A New York Romance (3 page)

“Yes, basically that is how it works,” he replied.

“Can you make people do things like rob banks and other things they wouldn’t normally do?”

“It doesn’t work like that; I don’t have control over people. I cannot make someone do something unless they’re willing to let me. It is kind of like, I need a ride, so I think of a ride pulling up beside me and there it is,” he explained.

“Like a limo ride in the middle of nowhere?” she asked.

“Exactly,” he responded.

“I do admit that was a bit strange,” she agreed but still didn’t believe he caused it to happen.

“I do not usually ride in limousines; I just thought you might relax better in luxury, considering what you just went through.”

“So all those people nearly died because you thought about being alone with me?” Julie asked.

“Yes,” he reluctantly confessed.

“That’s the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me, almost killing a busload of people just to be alone with me,” she said sarcastically, taking another bite of chicken as if she had not eaten in a week. “Why did you just walk away after the crash?” she asked after swallowing the bite.

“Everything was already taken care of when I began to walk away, it just didn’t happen yet,” Charlie answered.

“Like the ambulances showing up and stuff?”

“Yes, and the injuries of the people there. I can trust my thoughts. I know it will be done. I don’t have to wait around and wonder.”

“You’re serious about this stuff, aren’t you?” she noticed the regret upon his face, as if he was actually sorry he hurt those people.

“Yes, of course,” he nodded. “Everyone has the power to create their reality with their thoughts, whatever they want. It just works much, much faster for me.”

“Because of who you are?” she added.

“Yes,” he responded, “because of who I am.”

Julie continued to eat her dinner as she had been very hungry, but in between bites she kept the conversation going. Although she was undecided if Charlie was simply nuts or pulling a prank, his story was interesting enough to get her through dinner.

“I admit, some strange things happened, but I don’t think you were the cause of the crash just because of one thought,” she said. “And the limo? I don’t know. It was weird but…” she paused and took another bite.

Charlie just sat in silence. Then Julie challenged him, “Well, prove it to me right now. Think of something and make it happen. Something that lets me know you’re telling the truth.”

Suddenly a young man strolled into the restaurant behind Julie, spoke to the host with the pointed hair for a moment, then walked up to their table with his hands behind his back and said, “Are you Juliet?”

“Yes, I am. What’s going on?” she asked the boy.

“I have a delivery for you,” the boy said as he pulled a colorful array of flowers out from behind his back and handed them to her.

Julie was shocked, too shocked to even say thank you. “Excuse me, sir,” the delivery boy said. “They said the flowers would be paid for on arrival.”

“Oh yes,” Charlie said as he fumbled around his pockets then began to look under his cup and bowl. Nothing was there. “Could you look under your plate, Juliet. I seemed to have misplaced my hundred dollar bill.”

Julie lifted her plate and underneath was a single hundred dollar bill. “Thank you,” Charlie said as he grabbed the money and gave it to the delivery boy saying, “Keep the change.”

“Thank you, sir,” the boy said with a grateful smile upon his face.

Julie was still in a state of shock, too shocked to notice the boy leave. “Why did these flowers come to me here? This was just a coincidence,” she said as she quickly turned to Charlie, answering her own question once she saw his face.

“Who else knows you’re here but me? And who else calls you Juliet?” he asked her, in order to confirm her belief.

“Maybe they were for another Juliet.” She stood up and started calling out “Juliet, is there a Juliet here?” but no one answered. “I still don’t believe you,” she said whispering to him over the table. “How could you do that? You didn’t even know we were coming to this restaurant till ten minutes before we came. Did you use a cell phone?”

“I have no phone. I had the thought for the flowers to arrive a moment before they did but they began preparing your bouquet over an hour ago. You will never believe me because you think time happens in a linear sequence of events. But I tell you, thought can travel through time.” He paused, looked directly into her eyes and asked, “Tell me Juliet, what
would
convince you?”

She was mesmerized by the strange honesty in his stare; his grayish-blue eyes would not waiver till she answered.

“Alright,” she agreed as she looked around the restaurant then out the window. “Okay, you see that chubby man about to cross the street, waiting at the corner for the light?”

“Yes,” Charlie acknowledged the man holding his packages on the street corner, surrounded by the large snowflakes that brightened under the streetlight. He quickly wished him good health and kindness then he turned his attention to hear Julie’s request.

“Make his pants fall down,” she commanded.

“Would you like them to fall down now or in the middle of the street?” he asked without thinking of the man’s possible embarrassment.

“In the middle of the street,” she responded.

She waited with anticipation as Charlie just sipped his papaya juice. “Well don’t you have to get ready and do your hocus pocus stuff?” Julie asked comically.

“No, I already made the wish. It will come true when the time is right,” he calmly said, as he ate his broccoli one by one with bites of cookies in between, making sure that he got a chocolate chip with each bite. Julie noticed he never even opened up the napkin to get the silverware, then she turned her attention back outside to the man on the street corner.

She waited impatiently for the light to change, tapping her fingernail on the side of her coffee cup. Finally the traffic stopped, the white walk sign lit up, and the chubby man started crossing the street. He dropped one of his packages a quarter of the way across the street and bent down to pick it up, delaying the outcome of Julie’s tension. Charlie just moved on to the snow peas and almonds without watching, occasionally taking a bite of a cookie and a sip of papaya juice.

