Visiting A Friend

The Cooler: Chapter 26

Raul had given JJ a ride over to UMC, where they had met Rachel. Now they were just stepping off the elevator for Arnie’s floor when Raul stopped them.

“Before we go in, I wanted to warn you two. When I said he was malnourished, I wasn’t kidding. When we, Peter and I, saw him, I didn’t believe it was Arnie until he started to talk. He is so thin, he looks like a late-stage anorexic,” Raul said.

“Why don’t you two go in first,” Rachel said.

“Ok,” Raul said, seeing that she was taking his warning seriously and taking a moment to prepare herself.

***

“He’s in that one,” Raul said, pointing to a curtained area that obviously contained a bed. The ICU area had an arc of beds with the nurses’ station at the focal point. Some of the beds had a curtain around them like Arnie’s.

“Can I help you two?” A nurse said to them when she looked up and saw them. “Are you with them?” She asked when Rachel came in behind the other two.

“Yes, I am. We’re here to see Arnie,” Rachel responded.

“Then one of you will need to wait outside in the waiting room. Only two at a time are allowed,” the nurse said.

“I’ll go wait out there,” Rachel said almost immediately.

“Ok,” Raul said.

“I’ll just need you two to sign in, then you can see him. He was sleeping earlier, but he might be awake now. Don’t wake him if he’s asleep,” the nurse said as she handed Raul a clipboard.

***

Raul peeked through the curtain before he opened it so he wouldn’t wake him. Arnie was awake and was sitting up reading a book “I don’t need anything,” he said before he looked up to see who it was. “Guardian!”

Raul stepped in followed by JJ.

“And JJ,” Arnie said.

“Hi Arnie,” Raul said.

“Hey,” JJ said.

“So what brings you two around?” Arnie asked.

“We wanted to check in on you,” Raul said.

“I’m ok, besides not knowing what happened for better than a week and malnourished,” Arnie said.

JJ was in too much shock to say anything. Arnie wasn’t as bad as he feared but he wasn’t good. He was very thin and his hair was white.

“Do you remember Peter and I stopping by a few days ago?” Raul asked.

“Yeah, how is Peter?” Arnie asked.

“He’s good,” Raul said.

“I think I want to add him to the group when I get out of here. He seemed to know something about magic,” Arnie said.

“Yes he does,” JJ said.

“About that, do you remember Tom Cox?” Raul asked. “He had started going to the group a week or two ago.”

“Hmm, no,” Arnie said.

Just then, a nurse walked in through the curtain and said, “I need to take some vitals, if you two don’t mind waiting outside for about ten minutes.”

“No problem,” JJ said, seeing an excuse to leave.

“We’ll be back after he does his thing,” Raul said to Arnie, indicating the male nurse.

***

“That wasn’t a long visit,” Rachel said when JJ and Raul walked into the waiting room.

“The nurse came in to do his thing, so we left to get out of the way,” Raul said.

“Hows he look?” Rachel asked.

“He’s very thin, but he looks better than the last time we visited him,” Raul said.

“Did the nurse say how long?” Rachel asked.

“About fifteen minutes,” Raul said.

“I think I need some coffee,” Rachel said.

The three of them went down to the cafeteria, where they had a large coffee dispenser.

JJ and Rachel got a cup while Raul found a seat.

“Aren’t you getting any?” Rachel asked Raul.

“No, I tried that sludge when Peter and I were here; I regretted it for a day afterwards,” Raul responded.

Rachel and JJ joined Raul at his table.

JJ sat for a few moments just staring off at nothing. “Wow,” he finally said.

“Yeah, and he looks better than the last time I saw him,” Raul said.

“When was he admitted?” JJ asked.

“The day before we came to your door,” Raul said. “So three or has it been four days,” Raul ruminated.

“Three days is not a lot of time to heal,” JJ said.

“No, it’s not. He’s not as pale as the last time,” Raul said.

“Man he must have looked like a ghost,” JJ said.

Raul looked up at the clock on the wall and then said, “Well let’s head back up, they should be done by now.”

“I think I’ll stay here,” Rachel said.

“Ok,” Raul said.

***

“That was fast,” Rachel said when JJ and Raul walked back into the cafeteria just a few minutes after they left.

