A Charming Potion by Tonya Kappes Page B

waggled her finger in the air, and
then wiped her face. “My boyfriend would love these.”
    I handed her a towel from behind the counter. It was
all I had.
    Her mascara smudged down her face with each wipe. I
took the towel back and took over. She looked up with her sad eyes, and asked,
“How do you stay so thin eating these?”
    “I have to work really hard it,” I lied. I laid the
towel down and tucked the flipped-up ends of my black bob behind my ears. I
admit that I’m thin and have been lucky enough to have never had to worry about
my weight. But I’ve always hated those people who said that they can eat
anything. “I should probably eat more veggies, but in a time of need, you just
have to have a treat.”
    I held my treat up in the air, and then took another
big bite.
    Ding, ding. The bell over
the door dinged let me know there was another customer coming in.
    “Welcome.” I greeted them with a mouth full of the
delicious cupcake. “Let me know if I can help you.”
    The women nodded and proceeded to pick up a few of
the bottles to check out the labels.
    “And I’m absolutely in a time of need,” she leaned
in and whispered.
    “Let’s get to business.” I stood up and walked
behind the counter. “You love orange sickle, so this will do.” I grabbed the
orange peel ingredient and hid behind the partition. Before throwing it in the
cauldron, which I didn’t want her to see, I said, “Go over to the wall display,
under the love tab, read the labels and pick a bottle that you feel speaks to
what is going on inside of your heart.”
    She didn’t say a word. She got up and did exactly as
I told her.
    Making a love potion was really against my core
intuition. If love happens, it happens. And if this little cure I concoct makes
her feel better…so be it.
    “Oh, you picked out a beautiful one.” I referred to
the clear glass bottle with the glitter swirls all over it. The cork was what
made the bottle amazing, though. It had the tiniest jewels glued all over the
top.
    “It just. . .”
    “Spoke to you?” I interrupted again.
    “Gosh, you are good.” She smiled, revealing the most
perfect teeth.
    “See, you can smile.” I smiled back. Unfortunately,
I knew I couldn’t help her. A spiritualist never gets in the way of death or
love. I had to tell her. “But I have some bad news.”
    “You can’t help me?” She asked. “You never even
asked what is wrong with me.”
    Ohhh . . .I forgot that little part.
    “That’s the bad news.” I lied again. “Tell me what’s
hurting? Stomachache?”
    She shook her head.
    “Earache?”
    She continued to shake her head no.
    “Gout?” I knew it was none of these, but I couldn’t
give away my real gift of knowing.
    “Heartache?’
    “Yes!” She jumped up and clasped her hands in front
of her. “Sort of.”
    “Love department?” I interrupted her.
    This time her eyes really did pop out. She gasped,
“I heard you were good, but you are good. ”
    I didn’t disagree.
    The other customers strained their necks to hear
what we were talking about.
    “I think he’s going to dump me.” She went into a
full-blown meltdown.
    The nerve. And on Halloween ? There was no
way I could let her leave. I knew I had to help her.
    “We can fix that.” I patted her arm and confirmed,
“Come back tomorrow at 8 am. I will be open and will have the homeopathic cure
that will change everything for you.”
    “Oh, June!” Her tears stopped better than the Hoover
Dam holding back all that water. “You are a life saver. I knew you could help
me.”
    “What name should I put on the order?” I realized I
hadn’t even gotten her name.
    “Adeline.” She smiled before she darted out of A
Charming Cure with a little more giddy-up in her step.
    Hiss, hiss. Mr. Prince
Charming let his feelings be known.
    “What?” I questioned him right before Madame Torres
lit up like a spotlight. “Are you still mad about the love thingy?”
    “Not a good idea.” Madame Torres