The man picked up his package and continued walking. Julie clenched her napkin as he neared the halfway point. Suddenly, in the middle of the street, his pants did indeed fall past his knees to his ankles. The car horns began to blare and beep with excitement and whistles called out from the frosted car windows. The man pulled his pants back up with one hand after revealing his white boxers with
I (heart) NY
written in red across the back of them, and then he hurried across the street.

“How did you do that?” Julie immediately asked. “That was just a coincidence. He probably forgot to wear a belt, or his button snapped when he bent down to pick up his package.”

“I don’t know how it’s going to happen, that is what is so dangerous,” Charlie explained as he chewed up a carrot in small bites, “I just know that if I wish it, then it is going to happen.”

“My breasts,” Julie called out in the restaurant as she tightened her sweater up to her neck. Everyone in the restaurant seemed to hear and turn to listen. “My chicken breast, it’s delicious,” she said to them with a smile then turned back to the strange young man who sat across from her. “On the bus! Did you make my blouse open up? There’s no way the accident could cause that,” she whispered more discretely as the curious heads turned their attention back to the company at their own tables. “Even as we were about to die in that bus accident you had to think of unbuttoning my shirt?”

“Ah, it was unbuttoned way before the crash, while we were talking about my lunch trip to New York,” he confessed, thinking he should not have said that.

“That long? While I was just sitting there talking to you,” she said in an angry whisper.

“Perhaps
that
was just a coincidence,” he responded with a hidden smile. “I thought you didn’t believe me anyway.”

“I don’t, but just that you thought of it. My chicken breasts are, I mean..,
you know what I mean,
are not to be on display on public busses,” she said with a quiet rage in her voice. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.”

“I just met you, what am I supposed to say? How was I supposed to know you don’t just wear it that way?” Charlie said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

“You should have told me,” she began to ramble on. “You must have caused it if you didn’t tell me. What, do you just go around opening women’s clothes with your thoughts as you talk to them? What am I talking about? I don’t believe you anyway.”

“Your emotions seem to disagree,” he said politely, yet with a harsh truth. “We should probably change the subject if you do not want it to happen again. I’m not really attracted to human women anyway. It’s this body and the strange feelings that came with it or something,” he said, looking at himself confusingly. “I think it’s defective. Things just pop in my mind sometimes that I have no control over. This never used to happen before…” he paused, careful to not give away too much of his secret.

He quickly stared out the window and thought repeatedly about the bugs in the field under the snow,
Sleep well and peaceful, soon spring will be here and you will be happy again
, he thought.

Julie just stared at him, wondering what he was talking about, a ‘defective body?’ ‘Not attracted to
human
women’?
As if there are any other kind
, she pondered. She could tell he was suddenly thinking of something far away, as if purposely trying to distract himself from thinking pleasant thoughts about her. She tightened her sweater again and zipped it up, waiting for him to return.

“So you’re serious about all this, aren’t you?” she asked unable to wait any longer.

He turned back to finish his papaya juice, shaking his head in agreement as he mumbled “Mmm hmm.” She watched as he slurped down the last sip of his drink frantically as if he could not get enough—like a cat licking the bottom of an empty milk bowl.

“That’s why you spend so much time alone; I can tell you’re a loner. You’re afraid you will make things happen that you don’t want to happen. I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for you or be happy for you.”

“Always be happy for me. Opportunity is everywhere,” he said wisely.

When they had finished dinner, Charlie said, “Well, I do not want to bother you with these things. Are you going to start looking for your mother now?”

“It’s too late for that tonight,” she folded her arms and stared at the window as they waited for their check. “It’s cold and I wouldn’t know where to begin. Besides you don’t bother me at all Charlie,” she faced him again. “You’re a little strange but,” she didn’t finish her sentence.

He knew she was leaning toward the feeling sorry for him side and he said, “At least you believe me now.”

Julie looked nervously away.

“You still do not believe me, do you?”

She didn’t want to say anything hurtful, but she didn’t know how to avoid it. She took a deep breath, straightened her posture in the booth, and faced him.

“I think because you believe it is real,” she said, “then it seems real to you. Maybe you should talk to someone about it, you know, a professional. Nobody can make things happen like that. There has to be another explanation. You’re probably missing out on a lot in life because you’re afraid you’re going to hurt someone, like the people on the bus today. You didn’t hurt them Charlie, accidents happen.”

“That’s it!” he said suddenly as he stood up, left another hundred dollar bill on the table and motioned for her to come with him. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” she hesitated, but then she followed behind him quickly, grabbing the flowers and knocking a few petals off in the process.

Charlie walked outside and began looking for an alleyway. He hurried down the sidewalk, passing a few buildings connected to the restaurant. Julie called out for him but he disappeared down the dark corridor. She turned the corner and he suddenly grabbed her by the arm, startling her, “Come on, let’s hurry.” He let her go and began walking into the narrow darkness between the buildings.

“Where are we going?” she asked, stumbling in her high heels and shivering in the cold.

“Up there,” he said as he pointed to the roof.

He climbed onto the dumpster and pulled the fire escape ladder down.

“Charlie, you don’t have to do this, I believe you,” she said, even though she was unsure of what he was doing.

“Follow me! Don’t worry, Juliet. You will be safe. Or you can watch from the street if you want, but that might be dangerous for you,” he said as he started climbing the ladder.

Julie followed him up the ladder carrying her heels and breaking some of the flowers on the ladder’s steps. When she reached the roof she put her shoes back on and saw Charlie standing close to the edge, looking down at the busy, cold street below.

“It’s freezing up here, can we just go in?” she begged. Although she felt safe with him, she began to worry about what he might do to himself.