“Great Karma, we have continued to fulfill our promise to the Great Mother. We have all been donating money to worthy charities. The queen has created a day each week where we fish the seas for garbage, and we are working on creating a preserve from some of our lands.”
It was funny. When these ladies had tried to kill my brother, they’d treated us like garbage. But since restoring their waters, I was like a goddess to them. “I’m glad you’ve kept your word.”
The second lady looked up, her gaze meeting mine. “And already two of our women are pregnant.”
I smiled, genuinely happy for them. “That’s wonderful.”
They both bowed again, then scurried out of the way.
“Oh, Great Karma, will you honor us by buying coffee together,” Carol said, bursting into laughter.
I cast her a dark look. “Coffee first. Mocking me second.”
“Very well,” she said, stretching out the words so that she sounded like a ghost.
Deva shook her head swung the door open so we could all rush for the counter. We each gave our orders, and then, a few minutes later, we were back in our car. All of us just sat for a minute, inhaling the scents of our powerful brews. The only thing that would make this better would be some muffins or donuts or something that Deva had cooked up, only I knew she hadn’t had time, so I’d have to be happy with my black gold.
“Now, this is magic,” I sighed with contentment as the warm liquid trailed down my insides and pooled in my stomach.
Carol laughed. “The best kind! The kind that renews our spirits!”
I was starting to feel a little more chipper as I sipped my French Vanilla latte when Beth finally spoke. “It’s going to be weird to see Tiffany.”
I stiffened and looked at the others. Beth always told me about how hard it was living in town with her ex, and seeing her little sister with him, on the phone. But what she told me, and what these ladies probably experienced with her daily was different. I honestly had no idea what to say.
“Why is that?” Deva asked gently.
Beth shrugged, staring at her coffee like it had the answers. “I’ve honestly tried not to wish harm on my sister and Roger over the years, but I’ve definitely had some nasty thoughts about them.”
“Anyone would,” I reassured her.
“But now, he’s dead, and I can’t be mad at him anymore. I know my sister is probably grieving right now, and I should find empathy inside of me to be kind to her… but I just… I don’t know. I still feel so angry with them both.”
“Unpopular opinion here,” Deva began, “but we don’t have to suddenly pretend like someone was a good person, just because they died. You go on hating Roger as much as you want! And it’s okay to hate your sister, too. She didn’t care when she hurt you.”
Carol winced and turned to face Beth. “All that is true. But also, keep in mind that hating someone else is like poisoning yourself to poison your neighbor. While neither of them deserves your forgiveness, you deserve to not have that hate in your life anymore.”
I nodded, seeing wisdom in what both of them said. “Just remember, however you feel today, that’s okay. We won’t think any less of you. You’re allowed to feel whatever you feel.”
“Thanks, guys,” she said, looking relieved.
Deva fired up the car, and we headed through town toward an area known as the rich part of town. No, these neighborhoods didn’t line the beach, but they were massive, more along the lines of small mansions than anything else. As kids, we’d drive through these neighborhoods picking out the houses we wanted to live in one day. When Beth and Roger had bought a house here, it was like all Beth’s dreams were coming true. She’d spent weeks and months fixing it up exactly the way she thought they’d both enjoy. As an adult, I wouldn’t trade my beach house for any of the houses on this side of town.
Carol had told me that Beth hadn’t taken a single thing from the house when she’d left. Just her clothes, photo albums, that kind of stuff. She’d left every piece of furniture, every painting, everything that she’d selected with such love and care. That was, I guess, the only good thing about my ex. His new girlfriend hadn’t wanted to live in my “dumpy” house, so he’d left me there.
Even though he later planned to take it from me, probably to sell and buy something “better.”
Damn. Exes could be brutal.
We ended up slipping behind another car as the gates opened into Beth’s old neighborhood. Slowly, we drove past the expansive estates, with their perfectly trimmed lawns, and their perfectly painted houses. All of us were silent, trying to casually glance at Beth to see how she was feeling. When we at last pulled up to her old house, the white and pink building reminded me of the White House with all it’s perfectly lined up windows and giant, oversized pillars out front. It sat there looking regal but also a little run down and overgrown.
“I can’t believe I used to live here with Roger,” Beth said bitterly. “And now my sister lives here.”
I couldn’t imagine that feeling. Actually, I could. When I’d seen my ex’s new girl wearing my mother’s locket, I’d been enraged. And turned them both into toads. I bet Beth wished she’d been able to do the same all those years ago.
“It’s okay,” I said soothingly. “She’ll get hers.” Hey, I was Karma. I knew it was true.
And if it didn’t happen on its own, I could always help.
Beth sucked in a deep breath and opened her car door. We all marched out, and Deva handed around tiny sugar cookies, for courage, she said. Where she’d been hiding those when I’d started drinking my coffee earlier, I didn’t know, but I
