Read Online Melody Unchained by Christa Maurice - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Christa Maurice
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elbow and started tracing circles on his chest. “If one person doesn’t like another person and I changed something about them to fix that, it changed the person. They ended up not being the person the wisher originally loved. Honestly, most wishes didn’t turn out very good.”
A hole opened up under Jerry. Making one person love another person changed something about them. They ended up not being the person the wisher loved. Melody was trying to grant his wish. She was trying to change to be what he wanted. And when she did that, she was going to stop being the woman he loved. “Why?”
“Wish for talent and you end up the most talented person in the poor house. Wish for fame and you’re hounded. Wish for money and suddenly you have a lot of friends who aren’t friends. Wish for women and you end up with a bickering harem you can’t support. Wish for beauty and no one loves you for who you are. And then you’re out of wishes and you’re angry.”
“What did Billy do right?”
“For one thing, Billy made a good first wish.”
“What did he wish for first?”
“He just wanted to make a living at music.”
“So he rubbed your lamp and wished to make a living at music?”
“That’s a myth. I could be summoned just by making a wish. Most of the time my master’s first wish was for food.”
“Food?”
“Yeah. Boy, do I wish I had a turkey sandwich right now. I wish I could taste Mama’s lasagna one more time. I wish I had a cold beer. My masters were usually not happy with the results of their first wish. Billy just happened to say that he wished he could make a comfortable living at music not long after he bought my lamp.”
“What was his second wish?”
“He wished away his arthritis. I told him to wish for good health, but he didn’t listen. If he had, he’d still be alive.” She smiled at him. “But then I wouldn’t have you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” And that might be better for both of them. “We should get moving. We have a lot of work to do today. What time is that collector coming to pick up the records?”
“Two o’clock.”
“We’ll be able to get everything over to your new place and then wait for him while we’re cleaning this place up.” He swatted her butt. “Let’s get moving.” Because the sooner they got moving, the sooner he’d stop thinking.
She stood up at the side of the bed and looked down at him, her expression serious. “Are you sure?”
He smiled, but didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure. Not at all.
* * * *
“’Night, Melody,” George, the owner, called from the door of the coffee shop. “Be careful on the way home.”
“I will.” Melody studied the sidewalk passing under her feet. The pretty summer evening didn’t make a dent even though all day, everyone had been commenting how beautiful it was outside. She’d known Jerry didn’t want her. That afternoon in bed, she’d known. The fact that he hadn’t been to the coffee shop in a week and hadn’t stopped by her apartment once either confirmed it. The few times he had called, he had sounded perfunctory. Making sure she was settling in and everything was okay. Okay. He said okay a lot.
He’d made his wish. He didn’t wish for her. Melody pursed her lips. It had never hurt before when they didn’t wish for her. This time it felt like a hole had been ripped in her chest. She’d been trying to fill the space, but nothing quite fit. A few of the librarians at the local branch were coming to recognize her when she stopped in. One of the customers at the coffee shop believed she was a jazz buff because of the stories she could tell, and she’d learned to phrase things so they didn’t sound weird. George had agreed to allow her to experiment with the coffee. There were a few customers for whom espresso wasn’t hot and bitter enough who asked her to make cawa for them. Two of the other baristas, Sue and Parker, had invited her out to lunch in a couple of days. Over time, she hoped
A hole opened up under Jerry. Making one person love another person changed something about them. They ended up not being the person the wisher loved. Melody was trying to grant his wish. She was trying to change to be what he wanted. And when she did that, she was going to stop being the woman he loved. “Why?”
“Wish for talent and you end up the most talented person in the poor house. Wish for fame and you’re hounded. Wish for money and suddenly you have a lot of friends who aren’t friends. Wish for women and you end up with a bickering harem you can’t support. Wish for beauty and no one loves you for who you are. And then you’re out of wishes and you’re angry.”
“What did Billy do right?”
“For one thing, Billy made a good first wish.”
“What did he wish for first?”
“He just wanted to make a living at music.”
“So he rubbed your lamp and wished to make a living at music?”
“That’s a myth. I could be summoned just by making a wish. Most of the time my master’s first wish was for food.”
“Food?”
“Yeah. Boy, do I wish I had a turkey sandwich right now. I wish I could taste Mama’s lasagna one more time. I wish I had a cold beer. My masters were usually not happy with the results of their first wish. Billy just happened to say that he wished he could make a comfortable living at music not long after he bought my lamp.”
“What was his second wish?”
“He wished away his arthritis. I told him to wish for good health, but he didn’t listen. If he had, he’d still be alive.” She smiled at him. “But then I wouldn’t have you.”
“No, you wouldn’t.” And that might be better for both of them. “We should get moving. We have a lot of work to do today. What time is that collector coming to pick up the records?”
“Two o’clock.”
“We’ll be able to get everything over to your new place and then wait for him while we’re cleaning this place up.” He swatted her butt. “Let’s get moving.” Because the sooner they got moving, the sooner he’d stop thinking.
She stood up at the side of the bed and looked down at him, her expression serious. “Are you sure?”
He smiled, but didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure. Not at all.
* * * *
“’Night, Melody,” George, the owner, called from the door of the coffee shop. “Be careful on the way home.”
“I will.” Melody studied the sidewalk passing under her feet. The pretty summer evening didn’t make a dent even though all day, everyone had been commenting how beautiful it was outside. She’d known Jerry didn’t want her. That afternoon in bed, she’d known. The fact that he hadn’t been to the coffee shop in a week and hadn’t stopped by her apartment once either confirmed it. The few times he had called, he had sounded perfunctory. Making sure she was settling in and everything was okay. Okay. He said okay a lot.
He’d made his wish. He didn’t wish for her. Melody pursed her lips. It had never hurt before when they didn’t wish for her. This time it felt like a hole had been ripped in her chest. She’d been trying to fill the space, but nothing quite fit. A few of the librarians at the local branch were coming to recognize her when she stopped in. One of the customers at the coffee shop believed she was a jazz buff because of the stories she could tell, and she’d learned to phrase things so they didn’t sound weird. George had agreed to allow her to experiment with the coffee. There were a few customers for whom espresso wasn’t hot and bitter enough who asked her to make cawa for them. Two of the other baristas, Sue and Parker, had invited her out to lunch in a couple of days. Over time, she hoped
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