Operation Soulmate Read online

  You have similar beliefs and share an interest in similar causes. You are here on the same Divine mission and work for the benefit of humanity in similar or complementary ways.

  Telepathy and deep empathy: feeling as if you each, always know what the other person is thinking and how they’re feeling.

  You may have difficulties to overcome, for example, you might be from different backgrounds or belong to difference races and have your love tested through having to prove how willing you are to overcome barriers in order to be together. Or there might be deep, emotional issues to work through from a long karmic history you both share, as a result of several lifetimes together.

  You have a natural affinity and might even look alike. Even if you are from different backgrounds and look very different, there will be a clear similarity in your expressions, smiles, ways of speaking, levels of intelligence and discernment i.e. how you show up in the world, almost as if you’re both from the same, mysterious planet.

  You seem to have been brought together by coincidences, hunches or, even, Divine intervention. Your meeting seems fated and inevitable and the universe seems to have endlessly conspired to bring you together.

  You may, each, have a feeling that you would do almost anything to see the other person happy, even if it meant losing them to someone else

  When you argue, you always know that you have both grown and evolved as a result

  You are best friends and the most passionate lovers all rolled into one

  You know that you could easily spend the rest of your lives loving each other

  Whatever temptations, threats and doubts might come your way, even through disagreements and fall-outs, the strength of your eternal connection lets you both know that, in the end, when all is said and done, there is simply no one else you could possibly belong with.

  When you’re with them, it’s like coming home

  As Ben progressed through the list, Geraldine began to stare wistfully into the distance, occasionally sighing, sniffing, inhaling deeply, exhaling meaningfully and nodding knowingly. When he finished reading the list, however, Ben was completely baffled.

  “Okay, I actually think I only understood about three of those points. Can you explain the rest to me please?” Geraldine wondered for a second whether he might be making fun of her, but they were always making fun of each other so there was no point getting all huffy about it now. She’d bravely come this far, and this was not the time to start being coy. “I mean why would you want there to be barriers to you being together, exactly?”

  “It’s not that I want them, Ben; that’s just how it is with twin flames sometimes...” she said, tailing off slightly, and seriously beginning to regret the whole, humiliating episode.

  Ben prided himself on being patient and respectful in these situations. It was always important to try to honour the client's world-view, however quirky it might seem. And besides, there was still lots there to work with! “Okay” He said slowly. “You’re going to have to explain to me what this twin-flames thing is.”

  Geraldine sighed; this was not going to be easy. “Right, okay, well the idea is that, okay, I believe that, okay, well, some people might say that.... well okay-I-read-somewhere-that...”

  Ben nodded patiently and tried to follow what she was saying. Geraldine took a deep breath and jumped. “Okay... at the very beginning of our coming into being as individual consciousnesses, when we first began our incarnations as separate souls rather than just being a part of this single blob of creative consciousness and possibility - God-Consciousness, if you like." Ben didn't like. It was all too intangible and weird. Geraldine continued heroically. "..each one of us was also split, further, into two halves, so that we could grow more, learn more...about love and life and longing and...about ourselves and each other I suppose....or... whatever...ugh.” This was truly tiring. This was definitely a mistake. Ben was just too much of a pragmatist for all this. How could she possibly expect him to get a handle on something so...nebulous? What had she been thinking?!!

  “O...kay,” Ben was absolutely serious as he continued to listen. “That’s a very beautiful story.” Geraldine clenched momentarily, slightly irritated by his interpretation of the entire twin flames paradigm as a ‘story’, but encouraged slightly by the fact that he at least seemed to be almost taking her seriously ... Well, okay, he wasn’t laughing.

  “O......kay...” She continued, carefully. “Well anyway, your twin flame is your other half, your perfect match, your soulmate but, no. It's bigger than just a soulmate; they’re really a part of you...you know?”

