What Did She Hear 8, cont'd

We left our story at, “Ramey smiled and without malice, answered, ‘Yes Ma’am, they accept me’ and walked away.”

Now home, she pulled her bags out of the cab and turned to go upstairs when she came to a complete halt. She located the address on the building and verified it was hers. The railing had been replaced. The pool had been cleaned of debris and filled with water. There were people actually swimming. She still wasn’t convinced it was her apartment building, but she ascended to what would be her apartment anyway. Yes, her key worked. Once inside, she was as shocked as she had been outside. Why would they not tell her they were going to be painting? Where were the burns on the linoleum they were going to charge her for. The building only had six apartments and was owned by a family. They had taken a short cut and used linoleum instead of Formica. Ramey had sat a hot pan on it and burned a big ring. Could they have replaced that also? She refused to believe she was the only one to bare witness to the dilapidation that had surrounded her, although she was now hard press to witness anything that matched the drab she saw before.

The phone rang and Ramey forgot all about the apartment. Her family had managed to leave her alone until now. Her mother was on the phone screaming bewilderment at Ramey never answering her phone. Ramey had been born into drama. She lived with it most of her life. When she finally got off to herself, it followed her, came with different faces but same song, second verse. She was aware enough to notice a pattern. Most people didn’t even notice that. That’s why she went through all the steps to get away from that house and those people, just to discover the haunting was not in the location or the people. But how could she get away from herself? And for that, she didn’t know what to do…that is, until now. Her family wasn’t exonerated but now she knew their faults were not why she was there. She had to find out why she was involved and what kept her there.

For the first time she had a direction, actual steps of something to try. She was sure she was believing in magic, for which she now deliberately suspended disbelief. After all, could she logically explain that experience she had that eventually lead her to this group? Maybe there really was magic. And this whole process would seem far away and magical to Ramey for awhile longer, for she was far away from what she could become.  

But one day, become she would, and everything would change. The magical would become logical, and she would understand another paradox—how one’s greatest logic and clarity of mind will always be delivered on a bed of magic. 

(In a post, write what you think Ramey heard that was so extraordinary. What were the first extraordinary words that had a profound effect on you?”