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Stupid Little Hearts

In the Savannah Sun

By Daniel Charles PorterPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 10 min read
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I can feel the incredible weight of the antebellum door as I turn the knob. I wonder how many people have passed into this building in the past two hundred-fifty years. Pirates, slaves, barkeeps, business men and now myself. A tiny bell tinkles heralding my arrival.

Despite the Savannah sun, the interior has a dark feeling to it. The air is heady with the smell of incense and flowers and perfume. The walls are covered in wallpaper, dark and textured. Hanging are paintings and photos of those same rooms from different time periods, always with someone posing with an air of importance and, somehow, always looking right at you. Stones, bones, crystals and other artifacts of mysticism sit on every shelf and in every doorway hangs either beads or heavy drapes.

A lady greets me in the parlor, young and pale with pitch-black hair and nails and Egyptian style eye make-up. She dismisses herself and is replaces by a tall, more distinguished looking lady, tall, again with black hair but with a gypsy style of make-up and clothing including all manner of jewelry. She carries herself with a confidence which dominates the small rooms. Her perfume makes my head spin and makes it difficult to concentrate.

I had stopped by the shop on a lark and it was the experience that I expected. She asked me a lot of leading questions in a thicker-than-what-could-be-real southern accent, revealed ‘secrets’ that were ambiguous and could have been true for any number of people from a variety of perspectives. She examined my palms and traced the lines while making sounds of ‘profound revelations’. Finally, she brought out a deck of cards and started flipping them over, eying me closely after each one.

When my hour was up, I rose and thanked the lady for her time and shook her hand. She took mine and placed her other hand around ours and squeezed them lightly. While still holding my hand in hers, she stepped fully into my personal space. I struggled to keep my composure as her perfume was playing tricks with my head and pulse. Her heavy eyes looked straight into mine and she gave me one final ‘tip’. “When you see the radiant green light, acknowledge it and, in that moment, your life will forever change”

I smiled and, as sincerely as I could, thanked her for her time. The heavy door once again tinkling as I entered the intense Savannah sunshine. At least I can scratch this off my list of things to do: ‘throw away sixty-five dollars on a psychic’. Done!

I had decided this morning that I would just stroll the city aimlessly and take in the sights. I absolutely love this town and could spend all my free time just wandering around. Every sight plays on my mind, imagining what it was like ‘back in the day’. It is also good for my anxiety to just spend a little time alone. As it is, I have to close my eyes and concentrate on my breathing for a moment just from being social for the past hour. The stress washes off and I set out.

I catch a little shade walking under the great oaks, Spanish moss hanging from the branches. This, if nothing else, gives the old city its character. I sit when a bench allows me and people-watch. The thoughts of my ‘reading’ drift out of my head as if it hadn’t happened. I do believe in ghosts and bigfoot and aliens but not so much psychics. Some people are empathic, I think, and can discern certain things about one another, but the idea of psychic ability is just a step too far.

My walk has drifted to the Colonial Cemetery and I wander around reading gravestones. I never get tired of this. I wonder what life these old souls had lived. A family has also entered the cemetery and the kids pose on one of the stones. They are just carved rocks but it seems sacrilegious to sit upon them. Just an irksome thing for me.

I am making my way in a Riverfront sort of direction and I leave the cemetery at the end closest to the river. As I exit, a panhandler approaches me. I never turn anyone away if I can help it and usually keep a couple of ones folded in my front pocket. I place the dollars in his right hand and he takes my hand and places his left around mine. “Thank you and bless you”, he says.

This strikes me as really odd as it is the same way the ‘gypsy’ woman had shaken my hand. Something catches my eye. He is wearing a watch on his left wrist. It is nothing but a cheap watch but it is backlit and glows a faint green in the shadow of his jacket sleeve!

“Bless you, too, my friend. Take care of yourself”

I walk away and as I do I blow softly into the air and close my eyes for a moment. I try to loosen my shoulders a bit. Usually, my anxiety is fine with such a brief interaction, particularly if I think I am doing a good deed. But that hand shake and watch messed with my head for a moment. I feel stupid and struggle to put it out of my mind.

I walk until I get to that little park where Forrest Gump was filmed. I love that little square with the proud buildings and the horse drawn carriages. I take my time walking around each side and soak it all in. Couples are walking hand-in-hand and smiling. It warms my soul to see people just being happy. I bid the Oglethorpe statue a good day and carry on my walk.

