33. Meg
33
MEG
I slid into the dingy storefront where a neon sign sputtered, Future Sneak-Peeks , and if you were picturing Madame Gizalda as some glamorous fortune teller with a turban, robe, and crystal ball, let me stop you right there.
Instead, I was greeted by a redhead in a vintage leather jacket and leather pants, with eyelashes and blue nails out to there. She was parked casually at a small table, smirking like she might read your mind or steal your lunch.
The Bloody Marys had now seeped into my blood and put me in a sassy mood. “Hey there…”
She looked me up and down critically. And if this chick doesn’t just cut right to the chase. “Hey, yourself… Must say, I sense a bit of an attitude.”
“You call it attitude, I call it being realistic.”
“Oh boy, a disbeliever,” she grinned. “Color me shocked. Sit.”
Which I did. On a dilapidated metal chair, facing her across an equally dilapidated table.
She eyed me distrustfully. “I smell booze. Are you drunk? I don’t do drunks. They disrupt my ESP.”
I sprang to my feet. “I needed to take off the edge. But whatever. Bye.”
“But for an extra forty,” she added quickly, “I’ll fight my way through the pickled vibes.”
Staring at her outstretched hand, I sat down again. The only conclusion I could come to in my state was to place my hand in hers. And let her lead me to the promised land.
She quickly pulled her hand away and groaned. “Oh, for crying out loud, a rookie. Great. Give me the money first. You don’t like what I’m saying, I ain’t chasing you down for the cash.”
“Why would I not like what you’re saying? You’re supposed to give me hope.”
“Oh, you’re wasted alright. So, what are we doing here today? You want me to sugarcoat it, or do you want the cold, hard truth?”
I fished out my wallet and counted the bills. The extra forty caught me off guard, and I had to scrounge for change. So those Bloody Marys in the back of the Navigator were now costing me more than they would’ve at a decent bar. Not that I ever had to buy my own drinks.
Finally, I had a hundred dollars together and slapped it down. “Let’s go with the hard, cold truth unless it’s bad news, Giz.”
“Did you just call me Giz?”
“Gizalda is a bitch to say after three strong Bloody Marys. But I’ll bet you this hundred bucks that it’s not even your real name.”
She flicked me a glance. “No shit, Sherlock. But yep, snagged it off the internet. ‘Madame Annie’ just doesn’t scream mystery, you know? But fine, call me Giz, whatever. Now, let’s see what the universe has in store for you, Meg.”
The hair on my neck stood up, and I mumbled in a breathless gasp. “How did you know my name is Meg?”
She smirked. “ Are you for real? Your name is on my appointment app.”
Since I’d already ponied up the forty bucks for being tipsy, I was toying with the idea of throwing back one of the miniatures in my bag. But before I could do anything, out came the tarot cards.
Giz shuffled the cards like she was dealing blackjack at some underground gambling ring. “Do you have a specific question, or are we just casually dabbling in the mystical unknown called your life?” she asked.
Finally, we were getting down to the nitty gritty. “I want to know if my best friend, Isabel, is coming back from France soon. An approximate date would be great.”
She raised a brow. “Wow, that’s oddly specific. Not how I usually do this, but okay. And what about you?”
“No, I’m good,” I rambled. “I mean, as good as it can get under the circumstances. My work situation sucks a bit, but I’m taking control and it’s all going to be fine. I only have to deal with it for a year, and I can definitely do it. No doubt about it. As long as I just look straight ahead, and don’t let anything else mess with my head. So, I don’t need you to do anything for me. I just want to know about Isabel.”
A dry chuckle escaped Giz. “Good lord, aren’t you a mess,” she mused. “Let’s see what your three cards have to say.”
And with that, she dramatically flipped over the first card.
“ Oh shit . The Fool,” she muttered, some gravity laced around her words. “We’re off to an unexpected start. Or maybe not so unexpected.”
Hearing oh shit and The Fool from the psychic holding the keys to my fate in her hands was not exactly the confidence-booster I was craving.
The next card was slapped down with extra flair, and Giz included a chuckle in her self-indulgent repertoire. “The Lovers…well, well, well. Isn’t that something?”
It was time to remind her she had a paying client sitting here with pressing questions, so I cleared my throat.
“Yeah, yeah, give me a second here, will you?” she replied in a huff. “You can’t rush the truth…or Fate.”
And then, without missing a beat, she slapped down another card and gasped. “The Chariot,” she whispered frantically and glanced up. “Okay, pay attention. These three cards can be a good combo, or they can be a bad combo. All depends on the choices you make….”
She leaned in, whispering like we were having a very deep conversation in the back of a dark, seedy bar. “You think you are not ready, but it’s coming…LOVE. The fire. The passion. The forever. Don’t fight it. If you fight it, these three cards will become a horrible combo. And you don’t want that.”
The Bloody Marys were not doing a great job of preserving the mystery anymore. “Listen, I get it, you’re putting on a hundred-dollar show, but I just need to know about Isabel. I’m not here about me…per se.”
Amusement painted an expression on her face. “Shut your mouth. If I was putting on a show, I’d be sitting here decked out in a jeweled turban and playing with a crystal ball. It’s people like you that make me wish I didn’t share my God-given gift with the world.”
Pity about the no-refunds policy. Because I’d be enforcing it right about now. “So…when are we doing Isabel?”