“He was asleep already,” Raul said.

“Well thats a bummer. Did the nurse say why he was still in ICU, or when he’ll be released?” Rachel asked.

“Neither of us thought to ask,” JJ responded.

“Well now what?” Rachel asked.

“I think we go talk to Peter about you learning magic if you want to,” Raul said. “He has just started to teach me and maybe he would be willing to have you apprentice with him also.”

“I’m not sure I want to do that. Arnie has given us a few spells but really everything I’ve been learning is from a drabarni who owns a herbal shop over near water street in Henderson. Her magic is a lot different from what Arnie was teaching,” Rachel said.

“Is that why you never try Arnie’s spells?” Raul asked.

“Yeah my friend Mara, says that his magic is not in tune with the natural world,” Rachel said.

“What is she a witch?” Raul asked.

“Shaman,” JJ said.

“What?” Raul said.

“What?” JJ said.

“You said shaman,” Rachel said.

“Oh sorry, I guess I did it again,” JJ said.

“Yeah just like you did the other night when you gave Raul the rest of the spell,” Rachel said. “You’re right though, a drabarni is a Romani medicine woman. She is about the usage of herbs and other things to heal people. She said the kind of magic that Arnie was learning rips the power out of the world and twists it to do your bidding. She said it is unnatural and corrupts the practitioner.”

“Wow she definitely has an opinion on the matter,” JJ said.

“I think that some magic can be corrupting,” Raul said looking at JJ. “But not all is. Peter is very careful to not practice the corrupting magic, black magic.”

“Maybe sometime I’ll go with you and talk to him, but not today,” Rachel said.

“Ok I understand. Will you be at the horseshoe at night?” Raul asked.

“No I was there last night just hoping I would run into you, I think the group has served its purpose.” Rachel said. She stopped talking for a moment and then said, “I think I’m going to spend more time with Mara.” Rachel looked out the lone window at the hot dry city that surrounds the hospital. “She asked for me to work in her shop.”

“Can I call you sometime?” Raul asked.

“Yes, but I would like it better if you stopped by the shop, maybe you can buy me a coffee,” Rachel said.

“I’ll do that,” Raul said.

JJ had discretely gotten up to refill his coffee, when he had realized it was going to be a personal conversation.

“Raul, Rachel, I think I need to go,” JJ said. While he had been standing at the coffee urn he started to feel anxious.

“Did you get a page?” Raul asked.

“No it’s a feeling,” JJ said.

“Ok, can I give you a ride?” Raul asked.

“No, I don’t know where I’m going,” JJ said.

“Well JJ, Raul, I will see you guys later. Stop by the shop if you need some herbs.” Rachel said then dropped her cup in the trash and headed out.

Raul got up and threw away his cup. “How are you going … how will you figure out where you need to go?”

“I don’t know,” JJ said.

“Ok,” Raul said and then looked at JJ not knowing what to say or do. “I’ll be at my house with Peter.” He left leaving JJ standing there staring at nothing.

“Ok,” JJ said. He was trying to remember what Kawika had said to do to find out where he needed to go.

“I don’t know where anything is in here.” JJ said turning around trying to figure which was north, or where the strip was. “I need to go outside so I can tell which way is which.”

He walked out the front door of the hospital where there was a cab sitting waiting.

“That’s convenient, if I needed a cab,” JJ said then walked out to Charleston boulevard and stood there feeling the heat of the early afternoon sun.

***

“Peter you need to learn this,” Simon said to a young boy siting in the middle of a circle of white stones in the desert sand. “I know it’s hot, but this is the closest conjunction of lay lines. I just need you to say the spell so you can see into the magical realm.”

“Simon I’m hot and,” Peter stopped and looked down trying to hide the tears. “I miss my mom.”

“I know, I miss her too,” JJ said and stood for a few minutes feeling the sun on his back and the magic flowing just below the surface. The magic was so strong here it caused the dust to dance in the air following the stray eddies of magic.

“Ok how about this? Well give it just five minutes and then we’ll head back to my house,” JJ said.

“Can I hold the blanket,” Peter asked.

“Yes you can,” JJ said walking the dozen feet to the car. He picked up the blanket and a small locket.

“Here hold onto your mom’s locket and the blanket,” Simon said.

