The Unveiling (D'Shar Men)

Chapter Six



Rivka checked her appearance in the mirror. She was dressy casual, in a pair of black slacks, three inch, black heels, and an off the shoulder red sweater, paired with a silver, crescent moon pendant and earring set. Given to her by her family when she was young, the set always brought her good luck. I could use that going into my first blind date. She'd been talking to Scott, an open minded human, with a sweet tooth, love for live music, classic literature, and trying new things. He worked as an English teacher in a high school, had shoulder-length, chocolate brown hair, bright blue eyes, and a slender build. He was taller than her at six-two, and had what she referred to as good vibrations.

She couldn't see auras over the computer, but she had a feeling Scott's would be yellow. He was a perfect starting point. Rivka felt a real connection with him. Whether it was romantic or not remained to be seen. They were headed to Sweet Treat, a new shop that specialized in drink and dessert combinations, from gourmet coffee and cheesecake to crème br?lée and champagne. Knock Knock. She turned toward her door, eyebrows raised. Visions of an emergency situation danced in her head. She opened the door. Her jaw dropped. "Drusi! What are you doing here?" Her friend giggled.

"You didn't think I'd actually let you go off to your first blind date without a best friend once over and a pep talk, did you?"

"Yes, you should be in seclusion right now–"

Drusi held up a hand. "I don't care what I have going on in my life. You are my best friend, and I will always be there for you. The same way I know you would be for me. I love you, Rivka, he might as well get used to sharing my time with you now."


She reached out, bent down, and embraced her, inhaling the familiar scent of flowers and Drusi.

"I love you too, Dru. Thank you for being here." They pulled apart, and Drusi took her hands, stepping back to examine her outfit.

"You look fantastic. How do you feel?"

"Nervous, excited."

"I'm so glad you agreed to do this, Riv. You’re going to have a blast."

Rivka smiled. I sure hope so. Her watch beeped.

"Oh, it's getting late. I need to head out."

"If you need an out because the date is crashing and burning, don't hesitate to text. I'll call you with an excuse of some sort."

"Thank you for being amazing," Rivka said.

"Right back at you, Riv. I want to spend some time with the other girls. I miss you guys."

"Okay, have fun, and wish me luck."

Bolstered by her friends' appearance Rivka left with a spring in her step. I'm rusty, not clueless. I can do this.

Sweet Treats was a small building stationed near the riverfront. The view of the boats stationed on the water was lovely, especially with the full moon out tonight. Riv held her purse close to her side, and walked from the parking lot to the front of the building. The smoky glass windows and doors played off the pink color of the building, giving the café a playful, yet upscale feel. She entered and fell in love with the prominent skylight in the center. Pale pink, round, wire tables were accompanied with pink chairs that twisted into a heart design in the back. It was like a Parisian café in the summer. Rivka made her way past the hostess stand to the bar where they'd agreed to meet. She took a seat in the center and placed her purse on her lap. The red head dressed in a pair of black slacks and a long-sleeved, black, button down, shirt came over to greet her.

"Hi, what can I get you today?"

"I'm actually waiting for someone right now. Can I just start off with a water?" Riv asked.

"Sure thing, I'll get you a menu too."

"Wonderful, thank you.” She was eager for something to occupy her mind.

"Here you are." The bartender set the glass of water in front of her and handed her a pink menu with bold, black, font. She flipped through the menu, lingering over the large section dedicated to cheesecake, her all time favorite way to assuage her sweet tooth. Rivka felt someone step up behind her. She turned her head and smiled up at the man who looked just like his picture. Phew, first bullet dodged.

"Rivka?"

She nodded, holding out her hand. "Yes, it's nice to meet you, Scott." They shook hands.

"Same here." He took a seat on the high stool beside her. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Not at all.”

"Excellent." His aura was as she'd imagined, a bright, canary yellow, which matched the joy that sparkled in his eyes.

The friendly waitress returned. "How are you doing tonight, Sir?"

"Good, thanks."

"Can I get you anything?"

"Just a water for now, I haven't had a chance to look at the menu."

"I'll be right back with both of those things."

Scott turned to her. "Have you looked at the menu yet?"

"I did. I'm partial to cheesecake, so I've got my eye on the pumpkin cheesecake."

"That does sound good. I like chocolate and one of the teachers I worked with told me they had a Mississippi Mud pie I had to try."

She smiled. "You like teaching, don’t you?"

"I love it. Of course, I'm a bit biased. Both my parents taught English, and I was lucky enough to have some shining examples of what a teacher should be in high school. What about you?"

She took a sip of water, and the waitress returned, dropping off his water and a menu.

"Being a Star Maiden is something you're born into, sort of like royalty."

"So you had no choice?" His eyes were filled with curiosity, but he didn’t seem judgmental.

"It's more of a calling, something similar to your religious leaders but more biologically decided."

"Wow. What is it you do exactly?"

"I oversee important ceremonies, act as a midwife, and do some divination."

"Sounds heavy."

"It can be, but I'm proud to be the Star Priestess. It's rewarding in a lot of ways. I get to marry couples, birth babies, and help keep our culture alive."

"Sounds like the pros outweigh the cons.”

She nodded, glad he understood. "Exactly. What grade do you teach?'

"Right now twelfth grade English, but I float around, depending on where the school needs me at the start of the year. I enjoy working with teenagers in general. They're still green, and for them, the sky is the limit. I did a short stint teaching college. Figured out pretty quick it wasn’t where I wanted to be."

They talked back and forth, pausing to order two cups of fall harvest coffee, a slice of Mississippi Mud pie, and a slice of pumpkin cheesecake. Warmth filled Rivka as they laughed over stories from growing up and got to know one another better. She really liked Scott. There was no spark, but the loneliness seemed further away regardless. Two hours later they both opted to call it a night.

"I had a great time tonight. I'd love to do this again," Scott said.

"Me too, Scott, but I have to be honest—"

"No sizzle? It's okay. The feeling is mutual. I do think we'd make terrific friends though."

"I'm in total agreement."

"Good, now that we've decided that—do you have any single friends you can set me up with?"

She threw her head back and laughed. Did I ever!