Free Ticket 1207 by Robin Alexander Page B

supposed to be stringing it, remember? And we have pizza coming.” Jill took a knife from a drawer and handed it to Shawn. “Stab the swami in the head so it can cool.”
    With surgical precision, Shawn sliced through the foil hat. “Sorry, swami.” She took out a piece of popcorn and fed it to Jill. “Appetizer.” She watched Jill as she chewed. “Are you bothered by what I told you last night?”
    “No, I think it’s totally cool that you’re a botanist.” Jill grinned. “Not at all, sweetie. Like I said, I’m flattered.”
    Shawn set the knife down and kissed Jill. “I wish I wouldn’t have waited so long to ask you out because you’re something special.”
    Jill stared at her dreamily. “It’s like mag… ic .” Her expression changed, and she looked confused for a moment before shaking her head. “I’m gonna go downstairs, the pizza will be here any minute. Johnny was expecting my call because I do the same thing every Christmas Eve. Pour us some wine or whatever you’d like to drink.”
    Shawn was stunned as Jill turned and literally ran out of the kitchen. She found the bottle that Jill had opened the night before, and after a brief search for glasses, she poured the wine. Still mystified by Jill’s behavior, she wandered into the living room and gazed at the things Jill had on her shelf. She eyed an especially pretty vase and picked it up. Upon closer inspection, she realized she was holding an urn.
    “Oh, man, there’s a dead guy in here—no offense, Mr. Searcy. I’m just gonna put you back on the shelf before I spill you all over the rug. Sorry to disturb you.”
    Shawn replaced the urn just as she found it and noticed a slip of paper sticking out from beneath a black glass cat. The word desire caught her attention, and nosiness got the better of her. She lifted the cat and read: Ticket 1207 belongs to yo heart’s desire. Shawn’s brow furrowed as she gazed at it. All of the claim tickets that Jill had ever handed to her were in a drawer where she kept things she liked to hang on to. The last ticket was stamped 1207. She knew Jill’s handwriting well, and it wasn’t her who made that note.
    “Ticket 1207 belongs to yo heart’s desire,” Shawn said, hearing Theo’s voice in her head.
    *******
    “Not possible,” Jill whispered and pressed her fingers to her temple. “I don’t believe in voodoo, magic, Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny, and I sure as hell don’t believe that Theo is capable of casting a spell.”
    But as she stared at Theo’s storefront, she felt as though she was in a dreamworld . Normally, it took her a few dates to become really interested in a woman. And if one had told her that she had been basically casing her like a bank robber does a bank for a year, Jill would’ve been at least disconcerted, but she wasn’t.
    “She’s not perfect, stop tellin ’ yoself that, Jill.” Her eyes bulged as she slapped a hand over her mouth to keep more Theo from pouring out, but Yo heart’s desire is upstairs, why you hiding down here, fool? swept through her mind.
    Jill pointed at Theo’s store. “Stop that! This is power of suggestion. I’m swept up in some kind of mind game here.”
    You ain’t gon ’ get lucky hiding from that woman down here. What you been wantin ’ for years is on your couch, and you too hardheaded to go for it, jackass. Child, let go of yesterday . Jill closed her eyes and clamped her hands against her head to dispel Theo’s voice from her mind. A rap on the door nearly made her jump out of her skin.
    “Are you all right?” Johnny asked as Jill opened the door.
    “Yeah, I just realized I forgot my wallet upstairs. Come in, I’ll be right back.”
    “No, no,” Johnny said and caught her arm. He set the box in her hand. “Merry Christmas.”
    “Aw, Johnny, you don’t have to do that.”
    “Fool, you been orderin ’ pizza from me for years, it’s about time you got one for free. Now carry yo glow-in-the-dark ass up them stairs and