“Thank you Simon,” Peter said.

Peter wiped his tears and then said the spell again.

***

It wasn’t a vision or a dream it was just a memory of that day with the sun warming his back. “Wow, Peter’s been my apprentice for a long time, ever since his mom died,” JJ said without really understanding what it was he said until the words were out. “His mom died? He must have been five or six in that memory.”

JJ stood just thinking about Peter, realizing that he probably thought of him as a father figure. Then his thoughts moved on to what it meant to Peter to almost kill him with the hijacked spell. Then he thought about how he had insisted on calling the spell an attack. “Peter must of felt like I was accusing him of attacking me, on purpose.”

A car honking its horn broke JJ out of his revery. He realized that he had been standing on the sidewalk lost in his thoughts for a long time.

“Well enough of that it’s time to figure out where I need to go,” JJ said.

“I can tell you where to go,” a woman said, pushing a little foldable shopping cart full of her groceries as she tried to get around JJ.

“Oh sorry,” He said as he almost hit her as he started to turn.

“You’re not the only one that is allowed to use the sidewalk,” she complained as she shoved the cart around him.

JJ stepped off to the side and waited for her to shuffle by before he started the process.

After trying the four compass directions and a few off the one that felt the strongest he finally figured out he needed to go downtown.

***

“Where to?” The driver asked when JJ got in the cab.

“Downtown,” JJ said.

“Downtown where? Downtown Henderson downtown Summerlin?” The driver said.

“Oh right, the Plaza casino,” JJ said.

The driver didn’t say anything just hit his flag button and started driving.

“Do you like driving a cab?” JJ asked when they were sitting at a light.

“Yes,” the driver said. He sat for a moment and then asked, “Do you mind if I smoke?”

“No that’s fine,” JJ said. He couldn’t tell the difference with a cigarette burning or not the cab smelled of smoke so bad already. “Thats nice they let you smoke in the cab.”

“Yeah, I used to work for another company that didn’t. They were always yelling at me for smoking, even when I wasn’t. I would hang my arm out the window so I wasn’t technically smoking in the car but they still yelled at me. I finally had to start working for a new company,” the driver said.

“That’s some cigarette,” JJ said when the smoke started coming into the back seat. He coughed and then rolled down his window to let a little of it escape.

“Yeah it’s a Turkish brand. Those American brands have been taken over by the CIA and they put mind control drugs in the filters. I won’t smoke those things, they’re not gonna control me with their chemicals,” the driver said. The light turned green and the driver laid on the horn. Then he slowly started moving. “They’re out to get me. Sometimes they’ll change my light to green without turning the other ones red.”

“Oh really, wow.” JJ said, humoring the driver.

“Here you go,” driver said a few minutes later when he stopped in front of the Plaza.

“Thanks,” JJ said getting out of the cab. He handed the driver the fare and a decent tip.

“Stay safe, they’re watching, and now that you know the truth they will be coming after you too,” the driver warned him.

“I’ll remember,” JJ said to the now rolled up window. The cab drove away leaving a cloud of exhaust, and conspiracy theories. “Hearing that driver, I would think they have a lonely life, listening to coast to coast all night,” JJ said to himself. It took a moment to clear the fog from the drivers conversation. It helped seeing the solidity of Fremont street. That street had been there for a long time and seen a lot of souls. The blinking lights and the honking horns broke the spell of the drivers words, and thoughts, JJ was finally able to feel his thought patterns go back to normal. A final shake of his head and he was back to what had become normal.

“Ok time to figure out where I need to go now that I’m downtown,” JJ said to himself, pushing through the final wisps of bad thoughts. He walked over to the signal and hit the button to cross. He walked down the street weaving around the tourists enjoying the oversized souvenir drinks. The heat wasn’t as bad as normal today so he didn’t feel the need to duck into a casino to cool down. There was a break in the flow of people for a moment and he looked up and realized he was walking in front of the horseshoe.

