Mirrors of the Heart - BW Starmer a.k.a. Stormynite (unputdownable books .TXT) 📗

Winter needed her whole body to push the crate into the bedroom. It hadn't taken much when she finally decided to call it quits after twenty-two years of marriage. Here she was 45 years old, sitting in a new town, with a new car, her daughter off to college and her divorce final. First order of business was to find an acceptable job. She'd just wait tables or tend bar until she found what she wanted.
Winter was a tall, well-built woman with long, brown, curly hair. She worked hard at keeping her body from sagging and gaining weight in her 40's. Her marriage of twenty-two years had been a dismal failure. When their daughter graduated from high school Winter announced her desire to move on. Winter pushed the crate with her whole body once more and it finally slid silently on the new carpet into the bedroom. With a sigh of relief, she pulled the mirror out of the packing material.
"You're not broken. Well, that's the best thing that's happened to me in ten years. This is just great…I'm talking to myself already. The neighbors would think she was crazy." It didn’t mattered anyway as she knew no one in New Mexico.
The mirror stood almost six feet tall in a magnificently hand-carved mahogany frame. It had been her great-grandmother’s and came over from Germany. She and her mother found it three months ago when they went through her grandfather's old things. It called out to her when she touched it.
Winter pushed the mirror over into the corner then moved a tall silk plant beside it. At least she would have her bedroom put together tonight, if nothing else. Spades, her black cat jumped up the bed, turned toward the mirror then hissed. Winter followed his gaze and gasped when she saw the mirror begin to fog. "What the..." She watched the mirror fog then finally began to clear and an image began to form. It was a bedroom with a soft floral bedspread draped over a large king-size bed. A soft breeze blew the draperies around the window then a door slammed.
"I am tired of it Jason! I've had it! No more pretending that we have a marriage. The pretty petite brunette glared at her blond husband as he sat silently on the bed.
"You want me to move out then? What about Tiffany? She's my daughter, too, Genin. She's all I have left, too." Pain flashed through his blue eyes and he didn't try to hide it. "Okay, if what you want is your old life, so be it, but I will fight for Tiff." He walked into the closet and tossed out several suitcases.
"Jason, you are insane. Who are you going to get to watch her when you have those love scenes." Genin got right into his face.
Jason grabbed her by the shoulders and gently pushed her to arms' length. "I'm an actor, Genin. None of it's real. I love you...and I love Tiffany. That hasn't changed. I was a mess after Stephen's accident." Jason ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "You want me to stand here and tell you I've never had an affair on you...I can't! We've been through this before. I was stupid and I know it, but I'm not having an affair now."
"You son-of-bitch! You think I'm going to let my child be corrupted with that Hollywood attitude." Genin turned, walked to the door, jerked it open and let it smash against the wall. "Tiffany stays with me!" She stormed out the door.
Jason sat down on the edge of the bed, buried his face in his hands and wept. Winter's heart went out to him. She reached toward the mirror and found nothing but mist. She reached into the thin mist and spoke with kindness. "It will pass. She is just upset and doesn't want to lose her child. Give her time and it will work out." She reached to comfort him and he jumped when fingertips gently touched his silky blond hair.
A voice floated through the room. He must have imagined it, but fingers touched his hair. Comforting, soft fingers that matched a sweet voice drifted around him. He stared into the mirror that sat across from him. Behind the mist was the shadowed figure of a woman. Only her eyes were distinct and her voice. Was she the voice? Could she have touched him? The figure moved back further into the mist as he moved toward the mirror.
Winter's breath caught when rose and walked to the mirror. He was so handsome it took her breath away. He stood about six feet tall with sandy blond hair cut short on the side and long on top. It curled slightly as it lengthened, making him appear boyish. His bright blue eyes locked with her green ones through the mist. Startled, she couldn't find her voice. Such pain radiated in his eyes and she wanted to ease it.
"Who are you?" He asked softly and reached for the mirror. When his hand came close to the glass, the fog swirled and she began to fade. "No...No...Don't go!" His voice echoed into the glass and Winter smiled.
"I must go for now. I have been where you are and I survived. You are not alone, Jason. We are never alone in this world unless we want to be. Reach out to your daughter, let her know how you feel, then move on with your life." Her voice faded and she was gone.
The voice had been comforting and she was right. His son's death was no one's fault and people change. He and Genin hadn't really had a good marriage for the past seven years and they both knew it. He knew that now, but he wanted his daughter happy and he would do what was necessary to make that happen. She was a part of him, made of love and sunshine.
Jason moved out that very night. When he'd returned for a few more clothes, he told Genin he wanted the mirror in the bedroom. It had been his great-aunt's from Germany and it was all that he wanted. He didn't know why he wanted the mirror, just that it gave him that moment of peace on the day he needed it most.
He'd gotten a new job directing a local movie of the week in LA so at least he'd get to see Tiffany on the weekends. Life changes and so would he.
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Winter finally found a job as a bartender on the north side of town. All she'd done in her lifetime was fix other people's problems, both emotional and physical. She'd work on computer programs until she found the glitch then repaired them. She sighed with regret, but then braced herself up. She would survive.
She stopped in front of the mirror and wondered about that night three weeks ago. Had it been real? Was Jason a real person or just someone her mind had conjured up to fill a void? She smiled as she touched the frame. Slowly her hand slid down the carved wood and the mist began to swirl again. She gasped and stepped back. The mist began to clear and the mirror returned.
"What is this?" Curiosity got the better of her so she touched the frame again. The mist appeared again only thicker. This time she continued to hold the edge of the frame and the blond man appeared once more. He was unpacking boxes in someplace new… smaller, clean with dark masculine drapes covering the bedroom window. A child's voice could be heard in the distance.
"Daddy, Daddy!" Tiffany bounced into the bedroom. Her bright blue eyes were the same hue as her father’s, yet her hair was a strawberry blond filled with curls and a life of its own. She carried a wooden sailboat in her hands. She bounded across the room with delight and stopped before her father. "Where do you want me to put the 'Dream Keeper'?" She held the boat high in front of her face.
Jason laughed at her actions. "Why don't you put it by my bed so I can stare at it every night before I go to sleep? That way I'll have nothing but sweet dreams." His smile encompassed his whole face while the warmth and love for his child could be felt through the cold glass.
"I'll put it right by my picture, so you'll have twice the sweet dreams then." Tiffany carefully placed the sailboat next to the photograph of herself and her Dad taken at Christmas. "I'll go get some other stuff. Mom says..." Tiffany, worried, stopped in mid-sentence.
"It's okay, Tiff! I know what your mom says. Just remember even though mom and I aren't living together doesn't mean I don't love you. I'll expect you to visit me on the sets and we'll do lots of cool things when I'm home. Mom's right when she said you needed an anchor... It's my love for you...and that will never change." He scooped her into his arms and cuddled her. "You are my anchor, Tiff! Always remember that and we will both be okay." He hugged and kissed her then began tickling her until she squealed with delight. The doorbell rang and a sadness passed over his features. Tiffany caressed his face then kissed his cheek.
"Boat...anchor...every thing…okay." Her bright blue eyes smiled into his. "I'll be here tomorrow after soccer.
"You better get going or mom will get crabby at both of us." A great sadness washed over Jason while he watched his only living child bounce out the door to his ex-wife.
Winter sat down in front of the mirror in awe. It hadn't been a dream. She reached to touch the frame once more and the mist began to swirl inside the glass distorting the bedroom. Was this real? Then .Jason walked into the