Three Wishes(110)

“Dear God,” Victor breathed, his brows coming unknitted and he looked no longer frightening but concerned.

Fazire sighed. There was nothing for it.

Therefore he floated. He crossed his legs under him and he snapped his fingers so his human clothes immediately changed to his genie clothes including the fez, gold armbands and earrings.

Victor’s concerned look was gone. His head was tilted back to stare at Fazire drifting five feet up in the air and Victor’s mouth was open.

“Sarah, Lily’s grandmother, was my first mistress. She gave her wishes to her daughter Becky, Lily’s mother,” Fazire explained, staring down at the stunned and speechless Victor. “Becky couldn’t have babies so she made a wish and I made Lily. I made her perfect and sweet, just what you see. But I wanted her to have humility –”

Fazire explained how Lily used to be, even magically floated a photo album out, an act which startled Victor and made him take two steps back, and flipped it to the right pages so Victor could see the chubby, plain, adolescent Lily, something else that made Victor look like he could not believe his eyes. Then Fazire told Victor about Lily’s wish and where Nathaniel came into this mess.

“It was the most complicated wish ever,” Fazire informed Victor. “Now that he’s back and it seems her wish came true. I was channelled last night and told I was nominated for Best Wish of the Century Award. So far this century, I’m the only one nominated. I figure I could win. No one has ever had a wish like that.”

Victor stayed mute, didn’t utter a sound throughout Fazire’s explanation.

Fazire floated closer to him and closer to the floor.

“Now,” he said softly instead of commanding it because it meant a great deal, a great deal to Lily. And even though it also could mean that Lily would use her last wish and he would go away, he wanted to give this to her, he wanted to fix Nathaniel, he wanted it for Lily and, these last few weeks, watching the tall, proud, intelligent man and how he looked at and treated Lily and his daughter, he wanted it for Nathaniel too. “Tell me about your boy so I can fix him.”

Victor closed his eyes slowly.

Then he opened them again, sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands.

Fazire snapped his fingers and he was in his human clothes. He floated low until his feet touched the floor. He walked over, sat on the opposite side of the couch to Victor and he waited.

Then Victor’s head came up and he looked at Fazire. He seemed startled for a second as he hadn’t realised Fazire had changed back but he recovered quickly.

“I can’t believe you’re a genie,” Victor whispered.

“If you tell anyone, I’ll have to kill you,” Fazire lied. This was entirely untrue but he’d always wanted to use that line.

Victor shook his head.

“Does Tash know you’re a genie?” Victor asked.

Fazire nodded.

“Does Nathaniel know you’re a genie?” Victor went on.

Fazire shook his head.

“Fucking hell,” Victor breathed.

“You really shouldn’t use that kind of language, especially with a youngster in the house,” Fazire admonished.

Victor just kept staring at him.

“Tell me about Nathaniel,” Fazire prompted.

Finally Victor relented. “I’ll tell you about Nathaniel but you have to give him time. And Lily time. If they don’t seem to be working it out on their own –”

“I’ll give them time,” Fazire interrupted.

“You can’t tell Lily right away,” Victor pressed.

“I won’t tell her right away.” Finally in exasperation Fazire snapped, “I’m a genie! I know what I’m doing.”

Really, what could be so bad about Nathaniel? It was obvious to anyone he was a good man. Fazire even wanted to dislike him and he couldn’t hold out for more than a few weeks and Fazire was really good at holding a grudge. He once went three hundred years holding a grudge against another genie. He was famous for it.

Victor interrupted his thoughts and started talking. While listening to the terrible tale, Fazire stopped thinking.

When Victor stopped talking, Fazire said immediately, “I must tell Lily.”

“You tell her, I’ll have to kill you,” Victor threatened and even though Fazire was immortal, he still felt a thrill of fear.

“Why would he…?” Fazire started.

“I’ve no idea,” Victor cut in.

“But it’s nothing to be ashamed –” Fazire continued.

“I know,” Victor interrupted again.

“I can’t fix that,” Fazire admitted and it was true. He couldn’t. No one could fix that.

Except but one person.

“Lily can,” both Fazire and Victor said in unison.

* * * * *

Nate was lying in bed, covers to his waist some papers in his hands he should have gone through that evening rather than taking his daughter and Lily on motorcycle rides.

Instead of reading them, he was thinking about the rides, Tash’s excited babble in is ear, Lily’s body pressed against his.

He was also thinking about the only present he’d ever received from anyone outside his adopted family. A present from Lily. She hadn’t bought him a tie or a watch; she’d bought him a motorcycle. No half measures for Lily, he was discovering.