Burning Passion

CHAPTER 136: SAVING NIKKI (NINE) and the Past 

"SPECIAL CHAPTER EDITION: ENCOUNTERS"

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It confused her, at the same time frightened her. Is the lady only joking? Because it wasn't funny at all. Nikki glances at her arm and creeps crawling on her skin.

"What are you saying, lady?" Heart thuds loudly in her chest, Nikki asked the lady.

"Do not worry. A light gleamed from a distance. It will pass." said the woman with a smile. She raises her left hand. Her finger pointing Nikki's heart, "Amid a storm, love is always the fire that covers you and keeps you warm. Follow your heart, and everything is alright."

Now it confuses her a lot for the lady's riddle. "What do you mean about, lady?" She prefers a common phrase than this riddle thing about love. Is this woman reading her destiny? It sounds scary! But she liked the part when she mentioned love. 

Love. Is it about having a boyfriend? Ah, she hopes it was Theo. But as the dark days part, she doesn't understand. 

"Give me your palm." The lady asked Nikki.

Nikki is hesitant as her heart still beating fast. What is this woman up to now? She's scared, but she is curious as well. Nikki showed her palm to the lady. 

The woman looked at it, and Nikki waited for nearly two minutes before the woman gave her readings. 

"I have difficulties reading your life. But this is what I see. A departure of two, but I see five new lives." 

Huh? It confused her greatly. What is this lady talking about now? The departure of one's love but five new lives? What does that mean? Ah, whatever. Nikki thanked the lady and forgot about it. She was frightened already. Hoping this woman's reading means nothing. 

They were now halfway before Remy Town when the woman got off the bus. Once the seat vacated, another woman sat on it. Everything the lady told her remains in her mind.

Nikki studied the woman. She was probably in her late 40s. She gathers her courage to ask the woman about the crazy thing, like palm reading. She doesn't believe it so she wants to ask someone.

"Auntie, do you believe in palm reading?" she asked. 

"Yes, dear. Why? Did someone read for you?" 

Nikki nodded and uttered, "Um, a lady told me about something, but it confused me. What did the new life mean?" 

"Oh, is that what she told you?" 

Nikki nodded. 

"I once encountered a lady that read my palm. She told me I would have seven children. Later on, I got married and look forward to having seven children. However, my husband died when I was pregnant with our fourth child. So I cursed the lady because she lied to me. But then, after five years, I met a man, and he courted me. I fell in love with him. Then he introduced me to his three children. I realized the lady was correct. Now I have seven children."

"Oh!" Nikki was thrilled to hear the lady's story. "Where is he now, Auntie? You travel alone." 

"Oh, no, I am not." 

"Hm?" 

"Before I remarried, I have to work for my children, so I applied for a job in the city. Every day off I have, I went home to my town to see my children." 

"Ah…" 

"You wonder, where is he in my story?" 

Nikki nodded.

"He's the one driving the bus." 

"Oh! You mean, you meet him driving a bus?" 

"Yes. We just married for three years, but he courted me for a year. I'm scared of course, at first." 

"I see!" 

"Is it okay if I asked you something?" the woman asked Nikki.

"Sure. No problem, Auntie."

"How many lives does she mention?"

"Um, five."

"I see! Congratulations. You will have five children. You are so pretty. I could imagine your children will be as beautiful as you."

Nikki blushes from the woman's praise. "Thank you, auntie."

She was delighted to hear a wonderful love story. Then it is possible she will have five children. But the lady also mentioned two will depart. She wonders what that means. 

Nikki did not mind at all but contemplating the possibility of five children she will conceive. OMG! Hopefully, it was Theo who would be their father. She giggled from the thought.

In that case, they will surely be beautiful. Having those green eyes that will remind their father, warm already overwhelms her chest. Gosh! From the thought, Nikki blushed and scolded herself. 'Stop it, Nikki Lindsey!'

Why does she think about it? Too early for her to daydream about marriage, and she was too young for love. But she wanted to jump from her seat every time it crosses her head.