  “Okay,” said Ben trying to get some kind of grasp of the situation. “So this is what you’ve basically been going on, all these years? This is what you’ve been looking for?” Geraldine could tell he was trying really hard not to sound judgmental but was finding it all very difficult to understand. It was probably the bit about them being ‘a part of you.’ Coaches never liked that kind of talk...too co-dependent. In fact, he was probably thinking, right at that moment, just how cringe-makingly co-dependent it all sounded. Maybe he was even wondering how to break it to her gently that no one else could complete her, or some other such 3d psychobabble nonsense, missing the point completely. Maybe even being slightly scared for her, like she was some kind of needy flake, some misguided, love-sick, co-dependent dumb-ass. Ugh. This was just a bit too much exposure now.

  “I knew you wouldn’t get it.” She said, feeling indignant, but also just a bit too tipsy to be bothered to defend anything. She just didn’t want to be made fun of. It might have been that thought, or the alcohol, or the fact that she suddenly saw herself as she must look through his eyes, or the sudden awareness that she was searching for an impossible dream, or the fact that she’d so often questioned her own sanity for even wanting it... or perhaps it was the ever-present thought that she was not only going to be single at thirty but perhaps for the rest of her life! Whatever it was, Geraldine was suddenly weeping loudly, as she began to release years of frustrated longing.

  Ben reached out instinctively, as the tears began pouring out of her troubled face.. He didn’t see her cry very often and when he did, it made him feel very uncomfortable. “Hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong?” he said, rubbing her arm affectionately, as she quickly grabbed a handful of tissues. His heart skipped a beat as he took in her perfectly smooth mahogany skin and the fine features and bones it covered, her full lips and the cascading, black locks that framed her tiny face in a way that made her eyes and cheekbones look even more striking. He just couldn’t understand why she couldn’t see what he did.

  “It’s just impossible, isn’t it? I know it is... Even I know it’s impossible. I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m full of crap. I just have this silly, stupid idea that it’s real. Am I nuts, Ben? Am I insane to want this?”

  “No, of course you’re not insane.” Ben had seen enough crazy over the years to know what crazy was. In fact, he wasn’t even sure he believed in the notion of crazy anymore. 'Crazy' had just too often proved to be euphemistic for courageously sane, and sane had too often turned out to be conformity and stultification in disguise. So for the sake of his own creativity and mental health, he preferred to operate outside the traditional paradigms of madness and lucidity, whenever possible.

  “I just can’t let go of this dream. When I think about being with someone just ...ordinary, who’s not my twin flame, I get so frustrated, because I just don’t want to compromise. I can’t compromise. Not when I feel with every fibre of my being that this is real. That this person, this single, unique person exists out there somewhere and is waiting for me, wanting me to keep waiting, keep looking... Until I find him, because no one else will ever be right for me...ever.”

  Ben could hear the frustration building. He didn’t know what to do with it. “I just know there’s someone special, someone in particular, my perfect, Divine complement. And I know with all my heart, that I have no choice but to wait for him...however long he takes
to get here. I really do, Ben, and I don’t want anything or anyone else, I really don’t, and where is he!!! Why isn’t he here, yet?? Oh God!! I’m gonna be thirty!!! And I know it’s not old but, it feels, so, old....Oh God, I’m such a mess. I’m sorry Ben. I know you’re trying to help me, but, don’t you see... there’s just no hope for me. You’re the best person at doing this, in the country, probably in the world and even you can’t help me, even you think I’m nuts. I’m nuts aren’t I?”

  Ben looked at her worried face, and wrestled with himself again. How honest could he really allow himself to be? Geraldine was her own worst enemy, there was no question about it. She was gorgeous, bright, fun to be with, caring and absurdly generous ...to everyone but herself. Yet, in all the time he’d known her, he’d never once seen her with a decent guy, not for long, anyway. The decent ones were all given their marching orders, within a few dates, for being either too boring, too controlling, too young, too old, too perfect, even. He’d hardly been able to believe his ears when he’d heard that one! Too perfect!! "Too good to be true. There must be something wrong with him; I just haven't found it yet." !

