the cats jumping over the fence. She was wearing a big, floppy hat and streaks of sunscreen were visible on her arms. She looked up as Laura came into the yard.
“Hey Laura. How're you doing?” Jane had met Laura a number of times. Her mother was a regular at Jane's, wanting to have the cards read about one man or another.
“I'm okay.” Laura sat on the grass next to the garden, her knees pulled up to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees.
“You want to just hang out? I could use some help weeding.” Jane pulled up another clump of bermuda grass.
“I'll help.” Laura knelt down and began to yank out the unwanted grasses.
Jane was used to being patient, waiting for people to tell her what they wanted or just needed to say. She moved one of the gnomes from one clump of plants to another.
“Why do you move them around?” Laura wiped her forehead with her sleeve.
“Oh, I think they like a change of scene. These guys were out on the lawn for a while before I swapped them with the ones that were in the garden. I know when it's time to move them around when I find them a little out of place. They're letting me know they're bored where they are. A couple of them have just left. I guess they don't like the cats either.” Jane lifted a female gnome from a patch of chives and resettled her with the tomatoes.
Laura giggled and wiped her hands on her pants. “'Maybe I could take one to my house. I think a gnome in the front yard would be funny.”
“'I like garden gnomes. They're cheerful.” Jane wiped dirt off the face of another little statue after she'd shifted it over to the zucchini plant.
“'Hey, Jane?'”
“Yeah?” Jane put down her trowel and looked at Laura.
“Do you make love potions?”
“'Not for anyone under 25. Which is you.”
“No, no not for me. For my mom.”
“You want one for your mom? What's going on?” Jane was frowning a little.
“Well, she's been dating this guy for a while now. I like him a lot. He talks to me and wants me to come with them places. He won't spend the night at our place, he says he won't do that until I tell him it's okay with me. And I haven't said that yet. He's not creepy like Alex was. And he's not weird, like he doesn't know how to talk to me like James was. He's just, nice. He has a job and all that. I want my mom to marry him. But...... you know how she is.”
“Does he want to marry your mom?” Jane sat in the dirt crosslegged, resting her chin on her folded hands.
Laura nodded. “He asked for my permission. I said yes, but I asked him not to propose for a little while. I just don't want to happen what happened last time. “
Jane nodded. She'd seen Larua mother about a year ago. She was asking for a card reading about her current engagement, which she was desperate to break. Jane had told her the truth, the cards said to stay with the man as he was stable and good for her and her daughter. But she'd broken off the engagement anyway, claiming she felt no passion for him.
“Okay. I'm going to give you a mixture to give your mom. You can dip it in her coffee, she won't taste it. Dip it in three times and stir it clockwise three times. Then make your fingers and thumb into a heart, like this.” Jane touched the tips of her thumbs together and curved her first fingers into the curved heart shape. “Hold your fingers over the cup. While you're holding your hands over the cup say Passion fire love so deep make a bond that never sleeps three times.
While she's drinking it, tell her how much you like her boyfriend. Don't over-do it though. Just say something like you had a really good time the last time you guys want and did something or something like that. That should do it. Are you sure about this? Because you can't turn it back.”
Larua nodded. “I'm sure. There've been so many guys, I know I'm sure. I want him to be my dad. And he'll be my dad. Don't tell my friends okay?”
“Of course not. Come on. Help me pick the herbs we need. “
After they'd gathered the necessary plant stuffs, Jane invited Laura into the kitchen. She put her to work mashing the leaves with a mortar and pestle. After she'd made them into a paste, Jane added rose petals, working the mixture with her hands until the petals were rolled into small balls coated with the paste. She tied the results into a cheesecloth bag, securing it with a pink ribbon.
Jane handed it to Laura. “Now, remember. Only if you're sure. Please promise me you'll wait until at least day after tomorrow okay? If you decide not to use it you can just empty the bag into the yard, but don't keep it. It goes rancid after a while.”
Laura put the little bundle into her purse. She looked up at Jane with her eyebrows raised.
“'Whatever you think it's worth.” Laura pulled a necklace out of her bag, a locket on a fine chain. “'Here.”
Jane's eyes widened in surprise. “”Where did you get that? Did someone give it to you? I don't want to take it if it's your grandma's or something.”
“Alex shoplifted it. It was expensive and I didn't have enough money. He thought I'd start to like him if he gave it to me. I don't want it.” Laura grinned. “I thought one of the gnomes would like it.”
Jane laughed. “You know what? I think I know who wants it too.”
After the windchimes bid Laura goodbye Jane went and hung the necklace on a nail that stuck out from the fence about six inches off the ground. The next morning one of the frogs was wearing it. She told him he looked very handsome.
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