My stomach is telling me it is time for lunch and, while Savannah is filled with incredible places to eat, my burger of choice is at Tondee’s Tavern and that is where I head. The place is half-full of patrons but my favorite table is free, back to the wall and facing the door, because you never know. I sit down and go through the motions of reading the menu when the waitress comes up to me. Kristina, a cute blonde, is one of the few people I can flirt with without giving myself a panic attack.

“Let’s see, I’ll have the….”

She starts scribbling on her pad before I can say anything else. I guess after eating here three times a week for years and ordering the same thing, I have become sort of predictable.

“Is it a Coke day or a Heineken day?” she asks.

I rub my chin as if I am contemplating. She eyes me, not buying into any of my playful contemplation. “I’ll have a Heineken today, thanks”. Not being a drinker, I usually have the Coke, but I could use the extra relaxation today.

I am playing some idiotic app on my phone when she brings me my Cajun burger, medium-well with sautéed onions. Truly, a food fit for the gods. My gods, at any rate.

The order always comes to 12.95 and I have placed a ten, five and three ones on the table before I finish eating. On the five, I always draw a heart with an arrow through it and inevitably worry about it being creepy after I leave.

As I am finishing up, a mustang stops at the traffic light outside. The noon sun hits the car’s mirror in such a fashion as it sends a beam of concentrated light into the restaurant, striking my bottle of beer. The bottle lights up and bathes my table in a bright green glow. For a moment, my whole world is green and then the car passes on and takes the light with it.

I finish my beer and I leave. I become self-conscience about my walk which, I am sure, is making me walk as though I have some sort of neurological disorder. The more I think about it, the worse it gets. When I get outside, I crouch against the building and close my eyes. I feel so stupid as I try to gather myself and let the anxiety go.

Her and that stupid ‘green light’ thing! I look up as the traffic light turns green. Across the street, the statue and cannons are weathered green. That guy coming towards me is wearing a green shirt. A green pick-up roars past. ‘What the ever-loving hell?’

I compose myself the best I can. This is supposed to be my day and I intend to enjoy it.

I hit the river walk and stroll away from people as much as I can until I come up behind a woman. She is tall redhead, with her hair in a braid and a kerchief tied around her head. I suddenly find myself slowing to keep pace with her. Not wanting to be ‘that guy’, I quicken my pace and pass her. I head to the candy factory and go inside to watch the taffy maker and smell all the wonderful candy.

When I come outside, there is a mother doing her best with two small children. I notice the three-ish year old girl is walking with her shoe untied so I kneel down in front of her and gesture for her to hold out her foot. She looks to her mother, and getting the silent 'okay', she sticks her towards me.

I quickly tie her sneaker for her. “Oh, I love your Princess and the Frog sneakers” I say to her.

In little kid talk she replies, “wook”, and she stomps her little foot on the ground and then tips her ankle so I can see her sole. LEDs light up and race around the shoe. GREEN LED lights! I feel my face go pale.

Catching myself I exclaim, “that is so AWESOME!” I then crook my finger close to my face in a mock admonishment and tell her to be careful and ‘not kiss any frogs’. She scooches down and covers her mouth with both hands and laughs.

Her mother and I share our ‘have a good day’s and go on our separate ways. I am thoroughly unnerved by this point. My shoulders are tense and I cannot relax. I am stuck, however, needing to walk back. One direction is as good as another so I press on.

After the novelty stores, candy stores, pubs and restaurants, I come upon the Christmas Store. I stop and look at the decorations. One tree in particular has the old style lights, large bulbs with the aluminum reflectors. I find myself staring mindlessly at one green light, just shining away like it doesn’t have a care in the whole damn world.

I climb back up to Bay Street and decide to hit the art galleries before I leave. I enter one shop after another, looking at paintings and sculptures and photos of Tybee Beach.

As I am leaving one of the shops, the woman with red hair is standing just outside. Her phone was ringing and she was pulling it out of her fanny pack. As she did, a bill dropped out onto the ground. I stepped up and bent down to pick it up.

Anxiety doesn’t ‘sneak way’. It leaves one like a tremendous load being taken off you all at once, like a crack of lighting. And like that, all my stress washed from my body. I could feel my eyes tear up a little from the sudden release.

The bill laying on the ground was a five and on it was one of my stupid little hearts with an arrow through it! The lady had also bent down to pick up the bill and we met with a hands outstretched

I looked up to see her face for the first time. Looking back at me were the most radiant green eyes I have ever seen.

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