  The fact was, that she was obviously terrified of commitment, just in case she got hurt again by some guy like Andrew who, as it turned out, hadn’t even known how to spell the word commitment, and certainly didn’t know how to make or keep one. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that there seemed to be an ex like Andrew in every woman’s past. The one that got away, but who first made sure to take a backward glance or two in order to be absolutely certain that, before leaving, he’d managed to turn a good woman really bad, or to at least made sure that any future guys would have to work very, very hard to get even a little bit close. Geraldine had, unfortunately, not managed to escape the rogue ruination, and now all the guys she really went for were losers, as far as he was concerned and, of course, safely unattainable. What a catch, an unattainable loser. Ben felt his heart melting as he watched her fall apart.

  “Aw, honey, you’re not nuts, you’re beautiful. The rest of the world is nuts, not you. You keep your dream. Never stop having dreams, no matter what. No one else has to understand them, except you. And do you want to know something...?”

  “What,” Geraldine, sniffed, dabbing at her nose and daring to glance up at him.

  “I think everyone has that dream, secretly, it’s just that very few of them has the guts to admit it. And even fewer have the courage to keep believing in it, and that makes you very, very special.”

  “Really?”

  “Absolutely. And I’ll tell you something else: what you’ve got on that list isn’t really so far-fetched ...at all. You can easily, easily find that guy, and I’m going to help you to do just that.

  “Really, Ben...you’re not just saying that to make me feel better?”

  “Gerry, all you’re looking for is a feeling of real connection, with someone who won’t let you down. You could find a guy who gives you all of those feelings, in a few weeks, I’m sure of it. In fact I will guarantee you, that if you still haven't found him three months from now, on the day of your thirtieth birthday, I’ll marry you myself!”

  “Oh Ben, don’t be silly. Do you really, really think you can help me to find him?”

  “I promise.” He said placing his hand on his heart. “So do we have a deal then?”

  Geraldine had such complete faith in Ben. He had such integrity, and everything else he had ever set out to achieve had been a forgone conclusion, even before he’d started. She just knew, without a shred of doubt, that if it was even remotely possible for her to find her twin flame (heck, she’d even settle for a regular old soulmate, now) surely he could make it happen.

  “Okay, Ben, let’s do it.” She could almost see Ben making a really good husband for her if things didn't work out with the elusive twin flame. It was a win-win. (not that it was ever going to, actually, come to that). And they could always work on the chemistry. But then, how important was that anyway? Look at some of the guys she had been wildly attracted to. Where had that gotten her? And so many women fancied Ben, surely they couldn’t all be wrong. She could see what they went for, in a way. He was tall, easily 6’ and had this unique kind of attractiveness. That strange paleness coupled with a shock of thick, straight, silky black hair and those penetrating eyes, full of kindness, intelligence and just a hint of mischief. Then those perfectly chiselled features and unusually full lips, with just the slightest suggestion of cherry, and that peculiar, almost Angelic sensitivity and integrity. By most people’s standards, Ben Wright was hot!

  For a moment or two, Geraldine was swept up in the sudden image of herself, finally, in a wedding dress, with Ben at her side, in a church packed with fellow psychics (all knowingly nodding their precognitive approval) and wonderfully evolved celebrity coaches like Ben, patting him on the back and saying ‘well done, mate, you finally did it for yourself.’ She shuddered involuntarily, and mentally scolded herself for being so utterly ridiculous. Ben was obviously just taking pity on her. He’d only said it because he knew he could succeed at anything he put his mind to. It was just his way of making sure he got his point across, just as he always did. Well she didn’t need his pity! Whatever this plan of his involved, she was going to throw herself into it wholeheartedly. There’d be no marriage of convenience for her...ever, not even with someone as amenable and eligible as Ben. Nope, one thing she certainly didn’t want was a pity proposal. How dare he pity her!!!