“I never got a chance to get to know the group,” JJ said feeling the loss of something he never had the chance to experience. “Maybe, we’ll have to start a new one.” JJ continued on and got to the next cross street then weaved around a small cluster of people blocking the signal button. He reached out and hit the button and got a sharp feeling in his gut. “Ouch,” he said and realized that he hadn’t been listing to his feelings. He stepped back from the street to stand next to the casino building and then went through the process of finding out where he needed to go. His gut was telling him he had missed a turn and he needed to go back up Fremont towards the Plaza. He turned around and started walking. When he got to the corner on the other side of the horseshoe he checked his gut again. He finally realized he was probably being directed towards the California.

***

When he stepped in the front door of the California the air-conditioning hit him hard, instantly cooling him down, followed shortly by the faint tropical scent laced with flowers and coconut. It was reminiscent of the first scent of Kauai when you step off the plane. “Now how do I know what Kauai smells like? I wonder if I’ve ever been there?”

He stood there for a moment enjoying the cool and the feelings that came over him of a tropical vacation he never knew or couldn’t remember. The clanking coins and the call of “Cocktails” finally broke into his trance.

“Well might as well go get some coffee,” JJ said and then headed for the coffeeshop.

He found a spot at a mostly empty counter and sat. There was a waitress talking over the pass-through to someone in the kitchen. When she saw him she came over to take his order.

“What’ll ya have?” She asked.

“Do you have any of that Hawaiian coffee? Last time I was here the waitress gave me a cup.” JJ asked.

“Yeah I think we still have a little left. I’ll brew a pot. Would you like anything else?” The waitress asked.

“Nah, just the coffee,” JJ said.

He pulled out a Review Journal some had left in the menu caddy, and started perusing it. On the front page, below the fold, was a story about the progress on the three newest strip casinos. The story talked about the excitement and the jobs that these three casinos will bring. It ended with how the strip was changing from small casinos to giant resorts.

“Hello, JJ,” Kawika said as he sat down next to him at the counter. He was wearing a gaudy Hawaiian shirt with pink cargo shorts.

“Thats quite a fashion statement,” JJ said.

“Here you go,” the waitress said setting down the coffee cup.

“Ohh coffee from home,” Kawika said pulling the cup to him.

“Can I bring another?” The waitress said.

“Yeah, and I’ll take care of what ever my friend wants,” JJ responded.

“Ohh,” Kawica said taking a quick look at the menu. “I’ll have a loco moco.”

“Did you want me here?” JJ asked when the waitress walked away.

“Yes, I knew you were the easier to find than Peter or Raul, I only had to say your real full name,” Kawika said.

“You could have just called my pager,” JJ said.

“Yeah, I guess that would have worked,” Kawika said, taking another drink of coffee.

“Would you like a refill?” The waitress asked dropping off another cup for JJ.

“Yes, please,” Kawika said.

“So why did you, …uhm, …call me?” JJ asked.

“Oh right, like I said you were the easiest to call,” Kawika said.

“Right we already discussed that. But why?” JJ asked.

“To give you this,” Kawika said as he reached into one of the big pockets in his shorts and pulled out a Kukui nut lei.

“Very nice necklace, is that a Hawaiian thing to give someone a necklace?” JJ asked.

“Oh, thats not what I meant to give you,” Kawika said and then dug into another pocket in his shorts and pulled out a souvenir shot glass with the word vegas written across it. “Nope thats not it.” He reached into another pocket and pulled out a souvenir deck of cards.

“Did a little shopping?” JJ asked.

“Yeah I figured since I was in town I would experience the whole thing. Ahh here it is.” He said pulling out a small tiki statue inlaid with multiple types of wood and sea shells.

“Nice do they have those in the gift shop? I’ll have to go buy one,” the waitress said seeing the statue as she dropped off the loco moco.

“No this one came from the islands,” Kawika said.

“Very nice,” she said then walked away.

“Are you planning on opening a tiki bar?” JJ asked.

“Very funny,” Kawika said ignoring the casual way JJ made light of Hawaiian culture. “This is for Peter, he is expecting it.”

JJ picked up the statue and studied it for what he thought was just a moment. “It is really very beautiful.” JJ said.

“Wow he was hungry,” the waitress said, picking up the empty plate in front of a now empty seat.

“Yeah he was,” JJ said, realizing that he must of been studying the statue for longer than he thought.

“You can pay at the cashier,” she said dropping off the check.

“Well I guess I need to go see Peter,” JJ said, taking a final drink of his coffee and then picking up his check.