“Fine, I’ll play one extra card for her,” Giz relented. “But only one. Let’s get this whole thing about your friend out of the way, then we get back to you.”
Giz pulled a card from the deck, placed it down, paused dramatically, and then let out a low whistle. “ The King of Pentacles. What do we have here?”
This woman was starting to chafe my nerves. “Care to elaborate?”
She closed her eyes, drifting into some mini-trance. “Someone with a lot of power is going to give it all up. Most likely for your friend.”
Goosebumps sprouted all over my arms and legs. “Say what now?”
“Your friend is going to be the reason this king abdicates. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Oh shit, yes, it does! Seriously? Does it say when?”
“If I could give you a date or a number, I’d be playing the lotto. What about my place, says lotto winner? But the vibe is strong, so I guess it’s possibly within the next three months. Does that answer the question about your friend?”
“You bet it does. It means the king will grow a backbone, ditch the stupid trust, and go get his girl in France. If what you’re saying is real.”
“ Real? The cards don’t lie, Meg. And neither do I.”
I scraped my bag close and stood up. “Okay, thanks. This has been enlightening.”
“Where do you think you’re going, cupcake?” Giz said with a raised brow. “Have a seat. Now we do you.”
Silence stretched for a beat, maybe two, before I sank back into the rickety metal chair.
“Make it quick, I’ve got places to go and people to see.”
That got me an eyeroll and a snort. She tapped the first card with a long blue nail. “Let’s start with The Fool.”
The look on my face said it all. “Sounds about right. That would be me, the last two days.”
She shook her head, running out of patience. “You going to let me talk? I mean, who’s holding the cards here?”
“Sorry, by all means talk.”
“The Fool here means it’s time to take a leap of faith. Don’t overthink it…sometimes you just need to jump in and trust the process. The Lovers means a big decision is coming your way…something involving the heart or a life choice. You’ll have to choose, and that decision is really important. Lastly, the Chariot means once you make your decision, you’re moving forward fast. No looking back.”
I shot her a withering glance. “Could you be any more vague?”
She held out her hand, and with that, incredulity bloomed inside me. “You want more money?”
Her eyes nearly rolled into the back of her head. “No. Give me your hand, silly, this time I’m connecting with you. That’s to say I can break through your booze infested wall.”
“Three Bloody Marys is not a booze infested wall.”
“Will you shut up and let me concentrate?
So, I placed my hand in hers. And the moment we touched, I swear I felt a streak of pinpricks shooting up my arm. Whatever the hell that was, it seemed there was no turning back now.
When Giz spoke again, her voice was soft, intense, and scary, like she was summoning an imp to paint graffiti on the walls of my heart. “Okay, here we go. I’m breaking through the fog now. But I feel your resistance to accept what’s about to happen.”
“Oh.”
“You’re scared to take a leap into the unknown.”
“No shit, you’d be scared too. The unknown doesn’t sound all that appealing.”
Her gaze pierced mine as she squeezed my hand. “You’re scared of love. You’re convinced no one could ever live up to all your desires. You see settling for less as a threat to your independence, your sense of self. It all boils down to you being your own worst enemy, sabotaging any chance at love because, in your eyes, there is no man alive who could meet your impossible demands.
“So, now you want me to settle? I’d rather be alone, thank you. Besides how can I be scared of love if I’ve never been in love—”
She cut me off. “Shhh. I’m talking, you need to listen now... A strong, determined man is coming into your life. He might already be there. He will sweep you off your feet, make you see the world in a whole new way. You will come to love him. This is the one . If you refuse, you might not have the chance to love like that ever again.”
Her hold on my hand tightened as if she were anchoring me to some cosmic truth. “You can fight it all you want. But that leap? It’s coming. That’s to say it isn’t already here, waiting to be taken. Whether you like it or not.”
I blinked, feeling my pulse quicken. Was I supposed to be feeling a rush of destiny? All I felt was the cold metal chair digging into my back, and the overwhelming desire to bolt out of there before she told me I was actually going to fall in love.
Giz’s voice lowered to a hush. “You’re at a crossroads. But I think you already know that, don’t you, Meg?”
Before I could stop it, the question escaped my lips. “Do you see an image of this man in your head, so I can know who to avoid?”
“See, there you go. Resist, resist, resist. But here’s the thing. Resist all you want, you can’t stop what’s coming your way. But just so you know, this sexy number is one tall drink of water, and ohhh do I see a pair of amazing blue eyes, or what. Do the letters BB mean anything to you?”
My heart sank. “Oh God no, please. You don’t understand, I hate that man. He’s a monster. He cannot be the man I waste my love on.”
Giz frowned and dropped my hand. “What are you talking about? He’s no monster, he’s your soulmate . And from what I see, he’s the cat’s whiskers. And he thinks you’re the cat’s meow. You two go together like a donut and frosting. Embrace your destiny. Or forever live with the shame of being the cookie without the milk.”
I was so done with this nonsense. “Embrace the metaphors much? And how can you even see any of this? But let me tell you one thing, I’m not the frosting to his donut, whatever that means, and I’m definitely no cookie to his milk.”
There was a long beat as she soaked in the horror written all over my face, and a smug grin spread across her features. “Your future awaits. Enjoy. Please feel free to leave a tip.”