  For some reason, though, her mind recklessly, fast-forwarded to an image of the two of them standing, awkwardly, on either side of their marital bed. She shook her head violently to banish the stray image of a half-naked Ben. Then glanced at him guiltily to make sure he hadn’t, somehow, read her mind and seen it himself, telepathically. Just at that moment, Ben did seem to be smiling to himself about something. It was a bit uncanny really. Maybe he was a bit psychic. Why wouldn’t he be? She quickly pulled herself together. That take-away menu trick wasn’t such a stretch. They really hadn’t had curry for ages. Maybe that was how he did it every time, how he always managed to guess right. He obviously always chose whichever thing they hadn’t had for ages. It was just a series of lucky guesses based on common sense.

  Dinner suddenly arrived, and Geraldine tried not to imagine what might be going through Ben’s head as he munched, thoughtfully on a poppadum, but took a wild guess of her own, that he probably wasn’t imagining their wedding day....or night for that matter. Anyway, it definitely, definitely, wasn’t ever going to have to come to that, she was going to make sure of it. For the next three months, she’d do anything he said; she'd put herself completely in his hands. There was just no way they could fail. Look at the breakthrough they’d had already and they hadn’t even started yet!

  “Are you sure... about all this, Gerry...” Ben asked, suddenly, looking a little nervous for the first time that evening just as he was putting the finishing touches to his notes.

  “Yes, Ben, I’m absolutely sure. Let’s go for it! Why the heck not?”

  Chapter 3

  The first thing Ben did when Geraldine said goodnight and wondered pensively off to her room, swaying slightly and clutching walls as she went, was to take a good look at the bewildering twin flame checklist. It wasn’t really so outrageous. But it certainly wasn’t going to be easy. What had he gotten himself into? Still, he loved a challenge; he’d made a promise and he was nothing if not a man of his word. He knew that, as always, this was going to be a question of volume. The more guys Gerry, actually, got to meet, the more chance there was that one of them might turn out to have at least some of those soulmate qualities she was looking for. Like everything else in life, finding the right person was simply a numbers game, and there was always going to be some need for compromise along the way. If, like Geraldine, you stayed in every evening and only allowed yourself to be dragged out every now and again, when you thought you might be in danger of becoming a recluse, what were the chances that the guy you me
t on that one, single, blue moon night out would turn out to be a winner? He suspected that the chances were pretty low, and her track record had, so far, proven his suspicions to be woefully correct.

  He knew that a drastic change in habits and behaviour were required in order to make Geraldine a dating success. And in her case, the change that was required would mean getting out more, meeting and becoming inundated with a steady influx of good prospects, and, finally, choosing one of them as a steady partner, very slowly, very deliberately, and very, very wisely, instead of becoming instantly attached to the first guy who showed any sign of interest in her.

  The next morning, by the time Geraldine finally emerged from her room at around 10.30 am, the door to Ben’s room was closed, and she could hear him in the spare room they’d turned into an office. She could tell by the excitement in his voice that he was coaching someone. She loved taking a day off during the week. It felt so decadent, somehow, and the fact that she’d be working on Saturday to make up for it, didn’t change that one, little bit. It still felt delicious, and certainly far better than just routinely and mind-numbingly following the herd, day in, day out.

  Geraldine did not feel good when she entered the kitchen; it was too bright, too much brightness too soon. The top of her head was throbbing mysteriously and mercilessly, as mystifying fragments of the night before drifted slowly through her consciousness. Her crown chakra was looking decidedly murky and it was going to take at least a litre of water before she felt ready for any kind of meditation. She knew she really shouldn’t drink; she was too sensitive for it. In fact, considering the way she was feeling, by the time she finished meditating, saying affirmations, stretching, journaling and setting her intentions for the day ahead, the day would probably be over. Something had to give. For a moment she considered having a raw-food day or maybe doing some kind of fruit or juice-fast, to raise her undoubtedly, plummeting vibration, but was slightly alarmed to notice her hands reaching into the fridge for eggs and butter. Oh well, her body obviously needed eggs.