Jay sat nervously in the minimalist decor of the waiting room of A. M. Puzzo, Feng Shui consultant to the stars.
At least she'll be discreet. I'll die a thousand deaths if anyone knows I've been here.
A small fountain made its hollow thudump tipping sound in the corner as the small pipe of bamboo filled with water and tipped it out bumping against another hollow stump. The noise, occurring like clockwork every thirty seconds, soothed Jay and he realised it must be part of keeping waiting customers happy.
Well, it worked.
At least to a degree.
His chair was comfortable, and there were several magazines on the table in front of him. He picked up Paris Vogue, and looked again at the pages he'd already scoured earlier that month. Despite the comfort of the room, Jay wrestled within himself with exactly why he was there. His mother sat inside with the woman, designing a better way for the apartment and the work area to be arranged in order to get rid of daemons.
The thudump of the hollow bamboo sounded again. Soon the door opened and Ms Puzzo appeared.
"Jay, would you come in here for a moment?"
Without answering, Jay sauntered into the office. Actually, it looked more like a Japanese roof garden than an office. Jay had the strange feeling of being manipulated by every piece of furniture, every picture hanging on the wall, every jade plant and every mirror.
That's the problem with Feng Shui, he thought. You don't know what tricks are being used to get you.
Jay took a seat that was perfectly perpendicular to the one that his mother sat in. He pulled it a little askew as he sat down – just for good measure.
Jay saw both women look down at the chair. "See. I told you." Said Jay's mother throwing her hands up in the air. "It's hopeless."
But A. M. Puzzo seemed unfazed.
"Jay, why did you ask your mother to leave her home and come and help you?"
Jay stopped to think for a moment. He looked over at his mother, and she looked back with a kind of pleading in her eyes. Jay melted. He didn't want to hurt her. And he did want her around at the moment. He wasn't sure how he felt about the curse, but he was pretty clear how he felt about Feng Shui. But his mother wanted it, and one thing he couldn't deny, was she did know a hell of a lot more about the curse and how to deal with it than he did. He though he'd be honest with Mrs. what's-her-name because he loved his mother.
"I want her with me. I am facing a huge trial in my life and I want my mother by my side."
"And that's it? You don't think she might be able to help you in some way?"
Jay sighed to indicate his frustration. He could feel the tap taping at the base of his skull that was fast becoming familiar. He'd almost never had it in the old days, but now that things were getting so tense, it plagued him regularly.
"I did go to her because she understands the curse better than anyone and I wanted her by my side."
Jay looked at his mother and she had large tears welling up in her eyes. He smiled a warm smile.
"That's good Jay." Said Ms Puzzo. "Because my bill for services plus a large box of product that your mother is taking with her has come to $1500.00 and for some reason she thinks you will be angry about this."
Jay stormed toward the car, the tap tap in the base of his skull getting louder as he crushed his way through the car park.
"Jay wait for me. You are walking too fast."
Reaching the car, he put his key in the lock, making it ready for his mother and stomped his way to the other side of the vehicle. He looked up. She made her way across the lost with the large box of goodies that the woman had unloaded on to her at Jay's expense. It was unmanageable but Jay left her to struggle with it.
She arrived at the car huffing and puffing.
"I see petulance isn't something you grow out of. That was cruel to leave me struggling with that box."
"Mother it was cruel to make me pay for it all." Jay really started to let loose. "I can't believe I am in this situation. I can't believe this is all happening to me."
Tap tap tap at the base of his skull. "I wanted your help but now it feels like we just live in witchy land and all of this is stupid."
His mother looked at him over the top of the car with what Jay could have sworn was compassion- the least thing he expected.
"Look son, I know this is all very strange, but we are trying to outwit a daemon here. It's hard and the methodology is unconventional. What did you think I was going to suggest when we took this on? Going to the police?"
Jay got into the car and slammed the door and waited for her to get in. It was bad enough being ripped off by his mother but to be outwitted by her was maddening.
She got into the car, the enormous box sitting on her lap and reached over to close the door. She sat quietly, and Jay turned the motor and reversed out of the car parking space.
"I don't know what I expected Mother, but I do know that I didn't expect it to cost me $1500.00."
"Oh do stop. You can afford it, and this is the most important moment of your life. If we get this wrong, or try to 'save money' you won't live. The reality here is that I am getting the best advice, the best product and the best spells to be sure to save you from this problem."
