The Guru of Cosmic Love

Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters are property of Warner Bros. and Shoot the Moon Productions. No copyright infringement in intended.

Author's Note: References are made to "Over the Limit", written by Tom Ropelewski. The errors are mine alone.

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Amanda kept her eyes focused straight ahead as she headed to the next name on her list of spring cleaning. "Don't look back, Amanda," she quietly told herself. She was spinning after her encounter with Lee and needed to get away from him as quickly as possible. When he had started reminiscing with her about their night at the Russian Embassy, she had hoped their conversation was going to go in a different direction. When he started telling her how beautiful she had looked that night, she had been sure of it. Her heart had been beating so fast at the thought that after all their flirting, Lee was finally going to confess his feelings for her. To say she was surprised by this turn of events was an understatement. He had been late for work the last four days and looked like he hadn't been getting much sleep. Word around the agency was that he had a new girlfriend, but Amanda hadn't been too sure of that. She felt for some time that they had been building towards…something, but Lee had always pulled back. Finding out that he was only interested in buying a similar dress for his "friend" was a sucker punch that left her reeling; she had been wrong about them, wrong about him having a girlfriend, wrong about…him? She let out a big sigh, one that encompassed all the frustration, anger and sadness that she felt in the moment. Her instincts had never betrayed her to this extent and she felt lost as to how to recover.

She glanced down at her list and couldn't help the small smile the name of the "organization" evoked; her next stop was to the Trans Galactic Fraternal Society of Cosmic Love. Memories of her time in college were brought to the forefront in her mind and she couldn't help but think that this was a very fortuitous assignment. Her confidence began to rebuild as she made her way into the building, eager to be in a place of positivity and enlightenment; instead, she was surprised to find a very angry, middle-aged, balding man yelling down the phone line about a blender. Nervously, she entered the room and sank into the chair in front of him. After he had disconnected the call, and yanked the line from the wall, he turned his attention to her with a practiced calm.

"Now, my daughter. How can the Guru of Cosmic Love help you?"

"Hello, my name is Amanda Keane and I'm with the People's Encyclopedia… " Her voice trailed off as she remembered her encounter with Lee. She looked down and took a deep breath. Raising her eyes to meet his, she continued, "Actually, before we get started with all of that, I think I'd like some advice."

"Of course, my daughter. What is it that's upsetting you?"

"Well, there's a man that I work with. He and I have known each other for over two years and in that time, we've been getting closer and I thought that we were flirting and working towards building something, but he always pulls away. And that's been okay because I know that he's very closed off emotionally and I've been giving him space to work things out on his own. Today, just a little while ago, I thought things were changing. He started talking about a party we had gone to last year and how beautiful I looked. And in the very next breath he asked where I got my dress from because he wanted to buy one just like it for his friend!"

"So, this man is someone you have deep feelings for?"

"Yes…no…" Amanda sighed, and looked down. "I'm in love with him, yes." It came out as a whisper, the first time she had acknowledged the depth of her feelings for Lee. She had known for some time that she had been falling in love with him and had done everything she could to fight her feelings. Now it was no use; they were there, and they weren't going anywhere. A single tear escaped and rolled down her cheek, which she was quick to wipe away.

"Have you told him how you feel?" His voice was surprisingly gentle, and his concern sounded genuine.

Amanda shook her head in the negative. "No, it's, uh, it's complicated. And besides that, it's too late. He has a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend that he is dressing up to look like you, it seems."

Amanda's head shot up at his comment. "What? Oh, I don't think that's true…"

"Let's look at what you know. He told you how beautiful you looked, and wanted to know about the dress, including where you got it. This sounds like it's about much more than a dress if you ask me…and you kind of did, ask me, that is."

"Yeah, I suppose I did," Amanda smiled at him.

"Do you think he knows how you feel about him?"

"I thought so, but after today, I'm starting to wonder if everything I've thought is wrong."

"For what it's worth, I don't think you're wrong. In my experience, men like this, who are so closed off, tend to push away those they really care about. If you think he's worth waiting for, don't give up. You have to ask for what you want in this world. It's like the blender you heard me arguing about. They know they owe me a blender, and I'm not going to stop until I get it!" He paused for a moment before lowering his voice and continuing. "But also, do not let him walk all over you. What he said to you was wrong. I hope you know that."

Amanda found herself laughing with him. "Yes, I do know that. Thank you for helping me see it."

"You're welcome, my daughter. Now, tell me about this People's Encyclopedia."

Amanda smiled, feeling so much lighter than she had a few moments ago. She would get through to Lee, one way or another. He was worth waiting for.

About a week later, Dotty was going through the mail and found a postcard addressed to Amanda Keane.

Dear Amanda,

Thank you for your visit to the Guru… I hope everything worked out with your friend. Just remember to ask for what you want!

-G

P.S. My blender arrived yesterday

Dotty shook her head. "She has the strangest friends!"