Free Love at Second Sight by Cathy Hopkins

Jo.’
    Efry stood up too.
    ‘You stay here,’ the woman said firmly to Effy. ‘Jo, come with me.’
    Effy shrugged and sat back down. Not big on friendliness, I thought as I followed the woman. She was strange-looking. Everything about her face seemed to be exaggerated: huge eyes, a mass
of grey wiry hair that framed her very thin, heavily-lined face. She looked as if she’d put her fingers in an electric socket and got a shock. I was glad she hadn’t been our first port
of call or I might not have got through the day.
    She led me through to a small living room at the back where Lily sat on a hard chair in the corner and lit a cigarette. She pointed at my wrist.
    ‘Your watch,’ she said.
    I took it off and gave it to her. She pointed to a chair similar to hers next to a table with paper and pencils. ‘Sit and write down what I say,’ she instructed. ‘It might not
make sense now but may later.’
    I took a piece of paper and waited.
    She looked away from me and seemed to be listening to someone up to her right, much in the same way that Betty had when I saw her on the Heath and the bald man had in the church hall earlier.
She began to speak. ‘Anandpana says someone is here. A man. Says you’re wearing his ring.’ She pointed to my right hand. ‘He died eight years ago. He had difficulty
breathing. He died because of his heart.’
    I felt shocked by how specific she was and sudden tears filled my eyes. Dad died eight years ago of a heart attack. Mum gave me his wedding ring when I was eleven. I’ve worn it on my right
hand ever since.
    ‘There’s a dog with him,’ Lily continued.
    Rex. Dad’s dog died the week after him. I felt stunned. How could she know this?
    ‘He says he is happy and you should be happy also. Don’t be afraid. Anandpana says you have been unhappy in love. You don’t let yourself love but recently there is a boy. You
have known him before. You are meant for each other but there will be obstacles.’
    ‘Who’s Anandpana?’
    ‘My spirit guide,’ Lily replied.
    ‘Does he, Anandpana, say who this boy is? His name? Um, how recent is recent?’ Owen flashed into my mind. I’d known him most of my life. Did recent mean I could rule him out?
Lately, his texts had made me laugh and seeing him on the bank holiday a couple of weeks ago had reminded me of how well we got on. If I was honest with myself, I had missed him and our
conversations since he’d gone off to uni.
    Lily listened up to her right again. ‘Time is different on the plane on which Anandpana dwells. He says you will know him. He is a good soul.’
    ‘Can’t he give me a name?’ I asked. It seemed to me that if Anandpana or Lily could pick up on so much then why couldn’t they give a name?
    Lily turned her attention to me. It felt like she was looking straight into me and made me feel very uncomfortable. ‘He says you will know him. Write that down. I have no name.
Anandpana says all will be resolved in time.’
    Lily was back listening. ‘Your friend’s cat has gone missing but don’t worry, she will return. Someone, maybe your mother, works long hours and needs a break.’ Well at
least that last part is true but then probably everybody’s mother works too hard , I thought. Lily stopped and looked at me again. ‘Is there anything else you want to ask?’
    ‘Er . . . do you do past life readings? Who I was–’
    Lily sighed wearily. ‘People always come to me with this kind of question. Often they want to hear they were some glamorous character from history. To escape from the reality of this life
into a fantasy in their head. Do you want to hear that you were Cleopatra?’
    I shook my head. ‘Not especially.’
    ‘Good. So get on with this life. I believe people should move on, not be looking backwards. Life is what you make it this time.’
    I nodded, but she was off again as if someone had switched her on.
    ‘Anandpana says that in this life you are here to learn balance. People have many