Jay kept driving in stony silence.
"You know, she does predictions as well, and We BOHT knew you would act like this. I'm not quite sure why Jay. You came to get me, you needed me, and we both know that. Why are you resisting what you need now? Why are you acting like this?" Jay couldn't answer that question. It did want his mother by his side that was true; but there was still some kind of strong resistance inside of him pushing her away. Rejecting everything she tried to do for him.
"Oh! It's the curse!" she said just as he had the same idea.
"Mother, I don't know. Let's just get home and get on with it."
"NO! I am right for sure. This is the madness taking you over Jay. The daemon is making you this way because he doesn't want you to use me and my talents."
"I thought we were going to trick him. How come suddenly he knows so much." Jay was irritated now and the tap tap was getting louder again.
"No No.. She said all this to me when I was in there. I don't know why I didn't see it so clearly myself. You will be saved by a woman, she said. And you have to allow yourself to be vulnerable; to a woman. You have to let me in Jay, I am the answer to everything."
Irritated beyond measure, Jay sat still listening to her. A small piece of him whispered in the back of his mind that she had a point. He had started to resent her more and more as soon as she arrived.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why is he so aware if we are going to fool him?"
"Don't know the answer to that one just yet my love, but I will work it out. It's fine Jay. Now that I understand why you are so upset, I can deal with it much more easily."
Jay felt the exasperation swelling up inside of him. There was truth in everything she said though, and the feeling the words produced in him sat like a balm against the tapping that endlessly made its monotonous presence felt.
The words soothed him to a degree, but the rationality of the situation fought against him. He wanted to kick against her, to fight and tell her that nothing she said made any kind of logical sense and that he wanted her to grow up and be sensible.
At the same time the wise words and her otherworldliness calmed him and spoke to a deep swelling loneliness in him that he wished she could heal.
How was he going to live like this for six weeks and how was he going to be able to create under these circumstances? He hoped Greg found him a muse, because he would need something incredible, a miracle to save him from what was welling inside.
Finally they arrived home, and Jay parked the car in his dedicated spot. This time he helped his mother with the box, and led her upstairs to the penthouse suite of his enormous apartment complex.
As soon as they walked in, they both got to work. Jay went to pack bags ready for the time in lockdown at the office. The apartment in the loft of the office was big enough to house him, his mother, the makers and the model he hoped Gregor found. Greg would have to sleep in a makeshift area and he was the only one who would be allowed to leave occasionally for food and to check messages and other things.
He packed three overnight bags and his large overseas travel case with all his files, music, books, collected articles and smaller laptops that he felt he needed. Everything that inspired him, filled him and led him to his creative space went into the bags. In the end only two of the smaller overnight bags were left for clothes and toiletries, but Jay didn't care. What was important was his being inspired enough to complete the line while he was in lockdown.
When he'd finally packed all his bags, he walked out to the lounge area to find his mother had three different kinds of sage smudges burning in three separate bowls, two different kinds of incense sticks and a giant pentagram painted on to his thick plush cream carpet with charcoal. Jay sat on the edge of his deep cream leather sofa and said nothing, but he was sure the psychic scream from his heart could be heard all over the country.
As his mother started to chant, Jay walked out of the room, boiling over with rage. He moved directly to his bedroom and shut the door. You can do this Jay. Just remember she's your mother and she thinks she's helping. Give her a break.
Determined to connect with what this was all really about, Jay went to his cupboard and pulled out an old photo album. He walked through the pages, reminding himself of who she used to be and why he loved her so much.
Picture after picture of his brother and his father graced the pages. Jay rarely looked at these images anymore; the tragedy would drag him into too deep a slump. But he needed them now.
He needed to connect with his mother and remember who she was and why she was here.
Though he hadn't looked at the pictures for so many years, he soon came across the one that he wanted to see. It was of his mother at the sewing machine, and large frilly ball gown moving through it. The lace was so delicate, and his mother looked so focussed. As an excellent maker, she was called up on to mock up designs for the major houses in emergencies, but she'd always retained her independence, refusing to tie herself to any of them permanently. Jay was always fascinated with her work watching her for hours, examining the design and marvelling at her ability to transform the image on the paper top the gown before her.
It captured Jay's imagination as a small boy, and he'd never lost the passion for it.