Nikki closed her eyes with a beautiful smile on her lips. She didn't notice the car next to the bus, because she was immersed in listening to the lady's story and now dreaming for the future.

She didn't notice a guy staring at her profoundly. 

REMY Town Bus Stop. 

Nikki hugged the lady before she sat up from her seat and waved at the bus driver before she got off the bus. So nice hearing a great love story like theirs. With a smile, Nikki trails down the street toward the intersection. From there, she would walk again toward her grandmother's house. But first, she has to contact Maureen. Not long after, her cousin showed up.

"Hey! Nikki!" 

"Maureen!" She runs toward her cousin and hugs Maureen tight, later they both cry. 

"I'm glad you are okay," Maureen told Nikki. 

"Hum. I am fine. I badly wanted to come, but school and practice and papa don't allow me." 

"Don't tell me. Uncle Seth didn't know?" 

Nikki shakes her head. 

"Hey! Why didn't you tell your father?" 

"We already plan to visit Remy, but I want to visit Jonathan's grave on the date he died." 

Maureen heaves a sigh and then hugs Nikki once again. Later, their friends saw them, and they greeted Nikki. Everyone was hugging her, and the girls cried to see her. A quick chit-chat, she bid goodbye to everyone. Nikki and Maureen now headed to the White House to see her grandmother Elisha.

"I will just visit, bid goodbye," she told her cousin Maureen. 

"Huh? Where are you going?" 

"Silly. But maybe it will take many years before I can visit here again." 

"Oh. Okay." Sadness displayed in Maureen's face. No one can predict what will happen. Everyone is just having fun, and then everything changes.

Nikki notices the sadness in Maureen's eyes. She was sad and remained overwhelmed by Jonathan's death. But she was trying to forget it, and continue to live on.

"You know? You can visit Mainland City. I will tour you around!" she told Maureen later.

"Ah, I like that!" 

But her grandmother was too shocked to see her. 

"Nikki, what are you doing here?" 

Her grandmother Elisha asked her. 

"Hello, grandma! I'm visiting you! I missed you!" She hugged her grandma.

"You, child. Your father told me you guys would come over this weekend. Why you are here now?" 

"Grandma, papa didn't know." 

"You, child." But she cannot scold her granddaughter when Nikki begins sobbing. Elisha patted Nikki's back.

"All right. Since you are here, let's make lunch." 

"Ah, that's what I missed!" Nikki returns to being bubbly.

Her grandma is an excellent cook. She is also making stir-fry noodles with a lot of shrimps. Her grandma also makes her a corn soup. Nikki fills her stomach and she can't move after.

Then a car parked at the gate of White House. She watches her grandmother marching to the gate and meets the guests. Elisha is regularly receiving guests, wishing to view the entire town from this hilltop, where the White House stood majestically.

"Oh, my gosh! They are here!" she burst out.

Maureen noticed her reaction, who quickly hid from the window, crawling on the floor.

"Who's here?" Maureen peeked outside the window and scanned the two guys their grandma Elisha escorted inside. "Oh, what a hottie. Do you know them?" 

"Ah, erm, I just met them on the train." 

"Oh, destiny." 

"What?" Nikki raises a brow. Well, Maureen is superstitious and believes such things.

"Hm, you were blushing," she teases Nikki, who was peeping secretly.

"I did not!" She denied. Because if Maureen knows that Theo is her crush and her father plans to arrange her marriage with him, Maureen will never stop teasing her. 

"Nikki! Come here for a minute."

It startles Nikki when her grandmother, yelling her name. 

"Oh, shit!" 

"What?" Maureen is curious about why she is edgy on the floor, she rolled.

"I lied with the name I gave to him!" 

"Him? Hey! Tell me what happened!" 

"Shush! There's none. I left the soccer ball, and the younger brother returned it to me." 

"Oh, fate." 

"Hey! Stop!" 

Maureen starts tickles her, and their giggling hears outside.

"Nikki! Maureen!" 

"Coming grandma!" Maureen, who replied.. She pulled Nikki to meet the guests below.