Free Brightleaf by Raleigh Rand Page A

persons eat spinach. Albeit frozen, it’s spinach, nonetheless.”
    “Spinach it will be, then!” says Ned, throwing his arms wide.
    Doyle pulls out the next list, and it’s mine.
    “Hmm. I’ve seen these groceries before.”
    I say, “Yes, you saw similar groceries in The Grocery Palace when you met us. Our list rarely varies, Mr. Stubb. And you already used them to tell Mavis her fortune, remember?”
    “I do remember. Ah, yes indeed. I could tell that day something was awry as I studied that particular grocery cart. Now I understand. I had joint groceries before my eyes.”
    “ Joint groceries? What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means that I experienced interference from your part of the list. A cross-frequency that puzzled me then but is clear now. And I’m seeing you . I see that you are a deeply religious woman but hypocritical at times.”
    “Oh, really?”
    “Hmmm,” Doyle continues. “Generally accepting of most individuals, yet your heart is divided.”
    “Divided? I assure you I have a single heart and mind, Mr. Stubb.”
    Doyle smiles with his teensy lips.
    “On the contrary, my dear, your heart is divided between desiring love…and rejecting it.”
    Somebody gives a low whistle. This is so embarrassing. I neither desire nor reject…what? Love? Give me a break.
    I cross my arms, and say to Doyle ever so sweetly, “My goodness, Mr. Stubb. I can’t even begin to think what on that grocery list would cause you to formulate such a crazy conclusion.”
    Doyle keeps on smiling in this sly way and says, “Half and half.”
    “Half and half?” I say. “Come on, Mr. Stubb, everybody buys half and half. Many of them are happily married people. Or dating, or something.”
    “Good lady, I would never fabricate such a thing. My gifting is partly scientific, one of the criteria being The Combination. I view the half and half in concurrence with the other products you chose. We all choose certain products for particular, or even peculiar reasons, Ms. Green. So to answer your question, my dear, your list is individual only to you .”
    Whatever. This uninvited person is inventing stuff about me in front of the whole Share Group. I will stay calm. “Okay, I hear you. Thanks for your interpretation of my groceries, whether we agree on them or not. Anybody dare to go next?”
    “It happens to be the doctor’s turn,” says Doyle, “if he is interested.”
    Dr. Terry Dorrie looks game. “What will it hurt? Fire away.”
    “All right, good doctor,” says Doyle, holding his receipt.
    Doyle eyeballs the receipt and looks at Terry thoughtfully. Looking back at the receipt, Doyle begins to grin. He smiles as wide as he can (which isn’t very wide because his mouth is baby doll size).
    “Very interesting, indeed. So interesting I’m not sure if I should say.”
    “Say! Say! Say!” yells Jimmy.
    Terry looks genuinely worried. He says, “Either you see or you don’t.”
    “Oh, I assure you, I see ,” nods Doyle.
    “Give me back my receipt,” says Terry. And he snatches it from Doyle’s fingers.
    Yay, Terry! Way to fight back. Except that…he really did snatch it. He did not ask for it, hold out his hand or any of that. It was more like the action of a child who wants to protect himself from…what?
    Mavis says, “Doyle, why you smilin and not tellin? That might-could make a person feel bad.”
    It looks to me like Terry isn’t up for Doyle to tell, anyway.
    “Hey, no fair,” says Jimmy. “We want to know. C’mon, Doc, what could be so funny or so bad about you? Maybe he was gonna tell us what you and Mavis are cooking back in the kitchen all the time. Or maybe you’re a serial killer!”
    Everybody laughs.
    “Let’s go, Doyle,” says Winslow. “Hurry up so you can get to Jimmy and me.”
    Winslow wants his groceries read real bad.
    Terry stands up. “I need to get going. I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”
    This grocery reading business was a bad idea. As I originally thought. I