Mariposa Oracle: The Mirror

By Trisha Barry

The Mirror is the sequel to Queen City LIcensed Massage Therapist. In this second novella, Mariposa Oracle lands a job teaching yoga in Charlotte, NC, while her massage clients pull her into hidden worlds of addiction, chronic pain, single-parent homes and trauma. Down-right funny, real-life stories and research findings are set in a hybrid of memoir and historical fiction/adventure.

For those who poo poo massage and yoga, get ready for the surprise unveil of documented quality of life benefits, as Mariposa outlines therapies gaining notice as evidence-based solutions for billion to trillion dollar problems.

Mariposa's personal journey of self-discovery and healing includes a look at some startling U.S. statistics and broadens the scope of the tragedy that chronic pain, addiction, trauma and fatherless/motherless children bring to the world, illuminating how science/research can point some new perspectives. It may be possible to reframe some misdirected anger and blame - and shift stigmas into liberating new paradigms, to include the plasticity of the brain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098333997

Book preview

Note

1.

Sherri’s silk blouse got stuck on the shrub that she was pushing her way through. The bush was thick green and had sharp edges. She was in her boyfriend’s yard, unannounced. Sherri didn’t think he was home. But maybe he was.

She tugged at the stuck shirt, hearing it rip. She swore an expletive under her breath.

Now she was at the window that opened into the basement. Kneeling on the ground, which was still damp from the morning dew, she noted her upper arm strength was not great as she tried to pull the window up, feeling much like a burglar. Ok. Maybe she was breaking and entering to an extent. But he was her boyfriend. That counted for something - right?

She discovered the window was unlocked, given she had gone down and opened it the night before prior to leaving. She loved Carlos so much. She hated to admit it but she was attached to him. Ok. Her family said she was obsessed, and that this wasn’t what love looked like.

He said he loved her, too, but recently she’d noticed he was texting secretly in the kitchen. And she’d begun to stalk his social media for signs of another woman. 

Sherri propped the window open and as she was beginning to put her legs through, she heard the sound of a car approaching. She quickly yanked her feet out and the window slammed down on her hand. Another expletive escaped.

The car’s door opened and closed. Realizing the sounds led to a different house, she relaxed a bit. What was she doing here? She was a highly educated woman from a good family, with a well-paying job. After her husband had died years ago, she had waited and waited for her three kids to grow up. Now the youngest daughter was finishing high school.

Using the hand that had not been pummeled by the weight of the window, Sherri opened the window again. This time, she decided to enter head first. Turns out that wasn’t the best idea. The window came down on her feet just as she thought she was sliding through. Her head and arms were dangling. She was stuck.

How did her life come to this, she wondered to herself, thinking suddenly of Mariposa Oracle, her yoga teacher. I think I need some help, Sherri thought to herself. Suddenly the weight of her body shifted the hold of the window off her feet. She tumbled headfirst and with quite a thud to the floor of Carlos’ basement.

The window crashed shut. Nothing like a quiet entrance, Sherri thought. At least I’m in.

Carlos had just gotten out of treatment for drugs and alcohol. Sherri wanted to help him have a better life. Her kids didn’t trust him, but Sherri was so hooked on the great sex and the feeling of connection, that she was sure their love would overcome all hurdles. Her family kept telling her it wasn’t love. They called it obsession. What do they know?!

Sherri snuck painfully up the stairs and went to Carlos’ den to access his computer and check his emails. She just had to know if he was sleeping with someone else! Problem was the computer wouldn’t turn on. Great! Sherri muttered.

Walking down the hallway, she looked at herself briefly in the mirror. She hesitated. Should she leave by the front door or go back out the window? Enough of climbing in and out of windows. As she passed by the mirror again, she frowned, realizing that her brown hair was now sticking up in every direction. Her blue silk blouse had a rip exposing her bra. Her hand now had a dark area that surely was going to turn into a large bruise.

I definitely have some kind of problem. Shaking her head, she silently let herself out of the house and quickly walked to her car. Driving away, Sherri recalled that Mariposa had invited her to go to Al-Anon with her. Why did Mariposa think she needed that?!

Ok. Then again, I did just break and enter to snoop on my boyfriend’s emails.

Her cellphone rang. It was one of her children. What are you doing, mom? Angie asked.

Just driving home, Sherri said. Yeah. right. Something like that.

Alex said his laptop isn’t in his room. Have you seen it?

No, Sherri said. I’ll call you back, ok, Angie? I’m driving.

Sherri’s head was spinning as she drove. Things she hadn’t wanted to think about were coming to mind, one after the other. Recently things had started disappearing. Sherri had begun to notice money missing from her wallet. And pieces of jewelry from her room. And now, Alex’s laptop!? It must be one of my kids! Sherri thought to herself. I’m gonna get a lock for my bedroom door!

2.

Across town, a red Ferrari drove into a kinda shabby parking lot. It made two left turns and parked in the corner, taking up two parking lanes, just to ensure the car was not touched, dinged or otherwise damaged by anyone parking too close, with a less than performance car. Grantham got out of the car and strolled to the entrance. His phone, which commonly chimed every five minutes, started ringing. Grantham opened the door and halfway through, he stopped. Cold air blasting from the air-conditioned room rushed past him.

I am sitting in the waiting room, looking at him. My name is Mariposa Oracle. I am a licensed massage therapist in the Queen City (Charlotte, NC). I used to be a writer/producer with an awesome job at GoCarolinas.com, a city site. But I got laid off. Now I own a massage business.

I never (ever) intended to be a massage therapist; though, I’ve had my massage license for years, from the prestigious Swedish Institute in Manhattan. I didn’t use the license at all for years until I moved from NYC to Zurich, and then Zurich to Charlotte, NC. And somehow, this last move, to seemingly a rather small town, is the one that completely shook up my life. More accurately, it turned my life upside down.

I was engaged to a hot Latino man, Rodrigo. But