Chapter 53: Yaron

I had been following Raven Black’s career from afar. Berlin. Barcelona. London. Paris. Mainly fashion shows.

I had received postcards from all these places. The last one was from Japan, no less. Vee always wrote a few words, quotes from movies we had watched, on the back. Sometimes the message was clear, and I could guess which movie she was referring to.

The one she sent me from Paris read, “So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.”

That was an easy one to guess. Vee had forced me to watch The Notebook at least ten times.

In the card she sent from Spain she wrote, “You were the only thing in my life that was real.”

However, reading between the lines of what she meant was not always easy. The postcard she sent me from England had written on the back, “Your wish is my command.”

It was like a game she was inviting me to play.

“What are you looking at with that stupid face?” my sister Hannah asked, stepping into my office and catching a glimpse of the last postcard Vee had sent me.

“Hannah, what are you doing here?” I replied. I was ready to go home and she took me by surprise.

“What do you think I’m doing? Reconnecting with you, you schmuck,” my sister said, rolling her eyes. “I don’t care what Mom and Dad say, you’ll always be my brother.”

I put the postcard away and opened my arms. Hannah ran into them, and we both cried on each other’s shoulders.

When we finally separated, she said, “I brought you some pie.”

“Come on in and sit down. I’ll make us some tea.”

She nodded and sat on a bean bag. “It’s true what they say about you.”

I raised an eyebrow, and placed a cup of herbal tea on the small table in front of her.

“You truly are a hippie shrink.”

I shrugged, cutting two pieces of pie.

“Works fine for me,” I said, curtly.

“Relax brother, I’m proud of you. I’ve visited your webpage and read what people write about you dozens of times. Your patients really love you. Do you know that you saved one of my friend’s marriage?”

“No, I didn’t.”

Hannah searched among the pictures on the wall where I would hang up a photo of every couple that had found their way back into love.

“That’s them,” she said, pointing at one of the photos.

“Jasmine and Aaron,” I said. “How are they doing?”

“Madly in love again, thanks to you. You know, when you sent them camping just with a map drawn on a piece of paper they thought you were crazy ... but it worked.”

I smiled. “They did all the hard work. I just helped them to rediscover each other and the love they shared.”

I ate the pie in her company and we caught up on our lives. Of course, she knew about Vee’s success. She had seen most of her movies, and she was surprised when I told her I had only seen the first one.

“You still love her, don’t you?” she asked. “I can tell.”

“Yes, I do, but we both lead different lives,” I replied. “Vee’s world revolves around fame and the glamorous lifestyle she’s built for herself. She’s constantly chasing the next big thing, always striving for more. I, on the other hand, have found peace and fulfillment in helping others. My work as a therapist brings me immense joy and satisfaction. Our paths have diverged, and while I still love her deeply, I realize that we may not be compatible in the long run.”

“But you could still try,” my sister pushed, her voice filled with hope.